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Wednesday 6 March 2013
Pittsburgh Man Sentenced to Prison for Making and Passing Counterfeit BillsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Allegheny County has been sentenced in federal court to one year and a day of incarceration on his conviction of making and passing counterfeit money, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Mark Hornak imposed the sentence on Shawn V. Jones, 43, of Pittsburgh, Pa.
According to the information presented to the court, Jones made $1,000 in photocopied counterfeit federal reserve notes in $20 and $10 denominations from Dec. 9 through Dec. 12, 2011. He pled guilty to passing counterfeit money at a local pub on Dec. 13, 2011.
Assistant United States Attorney Paul E. Hull prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The United States Secret Service conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Jones.
Phoenixville Man Charged with Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
Lawrence Nicoletti, 60, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, was charged today by information with one count of theft of government funds, in connection with his alleged scheme to collect retirement benefits intended for his father-in-law, after his father-in-law’s death, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. According to the Information, the defendant’s father-in-law was a United States Postal Service worker who received Social Security Administration Retirement and Survivor’s Insurance benefits, as well as Office of Personnel Management Civil Service Retirement System benefits. The information alleges that Nicoletti’s father-in-law died in December 2005 but the defendant took the retirement benefits intended for his father-in-law until the fraud was discovered in the summer of 2012. This resulted in a loss to the government of approximately $188,564.70.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years imprisonment; 3 years of supervised release; a $250,000 fine; restitution of $188,564.70; and a $100 special assessment.The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, and the Office of Personnel Management, Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Amanda R. Reinitz.
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UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICTof PENNSYLVANIA
Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525Philadelphia Woman Charged with Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
Sophia Beltz, 54, of Philadelphia, PA was charged today by information with one count of theft of government funds, in connection with her alleged scheme to collect Social Security Administration Retirement Insurance Benefits intended for her father, after her father’s death, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. According to the information, the defendant received the retirement benefits intended for her father, who died in February 1997, until her fraud was discovered in August 2012. The information alleges that her conduct resulted in a loss to the government of approximately $172,133.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years imprisonment; 3 years of supervised release; a $250,000 fine; restitution of $172,133; and a $100 special assessment.The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Amanda R. Reinitz.
Click here to view the indictment
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICTof PENNSYLVANIA
Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525Philadelphia Resident Sentenced on Cocaine ChargeRead the Press Release
1125 Chapline Street, Federal Building, Suite 3000 ● Wheeling, WV 26003
(304) 234-0100 ● Contact: Chris Zumpetta-Parr, Public Affairs SpecialistCLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA — A 25 year old Philadelphia, Pennsylvania resident, who formerly lived in Morgantown, West Virginia, was sentenced on March 5, 2013, in United States District Court in Clarksburg by Judge Irene M. Keeley.
United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced that: THOMAS WILLIAMS was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. WILLIAMS entered a plea of guilty on November 5, 2012, to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Hydrochloride” on March 3, 2010, at the Travel Lodge in Harrison County. WILLIAMS was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending designation to a Federal institution.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zelda E. Wesley and investigated by the Greater Harrison County Drug Task Force, consisting of officers from the Bridgeport Police Department; Clarksburg Police Department; Drug Enforcement Administration; West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and, the United States Marshals Service.
Pasco Man Sentenced to More Than 4 Years in Prison for Tax Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, FL - U.S. District Judge John Steele sentenced Keith Stewart today to 4 years and 6 months in federal prison for presenting false claims to the government and aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered Stewart to serve a five-year term of supervised release, following his prison sentence. Stewart pleaded guilty on July 11, 2012.
According to court documents, Stewart knowingly prepared and filed false income tax returns with the IRS for fraudulent tax refunds. At least one of the false filings resulted in a payment to him in the amount of $8,000, to which he was not entitled. Stewart also used various means of identification belonging to other people in order to obtain debit cards in their names. At the time of his arrest, he possessed the names and personal information of at least 100 individuals.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, Lee County Sheriff's Office, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Douglas Molloy.
Palm Beach County Resident Arrested for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Michael B. Steinbach, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announced yesterday that Gary Goldberg, 49, of Palm Beach County, was charged with production of child pornography in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251. A Pre-trial detention hearing is scheduled for Goldberg today at 10:00 a.m.
The complaint charges Goldberg with production of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2251. If convicted, Goldberg faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of fifteen years and a maximum term of imprisonment of up to thirty years.
According to the complaint, Goldberg entered into a relationship with a 17 year old girl and her 15 year old friend. Goldberg allegedly performed oral sex on the 15 year old girl in the bathroom at the BP station at Glades Road while the 17 year old waited in the car outside. Goldberg paid the minors to allow him to take nude and sexually explicit photographs of them. Goldberg allegedly photographed the girls with a tablet.
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.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, Boca Raton Police Department, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, and the South Florida Minor Vice Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lothrop Morris.
An indictment is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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.
Palm Beach County Man Pleads Guilty in Identity Theft Tax Refund Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Paula A. Reid, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service (USSS), and José A. Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), announced that defendant Jeanson Pata, 31, of West Palm Beach, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn to two counts of theft of government money or property in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641, and one count of false statement to a federal agency in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001. He faces a possible maximum statutory sentence of 25 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled before Judge Cohn for May 14, 2013, at 9:00 a.m.
According to documents filed in court, on or before May 27, 2010, the defendant, Jeanson Pata, gave his SunTrust Bank debit card and PIN to his cousin (and co-defendant) Fednol Pierre, so that Pierre could deposit stolen tax refund checks into Pata’s bank account. Pierre deposited two such checks into Pata’s checking account, totaling $14,078, on May 27, 2010, and June 10, 2010. Shortly after each deposit, Pierre, with help from Pata, withdrew most of those funds at ATMs, grocery stores, and the teller window. Pata also transferred a total of $1,200 of those funds into his own savings account.
Additionally, according to documents filed in court, on November 20, 2012, Pata falsely told a U.S. Secret Service Special Agent that he had not received payment for allowing Pierre to use his bank account to deposit checks.
Mr. Ferrer thanked USSS and IRS-CI for their work on the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Coats.
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.
Norfolk, Virginia - Man was sentenced to serve a 16 month term of imprisonment followed by two years of supervised release following his guilty plea to unlawful sale of a firearm to an unauthorized person.Read the Press Release
RICHARD S. HARTUNIAN, United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, announced that yesterday TERRY DUNLAP., age 28, of Norfolk, Virginia, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Utica to serve a 16 month term of imprisonment followed by two years of supervised release following his guilty plea to unlawful sale of a firearm to an unauthorized person. Dunlap pled guilty to selling an Iberia Arms .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol on the street in Watertown, New York to an unknown person in August 2007. The pistol was recovered by Syracuse Police during a vehicle stop on September 27, 2007. A trace of the pistol’s serial number led ATF Special Agents in Virginia to interview Dunlap, the pistol’s last known owner. Dunlap initially falsely claimed to Norfolk ATF Agents, that he was still in possession of the firearm. Dunlap subsequently admitted that he sold the firearm in August 2007 to an unknown person in Watertown. Still later, Dunalp admitted to selling a second pistol to an unknown person in Syracuse, New York in October 2007.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) Field Offices in Syracuse, New York and Norfolk, Virginia. Assistance was also provided by the Syracuse Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard R. Southwick.
Newburyport Man Indicted for Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Charges of social security fraud against a Newburyport man were unsealed today in federal court.
John Flaherty, 60, was indicted yesterday with theft of government money. The indictment alleges that from 1999 to 2012, Mr. Flaherty received Social Security payments intended for his mother, Eileen Flaherty who had passed away. Flaherty received payments totaling $168,830.The maximum sentence under the statute is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Office, made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Landry of Ortiz’s Major Crimes 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.
New Ulm Felon Indicted for Possessing Four FirearmsRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier this week in federal court in St. Paul, a 48-year-old felon from New Ulm was indicted for possessing four firearms. On March 4, 2013, Buck Otto White was charged with one count of being felon in possession of a firearm.
The indictment alleges that on February 14, 2013, White possessed a 10-gauge shotgun, a .22-caliber rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, and a 7.62-caliber rifle. Because he is a felon, White, also known as Timothy Joseph Hoffman, is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. His prior convictions include burglary in the second degree (Hennepin County in 1984), attempted burglary in the first degree (Anoka County in 1991), burglary in the second degree (Kanabec County in 1995), assault in the fourth degree (Anoka County in 1994), and attempted violation in the controlled substance law in the first degree (Hennepin County in 2006). Because these convictions constituted crimes of violence or drug trafficking, White is subject to the federal Armed Career Criminal Act. That act mandates a minimum of 15 years in prison for anyone subsequently convicted in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm and/or ammunition.This case is the result of an investigation by the Nicollet County Sheriff’s Office, the New Ulm Police Department and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Newberry.
An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.
More Charged in Panama Unit CaseRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A federal grand jury has handed down a superseding indictment in the case involving the former task force dubbed the “Panama Unit,” United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.
The superceding indictment, returned just moments ago, charges several additional members of the former task force as well as three other individuals, for various drug and theft charges.
In January 2013, a federal grand jury charged Jonathan Christian Trevino, 28, Alexis Rigoberto Espinoza, 29, Fabian Rodriguez, 28, and Gerardo Mendoza-Duran, 30, with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
Today, former Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Deputies Salvador Joel Arguello, 34, Claudio Alberto Mata, 34, and Eric Michael Alcantar, 29, were charged with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, more than 1000 kilograms of marijuana and more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. The trio was also charged in several substantive counts of possession with the intent to distribute more than multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine.
The superceding indictment also includes one count of theft of government property against Trevino, Rodriguez and Arguello.
Fernando Guerra Sr., 57, Fernando Guerra Jr., 24, and Alvaro Gilberto DeHoyos, 25, were also charged in the indictment today with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
All the defendants face a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, along with a potential fine up to $10 million.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Office of Professional Responsibility, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Texas Rangers and Department of Justice – Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorneys Anibal Alanis and James Sturgis are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
Mexican National Sentenced in Child Solicitation CaseRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas– Juan Antonio Castillo-Mendoza, 46, a resident of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, has been sentenced to 48 months for traveling into the United States with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today along with Vincent Iglio, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Castillo-Mendoza pleaded guilty to the charge on Oct. 25, 2012.
“Protecting America's children from sexual predators is one of the most important public safety roles we have at HSI,” said Iglio. “Today’s sentencing demonstrates that HSI and our law enforcement partners will use every tool at our disposal to stop these predators in their tracks, and protect their innocent victims.”
Between July and August 2012, Castillo-Mendoza initiated contact and engaged in numerous online chats with an undercover investigator who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. During their first chat, Castillo-Mendoza was informed several times that the girl he had initiated contact with was 14 years old. The online conversations soon turned personal and Castillo-Mendoza told the undercover investigator he wanted her to become his girlfriend, asked her to keep their relationship a secret and tried to entice her to travel to Nuevo Laredo so that they could meet. He also steered the online chats towards sex and repeatedly asked the undercover investigator about sex.
After a month of online chatting, Castillo-Mendoza made plans to visit the girl and have sex with her while her mother was away at work. Castillo-Mendoza arrived at the Laredo apartment given to him by the undercover investigator and he was subsequently arrested.
The case was investigated by HSI and the Webb County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonah Lee.
Manager of Check-Cashing Store Pleads Guilty to Participating in Tax Refund ScamRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Fred Alverson
Public Affairs OfficerCINCINNATI – Marnay Love, 33, of Cincinnati pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy for her role in a scheme to file fraudulent income tax returns in order to claim tax refunds. Love admitted to assisting in the cashing of at least 43 refund checks worth $84,090.
Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Denise Rocawich, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office (IRS), announced the plea entered today before Senior U.S. District Judge Sandra S. Beckwith.
According to court documents, Love worked as manager at ACE Cash Express. Love admitted that she sometimes cashed the checks under account names that did not match the individual on the check. Once cashed, Love took a portion of the refund as a fee and gave the remaining money to co-conspirators.
Conspiracy to defraud the IRS is punishable by up to ten years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain to the defendant or loss to the victim, and a mandatory term of supervised release of up to three years.
Love and four others were indicted in January 2013. Charges against the other three are pending.
“The plea agreement attributes the loss to the IRS at $84,090 and the loss to her employer at $17,850,” U.S. Attorney Stewart said. Judge Beckwith will set a date for sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Knight is representing the United States in this case.
Lee County Man Indicted for Multiple Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida- United States Attorney Robert E. O'Neill announces the return of an indictment charging Daniel Glen Ball (36, Lee County) with three counts of bank robbery. If convicted, Ball faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count. The indictment also notifies Ball that the United States intends to forfeit the proceeds of the offenses.
According to the indictment, Ball robbed three banks between February 25, 2013, and March 1, 2013. Ball allegedly robbed a Fifth Third Bank on February 25, 2013, an Edison National Bank on February 28, 2013, and another Fifth Third Bank on March 1, 2013.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Police Department, Lee County Sheriff's Office, and the United States Marshals Service Regional Fugitive Task Force. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David G. Lazarus.
Indictments Returned in Hammond Federal CourtRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: Mary Hatton
www.usdoj.gov/usao/inn/ FAX (219) 852-2770
Hammond, Indiana- The United States Attorney’s Office announced that the following Indictments were returned on March 6, 2013:
Christopher M. Bour, 39, and Natisha Hillard, 24, both of Gary, Indiana, were charged in a five count Indictment alleging buying/selling, production of and possession of child pornography.Bour is charged with one count of purchase of a child for production of child pornography, one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography featuring a minor under the age of 12.Hillard is charged with one count of sale of a child by a parent for production of child pornography and one count of permitting a child by a parent to participate in the production of child pornography. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Indiana State Police, the Gary Police Department and the Michigan City Police Department.This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.
Stacy Davis, 44, of Gary, Indiana, was charged in a superseding Indictment adding two additional bank robbery counts to the original indictment; the bank robbery of TCF Bank in Munster, Indiana on October 2, 2012 and the robbery of Chase Bank in Merrillville, Indiana on October 3, 2009.These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation GRIT Task Force.This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Chang-Adiga.
The United States Attorney's Office emphasized that an Indictment is merely an allegation and that all persons charged are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Indictment Filed Charging 28 People with Skimming More Than $1.7 Million from Trucking CompaniesRead the Press Release
A 97-count indictment was filed charging 28 people with violations including conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering for their roles in a scheme that skimmed more than $1.7 million from trucking companies, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and William Hayes, acting special agent in charge U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit.
“Criminal enterprises are constantly coming up with new ways to rip off companies, consumers and customers,” Dettelbach said. “This group tried to turn truck stops into their own personal ATMs. We will continue to work with our partners in law enforcement to stamp out these schemes.”
“This organization is alleged to have significantly defrauded American trucking companies engaged in legitimate commerce,” Hayers said. “This type of illegal activity can result in higher costs passed on to the consumer.”
Those indicted are: Dilshod Sidikov, aka “Dema”, 24, of Brooklyn, NY; Michael McPherson, 24, of Bronx, NY; Jamarl Gibbs, 29, of Albany, NY; Vernon Parker, 38, of Brooklyn, NY; Ahygia McDowell, 29, of Bronx, NY; Rashaad Forest, 32, of Bronx, NY; William Kelly, 30, of Bronx, NY; Jonas Belizaire, 32, of Bronx, NY; Liza Ortiz, 39, New York, NY; Victoria Alford, aka Victoria Kayeoni Alford, 43, Auburn, NY; Juan Pablo Estevez, 23, Stanton Island, NY; Gilbert Ortega, 38, of Brooklyn, NY; Sharone Lewis, 32, of Brooklyn, NY; Gerald Gomez, 24, of New York, NY; William Whitehead, 28, of Bronx, NY; Mario Flores, 56, of Bronx, NY; Ilya Trakhtenberg, 36, of Brooklyn, NY; Ashle Gardner, 25, of Brooklyn, NY; Paul Garrett, 46, of Bronx, NY; Chad Cook, 35, of Syracuse, NY; Ernest Gonzalez, 45, of Bronx, NY; Anthony Latief King, 42, of Bowie, MD; Johnathan Harris, 23, of Toledo, Ohio; Reginald Nottage, 48, of Brookyln, NY; Paul Grimes, 25, of Bronx, NY; Daniel Nieves, 25, of Bronx, NY; Igor Bekkerman, 41, of Denver, and Erna Kobrinsky, 42, of Hallandale Beach, FL.
Count 1 of the indictment charges the following defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud: Dilshod Sidikov, aka “Dema”; Michael McPherson; Jamarl Gibbs; Vernon Parker; Ahygia McDowell; Rashaad Forest; William Kelly; Jonas Belizaire; Liza Ortiz; Victoria Alford, aka Victoria Kayeoni Alford; Juan Pablo Estevez; Gilbert Ortega; Sharone Lewis; Gerald Gomez; William Whitehead; Mario Flores; Ilya Trakhtenberg; Ashle Gardner; Paul Garrett; Chad Cook; Ernest Gonzalez; Anthony Latief King; Johnathan Harris, Reginald Nottage, Paul Grimes, and Daniel Nieves.
Counts 2 through 96 of the indictment charges the following defendants with wire fraud: Vernon Parker; Ahygia McDowell; Rashaad Forest; Jonas Belizaire; Liza Ortiz; Victoria Alford, aka Victoria Kayeoni Alford; Juan Pablo Estevez; Gilbert Ortega; Sharone Lewis; Gerald Gomez; William Whitehead; Mario Flores; Ilya Trakhtenberg; Chad Cook; Ernest Gonzalez; and Johnathan Harris.
The indictment charges that the defendants fraudulently obtained account numbers and codes used by independent trucking companies to wire money to the companies’ drivers from February 2011 through November 2012. They accomplished the objectives of the conspiracy and wire fraud as set forth below:
Electronic fund processing companies (EFP) such as Fleet One, Comdata, and TCH are used by trucking companies to electronically transfer funds to truck drivers at truck stops and other locations throughout the country. Drivers typically obtain the money by providing information to a customer service representative at a participating truck stop. That information is then relayed via wire to an EFP processing center. Once the EFP has authorized the request for money, the truck stop will issue a check to the driver who then cashes it.From the above period of time, known and unknown individuals obtained account numbers and codes used by trucking companies to issue checks through EFPs. These account numbers and codes were obtained without the knowledge or consent of the trucking companies. The known and unknown individuals then provided the stolen account numbers and codes via telephone calls or text messages to the defendants, according to the indictment.
The defendants traveled to truck stops in the Northern District of Ohio and elsewhere. Once at the truck stops, they posed as truck drivers, approached customer service counters, presented the stolen account numbers and codes, and requested checks from EFPs such as Comdata, Fleet One and TCH, according to the indictment.
Customer service representatives at the truck stops then processed the requests by sending the account numbers and codes via wire to EFP processing centers located outside the Northern District of Ohio. The EFPs then authorized the requests and authorized the truck stop customer service representatives, via wire, to print checks for the defendants. They then endorsed the checks and cashed them at the truck stops, according to the indictment.
In total, the defendants fraudulently obtained a gross amount of more than $1.7 million. Most of the transactions took place at truck stops in Ohio, according to the indictment.
Count 97 of the indictment charges the following defendants with money laundering: Dilshod Sidikov, aka “Dema”; Ilya Trakhtenberg; Ahygia McDowell; Daniel Neives; Igor Bekkerman; and Erna Kobrinsky.
From about February 2011, and continuing to on or about November 2012, the defendants conspired to launder money by transferring the proceeds of this scheme from bank accounts New York to Russia and Uzbekistan and then back again to bank accounts in New York, according to the indictment.If convicted, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including each of the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentences will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The matter was presented to the grand jury and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David M. Toepfer.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Hanford Contractor Agrees to Pay $18.5 Million Dollars to Resolve Civil and Criminal Allegations and to Cooperate with the United States in On-Going InvestigationRead the Press Release
RICHLAND - Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, in conjunction with the United States Department of Justice's Civil Division, announced today that Colorado-based CH2M Hill Hanford Group Inc. (CHG) and its parent company, CH2M Hill Companies Ltd. (CH2M Hill), have agreed that CHG committed federal civil and criminal violations by defrauding the public through years of widespread time card fraud. In order to resolve CHG's civil and criminal liability, CH2M Hill has agreed: to pay a total of $18,500,000; to commit an additional $500,000 towards accountability systems; to consent to a corporate monitor; and to continue actively cooperating with an ongoing fraud investigation.
Specifically, the global resolution entered between CH2M Hill and the United States provides that CH2M Hill will pay $16,550,000 to resolve its civil liability under the False Claims Act. In addition, CH2M Hill entered into a Non-Prosecution Agreement with the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington to resolve its criminal liability. Under the terms of that agreement, CH2M Hill will refund an additional $1.95 million in wrongfully obtained profits, dedicate $500,000 to foster increased accountability at the Hanford Site, and pay for independent monitoring to ensure that CH2M Hill takes adequate corrective actions. To date, eight individuals have pleaded guilty to engaging in the same time card fraud scheme and conspiracy, in which conspiracy CH2M Hill has now admitted CHG itself was a co-conspirator.
Between 1999 and 2008, CH2M Hill had a contract with the United States Department of Energy to manage and clean 177 large underground storage tanks containing mixed radioactive and hazardous waste at the Department of Energy's Hanford Nuclear Site in southeastern Washington (the Tank Farms Contract). The Hanford Site was used for the production of nuclear weapons during World War II and the Cold War.
The global resolution entered between the United States and CH2M Hill is supported by an agreed statement of facts. According to those facts, CHG hourly employees involved in the cleanup routinely overstated the number of hours they worked. It is agreed that certain members of CHG management condoned the practice and, in turn, submitted inflated claims to the Department of Energy that included the fraudulently claimed hours. Specifically, CH2M Hill and the United States agree that CHG's hourly workers "consistently refuse[d] to perform any overtime work unless that overtime was offered, or 'called out,' in 8 hour blocks." As stated in the agreed statement of facts, "[t]he inability of CHG's upper management to secure the necessary overtime volunteers for various jobs threatened CHG's ability to complete various projects linked to the Tank Farms Contract performance incentives. This in turn threatened CHG's ability to earn certain fees, and therefore profits under the Tank Farms Contract." The agreed statement of facts also acknowledge that the inability to obtain performance-based incentives would have directly impacted the personal corporate bonuses of certain members of CHG's upper management. Consequently, "certain members of CHG's upper management, certain direct supervisors of the hourly workers, and certain other supervisory personnel, accepted the practice of hourly workers only working until the particular overtime job was completed, leaving Hanford, and falsely claiming a full 8 hours even when the job took less than 8 hours," according to the agreed statement of facts.
The widespread time card fraud at CHG was not limited to overtime abuse and had occurred for many years, in some instances even pre-dating the Tank Farms Contact, as stated in the agreed statement of facts. Furthermore, the agreed facts acknowledge that, "[c]ertain members of CHG's upper management, certain direct supervisors of hourly employees, and other certain supervisory personnel, did not discipline, formally or informally, CHG hourly workers for routinely engaging in known time card fraud. In fact, certain of CHG's direct supervisors of hourly workers engaged in patterns designed to avoid the detection of the routine time card fraud by law enforcement officials and internal auditors." In this manner, CHG "knowingly, willfully, and with intent to defraud, facilitated CHG's hourly workers routinely getting paid for hours they did not work and combined, conspired, and agreed with CHG hourly workers to accomplish the same, all at the sole expense of the citizens of the United States."
United States Attorney Michael C. Ormsby stated: "This sort of systemic fraud is an appalling abuse of the trust we place in our contractors at Hanford and it simply will not be tolerated." United States Attorney Ormsby went on to say: "I hasten to add that CH2M Hill has stepped up, admitted the criminal conduct of its subsidiary, and has agreed to pay back a good faith estimate of what was taken, including criminal proceeds from the conspiracy. CH2M Hill has also agreed to take substantial remedial steps going forward including having its remaining subsidiary at the Hanford Site, CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company, consent to a corporate monitor for 3 years, and to commit an additional $500,000 towards making sure that similar fraudulent conduct does not happen again." United States Attorney Ormsby also noted that: "Under this global resolution, CH2M Hill will continue its commendable cooperation demonstrated in this matter."
Stuart F. Delery, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, said: "Contractors owe a duty to the taxpayers to accurately bill the United States for work performed. This settlement demonstrates that the Department of Justice, working together with its law enforcement partners, will hold contractors accountable for false billing and restore wrongfully taken funds to the Treasury."
"I am pleased with today's announcement. I would like to express my thanks to the entire investigative team – Inspector General Special Agents, the United States Attorney's Office, the Department of Justice Civil Frauds Division and the FBI -- for their efforts on this investigation," said Gregory H. Friedman, the Department of Energy Inspector General. "It is essential that Department of Energy contractors be held accountable for effective stewardship of U.S. taxpayer dollars."
The civil fraud allegations under the False Claims Act resolved by today's settlement were initially alleged in a whistleblower lawsuit filed by Carl Schroeder, a former employee of CH2M Hill and one of those who pleaded guilty to the scheme. Under the False Claims Act, private citizens can sue on behalf of the United States and share in the recovery. The Act, however, bars whistleblowers from recovering if they were convicted based on their role in the scheme. The False Claims Act suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, and is captioned United States ex rel. Schroeder v. CH2M Hill, No. 09- CV-5038 (E.D. Wash.).
This matter was handled by Tyler Tornabene, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, and Daniel Fruchter, a Trial Attorney with the Civil Fraud Section of the United States Department of Justice's Civil Division, with investigative assistance provided by the Department of Energy Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Fort Totten Man Pleads Guilty to Involuntary ManslaughterRead the Press Release
FARGO - U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on March 6, 2013, Louis John Dunn of Fort Totten, N.D., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Ralph R. Erickson to a charge of involuntary manslaughter.
On Oct. 12, 2012, Dunn, 33, while driving under the influence of alcohol, drove into the lane of on-coming traffic, striking the vehicle driven by Andrew Greywater who subsequently died from the injuries he received in the crash.
The incident occurred on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation.
The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a statutory maximum penalty of eight years’ imprisonment. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Sentencing for Dunn has been scheduled for May 29, 2012, in U.S. District Court in Fargo, N.D., at 10:45 a.m.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Janice M. Morley is prosecuting the case.
Fort Myers Man Indicted for Three Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida- United States Attorney Robert E. O'Neill announces the return of an indictment charging Jose Miguel Figueroa (41, Fort Myers) with three separate bank robberies in Lee County, Florida. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each bank robbery. The indictment also notifies Figueroa that the United States intends to forfeit the proceeds of each of the three offenses.
According to the indictment, on three different occasions between January 17, 2013, and March 1, 2013, Figueroa used intimidation to take money from Wells Fargo Bank .
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Police Department, and the Lee County Sheriff's Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David G. Lazarus.
Former Wilton Manors Resident Indicted for Defrauding the State of Florida Unemployment Compensation ProgramRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Richard Walker, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, and Jesse Panuccio, Executive Director, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, announced today the arrest and unsealing of a twelve (12) count indictment charging defendant Denny Ray Hughes, 40, formerly of Wilton Manors, FL, with nine (9) counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, and three (3) counts of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A.
If convicted on the wire fraud counts, the defendant faces a maximum statutory sentence of up to twenty years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. If convicted on the aggravated identity theft counts, the defendant faces a mandatory two years imprisonment consecutive to any other sentence imposed.
According to the indictment, between January 2011 and April 2012, defendant Hughes obtained the personal identifying information of approximately 21 individuals, including their names, dates of birth, and social security numbers, and in order to obtain and build wage credits for the purported employees filed or caused to be filed fraudulent quarterly UCT-6 forms with the Florida Department of Revenue classifying them as employees of Mortgage Relief America, LLC (MRA). Alternatively, defendant Hughes submitted falsified W-2’s to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to create the appearance that these individuals had previously worked for MRA. The defendant thereafter classified these individuals as laid off employees and fraudulently filed applications with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity seeking unemployment compensation benefits on their behalf utilizing their personal identifying information. Once these fraudulent unemployment compensation applications had been submitted to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the defendant made materially false, misleading, and fraudulent claims to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Unemployment Compensation Program over the internet and/or over the telephone on either a weekly or bi-weekly basis, and thereby caused unemployment compensation funds from the Florida Department of Financial Services to be deposited directly into the defendant’s bank account via electronic funds transfers. In total, the defendant allegedly defrauded the State of Florida out of approximately $206,000.00.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Anton.
An indictment is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent 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.
Former Marine Admits Running Elaborate Fraud Scheme to Get Financial Help to Play on PGA TourRead the Press Release
Defendant Concocted Convincing Story That He Was a Wounded Combat Veteran
DALLAS — Michael Duye Campbell, 30, of Houston, appeared in federal court in Dallas today and pleaded guilty, before U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis, to an Information charging one count of mail fraud, stemming from a scheme he ran from 2010 to 2012 to obtain financial assistance so that he could play professional golf. Campbell, a Houston resident, faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and restitution. He will remain on bond, pending sentencing, which has been set for June 19, 2013, before Judge Solis. Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
According to documents filed in the case, Campbell served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2000 to 2004; he never deployed overseas and was never injured, severely or otherwise, in combat. Nonetheless, he began representing himself as a Marine combat veteran who had suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) while deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
As part of his elaborate scheme, Campbell falsely told others that while on patrol in Fallujah, Iraq, his unit was attacked when an improvised explosive device (IED), or bomb, detonated. He told others that members of his unit died in the explosion and that he awoke from his serious injuries months later at Walter Reed Army Hospital. He claimed that he couldn’t speak, and that when he did regain his speech, he stuttered. He also claimed that he suffered short-term memory loss from his TBI.
Campbell told numerous individuals that his doctor suggested that he take up golf to help with his rehabilitation for his combat injuries. Campbell also created a website and obtained a promotional video recording to further his scheme — all to obtain financial help to play in the PGA.
Campbell was convincing in his story. He met famous people who supported charity golf tournaments for wounded warriors and convinced them to write stories on his behalf and provide him access to expensive golf schools and golf courses. All of this provided Campbell with opportunities to continue his scheme, defraud others and afford him opportunities to search out endorsement contracts for golf apparel and equipment.
In fact, it was during this process that Campbell learned of the Troops First Foundation and Operation Proper Exit. These charities provide opportunities for severely-injured service members to return to the location where they sustained their injury and, instead of being medically evacuated, provide them the opportunity to walk to the aircraft and climb the ramp. Campbell participated in Operation Proper Exit VIII, co-sponsored by the USO, in December 2010. He was flown from DFW to Dubai and then provided military transportation for the remainder of the trip. Even though Campbell was neither a combat veteran nor a wounded warrior, he made the trip, which cost thousands of dollars.
Campbell deceived other charities including Operation Homefront and Counter Valor by making continued material false statements in furtherance of his scheme to defraud. He obtained many things of value from them including automobile payments, automobile insurance payments, utilities, room and board, transportation, living expenses and golf tournament entry fees. Likewise, Campbell deceived Vola LLC (an athletic apparel and footwear company located in Richardson, Texas) and Golf Technology Xtreme, Inc. (GTX) (a manufacturer of golf clubs), by obtaining, and attempting to obtain golf clothing, equipment, money and other things of value from them.
Campbell admits that the victims of his fraud suffered at least $40,000 in actual losses.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham.
Former Las Vegas Realtor, His Wife, and Escrow Officers Charged in $83 Million Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A man who owned and operated two now-defunct mortgage industry businesses in the Las Vegas area, his wife, and an escrow officer, were indicted by a federal grand jury today on conspiracy and bank fraud charges in relation to an $83 million mortgage fraud scheme, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
“We continue to work with our law enforcement partners on the investigation and prosecution of mortgage fraud in Nevada,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “Since the inception of our mortgage fraud program in the spring of 2008 and through the end of 2012, about 213 persons have been charged with federal mortgage fraud crimes in Nevada. Most of those individuals were convicted and are in prison.”
Derrick Phelps, 44, former owner of Investors Realty and Enterprise Mortgage Services in Henderson, and his wife, Cynthia Phelps, 34, both of Katy, Texas, and Linda Mack, 49, of North Las Vegas, are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud and seven counts of bank fraud. They are scheduled to make an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Foley on Friday, March 22, 2013, at 3:00 p.m. to answer the charges. If convicted, they face up to 30 years in prison for each count and fines of up to $1,000,000 per count.
According to the indictment, from about January 2003 to November 2006, the defendants devised a scheme to defraud federally insured financial institutions through the use of straw buyers, inflated housing values and false mortgage applications. The defendants solicited straw buyers with good credit ratings to purchase homes in the Las Vegas area. The defendants made offers to purchase the homes above the sellers’ asking prices. In some instances, the defendants caused straw buyers to purchase multiple houses at or about the same time, so that the purchases would not show up on their credit report and the lenders would not be aware of the other purchases. The defendants then caused false information to be placed in the straw buyer’s mortgage loan application and other documentation concerning the buyer’s income and intent to occupy the home. Once the loans were approved, the defendants caused the sellers to agree that part of the excess funds be redirected to the buyers under the pretense of making upgrades and repairs to the properties. The defendants intentionally concealed from the financial institutions the fact that they were receiving part of the loan disbursements for their own use and benefit. The defendants defaulted on the mortgage loans which caused the properties to go into foreclosure. Using this scheme, the defendants purchased approximately 233 properties and caused losses to the financial institutions greater than $30 million.
The case is being investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah E. Griswold and Brian Pugh.
This case was handled in connection with the President's Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. The task force was established to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys' offices and state and local partners, it's the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed nearly 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,900 mortgage fraud defendants. For more information on the task force, please visit www.StopFraud.gov.
An indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Former Bernalillo County Corrections Officer Convicted on Obstruction of Justice ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A federal jury late this afternoon convicted Kevin Casaus, 25, a former corrections officer at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Albuquerque, N.M., on obstruction of justice and falsification of records charges, announced the Justice Department.
Casaus and fellow former MDC corrections officers, Demetrio Juan Gonzales, 40, and Matthew Pendley, 26, were indicted in June 2012, and charged with various crimes related to the assault of an inmate housed at MDC on Dec. 21, 2011, and subsequent attempts to cover up and impede the investigation of the assault. In Oct. 2012, Gonzales pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of an individual in his custody when he struck and choked the victim in the shower room/dress out area of MDC. Pendley pleaded guilty in Feb. 2012 to obstructing justice by making false statements to law enforcement during their investigation of the assault on an inmate.
Trial of Casaus on obstruction of justice, falsification of records and assault charges began on March 4, 2013. According to the evidence at trial, during the early morning hours of Dec. 21, 2011, Gonzales was assigned to the Receiving-Discharge-Transfer (RDT) Unit at MDC where individuals are brought to be booked soon after they are arrested. His job was to photograph and fingerprint those who are brought to RDT for booking. The victim, who had been arrested for Driving While Intoxicated, was verbally uncooperative during the booking process, but was not a physical threat to anyone. Gonzales testified that he became angry at the victim and walked him to the shower room where he knew there were no surveillance cameras. Several other corrections officers, including Casaus, followed Gonzales to the shower room. There, Gonzales physically assaulted the victim, striking him multiple times, and choking him. Gonzales testified that he beat the victim “in a blind rage” and then had to wash the victim’s blood off his hands. He further testified that the victim did not do anything to justify the beating.
According to the testimony, Casaus and two other corrections officers were present in the shower room during the beating. Additionally, a former inmate who was in the hallway outside the shower room at the time of the beating, overheard groans and sounds consistent with the assault coming from the shower room. He was then tasked with cleaning the blood that was on the floors and walls of the shower room. The victim testified that, after Gonzales left the shower room, Casaus assaulted him by shoving him and striking him. Casaus falsely stated during a recorded interview with a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office investigator that the victim was not assaulted in the shower room, the victim was not bleeding, and that they only brought the victim to the shower room to ask him to change out of his clothes. Casaus falsified his report when he wrote that he saw blood on the victim's clothes, but did not know where the blood came from.
The jury deliberated approximately four hours before returning a verdict of guilty on the obstruction of justice and falsification of records charges, and not guilty on the assault charge.
“Today's verdict affirms that law enforcement officers are not above the very laws they are sworn to uphold,” said Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez. “As in this case, the Civil Rights Division will work closely with our United States Attorneys to vigorously prosecute police misconduct.”
Casaus faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced. His sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled. Gonzales was sentenced in Jan. 2013 to 33 months in prison. Pendley’s sentencing hearing also has not been scheduled.
“When those who are sworn to uphold the law and protect others instead abuse their power and position, they undermine the public’s confidence in the justice system and our government institutions,” said Kenneth J. Gonzales, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice are committed to promoting trust in our system of justice by vigorously prosecuting those who obstruct justice.”
“Corrections officers have a special duty to safeguard the civil rights of the inmates they oversee. That is why the Albuquerque FBI aggressively investigated this case that also resulted in the guilty pleas of two other former MDC officers,” said Carol K.O. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI. “I would like to congratulate the FBI Special Agents for their hard work, and the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division for three successful and important civil rights prosecutions. I also want to thank the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office and the Metropolitan Detention Center's executive management and internal affairs staff.”
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque Division of the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark T. Baker for the District of New Mexico and Trial Attorney Fara Gold of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Five Plead Guilty to Federal Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – Five people have entered guilty pleas for making false statements in connection with firearms purchases from local gun stores, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.
According to testimony presented at today’s hearing, Gloria Esther Almanza, 39, Calixto Javier Cardenas, 23, Carlos Picazio, 30, and Alejandro Rivera-Ruiz, 48, all residents of Laredo, each purchased semi-automatic assault rifles for other persons who would smuggle them into Mexico. They all pleaded guilty to making false statements on Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Forms 4473, commonly known as straw purchasing. Mexican national Oswaldo Rafael Borrego-Ramos, aka “Baldo,” 31, of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, admitted recruiting the defendants directly or through others. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make false statements in acquiring firearms.
The indictment alleges that the conspiracy spanned a little over one year, beginning in October 2010. Over the course of 15 months the defendants acquired at least 23 pistols and semi-automatic assault rifles. The federal investigation involved historical purchases made by these defendants and others from various stores in Laredo.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia-Marmolejo, who accepted the guilty pleas today, has set sentencing for June 5, 2013, at which time they face a maximum prison sentence of five years and a possible $250,000 fine. Borrego-Ramos and Rivera-Ruiz are presently serving federal prison sentences of 78 months and 52 months, respectively, for smuggling ammunition and firearm magazines into Mexico. They and Picazio will remain in federal custody pending sentencing in this case, while Almanza and Cardenas were permitted to remain on bond.
Picazio was also named in another indictment along with Robert Jacaman Sr. and Veronica Jacaman in an ammunition smuggling charge involving 9,500 rounds. Picazio is innocent of that charge until proven guilty as are the Jacamans.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF with the cooperation of United States Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Homero Ramirez is prosecuting the case.
Felon Indicted for Possession of 16 FirearmsRead the Press Release
Indictment Alleges That Defendant Also Attempted To Obstruct Justice
Russell Brothers, Jr., 75, of Burns, Tennessee, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Nashville today, in a five-count indictment charging him with being a felon in unlawful possession of 16 firearms and two separate attempts to obstruct justice, announced Jerry E. Martin, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
According to the indictment, in April 2012, Brothers illegally possessed a number of firearms, including rifles, shotguns, and handguns. Because Brothers has prior felony convictions for drug trafficking and money laundering, this possession was unlawful. In addition, the indictment alleges that Brothers obstructed justice in two ways: (1) Brothers provided another individual with a false version of events related to his illegal conduct in order to influence the testimony of that person in the pending federal criminal investigation and (2) Brothers attempted to conceal one of the guns with the intent to impair its availability for use in the federal criminal investigation.
If convicted for the unlawful possession of firearms, Brothers faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count. If convicted of obstructing justice, Brothers faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Aviation Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Alex Little is representing the government.An indictment is merely an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Federal Jury Finds Former Ledyard Resident Guilty of Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
March 6, 2013David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal jury in Bridgeport has found MATTHEW WALLACE, 31, of Westerly, R.I., formerly of Ledyard, guilty of one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. The trial before Senior U.S. District Judge Warren W. Eginton began on March 4 and the jury returned its verdict this afternoon after deliberating for approximately two hours.
According to the evidence disclosed during the trial, on January 19, 2010, a Milford Police detective assigned to the Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force logged into a peer-to-peer Internet file sharing network and downloaded several images of child pornography from an Internet Protocol (“IP”) address assigned to WALLACE at his Ledyard residence. On May 28, 2010, law enforcement agents conducted a court-authorized search of WALLACE’s residence and seized computers and hard drives. Forensic examination of the seized items revealed more than 500 images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Judge Eginton has scheduled sentencing for May 29, 2013, at which time WALLACE faced a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
WALLACE has been released on a $100,000 bond since his arrest on December 16, 2010. Following today’s verdict, Judge Eginton ordered WALLACE to be confined to his home. A hearing has been scheduled for March 13, 2013, to determine if WALLACE will be allowed to remain released on bond, or if he will be detained until his sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Milford Police Department. The Connecticut State Police and the Ledyard Police Department have provided valuable assistance to the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ray Miller and Neeraj Patel.
The Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force, which is housed at the main FBI office in New Haven, investigates crimes against children occurring over the Internet, and provides computer forensic review services for participating agencies. For more information about the Task Force, or to report child exploitation crimes, please contact the FBI at 203-777-6311.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
[email protected]Federal Grand Jury Returns Five IndictmentsRead the Press Release
1125 Chapline Street, Federal Building, Suite 3000 ● Wheeling, WV 26003
(304) 234-0100 ● Contact: Chris Zumpetta-Parr, Public Affairs SpecialistCLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA — Eight individuals were named in five
Indictments returned by a federal grand jury sitting in Clarksburg, West Virginia, on March
5, 2013.
United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced the following indictments: ZSA ZSA DEE FIELDS, age 44, of Detroit, Michigan, was named in a two-count
Indictment charging her with “Introduction of a Prohibited Object - Marijuana” and “False Writing and Representation.” The Indictment alleges that on December 17, 2011, FIELDS provided marijuana to an inmate at FCI Gilmer and completed the “Notification to Visitor” form by stating that she was not in possession of marijuana on that date. If convicted, FIELDS faces up to 5 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine on each count. This case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brandon S. Flower and was investigated by the Special Investigative Services at FCI Gilmer.TERRELL C. MCQUEEN, age 29 and IMANI NOKIA WALKER, age 24, of Brooklyn, New York, were named in an eight-count Indictment. Count One charges MCQUEEN and WALKER with “Conspiracy to Utter Counterfeit Bills” from January 20, 2012, to February
13, 2012, in Morgantown, West Virginia. Counts Two through Six charge MCQUEEN and WALKER with “Uttering Counterfeit Bills” on January 30, 2012, at Barnes and Noble; on January 30, 2012 and February 4, 2012, at Lowes; on February 4, 2012, at Super K-Mart and Lowes in Morgantown, and on February 13, 2012, at Kroger’s. Counts Seven and Eight charge MCQUEEN with “Uttering Counterfeit Bills” on February 4, 2012, at Best Buy and on February 4, 2012, at Wal-Mart. If convicted, MCQUEEN and WALKER face up to 5 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine on Count One and up to 20 years imprisonment and a
$250,000 file on each of Counts Two through Eight. This case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew R. Cogar and was investigated by the United States Secret Service.JOHN HARLOW, age 46, of Clarksburg, was named in a one-count Indictment charging him with “Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.” The Indictment alleges that on February 13, 2012, HARLOW possessed a Marlin Rifle after having been convicted three separate times in United States District Court for distribution of cocaine base, distribution of heroin and interstate transportation in aid of racketeering. If convicted, HARLOW faces up to 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
CHARLES ADKINS, age 53, of Erie, Pennsylvania, was named in a one-count Indictment charging him with “Failure to Update Sex Offender Registration.” The Indictment alleges that from November 3, 2012, to January 15, 2013, ADKINS knowingly failed to update a registration pursuant to the Sex Offender Notification Act. If convicted, ADKINS faces up to 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service.
ERIC SCOTT BAKER, age 33, MEGAN EILEEN DUNIGAN, age 25 and ROBERT ALLEN HILL, age 24, of Clarksburg, were named in a three-count Indictment. Count One charges BAKER and DUNIGAN with “Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin” from January of
2013 to February 8, 2013, in Clarksburg. Count Two charges BAKER and DUNIGAN with “Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin” on February 8, 2013, in Clarksburg. Count Three charges BARKER, DUNIGAN and HILL with “Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premise” on February 8, 2013, in Clarksburg. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of $1,505 in United States currency seized from Barker’s residence on February 8. If convicted, BAKER, DUNIGAN and HILL face up to 20 years imprisonment and a $1,000,000 fine on each of Counts One and Two and up to 20 years imprisonment and a $500,000 fine on Count Three. This case was investigated by the Greater Harrison County Drug Task Force, consisting of officers from the Bridgeport Police Department; Clarksburg Police Department; Drug Enforcement Administration; West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and, the United States Marshals Service.These three cases will be prosecuted by Criminal Chief Shawn A. Morgan.
All of the charges contained in the above-referenced indictments are merely accusations and not evidence of guilt, and each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Erin Ruth Smith 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 March 5, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, ERIN RUTH SMITH, a 21-year-old resident of Wyola and an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe of Indians, pled guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Sentencing has been set for June 5, 2013. She is currently detained.
In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia K. Hurd, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On August 31, 2012, at approximately 8:30 a.m., SMITH was driving (alone) on the Crow Indian Reservation and then went onto Interstate 90. However SMITH was going the wrong way (eastward in the west-bound lanes). SMITH crashed head-on into a vehicle driven by F.H.M. F.H.M. had moved to the passing lane because he was trying to pass a Suburban. F.H.M.'s wife, L.M., along with two other passengers, B.B.C. and L.C., were critically injured in the crash. F.H.M. was not seriously injured and was released from the hospital later that day. Both L.M. and B.B.C. underwent emergency surgeries on the day of the crash. L.C. underwent surgery on September 4, 2012. Additional surgeries were also done. Doctors for L.M., L.C., and B.B.C signed forms indicating that their injuries met the definition of serious bodily injury. Since the crash, L.M., B.B.C., and L.C. have spent multiple days in the hospital and have had numerous surgeries.
SMITH, at the scene of the crash, admitted to drinking alcohol before the crash. She was interviewed while in the hospital recovering from injuries about the crash and the events leading up to the crash. She indicated that she was not sure how she was driving her friend's car the wrong direction on Interstate 90. SMITH, however, was certain that she had not stolen the car. SMITH recalled drinking whiskey and beer and partying with a friend before the crash. At the end of the interview with the agents, SMITH stated, "I am sorry, guys - I am sorry, never again, no more drinking and driving."
SMITH's blood was drawn shortly after the crash, and was sent to the FBI lab for analysis. The results were that SMITH's BAC was 0.235 gm/ml.
SMITH faces possible penalties of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 3 years supervised release.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Department of Justice Files its Notice of Approval of the Monitoring PlanRead the Press Release
This afternoon, the Department of Justice filed its “Notice of Approval of the Monitoring Plan for the First Year” with the U.S. District Court. The Notice of Approval states:
The Monitor submitted a draft of the Monitoring Plan to the Parties on February 1, 2013. From February 25 to 28, 2013, the Monitor, the City of Seattle, and the Department of Justice engaged in lengthy and productive discussions about the draft Monitoring Plan. The Monitoring Plan submitted to the Court reflects the input of both Parties during those discussions, and it balances the competing interests of certainty and flexibility.
As the Parties move forward with the first year of implementation of the Settlement Agreement, the Monitoring Plan will provide guidance to the Parties and create clear expectations for the people of Seattle. As such, the Monitoring Plan complies with the requirements of the Settlement Agreement, does not impose new obligations on the parties, and avoids unnecessary delays while still providing an opportunity for collaborative implementation. In addition, the Monitor’s current and proposed work are in line with the budget submitted to and approved by the Parties and the Court in November 2012.
Deland Businessman Convicted for Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida - United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces that following a ten day trial, in Orlando, a jury has found Stephen B. Deluca (53, Deland) guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud and thirty-two counts of wire fraud. The conspiracy conviction carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1 million. Each wire fraud conviction carries a maximum of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The United States also intends to seek a monetary judgment of $18 million representing the amount of loss to the victim. The sentencing hearing has been set for May 24, 2013.
According to evidence presented at trial, Deluca, the president and sole shareholder of Delco Oil, Inc., engaged in a scheme to defraud several banks insured by the FDIC and a private finance company (CapitalSource Financial Services) by falsely inflating the amount and value of Delco’s inventory and accounts receivable. The inflated amounts were used to secure revolving lines of credit. The scheme resulted in an $18 million loss to CapitalSource.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Russell C. Stoddard.
Davenport Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore sentenced Preston D. Wilbur (46, Davenport) yesterday to 10 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography. Wilbur pleaded guilty on November 14, 2012.
According to court documents, Wilbur distributed numerous images and videos depicting child pornography to undercover law enforcement officers over the Internet. During the execution of a search warrant at Wilbur's residence, officers seized numerous computers, hard drives, and USB flash drives that contained child pornography. A forensic examination of the seized property revealed more than 300,000 images and 8,389 videos of child pornography.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacie B. Harris.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Dallas Man Convicted and Fined for Killing Whooping CraneRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Worthey D. Wiles, 42, of Dallas, has entered a plea of guilty and was sentenced for killing a whooping crane, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today along with Nick Chavez, special agent in charge of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
On Jan. 12, 2013, Wiles was a guest hunter at the St. Charles Bay Hunting Club in Rockport which is located inside the designated critical habitat for whooping cranes. While hunting in the marsh adjacent to San Jose Island, Wiles shot and killed a juvenile whooping crane. After contacting Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW), Wiles told state game wardens he thought the whooping crane was a sandhill crane. Wardens then contacted FWS who located the bird and verified it was a whooping crane.
“The whooping crane is one of the most beautiful and highly valued species of America’s wildlife heritage,” said Chavez. “FWS is committed to protecting this extraordinary bird so that future generations of Americans are able to marvel at its grace and beauty.”
Whooping cranes are one of the rarest birds in the world with a total population of approximately 437 cranes in the wild and 599 overall. The juvenile whooper killed by Wiles is believed to have been one of only 34 juveniles that migrated 2,500 miles from Canada during the fall to Port Aransas. The whooping crane population that winters in Texas is the only self-sustaining wild population of whooping cranes in the world. This case is only the fifth known shooting death of a whooping crane since 1968.
Today, Wiles appeared before United States Magistrate Judge B. Janice Ellington and entered a plea of guilty to one count of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which provides protection for Migratory Birds. As a result, he was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and make a $10,000 community service payment to the non-profit organization Friends of Aransas and Matagorda Island National Wildlife Refuges. He will also serve a one-year-term of probation for his conviction.
The case was investigated by FWS and TPW. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugo R. Martinez prosecuted the case.
Corsica Man Sentenced in Child Pornography CaseRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Corsica, South Dakota man charged with Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography was sentenced on March 4, 2012 by US District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Shawn E. Stevens, age 26, was sentenced to 188 months in custody, 5 years supervised release, and will be required to register as a sex offender.
Stevens was indicted for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography by a federal grand jury on December 6, 2011. The conviction stems from Stevens’ use of two different computers and external hard drives. The computer files that contained images of child pornography were distributed and received between October of 2009 and March of 2011. He pled guilty to the charge of Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography on November 15, 2012.
The case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case. Stevens was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.
This case is being 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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to 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.
Convicted Nassau County Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge of Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, FL - United States Attorney Robert E. O'Neill announced today that Mickey Wayne Brazzell (56, Yulee) pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography. Brazzell faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to a maximum of 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and a potential life term of supervised release. He is also required to forfeit his computer media. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, Brazzell has a prior conviction for a sexual offense against minor children. He was convicted in state court in Jacksonville on November 6, 2000, of lewd and lascivious conduct.
According to court documents, Brazzell was more recently identified as a possible suspect in a child pornography offense by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC referred this matter to the Florida Attorney General’s Office in Jacksonville (AGO) for further investigation. In June 2010, two AGO investigators made contact with Brazzell at his apartment in Yulee. Among other things, Brazzell admitted to investigators that he had received several images of boys between 12 and 13 years of age “having sex on each other.” Based upon this, and other admissions, investigators seized Brazzell’s laptop computer.
On November 23, 2010, Brazzell was arrested by FBI agents and AGO officers at his residence in Yulee. During an interview, Brazzell told the agents, among other things, that he was given a computer by a friend, shortly after his other computer was seized, and that he had pornography on the new computer. Subsequently, agents seized a second desktop computer and other computer media from Brazzell's residence. These items were found to contain depictions of child pornography.
Approximately 900 images were recovered from Brazzell’s two computers, compact disks and external thumb drive. At least 191 of the images depicted minor children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
This case was investigated by the former Child Predator Cybercrime Unit of the Florida Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Citizen of Mexico Who Illegally Reentered U.S. After Deportation Is SentencedRead the Press Release
March 6, 2013David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that OSCAR CUAPIO-RODRIGUEZ, also known as Oscar Zuapio-Rodriguez and Pedro Cuapio-Rodriguez, 39, a citizen of Mexico last residing in Clinton, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to approximately three months of imprisonment, time already served, for illegally reentering the United States after he was deported.
According to court documents and statements made in court, CUAPIO-RODRIGUEZ was deported from the U.S. to his native Mexico in 1998 and again in 2005. In 2006, he illegally reentered the U.S without first obtaining the consent of the Attorney General of the United States or his successor, the Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, to reapply for admission into the U.S.
CUAPIO-RODRIGUEZ has been detained since November 4, 2012, when he was arrested in Clinton and charged with theft of a credit card. He was transferred into federal custody on November 26, 2012.
On January 29, 2013, CUAPIO-RODRIGUEZ pleaded guilty to one count of illegal reentry of a removed alien.
This matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Deborah R. Slater.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
[email protected]Centre County Man Sentenced to Prison for Burning Cross on Woman's LawnRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa .- A resident of Centre County, Pa., has been sentenced in federal court to one year and a day of incarceration and three years supervised release on his conviction of a charge of interfering with housing, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence yesterday on Ryan M. Held, a/k/a Ryan M. Foley, 21.
According to information presented to the court, on Aug. 20, 2010, Held, by force and threat of force, willfully intimidated and interfered with two minor victims - one of whom was an African- American male, because of his race and because he was occupying a dwelling, and one of whom was a female who was and had been lawfully allowing such African-American male, a friend, to occupy the dwelling in which she resided. During the afternoon of August 20th, Held drove past the female victim's home in Woodland, Pa., and saw her socializing with a few friends, one of whom was African-American. Just before midnight, Held returned to the property and placed a cross in the front yard of the female victim, approximately 60 feet from the entry to her home, and set it on fire for the purpose of intimidating and interfering with her and her African-American friend. Held spent a few minutes laying in the woods bordering the property watching the cross burn and waiting to see if anyone emerged from the residence.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted this case on behalf of the government, together with Trial Attorney Roy Conn of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Held.
Brothers Who Led Mexican Mafia-Backed Puente-13 Street Gang Sentenced to Life in Prison as Result of Federal Racketeering CaseRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A member of the Mexican Mafia prison gang and longtime leader of the Puente-13 criminal street gang was sentenced today to life in federal prison after being convicted last year on federal racketeering charges that included a brutal stabbing designed to deter victims from cooperating with law enforcement and plotting to murder members of a rival gang.
The Mexican Mafia carnal, Rafael “Cisco” Munoz-Gonzalez, 42, of La Puente, who long controlled Puente-13 as part of his Mexican Mafia membership, was sentenced this morning by United States District Judge A. Howard Matz.
The brother of the Mexican Mafia member, Cesar “Blanco” Munoz-Gonzalez, 38, of Rowland Heights, was sentenced late yesterday afternoon to life in prison by Judge Matz.
There is no parole in the federal prison system.
The Gonzalez brothers were convicted in December by a federal jury that found them guilty of violating the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as committing violent crimes in aid of racketeering, engaging in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, illegally possessing firearms and other offenses. The evidence presented at the trial proved, among other criminal offenses, that Rafael Munoz-Gonzalez ordered an attack on a witness who was cooperating with federal investigators in this case – a man who was attacked at the federal jail in downtown Los Angeles, where he was stabbed 22 times and beat over the head, suffering a punctured lung and fractured skull.
The evidence introduced at trial last year showed that members of Puente-13 were involved in the manufacture and distribution of a substantial amount of narcotics, particularly methamphetamine, and that leaders of the gang extorted drug dealers by collecting “taxes,” the payment of which allows drug dealers to operate in gang-controlled territory. Among other things, the testimony during the six-week trial showed that, while Rafael Munoz-Gonzalez was in custody until 2007, his brother Cesar trafficked large amounts of methamphetamine with other gang members, spoke on his brother’s behalf at gang meetings, directed other members of Puente-13 to collect “tax” payments from area drug dealers on Rafael’s behalf, and warded off rival drug traffickers by announcing that certain Puente-13 drug stash houses were untouchable because they were “protected by Cisco.” The evidence also showed that the Gonzalez brothers’ racketeering activities brought them substantial amounts of cash, custom boats and luxury cars.
In early 2008, Puente-13 gang members and associates were arrested as part of a federal investigation into the drug trafficking activities of the gang (see:
http://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/cac/Pressroom/pr2008/026.html). The racketeering indictment that led to the life prison sentences for the Gonzalez brothers was filed on June 2, 2010 (see: http://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/cac/Pressroom/pr2010/091.html).Two other leaders of Puente-13 were also convicted of all charges against them at last year’s trial, and they were recently sentenced by Judge Matz.
Abraham “Listo” Aldana, 30, of West Covina, was sentenced on Monday to 27 years in federal prison. After Aldana was released from Pelican Bay State Prison in 2008, he became one of Rafael Munoz-Gonzalez’s most aggressive lieutenants, collecting tax payments and helping facilitate the conspiracy to murder and assault rival gang members.
On February 26, Michael “Mikey” Torres, 43, of La Puente, who was a key player in the gang’s narcotics trafficking, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for racketeering, drug, and firearm offenses.
From at least 2000, all four defendants were personally involved in the manufacturing and distribution of large quantities of methamphetamine, and they used violence to monopolize the drug trade in La Puente and extract taxes from gang members and non-gang members who also sold methamphetamine in the area.
Puente-13 is a street gang that was formed in the City of La Puente approximately 60 years ago under the name “Bridgetown Gentlemen.” The gang has since grown to include more than a dozen “cliques” or subgroups, all of which which are loyal to the Mexican Mafia. Puente-13 claims as its “turf” a large portion of La Puente, as well as unincorporated parts of the San Gabriel Valley and portions of nearby cities, such as Hacienda Heights, Walnut and West Covina.
Since 2008, as a result of the federal investigations into Puente-13, grand juries have issued four indictments, which resulted in the conviction of approximately 60 members and associates of the gang. The investigations have resulted in the seizure of approximately 77 firearms, 12 pounds of methamphetamine and $1.1 million in cash and other assets.
The RICO case against Puente-13 was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
Release No. 13-032
Brockport Financial Advisor Arrested; Charged with FraudRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Eduardo Galan, 62, of Brockport, N.Y., was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with fraud. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who is handling the case stated that according to the complaint, Galan ran a financial services business under various names, including S&G Unlimited Services. Operating as S&G Unlimited Services, the defendant devised a scheme to defraud multiple clients out of hundreds of thousands of dollars over a period of more than 10 years. Specifically, Galan promised his clients that he would invest their money in private mortgages, but instead used their money for personal and business expenses and to pay earlier investors in a Ponzi-type scheme.
Galan made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan W. Feldman. The defendant is due back in court on March 14, 2013.
This law enforcement action is part of President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.
The criminal complaint is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Boise Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Charge in Aryan Knights InvestigationRead the Press Release
BOISE – Jose Silva, 30, of Boise, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to distribution of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
According to the plea agreement, Silva admitted that on January 10, 2012, he sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant.
The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1 million, and at least three years of supervised release.
Silva is set for sentencing on June 17, 2013, before the U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge, at the federal courthouse in Boise.
Silva is one of 23 people charged as a result of a long-term investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force. The investigation began when the task force focused on illegal drug distribution by the “Aryan Knights,” a gang active in prison and on the streets throughout Idaho. Through the investigation, law enforcement agents identified Aryan Knights gang members who were trafficking methamphetamine, as well as associates of the gang who were the source of that methamphetamine.
The Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force is comprised of federal, state and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boise Police Department, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Caldwell Police Department, Nampa Police Department, Meridian Police Department, Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, and the Idaho Department of Corrections. The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) also contributed to the investigation, including the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Marshals Service.
Silva’s case is being prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.
Another Defendant Sentenced in OCDETF OperationRead the Press Release
RALEIGH - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court on March 6, 2013, Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever III, sentenced KENNETH HARRIS, 25, of Wilmington, North Carolina, to 120 months imprisonment followed by 3 years supervised release.
On May 8, 2012, a Federal Grand Jury returned a Criminal Indictment charging HARRIS. On December 3, 2012, HARRIS pled guilty to distributing a quantity of heroin.
According to the course of the investigation, on September 26, 2011, the Wilmington Police Department made an undercover purchase of a quantity of heroin from HARRIS. In addition, two codefendants, Linwood Nelson and Kathy Mishoe, were transporting heroin to HARRIS and another co-conspirator for distribution in the New Hanover County area. Between November, 2011, and February, 2012, the group imported more than 16,500 bags of heroin from New Jersey.
On March 26, 2012, the Wilmington Police Department stopped a rental car in which Mishoe was the driver and Nelson a passenger. The vehicle was returning from New Jersey to Wilmington, North Carolina. Detectives found 7,500 bags of heroin which were to be delivered to HARRIS and another co-conspirator for distribution. Both Nelson and Mishoe were charged in the conspiracy and were sentenced on January 13, 2013, and January 29, 2013, respectively. Nelson was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment and Mishoe received a 36-month sentence.
This case was brought as a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation entitled WoofPack, investigating importers and multi-level distributors of heroin, powder cocaine, crack cocaine, and gang activity associated with this distribution. Thus far 31 persons have been sentenced in federal court as a part of this operation.Investigation of this OCEDTF case is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (Safe Streets Task Force); the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives; the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations; the Wilmington Police Department; the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and the Greenville Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Severo represents the government. Mr. Severo is a prosecutor with the New Hanover District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Ben David has assigned him to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force criminal matters.
Tuesday 5 March 2013
Youngstown Man Charged with Drug and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Wilbert T. Hughes, Jr., age 39, of Youngstown, Ohio, with one count of possession with the intent to distribute 28 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base (crack) and one count of felon in possession of ammunition, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
The charges stem from activity that toook place on July 23, 2012 in Youngstown, Ohio, according to the indictment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Linda H. Barr after an investigation by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offenses, and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Wichita Man Charged with Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A Wichita man has been charged with bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Billy L. Wilson, 52, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of bank robbery. A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Wichita alleges that on March 1 Wilson robbed the Commerce Bank at 456 N. Main in Wichita. The complaint alleges that Wilson entered the bank about 10:20 a.m. on March 1. He handed a teller a demand note saying, “This is a robbery. I have a gun. Give me the money,” or words to that effect.
After bank surveillance photos of the robbery were made public, police received a tip that the robber was known from participating in a drug recovery program. On March 1, officers of the Wichita Police Department tracked the robber to a residence in the 800 block of South Hydraulic but he was not at home. They called his cellular phone number. Later in the day he turned himself in at the Sedgwick County Jail.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and fine up to $250,000. The Wichita Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
Waterloo Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A man who distributed and possessed child pornography pled guilty on March 4, 2013, in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Charles Adkins, age 46, from Waterloo, Iowa, was convicted of one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
At the plea hearing, Adkins admitted that, between December 2011 and February 2012, he used the Internet to distribute child pornography. He also admitted that, between September 2011 and March 2012, he possessed child pornography on a laptop computer.Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Adkins was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Adkins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment, $500,000 in fines, a $200 special assessment, and supervised release for 5 years to life following his imprisonment.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, the Waterloo Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Pensacola, Florida, Police Department.This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR 12-2034.
Victoria Man Sent to Prison on Firearms ConvictionRead the Press Release
VICTORIA, Texas – Corey Hammon Green, 29, of Victoria, has been sentenced to federal prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today. Green was convicted at trial on Oct. 24, 2012.
Senior U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey, who presided over the trial, sentenced Green yesterday afternoon. Green was handed a sentence of 120 months, the maximum sentenced allowed under that charge. Green will further be required to serve a three-year-term of supervised release following completion of his prison term.
Evidence at trial proved that at the time of his arrest, Green was facilitating a prostitution ring. In late 2011, Green had taken one of his victims to a local Victoria hotel to what he thought was for prostitution services. However, the young woman, who testified at trial, had previously contacted law enforcement.
Green waited outside for the escort in his vehicle. After music time had passed without seeing the female, Green walked into the hotel where he was arrested by the Victoria Police Department. At that time, officers searched his vehicle and discovered a firearm in a compartment in the rear of his vehicle.
During the course of the trial, additional testimony revealed that Green had possessed and even brandished a firearm on multiple drug deals and that he had assaulted one of his female victims with the firearm.
Green has been in custody since the time of his arrest where he will remain pending sentencing.
The indictment and conviction of Green was the result of an investigated by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Victoria Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patricia Hubert Booth.
Union County, N.J., Man Sentenced to 105 Months in Prison for Robbing Seven TD BanksRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Union County, N.J., man today was sentenced to 105 months in prison for robbing seven branch locations of TD Bank throughout New Jersey from September 2011 to December 2011, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Julio Ferrer, 29, of Elizabeth, N.J., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano in Trenton federal court to an Information charging him with seven counts of bank robbery. He was sentenced by Judge Pisano today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Ferrer admitted robbing the following TD Bank branches:
Count
Date
TD Bank Location
Sept. 11, 2011
560 North Avenue East
Westfield, N.J.2
Oct. 19, 2011
37 Saint George Avenue
Roselle, N.J.3
Nov. 19, 2011
1071 St. Georges Avenue
Rahway, N.J.4
Dec. 1, 2011
70 Middlesex Avenue
Metuchen, N.J.5
Dec. 11, 2011
1906 Lincoln Highway
Edison, N.J.6
Dec. 16, 2011
570 Chestnut Street
Union, N.J.7
Dec. 22, 2011
883 State Road
Princeton, N.J.In every robbery, Ferrer passed handwritten demand notes to bank tellers. He admitted using a fake gun in the robbery of the TD Bank in Edison. Ferrer was on supervised release from a prior federal bank robbery conviction when he began his robbery spree.
In addition to a prison term, Judge Pisano sentenced Ferrer to three years of supervised release and $33,840 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez in Newark, and the police departments of Westfield, Roselle, Rahway, Metuchen, Edison, Union and Princeton, with the investigation that resulted in today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane H. Yoon of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.13-106
Defense counsel: Peter Carter Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, NewarkU.S. Supreme Court Denies Petition for Writ of Certiorari of Former North Providence Solicitor Robert CiresiRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The United States Supreme Court on Monday denied a petition for writ of certiorari filed by former North Providence solicitor Robert S. Ciresi, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha.
The former town official was seeking a U.S. Supreme Court review of his April 2011 conviction by a federal court jury in Providence on charges of conspiracy, bribery and Hobbs Act Extortion. Ciresi also sought a review of the 63 month federal prison sentence and $10,000 fine imposed on August 3, 2011, by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi.
In October 2012, the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Ciresi’s conviction for his role as a middle-man in a corruption and kickback scheme run by three North Providence town councilmen.
Former North Providence councilmen Joseph S. Burchfield; Raymond L. Douglas III; and John A. Zambarano pled guilty for their roles in the kickback scheme and are currently serving sentences ranging from 64 to 78 months in federal prison. North Providence businessman Edward Imondi pled guilty to acting as a middle-man in the scheme and was sentenced to serve a 12 month and 1 day federal prison sentence.
The matter was prosecuted in the U.S. District Court in Providence by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. McAdams and Terrence P. Donnelly. The case was argued before the First Circuit Court of Appeals by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald C. Lockhart.
Contact: 401-709-5357
[email protected]Two San Gabriel Valley Men Charged with Participating in ‘Black Market Peso Exchange’ Scheme Used to Move Money Out of U.S.Read the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Two men and the import-export company they allegedly used to move millions of dollars linked to illegal activity from the United States to Mexico are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon after being indicted on federal charges of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and structuring cash transactions.
According to an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on February 13, the three defendants received large sums of cash and worked with “peso brokers” in Mexico to illegally convert the dollars to pesos.
The three defendants named in the 93-count indictment are:
Peace & Rich Import, Inc., a wholesale distributor of silk flowers and other goods, located on Weaver Avenue in South El Monte;Chaur Hwan “Kenny” Lin, 66, of San Marino, the president and co-owner of Peace & Rich; and
Antonio Pareja, 53, of San Gabriel, the manager of Peace & Rich.
All three defendants are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
Lin and Pareja ran Peace & Rich as “an informal money transfer system” that, according to the indictment, “was involved in facilitating the transfer of money domestically outside of the conventional financial institutions system.”
An investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration in Los Angeles determined that Lin and Pareja used Peace & Rich to receive large amounts of cash derived from illegal activity. The cash – tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the indictment – was typically delivered by couriers working in conjunction a peso broker in Mexico.
In a Black Market Peso Exchange scheme, a peso broker works with an individual engaged in illegal activity, such as a drug trafficker, who has United States currency in the United States that he needs to bring to Mexico and convert to pesos, according to the indictment. The peso broker finds business owners in Mexico who buy goods from vendors in the United States, such as Peace & Rich, and need dollars to pay for those goods. The peso broker arranges for the illegally obtained dollars in the United States to be delivered to the United States-based vendors, such as Peace & Rich, where they are used to pay for the goods purchased by the Mexico-based customers. Once the goods are shipped to Mexico and sold by the Mexico-based business owner for pesos, the pesos are turned over to the peso broker, who then pays the drug trafficker in Mexico.
The indictment alleges that Peace & Rich took in large amounts of cash and conducted transactions without being registered as a money transmitting business and without filing Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs), which are required when a business accepts cash payments of more than $10,000. Lin and Pareja allegedly disbursed cash as directed by a peso broker in Mexico to couriers for delivery to other United States-based businesses on behalf of their Mexico-based customers. Additionally, Lin allegedly “structured” cash deposits – or, made a series of deposits that were less than $10,000 – to avoid the filing of CTRs by the financial institutions where the deposits were made.
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.
The indictment charges all three defendants with conspiracy (five-year statutory maximum sentence), operating an unlicensed money transmitting business (five-year maximum sentence) and 63 counts of failure to file currency transaction reports (10-year statutory maximum sentence for each count). The indictment also charges Peace & Rich and Lin with 28 counts of structuring financial transactions (10-year maximum sentence per count).
Release No. 13-031
Two Medford Armed Career Criminals Each Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MEDFORD, Ore. — Senior U.S. District Judge Owen M. Panner sentenced Jorge Armando Cisneros, 34, of Medford, Oregon, yesterday to 15 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Justin Miller, 30, also of Medford, was previously sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for the same offense.
The underlying incident occurred on October 18, 2011, when officers with the Medford Police Department responded to a trespass complaint at a residence. When they arrived, co-defendant Justin Miller was standing in the front yard and appeared to have something concealed in his waistband. Officers ordered Miller to the ground and discovered a loaded Glock .40 caliber handgun in Miller’s waistband. Miller also had a backpack containing digital scales, handcuffs, knives, marijuana, and methamphetamine. Officers determined that defendant Cisneros was present at the residence but had fled out the back door. They searched the area but did not locate Cisneros.
Further police investigation revealed that Miller had obtained the Glock .40 handgun from Cisneros. Cisneros was arrested eight days later during a car stop and admitted giving the Glock .40 handgun to Miller, expecting cash or drugs in return. Cisneros' cell phone contained photos and videos of Cisneros shooting the Glock handgun and other firearms.
Under federal law, any person who possesses a firearm or ammunition after being previously convicted of three violent felonies or drug trafficking crimes is considered an Armed Career Criminal and, if convicted, faces a 15 year mandatory minimum prison sentence. Cisneros is an Armed Career Criminal with six such convictions. These include two convictions for burglary in the first degree, three convictions for felony attempt to elude police, and a conviction for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Miller is also an Armed Career Criminal, with two prior convictions for burglary in the first degree and a conviction for delivery of methamphetamine, with additional felony convictions for identity theft and possession of methamphetamine.
This case was investigated jointly by the Medford Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas W. Fong.
Two Charged with Sex Trafficking of A ChildRead the Press Release
FORT WORTH, Texas — Two individuals, Deundrea R. Miller, 27, and Brittanie S. Brattain, 21, charged in a federal felony criminal complaint with sex trafficking of a child, by force, fraud or coercion, made their initial appearance in federal court this afternoon, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton. Brattain was detained pending further disposition of the matter; Miller is detained pending hearings set for later in the week. Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
According to the complaint filed in the case, from September 2012 through January 2013, Miller and Brattain recruited, enticed, harbored and maintained a minor, known as “Jane Doe,” who at the time was 15-years-old, to engage in commercial prostitution activities that were advertised on Backpage.com. Jane Doe engaged in numerous commercial sex acts during this time and turned over all the money she earned from the prostitution to Miller.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”
A federal criminal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offense charged, and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge. A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The U.S. Attorney’s office has 30 days to present the matter to a grand jury for indictment. The penalty for the charged offense is not less than 10 years or more than life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
The investigation is being conducted by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Arlington Police Department and the Fort Worth Police Department — members of the North Texas Anti-Trafficking Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aisha Saleem is in charge of the prosecution.
Three People Indicted on Cocaine ChargesRead the Press Release
Three people were indicted on charges related to a conspiracy to distribute two kilograms of cocaine, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Count 1 charges Christopher Isaac, age 43, of Los Angeles; Sharon Stanley, aka Sharun Stanley, age 40, of Las Vegas; and Charlotte Brookins, age 34, of Las Vegas, with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute approximately two kilograms of cocaine; and charging in Count 2, with possession with the intent to distribute approximately two kilograms of cocaine.
This indictment is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ohio HIDTA, and the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department into drug trafficking activities occurring in the greater Cleveland area and elsewhere. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Teresa Dirksen and Matthew Shephard.
If convicted, the defendants' sentences will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendants’ prior criminal records, if any, their role in the offenses and the unique characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.