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Tuesday 24 September 2024
Hidalgo resident imprisoned for conspiring to import 13 kilograms of cocaine into United StatesRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas - A 45-year-old man has been sentenced for his role in a conspiracy to import cocaine from Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Jesus Andres Tijerina pleaded guilty June 4.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Tijerina to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence regarding Tijerina’s supervisory role in the drug trafficking organization.
On Jan. 21, 2020, Tijerina’s co-conspirator, Simon Salazar, arrived in a vehicle at the Anzalduas Port of Entry from Mexico. Law enforcement referred the vehicle for secondary inspection where they discovered 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside the vehicle and wrapped in bundles.
Upon further investigation, authorities discovered Tijerina was providing instructions for where Salazar should go in Mexico and how to deliver the narcotics once in the United States.
Salazar, 36, previously pleaded guilty and received 25 months in federal prison for his role in the conspiracy.
Tijerina will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan prosecuted the case.
Founder and Former CEO of Artificial Intelligence Start-Up SKAEL Charged with Securities Fraud and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – A federal grand jury indicted Baba Nadimpalli, the founder and former Chief Executive Officer of SKAEL, Inc. (SKAEL), with securities and wire fraud for defrauding investors and misleading them about the company’s revenue, annual recurring revenue (ARR), and other financial and sales information.
According to an indictment filed Jan. 17, 2024 and unsealed Sept. 23, 2024, Nadimpalli, 41, a citizen of Australia who resided in San Francisco, Calif., founded SKAEL in 2016 and served as its Chief Executive Officer from 2016 until July 2022. SKAEL was a San Francisco-based, software-as-a-service (“Saas”) company that claimed to provide its corporate clients with artificial intelligence and automation software to assist customers with mundane, time-intensive tasks by building “Digital Employees,” which SKAEL claimed could connect databases, synthesize large amounts of information, provide information and insights, and perform tasks. SKAEL earned revenue by charging implementation fees for the building of Digital Employees and subscription fees for the use of the Digital Employees once they were built.
The indictment alleges that from January 2020 until about February 2022, SKAEL raised over $40 million in three rounds of financing. To induce prospective and existing investors to invest, Nadimpalli allegedly made false claims regarding SKAEL’s revenue and ARR (a measure of total revenue expected per year from committed customers with signed contracts, an important metric for investors), as well as customer and sales information. For example, in or around 2021, Nadimpalli allegedly provided materially false information to investors in advance of their investments in SKAEL, including representing that SKAEL was receiving ARR from certain companies that did not subscribe to SKAEL’s software and services; overstating ARR from certain customers who were SKAEL customers; and representing that customers who had terminated their SKAEL subscriptions were current customers with ARR.
The indictment further alleges that in or around February 2022, SKAEL raised approximately $30 million in a Series A preferred stock offering which valued SKAEL at approximately $230 million after closing. In connection with the stock offering, Nadimpalli allegedly directed the creation of an electronic data room for potential investors that contained (1) a spreadsheet that Nadimpalli maintained that contained materially false information about the company’s ARR and customers; (2) a materially false profit and loss statement; (3) a financial metrics spreadsheet that contained materially false subscription revenue and ARR amounts; and (4) an investor presentation that contained materially false information about the company’s ARR, revenue, and customer adoption.
As described in the indictment, in furtherance of the scheme, Nadimpalli provided an investor and a financial employee false bank account information that included purported customer payments that had not actually been deposited.
Nadimpalli is charged with three counts of securities fraud and seven counts of wire fraud. If convicted of securities fraud, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $5,000,000. If convicted of wire fraud, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp.
The case is being handled by the Corporate and Securities Fraud Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Noah Stern and Ilham Hosseini are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Mark DiCenzo. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI thank the San Francisco Regional Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which announced today a parallel civil enforcement action against Nadimpalli in the Northern District of California.
Baba Nadimpalli indictment
Former President of Beverly Hills-Based Publisher Found Guilty of Embezzling at Least $1.3 Million from Company and Its OwnerRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Ventura County woman has been found guilty by a jury of defrauding a Beverly Hills-based independent publishing company and its owner by embezzling at least $1.3 million from the company and the owner’s personal bank account over several years for her own personal expenses, including spa treatment, veterinary bills, and designer handbags.
Kimberly Ann Miletta, 51, of Ventura, was found guilty late Monday of three counts of wire fraud.
According to evidence presented at a five-day trial, from 2009 to 2018, Miletta was president of Phoenix Books, an independent book and audio publisher owned by a victim identified in court documents as “J.O.” As the president of Phoenix Books, Miletta had full control over the business, including its finances, but she only was authorized to use company funds to pay for legitimate business expenses.
From October 2013 to January 2018, Miletta embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars by using the company credit card – over which she had exclusive control – to pay for personal items, and then paid for the credit card bills out of the company’s owner’s personal bank account.
Miletta used the company credit card to pay for, among other things, personal spa treatments, designer handbags, high-end clothing, a multi-thousand-dollar mattress, and years’ worth of veterinary bills and pet products for her cats. Miletta fraudulently charged more than $185,000 worth of purchases at clothing and department stores to the company credit card. Miletta also made a fraudulent wire transfer out of the personal account of the company’s owner of nearly $1 million, which Miletta used to buy an ocean-view home in Ventura.
The jury found Miletta not guilty of two additional counts of wire fraud.
United States District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong scheduled a January 10, 2025, sentencing hearing, at which time Miletta will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count.
The FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jenna G. Williams of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Strike Force and Declan T. Conroy of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section are prosecuting this case.
Former Omaha Woman Sentenced for Theft from a Program Receiving Federal FundsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Carolynne R. Parker, also known as Carolynne R. Noffsinger, age 51, formerly of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced September 23, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for theft from a program receiving federal funds. Parker currently resides in Maineville, Ohio. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Parker to 21 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Parker’s release from prison, she will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
In imposing the sentence, Senior Judge Gerrard commented that in 24 years as a Judge, he had “never had anyone take less responsibility” for their actions than Parker.
In December 2017, a local family practice medical clinic, Fallbrook Family Health Center, hired Carolynne Parker as a consultant. Parker had reached out to the medical community advertising her consulting business – Acute Practice Solutions (APS).
As a consultant with the medical clinic, Parker assisted with a government program called CPC+, which provided medical practices with financial resources to improve quality of care and reduce the number of unnecessary services for patients. Parker’s responsibilities included reaching out and reminding patients to schedule preventative care appointments, as well as documenting and then reporting to the government that care so that the clinic would be reimbursed.
Parker’s consultant contract ended in March 2018. However, Parker expressed how much she enjoyed working at the clinic and, in July of 2018, was hired as the clinic’s chief operating officer (COO) to continue to expand the clinic’s value-based care practice, as well as handle general office management duties. The job duties included handling staffing issues, paying the bills, billing insurance, managing employee benefits, payroll, and general accounting.
As the COO, Parker had significant authority over the business of the clinic. For example, she exclusively did their payroll and banking.
In August of 2019, IRS agents showed up at the clinic and told the doctors they were behind on employment tax payments. Parker told the doctors she would fix the issue, telling them she had forgotten to send in a piece of paper. Concerned that the IRS generally did not stop by to pick up paperwork, staff members at the clinic became concerned about Parker’s activities. That same month, at a monthly staff meeting, Parker told the clinic they had $300,000 more in additional expenses then in the previous year and she could not explain why. Concerned about the state of the clinic’s finances under Parker, the Fallbrook’s owners asked for an explanation. Parker was unable to provide an answer and was terminated from her employment.
After Parker was terminated, several accountants were consulted to help run the business side of the clinic. Their review indicated that the clinic’s finances had been horribly mismanaged by Parker. Further investigation uncovered that Parker had repeatedly changed her salary over the course of her employment, at times inflating it by as much as 45%. Parker also directly deposited money from the clinic into her personal account without permission on multiple occasions. These transactions ranged from $500-$2,800. Finally, Parker continued to write checks to her consulting company, even though the contract had ended in March of 2018. The first fraudulent check was written by the defendant the day after the previous office manager left.
Investigators found a total of $27,800 in unauthorized direct deposits from the clinic to Parker, $16,608.38 in overpayment of wages, after Parker set her salary for payroll purposes higher than agreed upon and $64,960 in unauthorized checks written by Parker to her consulting firm for work that she never did. In sum, the evidence showed that the defendant stole $109,368.38 from the clinic. A review of Parker’s personal accounts showed most of the stolen funds were spent on travel or retail expenses such as clothes or coffee to benefit herself.
In addition to directly stealing from Fallbrook, Parker neglected to fulfill many of her job duties. At the time of her termination, she had run up around $50,000 in fines and penalties for the clinic payable to the IRS due to her non-payment of various taxes. She also left many other bills unpaid, leading several venders to terminate contracts with the clinic and attempt to send them to collection. Parker also did not bill insurance correctly and it is estimated that over a million dollars was withheld from Fallbrook for medical work done because of her actions.
Parker entered a plea of no-contest to the charges. Evidence was presented during the course of her sentencing hearing. In reviewing Parker’s version of the events, Senior Judge Gerrard observed that Parker was “incapable of telling the truth.”
At the time of her sentencing, Parker was working with a health care agency in Ohio, working with substance abuse patients.
This case was investigated by agents and investigators with the Lincoln Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, both of whom would remind local businesses to carefully divide office management duties and to rely on a series of checks and balances.
Former Ohio Municipal Prosecutor and Former Criminal Defendant Charged with Bribery ConspiracyRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed today charging two Ohio men with a bribery scheme in which a municipal prosecutor agreed to help a criminal defendant with his pending cases in exchange for auto repair work.
According to the indictment, Nicholas Graham, 52, of Warren, was a prosecutor who represented the City of Warren in Warren Municipal Court. Brian Votino, 52, of Niles, had two criminal cases pending in the same court. The indictment alleges that, in October 2019, Graham and Votino agreed that Graham would take action to benefit Votino with respect to Votino’s criminal cases in return for Votino performing repairs to Graham’s truck. To cover up the bribery arrangement, Graham instructed Votino through an intermediary to falsify a bill for the repair services and not to tell Votino’s criminal defense lawyer. According to the indictment, Graham and Votino ultimately carried out their agreement. In exchange for the repair work by Votino, Graham took official action to reduce the charges against Votino and advocated for a lenient sentence.
Graham and Votino are charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of honest services wire fraud, and one count of Hobbs Act extortion. If convicted of all counts, they each face a maximum penalty of 45 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio; and Special Agent in Charge Gregory D. Nelsen of the FBI Cleveland Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Cleveland Field Office is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Blake J. Ellison of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Morrison for the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Ohio Municipal Prosecutor and Former Criminal Defendant Charged with Bribery ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND - An indictment was unsealed charging two Ohio men with a bribery scheme in which a municipal prosecutor agreed to help a criminal defendant with his pending cases in exchange for auto repair work.
According to the indictment, Nicholas Graham, 52, of Warren, was a prosecutor who represented the City of Warren in Warren Municipal Court. Brian Votino, 52, of Niles, had two criminal cases pending in the same court. The indictment alleges that in October 2019, Graham and Votino agreed that Graham would take action to benefit Votino with respect to Votino’s criminal cases in return for Votino performing repairs to Graham’s truck. To cover up the bribery arrangement, Graham instructed Votino through an intermediary to falsify a bill for the repair services and not to tell Votino’s criminal defense lawyer. According to the indictment, Graham and Votino ultimately carried out their agreement. In exchange for the repair work by Votino, Graham took official action to reduce the charges against Votino and advocated for a lenient sentence.
Graham and Votino are charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of honest services wire fraud, and one count of Hobbs Act extortion. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 45 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio; and Special Agent in Charge Gregory D. Nelsen of the FBI Cleveland Division made the announcement.
The FBI Cleveland Division is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Blake J. Ellison of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Morrison for the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Case update Nov. 20, 2025:
Both defendants pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge in summer 2025. Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. imposed the following sentences:
- Nov. 19, 2025 – Graham was sentenced to 3 years of probation with the first 5 months to be served on home detention with electronic monitoring. He was also ordered to complete 120 hours of community service. Graham pleaded guilty on August 13, 2025.
- Nov. 14, 2025 – Votino was sentenced to 3 years of probation with the first 60 days to be served on home detention with electronic monitoring. He was also ordered to complete 160 hours of community service. Votino pleaded guilty on July 16, 2025.
Florida Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking Nearly a Dozen Women and GirlsRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Following a nine-day trial, a federal jury in the Southern District of Florida convicted Shannima Yuantrell Session, also known as Shalamar, 47, of Lake Placid, Florida, on 13 charges for sex trafficking nearly a dozen women and girls. Session compelled some of his victims to commit commercial sex acts between July 2011 and July 2013, and he compelled other victims to commit commercial sex acts between February 2016 and February 2019.
“Vindicating the rights of human trafficking victims and other vulnerable persons ranks among the highest priorities of our office,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “Human trafficking is a crime of exploitation. We will not allow human traffickers to prey upon others for profit, as humans are not commodities but rather demand our united protection. Our office’s dedicated prosecutors, victim witness coordinators, and support personnel will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to combat human trafficking and bring offenders to justice.”
“The defendant used despicable and horrific means to terrify and coerce nearly a dozen women and girls to engage in commercial sex,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to protecting vulnerable victims from such cruel exploitation. This prosecution reflects that commitment. It is a testament to the courageous young women who cooperated with law enforcement to expose, prosecute and hold accountable this defendant for the years of misery he inflicted on scores of women.”
“This verdict is a step towards justice for the nearly dozen victims who were forced by Shannima Yuantrell Session into sex trafficking and endured his reign of horrendous and abusive control,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “It is a testament to the cooperation and commitment of several law enforcement agencies including the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. We will continue working with these and other partners to dismantle human trafficking networks that operate in the shadows and brutalize their victims.”
Evidence presented during the trial established that Session made promises of legitimate work and housing assistance to women and girls struggling with unstable living accommodations, substance abuse and neglect or who otherwise led unstable lives. Session’s promises were often false and empty, designed to provide him the opportunity to learn about a victim’s vulnerabilities while misrepresenting himself as caring and empathetic. Session then exploited the victims’ vulnerabilities to compel their commercial sex acts in squalid trailers housing migrant workers or in local orange groves.
At times, Session used food and housing to control and coerce the victims. For example, he would not permit one of his victims to eat if the victim did not follow his instructions. Often, Session required his victims to engage in sexual activity with him after they had spent a night having compelled sexual intercourse with up to 18 men.
Further, the evidence presented during the trial demonstrated that Session resorted to extreme physical violence to compel and intimidate certain victims. He violently punched some of the victims in the back of their heads in order not to leave marks on their bodies. Once, Session dragged a victim to a shower and beat her in the back of her head with a metal nutcracker until she fell limp to the floor. Session also choked another victim to the point that she lost consciousness, beat another victim with a baseball bat and brutalized yet another so badly that her nose ring fell out due to the force of the assault. In addition, Session took multiple victims to a nearby lake, where he held their heads underwater and threatened to drown them if they did not do as he ordered.
The evidence also showed that Session used a firearm to intimidate and control his victims. He consistently kept a firearm in his possession, and frequently displayed it to victims or referred to it when talking with them. Once, Session pointed a firearm at a victim while he was driving and threatened to “kill” her after she asked him how he would feel if someone treated his daughter the way he treated her. Fearing for her life when Session stopped the car and began walking to the passenger side door, the victim jumped out of the car and ran towards nearby woods. In response, Session fired a shot into the air while he called out the victim’s name.
Finally, the evidence indicated that Session manipulated and took advantage of some victims’ substance abuse problems to compel their commercial sex services. For example, Session provided victims with cocaine and methamphetamine to give them sufficient energy to engage in commercial sex acts with multiple migrant men at nearby trailers.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 19. Session faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison as well as mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Miami Field Office, Ft. Pierce Resident Agency, investigated the case, with assistance from the Highlands County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Hoover for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Leah Branch and Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
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-14074.
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Felon Who Ran from the Police While Armed and Resisted Officers Sentenced to Serve Time in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who possessed a firearm as a felon was sentenced today to 57 months in federal prison.
Lawrence Lamar Newell, III, age 20, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 12, 2024 guilty plea to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. Newell had previously been convicted of burglary in the second degree and assault while displaying a dangerous weapon.
During a traffic stop, Newell, who was a passenger in a car, tried to run from police on foot. Newell and a law enforcement officer struggled on the ground and Newell tried, multiple times to reach for a gun located in his waistband. During the struggle, Newell retrieved the firearm from his waistband and continued to resist commands to drop the gun.
Newell was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Newell was sentenced to 57 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Newell is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.
Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 24-CR-00007.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Federal Jury Convicts Prairieville Man of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr., announced the conviction of Darryl Felder, age 43, of Prairieville, Louisiana. After a three-day trial before U.S. District Court Judge John W. deGravelles, the jury unanimously convicted Felder of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.
As the evidence at trial demonstrated, over an 8-day period in January 2023, Felder enticed an undercover agent whom he believed to be 15 years old, to engage in sexual activity using cell phones and the internet.
As a result of his conviction, Felder now faces a minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of life.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation for the Office of the Attorney General and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul L. Pugliese and Stephen Vick.
Federal Court Permanently Shuts Down Illinois Tax PreparerRead the Press Release
A federal court in the Northern District of Illinois today permanently enjoined Joliet, Illinois, tax return preparer Sir Michael Joseph Davenport and his company My Unity Tax Financial & Tax Preparation LLC (My Unity Tax) from preparing federal tax returns for others and from owning or operating any tax return preparation businesses in the future. Davenport agreed to the permanent injunction entered against him and his business.
The civil complaint filed in the case alleges that Davenport and his company prepared false and fraudulent federal tax returns to improperly reduce the customers’ tax liabilities or to obtain tax refunds to which the customers are not entitled. The complaint alleges that Davenport and My Unity Tax routinely prepared tax returns for customers reporting fictitious businesses for customers, minimal or no income and large fabricated or manipulated expenses to fraudulently reduce taxable income. As alleged in the complaint, in most cases these businesses did not exist.
The complaint also alleges that, despite being issued a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) by the IRS, Davenport operated as a “ghost preparer” by not signing customers’ tax returns, nor did he identify himself as the paid preparer by reporting his PTIN on the returns he prepared for paying customers. As further alleged by the United States, Davenport and My Unity Tax used software programs intended for personal rather than professional use to prepare their clients’ tax returns, so when the returns were filed, it appeared that customers filed the returns themselves.
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 warns taxpayers to avoid ghost preparers and lists other improper acts that tax preparers engage in to take advantage of their unsuspecting customers.
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.
Davenport Stipulated judgment PI.pdfFederal Agents Seize and Shut Down Royal Inn Hotel in Phoenix Due to Drug Trafficking and Other Unlawful ActivitiesRead the Press Release
Owner, Operator, and Corporate Entity Charged with Travel Act violations, Money Laundering, and Maintaining a Drug Premises
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Marshal Service, in coordination with the Phoenix Police Department, executed search and seizure warrants at the Royal Inn hotel, located at 2510 West Palo Verde Drive in Phoenix. Federal agents seized control of the hotel and shut down its operations due to widespread prostitution and drug trafficking activities that have gone unabated by its owners and operators.
Also today, the United States District Court unsealed a 44-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on September 17, 2024, against the Royal Inn’s owner, operator, and corporate entity, among others. Specifically:
- Varsha Patel, 56, of Chino Hills, California, the owner of Royal Inn, was charged with two counts of Using a Facility of Interstate Commerce in Aid of Racketeering, one count of Maintaining a Drug Premises, and 34 counts of Promotional Money Laundering. Varsha Patel was also charged with multiple counts of Making False Statements to Obtain a Small Business Administration Loan.
- Sarang Hospitality LLC, aka Royal Inn, the Arizona corporation through which the hotel does business, was similarly charged with two counts of Using a Facility of Interstate Commerce in Aid of Racketeering, one count of Maintaining a Drug Premises, and 34 counts of Promotional Money Laundering.
- Nilam Patel, 54, of Phoenix, the live-in operator and day-to-day manager of the Royal Inn, was also charged with two counts of Using a Facility of Interstate Commerce in Aid of Racketeering, one count of Maintaining a Drug Premises, and 34 counts of Promotional Money Laundering.
- Four other individuals were charged with Distribution of Fentanyl and Methamphetamine for drug dealing at the Royal Inn: Anthony Curtis, 42, of Buckeye; Otis Childers, 31, of Phoenix; Chauntelle Mills, 24, of Phoenix; and Leonardo Guerrero, 49, of Phoenix.
The indictment alleges that defendants Varsha Patel, Nilam Patel, and Sarang Hospitality LLC, operated the Royal Inn by primarily renting rooms to individuals engaging in prostitution and drug dealing. From 2017 through September 2024, these defendants used the funds they obtained from the Royal Inn room rentals to maintain and promote the Royal Inn’s operations; pay the mortgage on personal property located in Chino Hills, California; fund certificates of deposit; purchase life insurance policies; and pay for their own personal expenses.
The indictment further alleges that Varsha Patel, Nilam Patel, and Sarang Hospitality LLC were aware that most activities at the Royal Inn were illegal acts of prostitution, drug dealing, and drug using. Over the course of several years, Phoenix Police Department officials repeatedly informed these three defendants of the drug dealing and prostitution activities on the property, of the hundreds of calls for service local police received, and of the need to abate the criminal activities taking place. Despite having been served with multiple abatement letters, these defendants continued to operate the Royal Inn to intentionally facilitate and profit from the criminal activities occurring on the premises. This included: renting rooms to persons who overtly engaged in prostitution, and to persons who distributed illegal drugs; directing the sex workers to attract sex buyers off the property, and to walk separate from the sex buyer while going to the room; directing the sex workers, pimps, and drug dealers to park off the property; alerting sex workers, pimps, and drug dealers of law enforcement presence; failing to request a credit card, together with a government-issued identification, in order to rent a room; failing to evict persons engaged in prostitution and drug dealing, thereby allowing lengthy stays at the Royal Inn without detection; and failing to call the police when criminal activities were occurring.
A conviction for Using a Facility of Interstate Commerce in Aid of Racketeering carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A conviction for Maintaining a Drug Premises carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. A conviction for Promotional Money Laundering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. A conviction for Making False Statements to Obtain a Small Business Administration Loan carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A conviction for Distribution of Fentanyl and Methamphetamine carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
An indictment is simply a method by which a person or entity is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. A criminal defendant is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshal Service, and Phoenix Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gayle Helart and Patrick Chapman, United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, are handling the prosecution.
indictment_royal_inn.pdf
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-01529-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-127_PatelFayette County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – John Gray, 39, of Oak Hill, pleaded guilty today to distribution of a quantity of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 28, 2023, Gray sold approximately 2 pounds of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Oak Hill. Gray admitted to the transaction and further admitted to selling approximately 848 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Oak Hill on May 1, 2023.
Gray also admitted to selling 3 grams of fentanyl on May 3, 2024, and another 3 grams of fentanyl on May 6, 2024, each time to a confidential informant in Oak Hill. During a March 1, 2024, interview with law enforcement officers, Gray admitted that he had been distributing approximately 3 grams of fentanyl three times per week from April 2023 until his arrest in March 2024.
Gray is scheduled to be sentenced on January 24, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and the Central Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-31.
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Elmo man sentenced to three years in prison for defrauding Social Security Administration by stealing deceased mother’s benefits; lying to personally receive fundsRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — A federal judge today sentenced an Elmo man to three years in prison and ordered $95,722 restitution for stealing his deceased mother’s Social Security benefits and underreporting his income and assets to receive Social Security Administration benefits, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The defendant, Gerry Alen Albus, 64, pleaded guilty in May to theft of government money and Social Security fraud as indicted.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided. The court also ordered three years of supervised release after incarceration. Albus was ordered to self-report to the Bureau of Prisons.
In court documents, the government alleged that in May 2015, Albus was approved to receive Supplemental Security Income benefits from SSA and was advised of his legal obligation to accurately report his income, resources and household composition. In October 2016, Albus reported to SSA that he had moved to Elmo, lived alone and paid rent to his landlord, when in fact, he did not pay rent and his landlord was his romantic partner. In 2017, Albus and his partner converted his partner’s property into a dog grooming business.
The government further alleged that Albus did not disclose his ownership interest in property he co-owned in Florida with his mother or proceeds from the sale of the property in June 2017. Albus’ mother died in March 2017, but SSA continued to send her monthly payments until it learned of her death through this investigation. From March 2017 until November 2021, Albus took his mother’s SSA payments and used them for his personal expenses. Albus also failed to report other assets, including three vehicles, several bank accounts and proceeds from the dog grooming business.
In a May 2022 interview with SSA special agents, Albus admitted he took his mother’s benefits after her death because he felt he was “entitled” to them. SSA determined Albus received approximately $60,627 in SSI benefits for which he was ineligible and stole an additional $59,535 in SSA funds intended for his mother.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The SSA Office of Inspector General and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation.
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Eighth Defendant Sentenced in Meth Conspiracy Tied to Officer’s MurderRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – An Appalachia, Virginia man, who participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine tied to the murder of Big Stone Gap, Virginia Police Officer Michael Chandler, was sentenced today in federal court in the Western District of Virginia.
Christopher Bates, 31, was sentenced today to 78 months in federal prison. Bates is the eighth defendant to be sentenced for his role in the conspiracy.
Previously sentenced for their role in the conspiracy were: Timothy Ray Jones - 235 months; Charles Ryan Bowman 120 months; Elicia Amber Burns 172 months; James Brian Mullins 180 months; Justin Dwayne Skaggs 132 months; Tyler Lee Westmoreland 54 months; and James Ray Worley 120 months.
A total of 19 defendants have been charged for conspiring to distribute more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine, as well as heroin and fentanyl. According to court documents, beginning in August 2021 and continuing until their arrest, the 19 defendants participated in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine from Tennessee and other states into southwest Virginia, and then further distribute it throughout Wise County, Virginia.
Tragically, at approximately 4:00 a.m. on November 13, 2021, Officer Chandler responded to a welfare check call at 2505 Orr Street in Big Stone Gap. This address, known locally as “the red house,” was well-known to police and often the subject of calls for service for civil disturbances, warrant service, welfare checks, overdoses, complaints of assaults, and drug-related activities.
Upon arriving at the Orr Street address, Officer Chandler encountered a vehicle outside the residence and was immediately shot by Michael Donivan White. Officer Chandler died later that evening from his injuries. White was later located at a motel in Kingsport, Tennessee and a subsequent search of the motel room revealed a Taurus, 9mm pistol. Further testing ultimately proved this firearm to be the same one that fired the shots that killed Officer Chandler. Michael Donivan White was indicted on federal charges for killing Officer Chandler and has since pled guilty. White is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in Abingdon on November 20, 2024.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanagh, and James VanVliet, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The investigation of this case is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Virginia State Police, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Norton Virginia Police Department, the Kingsport Tennessee Police Department, the Big Stone Gap Police Department, the Wise County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the East Tennessee Drug Task Force, and the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force, which is comprised of investigators from the Virginia State Police, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Wise County Sheriff’s Office, City of Norton Police Department, and Big Stone Gap Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena L. Busscher is prosecuting the case.
Court Sentences Mobile Woman to 2 Years Imprisonment for Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On September 20, 2024, United States District Court Judge Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Elizabeth Elaine Pemberton to 24 months imprisonment for Possession of a Firearm as a Convicted Felon.
Documents filed with the Court established that on August 5, 2022, the Bayou La Batre Police Department (BLBPD) was assisting the Mobile Police Department (MPD) in the arrest of two individuals in their area that had active felony warrants, to include Pemberton.
BLBPD officers attempted to stop a vehicle in which Pemberton was a passenger. This resulted in a high-speed chase which ended when the vehicle being pursued attempted to make a sharp right turn and wrecked into a ditch. Officers later located a Taurus 9mm handgun in the vehicle near where Pemberton was seated. Pemberton admitted that she was in possession of the weapon. The weapon was determined to be stolen. Pemberton also had a small amount of methamphetamine in her possession. Pemberton had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses: Burglary Third Degree, on or about July 21, 2014; Felony Obstruction of Justice, on or about July 21, 2014; and Possession of a Controlled Substance, on or about July 21, 2014. All felony convictions were prosecuted in the Circuit Court of Mobile County. The Taurus handgun was not manufactured in the state of Alabama and thus affected interstate commerce by its transportation into the state of Alabama.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, the City of Mobile Police Department and the City of Bayou La Batre Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
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 U.S. Department of Justice 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.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to 40 Months in Federal Prison for the Possession of Firearms, Ammunition, Machineguns and Homemade SilencersRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Jaffrey man was sentenced yesterday in federal court for firearm offenses, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Luke Czekalski, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya McCafferty to 40 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release. On June 3, 2024, Czekalski pleaded guilty to possession of firearms which were not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
“The defendant lost his right to possess firearms when he was convicted of a prior felony. Undeterred, he possessed an arsenal in his basement which included firearms, ammunition, and loaded magazines. The National Firearm Act has additional specific prohibitions regarding the possession of machine guns and silencers, which the defendant also had in his residence,” said U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young. “Law enforcement in the District of New Hampshire will continue to use all resources available to remove illegal weapons from the streets and out of the hands of felons.”
"Illegally possessed firearms continue to pose significant challenges for law enforcement, especially with the growing threat of firearms illegally modified for fully automatic fire," said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Boston Field Division. "Through collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we are committed to identifying, targeting, and removing these illegal weapons to enhance the safety of our communities and protect the public."
In November 2022, New Hampshire state parole officers conducted an unannounced visit at the defendant’s residence in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. The defendant was on parole following his release from custody for a prior felony conviction. While the parole officers conducted their search, they encountered several bins in the basement that contained firearms, ammunition, loaded magazines, as well as body armor and other miscellaneous items. Members of the Jaffrey Police Department then provided additional assistance, leading to the seizure of eight homemade firearms and five homemade silencers in addition to assorted ammunition. After testing, three of the firearms displayed fully automatic firing capabilities during test fires, thus making them “machineguns” under federal law.
The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and the Jaffrey Police Department led the investigation. The New Hampshire Department of Corrections’ Division of Field Services and New Hampshire Forensic Laboratory provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau is prosecuting the case.
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Convicted Felon Found Guilty of Shooting a Transgender VictimRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Superior Court jury, today, found Jerry Tyree, 46, of Washington, D.C., guilty of aggravated assault while armed for shooting the victim on November 29, 2023, in the 5900 block of Foote Street NE, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The jury found Tyree guilty, following a two-week trial, of one count of aggravated assault while armed, one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, two counts of felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of attempted possession of liquid PCP. Tyree faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years incarceration for aggravated assault while armed. The Honorable Judge Errol Arthur scheduled sentencing for December 13, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, the defendant met the victim at the intersection of Eastern Avenue NE and Foote Street NE shortly before 2:00 p.m., on November 29, 2023. After negotiating a price for oral sex, the defendant and the victim walked together into a nearby apartment building, where the victim performed oral sex on the defendant. The defendant then accused the victim of robbing him, and when she denied doing so, the defendant pulled out a small silver handgun and shot the victim directly in the penis before leaving the scene. Police were called by a neighbor and the victim was transported to the hospital, where she underwent multiple surgeries.
A month later, on December 30, 2023, the defendant was arrested in possession of that same small silver handgun less than a mile from the shooting and in possession of several vials, including one that was partially filled with suspected PCP. Tyree was identified as the shooter from November 29, 2023, based on an identification procedure, ballistics evidence, and DNA evidence connecting him to the scene.
The defendant was convicted in 2005 of voluntary manslaughter and use of a firearm during a crime of violence in Maryland, and in 2022 of attempted possession with intent to distribute PCP, in Washington, DC.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Cocuzza and Daniel Bromwich.
Columbia Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Assaulting a Deputy U.S. MarshalRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Johnny Mercer Vanover, 49, of Columbia was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to assault on a federal employee.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on June 29, 2023, officers with the South Carolina Department of Corrections transported Vanover to federal court in Columbia to be arraigned on federal charges. When Vanover arrived, a Deputy U.S. Marshal asked him to turn around so his restraints could be removed. Vanover refused to comply, and a deputy placed a hand on Vanover’s shoulder to turn him around and access his restraints. Vanover resisted and began cursing and yelling. He also clinched his fists and told one of the deputies, “I’ll eat you up.” Deputies assisted Vanover to the ground and during the struggle, Vanover bit one deputy on the bicep causing bleeding. The bitten Deputy U.S. Marshal was admitted to the hospital and released with minor injuries.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Vanover to 30 months imprisonment, to be followed by a two-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case.
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Columbia Man Sentenced for Firearm Offense After a Call from a Concerned CitizenRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Marquise Edward Carolina, 32, of Columbia was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison after pleading guilty being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on Aug. 11, 2019, the City of Columbia Police Department received a call from a concerned citizen who reported that a man dressed in all black, driving a black vehicle, was waiving a gun around at a local apartment complex in the middle of the day. Officers responded to the scene and observed Carolina wearing all black in the front passenger’s seat of a black sedan. Officers searched Carolina and found a loaded pistol in his pants.
Carolina has prior convictions for attempted armed robbery, kidnapping, burglary, possession of cocaine, and possession of crack cocaine, all of which prevent him from carrying a firearm under federal law. Additionally, Carolina has convictions for assault and battery 3rd degree and domestic violence 3rd degree.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Carolina to 63 months imprisonment, to be followed by a two-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the City of Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case.
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Co-Conspirator Sentenced to 210 Months for His Role in Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Gary Don McElroy, 55, for Drug Conspiracy. Judge Russell ordered McElroy to 210 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.
According to court documents, in October 2023, Tulsa Police officers conducted a routine traffic stop due to an expired tag. McElroy was a passenger in the vehicle and the driver did not have a valid driver’s license or insurance. During the traffic stop, officers observed a large box containing small baggies of white crystal substance. While officers conducted their investigation, the driver sped off. After a short pursuit, McElroy and the driver were detained. Officers found drug paraphernalia and discovered the box was thrown out of the vehicle during the pursuit.
It was later determined that both McElroy and the driver had more than 110 grams of fentanyl and more than 2,760 grams of methamphetamine. McElroy will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The driver is McElroy’s cousin and was charged as a co-defendant. Shelly Annette McElroy, 53, of Tulsa, was sentenced last month for her involvement in the Drug Conspiracy. Judge Russell ordered McElroy to 292 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.
Drug Enforcement Administration and the Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam McConney and Niko Boulieris prosecuted the case.
Burlington County Man Charged with Drug and Firearm CrimesRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Burlington County, New Jersey, man has been charged with drug and firearm offenses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Daniel Garcia Jr., 27, of Maple Shade, is charged by complaint with possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. His initial court appearance will be scheduled for a later date.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On June 23, 2024, at approximately 12:35 p.m., Garcia and another individual rushed a minor to the hospital because the minor was not breathing, was having seizures, drooling, and unresponsive. The minor was treated at the hospital and was later flown to a children’s hospital, where care continued. Drug screening tests for the minor were positive for benzodiazepine, fentanyl, and cocaine. Medical personnel at the children’s hospital informed law enforcement officers that the minor had been administered benzodiazepine and fentanyl during treatment, but that cocaine had not been administered. A doctor at the children’s hospital also informed law enforcement officers that the minor’s symptoms, including seizure, cardiac arrest, and cardiac arrythmia, were all symptoms of a cocaine overdose.
On June 24, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Garcia’s residence and found cash, drug packaging paraphernalia and an envelope containing both 9mm and .357 magnum ammunition. On June 25, 2024, a search of a vehicle that Garcia had been seen operating revealed a laundry bag that contained $150,000 cash, 329.1 grams of methamphetamine, 767 grams of cocaine, 41 amphetamine tablets, 102 alprazolam tablets, 272 oxycodone tablets, 2.6 grams of MDMA powder, 1,341 grams of marijuana, 9.9 grams of psilocin and psilocybin mushrooms, 192 grams of crystalline cutting agents commonly used for illegal drug preparation, three digital scales, drug packaging material, two 9mm handguns and a .357 magnum revolver. The three firearms were loaded. Law enforcement officers also reviewed surveillance video from the apartment complex that showed Garcia returning to the apartment after leaving the hospital and placing the laundry bag inside the trunk of the vehicle.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute over 50g of methamphetamine carries a minimum statutory term of 10 years, a maximum statutory term of life, and a maximum fine of $10 million. The charge of being a felon in possession of firearms carries a maximum statutory term of 15 years and a maximum fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz, with the investigation. U.S. Attorney Sellinger also thanked the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw, and the Maple Shade Police Department, under the direction of Chief Christopher Fletcher.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew B. Johns of the Criminal Division in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
garcia.complaint.pdfBulgarian National Admits Assaulting ICE Deportation OfficerRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Bulgarian national today admitted assaulting a U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation officer, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Vasil Petrov, 40, of Bulgaria, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen Williams in Camden federal court to an information charging him with one count of assaulting a federal officer and inflicting bodily injury.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Dec. 27, 2023, Petrov was in the lawful custody of ICE at an ICE facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, pending removal from the United States. While being processed for removal, Petrov struck the deportation officer in the chin with a closed fist. As a result of Petrov’s assault, the deportation officer sustained bodily injury, including a laceration on his chin that required liquid stitches.
The charge to which Petrov pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chana Y. Zuckier of the OCDETF Unit in Newark.
petrov.information.pdfBox Elder man admits assaulting woman with knife on Rocky Boy’s Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Box Elder man on Monday admitted to assaulting a woman by cutting her face with a knife during an argument on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
The defendant, Colten Tyrone Small, also known as Colton Swan, 24, pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Small faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on each charge.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Jan. 29, 2025. Small was detained pending further proceedings.
In court documents, the government alleged that in the early morning hours of May 3, 2023, Small punched the victim, identified as Jane Doe, in the face while he held a butcher knife in a residence in Box Elder, on the Rocky Boy’s Reservation. A witness to the assault told law enforcement that Small sliced Doe’s face in the residence. Small and Doe argued, and the fight got more aggressive. After Small cut Doe’s face, the witness beat up Small. There was some fentanyl and alcohol use occurring at the time. Doe was treated for facial injuries from the knife at Northern Montana Hospital.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI and Rocky Boy’s Law Enforcement investigated the case.
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Birmingham Man Sentenced to 5 ½ Years in Prison on Fentanyl ChargeRead the Press Release
ANNISTON, Ala. – A Birmingham man has been sentenced for a fentanyl-related drug crime, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Hofer.
U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze sentenced Demarcus Hill, 42, to 66 months in prison. In April, Hill was convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to evidence presented at trial, Hill and his co-defendant, JT Toombs, drove from Birmingham to Atlanta, Georgia, where they picked up over 2000 fentanyl pills to bring back to Birmingham. During the return trip, an Oxford Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle on Interstate 20. His canine detected the odor of narcotics, and the officer discovered the fentanyl pills during a search of the vehicle.
The DEA investigated the case along with the Oxford Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Byrd prosecuted the case.
Billings man admits arranging for commercial sex with minor girl in undercover investigationRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Billings man accused of texting with undercover law enforcement to arrange for sex with a minor girl and showing up at an agreed-upon location admitted to a racketeering crime today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The defendant, Christopher Lynn Cliburn, 60, pleaded guilty to use of facility in interstate commerce in aid of racketeering as charged in a superseding information. Cliburn faces a maximum of five 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. Cliburn was detained pending further proceedings.
In court documents, the government alleged that on Nov. 16, 2023, law enforcement placed an ad on a website depicting a fictious 14-year-old girl. The ad suggested that the “girl” was willing to engage in sexual conduct for money. On Nov. 19, 2023, a phone number, later connected to Cliburn, responded to the ad. Cliburn and an undercover officer then engaged in a series of text communications in which the parties discussed meeting for commercial sex, potential sexual acts that the “girl” would perform and how much money Cliburn had. On Nov. 20, 2023, Cliburn indicated he was at the agreed-upon location in Billings and confirmed his presence by sending law enforcement a photograph.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.
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 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 Justice.gov/PSC.
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Belleville Woman Facing PPP Loan Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A Belleville woman is accused of falsely applying for, accepting and spending more than $20,000 in PPP funds for personal expenses.
A federal grand jury charged Felicia D. Harris, 44, with four counts of interstate transportation of a security obtained by fraud. She is employed at the U.S. National Geospatial Agency in St. Louis.
In response to financial hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Small Business Administration utilized the Paycheck Protection Program to offer relief and forgivable loans to struggling businesses. Under PPP, business owners could apply for loans to offset operational costs for payroll, employee benefits, facility expenses and other bills.
“Individuals who are employed by the federal government yet seek to steal from federally funded programs by using false pretenses and enrich themselves with PPP loan funds will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe.
According to court documents, Harris is accused of receiving $20,614 in PPP funds she was not entitled to in February through May 2021. She then used misinformation to apply for loan forgiveness and was approved.
“This outcome demonstrates the DoD Office of Inspector General's Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Office of Inspector General, and our investigative partners' steadfast commitment to ensuring DoD employees abide by the law," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Settle, DCIS Southwest Field Office. "Accountability and integrity are expected of individuals employed by the U.S. Government."
An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
Convictions of interstate transportation of a security obtained by fraud are punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment and fines up to $250,000.
This case represents a crackdown on southern Illinois residents who defrauded the PPP loan program. Last month, three federal employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs were indicted in the Southern District of Illinois on PPP loan fraud charges.
Defense Criminal Investigative Service agents are leading the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Verseman is prosecuting the case.
Attorney pleads guilty in drug-trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Matthew Taylor Morris, 38, a local attorney and resident of Virginia Beach, pled guilty to his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of marijuana.
According to court documents, beginning in at least January 2021, Donald Thomas Rogers, 35, of Portsmouth, the owner of a Federal Firearm Licensee (FFL), allegedly became involved in the interstate trafficking of bulk quantities of marijuana. Working with Nicholas Cameron Capehart, 30, of Norfolk, and Jeffrey Donald Sines, 39, of Portsmouth, the Rogers Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) stored approximately 1,000 pounds of marijuana and cash proceeds at Morris’s Top Tier Law firm located on South Independence Boulevard in Virginia Beach. At the time, the street value of the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products stored at Morris’s law office ranged in value between $800,000 and $1.6 million.
Rogers was the owner of VA Premier Pawn, an FFL authorized to sell firearms. Rogers allegedly purchased wholesale quantities of THC products, including marijuana, THC vape pens, THC wax, and THC edible products, from sources outside Virginia. Rogers allegedly transferred the products in smaller quantities to his co-conspirators, including Capehart, Sines, and Morris, for retail sale.
Morris introduced Capehart to Rogers, initially believing that Capehart could supply Rogers with THC products. Rogers allegedly bought and sold marijuana products in larger quantities than Capehart, so Rogers began to supply Capehart, as well as others, including Morris, with THC products. After Morris first met Rogers in 2021, Morris referred customers, including his legal clients, to Rogers for the illegal purchase of THC products. Eventually, Morris offered Rogers the use of a room in his law office to store Rogers’ THC products.
In exchange for his use of the law office, Rogers allegedly paid the law office’s monthly rent for several months, and Morris gave Rogers a key to the law office to facilitate access. Additionally, Rogers allegedly agreed to supply Morris with 15 pounds of THC products per month for a total of approximately 70 pounds so that he could sell marijuana to his own retail customers. Morris also allegedly received a 9mm handgun from Rogers, despite Morris being an unlawful user of Adderall, cocaine, opiates, and THC.
On April 20, 2021, Capehart, who was vacationing in Las Vegas, allegedly sought advice from Morris on sending marijuana products back to the Tidewater region because Capehart knew that Morris was an attorney. In text messages, Morris told Capehart to commingle the marijuana products among “some type of souvenirs and buy some Saran Wrap and wrap whatever you put it in well.” Morris also advised Capehart to address the package to Morris’ law firm and to “[w]rite legal mail on there somewhere too,” reasoning that this would “make it privileged and the cops would have a hell of a time getting a warrant to get around that privilege.”
On Oct. 17, 2022, law enforcement allegedly observed Capehart in the parking lot of the FFL retrieve a large black bag from the back seat of Rogers’ car, place it in the back seat of Capehart’s truck, and leave. Capehart allegedly drove to his residence and brought the bag inside the residence. Law enforcement identified vehicles belonging to Sines and Capehart at a storage unit in Suffolk. On Oct. 27, 2022, law enforcement legally observed several duffel bags in the storage unit consistent with the type that Rogers and Capehart allegedly possessed on Oct. 17, 2022, each of which contained between seven and 18 pounds of marijuana. They also found boxes containing marijuana, THC vape pens, THC wax, THC edible products, and marijuana seeds. In all, the storage unit contained 193 pounds of marijuana, 1,410 THC vape pens, 136 jars of THC wax, 228 bottles of THC syrup, and 514 THC edible products.
On Nov. 3, 2022, Rogers and another individual allegedly entered the storage unit with Sines, and Sines exited with a duffel bag and the other individual allegedly carried a cardboard box. Sines transported the duffel bag to his residence, which was next to Rogers’ residence.
On Nov. 9, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant on the storage unit and recovered a total of 141 pounds of marijuana, 400 THC Vape cartridges, 196 containers of “Hi-Cubes” THC edibles, 82 containers of “Dangerously Delicious Nerds” THC edibles, 116 containers of “Dangerously Delicious Gummy Worms” THC edibles, 16,684 grams of THC Wax, and 196 bottles THC Cough Syrup. On Nov. 10, 2022, agents executed ten additional search warrants on the suspected locations, vehicles, and members of the Rogers DTO.
At Rogers’ residence agents recovered four firearms, one silencer, $23,980, 1,899 grams of marijuana products, and three cellphones. At the FFL, agents recovered 145 firearms, $181,000, and $80,879 in gold and silver.
At Sines’ residence, agents recovered 10 firearms, 36,676 grams of marijuana, 529 grams of mushrooms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and $7,686.
At Capehart’s residence, agents recovered 13,042 grams of marijuana, $14,036, 16 firearms, and three black bags consistent with the bags in the storage unit.
Morris and Sines pled guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Morris is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 22, 2025, and faces up to ten years in prison. Sines is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 7, 2025, and faces up to 20 years in prison for each count. Rogers is scheduled to plead guilty on Sept. 30 and Capehart is scheduled to plead guilty on Oct. 3. 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; James VanVliet, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Ramin Fatehi, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Jamar K. Walker accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys John F. Butler and Anthony C. Marek and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham M. Stolle, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, are prosecuting the case.
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 Nos. 2:24-cr-94 (Rogers), 2:24-cr-95 (Capehart), 2:24-cr-96 (Sines) and 2:24-cr-97 (Morris).
Aryan Brotherhood Prison Gang Member Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder in Aid of RacketeeringRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jason Corbett, 52, of Paradise, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to life in prison for murder in aid of racketeering, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between 2011 and 2016, Aryan Brotherhood (AB) members and associates engaged in racketeering activity, committing multiple acts involving murder, conspiracies to murder, and drug trafficking crimes. AB members oversaw a significant heroin and methamphetamine trafficking operation from their California prison cells using smuggled cellphones to direct drug trafficking activities, order murders, and oversee other criminal activities inside and outside of the prisons.
According to Corbett’s plea agreement, on July 28, 2018, Corbett murdered an inmate at High Desert Prison as part of an AB-related killing. Corbett admitted that he committed the murder because the victim falsely claimed to be an AB member and had run up a significant drug debt at his previous prison — both violations of the AB’s expected codes of conduct. Corbett willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation, murdered the victim in order to maintain his status within the gang.
On Jan. 3, 2024, Corbett’s co-defendant in the murder, Pat Brady, 54, pleaded guilty to the same murder in aid of racketeering. He was sentenced to life in prison on Aug. 5, 2024.
In April 2024, following a nine-week trial, a federal jury found three of Corbett’s co-defendants guilty of RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to murder, murder in aid of racketeering, and multiple counts of drug trafficking. Ronald Yandell, 62, and Billy Sylvester, 56, are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Mueller on Nov. 19, 2024. Danny Troxell, 71, will be sentenced at a date to be set by the Court.
During a status conference today, Kathleen Nolan, 70, of Calimesa, entered a guilty plea for her part in the drug trafficking conspiracy with AB members and associates. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17, 2024. Charges are pending against Kevin MacNamara, 44, of La Palma. The charges against him are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Vallejo Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Hitt, Ross Pearson, and David Spencer are prosecuting the case.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Armed Felon Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison Following Struggle with DeputyRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Richard Salino Garcia (40, Pasco County) to 8 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Garcia to forfeit a Taurus 66, .357 caliber revolver, and assorted ammunition which were used in the offense. Garcia was found guilty following a bench trial on April 29, 2024.
According to court documents, on December 2, 2022, a deputy from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office encountered Garcia during a loitering and prowling investigation behind a closed business. The deputy attempted to conduct a pat down for weapons after Garcia made motions towards his waistband, but Garcia fled on foot. The deputy tackled Garcia to the ground where the two began struggling as Garcia made attempts to reach into his waistband. Citizens assisted the deputy until backup deputies arrived. Once Garcia was handcuffed, deputies removed the loaded .357 Taurus revolver from a holster on Garcia’s waist. At the time, Garcia had numerous convictions for felony offenses including fleeing to elude and felony battery. As a convicted felon he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha E. Beckman.
This case is part of the 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 for occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Adam G. Brief Appointed as Acting U.S. Trustee for Northern Illinois and WisconsinRead the Press Release
Adam G. Brief has been appointed by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland as the Acting U.S. Trustee for Northern Illinois and Wisconsin (Region 11) effective Sept. 28, the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees announced today. Brief replaces Patrick S. Layng, who is retiring after 36 years of dedicated service to the Justice Department, including the last 14 years as the U.S. Trustee in Region 11. Under 28 U.S.C. § 585(a), the Attorney General may fill U.S. Trustee vacancies by appointing an Acting U.S. Trustee.
Brief has served as the Assistant U.S. Trustee in charge of the Chicago field office since joining the U.S. Trustee Program in 2015 after 14 years in private practice. Brief’s effective coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois has contributed to several successful high-profile criminal prosecutions. In addition to being a frequent speaker at legal seminars and conferences, Brief teaches a lawyering skills course at the University of Illinois Chicago Law School. He received his bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Rutgers University Livingston College and his law degree from Seton Hall University. After law school, Brief was a term law clerk for Judge Stephen Stripp of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. For six years before joining the USTP, while still in private practice, he served as an investigator appointed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey to a district ethics committee.
The USTP’s mission is to promote the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system for the benefit of all stakeholders – debtors, creditors and the public. The USTP consists of 21 regions with 89 field offices nationwide and an Executive Office in Washington, D.C. Learn more about the USTP at www.justice.gov/ust.
200s Gang Member Charged with 2019 Murder of Innocent BystanderRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James Dennehy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging LUIS FILPO with racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, and murder through the use of a firearm. These charges relate to FILPO’s alleged membership in a street gang known as “the 200s,” operating in and around upper Manhattan. As alleged, on January 31, 2019, FILPO and other 200s members shot and killed Roberto Vasquez, an innocent bystander who was mistaken for a gang rival. FILPO, who was in New York State custody, was transferred to federal custody yesterday and made his initial appearance in federal court in Manhattan. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Luis Filpo murdered Roberto Vasquez after mistaking him for a gang rival. Thanks to the hard work of the prosecutors in this Office and our law enforcement partners, Filpo will finally be held to account for this heinous crime. We hope that these charges bring some measure of comfort to Mr. Vasquez’s family and make clear that this Office and our law enforcement partners will never stop investigating those who commit violence on our streets.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment unsealed yesterday in Manhattan federal court[1] and other court documents:
From at least in or about 2016 up to and including March 2022, in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere, FILPO was a member of the 200s street gang. In order to fund the gang, protect its territory, and promote its standing, members of the 200s engaged in, among other things, narcotics trafficking and other acts of violence, including murder. Members of the 200s sold narcotics in the gang’s territory and engaged in shootings as part of their gang membership. In particular, on January 31, 2019, FILPO shot and killed Roberto Vasquez, an innocent bystander mistaken for a rival gang member, in the vicinity of 158th Street and Broadway Avenue, in Manhattan, New York.
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FILPO, 25, of New York, New York, is charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a maximum term of life in prison; one count of murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a mandatory minimum term of life in prison or death; and one count of causing death through use of a firearm, which carries a maximum term of life in prison or death.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and New York City Police Department.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mathew Andrews and Patrick Moroney are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Monday 23 September 2024
Valley National Bank Resolves Civil Liability Relating to Self-Disclosure of Its Role in the Impermissible Use of PPP Loan Proceeds by Bank CustomerRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Valley National Bank (VNB), a national bank and member of the Federal Reserve System, has agreed to pay $216,784.50 to resolve its civil liability under the False Claims Act for its self-disclosed role in the administration of two loans to a bank customer made under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES), the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act (Economic Aid Act).
Congress created the PPP in March 2020 as part of the CARES Act to provide emergency loans to small businesses suffering economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized these businesses to seek forgiveness of the loans if they spent the loan funds on eligible expenses. The PPP was administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
This settlement resolves VNB’s civil liability related to a bank customer who had applied for two PPP loans with VNB. VNB, through a bank relationship manager, assisted the customer in the impermissible use of a portion of the PPP loan proceeds from its first PPP loan to repay an outstanding loan to a third party. After learning of this conduct, VNB conducted an independent investigation and review of those issues and provided the United States with a detailed and thorough written self-disclosure. VNB cooperated fully with the government’s investigation of the conduct, disclosing relevant documents, facts, and information gathered during its investigation. Although PPP lending has ended, VNB took steps to remediate and improve the issues with its PPP lending policies and practices, including requiring PPP borrowers to open a deposit account to undergo depositor screening, retaining an accounting firm to serve as a PPP loan help desk, and utilizing a company to interface with the SBA E-Tran platform.
“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to investigating and holding responsible those who failed to follow the rules of the PPP program,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to seek civil redress and, where appropriate, federally prosecute those individuals and entities that engage in improper uses of PPP loan proceeds.”
SBA’s General Counsel Therese Meers stated, “The favorable settlement in this case is the product of enhanced efforts by federal agencies such as the Small Business Administration working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, other federal law enforcement agencies, as well as financial institutions or private individuals who uncover borrower misconduct to recover the lending program’s damages.”
The resolution obtained in this case was the result of a coordinated effort by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and the Small Business Administration. The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelley Howard-Allen, with assistance from the Small Business Administration - Office of General Counsel.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination or admission of liability by VNB.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud affecting COVID-19 government relief programs can be reported by visiting the webpage of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, which can be found here. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can also 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.
U.S. Attorney’s Office to Work with Local Partners to Reduce Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has approved an initial set of 78 communities across 47 states, territories, and the District of Columbia for designation under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022. San Juan, in the District of Puerto Rico, has been designated as a participant in this initiative.
The Justice Department - through its United States Attorney’s offices (USAOs) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Field Divisions - will partner with designated jurisdictions to develop plans to reduce intimate partner firearm violence and to prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders who are prohibited from owning firearms under Title 18 United States Code § 922(g).
Communities were selected for participation in this initiative in collaboration with community stakeholders, seeking diverse representation from rural areas, suburban areas, urban areas, and Tribal communities. The Justice Department used data to identify communities that could benefit from additional resources to address intimate partner violence, and the local jurisdictions committed to partnering with the Department to prosecute offenders under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). The designation represents a coordinated effort between the Department and the local jurisdictions to ensure federal resources are being leveraged effectively to address intimate partner firearm violence.
“The United States. Attorney’s Office will continue allocating resources to effectively respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “We appreciate the support of our partners at ATF and other state, local and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as health care providers and other professionals in addressing domestic and related violence.”
“ATF stays in unison with our state and local partners in combatting intimate partner violence against members of our community,” said Christopher A. Robinson, Special Agent in Charge ATF Miami Field Division.
In addition, the Department of Justice has recently awarded, among others, the following grants to support community efforts to expand domestic violence prevention and intervention in Puerto Rico:
- The Women’s Advocate Office received $1,882,464 from the Office of Violence Against Women for the OVW Fiscal Year 2024 STOP Formula Grant Program
- The Puerto Rico Department of Justice received $7,293,295 from the Office of Justice Programs, Office of Victims of Crime entitled OVC FY24 VOCA Victim Assistance Formula Grant
- The Puerto Rico Department of Justice received $500,000 from the Office of Violence Against Women for the OVW Fiscal Year 2024 Enhancing Investigation and Prosecution of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking (EIP) Initiative
- Solo Por Hoy received $500,000 from the office of Violence Against Women for the OVW Fiscal Year 2024 Grants to Prevent and Respond to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, Stalking, and Sex Trafficking Against Children and Youth Program
- The Women’s Advocate Office received $854,654 from the Office of Violence Against Women for the OVW Fiscal Year 2024 Sexual Assault Services Formula Program
- Proyecto Matria, Inc. received $400,000 from the Office of Violence Against Women for the OVW Fiscal Year 2024 Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program Expanding Legal Services Initiative
- Coordinadora Paz para la Mujer received $367,379 from the Office of Violence Against Women for the OVW Fiscal Year 2024 State and Territory Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
- Boys & Girls Club of PR Inc. received $350,000 from the Office of Violence Against Women for the OVW Fiscal Year 2024 Grants to Engage Men and Boys as Allies in the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls Program.
The Justice Department anticipates additional jurisdictions to be designated under Section 1103 of VAWA as USAOs continue to coordinate resources with their local stakeholders. All USAOs, with or without specific community designations under Section 1103, will continue to combat intimate partner firearm violence and prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders as part of their Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy and in support of the Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime.
Complete List of Jurisdictions Designated under Section 1103 as of September 11, 2024:
Montgomery County, Alabama
Jefferson County, Alabama
Little Rock, Arkansas
Washington County, Arkansas
Fresno, California
San Diego, California
Hartford, Connecticut
Ward 7, District of Columbia
Jacksonville, Florida
Alachua County, Florida
Metro Miami-Dade County, Florida
Macon-Bibb County, Georgia
DeKalb County, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia
City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii
Ada County, Idaho
Danville, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Madison County, Illinois
Gary, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Des Moines, Iowa
Linn County, Iowa
Garden City, Kansas
Fayette County, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Orleans Parish, Louisiana
Rapides Parish, Louisiana
Western Maine Region: Franklin, Oxford, and Androscoggin Counties, Maine
Baltimore City, Maryland
Boston, Massachusetts
Saginaw, Michigan
Lansing, Michigan
Greenville, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Cape Girardeau County, Missouri
Greene County, Missouri
Gallatin County and Bozeman, Montana
Northeast Omaha, Nebraska
Las Vegas, Nevada
Strafford County, New Hampshire
Bernalillo County, New Mexico
Borough of Brooklyn, New York
Onondaga County, New York
Borough and County of the Bronx, New York
Monroe County, New York
Fayetteville and Cumberland County, North Carolina
Forsyth County, North Carolina
Asheville (including Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), North Carolina
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Toledo, Ohio
Muskogee County, Oklahoma
Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Oklahoma
Portland, Oregon
Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Greenville County, South Carolina
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota
City of Chattanooga, Tennessee
Memphis/Shelby County, Tennessee
Gregg County, Texas
Amarillo, Texas
Houston, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
Salt Lake County, Utah
South Hampton Roads (Chesapeake/Norfolk/Portsmouth/Virginia Beach), Virginia
Oswald Harris Court Housing Community, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Chittenden County, Vermont
Spokane County, Washington
King County, Washington
Wheeling Area (Ohio/Brooke/Hancock Counties), West Virginia
Kanawha County, West Virginia
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Dane County, Wisconsin
Fremont County, Wyoming
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Reaches Settlement to Ensure Effective Communication at McLaren Health Care Corporation Facilities Throughout MichiganRead the Press Release
DETROIT – McLaren Health Care Corporation (McLaren) has agreed to enter into a Settlement Agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan to resolve its investigation under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today. McLaren owns and operates multiple hospitals and outpatient health centers throughout the state of Michigan, including through its subsidiary, the Karmanos Cancer Institute. The U.S. Attorney’s Office opened the investigation into McLaren after receiving complaints about the provision at multiple facilities of auxiliary aids and services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. McLaren fully cooperated with the U.S. Attorney’s Office throughout the investigation.
The settlement agreement requires McLaren to provide auxiliary aids and services free of charge to ensure effective communication with their patients and their companions, consistent with the ADA. Under the terms of the settlement, McLaren will provide a combined $220,000 in monetary relief to fourteen affected individuals. McLaren will also review its policies and, as necessary, revise its policies to be consistent with the ADA’s requirements regarding effective communication and the terms of the settlement agreement. McLaren will enhance existing notices within their facilities to clearly alert patients and their companions of the availability of ASL interpreters or other auxiliary aids and services free of charge. Furthermore, McLaren will contract with additional vendors to provide both virtual and in-person interpretive services as needed. McLaren will also train its staff on its updated policies and will report any future complaints from individuals who have disabilities to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“It is critical that patients who are deaf or hard of hearing have the ability to communicate effectively with their health care providers,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said. “McLaren and its staff provide medical services to individuals throughout Michigan, including many rural areas with limited access to care. Therefore, I am especially proud of this resolution and what it means for equal access to health care.”
The investigation was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael El-Zein and Sunita Doddamani of the Civil Rights Unit.
For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 or visit www.ada.gov.
Individuals who believe they have been subjected to discrimination or experienced a civil rights violation can submit a complaint with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan by email at [email protected] or by phone at (313) 226-9151. Complaints can also be submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division through its complaint portal.
Two Individuals Plead Guilty to Distributing Heroin and Fentanyl that Caused the Death of a Transgender ActivistRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Michael Kuilan pled guilty before United States District Judge Brian M. Cogan to a charge that he distributed and possessed with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. The plea arises out of Kuilan’s distribution of narcotics that led to the death of Cecilia Gentili. Kuilan also pled guilty to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On July 30, 2024, Kuilan’s co-defendant, Antonio Venti, pled guilty before Judge Cogan to the same drug offense. Kuilan and Venti were indicted together in March 2024.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Frank A. Tarentino, III, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Thomas G. Donlon, Interim Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the plea.
“The perpetrators of the tragic poisoning of Cecilia Gentili, a prominent leader of the New York transgender community, have now both admitted their guilt in selling the lethal drugs that have caused this heartbreaking death,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “These drugs, heroin and fentanyl, have caused so much pain throughout our community. I hope this case will bring a sense of closure to Gentili’s family and serve as a warning that this Office will be relentless in holding fentanyl dealers accountable.”
“While these guilty pleas can't undo the tragic loss of transgender rights activist Cecelia Gentili, it sends a message that we will do everything we can to make sure those responsible for drug related deaths face the consequences for their actions, and the families of those who lost their lives receive justice. The men and women of DEA New York Division, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to target those responsible for poisoning our communities” stated DEA New York Division Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino.
“The resolution of this case should serve as a warning to those who seek to profit from the distribution of fentanyl-laced drugs in our communities,” stated Interim NYPD Commissioner Donlon. “Dedicated investigators from all levels of government are working together every day to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals involved in these heinous crimes. I commend the collaborative efforts of the NYPD, DEA, and the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York for their ongoing commitment to ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of all New Yorkers.”
According to court documents and facts presented at the guilty plea proceeding, on February 6, 2024, Gentili was found dead in her bedroom in Brooklyn. Gentili died due to the combined effect of controlled substances, including fentanyl, xylazine, cocaine, and heroin. Text messages, cell site data, and other evidence revealed that Venti sold the fentanyl and heroin mixture to Gentili on February 5, 2024, and that Kuilan supplied Venti with those lethal narcotics. As part of their plea agreements, Kuilan and Venti agreed that they caused Gentili’s death. In addition, law enforcement searched an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn belonging to Kuilan and found hundreds of baggies of fentanyl, as well as a handgun and ammunition.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Amir is in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Samuel Ronchetti.
The Defendants:
MICHAEL KUILAN
Age: 44
Brooklyn, New YorkANTONIO VENTI
Age: 52
West Babylon, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-130 (BMC)
Two Convicted Gang Members Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for RICO, Hobbs Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
WACO, Texas – Two Temple men were sentenced today to life in federal prison for crimes committed in violation of the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act and the Hobbs Act. In February, a federal jury found the men guilty of all charges.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Atorius Marquis Williams aka Lil Man, 27, and Trashawn Lamar Alexander aka Mad Max, 30, were members and associates of a criminal organization referred to as Killas With Aggression (KWA), an organization engaged in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce by, among other things, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to rob persons engaged in the distribution of controlled substances.
Williams and Alexander, along with codefendant Demonta Daniels aka Tado aka Tato, conspired to commit four murders, multiple violent assaults, extortion, drug trafficking and armed robberies in furtherance of the criminal enterprise. Specifically, the indictment alleges four overt acts to include murder—one committed by Williams on Sept. 30, 2017, in Belton; the second, committed by Williams and Alexander on Dec. 10, 2017, in Temple; the third, committed by Williams and Daniels on Jan. 16, 2018, in Temple; and the fourth, committed by Williams, Daniels and Alexander on Jan. 31, 2018, in Temple.
Additionally, the defendants conspired to affect commerce by robbery, committing acts of physical violence and threatening to commit acts of physical violence to steal controlled substances and proceeds from persons engaged in illegal drug distribution. Williams, Daniels and Alexander were also convicted of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, namely robbery. Alexander was convicted of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
On Monday, Alexander and Williams were each sentenced to life in prison for three counts and a concurrent 20 years in prison for three additional counts.
“The result in this case is a testament to this office's commitment to seek justice for our community members,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “It reflects the hard work and interagency cooperation of our federal and state law enforcement partners, whose efforts brought this case to a successful conclusion. Violence in our communities will not be tolerated and justice will be served.”
“Texas citizens have the right to feel safe from violent crime. The drug and gang activity that fuels these acts in our communities is unacceptable,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI’s San Antonio field office. “Our agents have put in years of hard work to bring these defendants - Atorius Williams and Trashawn Alexander - to justice, and today’s sentence is evidence of their dedication. We want to thank our partners for their continued dedication to keeping our communities safe from violent crime.”
Daniels will be sentenced at a later date. Seven other codefendants in the case had been sentenced prior to todays. Dominic Johnson was sentenced in January 2023 to 70 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine; Desmond Wilkerson was sentenced in September 2023 to 71 months in prison for racketeering conspiracy; James Roy Whitfield Jr was sentenced on Feb. 13 to 102 months in prison for one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of aiding and abetting; Jason Mayse was sentenced on Feb. 13 to 40 months for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana; Jyaraciel Whitfield was sentenced in September 2023 to 144 months in prison for one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of aiding and abetting; Christopher Meyers was sentenced in August 2022 to 144 months in prison for racketeering conspiracy; and Reginald Williams was sentenced in September 2023 to 96 months in prison for one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of aiding and abetting.
The FBI, Temple Police Department, Belton Police Department, Bell County Organized Crime Unit, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Cameron Police Department, and Hearne Police Department investigated the case with valuable assistance from the Killeen Police Department and Bell County Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Blanton 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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Two Bucks County Men Convicted at Trial in Connection with Multiple Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Alan Kane, 59, of Jamison, Pennsylvania, and Derrell Johnson, 42, of Bensalem, Pa., were convicted Friday at trial for their actions linked to multiple fraud schemes.
A federal jury convicted Kane, an attorney, on two counts of bankruptcy fraud, one count of filing a false claim in a bankruptcy proceeding, and one count of making a false statement to the FBI.
Johnson was convicted on two counts of making a false statement to the FBI.
In January of this year, they and codefendant Jonathan Barger, 55, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., the owner of a local plating company, were charged in a 12-count indictment that laid out three different fraud schemes: (1) a scheme to steal a house from a dead man’s family; (2) a scheme to defraud the City of Philadelphia out of property taxes that were due on the stolen house; and (3) a scheme to defraud Barger’s creditors through bankruptcy. Barger was implicated in all three schemes and pleaded guilty in June to all counts with which he was charged.
In a suit filed by the family to get their house back, Kane represented the party who had stolen the house, Joseph Ruggiero[1], and made repeated false statements supporting Ruggiero’s claim to good title, despite knowing that the deeds transferring the property away from the family were fraudulent. Kane also filed a false counterclaim against the family, claiming Barger’s company was entitled to more than $133,000 for work purportedly done to improve the house after it had been stolen.
After claiming in the state court suit that Ruggiero had good title to the house, Kane represented Ruggiero before the Social Security Administration and represented that Ruggiero did not own the house because the deeds were fraudulent. This was done to ensure Ruggiero would still receive SSI benefits.
Kane next filed a bankruptcy for Ruggiero, in which they claimed that Ruggiero had valid title to the house. The bankruptcy served to stay the family’s state court suit and prevent them from winning back the house. Kane then filed a false claim against Ruggiero in the bankruptcy, on behalf of Barger’s company, in an effort to steal some of the equity in the house for Barger in the event that Ruggiero lost the house to the family.
Johnson had helped with the preparation and filing of two fraudulent deeds used to steal the house, and also helped with the filing of a false claim with the City of Philadelphia to avoid a large tax bill that was due on the house. Johnson was paid with two checks for his services in helping steal the house and the tax avoidance scam. When Johnson was interviewed by the FBI, he lied, claiming that he didn’t recognize the fraudulent deeds and had nothing to do with the theft of the house. He also claimed the two checks he received were really meant to provide payment to another person.
Kane and Johnson are scheduled to be sentenced on January 28, 2025. Kane faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $1 million fine, and a $400 special assessment, and Johnson faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $500,000 fine, and $200 special assessment.
“The fraud schemes in which the defendants were involved differed in their details,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “But they shared a common goal: scheming, cheating, and lying for illicit financial gain — be it at the expense of a family, a city, or a creditor. We will continue to hold accountable those involved in misappropriating money like this or caught lying to the FBI.”
“White collar crimes, such as bankruptcy fraud, erode confidence in our financial systems,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI and our partners remain committed to protecting the integrity of our financial institutions and bringing to justice those who seek to deceive and defraud the public through devious financial schemes.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Dubnoff and Special Assistant United States Attorney Hannah McCollum.
[1] Mr. Ruggiero died in June 2020.
Thibodaux Man Sentenced to 60 Months Imprisonment for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that SIMON PAUL ADAMS (“ADAMS”), age 28, a resident of Thibodaux, La., was sentenced on September 18, 2024, to 60 months imprisonment by United States District Judge Lance M. Africk after ADAMS had previously pled guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(4)(B). Judge Africk also ordered ADAMS to serve 10 years of supervised release after his release from prison, to comply with sex offender registration requirements, to pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, and to pay $18,000 in restitution to the victims.
According to court documents, on multiple dates, including, on or about October 15, 2022, December 14, 2022, and January 19, 2023, Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) agents investigated the sharing of digital files depicting the sexual exploitation of children via a peer-to-peer file sharing network. Agents downloaded a series of files and videos depicting, among other things, the sexual exploitation of juvenile females, from an IP address connected to ADAMS’s residence in Thibodaux.
Agents executed a search warrant at ADAMS’s residence in July 2023 and seized electronic devices, containing files (i.e., obscene images and videos) depicting the sexual victimization and abuse of children. An analysis of the devices revealed approximately 5 images and 70 videos depicting the sexual victimization of children and over 30 images and 1,500 videos depicting obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children. Some of the depictions included children, less than three years old, being victimized, as well as, depictions portraying sadism, masochism, or violence, generally.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, was in charge of the prosecution.
Stockton Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ricardo Sanchez, 32, of Stockton, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Aug. 20, 2023, law enforcement officers found Sanchez to be in possession of a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9 mm semi-automatic pistol. Sanchez is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to multiple prior felony convictions, including conspiracy to commit a crime and inflicting injury on a spouse/cohabitant or fellow parent.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Sacramento Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitnee Goins is prosecuting the case.
Sanchez is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6, 2025, by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb. Sanchez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
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 U.S. Department of Justice 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 is the result of the ongoing collaboration between the Sacramento Police Department and its local, state, and federal partners as part of a Public Safety Partnership (PSP) to address violent crime in our community. Started in 2022, the Sacramento PSP is a multifaceted violence-reduction strategy that relies on innovative data-driven strategies to promote public and community safety. Participating PSP partners include the Sacramento County’s District Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the DEA, the ATF, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Stevensville timber frame home builder convicted by federal jury of defrauding customers of more than $2 millionRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — A federal jury convicted a Stevensville timber frame home builder on Sept. 20 of wire fraud and money laundering crimes in an alleged scheme in which he defrauded customers of more than $2 million by obtaining payments to build them homes but instead used the money for personal expenses and to pay other debts, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
After a five-day trial that began on Sept. 16, the jury found the defendant, Brett Mauri, 61, guilty of four counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering. Mauri faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release on the wire fraud counts, and a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or twice the amount of the criminally derived property involved in the transaction, and three years of supervised release on each count of money laundering.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. The court set sentencing for Jan. 30, 2025. Mauri’s release was continued pending further proceedings.
“Mauri stole nearly $2 million from people who trusted him to build their dream homes. He consistently lied to them and made excuses about the lack of progress on each project, some of whom didn’t have anything to show despite paying Mauri thousands and thousands of dollars. They didn’t just suffer monetary losses, but mentally and emotionally, too. I hope his forthcoming federal prison sentence gives them comfort knowing he can’t scam anyone else again,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
In court documents and at trial, the government alleged that Mauri is the owner and operator of Bitterroot Timber Frames (BTF) and Three Mile Creek Post & Beam, LLC. According to Mauri and the company’s website, BTF built custom timber frame homes across the United States. Mauri claimed credit for large projects in some of America’s most popular ski towns between the 1990s and 2010s. The government alleged that between 2018 and 2022, Mauri defrauded nine individuals who hired him to build their timber frame homes. Many of the agreements were made by written contract, while some were formed by email or over the phone. Mauri obtained payments from these customers and lied to them about his operations and what he was doing with their money. Mauri ultimately provided little to nothing in return.
The scheme involved Mauri inducing customers to send him funds, which were ultimately deposited into his or his wife’s bank accounts. Mauri, and his wife, Carrie McEnroe, primarily used the money for personal living expenses and to pay other debts instead of building the homes as he promised. What work Mauri did perform on victims’ projects gave his operation the hallmarks of a Ponzi scheme. He frequently solicited new money from a victim and used the funds, in part, to cover past expenses that were often incurred on earlier projects. The scheme resulted in victims paying Mauri more than $2 million. In exchange, Mauri provided very little materials or services, and some victims received nothing at all. Victims had hired Mauri to build homes in the Montana communities of Whitehall, Victor, Corvallis and Missoula, and in New York, Utah, and Louisiana.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.
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St. Louis Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Fatal Shooting over Drug DebtRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced a man who shot someone trying to collect a drug debt to 12 years in prison.
Terrell Donta McDaniel agreed to sell 10 grams of fentanyl to Andre Nash on Nov. 2, 2022, for $500. But McDaniel did not give Nash the full amount of fentanyl, and Nash began looking for McDaniel to collect the debt.
After learning that McDaniel was staying at a vacant house in the 4100 block of Clara Place, Nash went there and entered the house. McDaniel shot and killed Nash.
McDaniel and others then wrapped Nash’s body in tarps and plastic and placed him in the trunk of a stolen car, dumping the body in the 5900 block of St. Louis Avenue that night. The body was discovered the next morning.
In court Monday, McDaniel apologized to Nash’s family. He said he was afraid for his life and had been trying to dodge Nash for four to five months.
McDaniel, now 42, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of discharge of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI.
Southern Indiana Mining Company Ordered to Pay $110,000 for Unpaid Penalties Relating to Worker Safety ViolationsRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana announced today that the Justice Department has secured a judgment against Eagle Stone, Inc., a Southern Indiana mining company, for Eagle Stone’s failure to pay civil penalties imposed against it for violations of federal mining health and safety standards.
Eagle Stone operated Gosport Stone, a crushed limestone mining operation in Owen County, Indiana. Between 2019 and 2022, the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration imposed scores of civil penalties against Eagle Stone for violations of worker safety requirements at the Gosport Stone operation. The violations ranged from faulty brakes on vehicles, to failure to insulate electrical wiring, to unsafe storage practices for hazardous chemicals, all of which endangered the health and safety of the employees working at this facility. Eagle Stone stopped operating in or around 2022 and no longer has any employees.
In 2023, the Department of Justice and Department of Labor sued Eagle Stone in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, seeking judgment for the unpaid penalties along with interest. Eagle Stone agreed to a court order requiring it to immediately pay $110,000 to resolve the civil penalties against it. On September 19, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana entered a consent judgment in favor of the United States and against Eagle Stone, requiring the company to pay $110,000 to the government.
“Miners and other professionals in the field deserve a safe workplace as they do important jobs of our communities and our economy,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “When companies disregard safety standards, they must be held accountable. This judgment and recovery on behalf of the public demonstrates that the Department of Justice and Department of Labor are committed to ensuring that companies pay fines for endangering workers and do not evade accountability.”
Department of Labor officials echoed U.S. Attorney Myers’s remarks. “When employers avoid their legal obligations, the U.S. Department of Labor will use its enforcement powers to hold them accountable,” said Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda. “We are pleased to partner with the Department of Justice in implementing vigorous enforcement strategies to ensure that mine operators are held accountable when they cut corners on mine safety and health.”
“Civil penalties are one of the primary mechanisms MSHA uses to compel operators to improve safety and health conditions at their mines,” said Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Chris Williamson. “I thank Zachary Myers and his office for their efforts to pursue unpaid civil penalties. Those efforts will make miners in Indiana, and across the country, safer and healthier.”
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Taylor Kirklin and Jason Grover, Counsel for Trial Litigation in the Department of Labor’s Office of the Solicitor, who litigated the case.
Members of the public who have concerns about environmental matters, including matters involving environmental justice issues, in the Southern District of Indiana can report them to the U.S. Attorney’s office via email to [email protected].
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Seven Charged after Federal Investigation Disrupts Massive Counterfeit Pill Manufacturing OperationRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, today announced that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport has returned an indictment charging the following seven individuals with offenses related to the large-scale manufacture and trafficking of counterfeit pills containing synthetic opioids and other substances:
KELLDON HINTON, 45, of New Haven
HESHIMA HARRIS, 53 of New Haven
EMANUEL PAYTON, 33, of New Haven
MARVIN OGMAN, 47, of West Haven
SHAWN STEPHENS, 34, of West Haven
ARNALDO ECHEVARRIA, 42, of Waterbury
CHERYLE TYSON, 64, of West HavenAs alleged in court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation led by the DEA New Haven’s Tactical Diversion Squad and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service targeting the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit oxycodone, Xanax, and Adderall tablets containing methamphetamine, protonitazene, dimethylpentylone, xylazine, and other substances. Protonitazene is a Schedule I synthetic opioid that is three times more potent than fentanyl. In June 2023, law enforcement received information that Kelldon Hinton was using a pill press to manufacture large quantities of counterfeit pills containing controlled substances. Through the use of physical and electronic surveillance, the seizure and searches of parcels sent through the U.S. Mail and commercial delivery services, undercover purchases of counterfeit pills, trash pulls, and other investigative methods, investigators determined that Hinton, with the assistance of his co-conspirators, was purchasing protonitazene, dimethypentalone, xylazine, other substances, and pill press parts from China and elsewhere, using tableting machines (“pill presses”) to manufacture counterfeit pills in a garage he rented in East Haven, marketing and selling the pills on the dark web, and mailing pills to customers around the U.S. In text messages, Hinton referred to the rented garage as his “lab.” Between February 2023 and February 2024, Hinton shipped more than 1,300 packages through the U.S. Mail. Hinton also distributed the counterfeit pills to associates in Connecticut, who sold them to their own customers.
On September 5, 2024, Hinton, Harris, Payton, Stephens, and Echevarria were arrested on federal criminal complaints. On that date, investigators conducted court-authorized searches of several locations, including the garage located on Tyler Street Extension in East Haven, which yielded several hundred thousand pills, two large pill presses, and pill manufacturing equipment. One of the pill presses seized was capable of producing 100,000 pills per hour.
It is further alleged that, as the investigation continued, Ogman communicated with Tyson and shared with her news reports of the search and court information of the arrests. He also continued to distribute pills produced by Hinton, and law enforcement is currently investigating a drug overdose death that occurred recently in Connecticut. Pills recovered from the scene appear to match those produced by the Hinton organization, and a preliminary search of the victim’s cellphone text messages revealed that Ogman supplied pills to the victim.
The indictment added Ogman and Tyson as defendants, and was returned on September 18. Ogman and Tyson were arrested on September 19.
The indictment charges each of the seven defendants with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and protonitazene. On this charge, based on the quantities of controlled substances attributed to each defendant, Hinton faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life, and the other six defendants each face a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The indictment also charges Hinton with one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of protonitazene, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and maximum term of imprisonment of life, and Echevarria with one count of possession with intent to distribute protonitazene, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Hinton, Payton, and Ogman are currently detained, and Harris, Stephens, Echevarria, and Tyson are released pending trial.
“This multifaceted investigation is a testament to great law enforcement work by agencies here in Connecticut and across the country,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery. “I commend the DEA New Haven, members of its Tactical Diversion Squad, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, for leading this effort. “This investigation reveals the constant challenges that we in law enforcement face in battling the proliferation of synthetic opioids in America. In recent years, the Justice Department and our law enforcement partners have focused on disrupting the global supply chain of fentanyl, other synthetic drugs, precursor chemicals, and pill manufacturing equipment, from China and Mexico to the United States. These enhanced efforts are clearly represented by this investigation and these charges. But, clearly, our work is not yet done. We know that prosecution alone is not enough to combat the deadly scourge caused in our communities by fentanyl, other synthetic drugs, and counterfeit pills. We all need to keep working together, through criminal investigations and prosecutions, treatment programs, and public awareness campaigns, such as the school presentations undertaken by my office, to educate and warn children and adults about the dangers and harm that even one counterfeit pill can cause.”
“This country is in the midst of a catastrophic overdose epidemic where the threat from synthetic opioids and methamphetamine disguised in fake prescription medication remains high,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen Belleau, Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “This case showcases one of the largest seizures of fake pills the DEA has ever seen in New England. Those responsible for distributing lethal drugs to the citizens of Connecticut need to be held accountable for their actions. DEA will aggressively pursue Drug Trafficking Organizations and individuals who distribute this poison in order to profit and destroy people’s lives. This investigation demonstrates the strength and continued commitment of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners.”
“These enforcement actions, which included the arrests of seven individuals and the execution of search warrants at six locations, resulted in the disruption of a significant trans-national operation and the dismantling of one of the largest illicit manufacturing sites ever located in Connecticut,” said Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division for the Postal Inspection Service. “This investigation highlights the effectiveness of the collaborative efforts among the involved agencies but also the real danger posed by individuals who engage in these crimes. The Postal Inspection Service is proud to stand with our partners in identifying, disrupting, and dismantling these drug tracking organizations which endanger our communities.”
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the DEA New Haven’s Tactical Diversion Squad and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with the assistance of the DEA Chicago Cyber Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the East Haven Police Department. The DEA Tactical Diversion Squad is composed of personnel from the DEA, the Connecticut State Police, and the West Haven, Hamden, Manchester, Bristol, Fairfield, and Seymour Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Konstantin Lantsman.
More information on the Justice Department’s efforts to disrupt to global supply chain of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs is available here.
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.
To learn more about the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s fentanyl awareness and drug prevention program for students, click here.
St. Croix Drug Trafficker Sentenced in Cocaine Conspiracy CaseRead the Press Release
St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Leroy Roebuck Jr., 37, of St. Croix, was sentenced by District Judge Wilma A. Lewis to 97 months incarceration, three years of supervised release, a fine of $2,000.00, and a $100.00 special assessment, following his guilty plea to Conspiracy to Possess a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute.
According to court documents, on April 25, 2023, Roebuck arranged for the sale of 60 kilograms of cocaine to an undercover agent at a cost of $900,000.00. On April 26, 2023, Roebuck contacted the undercover agent and agreed to sell the agent 50 kilograms of cocaine after he discovered that the remaining 10 kilograms were of poor quality. Thereafter, on April 26, 2023, Roebuck and an unidentified individual arrived at a predetermined location to complete the sale of the cocaine. Roebuck asked the undercover agent if he wanted to see the cocaine, after which he showed the agent four containers that held varying quantities of individually wrapped bricks of cocaine. Roebuck was then placed under arrest.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Evan Rikhye. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Rockford Man Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for His Role in Retail Store RobberiesRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A Rockford man has been sentenced to over seven years in federal prison for conspiring to commit robberies of electronic stores.
KATRAIL BRIDGES, 32, was convicted after a four-day jury trial in March of conspiracy to commit robbery. U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston on Thursday sentenced Bridges to 87 months in federal prison.
Bridges joined the conspiracy and agreed to participate in the robberies of electronic stores at two locations: a Best Buy store in DeKalb, Ill. on Dec. 2, 2016, and a Simply Mac store in Cherry Valley, Ill. on December 16, 2016. During these robberies, the members of the group used pepper-spray against employees to gain compliance and to escape with merchandise. The group stole over $22,000 worth of merchandise during these two robberies.
Eight other alleged conspirators were charged as part of the federal investigation.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the FBI. The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, Cherry Valley Police Department, and DeKalb Police Department assisted in the investigation. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ladd and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirstin J. Krivanec.
Raymond Man Charged for Threatening Employees of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in ManchesterRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Raymond man was charged by complaint and arrested this morning for communicating a threat to kill or harm employees of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA), U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Paul Gangi, 45, was charged with one count of threatening to assault, kidnap or murder federal employees with intent to retaliate on account of the performance of official duties. He appeared in federal court today, September 23, 2024, and is scheduled to appear again tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. for preliminary and detention hearings.
According to the charging documents, on September 5, 2024, an employee of the VHA reported to law enforcement that Gangi, a carpenter at the VA, threatened two supervisory VHA employees by stating, “If they keep harassing me, I am going to come in and pop these guys.”
The charge provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General led the investigation. The Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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RGV man receives consecutive sentences after trafficking meth on multiple occasionsRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 31-year-old Mission man has been ordered to federal prison following his convictions of two counts of possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of meth, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Esteban Almentor-Lopez faced two separate narcotics charges and pleaded guilty March 1, 2021, and Dec. 20, 2022.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Almentor-Lopez to serve 70 months in federal prison for the initial drug trafficking as well as a consecutive 50 months for his subsequent conviction. His total 120-month sentence will be immediately followed by four years of supervised release.
In November 2020, law enforcement conducted an operation involving communication with a Mexican drug source of supply. The organization was to deliver kilogram quantities of meth in the Rio Grande Valley for transport to Chicago, Illinois.
On two occasions in November 2020, Almentor-Lopez transported and delivered a total of 40 kilograms of meth in Mission. He was arrested but granted bond pending further proceedings.
On March 1, 2021, Almentor-Lopez pleaded guilty to those charges.
However, the next day, authorities again apprehended him transporting and delivering an additional 20 kilograms of meth on behalf of the same drug organization.
The approximately 60 kilograms of meth Almentor-Lopez trafficked showed a purity level of 100%.
Almentor-Lopez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Garcia prosecuted the case.
Pittsburgh Felon Pleads Guilty to Firearms and Aggravated Identity Theft ViolationsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, use of an unauthorized access device, and aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Cheron Tucker, 28, pleaded guilty to three counts before Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that Tucker participated in a scheme in which, through the dark web, he obtained the names, credit card numbers, and other identification information of numerous individuals that he then used to rent vehicles from a car rental company with the assistance of a co-conspirator who managed the company’s Monroeville office. Once Tucker obtained the vehicles, he rented them to other individuals. Tucker agreed that he caused more than $550,000 of losses to the car rental company through the scheme.
While investigating one of the vehicles fraudulently obtained from the company, the Brentwood Police Department conducted a search of a home associated with Tucker. The search revealed numerous documents and other evidence associated with the identity theft scheme, as well as two loaded firearms, including one with an obliterated serial number. Tucker has prior felony convictions, including a previous federal conviction for use of unauthorized access devices for which Tucker was on federal supervised release when he committed these new offenses. Federal law prohibits a convicted felon from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Judge Fischer scheduled sentencing for January 13, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than two years in prison and up to 32 years in prison, a fine of up to $750,000, or both. He also faces up to three additional years of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The United States Secret Service, with assistance from the Monroeville Police Department and Brentwood Police Department, conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Tucker.
Petersburg man pleads guilty to armed robbery of two businesses while wearing an ankle monitorRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Petersburg man pled guilty to three counts relating to two armed robberies in Petersburg within one week.
According to court documents, on July 11, 2023, Demario Fisher, 36, entered a Metro PCS store in Petersburg wearing a bright work vest and an ankle monitor. He examined the store and left, but returned about a half-hour later. He approached the store employee, escorted her to the cash register at gunpoint, and stole cash from the register. Fisher then fled from the store in a blue SUV registered to his girlfriend.
On July 17, 2023, Fisher entered the Miller Mart BP store in Hopewell wearing a t-shirt with a teddy bear image and, again, an ankle monitor. Fisher made a purchase and left. He later re-entered the store, this time wearing a bright work vest over the teddy bear t-shirt. Fisher approached the store employee at the counter armed with a firearm and demanded money from the cash register. After taking the money, Fisher again fled from the store in the blue SUV.
Fisher also admitted to robbing a BP Gas Station in Petersburg on July 12, 2023. In that robbery, Fisher, armed with a firearm and wearing a safety vest, entered, brandished the firearm toward the store clerk and demanded that the clerk “empty the register.” The store clerk complied and Fisher fled the store on foot.
Fisher pled guilty to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery and two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 11, 2025. For the Hobbs Act Robbery, Fisher faces up to 20 years in prison. For each count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, Fisher faces a mandatory minimum of seven years and a maximum term of life in prison to be served consecutively to any other term of imprisonment. 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, and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony is prosecuting the case.
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. 3:24-cr-45.
Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Terry James Cox, 40, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced today to two years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 30, 2023, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Cox in Huntington. Cox admitted that he possessed approximately 5.4 grams of methamphetamine in the vehicle, and that he intended to distribute it. Cox further admitted that he also possessed a loaded North American Arms .22-caliber revolver, .22-caliber ammunition, and digital scales in the vehicle.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Owen Reynolds prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-4.
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