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28 August 2024
Madison Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the United StatesRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Madison man pled guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Reginald Fullwood, Jr., 59, of Madison, participated in a scheme to pay kickbacks to a marketer in exchange for completed doctors’ orders so that he could cause his durable medical equipment company, Jackson Medical Supply, to bill Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans for orthotic braces that were medically unnecessary and/or ineligible for reimbursement. When Medicare initiated an investigation of Jackson Medical Supply, Fullwood opened another entity in the name of a nominee owner and again paid kickbacks to a marketer in exchange for doctors’ orders so that the new entity could continue to bill Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans for orthotic braces. Overall, Fullwood caused these entities to bill Medicare and Medicare Advantage approximately $12,441,625.30 and the entities were reimbursed approximately $6,448,092.61 for durable medical equipment that was medically unnecessary and/or ineligible for reimbursement.
Fullwood is scheduled to be sentenced on December 4, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi, Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Special Agent in Charge Tamala Miles of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General made the announcement.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sara Porter of the Gulf Coast Strike Force and Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Purdie.
Latham Man Arrested for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Eduardo Abreu, age 48, of Latham, New York, was arrested yesterday on a criminal complaint charging him with receipt of child pornography.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
The criminal complaint alleges that on or about August 21, 2024, Abreu received approximately 225 images of child pornography over the internet. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Abreu appeared yesterday in Albany before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel, and ordered detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday, August 29.
Abreu faces at least 15 years and up to 40 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Abreu may also be ordered to pay restitution to the victims of his offense and forfeit any devices used in the offense. Abreu would also have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen J. Vickey is prosecuting the case.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Laplace Resident Sentenced for Role in Preparing and Submitting Fraudulent Cares Act Financial Assistance ApplicationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that MUNIRA SCHOFIELD (“SCHOFIELD”), age 28, a resident of LaPlace, La., was sentenced by United States District Judge Eldon E. Fallon to four years of probation, with twelve months to be served on home confinement, after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 1343. The charges stem from SCHOFIELD’s role in a conspiracy to prepare and file fraudulent applications for loans related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Judge Fallon also ordered SCHOFIELD to pay over $219,000 in restitution and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. SCHOFIELD’s co-conspirators, her mother, Lynn Schofield (“Lynn”), and brother, Bashir Schofield (“Bashir”), were convicted separately for their respective roles in the offense.
According to court documents, SCHOFIELD, Lynn and Bashir submitted fraudulent applications to obtain money from Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) loans. Each defendant submitted at least one loan. All applications falsely represented that the applicant had a sole proprietorship and generated substantial income from the business, by overinflating gross receipts. The entities either did not exist or earned far less money than reported. They also misrepresented that the loan proceeds would be used for business related purposes, when, in fact, the defendants intended to use the money for personal reasons. SCHOFIELD submitted a fraudulent application for an EIDL loan for a business she claimed to own, “Just Jocin.” In conjunction with her mother, Lynn, SCHOFIELD also gave false material information to the Small Business Administration. This false information included the gross inflation of monthly gross receipts to support still other loans, including for an entity named “Afromerica Touch 360, LLC,” and used some of the resulting funds for herself.
For more information on the Department of Justice’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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.
Kanawha County Woman Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jessica Nutter, 39, of St. Albans, pleaded guilty today to receipt of stolen money. Nutter admitted to a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of $20,830 in COVID-19 relief loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
According to court documents and statements made in court, from March 27, 2021 through on or about April 20, 2021, Nutter fraudulently obtained two PPP loans, each for $10,415, from an approved PPP lender in Texas and the SBA. Nutter falsely represented on one loan application that she had a business, Nut House Wood, and that it had received $50,000 in gross income during 2019. Nutter applied for the other fraudulent loan on behalf of her husband. Nutter falsely represented that her husband received $50,000 in gross income during 2019 as an independent contractor for an online food ordering and delivery service.
Businesses applying for PPP loans had to certify that the business was in operation on February 15, 2020, and were required to provide documentation showing their prior gross income from either 2019 or 2020. Nutter admitted that Nut House Wood was not a registered business entity in the State of West Virginia and had never engaged in legitimate business activity when she applied for that loan. Nutter further admitted that her husband was not engaged as an independent contractor for the online delivery service at that time.
The Texas lender approved both of Nutter’s loan applications. On April 9, 2021, $10,415 was transferred to Nutter’s personal bank account from a Texas bank. Nutter admitted that she transferred $1,5573.12 of those stolen funds to a North Carolina business on April 12, 2021, to cover expenses for a family vacation later that year. On April 20, 2021, $10,415 in proceeds from the second loan was transferred from a Texas bank to the personal bank account of Nutter’s husband. Nutter admitted that she and her husband used those stolen funds for general family expenses.
Nutter is scheduled to be sentenced on November 21, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,00 fine. Nutter also owes at least $25,830 in restitution.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney J. Parker Bazzle II is prosecuting the case.
The CARES Act, enacted in March 2020, offered emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This assistance included forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP.
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.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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. 2:24-cr-81.
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Justice Department, Department of Labor, Federal Trade Commission and National Labor Relations Board Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Support Merger ReviewRead the Press Release
The Justice Department, Department of Labor (DOL), Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have signed an interagency memorandum of understanding (MOU) to further communication and coordination between the agencies to protect American workers and promote fair competition in labor markets.
Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, FTC Chair Lina Khan and NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo all signed the MOU as part of the agencies’ coordinated efforts to ensure that mergers between employers do not threaten harm to competition for workers.
“Workers are the backbone of our economy, and it’s critical that the impact on workers and the labor market are given due consideration when analyzing mergers and acquisitions,” said Acting Secretary Su. “The Department of Labor is committed to providing information and data to strengthen the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission’s understanding of labor markets and we look forward to deepening our work to protect workers by promoting fair competition in the labor markets.”
“Competition in labor markets means higher wages, better working conditions and more opportunities for workers and their families,” said Assistant Attorney General Kanter. “Our partnership with the FTC, NLRB and DOL will help us identify and take action against mergers that threaten to harm competition for workers. The Antitrust Division did just that when we successfully challenged a merger between book publishers that would have decreased compensation for authors. Promoting workers’ right to earn a fair wage is central to the mission of each of our agencies, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration together.”
“Congress passed the antitrust laws to ensure that all Americans benefit from free and fair competition. When businesses vigorously compete for workers, workers enjoy better wages and working conditions as well as greater opportunity and freedom,” said FTC Chair Khan. “By deepening partnerships with the National Labor Relations Board, Department of Labor and Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, the FTC will keep building on our whole-of-government efforts to ensure that all Americans can get a fair shot in our economy, free from unlawful coercion.”
“Taking a whole-of-government approach to enforcing workers’ rights is critically important, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with the antitrust agencies to enhance their ability to obtain important information on the potential effects of mergers on workers,” said NLRB General Counsel Abruzzo.
This MOU supplements existing bilateral agreements between the Antitrust Division and DOL and the Antitrust Division and NLRB. Key provisions of the MOU support the Antitrust Division and FTC’s (together, the Antitrust Agencies) work to review mergers that may threaten harm to competition. Those resources include the DOL and NLRB’s (together, the Labor Agencies) organizational contacts and experts, data on labor markets and jobs and enforcement information.
In addition, the MOU supports further training, meetings and coordination among all four signatories. Through this MOU, the Antitrust Agencies and Labor Agencies commit to working together to ensure the Antitrust Agencies have access to all relevant and appropriate information when they evaluate the potential impacts on labor markets from mergers and acquisitions between businesses.
Ionia County Man Charged with Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Ethan Eversman, 24, of Ionia, was indicted on criminal charges related to alleged sexual exploitation of a minor and distribution and possession of child pornography.
“Children should not have to endure the trauma of being a victim of child exploitation,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “My office is committed to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to protect our most defenseless citizens from egregious sex crimes.”
The indictment alleges that from 2021 until June 2024, Eversman convinced a minor victim in New York to create explicit pictures and videos of herself and send them to him online. Eversman is also charged with sending child pornographic videos to others and possessing child pornography on his cell phone. If convicted, Eversman faces up to 30 years in prison. Eversman previously worked as a corrections officer for the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office.
“Those individuals who commit crimes against our children or possess child pornography will be investigated and arrested by members of the FBI and/or our law enforcement partners,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Michigan. “This joint investigation between the Michigan State Police, members from FBI in the Lansing area, and the combined efforts from federal, state and local law enforcement partners embedded within the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, contributed to the indictment of an alleged sexual predator.”
“The Michigan State Police and the detectives of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force are committed to investigating and arresting those who exploit children,” stated Col. James F. Grady II. “We appreciate the support and assistance of our federal partners in the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office in this important work.”
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, county prosecutor's offices, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC), federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation, and to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. Individuals with information or concerns about possible child exploitation should contact local law enforcement officials.
This case was investigated by the FBI and Michigan State Police.
The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Indictment Charges Santa Clarita Man, 6 Others with Facilitating Crime Tourism Group That Took in More Than $5 Million in Illicit ProceedsRead the Press Release
INDICTMENTLOS ANGELES – Law enforcement today arrested six defendants that a federal grand jury charged in a 46-count indictment alleging a Santa Clarita Valley man facilitated a crime tourism group of South Americans and other individuals who engaged in burglaries, thefts, and other crimes throughout the United States, then laundered millions of dollars in illicit proceeds.
The indictment, returned on August 1 and unsealed today, charges seven defendants with multiple felony offenses, including wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, and structuring transactions to avoid federal financial reporting requirements.
Crime tourism theft groups are comprised of individuals, often originating from outside of the United States, including from South America and elsewhere, who engage in burglaries, thefts, and other crimes throughout the U.S. As part of the modus operandi of crime tourism theft groups, individuals would enter the United States and engage in theft crime sprees. The fruits of the thefts were often shared with facilitators and co-conspirators who assisted the crime tourists in the commission of their crimes, as well as others, both inside and outside the United States.
“Crime tourism is a major problem impacting not just Southern California, but our entire nation,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “These defendants facilitated and directed crime tourists who committed hundreds of robberies across the country – in essence, they acted as quarterbacks for a team of thieves. We will continue to work with our local partners to hold accountable those who would come to our country and take advantage of our liberties to steal from the American people.”
“Today, we dismantled a non-traditional facilitator of organized crime, and now we have a blueprint for future investigations,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “We hope these arrests will discourage future businesses from conducting similar operations, thus reducing the number of thefts and burglaries in our communities.”
“This investigation required years of hard work and dedication on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department and our partners,” said LAPD Chief, Dominic Choi. “I’m pleased that our collective efforts have resulted in the apprehension of these career criminals who have made it their business to victimize our residents and facilitate the movement of foreign criminals. I’m convinced that having them off the streets makes our communities safer.”
According to the indictment, Juan Carlos Thola-Duran, 57, a.k.a. “Parcero,” of Canyon Country, and his live-in girlfriend, Ana Maria Arriagada, 41, a.k.a. “Parcera,” controlled and operated defendant Driver Power Rentals (DPR), a Van Nuys-based car rental or dealership business. Arriagada was DPR’s registered owner.
From at least January 2018 to July 2024, Thola-Duran directed associates, often members of crime tourism theft groups traveling from South America, to travel to various parts of the United States to commit thefts, including shoplifting goods from stores, burglarizing residences and commercial businesses, and stealing victims’ credit cards and debit cards.
Thola-Duran, Arriagada, and DPR provided DPR vehicles for the thief co-conspirators to drive throughout the United States to commit thefts and burglaries and – to make the car rentals appear legitimate and maintain anonymity – require their co-conspirators to provide false identification when renting a vehicle for DPR’s records.
Thola-Duran and Arriagada directed the thief co-conspirators who stole credit or debit cards to immediately go to stores such as Target, Best Buy, The Home Depot, and others to max out the stolen cards by purchasing electronics, gift cards, designer purses and other high-end luxury goods before the stolen cards could be frozen or cancelled.
Then, Thola-Duran arranged to the thieves to deliver stolen or fraudulently obtained goods to associates at DPR or to mail them to other co-conspirators, including defendant Miguel Angel Barajas, 57, of Northridge, or to other conspirators at a FedEx store in Sherman Oaks. At Thola-Duran’s direction, defendants Barajas, John Carlo Thola, 33, of Canoga Park, and others picked up the parcels then delivered them to Thola-Duran and other conspirators. Thola-Duran then acted as a “fence” to buy the goods – at a fraction of their retail value – and pay the thieves a percentage of the items’ value. He then sold the stolen goods to other buyers for approximately $5.5 million over the course of the conspiracy, including approximately $5.1 million sent to various bank accounts controlled by the co-conspirators.
The defendants allegedly used their ill-gotten gains to purchase and maintain assets, including real estate and horses, and structured cash withdrawals to avoid triggering the requirement that banks report transactions exceeding $10,000 to the U.S. Treasury Department.
The indictment further alleges that Thola-Duran, Arriagada, and others from May 2020 to June 2021 conspired to fraudulently obtain $274,998 in COVID-19 business relief loans.
“Since 2019, we have arrested over 130 suspects responsible for perpetrating these crimes, with the vast majority using cars supplied by Driver Power Rentals,” said Ventura County Sheriff James Fryhoff. “Our efforts aren’t stopping there. We formally partnered with the FBI, creating the Ventura County Major Theft Task Force. This task force has been instrumental in pursuing federal charges against Thola-Duran and other members of his criminal organization.”
“Driver Power Rentals provided cars that were allegedly used to take high-end merchandise and jewelry from Ventura County homeowners,” said Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. “Taking down a key operator who fueled crime tourism is essential to neighborhood safety, and I am grateful to U.S. Attorney Estrada and his team for aggressively prosecuting this network.”
“These criminals were running a burglary operation with a sophistication that rivals Amazon and instead of dispatching delivery drivers, they were dispatching trained thieves throughout Southern California to steal from what should be where we are safest – our homes,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “Crime doesn’t pay in Orange County and individuals who engage in crime tourism are on notice that my office will work with our local and federal partners to continue demanding accountability and bringing those who victimize our community to justice.”
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud- and money laundering-related count, up to 10 years in federal prison for each structuring count, and up to five years in federal prison for the conspiracy to transport stolen property interstate count.
The FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office are investigating this matter. The United States Postal Inspection Service, the Meriwether County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office and the Scottsdale (Arizona) Police Department provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Chou and Lindsay M. Bailey of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Assistant United States Attorney Ryan J. Waters of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting this case.
Indiana, Pa., Man Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Indiana, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Lamar Johnson, 42, pleaded guilty before Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from in and around August 2018 to March 2023, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Johnson conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, a quantity of heroin, and a quantity of crack cocaine. Johnson was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that he distributed to others.
Following the guilty plea, Judge Gibson sentenced Johnson to 60 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release.
Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard Jr. is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Johnson. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, and other local law enforcement agencies.
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.
Honduran National Indicted for Child Sexual ExploitationRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Honduran national was indicted by a federal grand jury today for the sexual exploitation of a child.
Celso Noe Chacon-Arriaga, 22, who was residing in Springfield at the time of the offense, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Chacon-Arriaga on Aug. 8, 2024.
Today’s indictment alleges that Chacon-Arriaga used a minor victim to produce child pornography from Nov. 21 to Dec. 30, 2020. Chacon-Arriaga is also charged with receiving and distributing child pornography.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Chacon-Arriaga engaged in sexually explicit conversations over Facebook Messenger with an 11-year-old victim. The child victim sent several sexually explicit images and videos to Chacon-Arriaga.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Hillsboro Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Fatal Fentanyl Overdose of Young WomanRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Washington County, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for distributing counterfeit pills containing fentanyl that resulted in the overdose death of a local woman.
Robert Lamart James McCollum, 35, was sentenced to 125 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.
“This defendant cut short an innocent life and brought unthinkable tragedy to a local family. And yet, despite everything they have been through, Madolyn’s loved ones have used their experience to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and fake pills. Their efforts inspire all of us and will surely prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy,” said Natalie Wight, United States Attorney for the District of Oregon.
“The investigation conducted by the Westside Interagency Narcotics team into Madolyn’s tragic death highlights the importance of conducting thorough inquiries into overdose deaths to ensure that those who engage in the business of selling fentanyl face justice. Holding dealers accountable is not just about enforcing the law; it's about protecting our communities and preventing further tragedies. By shining a light on these crimes, we honor the lives lost and send a clear message that the destruction caused by illicit drugs will not be tolerated,” said Chris Gibson, Executive Director for the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program.
“The Washington County Sheriff’s Office Westside Interagency Narcotics team works diligently to mitigate the fentanyl epidemic and the effects on the residents of Washington County. The WIN team takes seriously the responsibility of holding fentanyl dealers accountable and seek to prevent the needless and premature deaths caused by their actions. Madolyn’s story, and the countless others, are the driving force behind the WIN team’s dedication to stop fentanyl trafficking and bring justice for the families of their loved ones,” said Commander Timothy Tannenbaum of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
According to court documents, on August 2, 2021, McCollum sold several counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl to Madolyn, a twenty-year-old woman from Beaverton, Oregon. Later that evening, Madolyn took one of the counterfeit pills and fatally overdosed from acute fentanyl poisoning. Soon after, investigators, posing as the young woman, contacted McCollum and arranged an order for more Oxycodone pills. McCollum was arrested when he arrived to complete the sale. During a search of his vehicle, investigators found additional counterfeit pills and a firearm.
On September 21, 2021, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging McCollum with possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute, possessing a firearm as a felon, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
On May 21, 2024, McCollum pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl and possessing a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
This case was investigated by the Westside Interagency Narcotics Team (WIN). It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott M. Kerin.
WIN is a Washington County, Oregon-based multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program that includes members from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Beaverton and Hillsboro Police Departments, Oregon National Guard Counter Drug Program, FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.
Note: The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon does not typically refer to victims by name in public documents and press releases. In this case, the victim’s family requested their daughter be referred to by name and so we have honored their wishes.
Harvey Man Pleads Guilty to Multimillion-Dollar Scheme to Defraud COVID-19 Pandemic Relief ProgramRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that Richard Hebert, Jr., age 57, of Harvey, Louisiana, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson to making a false statement to a bank in connection with his filing of numerous false and fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans in 2020.
According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea, Hebert owned and operated several businesses including Brookland Realty, LLC, Interstate Construction and Demolition Group, Inc., K-Bear Investments, LLC. Hebert Real Estate Holdings, LLC, Interstate Construction Group, Inc., Albritton Home Construction Group, Inc., and R&M Builders and Real Estate, LLC.
Between April of 2020 and July of 2020, Hebert submitted 12 fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of seven different companies to five different banks attempting to get more than $3.4 million in PPP loan funds. On these applications, he falsely inflated each business’s average monthly payroll and its number of employees in order to get the banks to pay out larger PPP loans. In support of these fraudulent applications, Hebert provided false tax forms and other documentation. As a result of his fraudulent submissions to the banks, more than $2.2 million in pandemic funds were paid out.
This matter is being investigated by the United States Secret Service, and the United States Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica M.P. Thornhill, who also serves as the Deputy Chief of the Economic Crime Unit and Assistant United States Attorney M. Patricia Jones, who also serves as the Appellate Chief.
Anyone with information about allegations of pandemic fraud can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Griffith Man Sentenced to 210 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Edin Galvez, 25 years old, of Griffith, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Gretchen S. Lund after pleading guilty to Soliciting and Enticing the Sex Trafficking of a Minor and Soliciting and Enticing the Production of Child Pornography announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Galvez was sentenced to 210 months on his Sex Trafficking conviction and 210 Months on his Production of Child Pornography conviction. The Court ordered these sentences to be served concurrently.
According to documents in the case, between November 2021 and May 2022, Galvez utilized a social media application to solicit a minor to engage in a sexual act for money; $2,000.00. Galvez also sought to entice and to persuade the minor to send him sexually explicit images and videos through the social media application.
“This successful prosecution shows what can be accomplished when law enforcement partners with the public to combat human trafficking and child exploitation,” said United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson. “This crime would not have been uncovered without members of the public taking a stand and alerting law enforcement to harm they are seeing in their community. We thank those community members for their courageous actions and encourage anyone who witnesses or experiences such crimes to contact law enforcement authorities directly or through the National Human Trafficking Hotline.”
“The defendant’s choice to leverage his position of trust as a coach, not to safeguard the minors for whom he was responsible, but to exploit them is nothing short of reprehensible,” said HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Sean Fitzgerald. “HSI and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting our youth and aggressively pursuing offenders who perpetrate such heinous crimes against them.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Hammond Police Department and the Indiana State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. McGrath.
Former U.S. Postal Employee Sentenced for Conspiracy Involving Bribery and Mail TheftRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge sentenced a former U.S. Postal employee for her role in a conspiracy involving bribery and mail theft, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspector-in-Charge Scott D. Fix, Houston Division.
U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco sentenced Shantee Renee Townes, 41, of Fairfield, to 24 months in prison. In April, Townes pleaded guilty to a conspiracy involving bribery and mail theft and also to accepting a bribe.
“The defendant used her position of trust for personal gain,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “My office is committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to investigate and prosecute individuals who betray the public’s trust.”
“Shantee Townes betrayed the trust the American public placed in her as a USPS employee when she decided to assist others in the theft of US Mail,” said Scott Fix, Inspector in Charge for the Houston Division of the US Postal Inspection Service. “This sentence demonstrates the consequences for individuals, especially those in positions of trust, who engage in this type of criminal activity.”
According to the plea agreement, between April 2021 and August 2022, Townes was employed by the United States Postal Service as a sales and services/distribution clerk and was assigned to the East Lake Roebuck Post Office. She used her position to steal checks from the mail stream and sold photographs of them to Derrell Matthews. Matthews paid Townes over $6,000 for the photographs of the stolen checks. The total value of the checks photographed and sent to Matthews exceeded $1,500,000.
Derrell Allen Matthews, 27, of Birmingham has been sentenced 63 months in prison for his role in this case and in an unrelated case. A press release related to Matthews was issued on July 1, 2024.
USPIS investigated the case, along with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel McBrayer prosecuted the case.
Former Nicholas County Deputy Sheriff Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jarrod Steven Bennett, 38, of Mt. Nebo, a former Nicholas County deputy sheriff, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison, to be followed by 30 years of supervised release, for the production of child pornography. Bennett must also register as a sex offender.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on or about March 2, 2023, while employed as a deputy with the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Department, Bennett recorded two videos using his cell phone of a minor female sleeping on a couch. Bennett admitted that he knew the girl to be under the age of 12 when he recorded the videos. In both videos, the girl is face down on the couch with a blanket covering her torso and her bare legs exposed. In the first video, Bennett filmed the girl as he walked toward her and zoomed the camera to focus on her buttocks. Bennett admitted that he continued to walk toward her as he recorded the second video and filmed his exposed penis and him masturbating near the sleeping girl.
Bennett distributed an image he produced of the minor female, and other child pornography, to multiple users on the Snapchat social media instant messaging app. When Snapchat shut down his account for such conduct, Bennett created a new Snapchat account to continue to distribute child pornography.
Law enforcement investigated the cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the Snapchat activity, and traced it to Bennett. Investigators found child pornography on Bennett’s cell phone and evidence that a large amount of data had been deleted from the phone, including when Snapchat informed him it had reported his account. Investigators also found that the laptop issued to Bennett by the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Department had been used to access Snapchat, and that large amounts of data had been deleted from the laptop remotely.
“Jarrod Steven Bennett violated his position of trust as a law enforcement officer and victimized a child he was meant to protect and care for. He also perpetuated that trauma for her and the other children in the images he distributed, because those images cannot be contained or removed from the hands of pedophiles throughout the world,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson.
Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the West Virginia State Police-Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), and the Beckley Police Department.
“The Wheels of Justice have prevailed. Evil can try to hide in the shadows, however it will be brought to light,” said Nicholas County Sheriff William F. Nunley. “I would like to thank the investigators and the U.S. Attorney's Office for a complete investigation and swift prosecution. We Nicholas County Citizens are sickened by Bennett’s actions. Those sworn to uphold the laws of this Country and State will never stand idle to it. This is why we have the best justice system in the world.”
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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.justice.gov/psc.
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. 2:23-cr-144.
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Former Massachusetts Police Officer Arrested in Connection with Murder of Young WomanRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Stoughton, Mass. police officer has been charged in federal court in Boston with allegedly murdering a young woman to prevent her from disclosing information about his longstanding sexual exploitation of her while he was on duty, beginning when she was a minor.
Matthew Farwell, 38, of North Easton, Mass., has been indicted on one count of killing a witness or victim. Farwell was arrested this morning and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at 2:30 p.m. today.
According to the indictment, on or about Feb. 1, 2021, Farwell allegedly killed Sandra Birchmore by strangulation. It is alleged that Farwell staged her body and apartment to make it appear as if Birchmore had committed suicide. The indictment alleges that Farwell killed Birchmore with the intent to prevent law enforcement from learning about Farwell’s commission or possible commission of federal offenses.
According to court documents, Farwell was a sworn officer of the Stoughton Police Department beginning on or about March 27, 2012, until on or about April 1, 2022. In his capacity as a police officer, Farwell served as an instructor for the Stoughton Police Department’s Explorer’s Program, which is a vocational education program designed for youth to learn about careers in law enforcement. Sandra Birchmore joined the Stoughton Explorers Program in 2010, when she was 12 years old. Farwell allegedly used his authority and access to groom, sexually exploit and ultimately sexually abuse Birchmore when she was 15 years old and continued to have sex with her when she became an adult.
On several occasions, Farwell allegedly engaged in sex acts with Birchmore while on duty as a Stoughton police officer. To conceal this activity, it is alleged that Farwell falsely represented that he had worked certain hours, when in fact he was not working but engaging in sex acts with the then-minor victim. Farwell’s sexual contact with Birchmore continued until her death on Feb. 1, 2021.
In December 2020, Birchmore learned that she was pregnant. According to court documents, she was excited about the pregnancy: scheduling doctors’ appointments, purchasing items for childcare and telling loved ones how happy she was to become a mother. Soon after she learned she was pregnant, Birchmore told Farwell that he was the father of the child and that she expected him to be involved, at least in part, in the child’s life. Birchmore disclosed to loved ones that Farwell allegedly became violent with her when they discussed the pregnancy and his role in the child’s life. At one point while she was pregnant, Farwell allegedly held Birchmore in a headlock and told her that he wished she were dead.
On or about Jan. 20, 2021, Birchmore’s friend called the Stoughton Police Department and referenced Farwell and Birchmore’s sexual relationship. Upon learning this, Farwell allegedly then sent Birchmore angry text messages and, a few days later – approximately one week prior to Birchmore’s death – Farwell visited Birchmore at her apartment in Canton and asked her if she could give him a spare apartment key and keep it a secret. It is further alleged that one week prior to her death, Farwell visited Birchmore’s apartment and began looking through her closets and bathroom, conduct which made her uncomfortable. The court documents allege that, on Feb. 1, 2021, facing perceived imminent disclosure of his criminal conduct, Farwell murdered Birchmore to silence her.
According to court documents, while Birchmore’s death was initially ruled a suicide, the federal investigation probed old evidence and revealed critical new evidence leading to the charge against Farwell.
The charge of killing a witness or victim carries a mandatory sentence of death or life 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.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Massachusetts State Police, Stoughton Police Department and Norfolk District Attorney’s Office provided assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Riley, Torey B. Cummings and Brian A. Fogerty of the office’s Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.Former MPD Officer Sentenced to 20 Months in Prison for Scheme that Sold Personal Data of Traffic Crash VictimsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Vincent Forrest, 36, a former patrol officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 20 months in prison for his role in a bribery scheme in which he unlawfully provided non-public police information in exchange for cash payments. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office.
On January 11, 2024, Forrest, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty of conspiracy, bribery, and making false statements following a jury trial. In addition to the prison term, Forrest was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and forfeit $15,000.01.
According to the government’s trial evidence, beginning in April 2019, Forrest -- in violation of his official duties -- used his official access to MPD’s law enforcement sensitive database to review and record victim contact information from traffic accident reports that contained the names and contact information of individuals involved in traffic accidents.
Forrest sent the victim contact information to Raquel DePaula, 43, of Beltsville, Maryland, using an encrypted communications application. DePaula, who owned RD Legal Solutions, LLC, acted as a “runner,” providing victim contact information to local attorneys in exchange for referral fees. The attorneys then reached out to the accident victims within days of their traffic accidents in violation of D.C. law.
DePaula testified at trial that she paid Forrest between approximately $1,200 and $1,800 in bribe payments per week in exchange for the victim contact information. The evidence at trial showed that over the course of the scheme, she paid Forrest over $15,000 and received contact information for 2,667 traffic crash victims.
On October 6, 2021, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, DePaula pleaded guilty to one count of bribery of a public official. On April 1, 2024, she was sentenced to five years of probation. DePaula and Forrest are the sixth and seventh defendants to be convicted in connection with the illegal sale of traffic crash reports by MPD officers. Previously, MPD Officers Walter Lee and Kendra Coles, MPD employee Aaron Willis, business owner Marvin Parker and law firm employee Michelle Cage pleaded guilty to related charges.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD’s Internal Affairs Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua S. Rothstein and Madhu Chugh of the Fraud, Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia with valuable assistance provided by Paralegal Specialist Lisa Abbe.
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Former Employee of National Industrial Company Arrested for Attempted Data ExtortionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Missouri man was arrested for an attempted data extortion campaign targeting his former employer, a U.S.-based industrial company with its headquarters located in Somerset County, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Daniel Rhyne, 57, of Kansas City, Missouri, is charged by complaint with one count of extortion in relation to a threat to cause damage to a protected computer, one count of intentional damage to a protected computer, and one count of wire fraud. He was arrested in Missouri on Aug. 27, 2024, had an initial appearance in Kansas City federal court and was released.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Rhyne was employed by a U.S.-based industrial company in New Jersey as a core infrastructure engineer. On Nov. 25, 2023, certain employees of the company received an extortionate e-mail. The email warned the employees that all of the company’s IT administrators had been locked out or deleted from the company’s computer network; backups of the company’s servers had been deleted; and additional servers belonging to the company would be shut down each day for a period of 10 days if a ransom of 20 Bitcoin, equivalent at the time to $750,000, was not paid.
The investigation revealed that Rhyne gained unauthorized access to the company’s computer systems by remotely accessing the a company administrator account. Rhyne then, without authorization, scheduled several computer tasks to be carried out on the network, including changing the company administrator passwords and shutting down its servers. Rhyne controlled the email address used to send the November 25 extortion email to the company’s employees.
The charge of extortion in relation to a threat to cause damage to a protected computer carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charge of intentional damage to a protected computer carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The wire fraud offense carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the arrest. He also thanked the FBI Kansas City, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stephen A. Cyrus.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dong Joo Lee of the Cybercrime Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
rhyne.complaint.pdfFormer Church Office Manager Sentenced for Bank Fraud and Ordered to Repay more than $910kRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Katrenia Hartman, 55, of Sand Springs for Bank Fraud and Willfully Making and Subscribing a False Federal Income Tax Return. Judge Frizzell ordered Hartman to be imprisoned for 30 months, followed by five years of supervised release. Additionally, Hartman is ordered to pay the IRS more than $177k in restitution and more than $735k to the church she defrauded.
According to court documents, Hartman was a church office manager for over 16 years. She was entrusted with various duties, including payroll, church bills, and bank deposits. In 2016, Hartman began abusing the trust bestowed upon her. As an authorized signatory, Hartman would sign checks she made out to herself and forge the additional signature needed. Hartman then tried to conceal her tracks by entering false descriptions into the church’s bookkeeping system.
While Hartman was receiving the fraudulent funds, she failed to report the increase in her income to the IRS. She also claimed more than $78k in fake medical and dental expenses in order to reduce her tax liability.
Hartman was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The U.S. Secret Service, IRS - Criminal Investigations, and Tulsa Police Department investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David D. Whipple prosecuted it.
Former Army Private Found Guilty of Child Exploitation Charges, Including Production of Sexually Explicit Material of MinorRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal jury today found a former Army private based at Fort Irwin guilty of producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting a 14-year-old girl, using Snapchat to receive CSAM of her when she was 13 years old, and possessing CSAM featuring her on his iPhone. In addition, White was found guilty of receiving CSAM of a 15-year-old girl via Snapchat.
Parker William White, 23, of Johnsonville, New York, was found guilty of one count of production of child pornography, three counts of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.
According to evidence presented during a five-day trial, in January 2022, the Department of Children and Families in Bay County, Florida received a tip that White was engaging in an online, sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl. Later, investigators found CSAM of her on White’s iPhone as well as CSAM that White had received via Snapchat featuring her and another minor.
White used Instagram, Snapchat, and other social media platforms to find minor “girlfriends” as young as 13 years old, according to court documents. White groomed these minor girls by boasting about his military service, telling them that they were “beautiful” and “queens,” and pretending to be in love with them. In some instances, White deceptively portrayed himself as teenager to earn their trust. White’s behavior would then escalate to a practice that he called “teasing.” He would send these children sexually explicit videos and photographs of himself via social media and encourage them to “tease” him back by doing the same.
United States District Judge André Birotte Jr. scheduled a February 7, 2025 sentencing hearing, at which time White will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a statutory maximum sentence of 100 years in federal prison.
White has been in custody since his arrest.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.
Assistant United States Attorneys Lyndsi C. Allsop of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Laura A. Alexander of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section are prosecuting this case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Fiscalía Federal anuncia cargos contra un grupo que facilitó y organizó el turismo criminal de SudaméricaRead the Press Release
LOS ÁNGELES – El día de hoy, las fuerzas del orden público aprehendieron a seis acusados que un gran jurado federal imputó mediante una acusación formal de 46 cargos que alega que un hombre del Valle de Santa Clarita facilitó un grupo de turismo criminal consistente de sudamericanos y otras personas que participaron en robos con allanamiento de morada, hurtos y otros delitos por todos los Estados Unidos y luego lavaron millones de dólares estadounidenses en ganancias ilícitas.
La acusación formal, dictada el 1 de agosto y publicada el día de hoy, imputa a siete acusados de varios delitos graves, entre ellos fraude electrónico, lavado de dinero, asociación delictuosa y la estructuración de transacciones a modo de evadir los requisitos federales de presentación de informes financieros.
Los grupos de turismo criminal para robo consisten en personas, a menudo oriundas de Sudamérica y otros lugares fuera de los Estados Unidos, que participan en robos con allanamiento de morada, hurtos y otros delitos por todos los EE. UU. Como parte del modo de operación de los grupos de turismo criminal para robo, las personas ingresan a los Estados Unidos y participan en oleadas de delitos de robo. Con frecuencia, los frutos de los robos se comparten con los facilitadores y coconspiradores, quienes ayudan a los turistas delictivos a cometer sus delitos, así como con otras personas tanto dentro como fuera de los Estados Unidos.
“El turismo criminal es un problema importante que afecta no sólo al sur de California, sino a toda nuestra nación,” dijo el fiscal federal Martín Estrada. “Estos acusados facilitaron y dirigieron el crimen a turistas que cometieron cientos de robos en todo el país – en esencia, actuaron como mariscales de campo de un equipo de ladrones. Continuaremos trabajando con nuestros socios locales para hacer responsables a quienes vengan a nuestro país y aprovechen nuestras libertades para robarle al pueblo estadounidense.”
“Hoy desmantelamos un facilitador no tradicional del crimen organizado y ahora tenemos un plan para futuras investigaciones,” dijo Akil Davis, subdirector a cargo de la oficina local del FBI en Los Ángeles. "Esperamos que estos arrestos disuadan a futuras empresas de realizar operaciones similares, reduciendo así el número de robos y hurtos en nuestras comunidades."
"Esta investigación requirió años de mucho esfuerzo y dedicación por parte del Departamento de Policía de Los Ángeles y nuestros socios," dijo el jefe de LAPD, Dominic Choi. “Me complace que nuestros esfuerzos colectivos hayan dado como resultado la detención de estos delincuentes profesionales que se han dedicado a victimizar a nuestros residentes y facilitar el movimiento de delincuentes extranjeros. Estoy convencido de que sacarlos de las calles hace que nuestras comunidades sean más seguras.”
Según la acusación formal, Juan Carlos Thola-Durán, de 57 años, alias "Parcero", de Canyon Country, y su pareja conviviente Ana María Arriagada, de 41 años, alias "Parcera", controlaban y operaban la empresa acusada Driver Power Rentals (DPR), un negocio de arrendamiento o venta de autos con sede en Van Nuys. Arriagada era la dueña registrada de DPR.
Desde al menos enero de 2018 hasta julio de 2024, Thola-Durán dirigió a socios, con frecuencia miembros de grupos de turismo criminal para robo que viajaban desde Sudamérica, para que viajaran a varias partes de los Estados Unidos para cometer robos, incluso los robos de artículos en tiendas, robos con allanamiento de moradas y negocios, y robos de tarjetas de crédito y débito de víctimas.
Thola-Durán, Arriagada y DPR suministraban vehículos de DPR para que los coconspiradores viajaran por los Estados Unidos para cometer hurtos y robos con allanamiento de morada, y para que los arrendamientos de autos parecieran legítimos y así mantener el anonimato, requerían que sus coconspiradores suministraran tarjetas de identificación falsas al arrendar un vehículo para fines de los registros de DPR.
Thola-Durán y Arriagada les daban instrucciones a los ladrones coconspiradores que se robaban tarjetas de crédito o débito para que fueran inmediatamente a tiendas como Target, Best Buy, The Home Depot y otras, y gastaran el máximo crédito disponible en la compra de dispositivos electrónicos, tarjetas de regalo, bolsos de diseñador y otros bienes de alto lujo antes de que las tarjetas robadas pudieran ser restringidas o canceladas.
Luego, Thola-Durán hacía arreglos para que los ladrones entregaran los artículos robados u obtenidos fraudulentamente a socios en DPR, o bien los enviaran por correo a otros coconspiradores, entre ellos el acusado Miguel Ángel Barajas, de 57 años, de Northridge, u otros coconspiradores en una tienda FedEx en Sherman Oaks. Por instrucción de Thola-Durán, los acusados Barajas, John Carlo Thola, de 33 años, de Canoga Park, y otros recogían los paquetes y luego se los entregaban a Thola-Durán y otros coconspiradores. Luego Thola-Durán se desempeñaba como "comerciante de artículos robados" y compraba los artículos, a una fracción de su valor en el mercado minorista, y les pagaba a los ladrones un porcentaje del valor de los artículos. Luego, en el transcurso de la asociación delictuosa, procedió a venderles a otros compradores los artículos robados por un total aproximado de $5.5 millones de dólares estadounidenses, incluidos aproximadamente $5.1 millones de dólares estadounidenses enviados a diversas cuentas bancarias controladas por los coconspiradores.
Presuntamente, los acusados usaron sus ganancias mal habidas para comprar y mantener activos, entre ellos inmuebles y caballos, y estructuraron retiros de dinero en efectivo de manera que evitaran activar el requisito de que los bancos presenten informes al Departamento del Tesoro de los EE. UU. sobre transacciones que exceden de $10,000 dólares estadounidenses.
La acusación formal alega además que desde mayo de 2020 hasta junio de 2021 Thola-Durán, Arriagada y otros se asociaron delictuosamente para obtener de manera fraudulenta $274,998 dólares estadounidenses en préstamos de socorro financiero para negocios por COVID-19.
Una acusación formal es meramente una alegación. Se presume que todos los acusados son inocentes hasta tanto se pruebe su culpabilidad más allá de una duda razonable en un tribunal de ley.
“Desde 2019, hemos arrestado a más de 130 sospechosos responsables de perpetrar estos delitos, y la gran mayoría utilizó automóviles suministrados por Driver Power Rentals,” dijo el sheriff del condado de Ventura, James Fryhoff. “Nuestros esfuerzos no terminan ahí. Nos asociamos formalmente con el FBI y creamos el Grupo de Trabajo contra Robos Mayores del Condado de Ventura. "Este grupo de trabajo ha sido fundamental para presentar cargos federales contra Thola-Duran y otros miembros de su organización criminal."
“Driver Power Rentals proporcionó automóviles que supuestamente se utilizaron para llevarse mercancías y joyas de alta gama de los propietarios del condado de Ventura,” dijo el fiscal de distrito del condado de Ventura, Erik Nasarenko. "Derribar a un operador clave que impulsó el turismo criminal es esencial para la seguridad de la comunidad, y agradezco al fiscal federal Estrada y su equipo por procesar agresivamente esta red."
"Estos delincuentes estaban llevando a cabo una operación de robo con una sofisticación que rivaliza con la de Amazon y, en lugar de enviar conductores de reparto, estaban enviando ladrones entrenados por todo el sur de California para robar en lo que debería ser el lugar donde estamos más seguros: nuestros hogares," dijo el fiscal de distrito del condado de Orange, Todd. Spitzer. "El crimen no paga en el Condado de Orange y las personas que participan en el turismo criminal están conscientes de que mi oficina trabajará con nuestros socios locales y federales para continuar exigiendo responsabilidad y llevando ante la justicia a quienes victimizan a nuestra comunidad."
Una acusación es simplemente una acusación. Se presume que todos los acusados son inocentes hasta que se demuestre su culpabilidad más allá de toda duda razonable en un tribunal de justicia.
De recibir condenas, los acusados enfrentarían una sentencia estatutaria máxima de 20 años en una prisión federal por cada cargo relacionado con transferencias electrónicas y lavado de dinero, hasta 10 años en una prisión federal por cada cargo de estructuración y hasta cinco años en una prisión federal por el cargo de asociación delictuosa para transportar bienes robados entre estados.
El FBI, la Fiscalía de Distrito del Condado de Orange, la Fiscalía de Distrito del Condado de Ventura, la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Ventura y el Departamento de Policía de Los Ángeles investigan esta causa. El Servicio de Inspección Postal de los Estados Unidos, la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Meriwether (Georgia) y el Departamento de Policía de Scottsdale (Arizona) prestaron asistencia.
Las Fiscales Auxiliares de los Estados Unidos Jennifer Chou y Lindsay M. Bailey de la Sección de Delincuencia Organizada y Violenta y el Fiscal Auxiliar de los Estados Unidos Ryan J. Waters de la Sección de Decomiso y Recuperación de Activos procesan esta causa.
Federal judge convicts Great Falls woman for 2021 crash on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation that resulted in serious bodily injuryRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A U.S. District Court judge on Aug. 27 convicted a Great Falls woman for a December 2021 crash on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation that resulted in serious bodily injuries to a juvenile passenger, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
After a one-day bench trial on Aug. 27, Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris found the defendant, Noblee Rose Littledog, 23, of Great Falls, guilty of assault resulting in serious bodily injury as charged in an indictment. Littledog faces a maximum of ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The court set sentencing for Jan. 9, 2025, and continued Littledog’s release pending further proceedings.
“Reckless driving often ends tragically, but driving recklessly while also consuming alcohol almost always guarantees someone will be severely injured, which is exactly what happened here. Our office, as well as the victim’s family, are relieved and thankful for the guilty verdict because accountability will now rightfully occur for Littledog. I applaud and thank the entire Blackfeet prosecution team, including Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, the Montana Highway Patrol, and the FBI for their outstanding work on this case,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
In court documents and at trial, the government alleged that on Dec. 1, 2021, Littledog was driving a 2019 Jeep Cherokee on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation with the victim, a passenger identified as Jane Doe, who was 17 years old. While driving on a secondary highway between BIA Route 1 and U.S. Highway 89, Littledog passed two vehicles at a high rate of speed in a no passing zone. Littledog failed to negotiate the corner, causing the vehicle to leave the roadway, rolling approximately five times. The vehicle was destroyed and both occupants were injured. Jane Doe was pinned in the passenger seat. Emergency responders had to cut Jane Doe from the car before they could triage her injures. Jane Doe suffered severe trauma to her lower extremities that has caused permanent damage.
Law enforcement seized the vehicle’s event data recorder and analyzed the data. At trial, the government presented evidence that the data captured by the vehicle showed that seconds before the crash, Littledog was traveling at a minimum speed of 105.6 mph. The data also showed that both occupants were restrained at the time of the crash. Jane Doe reported that Littledog had consumed alcohol on the drive, and Littledog told law enforcement at the hospital that she had consumed two alcoholic beverages approximately 30 to 40 minutes before the crash. Evidence at the scene of the crash matched her description of the alcohol she reported consuming.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, Montana Highway Patrol and the FBI conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Cut Bank Police Department.
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Employee of Brooklyn Moving Company Sentenced for Defrauding CustomersRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Andre Prince was sentenced by United States Circuit Judge Denny Chin to 24 months in prison for his participation in a fraudulent moving company scheme. Prince was convicted in December 2023 of conspiracy to commit wire fraud following a one-week trial. As part of the sentence, Prince was ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $100,000.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, and Christopher A. Scharf, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, Northeastern Region (DOT-OIG), announced the sentence.
“The defendant enticed victims to use the moving companies he worked for and then held their belongings hostage to substantially higher prices and the threat of auctioning them off unless they agreed to the fraudulent demands,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “For his crime of conviction, it is Prince who will be moving -- to a federal prison. My Office is committed to protecting consumers from costly and fraudulent schemes in the moving industry.”
FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Curtis stated: “Andre Prince enticed customers to entrust fraudulent moving companies with their household goods, only to financially extort them with threats of selling their belongings. Prince utilized his skills as a sales representative to prey upon more than 800 victims undergoing a stressful event by boxing them into misleading contracts and false estimates. May the defendant’s move to prison reflect the FBI’s dedication to disrupting widespread fraud schemes and deter future unlawful attempts to monopolize an industry.
“Today’s sentence stemming from the criminal investigation conducted with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners demonstrates our commitment to detecting and prosecuting fraudulent household goods movers who take advantage of unsuspecting customers by holding their personal belongings hostage,” stated DOT-OIG Special Agent in Charge Scharf. “We will continue our vigorous efforts to root out bad actors from the moving industry and reinforce adherence to Federal laws and regulations designed to protect the public.”
As proven at trial, between at least January 2017 and August 2020, Prince and co-defendant Kristy Mak worked for a number of moving companies controlled by co-defendant Yakov Moroz, which operated under various names including Great Moving USA, Green Movers, New City Moves, Cross Country Moving and Storage, and Movers Consulting. Mak was a customer service representative for the companies and supervised Prince, who, as a senior sales representative was responsible for convincing individuals to choose one of the fraudulent moving companies. The defendants lured customers to these movers by posting fake reviews online and having sales associates offer low-cost transportation of their household goods. After a contract was signed and, in some cases, after the customer’s belongings were loaded on the truck, the movers would spring new expenses on them. If the customer tried contacting the sales associate about the surprise fees, that person was unreachable, and the customers were faced with drivers who threatened to hold their goods hostage unless they paid additional fees which were sometimes double or triple the original estimated cost. In one conversation on the Slack messaging app, Prince reacted to two memes sent to him from another salesperson depicting their scheme to cut off contact with the customer on the day of the move, stating: “[rolling on the floor laughing emoji] that is so accurate.” As a result of the fraudulent scheme, the defendants, together with others, wrongfully obtained more than $3 million from over 800 victims.
Mak, who was convicted at trial of the same wire fraud conspiracy charge as Prince, is awaiting sentencing. Moroz absconded while on pre-trial release and is currently a fugitive.
If you have been the victim of a similar fraud, a complaint can be filed with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration at https://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov/nccdb/home.aspx
The government’s case was handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Arun Bodapati and Elias Laris are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Special Agent Rebecca Sidhu and Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Heyward.
The Defendant:
ANDRE PRINCE (also known as “Allen Parks” and “Aaron”)
Age: 45
Taramac, FloridaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-342 (DC)
El Dorado Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
EL DORADO – An El Dorado man was sentenced yesterday to 180 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute More Than Fifty (50) Grams of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in El Dorado.
According to court documents, Wallace Kenya Cutter Sr, a/k/a “Kilo”, age 47, was identified by law enforcement to be distributing methamphetamine in El Dorado, Arkansas area.
During March of 2023, investigators were able to make a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Cutter.
On March 27, 2023, a search was conducted at Cutter’s residence, resulting in investigators locating and seizing approximately 1,162.79 grams of pure methamphetamine. The methamphetamine seized during the search warrant and from the controlled purchases was subsequently forwarded to the Drug Enforcement Administration Laboratory for confirmatory testing.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trent Daniels and Graham Jones prosecuted the case.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov.
Dominican Republic National Pleads Guilty for His Role in a Human Smuggling Event that Resulted in a Child’s DeathRead the Press Release
A national of the Dominican Republic pleaded guilty yesterday to his involvement in a deadly human smuggling conspiracy in Puerto Rico.
Alcibades De Paz, 34, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of bringing certain aliens into the United States, resulting in death.
According to court documents, the defendant was identified as one of the captains of a vessel illegally carrying individuals, including a three-year-old child, from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico. The defendant admitted to operating the vessel during the human smuggling venture. While the co-conspirators were evading Puerto Rican law enforcement attempting to intercept the vessel safely, the vessel stopped functioning; De Paz admitted that he aided in starting the engine and throttling the boat’s engine towards the Puerto Rican shoreline. The vessel capsized as it reached the shoreline, leading to the child’s death.
“While smuggling migrants by boat to the United States, Alcibades De Paz attempted to evade law enforcement and sped toward the beach — a decision that resulted in the death of a three-year-old child after the vessel capsized,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This tragedy demonstrates human smugglers’ callous disregard for human life. The Criminal Division is committed to combating human smugglers who prey upon vulnerable migrants.”
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. De Paz faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Puerto Rico investigated this case, with assistance from Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD)’s Joint Forces of Rapid Action (FURA) and U.S. Border Patrol, Ramey Sector.
Trial Attorney Marie Zisa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emelina M. Agrait-Barreto for the District of Puerto Rico are prosecuting the case.
The investigation is being conducted under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a joint partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI. The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.
Detroit Man Sentenced for Armed Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Detroit man, Jarrett Howard, 56, was sentenced on Wednesday, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, to 300 months, for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of firearms as a convicted felon, and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to testimony at trial, in November 2021, law enforcement received information that Howard was responsible for distributing fentanyl in Madison County. They then conducted a search of Howard’s residence, finding 285 grams of fentanyl, 416 grams of cocaine, and two loaded firearms. Law enforcement also discovered a digital scale and $34,450 at the residence.
Under federal law, Howard must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for eight years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Erek Davodowich, Acting Special Agent in Charge, DEA Louisville Field Division; Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Detroit Field Division; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police (KSP); Chief Rodney Richardson, Richmond Police Department; and Sheriff Mike Coyle, Madison County Sheriff's Office, jointly announced the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by DEA, ATF, KSP, Richmond Police Department, and Madison County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Greenfield prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
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Delaware County Woman Pleads Guilty to January Armed Carjacking in South Philadelphia, Two Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Nateirah Ortiz, 25, of Darby, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge Chad F. Kenney to one count of carjacking, one count of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the commission of a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Ortiz was charged by indictment with these offenses in April of this year, in connection with a January carjacking in South Philadelphia.
As described in the indictment, on January 31, 2024, at approximately 7 p.m., the victim reported being carjacked on the 1100 block of Washington Avenue. He relayed that, while walking to his vehicle, a silver 2018 Toyota RAV4, the defendant, Nateirah Ortiz, demanded his car keys and pointed a gun at him. The victim complied, giving the defendant his key, and ran to a nearby business for assistance calling 911. The defendant entered the victim’s vehicle and fled the scene.
Information about the incident was soon broadcast via police radio citywide. At approximately 9:17 p.m., 24th District police officers on patrol observed the carjacked vehicle traveling on the 3100 block of Kensington Avenue and attempted to conduct a vehicle investigation. The officers stopped their vehicle in front of the RAV4 and another police unit stopped behind it. After waiting for the officers to get out of their car and approach her, Ortiz fled at a high rate of speed, nearly striking their police vehicle in the process. The officers immediately went over the air requesting assistance, and units in the area began searching for the carjacked vehicle.
As police officers drove down Richmond Street, they observed that a RAV4 fitting that description had crashed into several cars parked on the 3700 block of Richmond. The officers saw the defendant walking away from the scene and apprehended her, with police recovering a loaded handgun from underneath a parked van a few feet away.
“Carjackings are crimes that can terrorize victims and rattle entire communities,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “That’s exactly why my office is committed to prosecuting these cases, working in lockstep with the Philadelphia Police Department and our federal partners to take violent criminals off the street. By holding carjackers like Nateirah Ortiz responsible for their actions, we’re having a direct effect on public safety in Philadelphia.”
“This case again shows that carjacking is dangerous and a serious federal crime, requiring many years in federal prison at a minimum,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Office. “The perpetrator’s reckless actions caused extensive property damage and put the victim and bystanders in grave danger. ATF Philadelphia Field Division applies our unique forensic and investigative tools with the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force to solve crimes and to make our communities safer.”
“The quick apprehension of Nateirah Ortiz is a testament to the dedication and coordination of our officers and federal partners,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel. “This incident also highlights the importance of our continued collaboration and commitment to removing violent offenders and illegal firearms from our streets. The safety of our communities is our top priority, and we will not tolerate those who choose to threaten the peace and security of our city.”
Ortiz is set to be sentenced on December 18 and faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum of seven years’ imprisonment.
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 case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony J. Carissimi and Robert E. Eckert.
Dark Web Vendor Pleads Guilty to Distributing Fentanyl Through the MailRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Ryan Scott Cochran, also known as “namedeclined,” pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine through the United States mail. Today’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Ramon E. Reyes, Jr. As part of his guilty plea, Cochran agreed to forfeit more than $200,000 in cash, cryptocurrency and money in bank accounts already seized by law enforcement, and agreed to forfeit an additional $900,000 at a later date. When sentenced, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of twenty years’ imprisonment.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the guilty plea.
Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to United States Postal Inspection Service, New York Field Office and San Francisco Field Office; Internal Revenue Service, Oakland Field Office; and the Drug Enforcement Administration, San Francisco Field Office, for their assistance on the case.
According to court documents and facts presented at the guilty plea proceeding, Cochran was a highly rated vendor on numerous dark web marketplaces for more than a decade. Cochran advertised and sold fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, among other drugs, and shipped them throughout the United States and around the world through the United States mail. Cochran also sold fraudulent identification documents and other forged documents, such as health insurance cards, on the dark web.
Assistant United States Attorney Philip Pilmar is in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Thomas Englert and Rachel Friedman.
The Defendant:
RYAN SCOTT COCHRAN, aka “namedeclined”
Age: 34
San Jose, CAE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-063 (RER)
Dallas Man Pleads Guilty in $27M Oil & Gas, Water Rights FraudRead the Press Release
A Dallas man pleaded guilty Tuesday to defrauding investors out of more than $27 million in various oil and gas and water rights scams, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Dennis James Rogers, II, 35, originally of Las Cruces, NM, was charged via felony information. On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to two counts of securities fraud.
“This defendant lined his own pockets at the expense of would-be investors, lying and cheating his way to a life of luxury,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton. “Today’s plea is a step towards justice for his victims.”
“Investment and securities scams result in high volumes of complaints and high loss amounts to victims, and also undermine the integrity of our financial markets at-large,” said Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough. “The FBI is committed to investigating criminal activity that is designed to defraud unsuspecting individuals and will continue to dedicate substantial resources to investigating ever-evolving fraud schemes like those perpetrated by the defendant.”
According to plea papers, in August 2019, Mr. Rogers successfully solicited $10 million from an investor, purportedly so that his company, Oregon Mountain Trading Company, could purchase fuel. The investor, identified in court documents by the initials J.I., handed over the funds after the pair agreed he would receive a fifty percent return on investment. Instead of purchasing fuel as promised, Mr. Rogers diverted the funds to a private jet service, a custom home builder, a law firm, an investment account, business entities, credit card companies, and other personal expenditures.
Ten months later, Mr. Rogers solicited $4.1 million and $2.1 million from investors S.W. and D.W., respectively. He told the investors that a large international fuel company was exiting its stock position in Brownsville, Texas and planned to dispose of its fuel via an exclusive, invitation-only auction. (In reality, the company never held an auction and had no relationship with Mr. Rogers.) Instead of purchasing fuel at auction, Mr. Rogers diverted the money to fund an unrelated investment account, purchase real estate, and pay personal expenses.
Mr. Rogers also successfully collected $11 million in investments for a purported water rights deal associated with a dairy farm in New Mexico. In furtherance of the scheme, he held a call with an investor and an alleged member of the dairy farmer family. He also told investors he had an account worth $5 million that could be used as collateral. In reality, Rogers never had a relationship with the dairy farmer, the account had no collateral value, and there was never a contract for water rights.
Mr. Rogers now faces up to ten years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is set for Dec. 18, 2024 before U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcus Busch is prosecuting the case.
Cumberland County Man Admits Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Cumberland County, New Jersey, man today admitted possessing images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced.
Raymond Stickelman, 51, of Vineland, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court to an information with one count of possession of child pornography. He was released on $100,000 unsecured bond.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In November 2021, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Stickelman’s residence. Law enforcement located an electronic file storage device that contained over 500 files containing images of child sexual abuse. Stickelman admitted possessing that device and the child pornography files it contained.
The count of possession of child pornography carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Harteis and Elisa Wiygul of the Camden office.
stickelman.information.pdfCruise Ship Employee Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Placing Hidden Cameras Inside Passenger Staterooms to Record ChildrenRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On Aug. 28, Arvin Joseph Mirasol, a citizen of the Philippines, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa Damian to 30 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to producing child pornography.
On Feb. 25, a guest aboard the Symphony of the Seas cruise ship, which is owned by Royal Caribbean Group, discovered a hidden camera affixed to the counter under the sink in the guest’s bathroom. The guest reported the camera to ship security.
Mirasol, a stateroom attendant who serviced passenger cabins, was detained until the cruise ship docked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Once the ship docked, on March 3, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel boarded the ship and began their investigation. Mirasol’s electronics were seized and searched. Law enforcement discovered that Mirasol’s electronics contained numerous videos of children in various stages of undress. The focus of the videos was on the children’s genital areas. One video showed Mirasol himself installing a camera in a guest’s bathroom. HSI agents were able to identify children depicted in the videos, ranging from 2 to 17 years of age.
According to the agreed upon factual proffer, Mirasol had been placing cameras in passenger cabins since December of 2023. Mirasol would enter the guests’ rooms while they were showering and hide under their beds so he could secretly record them exiting the shower.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of HSI, Miami, and Carlos Martel, CBP Director of Field Operations, made the announcement.
HSI Fort Lauderdale investigated the case with invaluable assistance from CBP. Royal Caribbean Group security also provided assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Koontz prosecuted the case.Anyone with information regarding suspected crimes which may have occurred on cruise ships, to include, sexual abuse and the offenses related to child pornography, is encouraged to contact the HSI tip line at 1-866-347-2423.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-60046.
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Country Club to Pay over $440,000 to Resolve Allegations It Received Paycheck Protection Program Loan as an Ineligible Nonprofit OrganizationRead the Press Release
Resolution Builds on a Steady Stream of Civil and Criminal Cases to Protect Taxpayer Dollars Spent as Pandemic-Related Assistance
GRAND RAPIDS – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Gull Lake Country Club of Richland, Michigan, has agreed to pay $440,312.50 to resolve allegations in a civil case that it falsely obtained a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan in 2020 when it was an ineligible nonprofit organization.
“The Paycheck Protection Program provided important financial relief to eligible small businesses and other entities,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Today’s resolution demonstrates our continued commitment to protect taxpayer dollars and investigate allegations of fraud on critical government programs.”
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 private individuals who uncover fraudulent conduct to recover the product of this fraud as well as penalties.”
When Congress enacted the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, it authorized forgivable PPP loans to eligible small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses. The PPP loan program was administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Under the rules applicable at the time of the loan covered by today’s settlement, certain nonprofit organizations were not eligible to receive a PPP loan. The United States alleges that Gull Lake Country Club was an ineligible nonprofit 501(c)(7) organization at the time it applied for the PPP loan.
This settlement resolves the allegations brought in a lawsuit against Gull Lake Country Club filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The qui tam lawsuit was filed by Relator Wade Riner and is captioned United States ex rel. Riner v. Bay Harbor Yacht Club, et al., No. 1:24-cv-284 (W.D. Mich.).
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan has demonstrated a steady commitment to hold accountable individuals and organizations that received pandemic-related funds, but did not comply with eligibility requirements or other rules. For example, the Office has announced the following cases since 2022:
- March 4, 2022 – Two Men Sentenced for Paycheck Protection Program Loan Fraud.
- March 13, 2023 - Michigan Nonprofit Organizations Agree to Pay $225,887 to Settle False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Improper Receipt of Paycheck Protection Program Loans
- June 22, 2022 – Owners of Grand Rapids Trucking Company Plead Guilty to Bank Fraud Conspiracy, Pay $1,000,000 In Related Civil Case, In Connection With COVID-10 Relief Fraud.
- November 18, 2022 – Former State Employee and Three Others Indicted for $1 Million COVID-19 Fraud Scheme.
- December 15, 2022 – Grand Rapids Man Pleads Guilty to Covid-19 Relief Fraud.
- December 21, 2022 – Judge Sends Cocaine Dealer to Prison for Covid-Relief Fraud.
- February 23, 2023 – Former Police Officer Sentenced for Money Laundering ($500,000 in fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds).
- December 5, 2023 – Roshell Beaty Sentenced to 124 Months in Prison for Over $1 Million in COVID Fraud.
- June 18, 2024 – Northern Michigan Physician Assistant Charged with Covid-19 Pandemic Assistance Fraud.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew J. Hull and Whitney M. Schnurr investigated this matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
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Convicted Felons Plead Guilty to Illegally Possessing Firearms in Project Safe Neighborhoods Investigations in Macon and Middle GeorgiaRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – Two Georgians with criminal pasts pleaded guilty to illegally possessing firearms resulting from separate Project Safe Neighborhoods investigations.
Travis Marcia Davis, 45, of Macon, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If determined by the Court to be an Armed Career Criminal, Davis faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years up to a maximum of life imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine; if determined by the Court to not be an Armed Career Criminal, Davis faces a maximum of ten years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
Johnny Grilliot aka “Julio,” 48, of Calhoun, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Grilliot faces a maximum of 15 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
The hearings occurred before U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on Aug. 26. The sentencing dates for the defendants will be determined by the Court. There is no parole in the federal system.
“These cases demonstrate the ongoing efforts by federal, state and local law enforcement in Macon and across the Middle District of Georgia to protect communities from gun violence,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “We are thankful for the valuable work of our law enforcement partners to help us hold these individuals accountable for crimes that jeopardize the safety of our communities.”
“Among ATF’s top priorities is ensuring that firearms traffickers are aggressively investigated and swiftly brought to justice,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Atlanta Field Division Beau Kolodka. “This is an excellent example of such an investigation that was worked cooperatively by partner agencies with outstanding results.”
According to court documents and statements made in court in the Davis case, ATF began investigating Davis in May 2022 for firearms trafficking. Working with a confidential informant, agents conducted a series of controlled purchases of firearms and ammunition from the defendant in May and June at locations in the Macon area, including at Davis’s residence, acquiring 12 firearms. The firearms sold illegally by the defendant included a .380 caliber handgun with an obliterated serial number and a sawed-off shotgun that Davis hid in a separate location from other firearms he was selling because he stated he was “scared” of that particular sawed-off shotgun as “it will get you Fed time.” Davis is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court in the Grilliot case, GBI agents took Grilliot into custody on a warrant in a pending narcotics conspiracy investigation on Sept. 1, 2023, at a rest stop off I-475. A search warrant was obtained for the 18-wheeler Grilliot was driving. Inside, agents found a loaded .40 caliber pistol along with a small plastic bag of suspected methamphetamine and a pipe with suspected methamphetamine residue. Grilliot was previously convicted for one count of possession of an unregistered firearm due to his possession of a rifle that had been sawed off on both the barrel and stock to below the legal length with a homemade silencer taped to the shortened barrel, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia on July 7, 2021, and was serving supervised release at the time of this offense.
These cases are 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 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
The Davis case was investigated by ATF. The Grilliot case was investigated by GBI and ATF.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom is prosecuting the cases for the Government.
Connecticut Dentists Pay $1.7 million to Settle False Claims AllegationsRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and William Tong, Connecticut Attorney General, today announced that STANISLAV GINTAUTAS, DDS and TATIANA AGABABAEVA, DDS, and their businesses, FAMILY DENTISTRY OF BRIDGEPORT PC, FAMILY DENTISTRY OF HARTFORD PLLC, and FAMILY DENTISTRY OF STAMFORD, PC, have entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal and state governments and have paid $1.7 million to resolve allegations that they violated the federal and state False Claims Acts.
Gintautas and Agababaeva are both licensed to practice dentistry in Connecticut. Gintautas, Agababaeva, Family Dentistry of Bridgeport PC (“FD Bridgeport”), Family Dentistry of Hartford PLLC (“FD Hartford”), and Family Dentistry of Stamford PC (“FD Stamford”) are enrolled as dental providers in the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (“CTMAP”), which includes the state’s Medicaid program.
It is alleged that, in violation of their CTMAP provider agreements and the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, FD Bridgeport, FD Hartford, FD Stamford, and Gintautas submitted claims to the CTMAP related to dental services rendered to Connecticut Medicaid patients referred to the businesses by a third-party “patient recruiting” company. FD Bridgeport, FD Hartford, FD Stamford, and Gintautas paid a patient recruiter $115 for each Connecticut Medicaid patient the recruiter referred to them whenever the patient received services over and above routine preventative care, such as dental cleanings and exams, and submitted claims for dental services rendered to those patients. With each submitted claim, they impliedly certified that the conditions of receiving payment were met, including, but not limited to, that they did not pay kickbacks or violate any terms or provisions of the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership (“CTDHP”) provider manual concerning the submitted claim.
The CTDHP provider manual, which is an addendum to both the CTMAP provider agreement and the CTMAP provider manual, expressly prohibits per-patient compensation for individuals referred to CMAP providers.
To resolve the allegations under the federal and state False Claims Acts, FD Bridgeport, FD Hartford, FD Stamford, Gintautas, and Agababaeva agreed to pay $1.7 million to reimburse the Medicaid program for conduct occurring from February 2016 through August 2018.
Under the False Claims Act, the government can recover up to three times its actual damages, plus penalties of $13,946 to $27,894 for each false claim.
This case stems from a larger investigation into fraudulent activity by health care providers who submit kickback-tainted claims to the CTMAP for services rendered to Connecticut Medicaid patients referred by third-party patient recruiting companies.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General; the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office; and the Connecticut Department of Social Services. The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Thidemann, and Assistant Attorney General Joshua L. Jackson of the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General.
People who suspect health care fraud are encouraged to report it by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS.
Columbus man sentenced to 25 years in prison for sex trafficking womenRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Terrael A. Alls, 29, of Columbus, was sentenced in federal court here today to 300 months in prison for sex trafficking and use of a facility of interstate commerce in aid of racketeering.
According to court documents, the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force first received a tip about Alls in February of 2022. Alls provided a business card advertising a modeling agency to a woman when she was staying at the Red Roof Inn on Renner Road in Columbus. The woman found the interaction suspicious and called law enforcement. The business card was for a company called Elite Diamond Studios and the advertised phone numbers were ultimately linked to Alls and various online sex escort advertisements.
Alls, who is also known as “Rell” and “Ace,” recruited women under the guise of modeling for him as a photographer. He lured them in with promises of being “star players” who, as part of his team, would work with his marketing and advertising agency. In reality, Alls served as a manager for his victims, advertising them for sexual escort services on various websites and often filming their sexual exploitation.
Alls controlled some of his victims with drugs, such as fentanyl and methamphetamine, then later used their drug dependency against them to continue profiting from their sexual exploitation. For other victims, Alls controlled them with physical violence and threats. He fired a gun near one victim’s head and threatened to pistol-whip her, punched the victims and slammed them onto tables.
The defendant’s laptop had more than 42,000 sexually explicit images, videos and advertisements, including images and videos of the victims identified in this case. Alls used many of those videos to continue to earn money from the exploitation of his victims and revictimize them in the process.
Alls was arrested in March 2023 and pleaded guilty in February 2024.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the guilty plea sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Jennifer M. Rausch are representing the United States in this case.
The case was investigated by the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed under Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, and includes resources from the Columbus Division of Police, Homeland Security Investigations, Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Powell Police Department, Bureau of Criminal Investigations, The Ohio State University Police Department, Marysville Division of Police, Salvation Army, Southeast Healthcare, the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office and the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office.
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Claremore Man Sentenced After Shooting at VictimRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Justin Mark Boyce, 43, for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime in Violence and Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Boyce was ordered to serve 180 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.
In August 2022, Boyce confronted the victim about an unpaid debt. During the argument, Boyce fired several rounds towards the victim and fled. While investigating the shooting, Rogers County Sheriff’s Department conducted a search warrant on Boyce’s home. Deputies found several firearms, ammunition, and more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. Boyce admitted that he possessed the methamphetamine with intent to sell and distribute.
Boyce is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and he will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Rogers County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Brasher and Kenneth Elmore prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about PSN, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Chatham County man awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to making a bomb threatRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A Chatham County man faces a possible five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to making a bomb threat.
Mohammed Arafat Afaneh, 28, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to False Information and Hoaxes, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The guilty plea subjects Afaneh to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison and substantial financial penalties, and up to three years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Bomb threats terrorize innocent people and needlessly burden first responders with identifying and investigating the reported danger,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Such threats exacerbate tensions in a world already on edge; this defendant and any other person considering a similar course of conduct will face serious consequences for their actions.”
As described in court documents and testimony, on Nov. 17, 2023, Afaneh wrote and published a social media post on Facebook and Instagram stating, “They said there is a BOMB inside the WTOC Center on Chatham Parkway that will detonate at 3 p.m. It’s in one of the employees (sic) trunks. #Helpppppp!!!!! My friends are housed in the jail next door.”
Afaneh’s hoax resulted in evacuations of the office park – which houses the federal courthouse and a television station – and caused emergency responses from multiple agencies including the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, the Savannah Police Department, and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators determined the threat was a hoax.
Afaneh was later located and arrested on unrelated state charges in Louisville, Kentucky, and remanded to the custody of U.S. Marshals.
“We will not normalize violent threats in America, whether targeting businesses, federal courthouses, or average citizens,” said FBI Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brian Ozden. “The FBI will pursue to the fullest extent of the law anyone who threatens violence.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darron J. Hubbard and L. Alexander Hamner.
Charlotte Man Is Sentenced to Prison for Stealing and Cashing Checks Valued at $300,000Read the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – John Calvin Davis, III, 28, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for executing a scheme involving stolen checks, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), which oversees Charlotte, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to court records and court proceedings, from August 2022 to January 2023, Davis obtained approximately 50 checks that were stolen from U.S. Postal Service mail collection boxes in Charlotte. Davis fraudulently endorsed the stolen checks, used ATMs to deposit the checks into bank accounts he controlled, and quickly withdrew the funds via ATMs or mobile transfers before the victims or the bank discovered the checks were stolen. Through this scheme, Davis fraudulently obtained $304,355.56 in fraudulent proceeds.
In February 2024, Davis pleaded guilty to wire fraud. He will be ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
U.S. Attorney King thanked the USPIS and CMPD for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Cambridge Springs Resident Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Possession of Material Depicting Sexual Exploitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court on August 23, 2024, to two years in prison on his conviction of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter imposed the sentence on Conrad Troy Shearer, 50.
According to information presented to the Court, from in and around June 2017 to March 2019, Shearer possessed visual images depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Assistant United States Attorney Molly W. Anglin prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Shearer.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
California woman sentenced to year of federal supervision for mid-air assault on toddlerRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 33-year-old resident of Davis, California pleaded guilty and was sentenced today to time served and a year of federal supervision for a misdemeanor charge of Assault by beating, wounding, or striking, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Breanna R. Mistler was arrested at Sea-Tac Airport when the Delta flight from Puerta Vallarta, Mexico arrived on May 1, 2024. Magistrate Judge Brian Tsuchida imposed the sentence today, noting that in September Mistler will begin serving a four-month sentence in California for an arson conviction. Mistler’s federal supervision will begin after that state sentence.
Judge Tsuchida noted that Mistler will be supervised not only by the federal probation office, but by Child Protective Services, and California probation officers as well. “You are taking steps …. I hope you start over with a more stable life – you have a very young child, and she deserves that,” Judge Tsuchida said.
According to the criminal complaint, multiple passengers on the flight observed Mistler abuse the child. The child was in the window seat and Mistler in the aisle seat. The child woke-up Mistler, and then according to witnesses, Mistler turned and kicked the child. In her plea agreement, Mistler denies that she kicked the child but admits hitting and shaking the 2-year-old. Witnesses reported Mistler struck the child multiple times with her hand, and one witness reported Mistler shook the child “like a rag doll.” Despite interventions from passengers, Mistler persisted in the abuse. She told the passengers to “mind their own (expletive) business.”
Customs and Border Protection officers detained Mistler at the airport. The Port of Seattle Police and the FBI took over the investigation. Mistler was held at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac for about three weeks.
Mistler is currently taking parenting and anger management classes. Prosecutors noted the extreme vulnerability of the victim in this case writing to the court, the victim “was two years old, and trapped in the window seat on an airplane. Given her young age and her physical confinement, she had no recourse to resist or avoid being hit, kicked, or shaken by her mother.”
At today’s sentencing hearing, Mistler’s attorney Dennis Carroll told the court that the assault came when Mistler hit her “lowest point.” She is now “sober, reflective and remorseful and currently has supervised visits with her daughter,” Carroll said.
For her part, Mistler told the judge “I hit rock bottom. I am a better person now. I want to continue to be better.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn Forstein.
California man sentenced to 20 years in prison for armed fentanyl trafficking in Butte, Helena communitiesRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — A California man who admitted to mailing thousands of fentanyl pills to co-conspirators in the Butte area for redistribution and to possessing a firearm as part of a large trafficking operation was sentenced on Aug. 27 to 20 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
The defendant, Anthony Wayne Johnson, II, 47, pleaded guilty in April to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Johnson II was part of a large conspiracy that brought fentanyl and methamphetamine to the Butte and Helena communities. The drug trafficking organization would transport meth from California to Montana by using co-conspirators to drive large amounts of meth between the states. The investigation also determined that the organization mailed packages of fentanyl pills from California to Montana. The government further alleged that in November 2022, Johnson II mailed three packages to co-conspirators in Butte for distribution. Two of the packages were intercepted by law enforcement in Montana and were found to contain approximately 9,000 fentanyl pills. The third package was delivered to one of the heads of the conspiracy, and a co-conspirator who was present when the package was opened, observed that it contained approximately 8,000 fentanyl pills. In January 2023, law enforcement arrested Johnson II at a hotel in Butte. In his hotel room, law enforcement found a firearm under the mattress as well as fentanyl on Johnson II’s person. Johnson II admitted his DNA would be on the firearm.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Missouri River Drug Task Force, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation and Montana Highway Patrol conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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California Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding CARES Act Programs and Commercial LendersRead the Press Release
A California man pleaded guilty today in the Eastern District of Virginia to wire fraud for defrauding Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Main Street Lending Program (MSLP), of more than $10 million.
Craig David Davis, 49, of Venice, was the owner of Bright Vanguard LLC., which he held out as a computer hardware retailer and storage space provider. According to court documents, in 2020, Davis submitted at least two PPP loan applications and one MSLP loan application on behalf of Bright Vanguard. In those applications, Davis falsely claimed Bright Vanguard had substantial sales and as many as 17 employees. In reality, Bright Vanguard had no employees and no legitimate revenue. To substantiate his claims, Davis presented fraudulent tax returns, payroll documents, and financial statements to at least three different banks.
Davis also admitted to participating in a years-long scheme to defraud commercial equipment lenders using fraudulent invoices. Davis directed business owners to submit loan applications to banks to purchase computer equipment evidenced on invoices they received from companies such as Bright Vanguard. The lenders approved the loans and submitted the proceeds to accounts controlled by Davis or his co-conspirators. Davis and his co-conspirators then remitted the majority of the proceeds to applicant borrowers, keeping a portion for themselves, without providing the equipment shown on the invoices. This scheme caused more than $60 million of fraudulently induced lending across more than 350 separate loans.
Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 12. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account 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 Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey D. Pittano of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG) Mid-Atlantic Region and Chief Guy Ficco of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement.
The Department of the Treasury’s Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, IRS-CI and FDIC OIG investigated the case, with significant assistance from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Office of Inspector General.
Trial Attorney David A. Peters of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Drew Bradylyons and Katherine Robeson for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at [email protected].
Buffalo man pleads guilty to fentanyl chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Hector Anaya, 51, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a $5,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Intravatola, who is handling the case, stated that in April 2024, Buffalo Police detectives received information that Anaya was in possession of a large quantity of narcotics. Detectives surveilled Anaya’s residence and observed him making three hand-to-hand transactions of suspected heroin and cocaine during controlled purchases. On April 25, 2024, a search warrant was executed at his residence during which investigators seized a firearm, ammunition, and a quantity of suspected fentanyl. Anaya was arrested at the scene.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 3, 2025, before Judge Sinatra.
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Buffalo man arrested on meth chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Terell Gwyn, 30, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with distribution of methamphetamine, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Intravatola, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in June 2024, Homeland Security Investigations and Amherst Police began investigating Gwyn for his involvement in narcotics trafficking. In July 2024, investigators conducted three controlled purchases of cocaine and methamphetamine from Gwyn. On August 15, 2024, a search warrant was executed at a Koons Avenue residence and on a vehicle associated with Gwyn. During the search, law enforcement recovered a rifle, magazine, ammunition, drug paraphernalia, pills, powder, and two cell phones.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino and the Amherst Police Department, under the direction of Chief Scott Chamberlin.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Bucks County Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Counterfeit Opioid Pills OnlineRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Robert Davis, 36, of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge John Frank Murphy on three counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods.
The defendant was charged in a superseding indictment on May 9, 2023, with selling counterfeit opioid pills through his website, rcproppill, advertising the fake pills for use as props in films or music videos, from in or about 2015 through August 2019. The counterfeits contained no controlled substances, but mimicked the trademarks of certain opioid pills.
The defendant made fake pills with the unique drug markings and trademarks of various frequently-abused opioid pills, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax. The defendant’s buyers made regular and repeat buys, consistent with using the counterfeits in drug dealing rather than in films or videos.
Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on December 20, and on each count, faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, and the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Diviny.
Bronx District Leader and Board of Elections Employee Charged with Bribery, Extortion, Fraud, and Identity Theft OffensesRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Christie M. Curtis, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”); and Jocelyn E. Strauber, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging NICOLE TORRES, an elected district leader in the Bronx and an employee of the New York City Board of Elections (the “NYC-BOE”), with illegally demanding payments from Bronx residents to herself and a local organization (the “Bronx Organization”) in exchange for selecting those individuals as poll workers. TORRES is also charged with falsifying documents to make it appear that certain individuals had worked as poll workers on particular dates, when, in truth and fact, they had not. TORRES and other members of the scheme then allegedly split the fraudulently obtained paychecks issued to the no‑show poll workers. TORRES was arrested yesterday morning and presented yesterday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Nicole Torres, an elected official and City employee, brazenly abused her power and lined her own pockets for over five years by demanding that poll workers pay her bribes in order to work as a poll worker and by falsifying records to make it look like certain individuals worked as poll workers during an election even though they never did. This Office is committed to holding elected officials and public employees accountable if they abuse their positions of trust and break the law.”
Acting Assistant Director in Charge Christie M. Curtis said: “For at least five years, District Leader Nicole Torres allegedly abused her position within the Board of Elections by charging Bronx residents a fee to work as poll workers and misrepresenting poll workers’ presence on assigned shifts to fraudulently collect their salaries. Elected officials have a duty to act within the community’s best interests, not steal thousands of dollars from this city’s government and its citizens. The FBI will never tolerate corrupt individuals who selfishly manipulate their authority at the cost of those they are expected to serve.”
DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said: “As charged, this City Board of Elections employee and elected district leader abused her authority for personal profit. She allegedly demanded payments from prospective poll workers whom she was responsible for selecting, and pocketed salaries that were paid to no-show poll workers based on documents that she falsified, according to the indictment. When a City employee uses their trusted position to illegally enrich themselves, as alleged here, they undermine public trust and confidence in government and unfairly tarnish the reputations of those who do their jobs with integrity each and every day. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI for their partnership on this important investigation.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment:[1]
Since in or about 2019, TORRES has been a district leader for New York’s 81st Assembly District in the Bronx, New York. In addition, since at least in or about 2016, TORRES has been an employee of the NYC-BOE. While working at the NYC-BOE, TORRES has, at times, been responsible for ensuring that poll workers are paid for their work during early voting and election day. TORRES abused her power as a district leader and a NYC‑BOE employee to engage in two illegal schemes.
First, from at least in or about 2019, up to and including in or about August 2024, TORRES agreed to require and required Bronx residents to pay a sum of money, usually $150, either to her or to the Bronx Organization in exchange for TORRES selecting those individuals as poll workers for upcoming elections. Both the Bronx Organization and TORRES profited from the scheme. TORRES personally obtained at least approximately $28,000 in illegal payments. TORRES received the payments, often in the amount of $150, through mobile payment applications, money orders, and checks. In certain instances, TORRES received money orders or checks that were written out to the Bronx Organization, and TORRES altered the payee line on those money orders or checks to say “Nicole Torres” so that she could deposit that money into her personal bank account.
Second, from at least in or around 2018, up to and including in or about August 2024, TORRES agreed to falsify the Forms Booklet—which is a NYC‑BOE record in which poll workers record their attendance at a particular poll site—to make it appear that certain individuals (the “No‑Show Poll Workers”) worked as poll workers during early voting and election day when, in truth and fact and as TORRES well knew, those individuals did not work on those dates. TORRES often worked with coordinators who oversaw the Forms Booklets at specific poll sites. These coordinators signed in No-Show Poll Workers in the Forms Booklets, frequently at TORRES’s direction. TORRES and her co‑conspirators then received the salaries for the No‑Show Poll Workers—sometimes through the mail—and split the fraudulently obtained salaries among themselves. While working at the NYC‑BOE, at relevant times, TORRES was responsible for ensuring that poll workers, including the No-Show Poll Workers, were paid. In furtherance of the scheme, TORRES communicated with her co-conspirators in person, on phone calls, and through text messages. Through these communications, TORRES and her co-conspirators, among other things, shared the personal identifying information of the No-Show Poll Workers, discussed which co-conspirator should falsely sign the No-Show Poll Workers’ names in the Forms Booklets, and discussed how to split the fraudulently obtained salaries of the No-Show Poll Workers. Based on her participation in the scheme, TORRES personally obtained at least approximately $36,000 in fraud proceeds, and her co-conspirators personally obtained money as well.
From in or about March 2021 through in or about April 2021, TORRES and a co‑conspirator (“CC-1”) used, transferred, and possessed the name of a No‑Show Poll Worker when they listed that No‑Show Poll Worker as having worked as a poll worker in March 2021 even though that No‑Show Poll Worker did not work in that month. Torres and CC-1 then split the purported salary that the NYC‑BOE issued to that No‑Show Poll Worker.
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TORRES, 43, of Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, one count of extortion under color of official right, one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, one count of honest services wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, one count of mail fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. The first six counts each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and the seventh count carries a mandatory term of imprisonment of two years.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of FBI and DOI.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin M. Burkett and Rebecca T. Dell 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 Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Bartlesville Resident Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Luther Lee Taylor, age 43, of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to a one count Indictment of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
The Indictment alleged that on April 21, 2024, Taylor knowingly and intentionally possessed with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Howard-McLeod Correctional Center, the Atoka County Sheriff’s Office, the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Taylor will remain in the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Richard J. Lorenz represented the United States.
Arlington fentanyl trafficker sentenced to prison after selling pills that caused an overdose deathRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Arlington man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl and carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime.
According to court documents, from May 2020 to April 27, 2023, Shan Mehmood, 21, regularly acquired and sold fentanyl. On March 7, 2023, a purchaser contacted Mehmood through Instagram to buy four fentanyl pills. Mehmood met the purchaser at a shopping center in Falls Church and sold him four fentanyl pills at 1:15 p.m. At 6:45 p.m., police responded to a suspected overdose at a residence in Arlington and found the purchaser unconscious and in cardiac arrest. Lying next to him was a piece of foil wrapped around a partially burnt fentanyl pill and another fentanyl pill was in his pocket. The victim was transported to a hospital that evening and was pronounced dead the following day. An autopsy identified acute fentanyl intoxication as the cause of death.
Mehmood learned of the victim’s death shortly after it occurred but continued to distribute fentanyl pills.
On April 27, 2023, Arlington County Police executed a search warrant at Mehmood’s residence. Mehmood possessed a plastic bag containing 357 blue M30 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl with a net weight of 38.46 grams, two one-gallon bags containing four ounces of marijuana, a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, 9mm ammunition, firearm accessories, digital scales, and $3,846 in cash.
Mehmood pled guilty on Feb. 28 to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and David E. Geist, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr.
The Arlington County Police Department provided significant assistance in the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys James L. Trump and Catherine Rosenberg prosecuted 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. 1:24-cr-11.
Arizona Residents Sentenced for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that two Arizona residents, Devier Tamon Washington, age 25, and Gabriel Donte Cunningham, age 28, were sentenced for federal drug charges. Washington was sentenced to 63 months in prison and Cunningham was sentenced to 34 months in prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.
The charges arose from investigations by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, and the Roland Police Department.
On December 19, 2023, Washington pleaded guilty to one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. On January 10, 2024, Cunningham pleaded guilty to one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.
According to investigators, on March 29, 2022, law enforcement stopped Washington and Cunningham for speeding on Interstate 40 in Roland, Oklahoma. During a search of the car, officers found 30 ziplock baggies of counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, a loaded firearm, and approximately $4,000 in cash.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Washington and Cunningham will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve non-paroleable sentences of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorney Erin Cornell represented the United States.
Anchorage man sentenced to 10 years for attempted enticement of a minorRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
According to court documents, Peter Joseph Hickel Jr., 34, used social media to communicate with and attempt to meet an individual that he believed to be a 12-year-old girl for the purpose of sexual contact. Hickel asked the individual to chat with him on Kik, an encrypted chat platform, and within minutes began asking to meet up with the purported minor.
Hickel was arrested when he arrived at a meeting he arranged with the purported minor. He pled guilty in May 2024 to one count of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor. He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, 15 years of supervised release, and a $5,000 special assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. In imposing the 10-year sentence, the court emphasized that society should protect, rather than exploit, vulnerable minors on the internet.
“Mr. Hickel disregarded the norms and laws of our society by attempting to sexually exploit a child on the internet,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska. “Our office will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to vigorously investigate and prosecute online child sexual exploitation and to apprehend online predators before they can do further harm.”
“The defendant’s abhorrent and brazen actions sought to exploit and victimize Alaskan children, all for his own gratification,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “With a task force approach, the FBI and APD will continue to work aggressively to protect our community’s children from individuals like Peter Hickel.”
The FBI and Anchorage Police Department investigated this case as part of the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Ivers prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
If you are a victim of child abuse or suspect someone you know is a victim, you can report to APD at [email protected] or 3-1-1/(907) 786-8900, the state OCS at [email protected] or 1(800) 478-4444, or the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.
Albany Man Sentenced to Prison in Bank Fraud Conspiracy Targeting SEFCURead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Davon Parson, age 20, of Albany, was sentenced today to 15 months in prison, to be followed by 2 years of post-release supervision, for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy targeting SEFCU. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
Parson previously pled guilty to one count of bank fraud conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft. He admitted that he was a member of a conspiracy to defraud SEFCU by, among other things, applying for loans using stolen identities of real people, and withdrawing the money in cash. Parson admitted that he applied for a $25,000 loan in another person’s name using a fake driver’s license. Parson also admitted that he had cashed and attempted to cash fraudulent checks drawn on real customers’ accounts.
Parson was charged by indictment, along with Evan Cutler, of Queensbury, New York, Dnauticah Taylor-Sterman, of Albany, and Allahson Allah, formerly known as Gwyn Cancer, of Albany. According to the indictment and statements made by prosecutors in court, the conspirators obtained customer account information from Caeshara Cannon, age 33, of Albany, a former Member Service Manager at SEFCU, and used that information to create counterfeit checks, which were presented for negotiation at SEFCU branches in the Northern District of New York. The conspirators also obtained personal identifying information of real people, which they used to fraudulently obtain loans from SEFCU and then withdraw the proceeds in cash.
Parson was also ordered to pay $9,000 restitution to SEFCU. The remaining defendants have all pled guilty and are due to be sentenced later this year. In addition, Caeshara Cannon was previously arrested and pled guilty on September 14, 2023 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. She is scheduled for sentencing on October 4, 2024.
HSI is investigating the case, with assistance from the Bethlehem Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark is prosecuting this case.