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Tuesday 1 October 2024
New York Man Admits Conspiring to Engage in Multimillion-Dollar Wire Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A New York man today admitted conspiring to commit wire fraud that caused losses of more than $2 million, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Terrell Fuller, 34, of Baldwin, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Stanley R. Chesler in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of wire fraud conspiracy.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Fuller and his conspirators submitted a fraudulent application to the Small Business Administration (SBA), which caused the SBA to provide them with approximately $1.2 million. They also opened bank accounts in the names of various entities and individuals, deposited illegally obtained or fraudulent checks into those accounts, and then withdrew and attempted to withdraw money from the accounts. Fuller, using stolen personal identifying information, fraudulently rented locations to live in New York and failed to pay more than $400,000 in rent and fees for those locations. Fuller and his conspirators obtained more than $2 million in money and property through their fraudulent actions.
The wire fraud conspiracy charge is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the value of the funds involved in the transfer, whichever is greater. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 5, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, Franklin Township Resident Agency, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado in Newark, and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan of the Cybercrime Unit in Newark.
fuller.information.pdf
New Jersey Man Charged with Transportation of Irish Citizens Who Entered the United States UnlawfullyRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office stated that Tyshan Murray, 43, of Union, New Jersey has been charged by indictment with unlawfully transporting citizens of Ireland, who had entered the United States unlawfully.
On September 26, 2024, Murray appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle for an arraignment on the indictment and entered a plea of not guilty. Judge Doyle had previously ordered that Murray be detained during the pendency of this matter.
According to court records, on September 8, 2024, nine citizens of Ireland had crossed into the United States illegally in the vicinity of Drew Road in Richford, Vermont. Murray picked up these nine citizens near the U.S.-Canada border and transported them in his SUV, including two young children who were unrestrained in the rear cargo compartment.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that Murray is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Murray faces up to five years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Murray is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Barclay Johnson.
New Jersey Woman Charged with Smuggling Narcotics Through Rohlsen AirportRead the Press Release
St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Ceestra Burgess, 23, of Irvington, New Jersey was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute narcotics and possession with intent to distribute narcotics.
According to court documents, on September 27, 2024, Burgess arrived in St. Croix on a Spirit Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale. During an inspection of Spirit Airlines luggage, a Customs and Border Protection canine alerted to the presence of narcotics in Burgess’ checked bag. The luggage was then placed on the baggage claim carousel and later removed by Burgess. A search of Burgess’ luggage revealed several vacuum sealed packages wrapped in Christmas paper which contained approximately 12 kilograms of marijuana. If convicted, Burgess faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being investigated by Custom and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
United States Attorney Smith reminds the public that a criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Mobile Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 24 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents, Brandon Reed, 27, was arrested by Mobile police on January 5, 2023, following a traffic stop. Reed was operating a vehicle with a revoked license and had a switched tag. A search revealed Reed to be in possession of a firearm, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.Reed was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm and pled guilty to the charge. United States District Court Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Bailey to 24 months in prison followed by a 3-year term of supervised release for illegally possessing the firearm.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mobile Police Department investigated 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.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Missouri Man Admits Recording Sex with MinorRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Linn County, Missouri on Monday admitted recording himself having sexual contact with a minor.
Russell Alan Pirkey, 54, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to a charge of sexual exploitation of a child.
Pirkey admitted using his cell phone to record himself having sexual contact with a 10-year-old girl. Pirkey’s crime was discovered on April 8, 2023, when the Brookfield Police Department was contacted with concerns about his contact with the victim.
Pirkey has also agreed to forfeit a cell phone, a tablet and various electronic storage devices that were seized by law enforcement during the investigation.
Pirkey is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 14, 2025. The sexual exploitation charge carries a mandatory minimum charge of 15 years in prison, and a maximum of 30 years.
The FBI, the Brookfield Police Department and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Chapman 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Mexican National Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger has sentenced Juan Rodriguez-Acevedo (57, Mexico) to 3 years and 10 months in federal prison for illegal reentry after removal following a conviction for committing an aggravated felony. Rodriguez-Acevedo entered a guilty plea in June 2024.
According to the court documents, Rodriguez-Acevedo is a native and citizen of Mexico. In 2007, he was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Due to his conviction for an aggravated felony, Rodriguez-Acevedo received a permanent ban from the United States and was deported to Mexico in 2018 after his release from federal prison. In 2019, Rodriguez-Acevedo was encountered by law enforcement in Texas. He had crossed the border illegally and was prosecuted for illegal reentry following his removal after a conviction for commission of an aggravated felony. He was again deported to Mexico in 2021 after his release from federal prison.
In March 2024, law enforcement officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Rodriguez-Acevedo during enforcement activities in Lake City. Rodriguez-Acevedo admitted to law enforcement that he had again unlawfully reentered the United States in June 2023.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement And Removal Operations (ERO). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David B. Mesrobian.
MS-13 Gang Associate Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for the Murders of Four Young Men in a Central Islip ParkRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Leniz Escobar, also known as “Diablita,” an associate of the Leeward Locos Salvatruchas (Leeward) and Brentwood Locos Salvatruchas (Brentwood) cliques of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a violent transnational criminal organization, was sentenced by United States Second Circuit Judge Joseph F. Bianco, sitting by designation, to 600 months’ imprisonment. On April 8, 2022, Escobar was convicted after a four-week trial of racketeering, including predicate acts of murder, conspiracy to murder rival gang members, and obstruction of justice, and murder in aid-of racketeering. Those charges stemmed from her participation in the April 11, 2017 murders of Justin Llivicura, Michael Lopez, Jorge Tigre and Jefferson Villalobos, who were hacked to death with machetes and other sharp objects after Escobar lured them to a local Central Islip park.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Robert E. Waring, Acting Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the sentence.
“The defendant demonstrated her allegiance to the MS-13 gang by luring four young men to their slaughter,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Today’s significant sentence reflects not only the seriousness of her conduct but also the consequences of her actions including the terror and suffering experienced by the victims, and the life-altering grief that their families continue to suffer. It is my hope that the justice meted out today will provide some comfort to those who lost loved ones to this senseless gang violence.”
“In April 2017, Leniz Escobar ensnared four young men in a lethal ambush where fellow MS-13 associates ruthlessly murdered them due to assumed allegiance with a rival gang. Her subsequent bragging of her inhumane trap to ranked members exemplifies Escobar's perverted prioritization of gang status over human life. May today's sentencing provide some justice to the victims' families, and serve as a promise that the FBI will continue to eradicate the MS-13 presence terrorizing our communities,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy.
"The senseless and brutal murder of four young people by members of the transnational gang MS-13, terrorized the Central Islip community and sent shockwaves across the nation," Suffolk County Police Acting Commissioner Robert Waring said. "Leniz Escobar played a significant role in leading four victims to their deaths and will pay the necessary price for her part. We hope that today's sentencing brings some measure of closure to the families who have suffered unimaginable grief. We will continue to pursue those who threaten the safety and well-being of members of our community with relentless determination."
The evidence at trial proved that on the evening of April 11, 2017, Escobar and a co-conspirator, Keyli Gomez, lured five young men, including the four murder victims, to a park in Central Islip where they were attacked by members of the MS-13, including Josue Portillo, Freiry Martinez, Alexis Hernandez, Edwin Rodriguez, Sergio Segovia-Pineda, Omar Antonio Villalta, Henry Salmeron, Anderson Sanchez and others. The MS-13 members believed the victims to be members of a rival gang; at least two of the victims had offended the MS-13 by posting photos on social media in which they wore certain items and flashed hand signs that signified membership in the MS-13 gang. Escobar and Gomez showed the gang-related photos to members of the MS-13, who confirmed the young men did not belong to MS-13, and it was decided that the victims would be killed. Gomez testified at the trial that she and Escobar drove with the victims to the park, led them to a predetermined wooded area and sent the MS-13 members text-messages notifying them of their arrival. The MS-13 members and associates proceeded to the designated location and encircled the victims under the cover of darkness. One of the intended victims immediately fled and was able to escape. Llivicura, Lopez, Tigre and Villalobos were surrounded by MS-13 members, who attacked them with machetes, knives, an axe, and wooden clubs. After the attack, the MS-13 members dragged the victims’ bodies to a more secluded spot in the woods, piled them up, and then fled. The victims’ bodies were discovered the following evening.
In the days following the murders, Escobar bragged to other MS-13 members about her role in the killings and, in recorded calls with her boyfriend, who was a high-ranking member of the Brentwood clique, discussed the attack in detail. Using barely coded language, and referring to the victims who were killed, she said, “four individuals took the train and who knows when they’ll be back, got me?” Escobar then shared how that plan went awry when one person escaped, adding “But one of them, one of them managed to still be here on the map” and “he knows stuff about me.” In a separate call, Escobar told her boyfriend that she was “happy for this to happen.” Of the four victims, she said they were “never coming back . . . somewhere else . . . seeing the light . . . no more . . . out of here . . . not on the map.”
Additionally, Escobar destroyed evidence of her involvement in the murders by disposing of a sweatshirt stained with the blood of a victim, tossing her cellular phone from a moving vehicle when she was being followed by the police and falsely telling detectives that she and Gomez were victims of a random robbery in the park on the night of the murders.
More than a dozen MS-13 members and associates have been charged in connection with the April 11, 2017 murders, including the individuals listed above. Of these defendants, Escobar is the fifth person to be sentenced. Josue Portillo was sentenced to 55 years’ incarceration, Freiry Martinez was sentenced to 50 years’ incarceration, Anderson Sanchez was sentenced to 32 years’ incarceration, Alexis Hernandez was sentenced to 29 years’ incarceration, and the remaining defendants are pending sentence.
Today’s sentencing is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13. The MS-13’s leadership traditionally has been based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, but the organization also has thousands of members and an increasing number of leaders in the United States. With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults. Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 70 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Automated Litigation Support Specialist Michael Compitello.
The Defendant:
LENIZ ESCOBAR
Age: 24
Islip Terrace, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-101 (JFB)
Lewiston Man Sentenced to 35 Years for Sexually Exploiting a Child, Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Lewiston man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for sexually exploiting a child and possessing child sexual abuse material.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Timothy Doyon, 29, to 35 years in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $103,500 in restitution. Doyon pleaded guilty on October 24, 2023.
In sentencing Doyon, the judge stated, “This crime is among the worst I have ever seen.” The judge also thanked the law enforcement officers who worked on this investigation, noting that if Doyon had not been caught and arrested on state charges, “I don’t know where this would have gone. And based on the images that have been described from the child sex abuse material that was in your possession, I don’t think it was going anywhere good.”
According to court records, in March 2023, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit (MSPCCU) received three related CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC). According to the tips, a phone number had been used to upload more than 400 files of suspected child sexual abuse material to cloud-based storage. Investigation revealed that the phone number belonged to Timothy Doyon, a registered sex offender in Maine with a prior state conviction for possessing sexually explicit material of a minor under 12. In May 2023, investigators executed a warrant to search Doyon’s person, vehicle and residence. During the warrant’s execution, investigators seized multiple electronic devices, including cell phones and digital storage devices, and Doyon admitted to downloading, viewing, and saving child sexual abuse material. At least one image recovered depicted Doyon engaging in sexually explicit conduct with a child under the age of 12. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is limiting identifying information to protect the minor victim’s privacy.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the MSPCCU investigated the case with assistance from the Lewiston Police Department.
“This case has been one of the most heartbreaking and emotionally challenging cases our special agents have worked. Today’s significant sentence reflects the absolute cruelty and horror Doyon inflicted upon a child. We hope that the conclusion of this case and the knowledge that he will be in federal prison for many, many years can bring some peace to all he victimized,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – in legal terms, “child pornography” – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are shared or viewed. File a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at https://report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project Safe Childhood: 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 Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
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Lehigh Valley-Area Doctor Agrees to Pay $45,000 to Resolve False Claims Act LiabilityRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Maneesh Ailawadi, MD, has agreed to pay $45,000 plus interest to resolve False Claims Act allegations that he caused the submission of false claims by submitting inappropriate claims to Medicaid and Medicare by improperly billing esophagogastroduodenoscopies (“EGDs”) on bariatric patients at the former Steward Easton Hospital in Easton, Pennsylvania.
EGDs are procedures that examine the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and the first part of the small intestine – the duodenum. These are performed to identify symptoms that may be new, cannot be explained, or are not responding to treatment. The findings from an EGD can help surgeons decide on the most appropriate bariatric procedure and follow up care.
Ailawadi, a bariatric and general surgeon, had privileges to perform bariatric surgeries and EGDs at Steward Easton Hospital. The government alleges that Ailawadi caused the submission of false claims for payment to both Medicaid and Medicare from January 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020, arising from Ailawadi improperly billing EGD procedures using CPT Code 43239 without reduced service modifier 52 when the duodenum was deliberately not examined. According to the United States, these EGD procedures were only partially completed to save time, although Ailawadi billed the federal healthcare programs as if they had been fully completed. By failing to enter the duodenum during the EGD procedure, Ailawadi allegedly was not able to identify any abnormalities, such as bleeding, growths, ulcers, or inflammation.
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania places a high priority on enforcement in cases involving healthcare fraud,” said Romero. “We will hold accountable those who bill the Federal Healthcare Programs for procedures that are either not performed, or partially performed, as was the case here.”
“Today’s settlement shows our attention to and commitment to investigating allegations of fraud targeting Medicare and Medicaid, whether we need to examine the potential conduct of an individual physician or several parties in a complex scheme,” said Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “We will continue to partner with the United States Attorney’s Office to evaluate allegations brought under the False Claims Act to ensure the integrity of Federal Healthcare Programs.”
This settlement resolved a lawsuit filed under the False Claims Act in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by a former Steward Easton Hospital employee. Under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, lawsuits like this one may be brought on behalf of the United States and the relator shares in any recovery by the government. The relator was represented in this case by Brian J. McCormick, Jr., of Ross Feller Casey, LLP.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The investigation and settlement were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah W. Frey and Eric D. Gill, Auditor George Niedzwicki, Fraud Examiner Frank O’Connor, and Paralegal Brendan Novak.
The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Knoxville Man Sentenced to 380 Months for Drug and Firearm Offenses After Assaulting Officer and Crashing Van in Attempt to FleeRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On October 1, 2024, Michel Harris, 38, of Knoxville, TN, was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 380 months by the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville. Following his imprisonment, he will be on supervised release for 10 years.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Harris pled guilty to possessing with intent to distribute nearly a kilogram of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)(A) and possessing a firearm while being a felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g).
According to the filed plea agreement, Harris, who is a convicted felon, illegally purchased a firearm, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and other firearm paraphernalia, including upper receivers for an AR type rifle, and 100-round, 60-round, and 50-round drum magazines for various caliber firearms, while attending the RK Gun Show in Knoxville in April 2022. After leaving the gun show, Harris, who had been under surveillance, committed a traffic violation, and was stopped at a gas station off Clinton Highway.
Officers initiated a search of Harris’ van while at the gas station. During the search, Harris ran to the driver’s side door, got in, and sped onto Clinton Highway, with a KPD officer inside. The officer attempted to restrain Harris and gain control of the van but was unsuccessful. Ultimately, the van crashed into oncoming traffic, hitting two vehicles head on. Harris, unharmed during the crash, fled on foot and was apprehended a short time later. The officer suffered a head wound and a badly broken arm. No other drivers or passengers were seriously injured.
“Harris’ conduct was dangerous and brazen. He jeopardized the lives of countless innocent bystanders and law enforcement officers during his attempt to flee, and an untold number of people were endangered by the weapons and ammunition Harris illegally purchased,” said United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. “Our office is committed to uncovering and prosecuting dangerous criminals who gravely harm our communities through drug trafficking and the illegal purchase of firearms and ammunition.”
“Illegal firearm possession is a serious threat to public safety as demonstrated in this case,” said ATF Nashville Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson. “The safety of our communities and protecting the public is one of the cornerstones of what our agency seeks to accomplish every day. This sentence highlights ATF’s commitment to protecting the public through vigorous enforcement of the federal firearms laws by identifying, arresting, and presenting for prosecution the perpetrators illegally obtaining firearms and those responsible for violent crimes committed in our communities.”
“Harris’ actions were reckless and showed a complete disregard for the safety of others in our community. We are incredibly fortunate that our officer, Lieutenant Michael Geddings, was able to make a full recovery from the injuries he sustained while attempting to apprehend Harris. I appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Attorney's Office to hold him to account for his behavior,” said Knoxville Chief of Police Paul Noel.
The charges were the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with the assistance of the Knoxville Police Department and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anne-Marie Svolto and Michael Deel of the Eastern District of Tennessee 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.
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Justice Department Finds Unconstitutional Conditions in Georgia PrisonsRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – The Justice Department announced today its findings that conditions of confinement in Georgia’s prisons violate the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution.
“We hope these findings are a wake-up call. Incarcerated people and staff in the Georgia Department of Corrections face unacceptable, systemic risks, and the impact affects all of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Peter Leary for the Middle District of Georgia. “We hope to work collaboratively with the State of Georgia to improve these deadly conditions; indeed, the Constitution requires it.”
“Our findings report lays bare the horrific and inhumane conditions that people are confined to inside Georgia’s state prison system,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our statewide investigation exposes long-standing, systemic violations stemming from complete indifference and disregard to the safety and security of people Georgia holds in its prisons. People are assaulted stabbed, raped and killed or left to languish inside facilities that are woefully understaffed. Inmates are maimed and tortured, relegated to an existence of fear, filth and not so benign neglect. These dangerous conditions not only harm the people Georgia incarcerates — it places prison employees and the broader community at risk. The Justice Department is committed to using its authority to bring about humane conditions of confinement that are consistent with contemporary standards of decency and respect for basic human dignity.”
The department’s 93-page report details its findings from a thorough investigation of Georgia’s state-operated and private correctional facilities. Georgia has the fourth-highest state prison population in the country, with approximately 50,000 people incarcerated. The report concludes that:
- The State of Georgia engages in a pattern or practice of violating incarcerated persons’ constitutional rights by failing to protect individuals housed in medium- and close-security facilities from widespread physical violence and subjecting incarcerated persons to unreasonable risk of harm from sexual abuse across its facilities. Specifically, Georgia fails to protect incarcerated persons, including persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI), from harm caused by sexual violence or abuse.
- Critical understaffing and systemic deficiencies in physical plant, housing and classification, contraband control, incident reporting and investigations all contribute to the widespread violence.
- Georgia allows gangs to exert improper influence on prison life, including controlling entire housing units and operating unlawful and dangerous schemes in and from the prisons, harming both incarcerated people and the public.
“Individuals incarcerated by the Georgia Department of Corrections should not be subjected to life threatening violence and other forms of severe deprivation while serving their prison terms,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “Our constitution requires humane conditions in prisons, that, at a minimum, ensure that people in custody are safe. The findings of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act investigation of the Georgia Department of Corrections reveal grave and diffuse failures to safeguard the men and women housed in its facilities, including disturbing and increasing frequencies of deaths among incarcerated people. We expect the State of Georgia to share our sense of urgency about the seriousness of the violations described in this report and to work cooperatively with the Justice Department, our office and our U.S. Attorney partners in the Middle and Southern Districts to remedy these systemic deficiencies in Georgia prisons.”
“The safety and security of Georgia’s prisons are inescapably linked to the overall safety and security of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia. “The long-term dysfunction in the management of the prison system has led to the proliferation of criminal networks inside those facilities that endanger private citizens, staff and incarcerated people and directly lead to unacceptable and avoidable violence and abuse against incarcerated people. We are committed to working with the Georgia Department of Corrections to create a safer environment inside and outside Georgia’s prisons.”
The findings announced today are the result of the Justice Department’s civil investigation and are separate from any criminal cases brought by the Justice Department.
The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia conducted the investigation.
For more information about the Civil Rights Division and the Special Litigation Section, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section. You can also report civil rights violations to the section by completing the complaint form available at civilrights.justice.gov/. To provide information related to the department’s investigation of Georgia’s prisons, please call 1-844-401-3736 or email the department at [email protected].
Justice Department Finds Unconstitutional Conditions in Georgia PrisonsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today its findings that conditions of confinement in Georgia’s prisons violate the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution.
“Our findings report lays bare the horrific and inhumane conditions that people are confined to inside Georgia’s state prison system,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our statewide investigation exposes long-standing, systemic violations stemming from complete indifference and disregard to the safety and security of people Georgia holds in its prisons. People are assaulted stabbed, raped and killed or left to languish inside facilities that are woefully understaffed. Inmates are maimed and tortured, relegated to an existence of fear, filth and not so benign neglect. These dangerous conditions not only harm the people Georgia incarcerates — it places prison employees and the broader community at risk. The Justice Department is committed to using its authority to bring about humane conditions of confinement that are consistent with contemporary standards of decency and respect for basic human dignity.”
The department’s 93-page report details its findings from a thorough investigation of Georgia’s state-operated and private correctional facilities. Georgia has the fourth-highest state prison population in the country, with approximately 50,000 people incarcerated. The report concludes that:
- The State of Georgia engages in a pattern or practice of violating incarcerated persons’ constitutional rights by failing to protect individuals housed in medium- and close-security facilities from widespread physical violence and subjecting incarcerated persons to unreasonable risk of harm from sexual abuse across its facilities. Specifically, Georgia fails to protect incarcerated persons, including persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI), from harm caused by sexual violence or abuse.
- Critical understaffing and systemic deficiencies in physical plant, housing and classification, contraband control, incident reporting, and investigations all contribute to the widespread violence.
- Georgia allows gangs to exert improper influence on prison life, including controlling entire housing units and operating unlawful and dangerous schemes in and from the prisons, harming both incarcerated people and the public.
“Individuals incarcerated by the Georgia Department of Corrections should not be subjected to life threatening violence and other forms of severe deprivation while serving their prison terms,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “Our constitution requires humane conditions in prisons, that, at a minimum, ensure that people in custody are safe. The findings of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act investigation of the Georgia Department of Corrections reveal grave and diffuse failures to safeguard the men and women housed in its facilities, including disturbing and increasing frequencies of deaths among incarcerated people. We expect the State of Georgia to share our sense of urgency about the seriousness of the violations described in this report and to work cooperatively with the Justice Department, our office and our U.S. Attorney partners in the Middle and Southern Districts to remedy these systemic deficiencies in Georgia prisons.”
“We hope these findings are a wake-up call. Incarcerated people and staff in the Georgia Department of Corrections face unacceptable, systemic risks, and the impact affects all of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Peter Leary for the Middle District of Georgia. “We hope to work collaboratively with the State of Georgia to improve these deadly conditions; indeed, the Constitution requires it.”
“The safety and security of Georgia’s prisons are inescapably linked to the overall safety and security of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia. “The long-term dysfunction in the management of the prison system has led to the proliferation of criminal networks inside those facilities that endanger private citizens, staff and incarcerated people and directly lead to unacceptable and avoidable violence and abuse against incarcerated people. We are committed to working with the Georgia Department of Corrections to create a safer environment inside and outside Georgia’s prisons.”
The findings announced today are the result of the Justice Department’s civil investigation and are separate from any criminal cases brought by the Justice Department.
The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia conducted the investigation.
For more information about the Civil Rights Division and the Special Litigation Section, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section. You can also report civil rights violations to the section by completing the complaint form available at civilrights.justice.gov/. To provide information related to the department’s investigation of Georgia’s prisons, please call 1-844-401-3736 or email the department at [email protected].
Spanish translation forthcoming. (La traducción al español estará disponible próximamente.)
Justice Department Finds Unconstitutional Conditions in Georgia PrisonsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today its findings that conditions of confinement in Georgia’s prisons violate the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution.
“Our findings report lays bare the horrific and inhumane conditions that people are confined to inside Georgia’s state prison system,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our statewide investigation exposes long-standing, systemic violations stemming from complete indifference and disregard to the safety and security of people Georgia holds in its prisons. People are assaulted stabbed, raped and killed or left to languish inside facilities that are woefully understaffed. Inmates are maimed and tortured, relegated to an existence of fear, filth and not so benign neglect. These dangerous conditions not only harm the people Georgia incarcerates — it places prison employees and the broader community at risk. The Justice Department is committed to using its authority to bring about humane conditions of confinement that are consistent with contemporary standards of decency and respect for basic human dignity.”
The department’s 93-page report details its findings from a thorough investigation of Georgia’s state-operated and private correctional facilities. Georgia has the fourth-highest state prison population in the country, with approximately 50,000 people incarcerated. The report concludes that:
- The State of Georgia engages in a pattern or practice of violating incarcerated persons’ constitutional rights by failing to protect individuals housed in medium- and close-security facilities from widespread physical violence and subjecting incarcerated persons to unreasonable risk of harm from sexual abuse across its facilities. Specifically, Georgia fails to protect incarcerated persons, including persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI), from harm caused by sexual violence or abuse.
- Critical understaffing and systemic deficiencies in physical plant, housing and classification, contraband control, incident reporting, and investigations all contribute to the widespread violence.
- Georgia allows gangs to exert improper influence on prison life, including controlling entire housing units and operating unlawful and dangerous schemes in and from the prisons, harming both incarcerated people and the public.
“Individuals incarcerated by the Georgia Department of Corrections should not be subjected to life threatening violence and other forms of severe deprivation while serving their prison terms,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “Our constitution requires humane conditions in prisons, that, at a minimum, ensure that people in custody are safe. The findings of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act investigation of the Georgia Department of Corrections reveal grave and diffuse failures to safeguard the men and women housed in its facilities, including disturbing and increasing frequencies of deaths among incarcerated people. We expect the State of Georgia to share our sense of urgency about the seriousness of the violations described in this report and to work cooperatively with the Justice Department, our office and our U.S. Attorney partners in the Middle and Southern Districts to remedy these systemic deficiencies in Georgia prisons.”
“We hope these findings are a wake-up call. Incarcerated people and staff in the Georgia Department of Corrections face unacceptable, systemic risks, and the impact affects all of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Peter Leary for the Middle District of Georgia. “We hope to work collaboratively with the State of Georgia to improve these deadly conditions; indeed, the Constitution requires it.”
“The safety and security of Georgia’s prisons are inescapably linked to the overall safety and security of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia. “The long-term dysfunction in the management of the prison system has led to the proliferation of criminal networks inside those facilities that endanger private citizens, staff and incarcerated people and directly lead to unacceptable and avoidable violence and abuse against incarcerated people. We are committed to working with the Georgia Department of Corrections to create a safer environment inside and outside Georgia’s prisons.”
The findings announced today are the result of the Justice Department’s civil investigation and are separate from any criminal cases brought by the Justice Department.
The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia conducted the investigation.
Justice Department Finds Conditions in Georgia Prisons Violate the ConstitutionRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Today the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced its findings from a multi-year investigation concluding that the Georgia Department of Corrections is violating incarcerated persons’ constitutional rights by failing to protect them from widespread physical violence and harm. The 94-page report details how the violence in Georgia prisons has become increasingly worse over the past several years.
“Individuals incarcerated by the Georgia Department of Corrections should not be subjected to life threatening violence and other forms of severe deprivation while serving their prison terms,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Our constitution requires humane conditions in prisons, that, at a minimum, ensure that people in custody are safe. The findings of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act investigation of the Georgia Department of Corrections reveal grave and diffuse failures to safeguard the men and women housed in its facilities, including disturbing and increasing frequencies of deaths among incarcerated people. We expect the State of Georgia to share our sense of urgency about the seriousness of the violations described in this report and to work cooperatively with the Department of Justice, our office, and our U.S. Attorney partners in the Middle and Southern Districts to remedy these systemic deficiencies in Georgia prisons.”
“Our findings report lays bare the horrific and inhumane conditions that people are confined to inside Georgia’s state prison system,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our statewide investigation exposes long-standing, systemic violations stemming from complete indifference and disregard to the safety and security of people Georgia holds in its prisons. People are assaulted stabbed, raped and killed or left to languish inside facilities that are woefully understaffed. Inmates are maimed and tortured, relegated to an existence of fear, filth and not so benign neglect. These dangerous conditions not only harm the people Georgia incarcerates — it places prison employees and the broader community at risk. The Justice Department is committed to using its authority to bring about humane conditions of confinement that are consistent with contemporary standards of decency and respect for basic human dignity.”
As described in the report issued today, Georgia has the fourth-highest state prison population in the country, with almost 50,000 people incarcerated in 34 state-operated prisons and four private prisons. Beginning in 2016, the United States conducted a thorough investigation of Georgia’s prisons, with a focus on medium- and close-security facilities. The report found that critical understaffing and systemic deficiencies in physical plant, housing and classification, contraband control, and incident reporting and investigations, all contribute to the widespread violence. The United States also determined that gangs exert improper influence on prison life with impunity, including controlling entire housing units and operating unlawful and dangerous schemes in and from the prisons, harming both incarcerated people and the public. The report concludes that the GDC’s procedures constitute a pattern or practice of violating incarcerated persons’ constitutional rights under the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by failing to protect those housed at the medium- and close-security levels from widespread physical violence and harm.
The United States also concluded that Georgia unconstitutionally subjects incarcerated persons to unreasonable risk of harm from sexual abuse across its facilities. Specifically, Georgia fails to protect incarcerated persons, including persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (“LGBTI”), from harm caused by sexual violence or abuse. Individuals who are LGBTI are subjected to unreasonable risk of harm from sexual abuse in Georgia prisons due to inadequate sexual safety screening and classification practices, problematic and ineffective housing assignments, and other systemic deficiencies.
The United States launched its investigation under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act in 2016. At that time, the investigation focused on whether Georgia adequately protected incarcerated persons who are LGBTI from sexual abuse. In 2021, the United States expanded the investigation to also investigate protection from violence and harm for all incarcerated persons in facilities housing those at the medium- and close-security levels. The Northern District of Georgia’s United States Attorney’s Office joined together with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia, and the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section, to conduct the investigation.
The case is being handled by Aileen Bell Hughes, Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity & Civil Rights Section.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Attachments:
cover_letter_for_georgia_cripa_findings.pdf findings_report_-_georgia_department_of_corrections_2024_final.pdfJefferson County felon sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for gas station robberyRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Nederland man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Tarrell Donald Nowlin, 53, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on October 1, 2024.
According to court documents, on January 16, 2024, law enforcement officers responded to a call regarding an armed robbery at the Speedway Gas Station located on Eastex Freeway in Beaumont. The store clerk reported the assailant pulled into the parking lot and parked near one of the gas pumps. The driver then entered the business and pointed a revolver at the clerk and demanded money. The clerk opened the cash register, and the assailant took approximately $550 cash and left the store. Law enforcement reviewed video footage from the gas station and local surrounding businesses and were able to identify Nowlin as the assailant. Further investigation revealed Nowlin was a career offender with three prior robbery convictions. Nowlin was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 3, 2024.
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.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Beaumont Police Department and Nederland Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Quinn.
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Indiana Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracies Involving Cyber Intrusion and $37 Million Cryptocurrency TheftRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Evan Frederick Light, age 21, of Lebanon, Indiana, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica Duffy on September 30, 2024, and pleaded guilty to an Indictment that charged him with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments.
The maximum penalty for each count upon conviction is 20 years in custody and/or a fine, three years of supervised release, and a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
“These convictions reflect the relentless efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI in identifying a cybercriminal, holding him accountable, and prioritizing the victims of his crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Ramsdell. “Although this defendant tried to hide in the shadows of a cyber underworld, he was not beyond the reach of our team, and today’s guilty verdicts should serve as a reminder that this Office and its law enforcement partners will bring cyber criminals to justice, regardless how sophisticated their crimes may be.”
“This case underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to identifying and bringing cybercriminals to justice," said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “Cyber-intrusions pose a serious threat to both individuals and businesses, and we are dedicated to protecting the public from these sophisticated attacks. The FBI will continue to work alongside our partners to ensure that those who exploit technology for financial gain are held accountable, no matter how complex or far-reaching their schemes may be.”
According to court documents, in February of 2022, Light was involved in a cyber-intrusion involving an investment holdings company located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. During the cyber-intrusion, Light stole customer personal identifiable information (“PII”) and then stole cryptocurrency worth over $37 million from nearly 600 victims. He acted with one or more unidentified perpetrators.
Specifically, during the cyber intrusion, Light accessed the identity of a real client of the investment holdings company and unlawfully utilized that identity to infiltrate the investment holdings company’s computer servers. After successfully accessing the computer servers, he then exfiltrated from the servers the PII of hundreds of other clients, using this access to steal virtual currencies from the clients who held such assets with the investment holdings company.
The stolen cryptocurrency, under Light’s control, was then funneled to various locations throughout the world, including multiple mixing services and gambling websites to conceal his identity and to hide the virtual currency. Light’s conduct adversely affected victims all over the world, including South Dakota. As a result of his conduct, the total loss was approximately $37 million.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri.
A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Huron Man Sentenced for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol has sentenced a Huron, South Dakota, man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet. The sentencing took place on September 30, 2024.
Kyle Dean Bult, age 38, was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Once released, Bult must register as a sex offender.
Bult was indicted by a federal grand jury in April of 2024. He pleaded guilty on July 1, 2024.
The conviction stemmed from incidents between March 9, 2024, and March 10, 2024, when Bult accessed the media application Taimi, via his cellular phone, and initiated a text conversation with a 15-year-old female. During the conversation, Bult sent several messages to her asking questions, including her age. Bult also sent several messages that were sexual in nature, including asking for a meeting for a sexual encounter. Unbeknownst to Bult, an undercover agent was posing as the 15-year-old female. Bult drove to a meeting place and was arrested.
This is Bult’s third criminal conviction for a sexual offense involving a minor victim.
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.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case.
Bult was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Huntingdon County Man Indicted for Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG– The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Timothy Albert Brewin, age 54, of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury for firearms offenses.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges Brewin with possessing approximately 40 firearms as a prohibited person and possessing two sawed-off shotguns that were not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record in violation of the National Firearms Act.
The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Wesley (Wes) Mishoe is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for the charges against Brewin is 25 years imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine, and special assessment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons indicted are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Houston felon admits to three gunpoint robberiesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 28-year-old Houston man has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
In November and December 2023, Josue Castro-Gomez robbed two gas stations and one Houston-area smoke shop at gunpoint.
On Nov. 25, 2023, Castro-Gomez entered a Korner Food Mart located in Houston, brandished a firearm and demanded the store clerk give him cash from the register. He proceeded to discharge the firearm, shooting above the clerk’s head, but fled from the scene without taking any money.
On Dec. 11-12, 2023, Castro-Gomez went to a Circle K gas station and a Vape City, respectively, and demanded cash from the register. He received money on both occasions and fled the scenes.
On Dec. 12, law enforcement located Castro-Gonzalez and found him to be in possession of a .32 caliber handgun.
During the investigation, authorities matched a spent shell casing from the Nov. 25 robbery to the firearm in Castro-Gonzalez’s possession at the time of his arrest through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network.
Castro-Gonzalez has prior felony convictions from 2015 and 2017 for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance, respectively. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition per federal law.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. will impose sentencing Dec. 11. At that time, Castro-Gonzalez could receive up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine for each of two counts of robbery. For brandishing a firearm while committing a crime of violence, he faces another possible seven years in prison which he must serve consecutively to any other prison term imposed.
He has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with assistance from the Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.
Hardin woman admits biting BIA officer on Crow Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Hardin woman accused of biting a Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on the arm while law enforcement was attempting to arrest her during a disturbance on the Crow Indian Reservation admitted to an assault charge today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The defendant, Chrystal Joann Stewart, 36, pleaded guilty to assault on a federal officer. Stewart faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Stewart was detained pending further proceedings.
In court documents, the government alleged that on April 29, 2023, a BIA officer, identified as Jane Doe, responded to a call in Crow Agency about Stewart causing a disturbance at a residence. Stewart had knocked on the door, and residents let Stewart inside, where she collapsed and was unresponsive. The residents shook Stewart awake and it was obvious that Stewart was high. The residents called 911 because Stewart was scaring the children in the home.
Although communicating with Stewart was difficult because she was high, Officer Jane Doe convinced Stewart to leave the house. After Stewart walked out of the house, one of the residents told the officers that Stewart had grabbed a knife from the kitchen and put in her purse. Another officer had responded to assist Officer Jane Doe and saw the knife sticking out of Stewart’s purse. Stewart resisted and pulled away from the officer when he tried to grab her arm to take away the purse. Stewart repeatedly refused instructions to stop resisting and tried to get away by kicking and screaming at the officers. The officers ultimately tased Stewart, who continued to resist. Stewart then lunged at one of the officers and tried to run back into the residence. Officer Jane Doe was able to get one handcuff on Stewart, but Stewart then turned and bit the officer on the upper right arm. Stewart would not release the bite. Finally, with the help of emergency medial responders, the officers were able to get a second handcuff on Stewart and she released the bite. Officer Jane Doe was treated at the Indian Health Service for the bite injury, which broke the skin.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office if prosecuting the case the case. The BIA conducted the investigation.
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Greensboro man sentenced for possession of child pornographyRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – A 55-year-old Greensboro man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).
According to court records, investigators with the Greensboro Police Department (GPD) obtained search warrants for a Greensboro residence and a vehicle belonging to JEFFREY ALLAN HILL after three victims reported to GPD that they were sexually assaulted when they were minors sleeping over at HILL’s house. Subsequent forensic analysis of electronic devices used by HILL revealed more than 13,500 image files and 244 video files of child pornography.
HILL pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography on March 13, 2024.
United States District Court Judge Thomas D. Schroeder sentenced HILL to a 120-month term of imprisonment followed by lifetime supervised release. In addition, HILL was ordered to pay restitution totaling $33,000.00, special assessments totaling $22,100.00, and a $5,000 fine. He also forfeited a computer and two hard drives.
The case was investigated by the Greensboro Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security-Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney K. P. Kennedy Gates.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorney’s 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.
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Four-Time Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Unlawfully Possessing Firearm and Distribution Quantity of PCPRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Timothy Eugene Taylor, 36, a four-time convicted felon from Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to federal charges stemming from his possession of a loaded firearm and a distributable quantity of liquid phencyclidine, commonly known as PCP, in August 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Samuel Ward of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Division (ATF); and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Taylor pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and one count of unlawful possession with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of phencyclidine. The Honorable Randolph D. Moss scheduled a sentencing hearing for April 2, 2025.
According to court papers, on August 11, 2023, officers with MPD’s Seventh District Crime Suppression Team were patrolling the 300 block of Livingston Terrace Southeast in a marked police cruiser. Officers observed that Taylor was wearing a crossbody satchel with a distinct “L-shaped” bulge protruding from the bag. Based on this observation, officers believed Taylor was carrying a firearm and attempted to speak with him from their vehicle. Taylor moved the bag to the opposite side of his body—out of view—and was turning his body away from the police. As officers exited the vehicle to get a better look at the bag, Taylor fled on foot into a nearby apartment building in which he did not reside.
Officers pursued Taylor into the building, where they stopped him. An officer frisked Taylor’s satchel and immediately felt a hard object that he recognized to be a firearm. Officers opened the satchel and recovered a loaded Smith and Wesson M&P 9 2.0 9-millimeter, semiautomatic handgun. The firearm was loaded with one chambered round of 9mm ammunition and an additional 21 rounds of 9mm ammunition in its extended magazine. Officers also recovered three vials of liquid phencyclidine, commonly known as PCP, from the bag. The quantity of PCP recovered was indicative of distribution rather than personal use.
Following his arrest, Taylor agreed to participate in an interview with an MPD detective. In the interview, Taylor admitted that the firearm belonged to him and that he was engaged in the distribution of PCP.
Federal law prohibits Taylor from possessing a firearm because he has previously been convicted of crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Taylor has been convicted of four such offenses in the District of Columbia since 2007, including a 2020 conviction for the same federal firearms charge to which he pleaded guilty today.
Taylor was arrested on October 27, 2023, and has remained held without bond since his arrest.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison and up to a $1,250,000 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.
At the time of the offense Taylor was serving a term of supervised release for his 2020 federal firearms conviction. Upon his conviction in this case, Taylor faces revocation of supervised release and up to 24 additional months in prison.
The case was investigated by ATF and MPD as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney. Valuable assistance was provided by former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine A. Pattison and Katherine M. Toth, who indicted the case and litigated pretrial motions.
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Four Employees of Juvenile Detention Center Plead Guilty to Taking BribesRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Da’Vante Bolton, an employee of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), pleaded guilty to accepting bribes, admitting that he smuggled contraband into a juvenile detention facility in exchange for illegal payments. On September 3, 2024, September 10, 2024 and September 26, 2024, ACS employees Octavia Napier, Christopher Craig and Nigel King pleaded guilty, respectively, to Travel Act bribery charges in connection with the same conduct. Today’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Orelia E. Merchant. All four defendants were Youth Development Specialists at the Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brownsville, Brooklyn (Crossroads). When sentenced, Bolton faces a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, and Napier, Craig and King each face a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Jocelyn E. Strauber, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) and James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the charges.
“These defendants prioritized their own financial interests above the safety and security of residents and co-workers at the Crossroads Juvenile Center, giving dangerous contraband to juveniles in their care in exchange for bribes,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office and our law enforcement partners will not stop rooting out and prosecuting corruption in our City’s jails and juvenile detention facilities.”
DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said, “These four City Youth Development Specialists were responsible for the safety and well-being of juveniles at the Crossroads Center in Brooklyn. They failed the juveniles in their care, and the City, when they took bribes to smuggle dangerous items into Crossroads, including razor blades, prescription pills, and alcohol. I thank the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for their partnership in the investigation that led to guilty pleas of these four defendants.”
Approximately 120 residents, ranging in age from 14 to 20, are detained at Crossroads. Residents at Crossroads are prohibited from possessing any contraband, including narcotics, cellular telephones, cigarettes, weapons and alcohol, among other prohibited items. ACS employees at Crossroads are trained to confiscate any contraband they find and must notify a supervisor if any contraband is discovered. Although staff members are supposed to undergo a security screening whenever they enter the facility, a significant amount of contraband has recently been recovered from Crossroads residents. Between approximately March 2022 and May 2024, at least 75 cell phones and more than 340 scalpels or blades were recovered from the facility, as well as narcotics and tobacco.
The defendants are or were Youth Development Specialists at Crossroads, who were responsible for supervising residents. Their responsibilities are similar to those of a correction officer at a jail facility, except, among other differences, Youth Development Specialists are restricted in the type of force they may use and are not permitted to carry pepper spray or restraints.
Da’Vante Bolton has been employed by ACS since March 2020. Bolton accepted more than $20,000 in bribes from Crossroads residents or their associates and, in exchange, smuggled in razor blades and marijuana.
Christopher Craig has been employed by ACS since August 2018. Craig received more than $5,000 in bribes to smuggle in contraband, including marijuana and tobacco.
Nigel King was employed by ACS from October 2021 to August 2024. King accepted more than $6,000 in bribes for smuggling in marijuana, prescription pills and alcohol.
Octavia Napier was employed by ACS from June 2022 to May 2023. Napier received more than $2,000 in bribes to both smuggle in contraband and allow a Crossroads resident to use Napier’s Cash App account to run the resident’s contraband distribution business from within Crossroads.
A fifth defendant, Roger Francis, is currently awaiting trial on the same charges.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Philip Pilmar and Andrew D. Grubin and Special Assistant United States Attorney Cassie Perez of the Bronx District Attorney’s Office are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Legal Assistant Thomas Englert.
Defendants Who Have Pled Guilty:
DA’VANTE BOLTON
Age: 31
Queens, NYE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-383 (OEM)
CHRISTOPHER CRAIG
Age: 37
Brooklyn, NYE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-345 (OEM)
NIGEL KING
Age: 45
Queens, NYE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-368 (RPK)
OCTAVIA NAPIER
Age: 26
Brooklyn, NYE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-328 (FB)
Defendant Awaiting Trial:
ROGER FRANCIS
Age: 58
Brooklyn, NYE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-342 (NCM)
Fort Myers Man Sentenced to 40 Years for Distributing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Images and VideosRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Richard Edward Brillhart (44, Fort Myers) to 40 years in federal prison for distribution and possession of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. Brillhart was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release and register as a sex offender. A federal jury had found Brillhart guilty on February 7, 2024.
According to court documents, between April and August 2021, several social media applications provided cybertips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reporting that Brillhart was involved in the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material on various social media platforms. On September 8, 2021, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at Brillhart’s residence and seized his cellphone. A subsequent forensic examination of Brillhart’s cellphone revealed images and videos of children being sexually abused.
Further, Brillhart had a prior conviction for possession of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors from 2004.
“The sentencing of Richard Brillhart to four decades sends a clear message that our community will not tolerate the exploitation of children, in any form,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Micah C. McCombs. “The Southwest Florida INTERCEPT Task Force, South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Fort Myers Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations work tirelessly to make impacts every day to hold those who engage in the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material accountable.”
This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Florida Inter-Agency Child Exploitation and Persons Trafficking Task Force (INTERCEPT), which is comprised of detectives and investigative specialist who are part of the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and are cross designated Task Force Officers with HSI. The Fort Myers Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations assisted with this investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former contract Air Force cryptologist pleads guilty to distributing child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man pled guilty today to distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, Lawson Heath Wright, 51, was employed at Langley Air Force Base as a contracted cryptologist in 2023 when he distributed CSAM images depicting young children engaged in sexual conduct. Wright posed as an 18-year-old Ukrainian refugee named Lara Urbaszewski and claimed to be having a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old male. On multiple occasions, posing as Urbaszewski, Wright used an email account to send CSAM to users.
On Jan. 24, 2024, Virginia Beach Police (VBPD) executed a state search warrant for the e-mail account, and on April 2, 2024, VBPD, in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk, executed a state search warrant on Wright’s vehicle and residence. Investigators seized several electronic devices including a cellphone, an external hard drive, laptops, and a micro-SD. CSAM was found on each of these devices. Some of the CSAM on Wright’s devices depicts sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence or sexually explicit images involving an infant or toddler.
Wright is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 11, 2025. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Taylor is prosecuting the case.
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 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the 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.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-86.
Former Las Vegas Teacher Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Distributing Approximately 130 Files of Child Sexual Abuse Material via A Social Media Messaging ApplicationRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man who was employed as a second-grade teacher was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge James C. Mahan to nine years in prison to be followed by 20 years of supervised release for distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) via, Kik, a social media messaging application.
According to court documents, between April 11, 2021 and August 23, 2021, Alexander Scott Derringer (38) distributed over 130 CSAM files through two accounts on the mobile application Kik messenger. Of these files, approximately 59 of those files were recovered from two cellphones, both owned by Derringer. These files were among the approximately 2,584 images and 269 videos of CSAM found in the aggregate of both devices. The images and videos depicted minors as young as infants.
The Henderson Police Department identified Derringer after receiving two CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual using an IP address associated with Derringer’s residence uploaded and shared CSAM with other users and groups.
In June 2024, Derringer pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography.
“Mr. Derringer abused his position of public trust to prey on those we expected him to protect,” said Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans of the FBI Las Vegas Division. “Every time child pornography is viewed on the internet, it re-victimizes a child. The sexual exploitation of children is among the most unscrupulous crimes we investigate, and today’s sentencing serves as a reminder that the FBI and our partners will work tirelessly to protect children from abuse and exploitation.”
United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Evans made the announcement.
The FBI-led Child Exploitation Task Force which consists of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, North Las Vegas Police Department, Henderson Police Department, Nevada Attorney General’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Afroza Yeasmin prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.justice.gov/psc.
Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by calling 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or online at https://report.cybertip.org.
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Former Comptroller General of Ecuador Sentenced in International Bribery and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
MIAMI – The former Comptroller General of Ecuador was sentenced today to 10 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $16.5 million for his role in a multimillion-dollar international bribery and money laundering scheme in which he received over $10 million in bribes and laundered those bribes payments in South Florida.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between 2010 to 2015, Carlos Ramon Polit Faggioni, 73, solicited and received over $10 million in bribe payments from Odebrecht S.A., the Brazil-based construction conglomerate. Polit, in his position as Comptroller General of Ecuador, was responsible for protecting public funds against fraud and rooting out corruption. Instead, Polit took bribes from Odebrecht in exchange for removing fines and not imposing fines on Odebrecht’s projects in Ecuador. Additionally, in or around 2015, Polit received a bribe from an Ecuadorian businessman in exchange for assisting the businessman with obtaining certain contracts with the state-owned insurance company of Ecuador. From in or around 2010 and continuing until at least 2017, at the direction of Polit, another member of the conspiracy caused proceeds of Polit’s bribery scheme to “disappear” by using Florida companies registered in the names of friends and associates, often without the associates’ knowledge. The conspirators also used funds from Polit’s bribery scheme to purchase and renovate real estate in Florida.
On April 23, Polit was convicted at trial of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, three counts of concealment money laundering, and two counts of engaging in transactions in criminally derived property.
Odebrecht S.A. pleaded guilty in December 2016 to conspiring to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with a broader scheme to pay nearly $800 million in bribes to public officials in 12 countries, including Ecuador.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
The HSI Miami Field Office investigated this case. IRS Criminal Investigation provided substantial assistance.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance. The Justice Department also thanks the assistance with the investigation of law enforcement authorities in Ecuador, Brazil, Panama, and Curacao.
Senior Litigation Counsel Michael N. Berger for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Jil Simon and Assistant Chief Alexander Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff and Sandra Demirci for the Southern District of Florida are handling asset forfeiture.
The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
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 22-cr-20114.
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Former Comptroller General of Ecuador Sentenced in International Bribery and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
The former comptroller general of Ecuador was sentenced today to 10 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $16.5 million for his role in a multimillion-dollar international bribery and money laundering scheme in which he received over $10 million in bribes and laundered those bribes payments in South Florida.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between 2010 to 2015, Carlos Ramon Polit Faggioni, 73, solicited and received over $10 million in bribe payments from Odebrecht S.A., the Brazil-based construction conglomerate. Polit, in his position as Comptroller General of Ecuador, was responsible for protecting public funds against fraud and rooting out corruption. Instead, Polit took bribes from Odebrecht in exchange for removing fines and not imposing fines on Odebrecht’s projects in Ecuador. Additionally, in or around 2015, Polit received a bribe from an Ecuadorian businessman in exchange for assisting the businessman with obtaining certain contracts with the state-owned insurance company of Ecuador. From in or around 2010 and continuing until at least 2017, at the direction of Polit, another member of the conspiracy caused proceeds of Polit’s bribery scheme to “disappear” by using Florida companies registered in the names of friends and associates, often without the associates’ knowledge. The conspirators also used funds from Polit’s bribery scheme to purchase and renovate real estate in Florida.
On April 23, Polit was convicted at trial of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, three counts of concealment money laundering, and two counts of engaging in transactions in criminally derived property.
Odebrecht S.A. pleaded guilty in December 2016 to conspiring to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with a broader scheme to pay nearly $800 million in bribes to public officials in 12 countries, including Ecuador.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
The HSI Miami Field Office investigated this case. IRS Criminal Investigation provided substantial assistance.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance. The Justice Department also thanks the assistance with the investigation of law enforcement authorities in Ecuador, Brazil, Panama, and Curacao.
Trial Attorney Jil Simon and Assistant Chief Alexander Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Senior Litigation Counsel Michael N. Berger for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Grosnoff and Sandra Demirci for the Southern District of Florida are handling asset forfeiture.
The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
Florida Woman Admits COVID-19 Relief Program FraudRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Florida woman today admitted fraudulently obtaining $465,489 in COVID-19 relief funding after submitting fraudulent applications to victim lenders, the U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Jane Batista, 43, of Lake Worth, Florida, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin in Newark federal court to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From April 2020 to August 2021, Batista submitted fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications for herself, her husband, and two businesses they owned and operated. In support of those applications, Batista lied about the number of employees the businesses employed, the income the employees earned, and the revenue Batista and her husband generated as sole proprietors. Batista also submitted forged documents, including fake tax return documents. After the victim lenders funded the loans, Batista used that money for personal expenses and made several large transfers, including one for $15,000.
The wire fraud count carries a maximum of 20 years in prison. The money laundering count carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for March 18, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Corwin Rattler; special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado; and special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas Mahoney with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Taj Moore of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and Aaron L. Webman of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of the five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
batista.information.pdfFlorida Tax Return Preparer Agrees to Permanent Injunction and to Pay $85,000 in Ill-Gotten GainsRead the Press Release
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida issued a permanent injunction yesterday against West Palm Beach, Florida, tax return preparer Gregory Salgado, both individually and doing business as GMJ Real Investments Inc. and doing business as Cuba Salgado Tax & Real Estate.
The injunction bars Salgado from preparing tax returns, working for or having any ownership stake in any tax preparation business, assisting others prepare tax returns or set up business as a preparer and transferring or assigning customer lists to any other person or entity. The court also ordered Salgado to pay $85,000 in ill-gotten gains he received from his return preparation business. Salgado agreed to both the injunction and the order to pay $85,000.
The complaint alleged that Salgado pleaded guilty in 2012 to filing a false personal return and filing a false return for another taxpayer, and the IRS subsequently assessed more than $500,000 in civil penalties against him for willfully underreporting tax on returns he prepared for customers. According to the complaint, neither Salgado’s conviction, 33-month incarceration nor civil penalties altered his behavior. After his release from prison in August 2015, Salgado continued to prepare thousands returns for customers that either reduced their tax liability or inflated their refund claims. He did this largely by falsifying or overstating itemized deductions, fabricating or overstating business income and expenses and falsifying filing statuses and dependents.
As a result of the court’s order, Salgado must send notice of the injunction to each person for whom he or his business prepared federal tax returns, amended tax returns or claims for refund between Jan. 1, 2019, to the present. Additionally, the court ordered Salgado post a copy of the injunction at all locations where he conducts business and on his business’s website.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers 10 tips to avoid tax season fraud and ways to safeguard their personal information.
In the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Salgado - PI and Disgorgement Order.pdfFlagstaff Man Sentenced for Arson in Grand Canyon National ParkRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Dahntay Dunbar, 21, of Flagstaff, was sentenced last week by Senior U.S. District Judge Roslyn O. Silver to 20 months in prison, to be followed by 60 months of supervised release. Judge Silver also ordered Dunbar to pay $20,146.13 in restitution. Dunbar pleaded guilty to Arson of a Dwelling, which occurred in the Grand Canyon National Park, on July 8, 2024.
Between the late night of May 17, 2024, and the early morning of May 18, 2024, Dunbar pushed his way into a locked cabin within the national park, which was the residence of his former girlfriend. She was not home at the time. Dunbar found a bottle of clear liquor and dumped it on a bed. Dunbar then took a lighter, lit one of his former girlfriend’s shirts on fire and placed it on the bed. The bed started to burn, and Dunbar left the cabin. The fire caused scorching, burn damage, and smoke damage to the walls, ceiling, and other parts of the cabin. A bystander observed the fire and put most of it out prior to the arrival of the fire department. Dunbar was arrested on other charges a short time later by National Park Service law enforcement rangers and admitted to having committed the arson.
National Park Service special agents and rangers, assisted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Flagstaff, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-08061-001-PCT-RSO
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-132_Dunbar# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Final Victory Inn Defendant Sentenced to over 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Terry Pruitt, a conspirator in the sex and drug trafficking organization that operated out of the former Victory Inn hotel in Dearborn, Michigan, was sentenced to over 15 years in federal prison last week based on his conviction on drug trafficking charges, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Joining Ison in the announcement was Homeland Security Investigations Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie M. Salazar.
This sentencing is the final in the eight-year case in which the following defendants were sentenced to over 116 years collectively.
Darrick Dernard Bell – 28 years
Shelvie Lewis Avery – 19 years
Janette Gaggo Tawfik – 10 years
Michael Anthony Randol – 15 years
Bryant Edward Daugherty – 7 years 3 months
Charles Thomas Ford – 12 years
Harold Lashawn Nero – 9 years 7 months
Terry Pruitt – 15 years 8 months
Pruitt pleaded guilty in March 2021 to charges stemming from the operation of a large-scale drug and prostitution business operating out of the Victory Inn, a motel formerly located next to the main drag for prostitution on Michigan Avenue. Specifically, Pruitt, a longtime drug dealer, helped satiate the demand of the vulnerable human-trafficking victims for crack cocaine and heroin at the Victory Inn. Pruitt engaged in both drug and human trafficking at the motel while co-defendant Darrick Bell’s drug trafficking conspiracy essentially ran the Victory Inn.
“This final sentencing brings to an end the years-long investigation and prosecution of this pernicious drug and sex trafficking organization,” said U.S. Attorney Ison. I want to commend the hard work and dedication of the agents and prosecutors who worked so diligently to bring these individuals to justice.”
“This case spanned 8 years, and thanks to our U.S. Attorney’s office we have the sentencing of the final defendant,” said HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie M. Salazar. “Throughout this investigation our agents and law enforcement partners remained steadfast in their commitment to those impacted by this criminal organization. I commend our law enforcement team for their perseverance in the pursuit of justice and their dedication to protecting our communities.”
The investigation was conducted by agents of Homeland Security Investigations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Roth, Jerome Gorgon, Blake Hatlem, and Lisandra Fernandez-SilberFederal Firearms Licensees Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the United StatesRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces the two co-owners of Modern Arms & Optics LLC, a federal firearms licensee that operated from 2019 to 2023 pled guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States. On July 25, 2024, Campbell Slayden, 26, of Denver pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. On September 23, 2024, Anthony Gallegos, 26, of Denver pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
The plea agreements stemmed from the defendants’ actions while dealing firearms on behalf of Modern Arms and Optics. In the course of conducting their business, Slayden and Gallegos engaged in deceptive acts to hide information, mislead, and avert further inquiry into their business from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) by concealing their unlawful firearms manufacturing practices in federally required records. Furthermore, the co-owners transferred firearms to people not legally allowed to own firearms through a practice often referred to as “straw purchasing.”
“It is crucial for gun shop owners and dealers to follow the laws that help keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and keep our communities safe,” said Acting United States Attorney Matt Kirsch. “We will vigorously prosecute anyone who breaks or evades those laws.”
Judge Gordon P. Gallagher presided over both hearings. The case was investigated by ATF. Assistant United States Attorney Albert Buchman handled the prosecution.
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.
Case Numbers:
1:24-cr-0034-GPG (Slayden)
1:24-cr-00224-GPG (Gallegos)
Federal Agencies Announce New Prioritized Efforts to Address Domestic Violence in Jefferson County and Will Provide Nearly $850,000 for Local PartnersRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Both the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced new resources and support to combat domestic violence in Jefferson County. This comprehensive assistance will advance the law enforcement, crime prevention, and victim assistance priorities set by the United States Attorney’s Office and its local partners through Operation Safe Families.
Jefferson County’s designation for prioritized enforcement and prosecution responses to domestic violence results from United States’ Attorney General Merrick B. Garland approval of 78 communities across 47 states, territories, and the District of Columbia for designation under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2022. Through this designation, the United States Attorney’s and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Field Divisions will partner with each local law enforcement and community partners to develop a plan to reduce intimate partner firearm violence and to prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders who illegally possess firearms.
Alongside Jefferson County’s enforcement prioritization, the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women has awarded a $500,000 grant to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office – Birmingham Division – to enhance its investigations and prosecutions of domestic violence cases. These resources will expand the work of the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Domestic Violence High-Risk Team.
HHS is also dedicating new resources in Jefferson County to address generational trauma and adverse childhood experiences caused by domestic violence. HHS is awarding $347,727 to One Place Metro Alabama Family Justice Center (One Place) for the advancement of its local work through Camp HOPE America – a national, year-round program that works with children (ages 7 -17) who have been impacted by domestic and family violence. One Place facilitates Alabama’s only Camp HOPE America site, serving Jefferson County. Through the HHS grant, One Place will be able to provide living assistance and counseling to families participating in Camp HOPE.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has made combatting domestic violence, and the community violence it often leads to, a top priority. In October 2020, the Office announced a new initiative, Operation Safe Families, to fight domestic violence in the Northern District of Alabama. Our top priority is to keep our communities safe by keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Operation Safe Families brings together federal law enforcement and local victim service providers, state and local law enforcement, and local prosecutors to better respond to the needs of victims of domestic violence and the threats presented to the community by domestic violence offenders. Not only do domestic violence offenders often terrorize former intimate partners, national and local crime data confirms that domestic violence offenders present extreme risks to law enforcement officers and are often responsible for significant amounts of violent crimes in Alabama communities. Operation Safe Families is part of the United States Attorney’s Office’s Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy and supports of the Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime.
“Domestic violence tears at the fabric of our communities and affects every demographic of society,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “People who commit violence within their homes are often also the same people who commit violent crimes in our communities. My office along with our federal, state, and local law enforcement and community partners continue to work together to combat violent crime, to support victims of violence, and to prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders.”
“ATF recognizes the role firearms play in violent crimes and, more specifically, domestic violence.” ATF Special Agent in Charge, Marcus Watson said. “We at ATF are committed to aggressively pursuing prohibited possession of firearms due to domestic violence convictions and will continue to work with our partners to remove convicted domestic abusers who possess firearms from our communities.”
“Between 2021 and 2023, there were 114 total domestic violence related homicides in Jefferson County, and more than 70% of known homicide offenders in Jefferson County each year have a history of domestic violence,” said District Attorney Danny Carr. “My office will not fail to do its utmost to bring justice, safety, and protection for victims of violence and our community. These additional resources will provide meaningful assistance to sustain and expand the innovative work that our Domestic Violence High-Risk Team is conducting.”
“Preventing domestic violence and remedying the trauma it causes within a family and a community requires a comprehensive approach,” said Rebecca McWilliams, Executive Director of One Place Metro Alabama Family Justice Center. “The resources provide to Camp Hope from the Department of Health and Human Services can change lives and restore hope and opportunity for children and families affected by family violence. I am grateful and excited for the support and opportunities this grant will make within the lives of our Camp Hope families and in our community”.
To learn more about One Place Metro Alabama Family Justice Center or Camp Hope, please visit Camp Hope - Alabama .
Evansville Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Receiving and Possessing Explicit Images of Children via SnapchatRead the Press Release
EVANSVILLE—Christopher Vickers, 41, of Evansville, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to one count of possession and three counts of receipt of child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, on July 17, 2023, investigators were alerted to a Snapchat account being used to upload, store, and share child sexual abuse material. Further investigation identified Christopher Vickers as the owner of the Snapchat account.
On July 26, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Vickers’ apartment and found multiple cell phones containing over 500 images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The still image and video files included depictions of children engaged in sex acts with adult men and children under the age of 12 years old. The Snapchat account used by Vickers was also installed on one of the cell phones. Investigation revealed that Vickers used the Snapchat account to seek out groups of like-minded Snapchat users with a sexual interest in children to share and discuss depictions of child sexual abuse.
During the search of the apartment, investigators found objects reflecting his sexual interest in children, including underwear made for young girls located in Vickers’ bedroom closet. Investigators learned that the underwear had been stolen from children who Vickers had access to in the past. Further investigation revealed that Vickers, who was then 40, was involved in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl at the time investigators searched his apartment.
“Pedophiles use social media platforms like Snapchat to share their interests with like-minded individuals—gathering online to traffic in child sexual abuse materials,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Prosecution of these criminals helps make our children safer and sends the message that Snapchat and other platforms are not a safe space for predators to trade in images of abuse. Together with our partners at the FBI and local police departments, our office will continue to vigorously prosecute child sex offenders and seek to send them to federal prison where they cannot further harm our children.”
The FBI and Evansville Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young. Vickers must also register as a sex offender wherever he lives, works, or goes to school.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who prosecuted this case.
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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.
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Essex County Man Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Bank Fraud Conspiracy Related to Checks Stolen from U.S. MailRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy related to the theft of checks from the U.S. mail, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Baba Diakite, 23, of East Orange, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas to one count of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit bank fraud. His conspirator, Nasir Johnson, was previously sentenced last year by Judge Salas to 49 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit mail theft and possess stolen mail, and theft of a U.S. Postal Service key. Judge Salas imposed the sentences in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From at least January 2020 to March 2022, Diakite, Johnson, and others conspired to steal checks from the mail in communities across New Jersey. Diakite and his conspirators used misappropriated keys belonging to the U.S. Postal Service to access mail collection receptacles and steal envelopes that contained checks. After stealing the checks, Diakite and his conspirators sold them to third parties or deposited them, sometimes in altered form for higher amounts, into bank accounts. Diakite and others then defrauded the banks by withdrawing money from the bank accounts. Diakite agreed that he caused a loss of between $550,000 and $1.5 million.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Salas sentenced Diakite to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen; special agents with the U.S. Postal Service - Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, Northeast Area Field Office; and special agents with the Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew McKay, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey S. Smith of the General Crimes Unit in Newark.
El Paso Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Dealing Fentanyl, Causing DeathRead the Press Release
EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso man was sentenced in federal court to 180 months in prison for distribution of fentanyl, causing death or serious bodily injury.
According to court documents, Adrian David Perez Jr., 21, sold counterfeit M-30 pills laced with fentanyl to an individual on Oct. 13, 2021. The individual consumed the pills and his mother found him deceased the following day. The El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the individual died from acute fentanyl toxicity.
In addition to imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Leon Schydlower sentenced Perez to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $3,800 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Countryman prosecuted the case.
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El Departamento de Justicia encuentra condiciones anticonstitucionales en las prisiones de GeorgiaRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy sus hallazgos de condiciones de confinamiento en las prisiones de Georgia que vulneran la 8ª Enmienda de la Constitución.
«Nuestro informe de hallazgos expone las condiciones horribles e inhumanas a las que las personas están confinadas dentro del sistema penitenciario estatal de Georgia», comentó Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. «Nuestra investigación a nivel estatal expone infracciones sistémicas desde hace mucho tiempo derivadas de la indiferencia completa y la falta de atención a la seguridad de las personas que Georgia mantiene en sus prisiones. Las personas son asaltadas, apuñaladas, y asesinadas o dejadas para languidecer dentro de instalaciones que, lamentablemente, no tienen personal suficiente. Los presos son castigados y torturados, relegados a una existencia de miedo, suciedad y una negligencia no tan benigna. Estas condiciones peligrosas no solo dañan a las personas encarceladas por Georgia, sino que ponen en riesgo a los empleados de la prisión y a la comunidad en general. El Departamento de Justicia se compromete a utilizar su autoridad para lograr condiciones humanas de confinamiento que sean coherentes con los estándares contemporáneos de decencia y respeto por la dignidad humana básica».
El informe de 93 páginas del Departamento detalla sus hallazgos de una investigación exhaustiva de las instalaciones penitenciarias privadas y operadas por el Estado de Georgia. Georgia tiene la cuarta población penitenciaria estatal más alta del país, con aproximadamente 50,000 personas encarceladas. El informe concluye que:
- El Estado de Georgia incurre en un patrón o una práctica de vulneración de los derechos constitucionales de las personas encarceladas, al no proteger a las personas que se encuentran en instalaciones de seguridad media y cerrada de la violencia física generalizada y someter a las personas encarceladas a un riesgo irrazonable de daño por abuso sexual en todas sus instalaciones. En concreto, Georgia no protege a las personas encarceladas, incluidas las personas lesbianas, gay, bisexuales, transgénero e intersexuales (LGBTI), de daños causados por violencia sexual o abuso sexual.
- La falta crítica de personal y las deficiencias sistémicas en la planta física, la vivienda y la clasificación, el control de contrabando, la notificación de incidentes y las investigaciones contribuyen a la violencia generalizada.
- Georgia permite que las pandillas ejerzan una influencia indebida sobre la vida en la prisión, incluido el control de unidades de vivienda enteras y la operación de maquinaciones ilegales y peligrosas dentro y fuera de las prisiones, así perjudicando tanto a las personas encarceladas como al público.
«Las personas encarceladas por el Departamento Penitenciario de Georgia no deben ser sometidas a violencia potencialmente mortal y otras formas de privación grave mientras cumplen sus penas de prisión», afirmó Ryan K. Buchanan, el Fiscal Federal para el Distrito Norte de Georgia. «Nuestra constitución requiere condiciones humanas en prisiones que, como mínimo, garanticen que las personas encarceladas estén seguras. Los hallazgos de la investigación de la ley de Derechos Civiles de Personas Institucionalizadas del Departamento Penitenciario de Georgia revelan fallos graves y difusos en lo que se refiere a la protección de los hombres y mujeres alojados en sus instalaciones, lo que incluye muertes perturbadores y cada vez más frecuentes entre las personas encarceladas. Esperamos que el Estado de Georgia comparta nuestro sentido de urgencia en cuanto a la gravedad de las infracciones descritas en este informe y que colabore con el Departamento de Justicia, nuestra oficina y nuestro socio en las Fiscalías para los Distritos Centro y Sur para remediar estas deficiencias sistémicas en las prisiones de Georgia».
«Esperamos que estos resultados sean una llamada de atención. Las personas encarceladas y el personal del Departamento Penitenciario de Georgia se enfrentan a riesgos inaceptables y sistémicos, y el impacto afecta a todas nuestras comunidades», afirmó Peter Leary, el Fiscal Federal para el Distrito Centro de Georgia. «Esperamos trabajar en colaboración con el estado de Georgia para mejorar estas condiciones mortales; de hecho, la Constitución lo requiere».
«La seguridad y protección de las prisiones de Georgia están inequívocamente vinculadas a la seguridad general de nuestras comunidades», declaró Jill E. Steinberg, la Fiscal Federal para el Distrito Sur de Georgia. «La disfunción a largo plazo en la gestión del sistema penitenciario ha llevado a la proliferación de redes criminales dentro de esas instalaciones que ponen en peligro a los ciudadanos privados, al personal y a las personas encarceladas y conducen directamente a violencia y abuso inaceptables y evitables contra las personas encarceladas. Nos comprometemos a trabajar con el Departamento de Correcciones de Georgia para crear un entorno más seguro dentro y fuera de las prisiones de Georgia».
Las conclusiones anunciadas hoy son el resultado de la investigación civil del Departamento de Justicia y son independientes de cualquier caso penal presentado por el Departamento de Justicia.
La Sección de Litigios Especiales de la División de Derechos Civiles y las Fiscalías Federales para los Distritos Norte, Centro y Sur de Georgia llevaron a cabo la investigación.
Para obtener más información sobre la División de Derechos Civiles y la Sección de Litigios Especiales, visite www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section. También se puede informar a la Sección de vulneraciones de derechos civiles mediante el formulario de quejas, disponible en civilrights.justice.gov/. Para proporcionar información relacionada con la investigación del Departamento de las prisiones de Georgia, llame al 1-844-401-3736 o envíe un correo electrónico a l Departamento a [email protected].
Eagle Pass Man Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking MethRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – An Eagle Pass man involved with the violent criminal street gang, Partido Revolucionario Mexicano (PRM), was sentenced in Del Rio to 19.5 years in federal prison for his role in importing and possessing with the intent to distribute over 10 kilograms of methamphetamine into the United States.
According to court documents, Ines Adrian Guevara, 25, was subjected to a vehicle inspection at the U.S. Highway 57 checkpoint near Eagle Pass on April 16, 2021 after Border Patrol agents smelled marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. The search revealed 21 bundles containing 14.5 kgs of methamphetamine. Guevara had been instructed to transport the bundles from Piedras Negras, Mexico, to San Antonio.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner prosecuted the case.
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Eagan Woman Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud in $250 Million Feeding Our Future Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – An Eagan woman pleaded guilty to her role in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, Kawsar Jama, 42, was the principal of Gedo Community Services and Ahlan Childcare Center, Inc. Jama enrolled these entities in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and Sponsor A, and operated sites in Pelican Rapids, Burnsville, and Minneapolis. One of the main food vendors for Jama’s sites was Haji Osman Salad, through his business, Haji’s Kitchen. Salad provided Jama with false food invoices, which she used as part of her fraudulent claims for reimbursement from the Federal Child Nutrition Program. For example, Jama’s Pelican Rapids site, a small town in west-central Minnesota with a population of approximately 2,500 people, fraudulently claimed to have served more than 233,000 meals to children from September 2021 to December 2021 with Haji’s Kitchen as her supposed food supplier.
In total, between June 2020 through 2022, Jama submitted at least $4.5 million in fraudulent claims for Federal Child Nutrition Program funds, some of which she spent on real estate and vehicles, including the purchase of a Tesla Model X.
Jama pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of wire fraud in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Joseph H. Thompson, and Harry M. Jacobs are prosecuting the case.
Donna drug trafficker convicted of possessing firearmRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 28-year-old man has pleaded guilty to utilizing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking activity, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
On July 24, authorities conducted a search warrant at the residence of Roberto Segura Jr. At that time, they discovered marijuana, over 400 grams of cocaine, and body armor within the home.
Authorities also found a firearm in Segura’s bedroom next to the body armor. Segura admitted he was in possession of the firearm to protect himself during his drug trafficking activity.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has set sentencing for Jan. 7, 2025. At that time, he faces a minimum of five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Segura will remain in custody pending sentencing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alamo Police Department conducted the joint 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.
Department of Justice Awards Nearly $32 Million in Grants to Support Public Safety Efforts in NevadaRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson today announced awards totaling $31,746,860 in Department of Justice grants to support public safety efforts in the District of Nevada. The grants were awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs.
“These grants are a nearly $32 million dollar investment in our state that will be used to assist local governments and Tribal communities; fund law enforcement services, resources, and trainings; and support survivors,” said U.S. Attorney Frierson for the District of Nevada. “I thank the Office of Justice Programs for awarding this critical funding that will help us build trust with and keep communities safer in Nevada.”
The following organizations received funding:
- Bureau of Justice Assistance
- National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges – $1,500,000
- BJA FY24 Extreme Risk Protective Order and Firearm Crisis Intervention Training and Technical Assistance Initiative- Invited to Apply
- City of Henderson – $782,000
- BJA FY24 Invited to Apply- Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants/Byrne Discretionary Grants Program
- Reno-Sparks Indian Colony – $1,865,000
- BJA FY24 Invited to Apply- Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants/Byrne Discretionary Grants Program – $265,000
- FY24 U.S. Department of Justice Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation – $1,600,000
- County of Lander– $563,000
- BJA FY24 Invited to Apply- Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants/Byrne Discretionary Grants Program
- City of Reno – $1,500,000
- BJA FY24 Invited to Apply- Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants/Byrne Discretionary Grants Program
- Diphrent Inc. – $963,000
- BJA FY24 Invited to Apply- Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants/Byrne Discretionary Grants Program
- County of Washoe – $996,000
- BJA FY24 Invited to Apply- Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants/Byrne Discretionary Grants Program
- City of North Las Vegas – $1,620,000
- BJA FY24 Invited to Apply- Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants/Byrne Discretionary Grants Program
- Nevada Department of Public Safety – $2,103,677
- BJA FY24 Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Program Formula Grant Solicitation – $348,149
- BJA FY24 Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program Formula Solicitation – $1,755,528
- County of Elko – $512,976
- BJA FY24 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program
- Clark County Parent – $1,000,000
- BJA FY24 Second Chance Act Pay for Success Program
- Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone – $150,000
- FY24 U.S. Department of Justice Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation
- Nevada State – $65,292
- BJA FY24 John R. Justice (JRJ) Formula Grant Program
- National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges – $1,500,000
- National Institute of Justice
- National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges – $2,000,000
- NIJ FY24 National Juvenile Court Data Archive
- National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges – $2,000,000
- Office for Victims of Crime
- Noah’s Animal House Foundation – $81,710
- OVC FY24 Technical Assistance for Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance Grants - Invited to Apply
- Eighth Judicial District Court – $800,000
- OVC FY24 Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants/Byrne Discretionary Grants Program - Invited to Apply
- Division of Child and Family Services – $9,959,406
- OVC FY24 VOCA Victim Assistance Formula Grant – $7,597,406
- OVC FY24 VOCA Victim Compensation Formula Grant – $2,362,000
- Noah’s Animal House Foundation – $81,710
- Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada – $396,816
- OVC FY24 Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Formula Program - Invited to Apply
- Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe – $229,973
- OVC FY24 Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Formula Program - Invited to Apply
- Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe – $229,973
- OVC FY24 Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Formula Program - Invited to Apply
- Reno-Sparks Indian Colony – $229,973
- OVC FY24 Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Formula Program - Invited to Apply
- Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
- National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges – $600,000
- OJJDP FY24 National Youth Justice Training and Technical Assistance - Invited to Apply
- National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges – $600,000
- SMART Office
- Shoshone-Paiute Tribes – $343,966
- SMART FY 2024 Support for Adam Walsh Act Implementation Grant Program
- Nevada Department of Public Safety –$175,000
- SMART FY 2024 Support for Adam Walsh Act Implementation Grant Program
- Shoshone-Paiute Tribes – $343,966
- Bureau of Justice Statistics
- Nevada Department of Public Safety – $3,079,098
- BJS FY24 NICS Act Record Improvement Program NARIP – $2,413,463
- BJS FY24 National Criminal History Improvement Program – $665,635
- Nevada Department of Public Safety – $3,079,098
The awards announced above are being made as part of the regular end-of-fiscal year cycle. More information about these and other OJP awards can be found on the OJP Grant Awards Page.
About the Office of Justice Programs
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime; advance equity and fairness in the administration of justice; assist victims; and uphold the rule of law. More information about OJP and its program offices – the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office for Victims of Crime, and SMART Office – can be found at www.ojp.gov.
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- Bureau of Justice Assistance
Defendant Sentenced to over Eight Years for Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain More Than $1.8 Million in Covid-19 Cares Act Unemployment Insurance BenefitsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Today, federal inmate Jonathan Henry, age 32, was sentenced to 97 months imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release and restitution in the amount of $1,894,971 for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, relating to the submission of fraudulent CARES Act unemployment insurance benefits. Henry’s co-defendant, Kenneth Dodd, was previously sentenced to 42 months imprisonment for his role in the offense, which he will serve consecutively to previous sentences he is currently serving as a result of prior federal felony convictions. A third defendant, Jason Haddox, is scheduled to be sentenced on January 24, 2025.
The sentences are announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer of the National Capital Region U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General (“DOL-OIG”); and, Postal Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”) - Washington Division.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was a federal law enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Financial assistance offered through the CARES Act included expanded eligibility for Unemployment Insurance (“UI”) benefits and increased UI benefits through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program (“PUA”), Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (“FPUC”), and the Lost Wages Assistance Program (“LWAP”).
According to their plea agreements, during the time of the conspiracy, from March 22, 2020 through at least June 2021, Henry, Dodd and Haddox were inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix (“FCI Fort Dix”). Henry, Dodd Haddox and their co-conspirators (both inmates and outside individuals) submitted fraudulent online applications for UI benefits in Maryland and other states. Henry and other conspirators used the personal identifying information (“PII”) of identity theft victims in many of the applications. Based on the information in the fraudulent applications, the Maryland Department of Labor, which is responsible for processing applications for UI benefits in Maryland, issued prepaid debit cards in the names of the applicants and mailed them to addresses included on the applications, which were accessible to the conspirators. The defendants and their co-conspirators used the prepaid debit cards to withdraw money from ATMs and to make retail purchases.
Henry admitted that he used the PII of identity theft victims to submit approximately 191 fraudulent claims, the majority in Maryland but also in Washington, D.C., Virginia and North Carolina. Of the fraudulent claims submitted, 152 claims were paid, with an actual loss of approximately $1,894,971.
The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
United States Attorney Barron commended the DOL-OIG and the USPIS for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao/md.
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Crew Member Sentenced to 168 Months for Role in String of Gun-Point Robberies of South Asian Jewelry Stores That Netted MillionsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Timothy Marquette Conrad, 34, of Washington D.C., was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 168 months in federal prison for participating in a multi-state string of violent gun-point robberies of South Asian jewelry stores that netted millions of dollars in cash and gold for the 16-member crew, allegedly led by Trevor Wright, aka rapper “Taliban Glizzy.”
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg, of the Washington Field Office; FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado of the Newark Field Office, U.S. Marshal Peter Marketos of the United States Marshals Service, and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Conrad, aka “Twin,” pleaded guilty on May 30, 2024, to interfering with interstate commerce by robbery (aka Hobbs Act robbery) and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. In his plea, Conrad accepted responsibility for four robberies that took place in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered Conrad to serve 48 months of supervised release.
According to court documents, over the course of 18 months, Conrad and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to rob multiple South Asian jewelry stores, across multiple states, of heavy gold jewelry. The conspiracy began in January 2022 and continued until August 2023, ending only when several of the co-conspirators, including Conrad, were charged and arrested. Before they were apprehended the co-conspirators robbed at least ten jewelry stores of millions of dollars in jewelry, terrorizing multiple victims and leaving behind a wake of destruction and financial loss.
Conrad was arrested on August 30, 2023. Officers executed a search warrant at a residence associated with him in NW D.C., whereupon they recovered a Glock 23 .40 caliber pistol equipped with a machine-gun conversion device; and an AK-Style 7.62 x 39mm rifle.
When he pleaded guilty, Conrad accepted responsibility for his involvement in the November 10, 2022, armed robbery of an estimated $1 million in gold from Baral Jewelers and Gift Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; the November 27, 2022 armed robbery of an estimated $100,000 in gold from Sara Jewelry in Jersey City, New Jersey; the December 22, 2022 armed robbery of an estimated $400,000 in gold jewelry at Chintamanis Inc. in Franklin Park, New Jersey; and the August 4, 2023 armed robbery of an estimated $150,000 in gold from Jolie Jewelry in Washington, D.C.
From surveillance footage taken during the robbery of Baral Jewelers in Harrisburg.
In the aftermath of the Chintamanis robbery, Conrad and his co-conspirators fled the scene at high speed, colliding with another vehicle, and ultimately killing one of the co-conspirators, who police found in the backseat of the getaway vehicle along with two loaded firearms, a hammer, a duffel bag, and stolen gold jewelry from Chintamanis.
This case was investigated by the ATF, FBI Washington Field Office, FBI Newark Field Office, U.S. Marshals, and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sitara Witanachchi and Andrea Duvall.
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Convicted Felon Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A convicted felon has been sentenced on drug and gun charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Steven Schrank.
U.S. District Court Judge Anna Manasco sentenced Eric Damone Wilson, aka “Hector,” 35, of Hoover, to 180 months in prison for two counts of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Wilson went to trial in May but pleaded guilty after the government rested its case.
According to court documents, on two separate occasions in April 2022, Wilson distributed methamphetamine at a gas station on Green Springs Highway in Birmingham and at his apartment in Hoover. Upon Wilson’s arrest for those drug-trafficking offenses, officers found him to be in possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl, digital scales, money from the previous sale of methamphetamine, and a pistol.
HSI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison Garnett and Brittany Byrd prosecuted the case.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to Almost Six Years for Illegal Possession of AR-15 Rifle and Other FirearmsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Rashad Dominic Griggs, 36, of Hickory, N.C., was sentenced today to 70 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Reed Baer of the Hickory Police Department (HPD), join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, on August 20, 2022, HPD officers responded to a call for service following reports that Griggs was waving a gun at his girlfriend. The officers knew Griggs had active warrants for his arrest for violating a domestic violence protection order and carrying a concealed firearm. Upon arriving at the location, Griggs emerged from the residence and was arrested on the existing warrants. Following a search of the residence, HPD officers found a white powdery substance that was later lab tested and confirmed to be fentanyl. In addition, officers recovered multiple firearms from the residence, including an AR-15 type rifle, multiple magazines including a drum magazine with shotgun rounds, and multiple rounds of ammunition. The officers knew Griggs had prior convictions and was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. Court records show that Griggs pleaded guilty to a state offense and was placed on probation.
According to court documents, on June 28, 2023, law enforcement conducted a search of the defendant’s home pursuant to his probation terms. During the search, law enforcement found a rifle magazine loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition, a pistol, and multiple rounds of ammunition. During an interview with law enforcement, Griggs acknowledged that he had obtained a pistol approximately seven to eight months prior and stated that he kept the firearm for protection.
On May 16, 2024, Griggs pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. He remains in federal custody until he is transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI and HPD for their investigation of the case, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, Community Supervision, for their invaluable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Regina Pack and Alfredo De La Rosa of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte 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.
Colombian National Admits Conspiracy to Import 15 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Colombian citizen admitted conspiring to import 15 kilograms of cocaine into the United States from Columbia, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Savier Cervantes, 37, of Cartagena, Colombia, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin in Newark federal court on Sept. 30, 2024, to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to import cocaine.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In December 2021, Cervantes facilitated the transfer of five kilograms cocaine from a source of supply in Colombia to a U.S. citizen, Antonio Diaz, and helped to arrange for the transportation of that cocaine from Cartagena to New Jersey. Diaz previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
In June and July 2022, Cervantes introduced a U.S. citizen, Bashimi Briscoe, to two individuals in Columbia who, between them, sold Briscoe 10 kilograms of cocaine, and arranged a meeting with a third individual who offered to transport that cocaine to the United States. Briscoe previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States.
The count to which Cervantes pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million dollars. Sentencing is scheduled for March 12, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, in New York, and special agents of the DEA operating in Colombia, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron L. Webman of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
cervantes.information.pdfChicago Lab Owner Pleads Guilty to $14 Million Covid-19 Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The owner of a Chicago laboratory has pleaded guilty in federal court for his role in a COVID-19 testing fraud scheme.
ZISHAN ALVI, 45, of Inverness, Ill., owned and operated a laboratory in Chicago that performed testing for Covid-19. From February 2021 through February 2022, Alvi caused claims to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for Covid-19 tests that were not performed as billed. As part of the scheme, the laboratory released negative test results to patients, even though the laboratory either had not actually tested the specimens or the results were inconclusive. Alvi knew that the laboratory was releasing negative results for tests that were not performed or were inconclusive, but still caused the laboratory to submit claims to HRSA for those tests. HRSA paid the laboratory more than $14 million as a result of the fraudulent claims Alvi caused to be submitted to HRSA.
Alvi pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of wire fraud, which is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 7, 2025, by U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr. in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
The guilty plea was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Nicole M. Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Chad Yarbrough, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Mario Pinto, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Hasten and Misty Wright of the Northern District of Illinois, and Claire T. Sobczak, Trial Attorney of the Department of Justice's Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
u.s._v._alvi_-_plea_agreement.pdfBrookline Hospital to Pay up to $6.5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Liability Concerning Kickback AllegationsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – First Psychiatric Planners, Inc. d/b/a Bournewood Health Systems and Bournewood Hospital (Bournewood) has agreed to pay at least $5.5 million and up to $6.5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the federal and Massachusetts False Claims Acts. According to court documents, Bournewood provided free sober housing to substance use recovery patients enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid to induce these patients to participate in Bournewood’s Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) in violation of the federal and Massachusetts Anti-Kickback Statutes. Bournewood frequently sent recovery patients to sober homes whose owners and operators engaged in unlawful behavior and exploited vulnerable recovery patients.
Bournewood is a behavioral health organization that provides inpatient and outpatient mental health and dual diagnosis care for adults and adolescents in Brookline with offices in Dedham and Woburn, Mass. Bournewood’s PHP is a month-long outpatient therapy program providing substance use treatment and psychiatric care to patients after they complete rehabilitation in an inpatient detoxification facility.
According to the settlement agreement, Bournewood admits and acknowledges that from at least Sept. 16, 2013 through May 31, 2022, it contracted with sober homes to house patients of Bournewood’s PHP receiving federal or Massachusetts health care program benefits. Bournewood only paid housing fees to sober homes on behalf of a patient if that patient enrolled in and attended Bournewood’s PHP. Bournewood did not require a patient to be homeless or housing insecure to receive sober housing in exchange for their attendance at Bournewood’s PHP. Once a patient ceased attending the PHP, Bournewood stopped paying the sober home costs for those patients, regardless of the patients’ financial condition, housing status or housing availability.
The three largest sober homes that Bournewood contracted with were Steps to Solutions, Inc., Brady’s Place and Recovery Education Services, who collectively housed 79% of Bournewood’s PHP patients. In May 2024, a federal jury in Boston found the owner and operator of Steps to Solutions, Inc. liable for sexual harassment and retaliation against tenants of his sober homes, in violation of the Fair Housing Act and awarded seven victims a combined total of $3.8 million. In May 2023, the United States Attorney’s Office announced a 37-count indictment against the manager of Brady’s Place for his participation in a fraud scheme. In 2019, the owner and operator of Recovery Education Services, Inc. pleaded guilty to a 36-count indictment brought by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office related to his management of the sober home which included former Bournewood PHP patients. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in state prison.
The federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare and other federally funded programs. The statute is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients. The United States and Massachusetts contend that the claims that Bournewood submitted, or caused to be submitted, to Medicare and Medicaid were false because Bournewood’s payment in the form of free sober housing induced vulnerable patients not only to enroll in Bournewood’s PHP, but to regularly attend and remain with the PHP, in violation of the AKS.
“Unlawful kickbacks can corrupt medical judgment, jeopardize patients’ health and create an uneven playing field for companies that play by the rules,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Our office remains committed to investigating and holding companies that pay kickbacks accountable. As we continue to combat the opioid crisis, we need to focus on getting people services based on what will best aid their recovery, not based on amenities that providers use to lure vulnerable patients to increase profits. That’s especially so where the supposed amenities place patients at risk.”
“Kickback arrangements have no place in our health care system, and such allegations are particularly troubling when they involve the exploitation of vulnerable patients,” said Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “We are committed to protecting taxpayer-funded health care programs and the patients served by those programs, and we will continue to thoroughly investigate schemes that put patient safety at risk.”
“When medical providers put their own financial incentives over the wellbeing of their patients, vulnerable individuals in need of care are unfairly harmed,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. “My office and the USAO took action, and we’re proud to have reached a meaningful settlement as we continue to hold accountable those who unlawfully compromise patient care for profit.”
The resolution of this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.
Acting U.S. Attorney Levy, HHS-OIG SAC Coviello and AG Campbell made the announcement today. This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven T. Sharobem and Julien M. Mundele of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory J. Dorchak and Anuj K. Khetarpal of the Civil Rights Unit. Assistant Attorneys General Katie Cooper Davis and Mary-Ellen Kennedy handled the matter for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office’s Medicaid Fraud Division.
Bridgeport Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JERMEL BATES, also known as “Mel Kitty” and “Kitty,” 28, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 84 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking narcotics.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in the early morning hours of June 25, 2023, Bates crashed his vehicle into a parked car in Bridgeport and fled the scene on foot. Law enforcement conducted a search of Bates’ vehicle and found plastic bags containing numerous blue/green fentanyl pills stamped “M/30,” wax paper folds containing fentanyl and other controlled substances, and approximately 78 grams of crack cocaine. Bates was arrested later that day and charged with state offenses.
On March 19, 2024, Bates was arrested on a federal criminal complaint. In conjunction with his arrest, investigators searched his person and his Newfield Avenue apartment and found plastic bags with thousands of blue-green fentanyl pills stamped “M/30” and weighing more than 400 grams, hundreds of wax paper sleeves containing fentanyl, and a bag containing approximately 12 grams of crack cocaine.
Bates has been detained since his federal arrest. On May 10, 2024, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, including 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
This matter was investigated by the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, the Bridgeport Police Department, and the Norwalk Police Department. The Task Force is composed of personnel from the FBI, Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Trumbull Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Gordon.
In March 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA’s New England Field Division released a public service announcement warning of the danger of fentanyl and the proliferation of counterfeit prescription pills. Click here for more information.