Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
6 December 2024
Multiple Federal Grants Awarded to Central Illinois Communities to Enhance Public SafetyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Department of Justice has announced Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) grants to several agencies and communities in Central Illinois.
The Department awarded a $1,000,000 Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Site-Based Program grant to Marshall, Putnam, and Stark counties to support a multi-county program: Reaching Rural: Rural Roads to Recovery Program. The program is designed to develop a collaborative, research based, and multi-care level community-based program for individuals affected by substance-use disorder. Subrecipients include Maitri Path to Wellness, the Henry and Stark County Health Department, and The Society of Growth Inc.
The Department awarded over $400,000 in Justice Assistance Grants (JAGs) to fund multiple law enforcement agencies in Central Illinois, including $86,228 to the Champaign Police Department, Urbana Police Department, and Champaign County Sheriffs Office; $53,178 to the Vermillion County Sheriff’s Office and Danville Police Department; $58,510 to the Decatur Police Department; $49,719 to the Moline and Rock Island Police Departments; $11,482 to the Pekin Police Department; $33,963 to the Bloomington and Normal Police Departments and McLean County Sheriff’s Office; and $121,391 to the Springfield Police Department and Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office. The grants will fund a wide variety of projects and initiatives designed to combat violent crime.
“These funds allow area agencies to expand on the excellent services they provide to their communities.” said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris. “We commend the U.S. Department of Justice for its continued support of the Central District of Illinois.”
BJA is a leading source of federal funding to state, local and tribal governments, offering the critical funding necessary to support a range of program areas including law enforcement; prosecution; indigent defense; courts; crime prevention and education; corrections and community corrections; drug treatment and enforcement; planning; evaluation; technology improvement; crime victim and witness initiatives; mental health programs and related law enforcement and corrections programs, including behavioral programs and crisis intervention teams; and implementation of state crisis intervention court proceedings and related programs or initiatives including but not limited to mental health courts, drug courts, veterans courts, and extreme risk protection order programs.
Milwaukee Man Sentenced to Prison for Smuggling over 200 Machinegun Conversion Devices and Felon in Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on December 5, 2024, Demario Robinson (age: 22) was sentenced to 88 months (7 years, 4 months) in prison for smuggling machinegun conversion devices (MCDs) and possession of a firearm by a felon.
The court record reflects that between July 11, 2022, and June 5, 2023, Robinson bought and caused to be imported at least 202 MCDs, commonly referred to as “switches.” This quantity of MCDs, of which approximately 59 were recovered, represents one of the largest MCD distribution schemes uncovered in Wisconsin to date. MCDs convert ordinary pistols into fully automatic weapons, making the weapons more lethal, more difficult to control, and illegal. Robinson then sold these MCDs to others in the greater Milwaukee area.
According to Milwaukee Police Department records, fully automatic gunfire incidents in the City of Milwaukee have substantially increased between 2020 and 2023:
Robinson was arrested on June 20, 2023, after U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents intercepted a package sent from China containing 47 MCDs that Robinson arranged to have delivered to his residence in Milwaukee. A search warrant was then executed at Robinson’s residence during which law enforcement recovered a stolen Glock 19 handgun containing a fully loaded 30 round extended magazine and an MCD, thus constituting an illegal machine gun. A second package intended for delivery to Robinson which contained an additional 10 MCD’s was also intercepted by law enforcement. Additionally, Robinson’s prior felony drug conviction at the time precluded him from possessing any firearm.
At sentencing, United States District Judge Joseph P. Stadtmueller noted that Robinson’s sale of MCDs in Milwaukee increased the danger posed by firearms in our community. He further advised that the sentence should serve to deter Robinson and others in the community from selling and possessing these illegal devices, including those with relatively minor criminal records.
“The dangerousness and lethality of ‘switches’ and similar conversion devices in our community cannot be overstated,” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad. “The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting offenders involved in the importation and distribution of these devices. Along with our federal, state, and local partners, we will dedicate whatever resources are needed to stop the spread of these deadly and illegal devices.”
"Machinegun conversion devices pose a real danger to our communities. One pull of the trigger is no longer just one bullet, it could be 15 rounds in one second,” said FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Michael Hensle. “The FBI, in collaboration with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners is unwavering in its commitment to disrupting the illegal use of these devices and holding individuals like Mr. Robinson accountable. The safety and well-being of Wisconsin residents remains our highest priority.”
“The sentencing of Robinson underscores the grave consequences of smuggling machinegun conversion devices and possessing a firearm as a felon. MCDs are extremely dangerous weapons that significantly increase firearms’ lethality and potential for harm. The illegal trafficking and possession of such devices pose a severe threat to public safety and the well-being of our communities,” said HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Sean Fitzgerald. “This case serves as a stark reminder that law enforcement agencies will relentlessly pursue those who endanger our citizens through their reckless and unlawful behavior."
“This investigation demonstrates the positive impact the Milwaukee Police Department can have through collaboration with our law enforcement partners. Working together allows us to effectively utilize intelligence and resources to help keep our community safe”, said Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Milwaukee Area Safe Streets Task Force, and the Milwaukee Police Department – Special Investigations Division. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Bill Roach and Mike Schindhelm.
###
For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer
414-297-1700
Follow us on Twitter
Miami Jury Finds Federal Detention Center Inmate Guilty of Assaulting Bureau of Prisons GuardRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On Nov. 26, a federal jury found Orel Valdespino Fernandez, 41, guilty of assaulting a corrections officer working for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and causing bodily injury.
On May 5, Valdespino was an inmate at the Federal Detention Center (FDC) in Miami, being held pre-trial for a crime he ultimately pled guilty to committing. That afternoon, the victim, who was a BOP lieutenant, was doing rounds in Valdespino’s unit to ensure rule compliance. The victim noticed that Valdespino was not complying with a rule, so he instructed Valdespino to follow the rule from outside Valdespino’s cell. When Valdespino refused to do so, the victim entered Valdespino’s cell to verbally counsel him about the rule.
While inside Valdespino’s cell, the victim held out his arm to establish a safe distance from Valdespino while turning his head to have a prison orderly standing behind him translate the reason for the instruction to Valdespino. As the victim did so, Valdespino struck the victim’s arm and then repeatedly struck the victim in the face. A struggle ensued that only ended after one officer pepper sprayed Valdespino and another officer entered the cell to help the victim secure Valdespino. As a result of this assault, the victim sustained a facial injury that left his jaw misaligned as well as a torn pectoral muscle that required surgery and has prevented him from working since.
U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman is scheduled to sentence Valdespino on Feb. 14, 2025, after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case with assistance from BOP. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary A. Keller and Ilana Malkin prosecuted the case.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20318.
###
Miami Importer Pleads Guilty to Scheme to Evade U.S. Tariffs on Chinese-Made Truck TiresRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Today, Hector Samuel Esquijerosa, 52, a resident of Miami, pled guilty for his participation in a conspiracy to smuggle merchandise into the United States by means of false and fraudulent invoices presented to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency in charge of collecting import duties.
According to court documents, between September 2018 and January 2023, Esquijerosa owned and operated two Miami-based companies in the business of importing tractor-trailer truck tires into the United States, Production Tire Company and Premier Trade Corporation. In court, Esquijerosa admitted that he conspired with others, including brokers, suppliers and wholesalers of truck tires located in China, Canada and the United Kingdom to evade anti-dumping and countervailing duties, or tariffs, applicable to truck tires manufactured in China that his companies illegally imported into the United States and sold to customers in the Southern District of Florida and elsewhere.
In order to conceal the true origin of the imported truck tires, Esquijerosa and his co-conspirators caused the Chinese-origin truck tires to be transshipped to the United States through third countries, including Canada and Malaysia. Esquijerosa and his co-conspirators would then file, or cause to filed with CBP, documents that falsely and fraudulently represented that the Chinese truck tires originated in countries other than China. In many instances, Esquijerosa and his co-conspirators created two sets of invoices—one that falsely and fraudulently undervalued the truck tires and was presented to CBP for calculation of the appropriate duty, and the second that reflected the actual value of the truck tires. The scheme resulted in a loss of revenue to the United States in excess of $1.9 million.
Esquijerosa pled guilty to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. A sentencing hearing is set for Feb. 24, 2025. Esquijerosa faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI Miami investigated the case with assistance from CBP’s Automotive and Aerospace Center of Excellence and Expertise. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aimee Jimenez is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Raemy Charest-Turken is handling the forfeiture of assets in the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20436.
###
Marion County Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years for Attempting to Entice A Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Joseph Raymond Morin (51, Ocala) to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison, followed by a life term of supervised release, for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. Morin entered a guilty plea on September 5, 2024.
According to documents and evidence presented in court, between May 3 and June 26, 2024, Morin communicated online with someone whom he believed was a 13-year-old girl. The child, however, was an undercover Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent. Morin engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with the undercover agent. Ultimately, Morin was arrested when he traveled to a pre-determined location in Marion County to meet with the fictitious minor to engage in sexual activity. Morin has a lengthy criminal history, including a prior federal conviction for a firearm offense.
“Today’s sentence serves as a stark reminder that Homeland Security Investigations is committed to protecting children from online predators,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Pezzutti. “HSI, alongside our law enforcement partners at all levels, are dedicated to working tirelessly to rescue children.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
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 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.justice.gov/psc.
Mahto Man Found Not Guilty of AssaultRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Mahto, South Dakota, man was acquitted of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury following a three-day federal jury trial in Aberdeen, South Dakota, on December 4, 2024.
Raymond Webb, age 42, was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2023.
The charges related to an alleged incident that occurred on September 17, 2023, in rural Mahto, South Dakota, within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain serious crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the Corson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case.
Louisville Man Sentenced to over 8 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A local man was sentenced this week to 8 years and 3 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm after having previously been convicted of a felony offense.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
“Mr. Bobbitt earned every day of his eight plus year federal prison sentence,” stated U.S. Attorney Bennett. “With a criminal history of felony convictions in nine state court cases dating back to 2001, his removal from the community benefits all citizens. I commend LMPD and the ATF for their continuing work in policing our Western District communities and making them safer for everyone who lives, works, and visits here.”
According to court documents, Jaron Bobbitt, 39, was sentenced to 8 years and 3 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for illegally possessing an Anderson Manufacturing, AM-15, multi-caliber pistol, and ammunition. On November 13, 2023, Bobbitt led officers on a foot chase through residential areas while armed with the AM-15 multi-caliber pistol. He repeatedly placed the officers’ lives in danger by pointing the weapon at them while running and was only apprehended after being struck by an officer forced to fire his weapon. Bobbitt was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.
On November 9, 2021, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Bobbitt was convicted of felon in possession of a firearm and receiving stolen property.
On November 9, 2021, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Bobbitt was convicted of receiving stolen property and possession of a controlled substance in the first degree.
On January 16, 2019, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Bobbitt was convicted of escape in the second degree.
On August 31, 2018, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Bobbitt was convicted of receiving stolen property, theft of identity of another without consent, and criminal mischief in the second degree.
On April 29, 2011, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Bobbitt was convicted of felon in possession of a handgun.
On June 17, 2004, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Bobbitt was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree, cocaine and tampering with physical evidence.
On June 17, 2004, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Bobbitt was convicted of receiving stolen property.
On May 7, 2004, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Bobbitt was convicted of receiving stolen property, receiving stolen vehicle, and tampering with physical evidence.
On December 3, 2001, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Bobbitt was convicted of wanton endangerment in the first degree and receiving a stolen vehicle.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the ATF with assistance from the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Porter prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
###
Kent, Washington man sentenced to three years in prison for illegally purchasing and trafficking more than 130 firearmsRead the Press Release
Seattle – A South King County man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to three years in prison for his purchase of more than 130 firearms in a “straw purchaser” scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Dion Jamar Cooper, 33, of Kent, Washington was arrested in April 2023, following an investigation by Seattle Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez asked Cooper, “Do you understand the damage that has been done in the community?... If people engage in straw purchasing and distribute the firearms in our community, or any community, there will be a serious consequence that follows.”
“Even as Mr. Cooper has awaited sentencing, we are finding additional crime guns linked to his straw purchasing activity,” said U.S. Attorney Gorman. “Fifty-four of the guns Mr. Cooper purchased have been recovered and connected to crimes such as armed robberies; two bank robberies; several carjackings and assaults; numerous drive-by shootings; numerous other shots-fired incidents; and at least one homicide.”
According to records in the case, the investigation began in late January 2023, with the assault and attempted robbery of a woman in Rainier Valley. The victim was able to flee in her car. Police found a firearm in her vehicle that had been dropped by one of the assailants. A check of the firearm revealed it had been purchased by Dion Jamar Cooper on December 10, 2022. That recovery led the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) to check Cooper’s purchase history. Cooper had purchased 107 firearms since June 2021. Further investigation put the number of guns purchased at 133. Meaning more than 70 guns are still out in the community likely possessed by those who are legally prohibited from having firearms.
During March and April 2023, agents surveilled Cooper as he made arrangements to purchase additional firearms. Agents identified De’ondre Lamontia Phillips, 33 of Federal Way, Washington, as the person who drove Cooper to the gun shops where he purchased the firearms. Phillips is prohibited from purchasing and possessing firearms due to convictions for distribution of heroin (2014) and convictions for illegal firearms possession and two counts of assault (2009). Surveillance of the two revealed Cooper turning the firearms over to Phillips who stored them in his residence. Last month Phillips was sentenced to seven years in prison.
In February 2024, Cooper pleaded guilty to two counts of making a false statement in connection with the acquisition of firearms, one count of straw purchasing firearms and one count of trafficking in firearms.
In asking for a sentence at the top of the guidelines range, Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg noted that Cooper was the “largest known straw purchaser of firearms in the history of the Western District of Washington…. According to the ATF analysis, all of the… crime guns were recovered from persons who were legally prohibited from possessing firearms, either because they were convicted felons and/or were underage juveniles. This is not surprising, given the nature of straw purchasing offenses…. Notably, several of the recovered crime guns had very short “time-to-crime” periods (the amount of time between the firearm purchase and its recovery at a crime scene). These recovery periods included some as short as two days and others of six days, seven days, and eight days. This reflects that Cooper was purchasing firearms and turning them over to people who nearly immediately used them to commit violent crimes.”
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the Seattle Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg.
KC Man Sentenced to 21 Years for Meth Trafficking, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing methamphetamine and a firearm.
Keith T. Mims, also known as “C-Murder,” 54, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole. Mims was sentenced as a career offender due to his prior felony convictions.
On May 30, 2024, Mims pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Mims was approached by St. Joseph, Mo., police officers as he was walking on Belle Street in St. Joseph on Jan. 25, 2022. Mims ran from the officers, who engaged in a foot pursuit, resulting in Mims being tackled and placed in handcuffs. An officer searched Mims and found a loaded Bryco Arms .22-caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number in Mims’s back pocket. The officer also searched a bag Mims was carrying, which contained 4.18 grams of pure methamphetamine, .45 grams of crack cocaine, and 10 pills.
Mims told the arresting officers that he knew it was illegal for him to have a firearm due to his prior felony convictions. Mims said he needed the firearm for protection, and that he would “rather be judged by twelve than carried by six.”
According to court documents, Mims has multiple convictions for possessing firearms and trafficking in narcotics and has spent the vast majority of the last 35 years either incarcerated or under a criminal justice sentence.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth W. Borgnino and Stephanie C. Bradshaw. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Joseph, Mo., Police Department, and the Sugar Creek, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Justice Department Statements on U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Ruling in TikTok, et al. v. GarlandRead the Press Release
The Justice Department issued the following statements from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco on today’s ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in TikTok, et al. v. Garland:
“Today’s decision is an important step in blocking the Chinese government from weaponizing TikTok to collect sensitive information about millions of Americans, to covertly manipulate the content delivered to American audiences, and to undermine our national security,” said Attorney General Garland. “As the D.C. Circuit recognized, this Act protects the national security of the United States in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution. The Justice Department is committed to defending Americans’ sensitive data from authoritarian regimes that seek to exploit companies under their control.”
“We welcome today’s decision,” said Deputy Attorney General Monaco. “This ruling confirms that the law Congress passed — and the Justice Department’s work to defend it — have never been about restricting free speech but rather breaking the ties that bind TikTok to the regime in Beijing. This law protects Americans from the national security risks posed by the current ownership of TikTok in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution.”
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Healthcare Facility Services Provider to Resolve Citizenship Status Discrimination ClaimsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it secured an agreement with Pennsylvania-based HCSG East LLC and its parent company, Healthcare Services Group Inc. (HCSG), a nationwide provider of housekeeping, laundry and food services for healthcare and nursing facilities. The agreement resolves the department’s determination that HCSG discriminated against non-U.S. citizens with permission to work in the United States when hiring at its Siler City, North Carolina, location, and engaged in unfair practices concerning work authorization documents because of a worker’s status as a non-U.S. citizen.
“Employers cannot erect unlawful discriminatory barriers to work that exclude entire categories of workers with permission to work in the United States, based on citizenship status,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to hold employers accountable when they violate our nation’s federal civil rights laws.”
After conducting an investigation based on a worker’s complaint, the Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) concluded that HCSG discriminated against a worker by refusing to honor her valid document showing her permission to work because of her citizenship status. IER’s investigation also determined that HCSG had a policy of unlawfully refusing to hire certain workers who had permission to work but were not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents — such as persons granted asylum or refugee status by the federal government — at its Siler City location from at least February 2022 to at least December 2022.
Under the settlement, HCSG will pay a civil penalty to the United States, and provide backpay to an affected worker. The agreement also requires HCSG to train its personnel on the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)’s requirements, revise its employment policies, broadly recruit workers, avoid unnecessary English-language requirements in its job ads and be subject to departmental monitoring. The INA’s anti-discrimination provision prohibits employers from asking for specific or unnecessary documents because of a worker’s citizenship, immigration status or national origin when checking permission to work.
IER is responsible for enforcing the INA’s anti-discrimination provision. This law prohibits discrimination based on citizenship status and national origin in hiring, firing or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; and retaliation and intimidation.
Find more information on how employers can avoid discrimination in recruitment, hiring and employment eligibility verification on IER’s website. Learn more about IER’s work and how to get assistance through this brief video. Applicants or employees who believe they were discriminated against based on their citizenship, immigration status or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment or during the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify), or subjected to retaliation, may file a charge. The public can also call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); email [email protected]; sign up for a live webinar; watch an on-demand presentation; or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites. Sign up for email updates from IER.
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Healthcare Facility Services Provider to Resolve Citizenship Status Discrimination ClaimsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it secured an agreement with Pennsylvania-based HCSG East LLC and its parent company, Healthcare Services Group Inc. (HCSG), a nationwide provider of housekeeping, laundry and food services for healthcare and nursing facilities. The agreement resolves the department’s determination that HCSG discriminated against non-U.S. citizens with permission to work in the United States when hiring at its Siler City, North Carolina, location, and engaged in unfair practices concerning work authorization documents because of a worker’s status as a non-U.S. citizen.
“Employers cannot erect unlawful discriminatory barriers to work that exclude entire categories of workers with permission to work in the United States, based on citizenship status,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to hold employers accountable when they violate our nation’s federal civil rights laws.”
After conducting an investigation based on a worker’s complaint, the Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) concluded that HCSG discriminated against a worker by refusing to honor her valid document showing her permission to work because of her citizenship status. IER’s investigation also determined that HCSG had a policy of unlawfully refusing to hire certain workers who had permission to work but were not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents — such as persons granted asylum or refugee status by the federal government — at its Siler City location from at least February 2022 to at least December 2022.
Under the settlement, HCSG will pay a civil penalty to the United States, and provide backpay to an affected worker. The agreement also requires HCSG to train its personnel on the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)’s requirements, revise its employment policies, broadly recruit workers, avoid unnecessary English-language requirements in its job ads and be subject to departmental monitoring. The INA’s anti-discrimination provision prohibits employers from asking for specific or unnecessary documents because of a worker’s citizenship, immigration status or national origin when checking permission to work.
IER is responsible for enforcing the INA’s anti-discrimination provision. This law prohibits discrimination based on citizenship status and national origin in hiring, firing or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; and retaliation and intimidation.
Find more information on how employers can avoid discrimination in recruitment, hiring and employment eligibility verification on IER’s website. Learn more about IER’s work and how to get assistance through this brief video. Applicants or employees who believe they were discriminated against based on their citizenship, immigration status or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment or during the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify), or subjected to retaliation, may file a charge. The public can also call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); email [email protected]; sign up for a live webinar; watch an on-demand presentation; or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites.
###
Informational: Federal Court arraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared recently before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt:
Appearing in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan and pleading not guilty on Dec. 5 was:
Artemus Lavelle Brock, 35, of Bozeman, on charges of coercion and enticement to travel to engage in prostitution and transportation for prostitution. If convicted of the most serious crime, Brock faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Brock was detained pending further proceedings. The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation. PACER case reference. 24-35.
Appearing on Dec. 3 was:
John Doe AKA Jose Alfredo Collazo Nadal, of Billings, on charges of false statement in application of a passport. If convicted of the most serious crime, Doe faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Doe was detained pending further proceedings. The Diplomatic Secret Service conducted the investigation. PACER case reference. 24-156.
Appearing on Nov. 26 was:
Cody Lloyd Smith, 41, of Billings, on charges of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. If convicted of the most serious crime, Smith faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Smith was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Carbon County Sheriff’s Office and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation. PACER case reference. 24-165.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
XXX
Honduran National Indicted for Reentry of Deported AlienRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ALEX SAUL HERNANDEZ-PEREZ (“HERNANDEZ- PEREZ”), age 33, a native of Honduras, was indicted on December 5, 2024 for reentry of removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
According to court documents, HERNANDEZ- PEREZ, an illegal alien, was found in St. Bernard Parish on or around October 21, 2024. He had previously been deported to Honduras on June 13, 2019.
If convicted, HERNANDEZ-PEREZ faces up to two years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.
Honduran National Indicted for Misuse of a Social Security NumberRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that FRANCIS OSORIO CANALES (“OSORIO CANALES”), age 44, of Honduras, was indicted on December 5, 2024 for misuse of a social security number in order to obtain employment, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B).
If convicted, OSORIO CANALES faces up to five years imprisonment, up to 3 years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the ICE Enforcement Removal Office, Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Paul J. Hubbell of the General Crimes Unit in in charge of the prosecution.
Former Law Enforcement Officer Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Multimillion Dollar Scheme to Defraud COVID-19 Pandemic Relief ProgramRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Richard Hebert, Jr., age 57, of Harvey, Louisiana, to 84 months in federal prison following his conviction for making a false statement to a bank in connection with numerous fraudulent applications that he filed to obtain funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The Court further sentenced Hebert to serve three years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and ordered him to pay $2,450,639.93 in restitution to the United States Small Business Administration. Previously in the investigation, the United States seized a significant share of the proceeds from the offense, as well as a residence in New Orleans, and three vehicles, including a 2013 Ghost Rolls Royce, a Lexus ES 350, and Ford F-250.
According to court documents, between April of 2020 and July of 2020, Hebert submitted at least 12 fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of seven different companies to five different banks seeking more than $4.2 million in PPP loan funds, that were designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On these applications, Hebert made false representations regarding his businesses and their operations. In support of these fraudulent applications, Hebert created false tax forms and other documents, which included the real personal identifiable information of people to facilitate his crime. Hebert’s pandemic fraud scheme caused a loss of more than $2.4 million.
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe stated, “This strong sentence is a testament to the significant crime that this former law enforcement officer committed. Hebert was trained to serve and protect but instead he took advantage of a government safety net program to line his own pockets during the worst pandemic in over a century. Prosecuting pandemic fraud is a high priority for our office and we will continue to use every resource available to investigate and prosecute those who commit this type of crime. I want to commend our prosecutors and the team of agents for their diligent work in bringing this defendant to justice.”
This matter was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the United States Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica M.P. Thornhill, who also serves as the Deputy Chief of the Economic Crime Unit, M. Patricia Jones, who also serves as the Appellate Chief, and Brad Casey.
Anyone with information about allegations of pandemic fraud can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Former Chief Executive Officer of Grand Rapids Investment Firm Sent to Federal Prison for FraudRead the Press Release
Gifford “Chip” Cummings, Jr. also was ordered to repay $5,755,477 to victims
GRAND RAPIDS – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Gifford “Chip” Cummings, Jr., age 61, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and $5,755,477 in restitution for executing a scheme to defraud investor clients at Red Oak Capital.
“Mr. Cummings deliberately cheated investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars for his personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Financial fraud is a serious problem, and my office will not hesitate to prosecute fraudsters whose schemes inflict devastating financial harm on legit businesses and honest investors.”
Cummings pleaded guilty to executing a scheme to defraud while serving as President and CEO of a Grand Rapids, Michigan investment firm. Cummings put $5 million of client money in an unauthorized investment in December 2019. The investment immediately began to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in value. When his business partners learned of the secret investment, they demanded that Cummings retrieve the money and return it to the firm.
Instead of doing so, Cummings submitted altered account statements to make it appear that his unauthorized investment was performing better than it was to hide the mounting losses. Cummings also created a fake document purporting to show that he had sought the return of the investors’ money when in fact he had not. Ultimately, the firm was able to recoup only $761,522.90 of its initial investment. During the firm’s investigation of Cummings’ crime, it was discovered that he also failed to repay a $1,350,000 debt. Cummings made it appear as though the debt had been repaid when in truth, he had deposited that money into a bank account he controlled.
“Today's sentencing of Gifford (Chip) Cummings, a former executive at a Michigan-based investment firm, highlights the FBI's unwavering commitment to addressing both financial and cybercrimes, especially those perpetrated by individuals in positions of trust,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “This case, involving wire fraud, unauthorized investments, and illegal access to computer networks, resulted in millions of dollars in losses. The investigation, spearheaded by the Detroit Field Office Cyber Task Force and the Grand Rapids Resident Agency, was crucial in securing a successful prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan. The FBI remains steadfast in pursuing justice and safeguarding Michigan communities from those who exploit their trusted positions.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Davin Reust and Chris O’Connor prosecuted it.
# # #
Former Assistant Dean Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Million-Dollar Embezzlement from Essex County Graduate SchoolRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A former assistant dean of an Essex County graduate school was sentenced yesterday to 36 months in prison for defrauding her former employer of more than $1.3 million, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Teresina DeAlmeida, 59, of Warren, New Jersey and her co-conspirators, Rose Martins, 44, of East Hanover, New Jersey, and Silvia Cardoso, 61, of Warren, NJ, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Julien Xavier Neals in Newark federal court.
“The defendant abused her position of trust as an assistant dean to orchestrate an elaborate embezzlement scheme for more than a decade. In doing so, she and her co-conspirators stole more than $1.3 million intended to benefit the school and its students. My office is committed to relentlessly prosecuting those who commit financial frauds.”
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger
“By choosing to utilize her position for illicit profit, Teresina DeAlmeida chose to enrich herself first and serve the students of the University last,” stated Jenifer L. Piovesan, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office. “Financial fraud like this will not be tolerated and IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to root out and investigate these financial crimes.”
“Trust is an intangible thing, a faith that people who have access to large sums of money won't steal it. DeAlmeida took funds meant for students at the university and did so for more than a decade,” FBI Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Nelson I. Delgado said. “Students and most average citizens cannot see into finances of institutions, to question where it's going and why it's missing. The FBI Newark and our law enforcement partners have the tools to investigate wrongdoing and hold accountable those who don't think anyone will notice $1.3 million is missing.”
“I am proud of the contribution of OIG Special Agents in holding former Assistant Dean DeAlmeida accountable for her criminal actions. Her willful diversion and theft of funds that were intended for the school and its students was completely unacceptable,” said John Carlo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General’s Eastern Regional Office. “The OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of Federal education funds.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Between 2009 and July 2022, DeAlmeida, Martins, and Cardoso conspired to fraudulently misappropriate more than $1.3 million from their former employer, a graduate school of a university in Essex County, New Jersey. During the scheme, DeAlmeida was an assistant dean responsible for financial functions, and Martins served as her assistant. Cardoso, DeAlmeida’s sister, was also employed by the graduate school in a support staff role.
The defendants used a variety of methods to defraud the university. For instance:
• Beginning in 2009, DeAlmeida directed a graduate school vendor to pay Martins and Cardoso as though they worked for the vendor, even though they did not perform any services. DeAlmeida and Martins then caused the vendor to submit false invoices to the graduate school over the course of approximately four years to reimburse the vendor for the amounts fraudulently paid to Martins and Cardoso.
• From 2010 through 2022, DeAlmeida and Martins directed graduate school vendors to order hundreds of thousands of dollars of gift cards and prepaid debit cards the co-conspirators used for their personal benefit, and then to submit fraudulent invoices to the school purporting to be for goods and services that were never provided. The co-conspirators also misused DeAlmeida’s school-issued credit card to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars of gift cards and prepaid debit cards from the school’s bookstore. DeAlmeida routinely fraudulently approved these charges and Martins forged the signatures of other employees on internal approvals.
• In 2015, Martins opened a shell entity called CMS Content Management Specialist LLC. Although CMS never rendered any services to the graduate school, Martins submitted, and DeAlmeida approved, fraudulent invoices totaling more than $208,000.
• The co-conspirators also used DeAlmeida’s school-issued credit card to make tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized personal purchases. For example, DeAlmeida and Martins used the card to make over $70,000 in purchases at an online retailer shipped directly to their homes, including woman’s shoes, smart watches, and bed linens. DeAlmeida and Martins fraudulently altered certain receipts before submitting them to the school for payment.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Neals sentenced DeAlmeida to 2 years of supervised release and ordered restitution of approximately $1,397,000.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Internal Revenue Services, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan in Newark; special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado in Newark; and special agents of the Department of Education, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge John Carlo with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carolyn Silane and Aja Espinosa of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
Five Current and Former Correctional Officers and One Nurse Indicted for Federal Civil Rights ViolationsRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal grand jury in Oklahoma City returned a two-count indictment today charging five current and former correctional officers and one correctional nurse with federal civil rights violations.
The indictment alleges that, on Aug. 6, 2023, former Garvin County Jail (GCJ) Sergeant Jennifer Baxter, former GCJ Deputies Alesha Danielle Ingram and Vincent Matthews and former GCJ Nurse Lynnsee Noel, while acting in their official capacity at the GCJ, in Garvin County, Oklahoma, violated the constitutional rights of a pretrial detainee, identified in the indictment as K.T., by being deliberately indifferent to a substantial risk of serious physical harm to K.T. at the hands of other inmates. This offense resulted in K.T. suffering bodily injury.
The indictment further alleges that, on Aug. 6 and 7, 2023, Baxter, Ingram, Matthews, Noel and two additional jailers, current GCJ Sergeant Melissa Melton and current GCJ Deputy Paula Kelley, while acting in their official capacity, were deliberately indifferent to K.T.’s serious medical needs, willfully failing to ensure that K.T. was provided with necessary medical care. This offense resulted in bodily injury to K.T. and, ultimately, her death.
If convicted, all defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Robert Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma and Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Oklahoma City Field Office is investigating the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel Julia Barry and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaleigh Blackwell for the Western District of Oklahoma and Trial Attorneys Laura Gilson and Trevor Kempner of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Five Current and Former Correctional Officers and One Nurse Indicted for Federal Civil Rights ViolationsRead the Press Release
A two-count indictment was unsealed yesterday charging five current and former correctional officers and one correctional nurse with federal civil rights violations.
The indictment alleges that, on Aug. 6, 2023, former Garvin County Jail (GCJ) Sergeant Jennifer Baxter, former GCJ Deputies Alesha Danielle Ingram and Vincent Matthews and former GCJ Nurse Lynnsee Noel, while acting in their official capacity at the GCJ, in Garvin County, Oklahoma, violated the constitutional rights of a pretrial detainee, identified in the indictment as K.T., by being deliberately indifferent to a substantial risk of serious physical harm to K.T. at the hands of other inmates. This offense resulted in K.T. suffering bodily injury.
The indictment further alleges that, on Aug. 6 and 7, 2023, Baxter, Ingram, Matthews, Noel and two additional jailers, current GCJ Sergeant Melissa Melton and current GCJ Deputy Paula Kelley, while acting in their official capacity, were deliberately indifferent to K.T.’s serious medical needs, willfully failing to ensure that K.T. was provided with necessary medical care. This offense resulted in bodily injury to K.T. and, ultimately, her death.
If convicted, all defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Robert Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma and Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Oklahoma City Field Office is investigating the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel Julia Barry and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaleigh Blackwell for the Western District of Oklahoma and Trial Attorneys Laura Gilson and Trevor Kempner of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Feds Continue to Target Gun TraffickersRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Bishop Allen, 26, was sentenced yesterday to 2 years and 6 months in federal prison for his role in a firearm trafficking ring, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced. This is the latest in a series of prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office targeting straw purchasers and gun traffickers. A straw purchaser is someone who unlawfully purchases a gun for another, typically a person who is prohibited by law from possessing one or for someone who does not want their name associated with the transaction. Since the beginning of 2022, at least 20 people have been convicted in federal court in Detroit for their involvement in the straw purchasing of firearms.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge James Deir, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Detroit Division.
“My office is committed to keeping guns out of the hands of convicted felons and will aggressively prosecute not just the leaders of these gun trafficking organizations, but also the straw purchasers who make these schemes possible. Lying when buying a gun for someone else is a serious crime that deserves just punishments like these,” U.S. Attorney Ison said. “Our commitment to preventing the illegal flow of firearms is unwavering, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to ensure the safety of our citizens.”
“Identifying and prosecuting illegal firearm traffickers who knowingly place illegally purchased firearms in the hands of criminals as a money-making scheme is ATF’s top priority. Cases like this represent the worst side of personal greed. Bishop Allen and his co-conspirators knowingly placed our community’s safety second to their collective greed to make a buck,” said ATF Detroit Field Division Special Agent in Charge James Deir. “Ultimately, Mr. Allen is going to have a lot of free time to reflect on his poor decision making.”
Among the cases brought in federal court are:
United States v. Chauncey Williams, et al.
Chauncey Williams, Antonio Jackson, and Mike Chahoua were leaders of a scheme to use stolen credit card information to buy firearms online, which were then shipped to local firearm retailers for pickup. The leaders enlisted several straw purchasers to pick up firearms. To get the firearms, the straw purchasers were directed to lie on the required ATF paperwork. In total, the group illegally obtained at least 55 firearms through the scheme. Several of the firearms have been recovered by law enforcement, including in the hands of convicted felons.
The three leaders of the trafficking ring were sentenced as follows:
- Chauncey Williams, age 24 of Detroit: 81 months’ imprisonment
- Antonio Jackson, age 24 of Detroit: 94 months’ imprisonment
- Mike Chahoua, age 25 of Detroit: 52 months’ imprisonment
The straw purchasers involved in the trafficking ring were sentenced as follows:
- Garcia Moses, age 26 of Detroit: 54 months’ imprisonment
- Emmanuel Stevens, age 23 of Detroit: 46 months’ imprisonment
- Donte Turner, age 27 of Mt. Clemens: 30 months’ imprisonment
- James Jackson, age 25 of Detroit: 30 months’ imprisonment
- Eshon Rose, age 24 of Redford Charter Township: 18 months’ imprisonment
- Bishop Allen, age 26 of Detroit: 30 months’ imprisonment
United States v. Ruemondo Murray, et al.
Earlier this year, Ruemondo Murray was sentenced to 52 months’ imprisonment for directing a separate conspiracy to straw purchase firearms. According to court documents, 6 women involved in that conspiracy purchased a total of 24 firearms on behalf of Murray from multiple federally licensed firearms dealers in metro Detroit. When the women made the purchases, they falsely affirmed on federal firearms purchase documents that they were the actual buyer of the firearms, when in fact, they were purchasing them for Murray. Murray is prohibited from possessing firearms due to his previous felony convictions of robbery and felony firearm.
In total, the group illegally obtained at least 24 firearms. All of the remaining straw purchasers involved in the trafficking ring have already pleaded guilty to felony offenses and been sentenced.
United States v. Nathan Price
On July 11, 2024, Nathan Price pleaded guilty to Making a False Statement During the Acquisition of a Firearm, in violation of federal law. Between December 2023 and February 2024, Price straw purchased 10 firearms from various federal firearms dealers in the Detroit area. For each purchase, he falsely declared that he was the actual purchaser of the firearm. He was sentenced to a year and a day in prison.
United States v. Kai Edwards & Quentin Luster
In November of 2022, Kai Edwards entered a gun store with a convicted felon, Quentin Luster, and purchased two firearms at his request. In 2024, Edwards pleaded guilty and was sentenced. On August 15, 2024, Luster entered a guilty plea to straw purchase of a firearm and was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison.
United States v. Omar Shorter
From 2020 to 2022, Omar Shorter purchased approximately 39 guns. On April 10, 2024, a jury found Shorter guilty of Making a False Statement During the Acquisition of a Firearm and Engaging in the Business of Selling Firearms without a License. Of the 39 guns Shorter purchased, 9 were recovered by police officers during felony arrests and 3 were involved in non-fatal shootings. Shorter was sentenced to 14 months in prison.
These cases are a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ campaign "Don’t Lie for the Other Guy" is a part of PSN aimed at reducing firearm “straw purchases,” the illegal purchase of a firearm by one person for another, and to educate would-be straw purchasers of the penalties of knowingly participating in an illegal firearm purchase. More information about the campaign can be found at: www.dontlie.org.
Federal Jury Convicts Wilsonville Man for Possessing and Transporting Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A federal jury in Portland found a Wilsonville, Oregon man guilty today for possessing and transporting photos and videos depicting child sexual abuse.
Joshan Rohani, 40, was convicted of one count each of accessing with the intent to view and possessing child pornography, and three counts of transporting child pornography.
According to court documents, in July 2021, Rohani created a user account on Mega, a New Zealand-based cloud storage and file hosting service that enables users to create private chatrooms that can be used to share links to files stored on the service and elsewhere.
In November 2021, as part of a child pornography investigation in North Carolina, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents discovered a hyperlink to a Mega chatroom titled “Trade links,” where members posted files, folders, and links to files containing child pornography.
As part of their investigation, agents learned that between July and December 2021, Rohani participated in at least 34 chats, some of which child pornography was shared within. He also posted numerous links containing images and videos of child pornography, providing other members with access to view and download the files. Additionally, agents discovered that Rohani had a previous account that had been suspended by Mega in 2019 due to suspected child pornography activity.
On May 24, 2022, HSI agents executed a search warrant at Rohani’s residence. They seized numerous electronic devices and storage media, including an iPad, several computers and iPhones, and multiple external hard drives, USB thumb drives, and SD memory cards. Investigators found child pornography on several of the devices seized from Rohani’s residence.
On October 16, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a six-count indictment charging Rohani with distributing, transporting, accessing to view, and possessing child pornography.
Rohani faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release for each count. He will be sentenced on June 2, 2025, before U.S. District Court Judge Karin J. Immergut.
This case was investigated by HSI with assistance from the Newberg-Dundee Police Department and New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs. It was prosecuted by Gary Y. Sussman and Mira Chernick, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org.
Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.
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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Eufaula Resident Sentenced for Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Michael Shaun Davis, age 57, of Eufaula, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 77 months in prison for illegally possessing firearms and ammunition.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On February 26, 2024, Davis pleaded guilty to one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. According to investigators, on June 15, 2023, Pittsburg County Sheriff’s deputies recovered a 9mm semiautomatic pistol, a 12 gauge shotgun, and ammunition from Davis’s residence after executing a search warrant. Davis possessed the firearms and ammunition despite knowing that he had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Davis will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Gross and Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Ennis meth trafficker sentenced to 12 years in prisonRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — An Ennis man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine after law enforcement found two pounds of meth and approximately 50 firearms in his residence was sentenced on Dec. 5 to 12 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
The defendant, Jason Michael Hoover, 47, pleaded guilty in April to possession with intent to distribute meth.
U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen presided.
“Hoover’s drug trafficking conduct was especially dangerous, not only because of the amount of meth involved, but also because of the large number of firearms found in his residence. Hoover used guns as currency to distribute and receive meth. With this sentence, the firearms will no longer be on our streets and neither will Hoover,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
The government alleged in court documents that in July 2022, law enforcement identified Hoover as a suspect in storage unit thefts in Gallatin County. The investigation led to a search in February 2023 of Hoover’s residence, where officers found Hoover and co-defendant Gabriel Boe, attempting to hide in a laundry room. Officers observed a plastic bag of suspected methamphetamine adjacent to Hoover and Boe. After obtaining a second search warrant, law enforcement located more than two pounds of meth near where Hoover and Boe had been found. Officers also located approximately 50 firearms. Hoover told law enforcement he distributed meth and received guns in exchange and that he would trade guns and receive meth. Boe is pending sentencing for his conviction in the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Missouri River Drug Task Force conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
XXX
El Departamento de Justicia llega a un acuerdo con un proveedor de servicios para centros de atención médica para resolver acusaciones de discriminación por motivos de estatus de ciudadaníaRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que ha llegado a un acuerdo con HCSG East LLC, con sede en Pennsylvania, y su empresa matriz, Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (HCSG), un proveedor nacional de servicios de limpieza, lavandería y alimentos para centros de atención médica y enfermería. El acuerdo resuelve la determinación del Departamento que HCSG discriminó a no ciudadanos de los EE. UU. con permiso para trabajar en los Estados Unidos cuando estaba contratando para su sucursal en Siler City, North Carolina, y participó en prácticas injustas relacionadas con los documentos de autorización para trabajar debido al estatus de ciudadanía de una no ciudadana de los EE. UU.
«De acuerdo con la ley, los empleadores no pueden construir barreras discriminatorias para el trabajo que excluyan a categorías enteras de trabajadores con permiso para trabajar en los Estados Unidos, tales como a residentes permanentes legales, en función exclusivamente de su estatus de ciudadanía», declaró Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. «El Departamento de Justicia seguirá responsabilizando a los empleadores que vulneren las leyes de derechos civiles de nuestra nación».
Después de llevar a cabo una investigación basada en la queja de una trabajadora, la Sección de Derechos de Inmigrantes y Empleados (IER, por sus siglas en inglés), de la División de Derechos Civiles, concluyó que HCSG discriminó a una trabajadora al negarse a respetar su documento válido que mostraba su permiso para trabajar debido a estatus de ciudadanía. La investigación de la IER también determinó que HCSG tenía una política de negarse ilegalmente a contratar a ciertos trabajadores que tenían permiso para trabajar pero que no eran ciudadanos o residentes permanentes legales de los EE. UU., tales como personas con asilo o estatus de refugiado otorgados por el gobierno federal, en su sucursal en Siler City desde al menos febrero del 2022 hasta al menos diciembre del 2022.
En virtud de los términos del acuerdo, HCSG pagará sanciones civiles a los Estados Unidos y le ofrecerá pagos retroactivos a la trabajadora afectada. El acuerdo también requiere que HCSG capacite a su personal en cuanto a los requisitos de la ley de Inmigración y Nacionalidad (INA, por sus siglas en inglés), que revise sus políticas de empleo, que reclute a trabajadores de manera más amplia, que evite requisitos innecesarios de inglés en sus anuncios de empleo y que se someta a la supervisión departamental. La disposición antidiscriminación de la INA prohíbe a los empleadores solicitar documentos específicos o innecesarios por motivos de la ciudadanía, el estatus migratorio o la nacionalidad de origen de un trabajador a la hora de comprobar su permiso para trabajar.
La IER es responsable de hacer cumplir la disposición antidiscriminatoria de la INA. Esta ley prohíbe la discriminación por motivos de estatus de ciudadanía y nacionalidad de origen en los procesos de contratación, despido o reclutamiento o recomendación por comisión; prácticas documentales injustas; y represalias e intimidación.
Puede obtener más información sobre cómo los empleadores pueden evitar la discriminación en los procesos de contratación, reclutamiento y verificación de la elegibilidad para trabajar en el sitio web de la IER. Aprenda más sobre el trabajo de la IER y cómo conseguir ayuda mediante este vídeo corto. Aquellos aspirantes o empleados que creen haber sido discriminados por motivos de su ciudadanía, estatus migratorio o nacionalidad de origen en los procesos de contratación, despido, reclutamiento o verificación de la elegibilidad para trabajar (Formulario I-9 e E-Verify) o sujetos a represalias pueden presentar una denuncia. El público también puede llamar a la línea directa de la IER para trabajadores al 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY para personas con discapacidades auditivas); llamar a la línea directa de la IER para empleadores al 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY para personas con discapacidades auditivas); enviar un correo electrónico a [email protected]; inscribirse a un seminario en línea en vivo; visualizar una presentación a la carta; o visitar los sitios web de la IER en inglés and español. Inscríbase para recibir actualizaciones por correo electrónico desde la IER.
Dayton man pleads guilty to meth & cocaine crimes, faces 15 to 25 years in prisonRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – The leader of a local methamphetamine and cocaine drug trafficking organization pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today.
Adrian White, 40, of Dayton, admitted to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute the drugs.
The plea agreement includes a recommended sentence of 15 to 25 years in prison.
According to court documents, between at least February 2023 and January 2024, White was responsible for 15 kilograms of methamphetamine and 500 grams of cocaine via his drug trafficking organization.
White was observed transporting shoe boxes to and from a known stash house on Crestmore Avenue in Dayton.
During traffic stops of White and others, narcotics were found in orange Nike shoe boxes. For example, in January 2024, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of White for window tint violation and found him to be in possession of more than two kilograms of methamphetamine in one of the shoe boxes and 60 grams of cocaine in his vehicle.
While executing a subsequent federal search warrant at the stash house and at White’s residence on Valerie Arms Drive, agents discovered more than three kilograms of methamphetamine and an additional 72 grams of cocaine located throughout the house in a safe, the kitchen counter, a kitchen cabinet and a vent of the HVAC system. White kept an AK 47 style rifle near the front door. White also had approximately $20,500 in cash in his home.
A federal grand jury indicted White and two others in January 2024. Co-defendants Sonequa McGraw, 37, of Huber Heights, and William Bates, 36, of Trotwood, have also pleaded guilty in this case and await sentencing.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Detroit Division; Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal; Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott and Clark County Sheriff Deb Burchett announced the guilty plea entered today before Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan A. Saunders is representing the United States in this case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, and gangs that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
# # #
Court Orders North Carolina Pharmacy to Pay $500,000 Penalty and Enters Injunction to Prevent Filling Illegal Controlled Substance PrescriptionsRead the Press Release
A federal court ordered an Elkin, North Carolina, pharmacy to pay a $500,000 penalty and enjoined the pharmacy and its pharmacists from dispensing controlled substances, including opioids, without taking steps to help ensure the drugs will not be abused or diverted.
The consent decree resolves a complaint filed by the United States on Nov. 27, which alleged that Elk Pharmacy Inc., Larry Irwin, the pharmacy’s owner and pharmacists Susan Baker, S. Jason Couch, Beth Pence and Lori Wyble filled prescriptions in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The complaint alleges that the defendants dispensed prescription opioids while disregarding numerous “red flags” — that is, obvious indications of drug abuse, drug diversion and drug-seeking behavior. For example, according to the complaint, the defendants filled dangerous combination prescriptions; filled prescriptions for long-term, high-dose opioids that exceeded known recommendations for treating pain; filled prescriptions for patients who appeared to be “shopping” for doctors or pharmacies; and filled prescriptions written by prescribers known to be suspected of illegal prescribing, including one doctor who the North Carolina Medical Board had barred from prescribing controlled substances.
“Pharmacists have a duty to help protect consumers from the life-threatening dangers of controlled substance abuse,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to hold medical professionals accountable when they fail to fulfill that duty.”
“Pharmacists are trained professionals who cannot simply rubber-stamp doctors’ prescriptions,” said U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston for the Middle District of North Carolina. “They have an independent responsibility to ensure that the prescriptions they fill are for a legitimate medical purpose.”
“The pharmacists at Elk Pharmacy Inc. had a corresponding responsibility, along with the prescribing practitioners, to only dispense prescriptions for a legitimate medical purpose,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Murphy of the DEA Atlanta Division. “The DEA will continue to pursue healthcare providers who are not in compliance with mandatory regulations.”
The defendants agreed to settle the suit and be bound by a consent decree of permanent injunction. The injunction entered by U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder for the Middle District of North Carolina prohibits the defendants from filling certain “red flag” prescriptions and requires the defendants to fill other orders only after receiving documentation justifying the prescriptions.
The government was represented by Senior Litigation Counsel Donald R. Lorenzen of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Crawford for the Middle District of North Carolina, with substantial assistance from DEA Diversion Investigator Heidi Crater and Intelligence Analyst William J. Morris of the DEA Greensboro Resident Office’s Diversion Group.
For more information about the enforcement efforts of the Consumer Protection Branch visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
The claims resolved by the consent decree announced today are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
Court Orders North Carolina Pharmacy to Pay $500,000 Penalty and Enters Injunction to Prevent Filling Illegal Controlled Substance PrescriptionsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal court ordered an Elkin, North Carolina, pharmacy to pay a $500,000 penalty and enjoined the pharmacy and its pharmacists from dispensing controlled substances, including opioids, without taking steps to help ensure the drugs will not be abused or diverted.
The consent decree resolves a complaint filed by the United States on Nov. 27, which alleged that Elk Pharmacy Inc., Larry Irwin, the pharmacy’s owner and pharmacists Susan Baker, S. Jason Couch, Beth Pence and Lori Wyble filled prescriptions in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The complaint alleges that the defendants dispensed prescription opioids while disregarding numerous “red flags” — that is, obvious indications of drug abuse, drug diversion and drug-seeking behavior. For example, according to the complaint, the defendants filled dangerous combination prescriptions; filled prescriptions for long-term, high-dose opioids that exceeded known recommendations for treating pain; filled prescriptions for patients who appeared to be “shopping” for doctors or pharmacies; and filled prescriptions written by prescribers known to be suspected of illegal prescribing, including one doctor who the North Carolina Medical Board had barred from prescribing controlled substances.
“Pharmacists have a duty to help protect consumers from the life-threatening dangers of controlled substance abuse,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to hold medical professionals accountable when they fail to fulfill that duty.”
“Pharmacists are trained professionals who cannot simply rubber-stamp doctors’ prescriptions,” said U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston for the Middle District of North Carolina. “They have an independent responsibility to ensure that the prescriptions they fill are for a legitimate medical purpose.”
“The pharmacists at Elk Pharmacy Inc. had a corresponding responsibility, along with the prescribing practitioners, to only dispense prescriptions for a legitimate medical purpose,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Murphy of the DEA Atlanta Division. “The DEA will continue to pursue healthcare providers who are not in compliance with mandatory regulations.”
The defendants agreed to settle the suit and be bound by a consent decree of permanent injunction. The injunction entered by U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder for the Middle District of North Carolina prohibits the defendants from filling certain “red flag” prescriptions and requires the defendants to fill other orders only after receiving documentation justifying the prescriptions.
The government was represented by Senior Litigation Counsel Donald R. Lorenzen of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Crawford for the Middle District of North Carolina, with substantial assistance from DEA Diversion Investigator Heidi Crater and Intelligence Analyst William J. Morris of the DEA Greensboro Resident Office’s Diversion Group.
For more information about the enforcement efforts of the Consumer Protection Branch visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
The claims resolved by the consent decree announced today are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
###
Convicted Felon and Methamphetamine Dealer from Idaho Falls Sentenced to over 10 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – Kenneth Dwayne Daly, 46, of Idaho Falls, was sentenced to 130 months in federal prison for distribution of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.
According to court records, in January and February 2024, Daly sold methamphetamine to another person on four occasions in East Idaho. During the first sale he sold the individual 27.79 grams of methamphetamine, during the second sale he sold 112.26 grams of methamphetamine, the third sale consisted of 226.13 grams of methamphetamine, and in the fourth sale the individual purchased 13.96 grams of methamphetamine. In April 2024, Daly agreed to sell the individual a half pound of methamphetamine. The Idaho State Police subsequently arrested him. During his arrest he was found in possession of 237.1 grams of methamphetamine. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence that same day and seized an additional 313.7 grams of methamphetamine.
Daly was held accountable for a total of 930.44 grams of methamphetamine that he sold to the person.
Daly’s criminal history includes four prior state felony convictions for possession of methamphetamine and criminal distribution of dangerous drugs. He also has nine misdemeanor convictions that relate to violence.
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Daly to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Daly pleaded guilty to the charge in September 2024.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the Idaho State Police for their investigation which led to the charges in this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoie Laggis prosecuted this case.
This case was handled by the U.S. Attorney Office’s specially deputized Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA), funded by the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP) and the State of Idaho. The EIP is a coalition of local city and county officials in eastern Idaho as well as the Idaho Department of Correction.
The EIP SAUSA program allows law enforcement to utilize the federal criminal justice system – through the EIP SAUSA – to prosecute, convict, and sentence violent, armed criminals and drug traffickers. These criminals often receive stiffer penalties than they might in state courts.
This program was created in January 2016. Since that time, approximately 175 defendants have been indicted by the EIP SAUSA. Of these defendants, 152 have been indicted on drug trafficking charges. The defendants indicted under the program have been sentenced to 10,769 months (approximately 897.42 years) in federal prison, representing an average prison sentence of 74.79 months (6.23 years). Defendants indicted for drug trafficking offenses serve, on average, approximately 61.59 months (5.13 years) in federal prison.
###
Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Damani Lamont Carmon, 31, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a federal firearms offense stemming from his possession of a loaded Glock firearm in April 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division; and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Carmon pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. The Honorable James E. Boasberg scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 14, 2025.
According to court papers, on April 30, 2024, uniformed MPD officers patrolling the 1800 block of Benning Road Northeast stopped Carmon’s vehicle for a traffic violation. After observing an open container of tequila in the vehicle, officers searched the car and recovered from its center console a Glock 23 .40 caliber firearm loaded with one round of ammunition in its chamber and thirteen rounds of ammunition in its magazine. Subsequent DNA testing and analysis linked the firearm to Carmon.
Federal law prohibits Carmon from possessing a firearm because he is a previously convicted felon. Specifically, in 2021, Carmon was convicted in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of assault with intent to kill and carrying a pistol without a license, arising from a 2019 shooting at a gas station in Washington, D.C. Carmon was on supervised release for that offense at the time he possessed the firearm charged in this case.
In September 2024, a federal grand jury empaneled by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia returned an indictment charging Carmon with the April offense.
Carmon has remained held without bond since his October 1, 2024, arrest.
Carmon faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by the Court after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by ATF and MPD as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul V. Courtney and Kyle R. Mirabelli.
24cr425
Colorado Man Sentenced to 22 years for Kidnapping Employee from Michael Bloomberg’s RanchRead the Press Release
CHEYENNE⎯ U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson sentenced Joseph Beecher, 51, of Craig, Colorado to 264 months in federal prison with five years of supervised release to follow, for the kidnapping of a woman from Michael Bloomberg’s ranch in February 2022.
Beecher was convicted of kidnapping, carjacking, using/carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and transportation of stolen firearms following a three-day trial that ended on Aug. 28 with a guilty verdict.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Beecher lived and worked at an apartment complex in Craig, Colorado. In the early morning hours of Feb. 2, 2022, Beecher was informed by his employer that his services were no longer needed. Beecher broke into his employer’s home and stole two firearms, including a Bushmaster AR-style rifle. Beecher then drove to a ranch in Colorado owned by Michael Bloomberg, intent on killing Mr. Bloomberg, but finding only a female employee present on the property. Beecher took the woman hostage at gunpoint and forced her to drive him to various locations to locate and kill another media mogul in Colorado. Unable to find his second target, Beecher eventually forced the woman at gunpoint to drive him to the Stage Coach Motel in Cheyenne, where Beecher could rest and figure out his next criminal act. In the early morning hours of February 3, 2022, SWAT officers with the Cheyenne Police Department rescued the woman and arrested Beecher at the motel. The woman was physically unharmed.
Beecher was indicted on March 17, 2022, and pleaded not guilty on March 21, 2022. The FBI, Cheyenne Police Department, Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, and the Craig Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Vierbuchen prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction
strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN
Case No. 22-CR-00028
Colorado Dentist Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Solicit a Minor Online and Transporting Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Jason James Atha, 51, a dentist from Broomfield, Colo., pleaded guilty yesterday in the Southern District of Florida to charges of attempted enticement of a minor and transportation of child pornography.
According to the court record, beginning on Oct. 3, 2023, Atha, who lived in Colorado, used a social networking application on his phone to solicit sex with an 8-year-old child through conversations with the child’s mother in the Southern District of Florida. The child’s purported “mother” was in fact an undercover Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent. Atha’s communications detailed the sexual acts he wanted to engage in with the child. On Aug. 9, Atha flew to Palm Beach International Airport, in the Southern District of Florida, to consummate the sexual act and was arrested at the airport. A search of Atha’s devices revealed child pornography videos.
At sentencing, currently scheduled for March 11, 2025, in Ft. Pierce, Fla., before U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon, Atha faces a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison for attempted enticement of a minor and 20 years in prison for transportation of child pornography.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of HSI Miami made the announcement.
HSI West Palm Beach investigated the case. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office provided invaluable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller is prosecuting it.
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 U.S. 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 or https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/project-safe-childhood.
Anyone with information regarding child sexual exploitation and abuse is encouraged to call (877) 4-HSI-TIP [(877) 447-4847].
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-80102.
###
Clinic Owner and Doctor Indicted for Scheme to Distribute Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Tampa residents Bridget Luzod (42) and Victor Silva, MD (79) with one count of conspiring to distribute controlled substances, one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, 19 counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances, and 19 counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances using a registration number issued to another person. If convicted on all counts, Luzod and Silva each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Luzod and Silva that the United States intends to forfeit any money or asset traceable to proceeds of the offenses.
According to the indictment, Luzod was the owner and primary operator of Thrive Medical Clinic, an alternative medicine clinic in South Tampa that she opened in September 2018. Although Luzod portrayed herself as a doctor or nurse to her patients, she had only a Florida basic x-ray machine operator license, which expired in 2018 and which Luzod did not renew until March 2024. She was not licensed to practice medicine in Florida and did not have a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration number to prescribe controlled substances.
Around March 2020, Luzod hired Dr. Silva to serve as Thrive’s medical director. Silva did not examine Thrive’s patients, diagnose them, prescribe treatments, or review their medical files. Instead, from 2020 to 2024, Luzod paid Silva a monthly stipend, and in return, Silva allowed Luzod to use Silva’s credentials and DEA registration number to treat her patients, friends, and family members with controlled substances – including Adderall, testosterone, hydrocodone, and phentermine. Luzod regularly forged Silva’s signature or used a rubber stamp to affix it to prescriptions.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Florida Department of Health, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael M. Gordon.
Chinese National and U.S. Legal Permanent Resident Charged for Illegal Scheme to Export Controlled Data and Defraud the Department of DefenseRead the Press Release
Note: View the indictment here.
A four-count indictment was unsealed today charging Hang Sun, also known as Cody Sun, with conspiracy, wire fraud, smuggling, and a violation of the Arms Export Control Act for his role in an illegal scheme to send export-controlled defense-related technical data to China and to unlawfully supply the Department of Defense (DOD) with Chinese-origin rare earth magnets for aviation systems and military items.
The indictment alleges that between January 2012 and December 2018, the defendant conspired to send approximately 70 drawings containing export-controlled technical data to a company located in China without a license from the U.S. government, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The technical data drawings were the property of two U.S. companies and related to end-use items for aviation, submarine, radar, tank, mortars, missiles, infrared and thermal imaging targeting systems, and fire control systems for DOD.
The indictment further alleges that Quadrant Magnetics imported rare earth magnets that were smelted and magnetized by a company in China. Quadrant then sold these magnets to two U.S. companies which included them in components sold to DOD for use in the F-16, the F-18, and other defense assets in violation of the Defense Acquisition Regulations System (DFARS). Under the DFARS specialty metal clause, rare earth magnets sold to DOD must be produced in the United States or an approved country. China is not an approved country. Quadrant Magnetics and three of its employees were separately charged in a superseding indictment filed in the Western District of Kentucky on Dec. 5, 2023.
If convicted, Sun faces statutory maximum penalties of up to five years in prison for conspiracy; 20 years in prison for wire fraud; 20 years in prison for exporting technical data without a license; and 10 years in prison for smuggling goods from the United States. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Director Kelly P. Mayo of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett for the Western District of Kentucky, Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch, Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Cincinnati Field Office, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Nashville Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud made the announcement .
The DCIS, FBI, HSI, IRS-CI, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Judd and Christopher Tieke for the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorneys Alexander Wharton and Leslie Esbrook with the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Carson Woman and South L.A. Man Found Guilty of Participating in Armed Robberies of Local Businesses Last YearRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Harbor-area woman and a South Los Angeles man were found guilty by a jury today of participating in armed robberies of businesses in which local businesses in Los Angeles County were targeted in August and September of last year.
Diavion Deshawna Mouton, 23, of Carson, and Rodney Darrin Maxwell Evans, 23, of the Vermont Square neighborhood of Los Angeles, were each found guilty of one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
“Violent gun crime leaves emotional scars that last for years,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Through the Operation Safe Cities initiative, my office is partnering with local law enforcement to prosecute more and more cases that hold accountable those who choose to harm our communities.”
According to evidence presented at a four-day trial, Evans participated in two armed robberies that occurred on August 14, 2023, respectively, at Rite Aid stores in Bellflower and in the Vermont Square neighborhood of South Los Angeles. During the robberies, multiple firearms were brandished, and store employees were forced to open the store safe. In total, Evans and his co-conspirators – ringleaders Makai Yusef Sanders, 23, and Kenyatta Kamar Jones, 23, both of Hawthorne – stole a total of $12,410 from the robberies.
Mouton participated in two armed robberies on September 19, 2023, at a Walgreens store in Glendale and a Wingstop restaurant in Lynwood. She was the getaway driver for both robberies, in which Sanders and Jones brandished firearms and stole a total of $1,776 from the businesses.
During the Walgreens robbery, Sanders and Jones robbed a customer who was at a register attempting to purchase some items, held the victim at gunpoint, and stole the victim’s iPhone. A store employee, a handgun pointed at her back, was ordered to the store’s safe with the barrel of the gun used to push her to get her to move faster. In fear for her life, the employee began walking to the back of the store where the safe was located. Once at the back of the store, the employee noticed the robber was distracted talking to the other robber. The employee then locked herself inside the store’s staffing office and called 911.
In addition to the cash, Sanders and Jones stole four iPhones belonging to victims at the Walgreens store. The suspects then exited the store and drove away in a white Honda Civic, which law enforcement later discovered had been booked via a peer-to-peer carsharing company and was driven by Mouton.
Using phone records and GPS data, law enforcement tracked the defendants down and arrested Sanders, Jones, and Mouton on September 26, 2023. At the time of their arrests, Jones and Sanders possessed handguns consistent with the firearms used in the Walgreens robbery. Law enforcement also found clothing – including the black mask with a red logo – consistent with what one of the suspects wore during that robbery.
United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner scheduled a March 31, 2025, sentencing hearing, at which time Evans and Mouton will face a mandatory minimum sentence of fourteen years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Sanders and Jones pleaded guilty on November 26 to one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. In their plea agreements, Sanders and Jones admitted to committing 12 armed robberies of local businesses – mostly chain-store pharmacies – in August and September of 2023. Both defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment at their sentencing hearings, which are scheduled for March 17, 2025.
Sanders and Jones have agreed to be sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.
Co-defendant Adrian Timothy Bedran, 24, of Rosemead, pleaded guilty on September 9 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery. He is free on $50,000 bond and awaits sentencing on January 13, 2025.
Co-defendants DeAngel Daryl Alvarez, 24, a.k.a. “Macc,” of the Athens area of South Los Angeles, is believed to be a fugitive, and Kevin Antwon Gadley, 20, a.k.a. “One Shot,” of San Fernando, is in state custody on unrelated charges.
Operation Safe Cities establishes strategic enforcement priorities with an emphasis on prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime. Across this region, the most damaging and horrific crimes are committed by a relatively small number of particularly violent individuals. This strategic enforcement approach is expected to increase the number of arrests, prosecutions and convictions of recidivists engaged in the most dangerous conduct. It is designed to improve public safety across the region by targeting crimes involving illicit guns, prohibited persons possessing firearms, or robbery crews that cause havoc and extensive losses to retail establishments.
The FBI; the Glendale Police Department; the Los Angeles Police Department; the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; the Inglewood Police Department; the Long Beach Police Department; the Pasadena Police Department; the Monterey Park Police Department; the Whittier Police Department; and the Burbank Police Department investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler and Jena A. MacCabe of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Juan M. Rodriguez of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting this case.
Buffalo man going to prison for possession of child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Patrick Malloy, 34, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison by Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny. He was also ordered to pay $48,000 in restitution and must register as sex offender.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who handled the case, stated that on June 24, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Malloy’s residence and several electronic devices were seized. The devices contained approximately 28,000 images of child pornography, including images of prepubescent minors under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
# # # #
Brockton Man Convicted of Defrauding Pharmaceutical Company Takeda of $2.3 Million DollarsRead the Press Release
BOSTON — The boyfriend of a senior level employee in the technology operations group at the multinational pharmaceutical company Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) was convicted today by a federal jury of setting up a fake consulting company that billed Takeda for services it never actually provided.
Samuel N. Montronde, 39, was convicted of three counts of wire fraud by a federal jury in Boston. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for March 7, 2025. The jury acquitted Montronde of one count of wire fraud conspiracy. Montronde was arrested and charged in January 2023 along with his girlfriend Priya Bhambi – a former senior employee in the technology operations group of Takeda. The two were later indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2023.
“Today’s jury verdict makes it crystal clear that greed and deception have serious consequences. Mr. Montronde and his girlfriend exploited her senior-level position at Takeda to line their own pockets, stealing millions to bankroll a luxury lifestyle—complete with a high-end Mercedes and a multi-million-dollar condo in Boston’s Seaport. I commend Takeda for reporting this fraud to the authorities promptly. As a result, both culpable individuals have been convicted and held accountable for this egregious breach of trust and the government was able to seize assets with an estimated value of over $1.5 million. This case sends two strong messages – first, there are very serious consequences for executives who exploit their positions to line their own pockets and second, for companies who are victims of embezzlement, law enforcement stands ready to do whatever it can to recoup stolen funds and hold individuals accountable for fraud.” said United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “This office will not hesitate to hold accountable those who exploit trust and steal to fund their own extravagance.”
“Samuel Montronde would do anything for love, including setting up a phony consulting company to help his girlfriend embezzle $2.3 million from Takeda so they could live lavishly, well beyond their bank accounts,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. We are pleased with the jury’s verdict.”.
In 2022, Montronde and Bhambi orchestrated and executed a scheme to defraud Takeda of at least $2.3 million in payments for purported consulting services by submitting fabricated invoices on behalf of a sham consulting company. Bhambi had previously engaged in the same fraud using a different sham consulting company, resulting in payments from Takeda totaling nearly $300,000 for consulting services that were never provided.
In February 2022, Montronde, in coordination with Bhambi, incorporated a fake consulting firm, Evoluzione Consulting LLC (Evoluzione). Later, Bhambi created a website for Evoluzione with false information, including fabricated blog posts, to make it appear that Evoluzione was a legitimate consulting business.
After incorporating Evoluzione, Bhambi, in coordination with Montronde, submitted a statement of work to Takeda and caused Takeda to sign a master services agreement with Evoluzione and issue a purchase order to Evoluzione for consulting services with a total cost of $3.542 million. Then, between March and May of 2022, Bhambi and Montronde fabricated and submitted five separate invoices to Takeda for services that Evoluzione had not performed, each in the amount of $460,000. The defendants also created a fictional employee “Jasmine” to handle communications with Takeda. When questioned by Takeda employees, Bhambi made false representations regarding the services purportedly provided by Evoluzione. Before discovering the scheme and terminating Bhambi, Takeda, relying on these false representations, paid all five of the invoices to business accounts opened by Montronde in the name of Evoluzione.
In June 2024, Bhambi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud. On Oct. 30, 2024, she was sentenced to 46 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. Bhambi was also ordered to pay $2,585,480 in restitution.
In total, Bhambi and Montronde defrauded Takeda of $2.3 million in payments to Evoluzione for services not provided. The couple used the fraudulently obtained funds to purchase a Mercedes-Benz Model Class E, a diamond engagement ring, freightliner trucks, a $1.9-million 2-bedroom condo in Boston’s Seaport District and a $50,000 wedding venue deposit. These assets are now subject to the Court’s forfeiture order.
U.S. Attorney Levy and FBI SAC Cohen made the announcement today. Takeda provided valuable assistance and cooperation with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie A. Wright and Mackenzie A. Queenin of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit is handling the forfeiture matter.
Boston City Councilor Arrested on Federal Public Corruption ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson has been indicted by a federal grand jury for an alleged kickback scheme to obtain thousands of dollars in cash from a staff member in exchange for a large bonus.
Tania Fernandes Anderson, 45, of Boston, was indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds. Fernandes Anderson was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Boston at 2:15 p.m. today.
“Elected officials have a duty to serve the public with the highest integrity and not to abuse positions of trust for personal gain. By allegedly orchestrating a scheme to funnel public funds into her own pocket, City Councilor Fernandes Anderson betrayed the trust of her constituents and violated her fiduciary duty as a public servant,” said United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Our office remains committed to holding those who abuse public office accountable and protecting precious public resources.”
“The FBI arrested Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson today for allegedly orchestrating a kickback scheme in which she stole thousands of dollars in taxpayer money for herself,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Using public office for personal gain is a crime. Her behavior, as alleged in today’s indictment, is a slap in the face to the hardworking taxpayers in the city of Boston who have every right to expect that the city’s funds are in good and honest hands. This case illustrates how the FBI, and our partners are working hard every day to battle public corruption and the corrosive damage it does to people’s faith in government.”
“Tania Fernandes Anderson was elected to serve the citizens of Boston, but today we arrested her for allegedly orchestrating a kickback scheme to enrich herself through the misappropriation of city funds,” said Jonathan Wlodyka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “Elected officials are held to a higher standard when they take an oath to serve, but to Fernandes Anderson, her oath meant nothing when she allegedly chose to steal from the City of Boston and her constituents. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to root out public corruption at every level.”
Fernandes Anderson currently serves as City Councilor for Boston’s District 7, which includes Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and part of the South End. She was first elected to office to a two-year term in November 2021 and won re-election in November 2023.
According to court documents, in or about 2022, Fernandes Anderson hired two members of her immediate family as salaried employees of her City Councilor Staff. Because City Councilors are prohibited by law from hiring immediate family members to their paid staff, Fernandes Anderson was required to terminate their salaried employment in or about August 2022. Additionally, from in or about March 2023 to May 2023, the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission notified Fernandes Anderson of its findings and that it would be seeking a $5,000 civil penalty payment from her.
According to the indictment, Staff Member A was a relative of Fernandes Anderson but was not an immediate family member. In or about November 2022, Fernandes Anderson allegedly emailed a City of Boston employee regarding her hiring of Staff Member A as a salaried employee, falsely representing that she and Staff Member A were not related:
From in or about early to mid-2023, Fernandes Anderson was allegedly facing personal financial difficulty, which included the outstanding $5,000 civil penalty payment to the Ethics Commission. It is further alleged that, in or about early May 2023, Fernandes Anderson told Staff Member A that she would give them extra pay in the form of a large bonus, but that Staff Member A would have to give a portion of the bonus back to Fernandes Anderson. Staff Member A agreed to the arrangement with Fernandes Anderson.
On or about May 3, 2023, Fernandes Anderson allegedly sent an email to a City of Boston employee to process bonus payments for her City Councilor Staff. In the email, Fernandes Anderson instructed the City of Boston employee to process a bonus payment of $13,000 to Staff Member A – more than twice as large as the total amount of all bonus payments to Fernandes Anderson’s other staff combined. Fernandes Anderson allegedly did not disclose the bonus kickback arrangement she had made with Staff Member A to the City of Boston employee.
Staff Member A deposited the bonus check on or about May 26, 2023 into their account at Santander Bank. It is alleged that, at Fernandes Anderson’s direction, Staff Member A then made separate cash withdrawals of the payment on three separate dates: $3,000 on May 31, 2023; $3,000 on June 5, 2023; and $4,000 on June 9, 2023.
It is alleged that, on June 9, 2023, immediately following the final cash withdrawal, Fernandes Anderson and Staff Member A arranged to meet at a bathroom at City Hall. There, Staff Member A allegedly provided Fernandes Anderson with $7,000 in cash:
The charges of wire fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Levy, FBI SAC Cohen and IRS Acting SAC Wlodyka made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy and Dustin Chao of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Bank fraud scheme involving stolen identities and stolen U.S. Treasury checks send Illinois man to prison for more than five yearsRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — An Illinois man who admitted to attempting to defraud financial institutions in Bozeman in a scheme using stolen identities and stolen U.S. Treasury checks was sentenced today to five years and five months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The defendant, Dyonte Scott, 24, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty in July to bank fraud, possession of stolen U.S. Treasury check and aggravated identity theft.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.
“Sophisticated bank fraud schemes, like the one attempted by Scott and his codefendant, Lorenzo Botello, harm multiple victims—banks, which are targeted for money; private citizens whose personal information is stolen and used; and the federal government through taxpayer-funded U.S. Treasury checks. This multi-state scheme ended in Montana due to the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners and prosecution team,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
“The sentencing of Scott and Botello, who possessed stolen Treasury checks and attempted to deposit the illicit funds, should serve as a resounding message to others who attempt to steal from the federal government,” said Tom Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Denver Field Office. “IRS-CI is thankful for the great relationship we have with our local law enforcement partners in Montana and will diligently combat financial crimes that victimize the American public.”
In court documents, the government alleged that on Jan. 26, law enforcement caught co-defendant Botello, of Las Vegas, Nevada, at a financial institution in Bozeman. Botello had documents that were fraudulently using the identity of a person identified as John Doe. After arresting Botello, law enforcement reviewed his phone and found text messages between Scott and Botello showing that Scott was directing Botello how to lie to the financial institutions to perpetuate a U.S. Treasury check scheme. Scott directed Botello on what to say, what documents to use, what email addresses to provide and the bank location to target.
In one text message, Scott told Botello: “Lmk [how] everything goes[.] I’m right here with u the whole time.”
After opening the accounts, Scott and Botello were then planning on returning to deposit a real, but stolen, U.S. Treasury check totaling almost $1 million. When caught, Scott was carrying a stolen U.S. Treasury check for almost $1 million. Scott tore up the check in front of law enforcement. While in jail, Scott also directed others to delete evidence to obstruct the investigation.
The scheme involved a coordinated network of individuals who traveled throughout the United States attempting to cash million-dollar U.S. Treasury checks with banks. Botello was sentenced in October to 16 months in federal prison for his conviction in the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The IRS Criminal Investigation, Bozeman Police Department and Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
XXX
Baltimore City Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Carjacking Baltimore Police Department DetectiveRead the Press Release
Baltimore – Today, U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Trevon Gardner, 23, of Baltimore, to 12 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his involvement in an armed carjacking of a Baltimore Police Department (BPD) detective in Baltimore.
Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, and Commissioner Richard Worley, BPD.
According to the plea agreement, on May 3, 2022, BPD Detective Aaron Cain was at a 7-Eleven store at 2830 South Hanover Street, located in the Cherry Hill neighborhood. Detective Cain wore his training uniform, which consisted of dark cargo-style pants; a polo shirt with an embroidered BPD badge emblem on the chest area; his BPD credentials on a lanyard around his neck; his BPD badge; radio; and service weapon in his waistband. He was also driving an unmarked BPD vehicle.
Video surveillance camera footage shows Cain walking from the 7-Eleven towards his vehicle and opening the front passenger-side door. Then, the defendant and two other males approached the vehicle. One of the men brandished a handgun and struck Cain in the upper body near his head, causing Cain to fall to the ground and hit his head. While Cain was on the ground, one of the men kicked and punched him. Then the three males entered the BPD vehicle and sped away. Cain stood to his feet and discharged his service weapon at the vehicle.
Additional video surveillance footage from a local business shows the BPD vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed as it exited the Hanover Street Bridge in South Baltimore. The vehicle flipped onto its roof and crashed approximately one-half mile from the 7-Eleven store. The defendant and the other two males bailed from the vehicle and attempted to flee from the scene. But the defendant and a juvenile male were quickly apprehended. The third suspect was not apprehended. A black Taurus 9mm handgun — located next to the wrecked police vehicle — was loaded with nine rounds of ammunition. At the time of the defendant’s arrest, he wore one black-and-white Nike slide. The matching Nike slide was located adjacent to the wrecked police vehicle.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in this investigation. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Sippel, Jr., who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
# # #
Anchorage man sentenced to 4.5 years for cyberstalkingRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced yesterday to four and a half years in prison and three years’ supervised release after he was convicted by a federal jury on Nov. 21, 2024, of cyberstalking a woman for four years.
According to court documents, between 2016 and 2020, Rolando Hernandez-Zamora, 41, stalked the victim, his partner at the time, using location tracking applications, text messages, video calls, and other means. Evidence presented at trial showed that from April 29, 2020, to May 27, 2020, Hernandez-Zamora called the victim 1,317 times. Hernandez-Zamora justified his behavior by falsely accusing the victim of cheating on him.
In 2020, the harassment extended to some of the victim’s work colleagues and family members and included threats of violence. Hernandez-Zamora’s harassment of the victim continued even after she obtained a protective order. As a result of his threats, the victim’s workplace went into lockdown for multiple days from late April to early May 2020. Hernandez-Zamora was arrested at the end of May 2020 after he evaded the police for two days.
Hernandez-Zamora was convicted by a federal jury of the same crime in June 2024. In August 2024, U.S. District Court Judge Marco A. Hernandez of the District of Oregon was assigned to the case following the resignation of former Judge Joshua Kindred and granted Hernandez-Zamora a new trial. Judge Hernandez presided over the November 2024 retrial, where Hernandez-Zamora was convicted again by a different federal jury.
In handing down the sentence, the court emphasized the extraordinary seriousness of the defendant’s conduct and the significant steps he needs to take to change his behavior in the future.
“Mr. Hernandez-Zamora’s actions were dangerous and destructive, causing immeasurable harm on those affected,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “The victim in this case displayed extraordinary bravery by coming forward, and I hope this sentence brings a measure of closure. My office stands firm in our commitment to holding accountable anyone who endangers public safety or threatens violence.”
“The defendant’s years-long cyberstalking and eventual threats of violence are serious crimes that can disrupt lives, incite fear, and pose significant risks to the community,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “As demonstrated in this case, those who seek to harm others through intimidation or violence, will be held accountable for their actions.”
The FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Ivers and Seth Beausang prosecuted the case.
###
Aliquippa Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking CocaineRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a drug trafficking charge, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
James Louis Peronis, 60, pleaded guilty before Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab on December 4, 2024, to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, beginning in May 2021, local, state, and federal law enforcement conducted a joint investigation into Peronis related to cocaine trafficking. During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Peronis would obtain kilogram quantities of cocaine in Ohio and distribute those drugs in Pennsylvania. On July 1, 2021, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Peronis as he entered the Western District of Pennsylvania from Ohio, with a consensual search of Peronis’s vehicle resulting in the seizure of nearly two kilograms of cocaine.
Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for April 15, 2025. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Law enforcement operating under the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program in Beaver County conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Peronis.
5 December 2024
Young drug dealer admits to having weapon for “protection”Read the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – An 18-year-old Alamo resident has pleaded guilty to utilizing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking activity, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
On May 29, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Emiliano Cabriales was a passenger. During a subsequent search, law enforcement discovered a firearm concealed beneath the seat where Cabriales had been sitting.
Further investigation revealed approximately 14 grams of cocaine, packaged in individual baggies, hidden inside Cabriales' pants. He admitted to possessing the cocaine. He further admitted he had the firearm in case he had to protect himself and the drugs.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton will impose sentencing March 11, 2025. At that time, he faces up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Cabriales has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Alamo Police Department conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan is prosecuting the case as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old, evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
West Bridgewater Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A West Bridgewater man pleaded guilty yesterday to receiving and possessing child pornography from an online communication application.
Juan Levano, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for March 12, 2025.
An investigation into an internet-based communications application used for the trafficking of child pornography identified Levano as a likely user of the platform who participated in groups where child pornography was disseminated.
Levano rented a room at a residence that is registered as a residential daycare. Both Levano and the owner of the residence and daycare denied that Levano worked at the residential daycare and denied that Levano had any contact with the children who attend it. During a search of the residence, various electronic devices belonging to Levano were seized.
During the search, Levano admitted to being a member of several groups on the chat application and obtaining child pornography from those groups. A review of Levano’s phone revealed that Levano was a member of several active groups on the platform that included the exchange of child pornography, including children ranging from infancy to 13 years old. Additionally, investigators identified more than 100 video and image files, most of which appear to depict child pornography, stored in a photo application on Levano’s phone.
The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $ 250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $ 250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the West Bridgewater Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Soto of the Office’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Vermilion County Resident Convicted of Counterfeiting for Second TimeRead the Press Release
URBANA, Ill. – A federal jury returned five guilty verdicts on December 4, 2024, against Jacob R Kirkley, 48, of Bismarck, Illinois, for counterfeiting U.S. currency and selling and possessing counterfeit U.S. currency. Sentencing for Kirkley has been scheduled for May 2, 2025, at the federal courthouse in Urbana, Illinois.
During two days of testimony, the government presented evidence to establish that, on December 7, 2023, Kirkley sold an undercover officer with the Illinois State Police $1000 of counterfeited U.S. currency that he had made for $250. On December 13, 2023, and January 8, 2024, Kirkley sold the same undercover officer another $1000 and $5000 in counterfeit U.S. currency that he had made, respectively. On January 11, 2024, agents of the United States Secret Service and Vermilion County Metropolitan Enforcement Group executed a federal search warrant at Kirkley’s residence in Bismarck and recovered additional counterfeit currency, as well as various items used to create counterfeit currency.
In 2022, Kirkley was convicted of one count of manufacturing U.S. currency and two counts of passing U.S. currency after a 2020 incident where a Vermilion County Sheriff’s Deputy found over $20,000 of counterfeit U.S. currency in his truck and then learned Kirkley had passed counterfeit currency at Carnaghi’s Towing and McDonald’s in Danville, Illinois, and Dollar General in Tilton, Illinois. At the time, the deputy also found over $20,000 counterfeit U.S. currency, plus four printers, a paper cutter, and numerous counterfeit-making implements in Kirkley’s hotel room in the Budget Inn in Danville. Kirkley served 27 months in federal prison for those offenses and was serving a three-year term of federal supervised release at the time that he committed his latest counterfeiting offenses.
Kirkley remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
At sentencing, Kirkley faces statutory penalties of up to twenty years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine on each of the five counts of conviction.
The case investigation was conducted by the Springfield Division of the United States Secret Service, Vermilion County Metropolitan Enforcement Group, and Illinois State Police. Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney Eugene L. Miller represented the government at trial.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Recognizes Law Enforcement with its 2024 Law Enforcement Excellence AwardsRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – United States Attorney Carlton S. Shier, IV honored several federal, state, and local law enforcement professionals on Wednesday, for their outstanding contributions to investigations and prosecutions in the Eastern District of Kentucky.
The Office’s 2024 Law Enforcement Excellence Awards were presented during a ceremony at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Lexington, and recognized exceptional work in a number of cases involving Office priority areas, including violent crime, drug trafficking, overdose deaths, elder fraud, COVID fraud, government fraud, public corruption, and child exploitation.
“We simply cannot effectively prosecute federal crimes without the dedicated and difficult work of our investigative partners in law enforcement,” said United States Attorney Shier. “These recipients were each nominated by our prosecutors, for their tireless, invaluable, and noteworthy efforts in a number of significant, complex, and difficult cases. We are pleased to recognize their exceptional efforts; we commend them for their dedication to public safety; and we sincerely thank them for their critical assistance in helping us successfully prosecute these impactful cases.”
The following law enforcement officers and organizations were honored:
- Jeff Price, Special Agent, ATF
- Bill Brislin, Detective, Georgetown Police Department; Task Force Officer, DEA
- Steve McCown, Detective, Lexington Police Department; Task Force Officer, ATF
- Paul Megilligan, Detective, Danville Police Department
- Mike Hughes, Diversion Investigator, DEA
- Jared Sullivan, Special Agent, DEA
- Chelsea Holliday, Special Agent, FBI
- Zachary Bryson, Detective, Kentucky State Police; Task Force Officer, FBI
- Eric Long, Forensic Examiner, Kentucky Office of Attorney General; Task Force Officer, U.S. Secret Service
- Jason Jarvis, Special Agent, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
- Remington Schilling, Special Agent, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General
– END –
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada Announces Expansion of CASA Program for Federal Defendants Eligible for RehabilitationRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – United States Attorney Martin Estrada announced today the expansion of the Conviction and Sentence Alternatives (CASA) program, which is being made available to a wider group of defendants by an expansion of admission criteria to include defendants facing federal charges who have demonstrated an ability and willingness to make significant and meaningful changes to their lives.
Successful participants in the CASA program have their charges dismissed or receive a recommendation of a non-custodial sentence.
The CASA partners – which are comprised of the United States District Court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Public Defender, and U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services – are expanding the program to admit applicants who can benefit from a rigorous, structured program regardless of whether they can demonstrate a substance use or mental health issue that contributed to the underlying federal offense. The expanded CASA admission criteria are posted to the United States Attorney’s Office public website, and prospective applicants are encouraged to refer to them.
“The CASA program enhances public safety by guiding low-level offenders through a rigorous rehabilitation program that will reduce recidivism,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “This program has been a major success and a model for the nation, and I am grateful for the hard work of our CASA partners and participants who have brought positive change in their communities.”
“I am proud of CASA’s 12-year track record of success in assisting defendants to effectuate a positive trajectory in their lives without incarceration and applaud the U.S. Attorneys’ Office formal embrace of expanded admission criteria that accurately reflect CASA’s mission and objectives,” said Chief United States District Judge Dolly M. Gee of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
“The Federal Public Defender’s Office looks forward to the expansion of CASA,” said Federal Public Defender Cuauhtemoc Ortega. “We will continue to advocate for applicants that are deserving and in need of the resources CASA can provide. Our office remains committed to work together with all the CASA partners to shepherd participants toward graduation and a successful future. CASA is living proof that alternatives to incarceration programs work and have an important role on our criminal justice system.”
The CASA program began in 2012 and there are now nearly 400 successful graduates. It is a collaborative, interagency program that enjoys support from the United States District Court, the United States Probation and Pretrial Services Office, the Federal Public Defender, and the United States Attorney’s Office. Each agency provides considerable resources to the program throughout the Central District of California – a seven-county area comprised of the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo.
CASA uses its resources and evidence-based practices to support participants in addressing substance use disorders, mental health challenges, negative peer associations, and other issues which may have contributed to the commitment of the charged federal crime. For suitable applicants, CASA provides an alternative to incarceration aimed at successfully re-integrating federal defendants into families, communities, employment, and a crime-free, drug-free lifestyle.
The CASA program includes bi-weekly court sessions, structured straining to help in planning and developing improved decision making, job and work application skills, and, when needed and directed, substance abuse treatment and mental health therapy.
The CASA program was initially modeled on state drug-court programs and the Central District of California’s successful Substance Abuse Treatment and Re-Entry (STAR) program. Over time, it was recognized that the CASA program could have utility beyond addressing substance use and mental health issues.
Two Members of Reading-Based Violent Drug Gang Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder, Kidnapping, Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Dewayne Quinones, 30, and Mayco Alvarez-Jackson, 27, both of Reading, Pennsylvania, were sentenced by United States District Court Judge Juan R. Sánchez to life in prison for murder, kidnapping, drug distribution, and firearms offenses, crimes committed as members of a violent Reading-area drug trafficking organization (DTO).
The Trinidad DTO was responsible for multiple homicides, kidnapping, and conspiracies to kidnap in 2017 and 2018, including a quadruple homicide on January 28, 2018. In October 2022, Quinones, Alvarez-Jackson, and DTO leader Jesus Feliciano-Trinidad were convicted at trial of federal murder and weapons charges relating to the quadruple homicide, with Feliciano-Trinidad sentenced to life in prison last December.
More than 15 defendants were charged in a series of indictments resulting from a years-long investigation into the Trinidad DTO’s receipt, processing, and distribution of methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine.
The indictments detailed the defendants using a number of buildings, residences, firearms, and acts of violence to further their drug dealing efforts in and around Reading, including kidnapping and/or shooting multiple individuals in 2017 and 2018; conspiring to shoot and kill Miguel Reyes on December 13, 2017; kidnapping, shooting, and killing Hector Gonzalez-Rivera on January 24, 2018; and shooting and killing Jarlyn Lantigua-Tejada, Juan Rodriguez, Nelson Onofre, and Joshua Santos on January 28, 2018.
“The Trinidad organization thoroughly terrorized the Reading area for years,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Through remorseless violence they controlled their turf, to keep pushing their poison and making their money. As this case shows, my office, the FBI, and our local law enforcement partners will never cede control of our communities to violent drug gangs. We’ll continue to work on the public’s behalf to lock up these dangerous offenders who shatter folks’ sense of security and quality of life.”
“From murder and kidnapping to drug distribution and firearms offenses, gangs like these inflict fear and harm on our communities,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “These sentences serve as a testament to the unwavering dedication of our Allentown Resident Agency and our law enforcement partners in investigating, dismantling, and holding these violent offenders accountable for their actions.”
“The life sentences imposed by the Federal District Court after the successful prosecution of this violent Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) by the U.S. Attorney’s Office ensure that these defendants will never again be a threat to our community,” said Berks County District Attorney John Adams. “These sentences should send a message that we will not tolerate violence or drug trafficking and we’ll work with our state and federal partners to combat this type of activity in our community. We appreciate our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in the prosecution of this violent DTO.”
The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency, the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, the Berks County Detectives, and the Reading Police Department, with assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police and the Montgomery County Detectives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly A. Lewis Fallenstein, Assistant United States Attorney Rosalynda M. Michetti, and Assistant United States Attorney Vineet Gauri.
Twice Convicted Felon Sentenced to Four Years After Defrauding EmployerRead the Press Release
A convicted-felon-turned-CFO who defrauded his company was sentenced today to more than four years in federal prison and ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Jon Robert Rush, 56, of Keller, TX, pleaded guilty in April 2024 to wire fraud. He was sentenced Wednesday to 51 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr, who also ordered him to pay $1,062,459.49 in restitution to his victims.
Mr. Rush was employed first as the Vice President, and subsequently Chief Financial Officer, of a logistics and transportation company located in the DFW area. The company arranges for the transportation of freight and cargo for the military, defense contractors, disaster relief organizations, and others.
According to court documents, from 2016 to 2020, Mr. Rush misappropriated the company’s funds for his own benefit and misdirected funds to pay off his debt.
As part of the scheme, Mr. Rush transferred funds from the company’s bank accounts to bank accounts he owned or controlled, then he recorded these transfers in the company’s internal accounting software to conceal the fraud. Mr. Rush disguised the monetary transfers by using the names of vendors with whom company routinely did business.
At sentencing, the Court found that losses relevant to the offense extended beyond those just to Mr. Rush’s employer. The majority shareholders provided statements that they were faced with “almost insurmountable debt” to keep the company afloat, employee layoffs, and financial instability that resulted in the closing of one of the related companies.
Mr. Rush was previously convicted of conspiracy to commit counterfeit check fraud and wire fraud in 1994. At Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, the Court noted that his prior conviction was a factor in the decision to deny a downward variance.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dimitri Rocha prosecuted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Beverly Chapman is handling the restitution.
Twenty-One-Year-Old Sentenced in Wire Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Ian Betkie, age 21, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on December 5, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for conspiring to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Betkie to 4 months imprisonment on the wire fraud charge and 24 months on the aggravated identity theft charge for a total of 28 months. There is no parole in the federal system. After Betkie’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release on both charges.
A task force of Sarpy County, Douglas County, and Pottawattamie County agencies was assembled to investigate a significant spike in the Omaha and Council Bluffs metro areas in burglarized vehicles. The modus operandi of the thefts was that one member of the conspiracy would drive a vehicle slowly through a residential neighborhood while other members of the conspiracy, called “runners,” would enter into vehicles parked in driveways or parked on the street outside of the residence and steal property like credit cards, identification, computers, money, and other valuables.
The members of the conspiracy would then take the stolen cards from the vehicles to area stores like Wal-Mart and other retailers and buy drinks, food, and prepaid cards that they would load up with money from the stolen cards. They would also purchase money orders to further conceal the source of the proceeds and the money orders would be deposited back to bank accounts or bitcoin accounts belonging to the members of the conspiracy.
Law enforcement was able to identify and arrest all five members of the conspiracy.
Co-conspirator Hassan Mohamed was sentenced on June 12, 2024, to 20 months imprisonment on the wire fraud charge and 24 months on the aggravated identity theft charge for a total of 44 months.
Co-conspirator Hazem Sarmin was sentenced on June 14, 2024, to 18 months imprisonment on the wire fraud charge and 24 months on the aggravated identity theft charge for a total of 42 months.
Co-conspirator Abas Ali was sentenced on November 8, 2024, to 27 months imprisonment on the wire fraud charge and 24 months on the aggravated identity theft charge for a total of 51 months.
Co-conspirator Bead Chan will be sentenced January 3, 2025. He pled guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
This case was investigated by the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.