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9 August 2024
Former ICE Employee Found Guilty of Illegally Directing Hundreds of Government Vehicle Repair Contracts to His Wife’s CompanyRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former United States deportation officer was found guilty by a jury today of illegally using his position to send hundreds of payments to his wife’s vehicle repair company.
Jacques Polzin, 40, of Norwalk, was found guilty of eight counts of conflict of interest.
According to evidence presented at a four-day trial, Polzin formerly was employed as a deportation officer at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). During his employment at ICE, Polzin served as a vehicle control officer, whose job was to facilitate service and repairs for ICE vehicles.
From at least November 2017 to September 2020, Polzin illegally sent service and parts orders from ICE to a Santa Fe Springs-based automotive repair company named JNJ Auto Repair LLC. This company was registered to Polzin’s wife.
At all relevant times, Polzin had a financial interest in this company. He was involved in establishing and investing in the business, shared estimates from competitors with JNJ Auto so that it could beat the price and win the ICE contract, and was paid by JNJ Auto.
In total, Polzin was involved in more than 250 transactions between ICE and JNJ Auto for ICE vehicles. Polzin performed these actions while hiding his connection to JNJ Auto.
United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II scheduled a March 10, 2025, sentencing hearing, at which time Polzin will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.
ICE Office of Professional Responsibility investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys K. Afia Bondero of the Major Frauds Section and Nisha Chandran of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Strike Force are prosecuting this case.
Former Boston Police Officer Sentenced for Overtime FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Boston Police Officer was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with committing over $20,000 in overtime fraud at the Boston Police Department’s evidence warehouse.
James Carnes, 61, of Canton, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to two years of supervised release, the first six months of which will be served in home detention. Carnes was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and $20,106 in restitution. In April 2021, Carnes pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and one count of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds.
Between July 2016 and February 2019, Carnes submitted false and fraudulent overtime slips for overtime hours that he did not work for two overtime shifts at the evidence warehouse. The first, called “purge” overtime, was a 4-8 p.m. weekday shift intended to dispose of old, unneeded evidence. The second shift, called “kiosk” overtime, involved driving to each police district in Boston one Saturday a month to collect old prescription drugs to be burned.
For the “purge” shift, Carnes claimed to have worked from 4 – 8 p.m., but he routinely left at 6 p.m., or before. For the kiosk shift, Carnes submitted overtime slips claiming to have worked eight-and-one-half hours, but he only worked three-to-four hours of those shifts.
From 2016 through 2019, BPD received annual benefits from the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Justice in excess of $10,000, which were funded pursuant to numerous federal grants.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohan, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Russell W. Cunningham Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Region made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
Federal Prisoners Sentenced for Smuggling Drugs into PrisonsRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Eleven inmates in the Northern District of West Virginia have been sentenced for smuggling or attempting to smuggle drugs into various prisons.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the inmates were smuggling drugs into Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Hazelton, Secure Female Facility (SFF) Hazelton, and Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Gilmer. Those receiving additional time to the sentences they were already serving include:
- Angela Oxendine, 44, an inmate at SFF Hazelton, sentenced to three months;
- Angela Woolwine, 35, an inmate at SFF Hazelton, sentenced to 12 months;
- Brittney Hays, 31, an inmate at SFF Hazelton, sentenced to three months;
- Tina Hatterer, 44, an inmate at SFF Hazelton, sentenced to six months;
- Arlene Combs, 39, an inmate at SFF Hazelton, sentenced to six months;
- Kevon Jackson, 31, an inmate at FCI Hazelton, sentenced to six months;
- Christopher Coffey, 55, an inmate at FCI Hazelton inmate, sentenced to six months;
- Joshua Jett, 40, an inmate at FCI Gilmer, sentenced to six months;
- Dayvoughn Ervin, 31, an inmate at FCI Gilmer, sentenced to six months;
- Joseph Sanders, 24, an inmate at FCI Gilmer, sentenced to six months;
- Christopher Gorrell, 41, an inmate at FCI Gilmer, sentenced to three months.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon Flower and Will Rhee prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Prisons investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
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Federal Indictment Charges Man with Illegally Possessing Loaded Gun During Exchange of Gunfire in ChicagoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has charged a man with illegally possessing a loaded handgun during an exchange of gunfire in Chicago earlier this year.
The indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges MARQUIST EVANS, 30, of Chicago, with illegal possession of a machine gun and ammunition. Evans fired numerous shots from a handgun while standing in the doorway of a gas station in the 500 block of West Grenshaw Street in Chicago on May 6, 2024, according to a criminal complaint previously filed in the case. Evans fired the gun in the direction of two shooters, one of whom was armed with a rifle, who had emerged from a car and fired numerous shots at the vehicle in which Evans had arrived at the gas station, the complaint states. Evans’s handgun was equipped with a conversion device, also known as a “Glock switch,” which allow firearms to fire multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger, the complaint states.
Evans is currently in law enforcement custody. Arraignment on the federal charges is scheduled for Aug. 15, 2024, at 10:30 a.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keri L. Holleb Hotaling.
The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Saqib M. Hussain.
The investigation was conducted in coordination with ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Chicago. The CGIC is a centralized law enforcement hub that focuses exclusively on investigating and preventing gun violence in Chicago and throughout northern Illinois. The CGIC is an interagency collaboration that brings together - under one roof - federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and intelligence analysts to move quickly to investigate and prosecute violent crimes.
Holding firearm offenders accountable through federal prosecution is the centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative that brings together law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders, and other stakeholders to develop comprehensive solutions to the most pressing violent crime problems. In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
“Our office is using every available law enforcement tool to continue to bring impactful cases that hold firearm offenders accountable and reduce violent crime in Chicago,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual. “Combating the unacceptable level of gun violence in Chicago will continue to be a top priority in our office.”
“This defendant was charged using the resources and partnerships that the Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) of Chicago created this spring,” said ATF SAC Amon. “The CGIC’s real time analysis of crime gun intelligence is a game changer in arresting and holding accountable those who are drivers of violent gun crime in our community.”
The charges in the indictment are punishable by a maximum sentence of 25 years in federal prison. The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Evans complaint Evans indictmentEllington Behavioral Health to Make Changes to Ensure Effective Communication with Persons with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that WAIRE, LLC, the owner of the medical practice known as ELLINGTON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH in Ellington, has entered into a settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).
This matter was initiated by a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Justice by an individual who is deaf and speaks American Sign Language. The complainant alleges that Ellington Behavioral Health did not provide them with an American Sign Language interpreter for several mental health counseling appointments. Based on its investigation, the government confirmed that Ellington Behavioral Health failed to provide an American Sign Language interpreter for this individual for at least six appointments. Under the ADA, public accommodations, including health care providers, are required to provide American Sign Language interpreters if needed to facilitate effective communication with persons with disabilities.
Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Ellington Behavioral health has agreed not to discriminate based on disability in the future and will provide persons with disabilities with full and equal enjoyment of its services. As part of that obligation, Ellington Behavioral Health will provide auxiliary aids and services, including American Sign Language interpreters, to ensure effective communication with its patients and their companions who have disabilities. Ellington Behavioral Health has also agreed to provide reasonable modifications to policies and procedures for individuals with disabilities consistent with the ADA. Ellington Behavioral Health will also pay $5,000 to compensate the complainant.
U.S. Attorney Avery noted that Ellington Behavioral Health has worked cooperatively with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to make their mental health services more accessible without litigation.
The settlement agreement is effective for three years, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will monitor compliance during that time.
Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-821-3700 and ask for the Civil Rights Intake Specialist.
Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov, or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383 (TTY). More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stewart C. Dearing.
El Monte Man Charged in Connection with Attempts to Ship More Than 1,000 Kilograms of Methamphetamine to AustraliaRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Gabriel Valley man has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he is connected to the attempted exportation of more than one metric ton (2,205 pounds) of methamphetamine concealed inside shipment containers and destined for Australia last year, the Justice Department announced today.
Jing Tang Li, 32, of El Monte, is charged with distribution of and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, exportation of controlled substances, and attempt and conspiracy to export controlled substances.
Li was arrested Thursday near a warehouse in South El Monte. He is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
“Dangerous drugs such as methamphetamine devastate our community,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “We see the misery brought by highly addictive drugs on our streets every day. The massive amount of methamphetamine seized in this case shows how brazen drug traffickers have become and why it is imperative that we use our resources to hold these criminals responsible.”
“Being a mere three hours north of the busiest land border crossing in the Western Hemisphere has made Los Angeles a critical cog in the transnational narcotics trafficking trade,” said HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang. “HSI Los Angeles and our partners at U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Australian Federal Police are committed to dismantling these organizations on both sides of the Pacific.”
According to an affidavit attached with the complaint, from February 2023 to December 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers inspected seven shipments of different purported commodities destined for Australia. The purported commodities were falsely listed as carpets and textiles, furniture, wheel hub testing equipment, and a casting machine. The listed companies that were shipping the “products” were fake businesses. Embedded in the products was methamphetamine.
In total, law enforcement seized more than 1,000 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in these containers.
Law enforcement eventually traced Li to the shipments and arrested him Thursday driving near a South El Monte warehouse where a robbery was reported during the early morning of August 8. In that warehouse, law enforcement found shipping labels, scales, and a package containing methamphetamine.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Li would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Homeland Security Investigations, United States Customs and Border Protection, and the Australian Federal Police are investigating this matter. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to the reported robbery.
Assistant United States Attorney J’me K. Forrest of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.
Earlville Man Sentenced to Nearly 10 Years in Prison for Using Drugs and Possessing Multiple FirearmsRead the Press Release
An Earlville man who assaulted his girlfriend and shot at her was sentenced today, August 9, 2024, to 97 months in prison.
Christopher Wuchter, age 38, from Earlville, received the prison term after a February 7, 2024, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a drug user.
Information disclosed during the plea and sentencing hearing revealed that on January 9, 2023, Wuchter was arrested for domestic abuse following an incident that occurred at his residence. Officers later executed a search warrant at the residence and found drug paraphernalia, methamphetamine, multiple rounds of ammunition, and over 30 firearms. Two of the firearms were determined to be sawed-off shotguns. During their investigation, investigators learned that in August 2022, Wuchter and his girlfriend at the time had gotten into an argument. Wuchter assaulted his girlfriend’s minor son causing a bloody nose. Wuchter then fired three shots from a second-story bedroom at his girlfriend as she was trying to leave the residence.
At the time of both incidents, Wuchter was a user of methamphetamine and marijuana. Wuchter has a criminal history, which includes 11 prior adult criminal convictions.
Wuchter was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by Chief United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Wuchter was sentenced to 97 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Corkery and investigated by the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-CR-2024.
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Convicted McKinney Man Sentenced in Del Rio for Human SmugglingRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A McKinney man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 30 months in prison for conspiracy to transport undocumented noncitizens.
According to court documents, on July 26, 2022, Draivon Rashon Dixon, 33, approached a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Carrizo Springs in an SUV. Agents encountered three undocumented noncitizens attempting to conceal themselves in the vehicle. Agents also recovered a 9mm pistol and 18 rounds of ammunition inside the vehicle. A jury found Dixon guilty at trial on Jan. 18, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
USBP investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ekua Ayatra Assabill and Jayvee Rhoda prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio Franco is handling asset forfeiture.
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Beckley Man Sentenced for Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Algie Kenya Scales, 50, of Beckley, was sentenced today to five years of federal probation for distribution of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 23, 2023, Scales sold approximately 2.7 grams of fentanyl in Beckley for $300. Scales admitted to the transaction and further admitted to selling approximately 5 grams of fentanyl for $625 on March 2, 2023, and to selling approximately 4.7 grams of fentanyl for $600 on March 8, 2023. Both of the additional transactions occurred at a predetermined location in Beckley.
Scales has a long criminal history that includes two separate prior felony convictions for distribution of a controlled substance.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander A. Redmon and third-year law student intern Benedict Husting prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-167.
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Baltimore Man Guilty in Fentanyl Trafficking OperationRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Sean Jarred Davis, 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, has admitted to his role in a fentanyl trafficking organization operating in Hampshire and Mineral Counties.
Davis pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute heroin and fentanyl. According to court documents and statements made in court, Davis was the leader of the drug trafficking organization, supplying large quantities of fentanyl and heroin. Davis would deliver the drugs to others in Hampshire and Mineral Counties to sell on his behalf.
Davis faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, led the investigation. The Task Force consists of members from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the West Virginia State Police, the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office, the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office, the Hardy County Sheriff’s Office, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, and the Keyser Police Department.
This case 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.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Antioch Police Officer Convicted by Federal Jury of Conspiracy and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – A federal jury convicted police officer Morteza Amiri of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a scheme to obtain pay raises from the City of Antioch Police Department for a university degree he paid someone else to obtain in his name, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The felony verdicts follow a four-day trial before United States Senior District Judge Jeffrey S. White. Amiri is the sixth officer to be convicted in the conspiracy to commit wire fraud, along with Patrick Berhan, Amanda Theodosy a/k/a Nash, Samantha Peterson, Ernesto Mejia-Orozco, and Brauli Rodriguez Jalapa.
“We expect integrity and honesty from every police officer, every day, in the police departments across this country,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey. “Amiri failed to uphold these basic responsibilities, and a federal jury has convicted him of defrauding his employer, the Antioch Police Department. He, along with the other officers he conspired with, now face the consequences of violating the rule of law that they swore to uphold.”
“Amiri engaged in a calculated conspiracy to defraud his police department of taxpayer funds. His actions were a violation of the law and a grave betrayal of public trust,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp. “Amiri and his co-conspirators’ deception has no place in law enforcement. With this conviction, he now faces the consequences of his actions.”
Amiri, 33, was employed as a Police Officer with the Antioch Police Department. At trial, the evidence presented showed that the City of Antioch and City of Pittsburg’s Police Departments offered reimbursements toward higher education tuition and expenses, along with pay raises and other financial incentives upon completion of a degree. However, instead of completing higher education coursework on their own, Amiri and his co-conspirators hired someone to complete entire courses on their behalf at an online university to secure a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Amiri and his co-conspirators then represented they had taken those courses and earned the degrees from the university when requesting reimbursements and financial incentives from their police department employers, the City of Antioch and the City of Pittsburg. They were in turn paid additional financial incentives, calculated as percentages of their salaries, while they remained employed by their police departments.
In a span of two years, the conspiracy included numerous other officers and former officers, including Berhan (Pittsburg PD), Amiri (Antioch PD), Theodosy a/k/a Nash (Pittsburg PD), Peterson (Antioch PD), Mejia-Orozco (Pittsburg PD), and Rodriguez Jalapa (formerly Pittsburg PD).
The evidence at trial showed that Amiri texted the person who took his classes for him, writing among other things: “can i hire you [ ] to do my … classes? ill pay you per class”; “don’t tell a soul about me hiring you for this. we can’t afford it getting leaked and me losing my job”; “if i submit my request for the degree on time by the end [ ] of the month i can coordinate my raise in a timely manner”; and “I’m gonna rush order my degree to get my pay raise jump started.”
On the basis of courses taken by this person, Amiri “earned” a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Amiri applied for and thereafter received financial incentives from the City of Antioch for having completed university courses and earning a bachelor’s degree.
The jury convicted Amiri of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349, and one count of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343.
U.S. Senior District Judge Jeffrey S. White scheduled Amiri’s sentencing for November 12, 2024. Each of the two counts of conviction carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The Court may also order a fine, restitution, and supervision upon release from prison as part of any sentence. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
A federal grand jury in San Francisco returned multiple indictments on August 16, 2023, that collectively charged ten current and former officers and employees from the Antioch and Pittsburg police departments with federal crimes. Amiri is the last officer to be convicted in the conspiracy to commit wire fraud case.
Amiri is scheduled for trial in another related case in February 2025.
Here is the status of the cases:
Case Number
Statute(s)
Defendant
(Bold: multiple case numbers)
Status
23-cr-00264
18 U.S.C. §§ 1349 (Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; 1343 (Wire Fraud)
Patrick Berhan
Pleaded guilty 3/26/24, sentencing set for 9/3/24
Morteza Amiri
Convicted at trial 8/8/24, sentencing set for 11/12/24
Amanda Theodosy a/k/a Nash
Pleaded guilty 7/30/24, sentencing set for 11/5/24
Samantha Peterson
Pleaded guilty 1/9/24, sentenced 4/23/24
Ernesto Mejia-Orozco
Pleaded guilty 6/11/24, sentencing set for 9/17/24
Brauli Rodriguez Jalapa
Pleaded guilty 6/25/24, sentencing set for 10/22/24
23-cr-00267
18 U.S.C. §§ 1519 (Destruction, Alteration, and Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations); 1512(c)(2) (Obstruction of Official Proceedings); 242 (Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law)
Timothy Manly Williams
Pending
23-cr-00268
21 U.S.C. §§ 846 (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids), 841(a)(1), and (b)(1)(E)(i) (Possession with Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids)
Daniel Harris
Status set for 8/13/24
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), and (b)(1)(E)(i) (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids);
18 U.S.C. § 1519 (Destruction, Alteration, and Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations)
Devon Wenger
23-cr-00269
18 U.S.C. §§ 241 (Conspiracy Against Rights), 242 (Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law); § 1519 (Destruction, Alteration, and Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations)
Morteza Amiri
Trial set for 2/18/25
18 U.S.C. §§ 241 (Conspiracy Against Rights), 242 (Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law)
Eric Rombough
18 U.S.C. §§ 241 (Conspiracy Against Rights), 242 (Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law)
Devon Wenger
24-cr-00157
21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(E)(i) (Possession with Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids)
Patrick Berhan
Pleaded guilty 3/26/24, sentencing set for 9/3/24
This prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Office of the Contra Costa County District Attorney.
Amtrak Employee Pleads Guilty to Lying to a Federal AgentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Maurice Driver, 35, of Gloucester City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today to one count of lying to a Federal Agent, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Mike Waters of the Amtrak Office of Inspector General Eastern Area Field Office.
According to court documents, Driver was employed by Amtrak and was working as a Lead Service Attendant in the café car on an Amtrak train, which departed from Washington, D.C. in the afternoon of January 3, 2024, and ended in Chicago, Illinois, on the morning of January 4, 2024. While working on that train, Driver met a passenger. Driver spoke and texted with the passenger, and Driver allowed her to use a vacant sleeper car on the train. On January 4, in Chicago, that passenger reported to Amtrak Police that Driver sexually assaulted her in a sleeper car on the train. Amtrak-OIG then initiated an investigation of the sexual assault allegations.
During an interview with an Amtrak-OIG Special Agent, Driver made multiple false and misleading statements about his communications and contacts with the passenger, denying that he gave the passenger his personal phone number, texted with the passenger, and that he showed the passenger to a sleeper car.
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson scheduled sentencing for November 6, 2024.
This case was investigated by the Amtrak OIG with assistance from the Amtrak Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca G. Ross and Brian P. Kelly, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
2024 Indian Country Conference: Offering Hope to Victims in the Spirit of JusticeRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - Alison J. Ramsdell, United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota, and Mac Schneider, United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota, announced today that their offices hosted the 2024 Indian Country Conference: Offering Hope to Victims in the Spirit of Justice, on August 6-7, 2024, in Pierre, South Dakota.
U.S. Attorney Ramsdell and U.S. Attorney Schneider provided opening remarks during the conference, highlighting the important work done each and every day to secure justice for victims in Indian country. “Victims of crime are at the center of our prosecutions at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Dakota,” said U.S. Attorney Ramsdell, “and victim services providers are at the very heart of that critical work. We are fortunate to have skilled victim service professionals working alongside our prosecutors to vindicate the rights of victims and help them reclaim their voices.”
“Whether it’s our prosecutors, law enforcement partners, or victim service professionals, the Districts of North Dakota and South Dakota are united when it comes to pursuing justice for victims of crime,” Schneider said. “This is especially true as we work together to benefit public safety in Indian country. Inside and outside the courtroom, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to obtaining just results and bringing a victim-centered approach to our work.”
The conference featured speakers on a variety of topics. For example, Leslie Hagen, National Indian Country Training Initiative Coordinator at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina, provided expert training on the Investigation and Prosecution of Non-Fatal Strangulation Cases, as well as the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse in Indian Country. Other speakers provided educational presentations on Sex Trafficking in Indian Country; Fentanyl Overdose Awareness; Healing Trauma with Somatic Approaches; Missing and Murdered Indigenous People; and Successful Team Coordination in Indian Country.
Conference participants included law enforcement officers, victim service providers, prosecutors, social workers, physicians and other medical professionals, mental health therapists, counselors, educators, court service officers, corrections officers, childcare providers, community leaders, and other concerned individuals from the two-state region of North Dakota and South Dakota—especially those dealing with family violence issues in tribal communities. Conference attendees were provided new tools and resources to continue their commitment to securing justice for victims of crime.
8 August 2024
Wiggins Man Pleads Guilty to Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Wiggins, Mississippi man pled guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Russell David Parker, 47, a convicted felon, was found in possession of a firearm during a traffic stop in Stone County on March 9, 2024.
Parker is scheduled to be sentenced on November 21, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district 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 and Acting Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Stone County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Smith is prosecuting 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.
Virginia Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Enticement of a Minor Using the InternetRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced an Aldie, Virginia, man for Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet. The sentencing took place on August 2, 2024.
Tyler Grimes, 26, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Grimes will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
A federal grand jury indicted Grimes in June of 2023. He pleaded guilty on April 3, 2024.
Grimes used the internet-based application Omegle and his cellular phone to entice a minor to engage in sexually explicit activity. The minor was born in February of 2014, making her seven years old at all relevant times. During his communications with the minor, who lived in Rapid City, South Dakota, he repeatedly asked her for nude photos and videos of herself. She complied. After Grimes’ communications were discovered by the minor’s father, the minor was forensically interviewed. Many images and videos of child pornography between Grimes and the victim were located on the victim’s iPad.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.
Grimes was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Ventura Men Receive Prison Terms for Crime Spree in Which Taco Truck Vendor Extorted, Small Businesses Robbed Last YearRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Two Ventura County men were sentenced today to federal prison terms for their roles in a crime spree late last year in which a taco truck vendor was extorted, two small businesses were robbed, and for fraudulently using debit and credit cards from a victim robbed at gunpoint.
Oscar Aguirre Silva, 31, of Ventura, was sentenced to 72 months (six years) in federal prison by United States District Judge Hernán D. Vera, who also ordered him to pay $2,941 in restitution.
Silva pleaded guilty on April 25 to one count of interference with commerce by extortion (Hobbs Act), two counts of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), three counts of bank fraud, two counts of attempted bank fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
At a separate hearing today, Judge Vera sentenced Edward Donaldo Ramirez Martinez, 28, of Ventura, a co-defendant, to 54 months (4½ years) in federal prison. Ramirez was ordered to pay $1,597 in restitution.
Ramirez pleaded guilty on April 25 to one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition.
“The victims in this case were people just trying to make a living by operating a food truck when they were allegedly robbed at gunpoint,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Violent gun crime tears at the fabric of our society. Punishing those who engage in violent gun offenses is and will continue to be a priority for my office. Our community deserves no less.”
On November 6, 2023, Silva threatened violence to extort a taco truck vendor in Oxnard. Four days later, Silva robbed a woman at gunpoint and stole her iPhone, and her purse, which contained a credit card and a debit card in the victim’s name as well as a debit card in the name of another victim. Ramirez served as the getaway driver during this armed robbery. Both men then traveled to a Walmart store in Ventura, where they used the stolen cards to purchase $524 worth of merchandise. Later, Silva and another co-defendant, David Ray Reyes, 30, of Ventura, then used and attempted to use the stolen cards to purchase other items at an Oxnard smoke shop.
On November 25 and 26, 2023, Silva robbed two Oxnard businesses – a smoke shop and a grocery outlet.
Finally, on December 2, 2023, Ramirez, while under the influence of methamphetamine, possessed an assault rifle that did not bear a serial number – commonly known as a “ghost gun.” The firearm carried four rounds of ammunition. Ramirez was not legally permitted to possess the ghost gun or the ammunition because of his February 2020 felony conviction in Ventura County Superior Court for carrying a loaded firearm.
Reyes pleaded guilty on March 6 to one count of attempted bank fraud, one count of bank fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. On June 6, Judge Vera sentenced Reyes to 26 months in federal prison.
All three defendants remain in federal custody.
Operation Safe Cities establishes strategic enforcement priorities with an emphasis on prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime. Across this region, the most damaging and horrific crimes are committed by a relatively small number of particularly violent individuals. This strategic enforcement approach is expected to increase the number of arrests, prosecutions and convictions of recidivists engaged in the most dangerous conduct. It is designed to improve public safety across the region by targeting crimes involving illicit guns, prohibited persons possessing firearms, or robbery crews that cause havoc and extensive losses to retail establishments.
The Ventura County Violent Crime Task Force, which includes the FBI, the Oxnard Police Department, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ventura Police Department, conducted this investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Lyndsi C. Allsop of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.
Two Rochester men sentenced for their roles in illegal sports betting ringRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Louis P. Ferrari, II, 42, and Dominic Sprague, 40, both of Rochester, NY, who were convicted of conspiracy to transmit wagering information in interstate commerce and conduct an illegal gambling business, were sentenced to serve three years’ probation, to include 10 months home detention, by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. In addition, Ferrari forfeited $150,000 and Sprague forfeited approximately $92,000 from their gambling proceeds.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan K. McGuire and Melissa M. Marangola, who handled the case, stated that between April 25, 2019, and April 17, 2021, Ferrari and Sprague conspired with Anthony Amato, Tomasso Sessa, Joseph Lombardo, Jeffrey Boscarino, James Civiletti, and others, to finance, manage, and own all or part of an illegal bookmaking business, which had a gross daily revenue of approximately $2,000.00. In furtherance of the conspiracy, Ferrari, and co-defendant Amato, created accounts for Sprague, Boscarino, and Lombardo on “sport700.com”, a website for placing and tracking bets on sports events. Sprague, Boscarino, and Lombardo would call and text Ferrari to place, edit, and remove bets on sporting events for individual bettors on sport700.com. Ferrari also called and texted messages to Amato asking him to create accounts, change passwords, and place, edit, and remove bets for Sprague, Boscarino, Lombardo, and individual bettors on sport700.com.
Ferrari, Sprague, and Lombardo collected money owed by individual bettors and money owed to individual bettors in cash and through online payment applications, including CashApp, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle. After Sprague and Lombardo collected from individual bettors, they kept a portion and paid the remainder to Ferrari. Sessa and Civiletti also collected from individual bettors in cash and through online payment applications, and then paid Sprague and Ferrari.
The sentencings are the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas Fattorusso, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Miklos Szoczei II, the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Wood, and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith. Additional assistance was provided by the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.
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Two Plead Guilty in Nationwide Marijuana Trafficking and Money Laundering ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – LaFay Pearson, aka “Lala,” age 23, and Alyssa June White, age 31, both of Troy, New York, pled guilty to offenses related to their involvement in nationwide marijuana trafficking and money laundering conspiracies.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; Troy Police Chief Daniel DeWolf; and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
In pleading guilty, Pearson admitted to being a member of a marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) trafficking organization that cultivated marijuana on a commercial scale in Fresno, California, and shipped thousands of kilograms of marijuana and THC from Fresno to locations throughout the United States, including the Capital Region of New York.
Pearson admitted to receiving packages of marijuana shipped by Dwight A. Singletary, II, aka “Nutt” and “Mike Jones,” and McKenzie Merrialice Coles, aka “Kenzie,” from a shipping store in Fresno, Fast Pack & Ship, at her home in Troy. Pearson was notified of the packages of marijuana by Coles and David Singletary, aka “DB,” and was paid between $300 and $400 in cash per package of marijuana received. Pearson worked with her brother, Isiah Ti-Quan Clements, aka “Zay,” to receive the packages of marijuana, and between May 2020 and January 2021, received 11 packages containing approximately 72 kilograms, or 159 pounds, of marijuana. Pearson also admitting to packaging marijuana for sale and to texting with Coles, Clements, and David Singletary about doing so.
White admitted to conspiring with Dwight Singletary, David Singletary, and Lawrence Mumphrey, aka “L,” to launder the proceeds of marijuana and THC sales by purchasing cashier’s checks with cash drug proceeds.
Federal law requires financial institutions to complete a currency transaction report for cash transactions over $10,000. To avoid the reporting requirement and otherwise conceal the cash drug proceeds, White purchased six cashier’s checks in amounts slightly below the reporting threshold for cash transactions with $57,240 in cash drug proceeds. The cashier’s checks were payable to Dwight Singletary; Dwight Singletary’s real estate lawyers; and Dwight Singletary’s company, DAS Empire, Inc.
Pearson faces up to 20 years in prison, a term of supervised release of between three years and life, and a fine of up to $1 million for conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
White faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000, and may also be required to serve up to three years of supervised release for conspiring to commit money laundering.
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.
Pearson and White were charged in an indictment with Dwight Singletary, David Singletary, Coles, Clements, Mumphrey, and 17 other people charging marijuana distribution and money laundering conspiracies, firearms offenses, and other crimes. Dwight Singletary, David Singletary, Coles, Clements, and Mumphrey have pled not guilty and are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations.
In addition to Pearson and White, 12 other defendants, Rosemary Coles, Latrice Mumphrey, Sammy Olague, Victor Turner, Kristle Walker, Ruby Ledesma, Lateek White, Onisha Smith, Jazell Shuler, Earnest Flood, aka “Pop,” Consanga Harris, aka “Sondy,” and James Tyrell Daniels, aka “Red” and “Ghost,” previously pled guilty and are pending sentencing.
The ATF, DEA, Troy Police Department and HSI are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyrus P.W. Rieck and Dustin C. Segovia are prosecuting the case.
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.
Two Men Separately Indicted for Crimes Related to Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal grand jury indicted two men for separate crimes related to domestic violence, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson.
A two-count indictment charges Philip Henry Houk, 33, of Charlotte, North Carolina, with attempted kidnapping and interstate violation of a protective order. According to the indictment, Houk travelled from North Carolina to Jefferson County, Alabama, in June 2024 to break into the victims’ residence and kidnap them. This happened after the Circuit Court of Jefferson County issued a protection order against Houk in March 2024, to protect one of the victims from violence, threats, and harassment by Houk.
A separate two-count indictment charges David Holcomb, 49, of Albertville, with felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
ATF investigated each case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittney L. Plyler and Davis Barlow are prosecuting the cases.
An indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Two Iranian nationals and one Pakistani national indicted for providing material support to terroristsRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A superseding indictment was returned yesterday charging two Iranian citizens, brothers Shahab Mir’kazei (Shahab), and Yunus Mir’kazei (Yunus), and one Pakistani citizen, Muhammad Pahlawan, for conspiring to provide and providing material support to Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program resulting in death and conspiring to commit violence against maritime navigation and maritime transport involving weapons of mass destruction resulting in death. Pahlawan is currently awaiting trial, while Shahab and Yunus remain at large.
According to court documents, Shahab and Yunus work for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Muhammad Pahlawan, 48, is a Pakistani citizen who allegedly worked for the Mir’kazei brothers as the captain of a smuggling vessel, known as a dhow, named the “Yunus,” which is owned by Shahab.
Pahlawan allegedly worked with Shahab to prepare the dhow for multiple smuggling voyages, and Shahab paid Pahlawan in Iranian Rials from a bank account in Shahab’s name. Pahlawan allegedly arranged to receive payments from Shahab and Yunus in Iran and distribute the money to his family and others.
On Jan. 11, U.S. Central Command Navy forces operating from the USS LEWIS B. PULLER, including Navy SEALs and members of the U.S. Coast Guard, boarded the dhow off the coast of Somalia. Two Navy SEALs lost their lives during the interdiction.
As alleged, the U.S. boarding team encountered 14 individual mariners on the vessel, including Pahlawan. During a search of the dhow, the U.S. boarding team allegedly located and seized what is believed to be Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry. Preliminary analysis of the advanced conventional weaponry indicates that it includes critical components for medium range ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles, to include a warhead and propulsion and guidance components. The type of weaponry found aboard the dhow is allegedly consistent with the weaponry used by the Houthi rebel forces in recent attacks on merchant ships and U.S. military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
In addition to the charges described above, Pahlawan is charged with providing materially false information to U.S. Coast Guard officers during the boarding of the dhow regarding the vessel’s captain, and witness intimidation for threatening one of the crewmembers on the dhow.
Pahlawan, Shahab, and Yunus all face up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; and Executive Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI's National Security Branch made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Troy A. Edwards Jr. and Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Lesley Woods of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-41.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Two Iranian Nationals and One Pakistani National Indicted for Providing Material Support to TerroristsRead the Press Release
Note: View the superseding indictment here.
A superseding indictment was returned yesterday charging two Iranian citizens, brothers Shahab Mir’kazei (Shahab) and Yunus Mir’kazei (Yunis), and one Pakistani citizen, Muhammad Pahlawan, for conspiring to provide and providing material support to Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program resulting in death and conspiring to commit violence against maritime navigation and maritime transport involving weapons of mass destruction resulting in death. Pahlawan is currently awaiting trial, while Shahab and Yunus remain at large.
According to the court documents, Shahab and Yunus work for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Pahlawan, is a Pakistani citizen who allegedly worked for the Mir’kazei brothers as the captain of a smuggling vessel known as a dhow, named the “Yunus,” which is owned by Shahab.
Pahlawan allegedly worked with Shahab to prepare the dhow for multiple smuggling voyages, and Shahab paid Pahlawan in Iranian Rials from a bank account in Shahab’s name. Pahlawan allegedly arranged to receive payments from Shahab and Yunus in Iran and distribute the money to his family and others.
On the night of Jan. 11, U.S. Central Command Navy forces operating from the USS LEWIS B. PULLER, including Navy SEALs and members of the U.S. Coast Guard, boarded the dhow off the coast of Somalia. Two Navy SEALs lost their lives during the interdiction.
As alleged, the U.S. boarding team encountered 14 individual mariners on the vessel, including Pahlawan. During a search of the dhow, the U.S. boarding team allegedly located and seized what is believed to be Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry. Preliminary analysis of the advanced conventional weaponry indicates that it includes critical components for medium range ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles, including to include a warhead and propulsion and guidance components. The type of weaponry found aboard the dhow is allegedly consistent with the weaponry used by the Houthi rebel forces in recent attacks on merchant ships and U.S. military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
In addition to the charges described above, Pahlawan is charged with providing materially false information to U.S. Coast Guard officers during the boarding of the dhow regarding the vessel’s captain and witness intimidation for threatening one of the crewmembers on the dhow.
If convicted, Pahlawan, Shahab and Yunus all face maximum penalties of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia and Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Troy A. Edwards Jr. and Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Lesley Woods of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Brookfield, Wisconsin-Based Companies and Their Owners Pay over $10 Million to Resolve Allegations that They Evaded Customs DutiesRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that Precision Cable Assemblies, Inc. (PCA), Global Engineered Products, Inc. (GEP), and their principals, Ryan Schmus and Richard Horky, paid over $10 million to resolve allegations that the companies failed to pay millions of dollars in customs duties on goods imported from the People’s Republic of China.
PCA and GEP are Wisconsin corporations with principal places of business in Brookfield. PCA sells wire harnesses, battery cables, and other wiring products. GEP sells power distribution products. Both companies import goods from China.
When a company, such as PCA and GEP, imports goods into the United States, the importer is required to file entry documents with the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including information about the value of the goods. The importer must declare that the values reported are true to the best of its knowledge and belief. The amount of duties owed depends, in large part, on the value of the goods and the applicable tariff rate.
The United States alleged that PCA and GEP submitted and caused the submission of false commercial invoices to CBP that significantly undervalued the goods imported from China from 2016 through November 2021. More specifically, two Chinese suppliers sent PCA and GEP invoices in electronic spreadsheet format with the full, actual price of the goods imported. PCA and GEP, however, falsified the invoices by altering the spreadsheets to reduce the prices, generally by 70%, and then provided those altered invoices to its customs broker, which, in turn, unknowingly submitted the false invoices to CBP. The United States thus alleged that Defendants avoided payment of millions of dollars of duties on the imported goods, especially after additional duties were imposed on certain goods imported from China in 2018.
GEP initially paid CBP approximately $4.2 million in duties lost from this undervaluation scheme. Pursuant to a settlement agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office, Defendants paid another $6 million to the United States to fully resolve its liability for the alleged evasion of duties, including its potential liability under the False Claims Act.
“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to preventing fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad. “Companies that import goods into the United States must provide Customs and Border Protection with truthful information and pay all of the applicable duties owed. This settlement sends a strong message to companies and their owners that they must follow the customs rules.”
LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, the Chicago Director of Field Operations for CBP, added, “Entities that attempt to defraud the U.S. Government, the American people, and our economy will not succeed.”
The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims submitted to the government and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The Act permits the United States to intervene and take over responsibility for litigating these cases, as the United States did here. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Grob v. Precision Cables Assemblies, Inc., et al., Case No. 22-C-570 (E.D. Wis.) and was brought by Travis Grob, a former employee of PCA. Grob received $1,260,000.
Along with auditors, import specialists, and attorneys from CBP and agents for Homeland Security Investigations, Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Carter and Carter Stewart of the Eastern District of Wisconsin handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
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Troy, Alabama Man Sentenced to More Than 17 Years in Prison Following Federal Drug ConvictionRead the Press Release
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA – On August 7, 2024, a federal judge sentenced Troy, Alabama resident Emmanuel Youngblood, 34, to 210 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, announced United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross. The sentence is the result of Youngblood’s conviction for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute the illegal drug. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole.
According to court records and evidence presented during his April 2024 trial, law enforcement observed Youngblood driving a vehicle in Troy on November 23, 2022. Knowing Youngblood had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, officers initiated a traffic stop. Youngblood initially attempted to elude the police and led officers on a brief car chase. Youngblood eventually stopped the car and fled on foot. Soon thereafter, officers apprehended him. When Youngblood fled, an adult female and four small children were left behind in the car. During a search of Youngblood’s vehicle, officers found more than half a kilogram of methamphetamine, along with a digital scale and other suspected controlled substances. Investigators found the methamphetamine in a microwave dinner box.
The Troy Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Andreu and B. Chelsea Wilson prosecuted.
Three Nashville Men Forfeit $180,886 in Drug Proceeds Seized After Traffic StopRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH — On August 6, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas ordered $180,886 in cash seized from three Nashville men to be forfeited to the United States, upholding a civil complaint by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The complaint, filed on Jan. 31, 2024, alleged that the funds, seized in an Arkansas State Police traffic stop, should be forfeited because they were the proceeds of or were involved in drug crimes.
According to court documents, this case began the afternoon of Jan. 17, 2023, when an Arkansas State Police trooper stopped a gray Nissan Armada for a traffic violation as it traveled westbound on I-40 in Crawford County, close to the Oklahoma state line. During the stop, the Nissan’s three occupants were visibly nervous and made inconsistent and contradictory statements about where they were going and what they planned to do. All three denied having any drugs or large amounts of cash in the vehicle.
However, 13 minutes after the initial stop certified police canine “Beau” arrived on the scene, and in an “open air sniff” alerted on the vehicle—indicating the odor of illegal drugs. During the subsequent probable cause search, Arkansas troopers found two semi-automatic handguns, one of which had been reported stolen, personal-use quantities of illegal drugs and $180,886 in cash—most of it bundled for ease of counting. The driver, Shapour Saberi, and his two passengers, Redeer Ali Haji and Aryan Rasul Ibrahim, were arrested by the troopers and interviewed by agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The guns, drugs and cash, along with seven cell phones, were seized from them as evidence.
Further investigation by the DEA revealed that Saberi, Haji and Ibrahim operated a thriving mail-order drug business in which they solicited customers to order high-grade marijuana and marijuana “edibles” through Snapchat, Instagram, and other social media platforms. Customers placed their orders and paid for the orders in advance. Once a customer’s payment was received, often another co-conspirator in California would send that customer’s order by way of a common carrier such as UPS or FedEx, or via the U.S. Postal Service. On other occasions, the three transported the high-grade marijuana and edibles from California to Tennessee using common carriers and, on at least one occasion, a rented cargo van filled with trash bags full of marijuana.
The three individuals also memorialized many aspects of their illegal enterprise on their cell phones which contained pictures of internet advertisements for known strains of high-grade marijuana, close-ups displaying the marijuana, pictures of price lists for known strains of high-grade marijuana and marijuana edibles, photos of packages and mailing labels, records of conversations with customers and suppliers, photos of drug ledgers, text exchanges with co-conspirators that included arguments over business matters and selfies taken by all three subjects.
Significantly, one of Ibrahim’s phones had photos of drug ledgers that included one dated “1/15.” In this photograph, the total profit shown on the drug ledger was $178,450—only $2,436 less than the amount seized from Saberi, Haji and Ibrahim on their Jan. 17, 2023, road trip.
According to court papers, Saberi, Haji and Ibrahim filed administrative claims with the DEA seeking the return of their seized funds, alleging “ownership of the assets were obtained legally without felonious conduct,” and claiming most of the cash came from car sales rather than drug distribution. However, once the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a formal complaint for civil forfeiture of the funds, complete with pictures of evidence gathered in the investigation, none of the subjects chose to challenge the forfeiture in court. Under the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program, the funds—now in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service—will be used to compensate crime victims, support law enforcement efforts, and support communities.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Arkansas State Police investigated the case. The U.S. Marshals Service manages the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Mohlhenrich civilly prosecuted the case for the United States.
The Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program
The Asset Forfeiture Program was created in 1984 when Congress passed the Comprehensive Crime Control Act, which provided federal prosecutors and agents the legal and regulatory tools necessary to keep up with, and ahead of, those who commit crime for economic benefit. The U.S. Marshals Service plays a critical role in identifying and evaluating assets that represent the proceeds of crime as well as efficiently managing and selling assets seized and forfeited by Department of Justice.
The Marshals manage a wide array of assets including real estate, commercial businesses, cash, financial instruments, vehicles, jewelry, art, antiques, collectibles, vessels and aircraft. Proceeds generated from asset sales are used to operate the program, compensate victims and support various law enforcement efforts. The Marshals manage the distribution of proceeds and payments to victims of crime and other innocent third parties, all of which helps to mitigate the financial damage inflicted by criminal activity. The agency employs best practices from private industry to ensure that assets are managed and sold in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
The Asset Forfeiture Program also supports communities by transferring certain types of forfeited assets to state, local and nonprofit organizations. Through the Operation Goodwill program, forfeited real or personal property of marginal value can be transferred to state or local governments in support of drug abuse treatment, drug crime prevention and education, housing, job skills and other community-based public health and safety programs.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.
Temple Hills Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Today, Damante Christian Dozier, age 26, of Temple Hills, Maryland pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The guilty plea was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Chief Demetrious Harris of the City of Seat Pleasant Police Department, and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, on June 6, 2023, an officer with the Seat Pleasant Police Department who suspected that Dozier had shoplifted from a retail store in Oxon Hill, Maryland, approached Dozier and observed the shape of a firearm in Dozier’s pants. The officer frisked Dozier’s waistband area and felt a solid rectangular mass consistent with the shape of a firearm. Following the frisk, and after requesting backup, the officer asked Dozier to turn around to be handcuffed, and Dozier attempted to flee. A few seconds later, law enforcement officers from the Seat Pleasant Police Department and the Prince George’s County Police Department gained control of Dozier and retrieved a firearm with an extended magazine from his pants. The recovered firearm was a black Glock 45 .9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with one round of ammunition in the chamber and 33 rounds in an extended magazine. Dozier knew that he had a previous felony conviction which prohibited him from possessing a firearm and ammunition.
U.S. Attorney Barron commended the ATF, the City of Seat Pleasant Police Department, and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron also thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gustavo Ruiz and Assistant United States Attorney Kelly O. Hayes, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Stockton Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gary Wayne Stuckey, 58, of Stockton, pleaded guilty today to possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in June 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of Stuckey’s vehicle and observed several pounds of marijuana inside the vehicle. A search revealed over 500 grams of methamphetamine and several items indicative of drug sales, including digital scales, plastic baggies, and hundreds of dollars of U.S. currency in small denominations. Wedged between the driver’s seat and center console of the vehicle was a Polymer 80 handgun, a privately made firearm or “ghost gun” lacking a serial number, that was loaded with a live round of ammunition in the chamber and five additional rounds in the magazine. Stuckey is prohibited from possessing ammunition due to multiple state felony convictions, including a prior conviction for being a felon in possession of ammunition.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Stockton Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alstyn Bennett and Whitnee Goins, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew De Moura are prosecuting the case.
Stuckey is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 14, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta. Stuckey faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced for Aiding FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced a man who helped someone fraudulently purchase vehicles using stolen identities to one year in prison and ordered him to pay $89,263 in restitution.
Lavell Caradine, 35, worked at a Florissant car dealership at the time. From June 24, 2019, until Aug. 23, 2019, he sold three vehicles to Naquan Powers, who used the personal information of others to buy and finance the vehicles. Powers texted the victims’ personal information to Caradine ahead of time so Caradine could confirm that Powers could use that information to make the purchase, Caradine’s plea agreement says.
After using the dealership’s system to perform a credit check, Caradine discovered that some victims’ identities were unusable. In one case, the victim was deceased and in other, the person had their credit frozen, a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke said.
With Caradine’s help, Powers bought a Chevrolet Tahoe with a $42,086 loan, a Chevrolet Impala with a $18,098 loan and a BMW 428 with a $29,079 loan. Powers was trying to buy a Dodge Challenger when Caradine texted him a warning that police were at the dealership.
Caradine pleaded guilty in February to two counts of bank fraud.
Powers, 27, of Hazelwood, is serving a 111-month prison term after pleading guilty and admitting involvement in the vehicle purchases, a credit card scam and pandemic fraud.
The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke prosecuted the case.
Spokane Valley Man Sentenced to Federal Prison on Firearm and Fentanyl Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington - Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Alexander Kosnicki, 46 of Spokane Valley, Washington, was sentenced on one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. Kosnicki was convicted of those crimes on February 13, 2024, following a jury trial. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice imposed a sentence of 70 months in federal prison to be followed by 6 years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information disclosed at trial and sentencing, on the night of November 22, 2022, Kosnicki was sleeping in the lobby of an apartment building in downtown Spokane. Residents of the building alerted security.
Security guards searched Kosnicki and located a small amount of methamphetamine and fentanyl pills as well as a handgun in Kosnicki’s jacket pocket. Security then called Spokane Police. At the time Kosnicki entered the apartment building carrying these illicit items, Kosnicki had a prior federal conviction for Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and Felon in Possession of a Firearm out of the Western District of Washington and was not allowed to possess a firearm.
Spokane Police officers searched Kosnicki. During the search, officers located $1,147 in cash in Kosnicki’s right sock and located two large bags of fentanyl pills in Kosnicki’s left sock.
“Mr. Kosnicki illegally possessed a firearm and was distributing deadly fentanyl in our communities. His actions contributed to the growing epidemic of drug use in our society,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Our office has been prosecuting fentanyl cases vigorously as part of our ongoing efforts to build safer and stronger communities. Fentanyl is particularly lethal, and we are proactively working to prevent the tragedy it causes to Eastern Washington families on a daily basis.”
“Fentanyl and firearms are a lethal combination, and I am gratified that the DEA and our partners could hold Mr. Kosnicki accountable for his behavior,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “Our community is safer because of this sentence.”
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Spokane Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Perez.
Southern California Dental Offices and Former Owners Pay $6.3M to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Improper Paycheck Protection Program LoansRead the Press Release
West Coast Dental Administrative Services LLC (formerly West Coast Dental Services Inc.), which operates a network of dental offices in Southern California, and its founders and former owners, Drs. Soleyman Cohen-Sedgh, Farid Pakravan and Farhad Manavi, have paid $6.3 million to resolve allegations that they knowingly violated the False Claims Act in connection with seven improper loans that West Coast Dental Services Inc. (West Coast Dental) and affiliated dental offices received under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Additionally, City Real Estate Holdings Inc., a real estate investment company owned by Dr. Manavi, has paid an additional $35,149.82 to resolve its potential liability under the False Claims Act in connection with a separate PPP loan.
The PPP, an emergency loan program established by Congress in March 2020 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and administered by the Small Business Administration, was intended to support small businesses struggling to pay employees and other business expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether an applicant qualified for a PPP loan as a small business depended on various factors, including the type of business operated by the borrower and the number of employees of both the borrower and its corporate affiliates. In 2021, Congress offered a second round of forgivable loans through the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act. Under PPP rules, second draw loans were strictly limited to businesses with 300 employees or less. When applying for PPP loans and loan forgiveness, borrowers were required to certify the truthfulness and accuracy of all information provided in their loan applications.
The United States alleged that West Coast Dental and six of its affiliated dental practices received seven improper second draw PPP loans and subsequent forgiveness of these loans based on false certifications that the companies qualified for the loans even though they were ineligible because the dental practices collectively employed more than 300 individuals. The United States further alleged that West Coast Dental and its affiliates failed to disclose common ownership of the affiliated dental offices in their separate PPP applications. The United States also alleged that City Real Estate Holdings Inc., which received a PPP loan, was ineligible to receive the loan under PPP rules, because it is a passive business operated for investment purposes. City Real Estate Holdings Inc. sought and received forgiveness of its total loan amount.
“PPP loans were intended to support small businesses facing difficult economic times due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department will continue to hold borrowers who improperly received and sought forgiveness of PPP loans accountable for their actions.”
“Companies such as these that depleted crucial pandemic-assistance funding will be held accountable under the False Claims Act,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. “This resolution evidences our office’s earnest commitment to ensure that companies act with the utmost integrity and compunction.”
“This settlement sends a signal to wrongdoers that evidence of improper conduct will be brought to light,” said Special Agent in Charge Weston King for Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG)’s Western Region. “Our office will remain relentless in the pursuit of those who seek to exploit SBA’s vital pandemic response programs. I want to thank the U.S. Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners for their exceptional efforts and collaboration in pursuit of justice.”
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Relator LLC, a limited liability corporation formed by California attorneys Anoush Hakimi and Peter Shahriari. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. Relator LLC v. West Coast Dental Services Inc., et al., CV 22-3812-MCS (MARx) (C.D. Cal.). Relator LLC will receive approximately $507,000 as its share of the total settlement.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, with assistance from the Small Business Administration’s Office of General Counsel and Office of the Inspector General.
Trial Attorney Allie Pang of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack D. Ross for the Central District of California handled the matter, with the assistance of Paralegal Heather Beckler, Investigator Maria Marsh, and Auditor John Powers for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Special Agent Samuel Huynh of SBA-OIG also provided investigative assistance.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Justice Department 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 actors committing civil and criminal fraud 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 www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud affecting COVID-19 government relief programs can be reported by visiting the webpage of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, which can be found here. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can also report it by calling the 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.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
SettlementSouth Dakota Man Found Guilty of Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Lance Quintin Longie, age 40, of South Dakota of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender following a one-day jury trial in federal district court in Aberdeen. The verdict was returned on August 5, 2024.
The charges carry a penalty of a maximum of 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of life of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Longie was initially indicted by a federal grand jury in May of 2024.
Longie is required to register a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act because he was convicted of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the First Degree in 2004 in the District Court of Minnesota, Clay County. In the summer of 2022, Longie was residing in Moorhead, Minnesota, and last registered with the Moorhead Police Department on June 29, 2022. Later that summer, Longie travelled to South Dakota and took up residence in New Effington. Longie remained at the New Effington address and did not update the sex offender registry in South Dakota until he was arrested at the residence by officers with the Roberts County Sheriff’s Office on March 22, 2024.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Beau J. Blouin and Connie Larson prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered. A sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Serial South Miami Bank Robber Unmasked: Defendant Convicted of Two Armed Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On August 5, a federal jury found Luis Ramirez Gonzalez, 37, of Miami, guilty of two counts of armed bank robbery.
The evidence during the six-day trial revealed that Ramirez Gonzalez committed two armed bank robberies within ten days — one at Interamerican Bank’s Kendall branch on Nov. 29, 2023 and a second at a Palmetto Bay TD Bank on Dec. 9, 2023.
According to the evidence admitted at trial, Ramirez Gonzalez entered Interamerican Bank wearing an Amazon vest and a Halloween-style mask, with an aged face, on Nov. 29, 2023. He marched straight to the nearest teller, pointing a gun at the teller and taking cash from the teller’s drawer before turning his attention to access the bank’s vault. When bank employees told him they could not access it, he moved to the next teller drawer and took the cash from there before leaving in a vehicle.
The evidence admitted at trial further showed Ramirez Gonzalez’s face on surveillance footage in the early hours of Dec. 9, 2023, peering through the glass door of the TD Bank. Just a few hours later, Ramirez Gonzalez returned to the same TD Bank, but this time wore a porcelain doll Halloween-style mask with the word “God” written on the forehead. He then drew a dark gun from a black bag and pointed it at the nearest teller’s pregnant midsection before taking the cash from the first teller drawer. When he wanted to access the vault, bank employees told him they were unable to provide him access and he again proceeded to the second teller drawer, emptying it of cash before departing the bank.
The evidence admitted at trial revealed that the Ramirez Gonzalez had also stolen two stacks of cash containing GPS trackers from the teller drawers, which law enforcement followed before he led them on a brief high-speed chase through a residential neighborhood ending with Ramirez Gonzalez crashing the car. He then bailed from the wreckage and fled on foot through residential backyards for almost two hours before being arrested by law enforcement. From the canal that lined the backyards and approximately where a homeowner saw an individual jumping into the canal following the crash, law enforcement recovered a black bag containing the “God” mask, the dark gun, and the exact amount of stolen cash—including the GPS trackers—all used during the TD Bank robbery.
The dark gun recovered from the canal was revealed to be a BB gun that Ramirez Gonzalez had purchased as a rush order two days prior to the TD Bank robbery, according to the evidence admitted at trial.
U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom is scheduled to sentence Ramirez Gonzalez on Oct. 25. He is facing a total statutory maximum penalty of 25 years' imprisonment as to each count of armed bank robbery. Judge Bloom will determine Ramirez Garcia’s sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the convictions.
FBI investigated this case with substantial assistance from the Miami-Dade Police Department. Coral Gables Police Department’s Underwater Recovery Unit also assisted in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra D. Comolli and Sterling M. Paulson are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr- 20490.
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San Francisco Tow Company Operator Charged with Insurance Fraud and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Jose Vicente Badillo and Jessica Elizabeth Najarro appeared in federal court today to face mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering charges related to a scheme to defraud an auto insurance company, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey; FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp; and IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Mosley of the Oakland Field Office. The case has been assigned to the Hon. Rita F. Lin, United States District Judge.
According to an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on July 9, 2024, Badillo, 28, and Najarro, 30, both of San Francisco, conspired to defraud an insurance company by submitting a fraudulent insurance claim on a wrecked car that Badillo purchased in June 2019. The indictment alleges that, when Badillo bought the car, it was undrivable, with severe front-end damage and a non-functioning engine. Nevertheless, the indictment says, Najarro obtained an insurance policy on, and later took title to, the car before falsely reporting to the insurance company in July 2019 that she had been in a single-car accident in it in San Francisco. The indictment further alleges that Najarro spoke with, and made materially false statements and misrepresentations to, an insurance representative in another state, after which the insurance company processed and approved her claim and sent her an insurance reimbursement check for $34,037.48. The indictment alleges that the full amount of the insurance reimbursement check was deposited a few days later into a Wells Fargo Bank account controlled by Badillo.
The indictment also alleges that, at the time of the offenses in 2019, Badillo owned and/or controlled at least two companies engaged in the business of towing vehicles: Jose’s Towing, LLC, and Auto Towing, LLC, both of which operated out of San Francisco.
Both defendants are charged with one count each of (i) conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349; (ii) mail fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341 and 2; (iii) wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1343 and 2; and (iv) money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1957 and 2.
Badillo and Najarro were arrested in San Francisco on August 8, 2024, and released on a $50,000 bond at their initial appearances later that day. Both defendants are next scheduled to appear in court on August 12, 2024, at 10:30 a.m., before the Hon. Lisa J. Cisneros for arraignment and identification of counsel.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Badillo and Najarro each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, plus restitution, if appropriate, on each of Counts 1 through 3, which charge mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit the same, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 1343, 1349, and 2. They face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the amount of criminally derived property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater, plus restitution, if appropriate, on Count 4, which charges money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1957 and 2. The court also may order an additional term of supervised release to begin after any prison term as part of the sentence for either or both defendants. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
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.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle F. Waldinger and Galen A. Phillips are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Amala James and Carolyn Jusay Caparas. The prosecution is the result of a lengthy investigation by the FBI and IRS CI.
Rhode Island Man Charged with Possessing Unregistered Machine GunRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on August 8, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Brenden Sackal, 31, of Rockville, Rhode Island, with possessing an unregistered machine gun and possessing a machine gun lacking an identification number, in violation of the National Firearms Act.
Sackal’s federal arraignment date has not yet been set. Sackal was scheduled to appear in Caledonia Superior Court today on related charges.
According to court records, Sackal is alleged to have knowingly possessed an unregistered machine gun that lacked a serial number, specifically a privately manufactured 5.56 caliber AR-type pistol, on July 14, 2024. The National Firearms Act requires registration of machine guns, as well as other specific types of dangerous weapons, and requires those types of dangerous weapons to be identified by serial number.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Sackal is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Sackal faces up to 10 years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Vermont State Police. United States Attorney Kerest also commended the actions of United States Border Patrol, United States Customs and Border Protection, the Vermont State Police, and the Orleans County Sherriff’s Office in apprehending Sackal on July 14, 2024.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt. Sackal is not yet represented on the federal charges.
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.
Readout of Justice Department Officials’ Participation in National Night OutRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer participated in the 41st Annual National Night Out (NNO). Their participation in NNO events highlights the Justice Department’s partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement that have played key roles in its Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime, which focuses federal resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime.
Established in 1984 from a Justice Department Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) grant, NNO aims to build relationships with and between communities and law enforcement, promote police-community partnerships, and enhance neighborhood camaraderie. The community-building campaign provides an opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.
This year, NNO takes place as violent crime continues to decline nationwide, following an uptick during the pandemic in 2020. FBI data shows a decrease in violent crime in communities across the country in 2023 compared to the previous year, including an over 13% reduction in homicides. That is the steepest yearly decline in homicides in over 50 years. Early data from 2024 indicates that this trend is continuing.
“Each year, National Night Out gives communities across the country the chance to celebrate and strengthen their partnerships with law enforcement,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This was a particularly meaningful National Night Out because it came after our country experienced one of the lowest nationwide violent crime rates in 50 years this past year. The Justice Department will never stop working to build on this progress because every person, in every neighborhood, in every community deserves to be safe from violent crime.”
The Attorney General participated in National Night Out events in Des Moines, Iowa. He was joined by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kahl for the Southern District of Iowa at an event hosted by the Urbandale, Iowa, Police Department, where they had an opportunity to engage with local law enforcement and community members.
This week, Attorney General Garland met with prosecutors and law enforcement partners from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Nevada, Eastern District of Wisconsin, Northern District of Iowa, and Southern District of Iowa. The Attorney General met with U.S. Attorney Jason Frierson for the District of Nevada and discussed his office’s work as part of the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces program (OCDETF), which seeks to identify, disrupt, and dismantle high-level criminal and drug trafficking organizations. In Wisconsin, he spoke with federal, state, and local law enforcement leaders, including Milwaukee Sheriff Denita Ball and Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, about efforts to continue to decrease violent crime and reduce fentanyl on streets in the Milwaukee area. Attorney General Garland also touted the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northen District of Iowa to secure sentences for multiple gun and drug crime offenders.
Deputy Attorney General Monaco attended two National Night Out events in Cincinnati with U.S. Attorney of Kenneth Parker for the Southern District of Ohio and Chief Teresa Theetge of the Cincinnati Police. She visited the Westwood and Roselawn neighborhoods, where she spoke with local community leaders and law enforcement officials about how they are partnering together to keep Cincinnati safe. Prior to her NNO stops, the Deputy Attorney General attended roll-call at the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD)’s Third District to thank the women and men of the force for their commitment to public safety.
While in Cincinnati, the Deputy Attorney General visited the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio to hear from the dedicated prosecutors and professional staff of the office about their work to carry out the Justice Department’s mission, especially tackling violent crime. The Deputy Attorney General also toured the Cincinnati Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC), which imbeds ATF special agents and analysts with local law enforcement and prosecutors to swiftly identify unlawfully used firearms and their sources. Like the many other crime gun intelligence centers nationwide, the Cincinnati CGIC harnesses cutting-edge technologies — including the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) and eTrace systems — to rapidly develop and pursue investigative leads in order to drive case clearance rates up, which in turn can help drive violent crime rates down.
Prior to traveling to Cincinnati, the Deputy Attorney General delivered the keynote address at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Women in Federal Law Enforcement Foundation, where she emphasized the crucial role women in law enforcement play in protecting communities nationwide.
Acting Associate Attorney General Mizer joined U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley Jr. for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Special Agent in Charge Benny Mims of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Charlotte Field Division, and U.S. Marshal Glenn McNeill Jr. for the Eastern District of North Carolina to attend two National Night Out events in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Acting Associate Attorney General visited Tarboro Road Community Center and The Village at Washington Terrace, where he met with law enforcement partners and community members and discussed issues of importance in Raleigh.
In addition to the federal, state, local, and Tribal partners, the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices around the country are invaluable partners in the Department’s work to combat violent crime. All of the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices visited this week by the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, and Acting Associate Attorney General maintain ongoing participation in the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which builds on existing programs in each district to reduce gun violence, gun crime, and sustain those reductions.
Randolph Man Arrested for Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Randolph man has been arrested and charged for allegedly possessing and transporting child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Kesler Xavier Saget, 43, was charged with transporting child pornography and possession of child pornography. Saget was arrested yesterday and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was detained pending a hearing scheduled for Aug. 12, 2024.
According to the charging documents, after landing at Boston Logan International Airport from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, CSAM was allegedly detected on Saget’s phone during a border search. Further review of the phone allegedly showed payments Saget made in exchange for access to CSAM.
The charge of transporting child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and up to 20 years in prison, five years to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possessing child pornography provides for a sentence up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Providence Gang Member Sentenced for Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A convicted felon described in court documents as being a member of a “dangerous Providence Street gang and a driver of violence within that group” was sentenced today to two years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Ryan DaCruz, 28, of Providence and Central Falls, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to 24 months of incarceration to be followed by two years of federal supervised released. DaCruz pleaded guilty on pleaded guilty on January 30, 2024, to a charge of being a felon in possession of ammunition.
On May 31, 2023, in support of an ongoing Project Safe neighborhoods investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, along with officers and detectives from the Providence and Central Falls Police Departments, encountered DaCruz as he left a Central Falls apartment. A number of packages of marijuana, consistent with being packaged for sale, and several hundred dollars in cash bundled in different quantities were found in his backpack. Agents and officers followed DaCruz’s arrest with a court-authorized search of the apartment DaCruz had just left and located a 30-round, Glock magazine for use in a 9mm Glock firearm, a clear plastic bag containing 14 rounds of commercially produced 9x19mm ammunition, and a small bag of suspected cocaine among his personal belongings.
As reflected in court documents, DaCruz’s affiliation with the East Side gang dates back to at least 2016. DaCruz appears in a video filmed in 2016 that depicts him riding through a residence on a wheel board singing, holding what appears to be two pistols/revolvers. As the video ends, DaCruz pulls the triggers on both guns. The menacing lyrics of the song that he is singing in the video was in reference to Chad Brown, a rival Providence gang.
Court records illustrate that DaCruz was previously convicted and sentenced in Rhode Island state court on drug and firearms charges in crimes unrelated to the case heard today in federal court.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John P. McAdams and Paul F. Daly, Jr.
The matter was investigated by ATF, Providence Police Department, and Central Falls Police Department.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Previously Deported Man Indicted for Transfer of Fraudulent Social Security Cards and Counterfeit Driver’s LicensesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a nine-count indictment today against Javier Aguilera Rosas, 42, residing in Los Angeles, charging him with transfer of false identity documents, misuse of Social Security numbers, and being a previously deported alien found in the United States, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Rosas transferred to others fraudulent Social Security cards and driver’s licenses that used the identifying information of multiple individuals, including their Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers. Rosas was previously deported from the United States in December 2009 after committing an aggravated felony of forgery.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Moody is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Rosas faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Previously Convicted Felon from Beaver Falls Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Prison for Repeated Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to firearms charges and was sentenced to 77 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Senior United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Eric Kalif Hubbard, 41.
According to evidence presented to the Court, on May 23, 2023, an officer with the New Brighton Police Department initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Hubbard. In approaching the vehicle, the officer observed an open container and the odor of alcohol, as well as a black satchel bag in the vehicle. When asked by the officer to exit the vehicle due to suspicion of drunk driving, Hubbard sped away in the vehicle. Officers pursued Hubbard and, upon finding his crashed vehicle, arrested Hubbard hiding in the brush and searched the nearby Beaver River, where they recovered a black satchel floating in the water. That bag contained three pill bottles bearing Hubbard’s name and a loaded revolver.
On July 14, 2023, an officer with the Beaver Falls Police Department initiated a traffic stop on Hubbard after observing that there was no inspection sticker on his windshield. The officer, who was aware of the prior traffic stop and also knew that Hubbard had a suspended license, determined that the vehicle was a rental, that Hubbard was not on the rental agreement, and that the vehicle had to be towed. Upon conducting an inventory of the vehicle while awaiting a tow truck, the officer discovered contraband, stopped the inventory, and applied for a search warrant, with the resulting search leading to the recovery of three black ski masks, three pairs of black gloves, a loaded 12 gauge shotgun with a cut stock, and a loaded semiautomatic rifle.
At the time Hubbard possessed the firearms and ammunition seized in these instances, he had been convicted of seven felony offenses. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the New Brighton Police Department, Beaver Falls Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Hubbard.
Peoria Felon Sentenced to 84 Months in Federal Prison for Possession and Sales of Machineguns, Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois man, Devonte Powell Thompson, 27, was sentenced today to 84 months’ imprisonment for two counts of possession of a machinegun and three counts of possession of firearms and ammunition. His sentence includes a three-year term of supervised release to be served upon completion of his term of confinement.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the government presented evidence that Thompson, while on parole for a state felony firearm conviction, possessed and sold three handguns, including an AR-15-style privately manufactured “ghost gun” pistol, two machinegun conversion “switch” devices, and ammunition over the course of four transactions in February 2023. Thompson was prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition due to any one of his five prior felony convictions, three of which were firearm-related offenses.
The indictment was filed in July 2023, and Thompson was arrested shortly thereafter on July 19, 2023. Thompson entered a guilty plea in February 2024. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.
The statutory penalties for possession of a machinegun are up to 10 years’ imprisonment, followed by up to three years of supervised release, for each count. The penalties for possession of firearms and ammunition are up to 15 years imprisonment, followed by up to three years of supervised release, for each count.
The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department; Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Palestinian National Sentenced to 7.5 Years in Prison for Travel with Intent to Engage in Sexual Conduct with MinorRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A Palestinian national was sentenced in federal court to 90 months of imprisonment, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, on his conviction of one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Huthayfa Almassri, 33, who had pleaded guilty to the charge on April 15, 2024.
According to information presented to the Court, Almassri traveled from Palestine on May 31, 2022, and was admitted to the United States as a Lawful Permanent Resident. On June 14, 2022, Almassri initiated an online relationship with an individual he believed to be a minor but was actually a law enforcement officer acting in an undercover capacity. In his conversations with the minor, Almassri lied about his age and real name. On October 16, 2022, Almassri arranged to meet with the minor for sex. Almassri was arrested when he arrived to meet with the minor. In conjunction with his guilty plea, Almassri agreed to the judge’s entry of a judicial order of removal from the United States.
Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and FBI Pittsburgh Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Almassri.
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.justice.gov/psc.
Owner of Orlando Company Sentenced to 24 Years in Federal Prison for $57 Million Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza has sentenced Avinash Singh (42, St. Cloud) to 24 years in federal prison for wire fraud and money laundering. The court also ordered Singh to forfeit the $57 million in proceeds he obtained from his offenses, as well as real property that he purchased with those proceeds. Singh entered a guilty plea on May 6, 2024.
According to court documents, Singh operated an Orlando-based company by the name of Highrise Advantage, LLC (Highrise). From February 2013 to September 2020, Singh received more than $57 million from over 1,100 victims who believed that they were making investments in retail foreign currency contracts (forex) through Highrise. To induce his victims to invest, Singh claimed that he had a proven track record of success as a forex trader, that he was going to use the funds for investments in forex, and that he would “guarantee” that his victims would not lose any funds for any trading losses. None of these representations were true.
Rather than invest his victims’ funds in forex trading as he had promised, Singh used funds from one investor to pay amounts owed to another investor. Singh misappropriated at least $45 million of the victims’ “investments” in the form of payments to other investors and also spent millions of dollars in personal expenses, including the purchase of real estate, retail purchases, phone bills, events, dining, and reserving music studio space to record music with his band.
“This case epitomizes selfish greed at an astonishing level,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office. “Mr. Singh tried to use the proceeds of his Ponzi scheme to live like a pop star while popping the dreams of his victim investors. This sentencing shows that we will go to great lengths to ensure those who try to illegally place themselves above others are held accountable.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation - Office of Inspector General, the St. Cloud IRS Federal Financial Crimes Task Force, and the State of Florida Office of Financial Regulation, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda S. Daniels. Asset recovery was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole M. Andrejko.
Norton Shores Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Anthony Bradell McMillan, 37, of Norton Shores, Michigan was sentenced to seven years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine pills, cocaine, and MDMA. U.S. District Judge Jane M. Beckering noted at sentencing that McMillan’s possession of a gun during his offense and his history of domestic violence precluded her from granting McMillan’s request for a shorter sentence.
“Mr. McMillian helped flood our communities with potentially lethal drugs and has a history of domestic violence, including the circumstances that gave rise to this case,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Disrupting the flow of poisons that are taking so many lives and protecting victims of gender-based violence are central to our mission.”
On January 21, 2024, officers from the Norton Shores Police Department responded to McMillan’s home after 911 dispatchers received complaints that McMillan was inside and reportedly abusing his girlfriend. Upon arriving, officers knocked on the front door and several other doors and windows with no answer. After several attempts, McMillan’s girlfriend eventually emerged. Officers observed injuries, confirmed that McMillan had been beating her, and learned that during the assault, he threatened her with a pistol. As a previously convicted felon, McMillan was not allowed to possess firearms.
Officers obtained a warrant to search McMillan’s residence. Inside the house, officers seized a digital scale, controlled substance packaging material, MDMA pills, and two digital scales. In the yard, officers found a black trash bag that McMillan had discarded after police arrived. The trash bag contained a .45 caliber Glock 21 pistol, over 2,700 methamphetamine pills, over 100 grams of cocaine, and a banking card with McMillan’s name on it. McMillan was located and taken into custody without incident.
McMillan was subsequently charged by indictment and, in April 2024, pled guilty to the charge of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Norton Shores Police Department, Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office, and Muskegon Heights Police Department investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Fauson prosecuted it.
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Newburgh Duo Sentenced to Combined 25 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Pounds of Methamphetamine into EvansvilleRead the Press Release
EVANSVILLE- Michael Jimenez, 37, of Newburgh, Indiana and Jordan Jimenez, 30, of Evansville, Indiana, have been sentenced to federal prison for ten and fifteen years, respectively, followed by five years of supervise release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Jordan Jimenez also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents, between May and July of 2022, the uncle and nephew duo worked together to buy and sell large quantities of methamphetamine in Southern Indiana. Jordan Jimenez obtained pounds of methamphetamine from his source of supply and then fronted a portion of that methamphetamine to his uncle, Michael, who would repay Jordan upon reselling the methamphetamine to his own customers. The pair often acted as a joint business, sharing a customer base and coordinating drug quantities and prices.
On July 15, 2022, officers with the Evansville Police Department stopped Jordan for speeding and a K9 officer indicated the presence of illegal drugs in the car. During a search of the car, officers located a grocery bag filled with approximately five and a half pounds of methamphetamine.
Law enforcement officer subsequently conducted a court-authorized search of Jordan’s home. During the search, officers found a Taurus 9 mm semiautomatic pistol, an Andro .223 rifle, ammunition for the firearms, and a digital scale.
Over the course of the conspiracy, the Jimenez duo was responsible for the distribution of at least twenty pounds, or more than nine kilograms, of methamphetamine.
“The methamphetamine ravaging our families and neighborhoods doesn’t come from thin air,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Drug traffickers like the two men convicted in this case bring this poison from thousands of miles away and pump it onto our communities. We will continue to work with our partners at the DEA, the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Drug Task Force, and the Evansville Police Department to dismantle these meth trafficking conspiracies and hold these criminals accountable for the harm they cause.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Evansville-Vanderburgh County Drug Task Force, and Evansville Police Department investigated this case. This prosecution is also part of the Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Young.
U.S Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Matthew B. Miller, who prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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New York Man Admits Laundering Proceeds of Elder Fraud and Computer Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Queens, New York, man today admitted that he illegally laundered the proceeds of elder fraud and computer fraud schemes, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Hector Claveria, 51, of Elmhurst, New York pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court to Count Two of the indictment charging him with international money laundering.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In early 2020, Claveria acted as a money mule for a fraudulent scheme by picking up numerous packages that contained cash that he knew were proceeds of illegal activity. He then laundered some of this money in June 2020 by wiring $20,000 from his U.S. bank account to a foreign bank account. These funds were the proceeds of two fraudulent schemes: The first was an elder-fraud scheme in which the perpetrators tricked elder victims into believing that they owed money to various government agencies and companies, and then into sending payments to locations identified by the perpetrators. The second was a computer-fraud scheme in which perpetrators tricked victims into believing that they owed money to a computer services company, and then into sending payments to locations identified by the perpetrators, purportedly at the direction of the computer company. At the time Claveria wired the funds to a foreign account, he knew that the transfer was designed to conceal and disguise the nature of the funds.
The charge of international money laundering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved in the transportation, transmission, or transfer. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 19, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Social Security Administration Office, of the Inspector General, Boston-New York Field Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley Parker.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chana Zuckier of the OCDETF Unit and Jennifer Kozar of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
claveria.indictment.pdfMoorhead Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Moorhead man has pleaded guilty to his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, beginning in April 2023 through February 23, 2024, Jamie Richard White, 46, knowingly and willingly entered into an arrangement in which he would acquire over 500 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it. On October 26, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence as part of investigating the alleged restraint of a woman in his basement. In his home, law enforcement found over 400 grams of powder fentanyl laced with the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine. Text messages on White’s cell phone confirmed that he planned to distribute the fentanyl/xylazine mixture. White was arrested, charged with several state crimes, taken into custody, and released on bond in December 2023.
While his state charges were pending, White continued to conspire to possess and distribute methamphetamine. On February 25, 2024, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service intercepted a parcel bound for an address in the Fargo-Moorhead area containing nine pounds of methamphetamine. Agents removed the methamphetamine and conducted a controlled delivery at the intended delivery address. Once delivered, law enforcement observed White’s co-conspirators retrieve and open the package and then leave. Shortly thereafter, law enforcement stopped the co-defendants and found one of them in possession of three additional pounds of methamphetamine. Law enforcement separately stopped White and found him in possession of an additional 125 grams of methamphetamine, digital scales, and other miscellaneous drug distribution materials. The investigation comprises the largest combined seizure of methamphetamine in Clay County, Minnesota.
White pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Because he has multiple prior felonies, White is subject to a 15-year mandatory minimum prison term. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Moorhead Police Department, and other supporting agencies.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren O. Roso is prosecuting the case.
Minnesota Man Sentenced to over 19 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced an Elmore, Minnesota, man convicted of Attempted Production of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on August 8, 2024.
Mason Mensing, age 23, was sentenced to 19 years and five months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Upon his release, Mensing must register as a sex offender.
Mensing was indicted by a federal grand jury in November of 2022. He pleaded guilty on May 21, 2024.
The conviction stemmed from incidents between August 17, 2022, and August 19, 2022, when Mensing pretended to be a high schooler in Minnesota and attempted to persuade a minor female in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to send him nude images of herself. The minor female refused and told her parents, who then went to the police. After an undercover agent took over the minor’s Snapchat account, Mensing had several sexual conversations with the undercover agent. An examination of Mensing’s Snapchat account revealed that he had requested nude photos from multiple teenage girls in South Dakota and Minnesota.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Brookings Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
Mensing was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Mexican National Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking FentanylRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE DE JESUS VEGA-CERVANTES, 45, a citizen of Mexico last residing in Norwalk, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 48 months of imprisonment trafficking fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in July and August 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Norwalk Police Department made controlled purchases of fentanyl from Vega-Cervantes. Vega-Cervantes was arrested on August 22, 2023, after he attempted to sell a kilogram of fentanyl to an individual working with law enforcement.
Vega-Cervantes has been detained since his arrest. He pleaded guilty on May 7, 2024.
Vega-Cervantes faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Norwalk Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren C. Clark.
Mexican Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Reentering the United States After Being Deported Two TimesRead the Press Release
A man who illegally returned to the United States after being deported was sentenced today to more than three months in federal prison.
Javier Santiz-Santiz, age 32, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Tama, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 12, 2014, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported.
At the guilty plea, Santiz-Santiz admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Santiz-Santiz was previously deported in January 2013 and February 2013. On May 2, 2024, immigration officials learned Santiz-Santiz had illegally returned to the United States and found Santiz-Santiz at the Tama County Jail following his arrest on state charges.
Santiz-Santiz was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Santiz-Santiz was sentenced to 98 days’ imprisonment. He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Santiz-Santiz is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 34-CR-36.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Mexican Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Reentering the United States After Being Deported Two TimesRead the Press Release
A man who illegally returned to the United States after being deported was sentenced today to more than three months in federal prison.
Javier Santiz-Santiz, age 32, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Tama, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 12, 2014, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported.
At the guilty plea, Santiz-Santiz admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Santiz-Santiz was previously deported in January 2013 and February 2013. On May 2, 2024, immigration officials learned Santiz-Santiz had illegally returned to the United States and found Santiz-Santiz at the Tama County Jail following his arrest on state charges.
Santiz-Santiz was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Santiz-Santiz was sentenced to 98 days’ imprisonment. He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Santiz-Santiz is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 34-CR-36.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Memphis Man Sentenced for Defrauding COVID-19 Relief Fund of More Than $2,000,000Read the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Dardanius Coleman, 55, of Memphis, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a federal program administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) designed to provide emergency financial assistance to small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin G. Ritz, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
United States Attorney Ritz said: “This federal program was designed to lift hardworking citizens and small businesses in a time of need. Instead, the defendant in this case cheated the program and misused relief funds. I commend our federal law enforcement partners for helping to bring this defendant to justice. This office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who defraud COVID-19 relief programs.”
According to information presented in court, from April 2020 through November 2021, Coleman submitted fraudulent PPP applications for five purported businesses that he controlled. These applications contained false information and fake documents concerning the number of employees and the amount of payroll related to the purported businesses. Once Coleman received the loan proceeds, the monies were used for his personal benefit, not for the approved purposes for the funds such as rent or paying his employees.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the SBA Office of Inspector General.
“As we’ve seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, criminals will exploit any opportunity to take advantage of programs intended to help businesses and individuals,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of FBI Tennessee. “This sentencing demonstrates the ongoing commitment and dedication of the FBI to work with our partners to aggressively hold individuals accountable who perpetrate fraud against the American people.”
“This sentencing underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting the integrity of SBA programs,” said SBA – Office of the Inspector General’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge, Amaleka McCall-Braithwaite. “Fraudulent activities undermine the purpose of these essential programs, designed to support legitimate small businesses struggling during the pandemic. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their support and dedication to ensuring that those who exploit federal programs are held accountable.”
Coleman previously entered a guilty plea to a count of wire fraud. As a part of the sentence imposed, United States District Judge Thomas L. Parker also ordered Coleman to pay $2,093,318 in restitution to the SBA and serve a three-year term of supervision after release from custody.
United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorney Tony Arvin, who prosecuted this case, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case.
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