Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Tuesday 25 June 2024
Court Sentences Moss Point Woman Caught with Approximately Ten Pounds of Methamphetamine to 87 Months ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On June 17, 2024, United States District Court Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Christian Ikenya Amir Lewis to 87 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute 4.464 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Documents filed with the Court established that on January 22, 2020, officers with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Drug Task Force stopped a vehicle being driven by Lewis on Interstate 65 in Baldwin County. Pursuant to further investigation a drug dog alerted on the vehicle Lewis was driving. Inside the trunk of the vehicle officers found almost ten pounds of pure methamphetamine in a hidden compartment in a large speaker box.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Drug Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys George F. May and John P. Hutchins III.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to over 23 Years in Federal Prison for Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – A federal judge has sentenced a Benton County man to over 23 years in federal prison for committing new firearm offenses while being on supervised release for a prior federal firearm sentence. United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, Jason Autry, 49, who was a 16-time convicted felon, was in possession of a rifle, a handgun, and ammunition on December 3, 2020. Autry was previously convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm arising out of a Decatur County, Tennessee incident that occurred on January 15, 2012. He was released to a federal supervised release term of three years on September 16, 2020.
Autry’s eight-year state prison sentence for Solicitation of First-Degree Murder and Facilitation of Especially Aggravated Kidnapping also expired on September 16, 2020. These convictions resulted from Autry’s role in the kidnapping and murder of Holly Bobo, a Decatur County nursing student, on April 13, 2011. Bobo’s body was found over three years later.
It was presented in court that approximately 25 days after the beginning of his supervised release term, Autry had possession of a Smith and Wesson, Model M&P shield, 9mm caliber pistol, which he had stolen. He was in possession of a Marlin, 30-30 caliber rifle and ammunition within 78 days of his release.
On November 22, 2022, Autry pled guilty to three counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. On June 24, 2024, United States District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Autry to a total of 279 months in federal prison for the firearm violations and the supervised release violation. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated for federal prosecution by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as the Benton County Sheriff’s Department.
United States Attorney Kevin Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Beth Boswell, Josh Morrow and Naya Bedini, who prosecuted this case, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case.
###
For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Convicted Felon Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Aaron Diggs (25, Tampa) to 30 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The court also ordered Diggs to forfeit a semi-automatic firearm, which is traceable to the offense. Diggs entered a guilty plea on March 20, 2024.
According to court documents, during a traffic stop, Diggs was found to be in possession of a semi-automatic firearm which was located under the front driver’s seat. At the time, Diggs had a prior felony conviction in Florida. As such, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria Guzman.
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.
Christopher Reese Charged with Defrauding Criminal Defendants Through His Unauthorized Practice of LawRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that a grand jury has returned an Indictment charging CHRISTOPHER REESE, a/k/a “Christopher Eugene Thomas,” with federal crimes related to his tricking federal criminal defendants and their family members into paying REESE, who is not a lawyer, to perform unlicensed legal services for them in federal courts. REESE is already in federal custody in connection with a separate case. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged in a criminal indictment, Christopher Reese sought to profit off the hopes and anxieties of criminal defendants and their families while abusing federal courts for his own financial gain. Reese allegedly tricked people into paying him for legal services he wasn’t authorized to provide, and after promising he could get inmates out of prison time and time again, the only thing Reese achieved was taking money for himself. It’s time for Reese’s alleged fraud on defendants, their families, and the courts to end.”
According to the Indictment:[1]
For years, REESE has run a scam targeting federal inmates and their family members. To carry out his fraud scheme, REESE promised favorable results in criminal cases that he could not actually obtain, rendering legal services he was not authorized to provide in exchange for hefty fees. REESE styles himself as a “legal assistant” or “paralegal” but works without the supervision of a licensed lawyer and offers services that only a lawyer is authorized to provide, including drafting and submitting legal filings in federal courts. REESE brings in business by promising beneficial outcomes to prisoners and their family members that he cannot deliver while knowing — but failing to disclose — the unauthorized nature of his unlicensed legal practice.
REESE would induce victims — criminal defendants and their family members — to pay him thousands of dollars per legal filing. He would do this, for example, by promising that defendants would be “immediately released” based on motions REESE could file in exchange for fees in the thousands of dollars. Sometimes REESE would also offer a “money back guarantee” on his services, but when his motions inevitably failed, REESE would refuse to refund his fees. When his fraud succeeded, and inmates and their family members paid REESE to draft and file legal motions and briefs in federal cases, REESE engaged in the unauthorized practice of law by making a business of drafting and filing legal motions and briefs in federal cases, including cases heard by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit at 40 Foley Square in Manhattan, a federal enclave where New York State’s prohibition on the unauthorized practice of law applies via the Assimilative Crimes Act.
REESE has earned many thousands of dollars from this scheme, and in connection with the proceeds he earned from his legal-services scheme, REESE committed additional crimes. First, REESE was on supervised release in connection with a separate federal criminal case in this District during most of the scheme. In connection with his supervision, and in order to avoid paying criminal restitution that he owed, REESE made false statements to the U.S. Probation Office regarding his finances. Second, REESE laundered the proceeds of his scheme by using a co-conspirator who assisted him with the scheme to effectively act as a bank for him and engaging in financial transactions designed to conceal the source and movement of the fees REESE collected from his victims.
* * *
REESE, 56, of East Meadow, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of unauthorized practice of law in a federal enclave, which carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison; one count of making false statements to the U.S. Probation Office, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josiah Pertz and Derek Wikstrom are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the Indictment and the descriptions of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Chesterfield couple sentenced for forcing victim to labor for years at their gas station and convenience storeRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Chesterfield couple was sentenced today for compelling the labor of the man’s younger cousin at their gas station and convenience store for over three years. The couple has since divorced.
Harmanpreet Singh, 31, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison and Kulbir Kaur, 43, was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison.
“The defendants exploited their relationship with the victim to lure him to the United States with false promises that they would help enroll him in school, and then subjected him to physical and mental abuse to keep him working for their own profit,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Today’s sentence should send a strong message that human trafficking will not be tolerated in our communities. The Justice Department is committed to fully enforcing our federal human trafficking statutes to vindicate the rights of survivors and hold human traffickers accountable.”
“The crimes committed by these defendants are not merely violations of the law; they are an affront to humanity,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “These defendants preyed on the victim’s earnest desire to attain an education and improve his life. Instead, they deprived him of the most basic human needs and robbed him of his freedom. We remain steadfastly committed to securing justice for victims of human trafficking.”
“The defendants lured the victim to travel from India to Virginia to work at their gas station where they exploited him for over three years,” said Assistant Director Michael Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI will continue to work in all communities to stop forced labor trafficking and the psychological and physical violence that comes with it.”
Following a two-week trial in January, a federal jury in the Eastern District of Virginia convicted Singh and Kaur of conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, harboring for financial gain, and document servitude. The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that, in 2018, the defendants enticed the victim, Singh’s cousin and then a minor, to travel to the United States from India with false promises of helping enroll him in school. After arriving in the United States, the defendants took the victim’s immigration documents and instead forced him to provide labor and services at Singh’s store for over three years, between March 2018 and May 2021.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Singh and Kaur compelled the victim to work at the store — including cleaning, cooking, stocking and handling the cash register and store records — between 12 to 17 hours a day, nearly every day, for minimal pay. Singh and Kaur used various coercive means, including subjecting the victim to physical abuse and, at times, degrading living conditions to compel him to continue working.
The evidence showed that the defendants left the victim at the store to sleep in a back office for days at a time on multiple occasions, limited his access to food, refused to provide medical care or education, used surveillance equipment to monitor the victim both at the store and in their home, refused his requests to return to India and made him overstay his visa. The defendants also forced the victim to marry Kaur and used that marriage to threaten to take the victim’s family’s properties or falsely report him to the police if he left. The evidence showed that Singh pulled the victim’s hair, slapped and kicked him when he requested his immigration documents back and tried to leave and, on three different occasions, threatened the victim with a revolver for trying to take a day off and for trying to leave.
The FBI Richmond Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Avi Panth and Peter S. Duffey for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit prosecuted the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
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. 3:23-cr-92.
Californian Sentenced to 18 Months’ Imprisonment for Unlawfully Collecting $100,000 in Unemployment Benefits During COVID-19Read the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – Robert James Waff, 50, of Sacramento, California, was sentenced today to a year and a half imprisonment, three years’ supervised release and ordered by the court to pay $114,066 in restitution. The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Tena Campbell, comes after Waff admitted to devising a scheme to defraud the California Employment Development Department by unlawfully collecting unemployment benefits during COVID-19.
According to court documents and statements made at the change of plea hearing, Waff pleaded guilty in March 2024 to aiding and abetting wire fraud.
From June 2020 to September 2020, Waff devised and attempted to execute a scheme to defraud the California Employment Development Department (EDD) by applying for unemployment benefits that were funded by the CARES Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Waff assisted three coconspirators in committing the same acts for a share of their unemployment insurance funds. For example, on one occasion Waff submitted an online application for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits through the (EDD) website, while he was a resident of Clearfield, Utah. Waff listed his residence and mailing address as Fair Oaks, CA. Waff also claimed he had lost employment due to COVID-19 and that before losing employment his annual income was $44,000, and that he planned to return to work for his previous employer. Waff’s fraudulent California EDD application and continued renewal of his California EDD benefits resulted in Waff receiving over $36,000 in fraudulent payments.
In total, by helping others commit the same fraudulent filings, the actual loss resulting from fraudulent UI benefit claims exceeded $100,000.
“Mr. Waff stole money intended for citizens who were honestly unemployed and hurting during COVID-19,” said United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah. “His repeated behavior in aiding others to commit the same crime took more money away from people who needed help during the pandemic. My office will prosecute people who defraud the government and taxpayers.”“Mr. Waff tried to cash in on the Covid-19 pandemic and stole money from those who legitimately needed it,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “The pandemic may be over, but the FBI will continue to investigate those who willfully defraud federal government programs for personal gain.”
“Robert Waff stole from our nation’s unemployment insurance (UI) system by fraudulently filing for UI benefits in his name and the names of others who were not entitled to such benefits. He took advantage of the UI system at a time when so many deserving American workers were suffering from pandemic-related economic challenges. The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General remains committed to combatting UI fraud. Our efforts to hold individuals accountable for their fraudulent schemes will continue. I would like to acknowledge the outstanding investigative work of the Salt Lake City FBI, the California Employment Development Department, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-OIG and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah in this collaborative investigative effort,” said Quentin Heiden, Special Agent in Charge, Western Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
The case is was investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Division and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Assistant United States Attorney Brian Williams of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
California Resident Pleads Guilty to Producing Photo Depicting Him Sexually Abusing A ChildRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Henry Obdulio Cordon (38, Antioch, CA) has pleaded guilty to producing a photo of him sexually abusing a child. Cordon faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Cordon was arrested in California on May 16, 2019, and has been in custody since that time. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 23, 2024.
According to court documents, the investigation began in April 2019 when an internet service provider sent a series of CyberTipline reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). These reports related to the discovery of child sexual abuse photos detected within an email account that geolocated to California. Law enforcement officers traced the email account, which contained at least five photos depicting children being sexually abused, to Cordon.
On May 9, 2019, the internet service provider submitted additional CyberTipline reports to NCMEC related to other accounts that were linked to and used by Cordon. One of the photos in the email account depicted a young child being sexually abused by an adult male. Metadata associated with the photo indicated that it had been produced on July 11, 2011, using a Blackberry device. Additional search warrants revealed that the email account was used during April and May 2019 at Cordon’s apartment.
On May 16, 2019, during the execution of a search warrant at Cordon’s residence, Cordon admitted that he had searched the internet for “nude teen pictures.” When asked if he ever had a Blackberry device, Cordon said he had one about nine years before when he lived in Florida. Investigators asked him about a particular photo depicting the sexual abuse of a young child that that was recovered from his email account. When asked who the child was and how he met her, Cordon eventually admitted that he knew what they were talking about, he knew the child depicted in this photo, and that she was “maybe” under four years of age. Cordon claimed that his sexual abuse of this child only happened one time, and that he remembered emailing this photo to himself to save. He also admitted taking the picture with his Blackberry.
Further investigation confirmed that Cordon had taken the photo and sent it to his email account. The photo was also recovered from the device he possessed in California on May 16, 2019. Law enforcement authorities in Florida confirmed the identity and age of the child, as well as the location in Florida where Cordon had taken the photo.
This case was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force of Contra Costa County (California), the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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.
Browning man sentenced to over four years in prison for meth trafficking on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Browning man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced on Monday to four years and eight months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
The defendant, Robbie Wayne Racine, 31, pleaded guilty in January to possession with intent to distribute meth.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that in the spring of 2023, Racine was stopped in multiple vehicles containing meth and other evidence of his distribution. In April 2023, Racine was stopped for a traffic violation along with his co-defendant. Both occupants were arrested. More than 15 grams of meth was seized from the co-defendant’s person while being booked into jail. A search of the vehicle also yielded evidence of distribution, including baggies and a digital scale. A month later, Racine was driving a different vehicle when he was again stopped by Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services for a traffic violation and was arrested. Racine had a scale in his pocket. Law enforcement searched the vehicle and seized more than 170 grams of meth in a safe concealed as a book.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Glacier County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
XXX
Brooksville Woman Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to Federal AgentsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Janet Williams (44, Brooksville) today pleaded guilty to three counts of making false statements to federal agents. Williams faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on February 8, 2023, Williams’s son, Sheldon Robinson, was arrested in connection with the murder of I.S., a 17-year-old Hernando County High School student. Immediately after his arrest, Williams found approximately $6,000 Robinson had hidden in two different places in her residence, money Robinson had been paid to murder I.S.
On August 9, 2023, Williams was interviewed by special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and detectives from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office detectives. Williams repeatedly denied finding any money that belonged to Robinson in her home. On August 17, 2023, Robinson spoke to Williams. During this call, Williams told Robinson about ATF’s visit, telling him; “Feds came to the house. They took over the case.” At one point, she says, “They were asking me…did you come into a whole bunch of money? I said No. But, you did come into a whole bunch of money.”
On September 20, 2023, during the execution of a federal search warrant at Williams’s residence, Williams again told federal agents she had not found any money in the residence that belonged to Robinson. Williams also denied ever seeing Robinson with a firearm or knowing he possessed one. Agents executed a federal search warrant on Williams’s phone at the same time they searched her residence. Her cellphone contained numerous photos of Robinson routinely possessing firearms, including possessing them in Williams’s home.
Sheldon Robinson is pending trial for his alleged role in this case.
This case was investigated by the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with substantial assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office (Fifth Judicial Circuit). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
Baltimore Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Connection with A Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain Almost $18 Million in Fraudulent Covid-19 LoansRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today, United States District Judge Richard Bennett sentenced Ahmed Sary, age 46, of Baltimore, Maryland to seven years in federal prison, followed by one year of home detention, and three years of supervised release, in connection with a conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting financial institutions, relating to the submission of more than $17.9 million in fraudulent CARES Act loan applications. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was a federal law enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office (‘FBI’), Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (“SBA-OIG”), Eastern Region, and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department (“BCPD”).
“Sary will now pay the price for living luxurious from stolen COVID-19 pandemic relief funds that others needed to keep a business open or to keep a roof over their heads,” said U.S. Attorney Barron.
"Ahmed Sary is a swindler and a cheat. This sentence holds him accountable for every lie he told and the almost $18 million in Covid relief funds he stole from American taxpayers to fuel his greed and lavish lifestyle,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office. “The FBI and our partners will continue to bring to justice those who commit pandemic-related fraud."
“The Department of Justice remains committed to prosecuting fraudsters to who preyed upon our pandemic relief programs and the taxpayers. While the pandemic may have ended, the federal law enforcement response to the fraud continues, as demonstrated by this impactful case brought by our Strike Force in the District of Maryland,” said Director of COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Mandy Riedel.
Financial assistance offered through the CARES Act included forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), administered through the Small Business Administration (“SBA”), and SBA-approved lenders. The SBA also offered an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) and/or an EIDL advance to help businesses meet their financial obligations. An EIDL advance did not have to be repaid, and small businesses could receive an advance, even if they were not approved for an EIDL loan. The maximum advance amount was $10,000.
According to the plea agreement and other court documents, from April 2020 through January 2022, Sary and his co-conspirators prepared false and fraudulent PPP loan and EIDL applications for a number of borrowers in exchange for a kickback, typically ranging from 20 percent to 30 percent of the loan amount. The fraudulent PPP and EIDL loan applications prepared by Sary, and his co-conspirators grossly inflated the purported businesses’ number of employees, monthly payroll costs, and revenue numbers, including for businesses that didn’t exist in any legitimate capacity.
Sary and his co-conspirators filed 85 false and fraudulent PPP loan applications seeking a total of over $14,807,609.37 and 57 false and fraudulent EIDL applications seeking a total of over $3,093,670.50. All the loans were ultimately funded. After the loan funds were received and, in an attempt, to launder the funds at the direction of Sary, the loan recipient would typically provide Sary multiple, sometimes up to seven, checks that were signed by the loan recipient and that listed a payment amount and date but that left the payee name blank. Sary would then write a payee name on each of those checks and deposit them.
In connection with some of the fraudulently obtained PPP loans for purported businesses, Sary also assisted the loan recipients with setting up payroll services with a payroll processor to make it appear that the fraudulently obtained PPP loan funds were being used for permissible purposes when they, in fact, were not. The payroll services also facilitated the creation of documentation that could be used to substantiate a request for each of the PPP loans to be forgiven.
In addition to the loan kickback fees, Sary directly received $959,559 in PPP/EIDL funds for purported businesses he controlled, including a purported financial services business, a purported meatpacking business, a purported clothing company and a purported talent agency. In fact, none of these businesses existed in any legitimate capacity.
Sary admitted that he used the fraudulently obtained funds to travel to Dubai and Egypt on multiple occasions, to stay at luxury hotels, including the Four Seasons, while there, to purchase property in Egypt and to, among other things, open a beachfront restaurant in Alexandria, Egypt called Sary’s Kitchen.
The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the CARES Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI, the SBA-OIG and the BCPD for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley, who is prosecuting the case. He also recognized the assistance of the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber and Paralegal Specialist Julie Jarman.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao/md.
# # #
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces New Northeast Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center in ClevelandRead the Press Release
Alongside state and local law enforcement partners in Cleveland, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio announced the opening of a new Northeast Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) in Cleveland.
“The Northeast Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center will allow us to leverage our partnerships and technological innovation to solve gun crimes and to save lives,” said Attorney General Garland. “When it comes to investigating gun crimes, every day matters. Every day, another lead can run dry. Every day, a repeat shooter may shatter another family and another community. With this CGIC, it does not matter if a crime is committed in a city, a suburb, or a rural area. The law enforcement officers who investigate will have cutting-edge technology at their fingertips and a lineup of experts ready to assist.”
“Following on the success of last year’s intelligence-driven gun crime initiative, this Crime Gun Intelligence Center puts in the same room analysts, agents, cops, deputies, and both federal and state prosecutors,” said ATF Director Dettelbach. “They work together on the same cases using real time, state-of-the-art intelligence. Every morning, they review key evidence from the previous night’s shootings to identify the shooters. CGICs like this make homicide cases. CGICs like this stop the next shooting. And CGICs like this help stop the crime guns that are getting to the shooters. I want to commend the ATF Cleveland leadership and the many law enforcement agencies working together under one roof with a focus on real-time ballistics testing and crime gun tracing. I also want to thank the leadership here for coming together to protect Ohioans. Mayor Bibb, Attorney General Yost, County Executive Ronayne, Mayor Malik, and Governor DeWine have all supported a law enforcement presence in this CGIC. Without all of them, this CGIC does not happen. This level of partnership is truly exceptional. Chalk one up for the good guys in Ohio.”
CGICs are centralized law enforcement hubs that focus exclusively on investigating and preventing gun violence in local communities. They use cutting-edge technologies, including 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. They bring together, under one roof, the expertise of firearm evidence examiners, intelligence analysts, and investigators to rapidly collect, analyze, and share information about guns used in violent crimes. In total, ATF operates more than 60 CGICs nationwide.
“Prosecuting and preventing violent crime throughout our district is one core mission of the United States Attorney’s Office. And investigative data shows that the same guns are often used to commit multiple, different instances of violent crimes, without regard to city or county lines,” said U.S. Attorney Lutzko. “That is why we most effectively combat violent crime — and the illegal firearms trafficking that supports it — through strong regional partnerships, collaboration, and technology. The incredible capabilities of the Crime Gun Intelligence Center — and the federal, state, and local partnerships that make it possible — allow us to connect the dots between crimes so we can prosecute, convict, and lock up the bad actors who commit violent crimes and remove “crime guns” from the streets faster, so neither continue to endanger innocent people in neighborhoods throughout Northern Ohio.”
“ATF has long worked with our partners in the Cleveland area to reduce violent crime, including the use of NIBIN and other intelligence tools,” stated Daryl McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division. “This CGIC represents both a broadening and deepening of that cooperation and commitment. We are broadening this intelligence approach to a regional level, recognizing that those perpetrating violence don’t respect civic boundaries. In addition, we are all committing to the timely and comprehensive entry of information, and the analysis and use of these intelligence tools, to ensure that every CGIC participating agency has the information that may provide investigative leads as quickly as possible. I firmly believe that this effort will help us identify, investigate, and prosecute those individuals who are harming our communities.”
The Northeast Ohio CGIC is the first CGIC located within an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force, which not only supports the use of Crime Gun Intelligence (GCI) but also applies proactive investigative work and incorporates the use of OCDETF funds and resources. The CGIC was designed to execute a two-pronged approach: an intelligence component, led by ATF, and an investigative component, led by Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program (HIDTA).
Over 30 agencies across federal, state, and local law enforcement are partners in this new CGIC, focusing on real-time comprehensive ballistics testing and firearms tracing, two of ATF’s fundamental pillars of Crime Gun Intelligence. Federal and state prosecutors are included as participants to ensure the charging process is timely and effective. The Northeast Ohio CGIC partners include ATF, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, Cleveland Division of Police, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio HIDTA, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center, Garfield Heights Police Department, Lakewood Police Department, Lorain Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Investigative Unit, and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction/Ohio Adult Parole Authority. Six additional agencies support the CGIC but are located with ATF’s Akron and/or Canton Task Forces: Akron Police Department, Barberton Police Department, Canton Police Department, Portage County Sheriff’s Office, Summit County Sheriff’s Office, and the University of Akron Police Department. Nine additional agencies have designated a liaison to support the CGIC: Elyria Police Department, Euclid Police Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, Maple Heights Police Department, Medina City Police Department, Medina County Sheriff’s Office, Solon Police Department, and Willoughby Police Department. Additionally, four federal agencies support the CGIC through their participation at the OCEDTF Strike Force: Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
Click Here to View the Press Conference
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces New Northeast Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center in ClevelandRead the Press Release
Alongside state and local law enforcement partners in Cleveland, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio today announced the opening of a new Northeast Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) in Cleveland.
“The Northeast Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center will allow us to leverage our partnerships and technological innovation to solve gun crimes and to save lives,” said Attorney General Garland. “When it comes to investigating gun crimes, every day matters. Every day, another lead can run dry. Every day, a repeat shooter may shatter another family and another community. With this CGIC, it does not matter if a crime is committed in a city, a suburb, or a rural area. The law enforcement officers who investigate will have cutting-edge technology at their fingertips and a lineup of experts ready to assist.”
“Following on the success of last year’s intelligence-driven gun crime initiative, this Crime Gun Intelligence Center puts in the same room analysts, agents, cops, deputies, and both federal and state prosecutors,” said ATF Director Dettelbach. “They work together on the same cases using real time, state-of-the-art intelligence. Every morning, they review key evidence from the previous night’s shootings to identify the shooters. CGICs like this make homicide cases. CGICs like this stop the next shooting. And CGICs like this help stop the crime guns that are getting to the shooters. I want to commend the ATF Cleveland leadership and the many law enforcement agencies working together under one roof with a focus on real-time ballistics testing and crime gun tracing. I also want to thank the leadership here for coming together to protect Ohioans. Mayor Bibb, Attorney General Yost, County Executive Ronayne, Mayor Malik, and Governor DeWine have all supported a law enforcement presence in this CGIC. Without all of them, this CGIC does not happen. This level of partnership is truly exceptional. Chalk one up for the good guys in Ohio.”
CGICs are centralized law enforcement hubs that focus exclusively on investigating and preventing gun violence in local communities. They use cutting-edge technologies, including 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. They bring together, under one roof, the expertise of firearm evidence examiners, intelligence analysts, and investigators to rapidly collect, analyze, and share information about guns used in violent crimes. In total, ATF operates more than 60 CGICs nationwide.
“Prosecuting and preventing violent crime throughout our district is one core mission of the United States Attorney’s Office. And investigative data shows that the same guns are often used to commit multiple, different instances of violent crimes, without regard to city or county lines,” said U.S. Attorney Lutzko. “That is why we most effectively combat violent crime — and the illegal firearms trafficking that supports it — through strong regional partnerships, collaboration, and technology. The incredible capabilities of the Crime Gun Intelligence Center — and the federal, state, and local partnerships that make it possible — allow us to connect the dots between crimes so we can prosecute, convict, and lock up the bad actors who commit violent crimes and remove “crime guns” from the streets faster, so neither continue to endanger innocent people in neighborhoods throughout Northern Ohio.”
“ATF has long worked with our partners in the Cleveland area to reduce violent crime, including the use of NIBIN and other intelligence tools,” stated Daryl McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division. “This CGIC represents both a broadening and deepening of that cooperation and commitment. We are broadening this intelligence approach to a regional level, recognizing that those perpetrating violence don’t respect civic boundaries. In addition, we are all committing to the timely and comprehensive entry of information, and the analysis and use of these intelligence tools, to ensure that every CGIC participating agency has the information that may provide investigative leads as quickly as possible. I firmly believe that this effort will help us identify, investigate, and prosecute those individuals who are harming our communities.”
The Northeast Ohio CGIC is the first CGIC located within an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force, which not only supports the use of Crime Gun Intelligence (GCI) but also applies proactive investigative work and incorporates the use of OCDETF funds and resources. The CGIC was designed to execute a two-pronged approach: an intelligence component, led by ATF, and an investigative component, led by Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program (HIDTA).
Over 30 agencies across federal, state, and local law enforcement are partners in this new CGIC, focusing on real-time comprehensive ballistics testing and firearms tracing, two of ATF’s fundamental pillars of Crime Gun Intelligence. Federal and state prosecutors are included as participants to ensure the charging process is timely and effective. The Northeast Ohio CGIC partners include ATF, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, Cleveland Division of Police, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, Cuyahoga County Sherrif’s Office, Ohio HIDTA, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio Breau of Criminal Investigation, Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center, Garfield Heights Police Department, Lakewood Police Department, Lorain Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Investigative Unit, and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction/Ohio Adult Parole Authority. Six additional agencies support the CGIC but are located with ATF’s Akron and/or Canton Task Forces: Akron Police Department, Barberton Police Department, Canton Police Department, Portage County Sheriff’s Office, Summit County Sheriff’s Office, and the University of Akron Police Department. Nine additional agencies have designated a liaison to support the CGIC: Elyria Police Department, Euclid Police Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, Maple Heights Police Department, Medina City Police Department, Medina County Sheriff’s Office, Solon Police Department, and Willoughby Police Department. Additionally, four federal agencies support the CGIC through their participation at the OCEDTF Strike Force: Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
60-Month Sentence for North Carolina Man Who Sent Photo of His Genitalia to FBI UndercoverRead the Press Release
HARRISONBURG, Va. – A North Carolina man, who sent a nude photograph to an employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation whom he believed to be a nine-year-old girl, was sentenced yesterday to 60 months in federal prison.
Willy Alexander Korthals, 30, of Beaufort, North Carolina, waived his right to be indicted and pled guilty earlier this year to a one-count Information charging him with attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.
According to court documents, in May 2022, Korthals was in a Kik chat room for “Active Parents,” in a group titled “Loving Family,” when he responded to a public group thread that read, “Anyone want to come to Virginia to have sex with my daughter?”
Korthals reached out to the individual who posted the thread and inquired about the age of the “daughter” and was told she was nine years old. Unbeknownst to Korthals, the thread was posted by an undercover FBI employee posing as the girl’s father. In an effort to coax the daughter to send him pictures, Korthals sent a photograph of his erect penis.
For over a year, Korthals chatted with the undercover FBI employee and requested “live” photographs of the nine-year-old as well as other sexually explicit photographs and videos. Korthals also attempted to FaceTime with the undercover father and daughter in order to watch the sexual abuse of the child. Additionally, Korthals described specific acts of sexual abuse he wanted the father to perform on his daughter, including oral, vaginal, and anal sex.
In preparation for an in-person meeting with the undercover father and his daughter in August 2022, Korthals sent laboratory test results of his sexually transmitted disease status to the undercover father so that Korthals could have unprotected sex with the nine-year-old. Korthals also described in graphic detail the sex acts he wanted to have the child perform. Two days before the planned meeting, Korthals cancelled it.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Smith prosecuted the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. 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 identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Monday 24 June 2024
“King” of Violent Haitian Gang Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Gun Smuggling and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Joly Germine, 31, of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, was sentenced today to 420 months in prison for his role in a gunrunning conspiracy that smuggled firearms to Haiti in violation of U.S. export laws, and the laundering of ransoms paid for U.S. hostages held by the notoriously violent Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo. Eliande Tunis, 46, of Pompano Beach, Florida, who styled herself as Germine’s “wife” and was described at trial as the “Queen” of 400 Mawozo, was sentenced on June 5, to 150 months in prison for her role in the conspiracy. Two other defendants in the conspiracy were also sentenced to jail time for their involvement.
The conspiracy resulted in the purchase in the United States of at least 24 firearms, including weapons designed for the military and close-quarters combat such as AK-47s, AR-15s, an M4 Carbine rifle, an M1A rifle, and a .50 caliber rifle, which were smuggled from the United States to the gang in Haiti to further their criminal activities. Those firearms were bought using funds laundered from the proceeds of the hostage taking for ransom of U.S. citizens in Haiti in 2021.
“A leader of the Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo will now spend 35 years in prison for a scheme to smuggle guns from the United States to Haiti using the proceeds extorted from kidnapping American citizens,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The leaders of violent gangs in Haiti that terrorize Americans citizens in order to fuel their criminal activity will be met with the full force of the Justice Department.”
“Joly Germine is being held accountable for his role in smuggling weapons into Haiti using funds laundered from the ransoms of kidnapped American citizens,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The 400 Mawazo gang not only wreaks havoc in its own communities but targets innocent Americans living and traveling in Haiti. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to target the leadership and take down any violent criminal group who preys upon Americans abroad and uses unlawful and dangerous tactics like weapons-trafficking and kidnapping to further their criminal enterprise.”
“Firearms smuggling is not a victimless crime,” said Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Just like these weapons, many guns smuggled to Haiti end up in the hands of violent gangs. Those gangs use them to harm both Haitians and American citizens. As this sentence demonstrates, ATF is committed to working with our law enforcement partners both at home and internationally to hold gun smugglers responsible.”
“Mr. Germine, a leader of a notorious Haitian gang, admitted to an illegal gun-running scheme to arm fellow gang members with U.S. firearms in support of the group’s violent crime spree across Haiti, including the alleged 2021 kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will aggressively pursue every tool at its disposal to hold accountable those who would smuggle U.S.-origin weapons and other controlled goods for the benefit of malicious actors and their criminal enterprises.”
“Violent gangs have ravaged Haiti, and all too often, Americans in Haiti have been targets of their violence,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “These two defendants not only helped lead a prominent violent gang in Haiti, but they were also intimately involved in arming the gang and laundering ransom proceeds the gang obtained from kidnapping Americans. Preventing them from illegally shipping anymore firearms or laundering the proceeds of kidnappings strikes a critical blow against the gang they once led.”
“As Joly Germine and Eliande Tunis have just learned, the FBI is dedicated to disrupting and dismantling gangs who undertake hostage-taking of U.S. Citizens anywhere,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “This includes taking away their ability to wreak violence on the innocent using smuggled firearms.”
“Today’s sentencing sends a strong message: the Diplomatic Security Service is committed to making sure that those who commit transnational crimes face consequences for their criminal actions,” said Assistant Director Paul Houston of the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) for Threat Investigations and Analysis. “DSS’ strong relationship with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies around the world continues to be essential in the pursuit of justice.”
According to court documents, Germine, pleaded guilty on Jan. 31, to the 48-count second superseding indictment, which charged him with conspiring to violate U.S. export control laws and to defraud the United States, violating export control laws, smuggling, and laundering the proceeds of ransoms paid to free U.S. hostages taken by the gang and laundering money to promote his crimes. Germine’s plea came at the end of the government’s case at trial, which included the testimony of 24 witnesses and two weeks of evidence.
Germine’s co-defendant Tunis, who had a supervisory role in the conspiracy, pleaded guilty on the eve of trial on Jan. 17, to the same 48-count indictment, and was sentenced on June 5 to 150 months in prison. Other co-defendants, Jocelyn Dor, 31, and Walder St. Louis, 35, who acted as a straw gun purchasers for Germine and Tunis, both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 60 months and 36 months, respectively, for their roles in the gun-smuggling and money laundering scheme.
According to evidence presented at trial, from at least March through November 2021, Germine, Tunis, and two co-defendants conspired with each other and with other gang members in Haiti to acquire and supply firearms to the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti. Germine directed the gang’s operations from a Haitian prison using unmonitored cell phones, including directing gang members in Haiti to transfer money to Tunis and others in the United States for the purpose of obtaining firearms for the gang. Germine then provided Tunis and the two other U.S.-based co-defendants, all Florida residents, specifications for firearms and ammunition that Germine and other gang leaders wanted sent to Haiti. Tunis and the two co-defendants then purchased at least 24 rifles, handguns, and a shotgun at Florida gun shops while falsely stating that they were the “actual buyers” of the firearms, when they were in fact acting as straw purchasers for Germine. In approximately May 2021, Tunis smuggled firearms and ammunition to Haiti in containers disguised as food and household goods. In October 2021, Tunis attempted to ship additional firearms and ammunition to Haiti, again by smuggling the firearms, but those firearms were seized by the FBI before they left the United States.
400 Mawozo is a violent Haitian gang that operated in the Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of the capital, Port-au-Prince. From at least Jan. 12, 2020, 400 Mawozo was engaged in armed hostage takings of U.S. citizens in Haiti for ransom. The victims have generally been forced from their vehicles at gunpoint and kept in various locations by armed gang members while their relatives and colleagues negotiate payment for their release. At trial, the government presented evidence that the gang received ransom payments from the hostage taking of three U.S. citizens in the summer of 2021, who testified at trial, and the cash ransom proceeds were commingled with the gang’s funds and transferred via MoneyGram and Western Union from the United States to Haiti to buy more firearms.
In the fall of 2021, the 400 Mawozo gang claimed responsibility for taking 16 U.S. citizens hostage, including five children, and one Canadian citizen who were part of a missionary organization visiting an orphanage in Port-au-Prince. The gang demanded a ransom of $1 million for each hostage. The hostages were all released or had escaped by on or about Dec. 16, 2021. While Germine has been charged in a separate indictment in relation to that hostage-taking incident, today’s sentencing does not address those charges, which are lodged in case number 22-cr-161 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the ATF and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement.
Valuable assistance was provided by the government of Haiti, particularly the Haitian National Police, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s Special Prosecutions Section.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Kimberly Paschall for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Beau Barnes of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.
‘King’ of Violent Haitian Gang Sentenced to 35 Years for Gun Smuggling and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Joly Germine, 31, of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for his role in a gunrunning conspiracy that smuggled firearms to Haiti in violation of U.S. export laws, and the laundering of ransoms paid for U.S. hostages held by the notoriously violent Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo. Eliande Tunis, 46, of Pompano Beach, Florida, who styled herself as Germine’s “wife” and was described at trial as the “Queen” of 400 Mawozo, was sentenced on June 5, 2024, to 150 months in prison for her role in the conspiracy. Two other defendants in the conspiracy were also sentenced to jail time for their involvement.
The sentencings were announced by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office.
The conspiracy resulted in the purchase in the United States of at least 24 firearms, including weapons designed for the military and close-quarters combat such as AK-47s, AR-15s, an M4 Carbine rifle, an M1A rifle, and a .50 caliber rifle, which were smuggled from the United States to the gang in Haiti to further their criminal activities. Those firearms were bought using funds laundered from the proceeds of the hostage taking for ransom of U.S. citizens in Haiti in 2021.
“A leader of the Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo will now spend 35 years in prison for a scheme to smuggle guns from the United States to Haiti using the proceeds extorted from kidnapping American citizens,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The leaders of violent gangs in Haiti that terrorize Americans citizens in order to fuel their criminal activity will be met with the full force of the Justice Department.”
“All too often, Americans in Haiti have been targets of gang violence,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “These two defendants not only helped lead a prominent violent gang in Haiti, but they were also intimately involved in arming the gang and laundering ransom proceeds the gang obtained from kidnapping Americans. These sentences send a message that those who engage in such violence against Americans, and who arm and launder money on behalf of these violent gangs, will pay a heavy price.”
“As Joly Germine and Eliande Tunis have just learned, the FBI is dedicated to disrupting and dismantling gangs who undertake hostage-taking of U.S. Citizens anywhere,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “This includes taking away their ability to wreak violence on the innocent using smuggled firearms.”
Germine, a Haitian national, pleaded guilty on January 31, 2024, to the 48-count second superseding indictment, which charged him with conspiring to violate U.S. export control laws and to defraud the United States, violating export control laws, smuggling, and laundering the proceeds of ransoms paid to free U.S. hostages taken by the gang and laundering money to promote his crimes. Germine’s plea came at the end of the government’s case at trial, which included the testimony of 24 witnesses and two weeks of evidence.
Germine’s co-defendant Tunis, who had a supervisory role in the conspiracy, pleaded guilty on the eve of trial on January 17, 2024, to the same 48-count indictment, and was sentenced on June 5 to 150 months in prison. Other co-defendants, Jocelyn Dor, 31, and Walder St. Louis, 35, who acted as a straw gun purchasers for Germine and Tunis, both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 60 months and 36 months, respectively, for their roles in the gun-smuggling and money laundering scheme.
According to evidence presented at trial, from at least March through November 2021, Germine, Tunis, and two co-defendants conspired with each other and with other gang members in Haiti to acquire and supply firearms to the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti. Germine directed the gang’s operations from a Haitian prison using unmonitored cell phones, including directing gang members in Haiti to transfer money to Tunis and others in the United States for the purpose of obtaining firearms for the gang. Germine then provided Tunis and the two other U.S.-based co-defendants, all Florida residents, specifications for firearms and ammunition that Germine and other gang leaders wanted sent to Haiti. Tunis and the two co-defendants then purchased at least 24 rifles, handguns, and a shotgun at Florida gun shops while falsely stating that they were the “actual buyers” of the firearms, when they were in fact acting as straw purchasers for Germine.
In May 2021, Tunis smuggled firearms and ammunition to Haiti in containers disguised as food and household goods. In October 2021, Tunis attempted to ship additional firearms and ammunition to Haiti, again by smuggling the firearms, but those firearms were seized by the FBI before they left the United States.
400 Mawozo is a violent Haitian gang that operated in the Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of the capital, Port-au-Prince. From at least January 12, 2020, 400 Mawozo was engaged in armed hostage takings of U.S. citizens in Haiti for ransom. The victims generally had been forced from their vehicles at gunpoint and kept in various locations by armed gang members while their relatives and colleagues negotiated payment for their release. At trial, the government presented evidence that the gang received ransom payments from the hostage taking of three U.S. citizens in the summer of 2021, who testified at trial, and the cash ransom proceeds were commingled with the gang’s funds and transferred via MoneyGram and Western Union from the United States to Haiti to buy more firearms.
In the fall of 2021, the 400 Mawozo gang claimed responsibility for taking 16 U.S. citizens hostage, including five children, and one Canadian citizen who were part of a missionary organization visiting an orphanage in Port-au-Prince. The gang demanded a ransom of $1 million for each hostage. The hostages were all released or had escaped by December 16, 2021. While Germine has been charged in a separate indictment in relation to that hostage-taking incident, today’s sentencing does not address those charges, which are lodged in case number 22cr161 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the government of Haiti, particularly the Haitian National Police, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Diplomatic Security Service of the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s Special Prosecutions Section.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Kimberly Paschall and Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Beau Barnes of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
21cr699
Woodbury Man Charged in Child Sextortion SchemeRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Woodbury man has been indicted for the production and possession of child pornography and coercing minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on multiple occasions between approximately July 10, 2021, and March 11, 2022, Timothy Lennard Gebhart, 37, coerced a 16-year-old child, Minor A, and a 14-year-old, Minor B, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing pornographic videos. After obtaining the images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, Gebhart distributed the videos via computer and cellular phone. Gebhart then used the pornographic videos to extort money and other items of value from Minor A, threatening to damage the victim’s reputation by sending nude photos and videos to their family and friends.
The indictment charges Gebhart with two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of interstate communications with intent to extort. Gebhart made his initial appearance on June 21, 2024, in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Douglas L. Micko.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Woodbury Police Department, Greene County (Indiana) Sheriff’s Department, the Indiana State Police, and the FBI, with assistance from the Owatonna Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Classen is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Violent Evansville Felon Sentenced to over Eight Years in Federal Prison After Threatening a Neighbor with the Gun he Illegally PossessedRead the Press Release
EVANSVILLE- Christopher Scott Poodry, 33, of Evansville, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on June 5, 2023, Poodry got into an argument with a neighbor outside of his residence in Evansville. During the argument, Poodry went inside his home and retrieved a rifle. He pointed the rifle and threatened the neighbor, who called 911. Poodry hid the rifle in the tile ceiling his bed before police arrived. Police later searched the residence and located Poodry’s rifle and more than 71 rounds of ammunition.
Poodry is prohibited from legally possessing a firearm because of his multiple prior felony convictions in Warrick County, including dealing methamphetamine and battery against a public safety official.
“This defendant’s actions underscore the risk that violent, illegally armed criminals pose to our communities,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Far too many routine disputes escalate into deadly violence when guns are in the hands of folks who have no legal business having them. Working alongside our partners in the Evansville Police Department, Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office, and ATF, we will continue to make Evansville safer by removing dangerous, armed criminals from our neighborhoods.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Evansville Police Department, and Vanderburgh County Prosecutors Office investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Young.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who prosecuted this case.
###
U.S. Marine Sentenced to More Than 17 Years in Prison for Attempted Online Enticement of Child to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Schyular Quinton Willis (24, Sebastian, Florida) to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for attempted online enticement of a minor child to engage in sexual activity. Willis entered a guilty plea on January 31, 2024. Willis has been in custody since his arrest on October 10, 2023, at Camp Pendleton, California.
According to court documents, on October 4, 2023, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) was contacted by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) regarding a report of child exploitation. On October 1, 2023, JSO responded to a residence regarding a call for service. Minor Parent 1 (MP1), father of Minor Victim 1 (MV1), had located nude images of the child on her cellphone along with a text message thread between MV1 and Willis. The thread contained multiple nude images of MV1 and Willis. During a later conversation with MP1, JSO learned Willis had access to MV1, recently spent time with MV1 while in Florida, and was an active-duty Marine. Based on the information received from MP1, JSO concluded Willis was likely a member of the military. NCIS was contacted and verified Willis was an active-duty lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps and stationed at Camp Pendleton.
NCIS reviewed MV1’s cellphone and located a text message thread between Willis and MV1, which began on July 31, 2023, and continued through September 26, 2023. Throughout the text thread, sexual intercourse and the production of child sexual abuse materials were discussed on several occasions.
On October 10, 2023, Willis was arrested at Camp Pendleton. He consented to an interview and a search of his devices. Willis admitted to talking to MV1 sexually and that it was a mistake. A review of Willis’s cellphone uncovered additional text messages between him and MV1, dating back as early as July 25, 2023, which appeared to reference possible sexual activity between Willis and MV1.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
U.S. Attorney's Office Summer Law Camp Introduces High School Students to A Career in the LawRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – This week, 24 high school students are participating in the U.S. Attorney’s Office Summer Law Camp, a program that introduces students to the American Criminal Justice System. The program is designed to help students gain a greater understanding of a career in the law and experience the work of practicing litigators. The camp will conclude with students engaging in mock trials that will be held at the federal courthouse in Charlotte, before by U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler.
“Our Summer Law Camp offers young people an excellent introduction to the criminal justice system and the wide range of career opportunities in the legal field,” said U.S. Attorney Dena J. King. “The mock trials provide students with a hands-on understanding of legal proceedings and trial advocacy, allowing them to experience the role of a lawyer in an engaging, fun, and interactive environment.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office Summer Law Camp is free of charge, and it is available to high school students interested in learning more about the legal profession. The program is taught by career federal prosecutors and helps students explore the justice system, learn about the Federal Rules of Evidence, gain basic advocacy skills, and encourage students to think as lawyers. In addition, participating students receive instruction on evidence collection and trial preparation and learn from guest speakers representing law enforcement agencies and the legal defense bar. During the mock trials, students actively participate in the court proceedings, with assigned roles as prosecutors, defense attorneys, and witnesses, tasked with delivering opening statements and closing arguments, providing testimony, and conducting cross examinations.
“Our law camp gives students from all backgrounds the chance to explore the legal profession, understand the legal process, and learn about career options in the field,” said U.S. Attorney King. “However, the camp goes beyond civics education and career preparation. The ultimate goal is to help young people recognize the power and responsibility they hold as citizens, and the important role they play in ensuring the criminal justice system is a place where they can make a meaningful impact for themselves, their community, and justice” King added.
Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office Summer Law Camp can be found here.
U.S. Attorney's Office Hosts Fifth Community Event as Part of DOJ's United Against Hate InitiativeRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona held its fifth United Against Hate event last week at the Jewish Community Center in Tucson. The event provided an opportunity for an informative and robust discussion with leaders from Southern Arizona’s Jewish community, local and federal law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Preventing hate crimes starts with education, understanding, and reporting hate-motivated incidents to law enforcement,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “We are dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of those who commit hate crimes against our fellow community members due to their religious beliefs, and we are appreciative of the Southern Arizona Jewish community and its leaders for joining us in a meaningful, collaborative discussion.”
The event featured a panel discussion among community leaders, local law enforcement, and the U.S. Attorney. Over 150 invited guests, including community members, local leaders, and law enforcement, were in attendance. The event focused on establishing a dialogue between the community and law enforcement and on increasing community understanding and reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents. The discussion allowed attendees to hear directly from members of the local Jewish community, who shared their thoughts, concerns, and experiences with hate crimes and hate incidents.
This fifth United Against Hate event follows a previous meeting with the Jewish community in Scottsdale, and similar meetings between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and leaders of Arizona’s African American, LGBTQ+, and Hispanic communities. The District of Arizona will hold additional United Against Hate events in the coming months to engage with communities across the state. These events will further encourage collaboration, support hate crimes prevention efforts, and encourage more Arizonans to report hate crimes and hate incidents.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-083_United Against Hate Event
# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.U.S. Attorney Announces Consent Decree with Westchester Drinking Water Provider and Three Municipalities for Violating the Federal Safe Drinking Water ActRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Todd Kim, the Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Justice Department; David M. Uhlmann, the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance of the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”); and Lisa F. Garcia, the Regional Administrator for Region 2 of the EPA, announced today that the United States filed a civil lawsuit against the WESTCHESTER JOINT WATER WORKS (“WJWW”), the TOWN/VILLAGE OF HARRISON, the VILLAGE OF MAMARONECK, and the TOWN OF MAMARONECK (collectively, “the defendants”), along with a Consent Decree resolving the case. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants violated the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (“SDWA”) in 2019 due to the presence of contaminants in the public water system in excess of the level set by EPA, and thereafter WJWW violated an EPA administrative order requiring the construction of a water filtration plant by specified deadlines. The Consent Decree requires the defendants to construct a drinking water filtration plant projected to cost $138 million, take steps to protect source water quality, and pay a $600,000 civil penalty to the United States.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Public water systems have the critical responsibility of ensuring that our communities have safe drinking water. Thanks to today’s settlement, Westchester Joint Water Works will finally construct a long-delayed drinking water filtration facility to protect the Westchester County communities it serves.”
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim said: “Today’s agreement kickstarts a path to ensuring a reliable and healthy source of water for 120,000 residents of Westchester County. The building of a much-needed water filtration plant will address the source of the Safe Drinking Water Act violations and will help secure the area’s long-term needs.”
EPA Assistant Administrator David Uhlmann said: “Everyone living in the United States deserves safe drinking water. Today’s agreement requires Westchester Joint Water Works to construct a new filtration system to prevent contaminated drinking water and to protect the quality of the water for a water system that serves multiple communities, including at least one that has been overburdened by environmental impacts. Westchester residents should expect nothing less.”
EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia said: “WJWW will build a drinking water filtration plant that will ensure clean and safe drinking water for 120,000 people in Westchester County, immediately pay a $600,000 civil penalty to the federal government and implement a $900,000 Supplemental Environmental Project to improve source water quality through decreased stormwater discharge into the Kensico Reservoir. We are happy to partner with the State of New York to address this long-standing violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act and protect public health.”
According to the allegations of the Complaint, the Consent Decree filed with the Court, and other public records:
The defendants failed to ensure that the drinking water they supply to approximately 120,000 Westchester County residents complies with federal limits on potentially cancer-causing disinfection byproducts resulting from water treatment. Specifically, the defendants own and/or operate a public water system (the “WJWW Water System”). During the first, second, and third quarters of 2019, the WJWW Water System violated the SDWA and its Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (“Stage 2 DBPR”) because it supplied water exceeding legal limits for certain chemicals resulting from the disinfection process — specifically, five regulated haloacetic acids known as “HAA5.” Although the WJWW Water System has taken certain short-term measures to mitigate risk to its consumers, defendants have failed to implement necessary corrective actions — including WJWW’s failure to construct and operate a filtration plant required by an EPA administrative order.
Compliance with the SDWA is not only a public health necessity but also a matter of environmental justice. At least one of the municipalities relying on defendants’ drinking water is overburdened and underserved, facing disproportionate environmental and other burdens.
The United States’ lawsuit seeks an injunction compelling defendants to comply with the SDWA and EPA’s administrative order, including by constructing a filtration plant, and civil monetary penalties. The State of New York is contemporaneously joining the lawsuit to assert its own claims under state law and a previously entered state court judgment requiring the construction and operation of a filtration plant.
In the Consent Decree, the defendants admit, acknowledge, and accept responsibility for the following, among other matters:
- WJWW directly supplies water to approximately 60,000 individuals in the Town/Village of Harrison, the Village of Mamaroneck, and the Town of Mamaroneck, as well as portions of the City of Rye and the City of New Rochelle, and indirectly supplies drinking water to an additional approximately 60,000 residents of the Village of Larchmont, the City of Rye, the Village of Rye Brook, and the Village of Port Chester.
- EPA has set the “maximum contaminant level” for the five regulated disinfectant byproducts known as HAA5 at the level of 0.060 mg/L.
- In the first, second, and third quarters of 2019, the WJWW Water System contained water with levels of HAA5 in excess of 0.060 mg/L, as determined by testing performed by WJWW and reported to EPA.
- EPA issued an administrative order dated November 26, 2019, which required, among other things, that WJWW ensure the WJWW Water System’s compliance with the Stage 2 DBPR by constructing and operating a filtration plant by certain milestone dates. The administrative order required construction to commence by January 1, 2022.
- WJWW has not yet commenced construction of, and does not operate, a filtration plant.
The Consent Decree requires defendants to build and commence operation of a filtration plant by July 1, 2029. WJWW has publicly estimated the cost of the project to be $138 million. The Consent Decree also establishes various interim deadlines for the construction project and requires WJWW to continue to implement measures to ensure the safety of its water supply until the filtration plant is operational.
The Consent Decree also requires WJWW to pay a $600,000 civil penalty to the United States and to spend at least $900,000 on a supplemental environmental project to modify an extended detention basin in the Rye Lake portion of the Kensico Reservoir and manage invasive species in the area. This supplemental environmental project is expected to improve source water quality in the Reservoir by decreasing natural organic material and turbidity.
The Consent Decree resolves claims by New York to enforce a previous state judgment against WJWW for violating separate regulations requiring the implementation of filtration. In addition to the construction of the filtration facility, the defendants will pay New York a $650,000 civil penalty and spend at least $6,800,000 on two state water quality benefit projects.
* * *
The Consent Decree is subject to public comment and approval by the Court. Notice of the proposed Consent Decree will be published in the Federal Register, and the public will have the opportunity to submit comments on the Consent Decree for a period of at least 30 days before the parties seek the Court’s approval.
Mr. Williams thanked the attorneys and enforcement staff at EPA Region 2 for their critical work on this matter. He also thanked the New York State Department of Health and the New York Attorney General’s Office for their collaboration.
This case is being handled by the Environmental Protection Unit of the Office’s Civil Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel Dolinger and Tomoko Onozawa are in charge of the case.
Trafficker sent to prison for transporting 18 kilos of cocaine across borderRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 41-year-old woman from Mission has been sentenced for importing cocaine from Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Brenda Bazaldua-Mariscal pleaded guilty May 22, 2023.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Bazaldua-Mariscal to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about the organizational structure of the drug trafficking organization. In handing down the sentence, Judge Crane noted her a previous 60-month sentence.
On Aug. 12, 2021, Bazaldua-Mariscal approached the Pharr Port of Entry driving a Lincoln MKX. Authorities noted inconsistencies in her travel itinerary and referred her to secondary inspection. There, a K-9 alerted to the odor of narcotics in the front of the vehicle.
Authorities then discovered the front bumper was lined with a non-factory compartment containing 16 bundles of cocaine with a total weight of 18 kilograms and an estimated street value of $234,000.
Further investigation revealed text messages indicating Bazaldua-Mariscal was aware she was importing narcotics.
She will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Garcia prosecuted the case.
Trading Card Thief Sentenced for Burglary and Ordered to Repay Nearly $300k in RestitutionRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Nicholas Ryan Garrison, 25, of Tulsa, to 27 months imprisonment for Second Degree Burglary in Indian Country. Upon release, Judge Sippel further ordered Garrison to 3 years of supervised release and to pay $298,771.90 in restitution.
According to court documents, in Feb. 2021, the Tulsa Police Department (TPD) took a report of a burglary from a gaming and trading card store. The victim provided TPD with footage of the break-in. The footage showed Garrison breaking into the store, breaking several display cases, and taking thousands of trading cards. Garrison cut himself during the break-in, and his DNA linked him to several similar robberies in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas.
Garrison is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, Illinois State Police Department of Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Dallas Police Department – Texas, Crestwood Police Department – Missouri, Troy Police Department – Illinois, Great Bend Police Department – Kansas, McPherson Police Department – Kansas, and Bedford Police Department – Texas, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi prosecuted the case.
Texas medical center institutions agree to pay $15M record settlement involving concurrent billing claims for critical surgeriesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center (BSLMC), Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and Surgical Associates of Texas P.A. (SAT) have jointly agreed to pay $15 million to resolve claims they billed for concurrent heart surgeries in violation of Medicare teaching physician and informed consent regulations, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
BSLMC is a joint venture between CommonSpirit Health, a national hospital chain, and BCM, a medical school in Houston. BSLMC operates a teaching hospital, formerly known as St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, in its Medical Center. BCM employs teaching physicians and residents who perform services at BSLMC, including Dr. Joseph Coselli, 71, Houston, and Dr. Joseph Lamelas, 63, Miami, Florida. SAT is a medical practice group affiliated with various cardiothoracic surgeons, including Dr. David Ott, 77, Houston.
The investigation began Aug. 7, 2019, upon the filing of a sealed qui tam lawsuit aka whistleblower complaint. The whistleblower alleged Coselli, Lamelas and Ott - three heart surgeons who performed at St. Luke’s - engaged in a regular practice of running two operating rooms at once and delegating key aspects of extremely complicated and risky heart surgeries to unqualified medical residents. The heart surgeries at issue are some of the most complicated operations performed at any hospital including coronary artery bypass grafts, valve repairs and aortic repair procedures. These surgeries typically involve opening a patients’ chest and placing the patient on the bypass machine for some portion of time.
Medicare regulations dictate when teaching physicians can leave the operating room for any operation, no matter how complex.
The settlement resolves allegations that from June 3, 2013, to Dec. 21, 2020, Ott, Coselli and Lamelas violated these rules in various respects. Surgeons often ran two operating rooms at once and failed to attend the surgical “timeout”— a critical moment where the entire team would pause and identify key risks to prevent surgical errors, according to the allegations.
Additionally, surgeons would allegedly enter a second or occasionally a third operation without designating a backup surgeon. At times, the surgeons allegedly hid these activities by falsely attesting on medical records they were physically present for the “entire” operation. In addition, medical staff did not inform patients the surgeon would be leaving the room to perform another operation.
“Patients entrusted these surgeons with their lives - submitting to operations where one missed cut is the difference between life and death,” said Hamdani. “Allegedly, the patients were unaware their doctor was leaving for another operating room. This settlement reaffirms the importance of Medicare requirements governing surgeon presence and ensuring that no physician - no matter how prominent or successful - can skirt around the rules.”
“The complete disregard for patient safety exhibited by these three doctors put patients at risk and violated Medicare regulations for their own convenience and greed,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This record settlement demonstrates our steadfast commitment to protecting Medicare beneficiaries and working with our law enforcement partners to utilize all the tools in our arsenal to hold accountable those who steal from Medicare and other federal health care programs.”
“Any time any one of us goes under the knife as a vulnerable patient, we implicitly trust that the surgeons and medical professionals have our best interest at heart, especially here in Houston’s world-renowned hospitals,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams of the FBI - Houston field office. “In this case, doctors gambled with their patients’ care, during complicated open-heart surgeries no less, compromising quality of care over quantity and then falsely billed Medicare for reimbursement of services they improperly delegated. We hope today’s civil settlement announcement represents accountability for doctors and hospitals everywhere.”
The $15 million recovery is the largest settlement to date involving concurrent surgeries.
The False Claims Act entitles the private whistleblower who commences the suit to a portion of the recovery. In this case, the whistleblower will receive $3,075,000.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, DHHS-OIG and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brad Gray and Andrew Bobb are handling the case.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Tehama County Man Pleads Guilty to Online Enticement of a Minor for Sexual PurposesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Eduardo Castillo, 39, of Corning, pleaded guilty today to one count of online enticement of a minor for sexual purposes, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Castillo had previously fled to Mexico to avoid prosecution; however, he was returned to the United States in August 2023 thanks to the collaboration of the FBI, Mexican law enforcement officials, and Mexican immigration officials.
According to court documents, between July 13, 2020, and Aug. 27, 2020, Castillo used a cellphone and the internet to entice at least five minor victims into sending him images and videos of themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
During that timeframe, Castillo posed as one or more teenage girls on social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram. Using images of teenage girls that he had downloaded from the internet, Castillo initiated chats and then exchanges of images with his male victims. Castillo then asked for child sexual abuse material in return, assuring his victims that the images and videos would be deleted. In reality, Castillo screen-recorded the videos and images and saved them on his devices.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow is prosecuting the case.
Castillo is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on Sept. 9, 2024. Castillo faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case 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 those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Tahoe City Resident Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Injurious Amphibians into the United StatesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Andrew Laughlin, 47, of Tahoe City, pleaded guilty today to one count of smuggling goods into the United States, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Laughlin acted as a “middleman” in an international amphibian smuggling ring. In a conversation with an undercover agent, Laughlin admitted that he participated in the ring in order to acquire hard-to-find newts. He shipped or received at least four packages of amphibians, including packages to or from individuals located in Hong Kong and Sweden. The packages were falsely labeled as items including a “toy car,” “rubber toys,” or “a ceramic art piece.” In reality, the boxes contained live animals including Eastern Box turtles, spotted turtles, fire belly newts, Asian warty newts, and newts native to California. Certain of the defendant’s shipments contained injurious species prohibited from being imported into the United States because their introduction could harm the ecosystems and natural resources of the United States. A search warrant executed on the defendant’s residence uncovered 81 live newts of various species. Some seized newts tested positive for Bd, a virulent fungi which originated in Asia and is spread through the illegal pet trade. Scientists estimate that Bd has caused significant declines in the populations of more than 500 species, more than 90 of which are presumed extinct.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine T. Lydon is prosecuting the case.
Laughlin is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on Oct. 7, 2024. Under the plea agreement, Laughlin agrees to pay restitution for the costs of caring for and testing the seized newts. He also agrees as part of his plea agreement to undertake a voluntary public education campaign at his kayaking store about the harms of illegal amphibian trafficking. 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.
Several of the newts seized via search warrant from Laughlin’s residence.
Statements from Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual and FBI SAC Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Following the Sentencing in U.S. v. Edward M. BurkeRead the Press Release
Below are statements from Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Chicago Field Office, following the sentencing today in U.S. v. Edward M. Burke:
“Corruption in the Chicago City Council tears at the fabric of a vital body of local government,” said Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. “When an alderman fails to discharge his duties with honesty and integrity, he betrays not only the citizens of Chicago, but his fellow public officials who do their jobs the right way. Our office will continue to vigorously prosecute corruption and hold public officials accountable for violating the public trust.”
“Aldermen are elected by their constituents to advocate for the public good,” said Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Chicago Field Office. “Bribery and extortion are contrary to that simple mission, and today’s sentencing highlights the consequences of betraying the public’s trust for one’s own illegal gains. The FBI is proud to work with partners at all levels of government to stamp out public corruption in northern Illinois.”
St. Louis County Woman Caught with Gun, Drugs Sentenced to 7 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Monday sentenced a woman who was caught with a gun and drugs to seven years in prison and ordered her to pay a $15,000 fine.
Judge Schelp also ordered Charity Ward’s sentence to run consecutive to any sentence she receives for pending cases in St. Charles County Circuit Court and St. Louis County Circuit Court.
Ward, 35, of Bellefontaine Neighbors, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. She admitted that on Jan. 2, 2023, St. Louis County Police officers found her at a motel in Ferguson. They also found fentanyl, cocaine base, methamphetamine, $3,000 and a Glock 29 10mm semi-automatic pistol in the motel room. Ward is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.
Ward told officers that she sold the cocaine base to acquaintances and distributed the fentanyl to others during parties.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Meth Trafficking, Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine in Greene County, Mo., and illegally possessing firearms.
Justin Thomas Hollingsworth, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 18 years in federal prison without parole.
On Aug. 23, 2023, Hollingsworth pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Hollingsworth admitted he participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Greene County from June 1 to Aug. 25, 2022. Hollingsworth also admitted that on Aug. 25, 2022, he was in possession of a Ruger 9mm pistol and a Smith & Wesson .380-caliber pistol.
According to court documents, Hollingsworth made more than $30,000 in one month of selling methamphetamine. Hollingsworth is being held accountable for a total of nearly five kilograms of methamphetamine.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hollingsworth’s residence and arrested him on June 29, 2022. Officers found nine baggies that contained a total of 342.4 grams of methamphetamine inside a black zipper case on Hollingsworth’s bed. On the floor of the bedroom they found another zipper case that contained a total of 23 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Officers also found a loaded Ruger 9mm pistol, two loaded magazines, seven baggies of assorted prescription pills and $17,766 in cash, which the court today ordered to be forfeited to the government. Officers found more baggies of methamphetamine throughout the rest of the house.
On Aug. 25, 2022, law enforcement officers arrested Hollingsworth again, outside a local hotel, and searched his vehicle. Officers found approximately three pounds of methamphetamine, a Ruger 9mm pistol, a high-capacity drum magazine loaded with 39 rounds of ammunition for the Ruger pistol, a box of ammunition and a baggie of marijuana. Inside Hollingsworth’s hotel room, officers found a loaded Smith & Wesson .380-caliber handgun with an extended magazine, methamphetamine and marijuana. Officers also found $14,156 in cash, which the court today ordered to be forfeited to the government.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
Sioux City Man Sentenced for Possession of a Firearm as a Felon and Drug UserRead the Press Release
A Sioux City man who barricaded himself inside his residence, with a firearm when sheriff’s deputies attempted to serve a protection order was sentenced June 21, 2024, to more than 2 years in federal prison.
Gabriel Krusen, age 46, from Sioux City, received the prison term after a February 13, 2024, guilty plea to one-count of possession of a firearm by a felon and drug user.
Evidence in the case revealed Woodbury County Sheriff’s deputies attempting to serve a protection order on Krusen were met with resistance and evasion as Krusen either fled when he observed law enforcement, or would barricade himself inside of his residence with barrels, barbed wire, and other obstacles. Krusen also kept a shotgun near the barricaded door.
On the night of July 31, 2023, Sheriff’s Deputies were able to take defendant into custody on multiple driving violations and served him with the protection order. During the subsequent execution of a search warrant, paraphernalia, methamphetamine, marijuana, and the firearm were seized.
On February 3, 2024, while Krusen was on pre-trial release, deputies with the Woodbury County Sheriff’s office were dispatched to disturbance at Krusen’s residence, where an assault had taken place. Members of the SWAT team were called to assist with the arrest of the defendant because of his past, and used an armored vehicle to approach Krusen. Krusen eventually surrendered without further incident. The defendant was arrested and charged with domestic abuse assault- injury or mental illness. These charges are pending in the Woodbury County, Iowa District Court.
Krusen was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 34 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 was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Krusen is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-4069.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Sex offender convicted on new child pornography chargeRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Jordan E. Brodie, 37, of LeRoy, NY, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography following a previous conviction for possession of child pornography, before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa. The charge carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that in May 2023, Brodie, a convicted sex offender under the active supervision of the Genesee County Probation Department, became involved in a chat application in which he and others traded child pornography. Brodie uploaded at least one of the images to a different platform, which then reported the image to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. An investigation by the New York State Police determined that the upload took place from Brodie’s home in LeRoy. A search warrant was executed at Brodie’s residence during which investigators seized his phone, and the contents of the social media account that uploaded the image. Images of child pornography depicting children less than 12 years old were recovered from both the phone and the social media account. Some of images included violence against children. Brodie was previously convicted of a child pornography charge in May 2021 in Genesee County, for which he was being actively supervised at the time of the current offense.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Miklos Szoczei II, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 21, 2024, at 9:15 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.
# # # #
Settlement Reached with Fulton County Schools to Protect the Civil Rights of Students with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - The United States Attorney’s Office entered into a settlement agreement with Fulton County Schools in Georgia to resolve an investigation of the district’s response to an escalating series of student-on-student sexual assaults on a school bus serving students with special needs. The United States conducted its investigation under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974.
“Children with disabilities can be especially vulnerable and deserve to thrive in a learning environment free of violence of any kind, including when traveling to and from school aboard buses,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “We applaud the school district’s willingness to cooperate with our investigation and to amicably resolve this matter to ensure the protection and safety of these children.”
“A school district’s responsibility is to protect its students, particularly students whose disabilities make them especially vulnerable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division. “As a result of the agreement reached today, Fulton County Schools will work to ensure that all students are safe on their school buses, and that bus drivers and monitors are trained to watch for and prevent sexual harassment and assault. Schools have a responsibility to address barriers to reporting sexual assault and to effectively investigate reports, taking into account the special needs or vulnerabilities of any affected students and their families. The Civil Rights Division will hold schools accountable to this critical obligation.”
The United States’ investigation found that the district lacked adequate procedures and failed to train employees in the proper reporting of and response to student-on-student sexual harassment and assault; failed to appropriately accommodate the special needs of students with disabilities in preventing and responding to sexual assault; and failed to make the reporting and complaint process accessible for parents and guardians with limited English proficiency. This agreement will strengthen the district’s policies and procedures for responding to student-on-student sexual assault and ensure that the district’s response accounts for the unique needs of students with disabilities and Limited English Proficient parents.
As a part of the settlement, the school district, among other actions, agrees to:
•revise its policies for responding to complaints of sexual misconduct;
•provide appropriate district personnel with training on student-on-student sexual misconduct, including the vulnerabilities unique to students with disabilities;
•ensure it provides students with disabilities the accommodations they need to participate in the district’s educational programs, particularly accommodations that support the communication needs of students with disabilities; and
•afford appropriate language assistance services to Limited English Proficient parents and guardians.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia worked in collaboration with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section to investigate this case. Aileen Bell Hughes, Deputy Chief, Public Integrity and Civil Rights Section was the lead attorney for the district in this matter.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Serial Bank Robber Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for 2023 Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, S.C. — John Henry Stack, 76, of Myrtle Beach, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison after being convicted of committing a 2023 bank robbery. At the time of the 2023 robbery, Stack was on supervised release from previous federal bank robbery convictions.
Evidence presented by the Government at a two-day jury trial in March established that around midday on March 10, 2023, Stack entered the Anderson Brothers Bank in Aynor wearing a blue medical scrub shirt over a black jacket, a winter hat, sunglasses, and a medical-style mask. Stack placed a pillowcase on the teller’s counter, and pulled a long-handled lighter from his pocket. Stack concealed the lighter under his hand to look like a gun, pointed it at the teller, and demanded money. The teller placed $2,130 in cash in the pillowcase, and Stack took the money and left the bank.
Following the robbery, local, state, and federal law enforcement worked together to identify and apprehend the suspect. Law enforcement identified the vehicle the robber drove to and from the robbery as a Ford Focus with significant passenger side damage; Stack had recently purchased the Focus. About 10 p.m. on March 10, an officer with Myrtle Beach Police Department stopped the Focus driven by Stack. On the rearview mirror of the Focus was hang tag for a nearby hotel. Hotel records showed Stack had rented a room that afternoon and paid in cash.
Law enforcement searched the Focus and the hotel room and found clothing consistent with that worn by Stack during the robbery, including a blue medical scrub shirt, pillowcases like the one Stack placed on the teller’s counter, a bag that contained Stack’s medications and $765 in cash, and a red long-handled lighter.
Following the traffic stop, Stack confessed to law enforcement that he robbed the bank. He detailed for them how he robbed the bank, what he wore while robbing the bank, and explained that he concealed the lighter under his hand to make it look like a gun and “fake out” the teller, so that she would hand over the money.
Stack previously served time in federal prison for multiple bank robberies in South Carolina and North Carolina. He was released in 2022.
“Even after a significant sentence for the same crime, Mr. Stack continued to threaten the safety of the community by committing another bank robbery,” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “We commend the work of Aynor and Myrtle Beach Police Departments in responding to this incident and the assistance of SLED and the FBI Columbia Field Office to bring this defendant to justice.”
“Stack’s actions put innocent lives in harm’s way,” said Steve Jensen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “This sentence reflects the weight of the crime and should serve as a reminder that such criminal behavior will be met by swift justice. The FBI, along with our local, state, and federal partners, reaffirm our commitment to maintaining public safety and upholding the rule of law.”
“South Carolina local and state law enforcement agencies and our federal team members continuously show how we work together to make a difference within our communities,” Chief Prock said. “From start to finish this is what we do to help. We care, we are focused, and we will continue to work to ensure that those that endanger the lives and take advantage of our community members, will be held accountable. This case is a perfect example of how communication and partnerships work hand and hand.”
Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie presided over the trial and sentenced Stack to 120 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. As part of the sentence, the Court also ordered Stack to pay $2,130 in restitution – the amount he stole from the bank. In imposing the sentence, the Court noted that Stack violated the Court’s trust by committing a new bank robbery while on supervised release.
The case was investigated by Aynor Police Department, Myrtle Beach Police Department, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the FBI Columbia Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Flynn and Lauren Hummel prosecuted the case.
###
Rochester man sentenced for his role in stolen check scheme involving hundreds of victimsRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Shydequan C. Wynn, 31, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of financial institution fraud, was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford, who handled the case, stated between October 2019, and March 2022, Wynn executed a scheme, with others, to defraud financial institutions. Wynn stole checks included in mail from unattended mailboxes. He then forged or altered the stolen checks, often changing the amounts and making them payable to himself or another co-conspirator. He or a co-conspirator then cashed the fraudulent checks for financial gain. The scheme involved approximately 112 victims and stolen and altered checks totaling approximately $179,447. Of this amount, approximately $74,911.50 involved checks that were successfully altered and negotiated.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward, Boston Division, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter, and the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Wood.
Ricco Saine Sentenced to 262 Months for Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On June 24, 2024, Ricco Lashawn Saine, 44, currently of Kingsport, Tennessee, formerly of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced to 262 months by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville. Following his incarceration, he will be on supervision for five years.
Ricco Saine was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(1) by a federal jury on November 8, 2023. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Greer determined that Ricco Saine was an Armed Career Criminal. His spouse and co-defendant, Tonya Rae Saine, was previously sentenced to 21 months incarceration and a term of three years supervised release.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on August 27, 2021, an officer with the Kingsport Police Department observed Ricco Saine standing near his vehicle at the office of the Westside Inn in Kingsport, Tennessee. After a police canine alerted on the vehicle, officers conducted a search of the vehicle and recovered a loaded firearm inside a bag on the passenger seat. The bag also contained Ricco Saine’s Tennessee identification card. Agents subsequently learned of firearms purchased by Tonya Saine from a federal firearm licensee (“FFL”) in Sevierville. Store surveillance video was obtained which showed Ricco Saine and Tonya Saine shopping for firearms at the gun counter in October 2021. After consultation with Ricco Saine, Tonya Saine ultimately selected a pistol and a laser-dot sight for the pistol, an AR15-style rifle, and ammunition. Tonya Saine, who was not prohibited from purchasing a firearm, completed the required paperwork using her information and paid for the items. Ricco Saine was observed carrying the AR15 box away from the store.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”) eventually recovered a pistol with a laser sight from Tonya Saine. Law enforcement also recovered a text message from a cell phone that Tonya Saine sent Ricco Saine after the purchase of the firearms that said, “I’ve got your gun and stuff in the house.” A cooperating witness testified that they saw Ricco Saine with the pistol and were able to recognize the firearm because of the attached laser aiming device and distinctive markings on the firearm.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee, and ATF Special Agent in Charge Marcus S. Watson made the announcement.
The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the Kingsport Police Department and ATF. Kingsport Police Department officer Mike Slater, formerly a Task Force Officer assigned to the ATF led the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney B. Todd Martin and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Blackwell represented the United States.
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.
###
Readout of Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco’s Trip to BrusselsRead the Press Release
Deputy Attorney General (Deputy AG) Lisa Monaco traveled to Brussels last week to lead the U.S. delegation at the U.S.-EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial and reaffirm the Justice Department’s commitment to a critical alliance that combats shared risks to global security.
The Ministerial brings together leadership from the Justice and Home Affairs Ministries of the European Union and the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to strengthen transatlantic collaboration. The Ministers focused on addressing persistent threats to our nations, including organized crime, terrorism, cybercrime, and foreign malign influence — especially by nation-states seeking to sow discord and further their autocratic agendas amid this year’s global elections, when over four billion people are expected to vote. They also discussed international law enforcement collaboration to disrupt trafficking of cocaine and synthetic drugs, particularly fentanyl, as well as AI — including AI’s potential to enhance law enforcement operations and the risk that it could supercharge criminal activity.
During the Ministerial, the officials reaffirmed their resolute support for Ukraine and unwavering resolve to hold Russia accountable for war crimes, atrocities, and the crime of aggression. They reiterated the need for sustained coordination between the U.S. and EU to deprive the Russian war machine of funding and supplies — with the Deputy AG underscoring the successful efforts of the Department’s Disruptive Technology Strike Force and Task Force KleptoCapture to enforce export controls and the sweeping sanctions imposed on Russia for its unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. The officials also emphasized their commitment to supporting anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine.
While in Brussels, the Deputy AG convened an international meeting of the Justice Department’s Justice AI Initiative with Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Eva Maydell and leaders from the European Parliament, which recently passed the EU AI Act—the first comprehensive legislative framework to govern the integration of AI into society. Launched by Deputy AG Monaco earlier this year, Justice AI brings together stakeholders across civil society, industry, academia, and government to share expertise and a wide range of perspectives on both the promise of AI and the perils of its misuse.
The Deputy AG and MEPs discussed how AI is changing the way crimes are committed in the United States and in Europe — from intensifying cyberattacks, to making fraud scams more believable, to creating child sexual abuse material. They also focused on the threat of malign state actors using AI to undermine global elections this year, and the MEPs shared observations and lessons learned from recent European elections. The Deputy AG underscored that the Justice Department will remain vigilant to foreign adversaries abusing AI to accelerate online hate and disinformation, imitate trusted sources of information, and proliferate deepfakes.
During her trip, the Deputy AG also held bilateral meetings with European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and Belgian Minister of Justice Paul Van Tigchelt to highlight areas for continued collaboration between the Justice Department and our European partners. She met with United States Ambassador to the European Union Mark Gitenstein and United States Ambassador to Belgium Michael Adler, and also visited the U.S. Mission to the European Union and the U.S. Embassy in Belgium for a briefing with U.S. officials on their work with our European allies and to thank them for their service.
Prisoner Who Escaped from Bloomfield Halfway House Sentenced to Additional Prison TimeRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that HECTOR SANTIAGO, 29, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to four months of imprisonment for escaping from a halfway house in Bloomfield.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 18, 2019, Santiago was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 69 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for a narcotics trafficking offense. On June 23, 2023, he was transferred from the U.S. Penitentiary in Lee County, Virginia, to the Drapelick Center, a Residential Reentry Center (halfway house) in Bloomfield, to complete his custodial sentence. On September 27, 2023, Santiago walked away from the Drapelick Center and never returned. He was located and arrested in Hartford on February 9, 2024.
On March 11, 2024, Santiago pleaded guilty to escape from the custody of the Attorney General.
Santiago’s four-month prison term began on May 13, 2024, and he will be on supervised release for four years when he released from prison.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean P. Mahard.
Possession of multi-kilos of meth lands three in prison for significant timeRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – Three residents of San Antonio have been sentenced following their convictions of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute a total of approximately five kilograms of meth, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Lucille Nicole Mendoza, 43, Debra Ann Sauceda, 54, and Julian Santiago Espinoza Jr., 32, pleaded guilty Jan. 5, 2022.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Mendoza and Espinoza to serve a total of 70 months each, while Sauceda received a 60-month-term of imprisonment. All were further ordered to serve three years of supervised release following their term of incarceration.
On May 31, 2020, law enforcement encountered the three as they attempted to cross into the United States from the Pharr Port of Entry in a GMC Yukon. At that time, authorities sent them to secondary inspection, which resulted in the discovery of approximately five kilograms of meth hidden in the battery.
All have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Phelps prosecuted the case.
Philadelphia Man Charged with Possession of a Firearm by a FelonRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA –United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Nafiysh Knox-Schenck, 32, of Philadelphia, PA, was arrested and charged by Indictment with possession of a firearm by a felon stemming from an incident on May 13, 2024, in which he resisted arrest by Philadelphia police based on an outstanding arrest warrant.
According to the Indictment, on May 13, 2024, Knox-Schenck resisted arrest when two police officers attempted to place him into custody based on an outstanding arrest warrant. While struggling with the officers, Knox-Schenck pulled a loaded firearm from his waistband and then tossed it into the street. Another person then took the firearm and tossed it into a nearby wooded lot. After a struggle, the officers were able to get Knox-Schenck handcuffed and placed him in their vehicle. While the officers went to retrieve the firearm, someone opened the door to the police vehicle and Knox-Schneck was able to escape police custody. Philadelphia police officers then obtained another arrest warrant for the defendant and with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service were able to arrest Knox-Schneck on May 15, 2024.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year period of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert and Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General Special Assistant United States Attorney Tracie J. Gaydos.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pharmacy Owners Sentenced for $18M COVID-19 Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
Today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Peter Khaim was sentenced by United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly to 97 months in prison for using New York-area pharmacies to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and then laundering the criminal proceeds. Khaim’s brother and codefendant, Arkadiy Khaimov, was previously sentenced on April 3, 2024 to six years in prison for his role in the money laundering scheme. Khaim and Khaimov pleaded guilty in November 2022 to conspiracy to commit money laundering. As part of their sentences, Khaim was ordered to pay more than $18 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $2.7 million; Khaimov was ordered to pay more than $18 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $9.6 million.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Nicole M. Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; Thomas M. Fattorusso, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation; Naomi Gruchacz, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; and Patricia Tarasca, Special Agent-in-Charge, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General, announced the sentences.
According to court documents, Khaim and Khaimov engaged in a complex money laundering conspiracy to launder the proceeds of a fraudulent health care scheme involving over a dozen New York-area pharmacies that they, and their co-conspirators, owned and controlled. Khaim and Khaimov used the New York pharmacies to submit millions of dollars in fraudulent claims to Medicare, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Khaim, Khaimov, and their co-conspirators exploited the COVID-19 emergency for their own financial gain by using COVID-19-related “emergency override” billing codes to submit fraudulent claims for expensive cancer medications Targretin Gel 1% and Panretin Gel 0.1% that were not prescribed by physicians or dispensed to patients, and that were purportedly dispensed during periods when certain pharmacies were closed.
Khaim and Khaimov concealed over $18 million of their criminal proceeds by funneling money through several shell companies, including sham pharmacy wholesale companies designed to look like legitimate wholesalers. Khaim and Khaimov typically sent the funds from the pharmacy bank accounts they controlled to the sham wholesale companies. The funds were then typically sent to companies in China for distribution to individuals in Uzbekistan, and the defendants received some of these funds in cash. At other times, the fraudulent proceeds were sent from the sham wholesale companies to Khaim, Khaimov, their relatives, or their designees, in the form of certified cashier’s checks and cash. Khaim and Khaimov used the proceeds of the scheme to purchase real estate and other luxury items.
Trial Attorney Arun Bodapati of the Fraud Section’s Northeast Strike Force prosecuted the case. Fraud Section Principal Assistant Chief Jacob Foster and Assistant Chief Patrick Mott assisted with the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Claire Kedeshian of the Eastern District of New York’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters.
Defendants:
PETER KHAIM
Age: 44
Forest Hills, QueensARKADIY KHAIMOV
Age: 41
Forest Hills, QueensE.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 20-CR-580 (AMD)
Pharmacy Owners Sentenced for $18M COVID-19 Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
Two pharmacy owners were sentenced for using New York-area pharmacies to submit millions of dollars in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and then laundering the proceeds, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Peter Khaim, 44, of Forest Hills, New York, was sentenced today to eight years and one month in prison, and his brother and co-defendant, Arkadiy Khaimov, 41, also of Forest Hills, was sentenced on April 3 to six years in prison.
According to court documents, Khaim and Khaimov engaged in a complex money laundering conspiracy to launder the proceeds of a fraudulent health care scheme involving 16 New York-area pharmacies that they and their co-conspirators owned and controlled. Khaim, Khaimov, and their co-conspirators exploited the COVID-19 emergency for their own financial gain by using COVID-19-related “emergency override” billing codes to submit fraudulent claims for expensive cancer medications Targretin Gel 1% and Panretin Gel 0.1% that were not prescribed by physicians or dispensed to patients, and that were purportedly dispensed during periods when certain pharmacies were closed.
To conceal over $18 million of their criminal proceeds, Khaim, Khaimov, and their co-conspirators funneled money through several shell companies, including sham pharmacy wholesale companies designed to look like legitimate wholesalers. Khaim and Khaimov typically sent the funds from the pharmacy bank accounts they controlled to the sham wholesale companies. The funds were then typically sent to companies in China for distribution to individuals in Uzbekistan. The defendants then received a corresponding amount of cash from a co-conspirator, minus a commission. At other times, the fraudulent proceeds were sent from the sham wholesale companies to Khaim, Khaimov, their relatives, or their designees, in the form of certified cashier’s checks and cash. Khaim and Khaimov used the proceeds of the scheme to purchase real estate and other luxury items.
Khaim pleaded guilty on Nov. 3, 2022 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Khaimov pleaded guilty on Nov. 16, 2022 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. At sentencing, Khaim was ordered to pay more than $18 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $2.7 million. Khaimov was ordered to pay more than $18 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $9.6 million.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York; Assistant Director in Charge James Smith of the FBI New York Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Thomas M. Fattorusso of the IRS Criminal Investigation; Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG) made the announcement.
HHS-OIG, the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and FDIC-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Arun Bodapati of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section’s Northeast Strike Force prosecuted the case, with assistance from Principal Assistant Chief Jacob Foster and Assistant Chief Patrick Mott of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Eric Everroad, 53, of Omaha, NE, was sentenced on June 24, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for wire fraud. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Everroad to 12 months and 1 day imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Everroad’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release. As part of his sentence, Everroad was ordered to pay Menards $478,674.94 in restitution.
From December of 2006 until September 22, 2022, Everroad was an employee of Menards and was employed at the location at 708 N 120th Street in Omaha, Nebraska location as the Building Materials Manager.
Beginning in 2017, Everroad devised and carried out a scheme in which he allowed a contractor to make purchases from Menards using wrongfully obtained store credits. In doing so, Everroad created false returns to generate store credits. Everroad also allowed for the contractor to make purchases using other customers legitimate store credit. The contractor would then pay Everroad directly using cash or checks for the goods that were wrongfully obtained from Menards. As a result of this scheme, Everroad received $478,674.94 from the contractor between March 28, 2017, and September 14, 2022. Everroad was confronted by loss prevention officers with Menards and admitted that he was generating false returns to create store credits that the contractor used to make purchases or allowed the contractor to make purchases on other customer’s credits. Everroad admitted to the contractor paying him directly.
The owners of the contractor involved were interviewed and confirmed this arrangement with Everroad. The contractor explained that they received a benefit in doing so because Everroad allowed for them to pay for the materials after the job was completed which assisted with the business’s cash flow.
As part of this scheme, Everroad would deposit the checks from the contractor in his personal checking account at Centris Federal Credit Union. This caused Centris Federal Credit Union to electronically transmit, images of the checks by means of wire communication in interstate commerce from Nebraska to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, which is located in the state of Georgia.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
New York Man Admits to Passing Counterfeit Cash in Marshall CountyRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Travis Bayne, 32, of Brooklyn, New York, has admitted to using counterfeit money at several businesses in Marshall County.
According to court documents, Bayne passed several $20 counterfeit bills for purchases in October 2023.
Bayne 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 Jennifer Conklin is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The United States Secret Service investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
New Orleans Man Indicted for Federal Drug and Gun ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – BRANDON TURNER (“TURNER”), age 39, a resident of New Orleans, was indicted on June 14, 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. Count One of the indictment charged him with possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(C). Count Two charged him with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). Count Three charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
If convicted, TURNER faces a minimum 5-year term of imprisonment, up to 40 years’ imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and at least 4 years of supervised release for Count One; a minimum 5-year term of imprisonment up to life imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 5 years of supervised release for Count Two; and up to 15 years’ imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release for Count Three. TURNER also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee as to all three counts.
According to court documents, on January 30, 2024, TURNER was arrested for suspected narcotics trafficking. Law enforcement officers searched TURNER’s apartment and found a detectable amount of fentanyl and cocaine. Law enforcement officers also found ammunition and a Glock Model 43, 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy Bell of the Violent Crime Unit.
N.Y. Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Traveling to Lynchburg to Meet 14-Year-Old for SexRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A New York man, who drove 8 hours in an effort to have sex with a 14-year-old Lynchburg, Virginia, girl with whom he had been chatting online, was sentenced today to 25 years in federal prison.
Derrick Loi, 27, of Lakeville, New York, pled guilty earlier this year to one count of coercion and enticement.
According to court documents, in early February 2023, Loi met a 14-year-old girl from Lynchburg on Twitter (now known as X), and, in the early morning hours of February 14, 2023, began chatting with her on Discord. Loi told the young girl that, not only was he was interested in buying sexually explicit images and videos of her, but he also wanted to meet her in person to have sex.
Ultimately, Loi agreed to pay the victim $300 to have sex with him and to provide him with sexually explicit images.
Loi and the victim agreed that Loi would become the victim’s “sugar daddy” and that he would get unlimited access to sexually explicit content of the victim for a weekly fee of $50, which would increase to $100 after the first month. On February 15, 2023, Loi sent the victim a payment in line with that agreement.
On February 22, 2023, Loi and the victim began discussing plans for Loi to travel to meet the victim, including a discussion on specific sex acts and how he would film them.
After reserving a hotel room in Lynchburg, Loi chatted periodically with the young girl throughout his 8-hour drive from New York and also took time to send her a picture of items that he had brought with him for their sexual encounter.
Just as Loi arrived at the pre-arranged location, an officer from the Lynchburg Police Department drove up and began questioning Loi. Initially, Loi provided a false name and lied to law enforcement about why he was in Lynchburg.
A subsequent search of Loi’s vehicle revealed sex toys, a box containing “morning-after” contraception pills, and a bottle of pink vodka, which Loi had previously told the victim he was bringing for her.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, and the Lynchburg Police Department provided vital assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Scheff prosecuted the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. 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 identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/
Midlothian man pleads guilty to federal firearms violationRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Midlothian man pled guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on Oct. 22, 2022, Chesterfield County Police officers were looking for a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee, which they located on Branchs Woods Lane in Chesterfield County. Officers observed Matthew Chambliss Coleman, 42, jump out of the front passenger seat and run through the front and then back yard of a nearby home. As Coleman was running through the back yard, he threw a loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun, which officers later recovered. Coleman attempted to hide in another yard, but aerial surveillance guided officers to his location and Coleman was arrested.
Coleman was previously convicted of distribution and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. As a convicted felon, Coleman cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition.
Coleman is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 10 and faces up to 15 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Jason Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; and Lt. Col. Brad Badgerow, Acting Chief of Chesterfield County Police, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark R. Colombell accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Miller is prosecuting the case. Former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon E. Schulz, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, assisted in the prosecution of 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.
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. 3:23-cr-134.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty for Possession of Sex Abuse Videos of Infant and Prepubescent ChildrenRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Joseph Ruben Baer, 20, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a federal child pornography charge stemming from his distribution of child pornography to an undercover law enforcement agent in April 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott, of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Baer pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of possession of child pornography. The Honorable Loren L. AliKhan scheduled sentencing for September 23, 2024.
According to plea documents, in early 2024, a member of the FBI–MPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force was monitoring an online dating application in an undercover capacity. Law enforcement had learned that the application is sometimes used by individuals who have a sexual interest in children. The undercover agent encountered Baer, who sent a message believing he was communicating with a pedophile. Baer expressed an interest in child pornography and later sent the undercover agent two video files via an encrypted messaging application. Those video files depicted Baer masturbating while watching child pornography on a laptop computer. Baer was arrested in the District of Columbia on May 10, 2024. Law enforcement subsequently recovered seven child pornography videos from Baer’s iPhone, which included the two video files he had earlier distributed to the undercover agent. The videos depict the sexual abuse of infant and prepubescent children.
Baer has remained in custody since his May 10, 2024, arrest.
Baer faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In addition, Baer must pay mandatory restitution of at least $3,000 to any identified victim. The statutory sentences for federal offenses are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only. Any sentence will be determined by the Court based on the advisory Sentencing Guideline and other statutory factors.
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and MPD’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney.
24cr202
Man who tried to break into Tumwater credit union and ATM using blowtorch sentenced to 5+ years in prisonRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A trained welder who tried to use an oxyacetylene torch to break into a Tumwater credit union and steal from an ATM was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 66 months in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Randall Taufete’e, 34, pleaded guilty to arson and attempted larceny of a federally insured credit union on March 15, 2024. At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle said “Arson is an extremely serious offense. It destroys property and risks harm to the lives of others, including firefighters. You’re fortunate you didn’t set the entire structure on fire.”
According to records in the case, on October 24, 2022, Tumwater firefighters responded to a fire alarm at O Bee Credit Union. They observed flames coming from the top of the ATM machine which was in a wall of the building. The flames were extinguished but smoke had filled the building.
Following the fire, investigators found char and pry marks on the ATM machine, on the night deposit box, the drive through window and an exterior door. Surveillance video showed two men using a pry bar, an electric saw and an oxyacetylene welder’s torch to try to open the ATM and gain access to the building. The larceny attempt and arson did $198,018 in damage to the building.
A few days after the fire, Taufete’e was taken into state custody for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Agents then identified Taufete’e as one of the men in the surveillance video, but despite the video and other items linking Taufete’e to the arson, Taufete’e denied being involved.
Taufete’e and codefendant Brandon Ronald Collado were indicted in January 2023. Collado pleaded guilty in June 2023 and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Taufete’e pleaded guilty in March 2024.
In asking for a 92-month sentence, prosecutors noted that Taufete’e has more than a dozen criminal convictions as an adult, running the gamut from theft to assault, to robbery, burglary, and firearms possession.
Taufete’e will be on three years of supervised release following his prison term. He and Collado and will be required to pay $198,018 in restitution for the damage to the credit union.
The case was investigated by the Tumwater Police Department with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).
Malden Man Who Robbed Market with Airsoft Gun Sentenced to Three Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Malden man was sentenced on Friday, June 21, 2024 in federal court in Boston for robbing a local market using an airsoft gun in December 2021.
John Schurko, 58, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to three years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. In February 2024, Schurko pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery.
On Dec. 12, 2021 at approximately 8 p.m., Schurko entered the Harvard Market in Malden, displayed what appeared to be a black handgun, went behind the counter and demanded money from the clerk. On Dec. 16, 2021, Schurko’s getaway vehicle was located in a hotel parking lot in Medford where he was subsequently arrested. A search of the vehicle recovered, among other things, a black Airsoft gun that resembled a real firearm.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; Malden Police Chief Glenn Cronin; Medford Police Chief Jack Buckley; Billerica Police Chief Roy Frost; and Woburn Police Chief Robert F. Rufo Jr. made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. Richardson of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Local couple sentenced after benefitting from forced laborRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – Two Edinburg residents have been sentenced following their admissions of benefitting from a victim’s free labor which allowed the couple to have gainful employment, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Eduardo Javier Gomez, 32, and his former partner Margarita Alvarez, 42, pleaded guilty March 1, 2023.
U.S. District Chief Judge Randy Crane has now imposed a 70-month-term of imprisonment for Gomez, while Alvarez received two years of probation. Gomez must also serve three years of supervised release following his sentence.
From June 24 until July 8, 2021, Gomez and Alvarez benefitted from a victim’s free labor which allowed the couple to have gainful employment. Gomez also earned money from a fireworks stand where the victim provided free labor.
Law enforcement discovered the victim had been illegally smuggled to the Rio Grande Valley. Gomez was holding her against her will. Gomez was requesting further payment from family members in exchange for the victim being moved further north. When the family was unable to pay, the couple took the victim’s phone and forced her to work as a nanny and housekeeper in the home Gomez and Alvarez shared. Gomez also managed a fireworks stand where she forced the victim to work.
They never paid her.
Two days after learning of the victim, authorities were able to locate and rescue her.
Gomez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexa D. Parcell, Sherri Zack and Kim Leo prosecuted the case.