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Monday 3 June 2024
El Departamento de Justicia monitoreará el cumplimiento con las leyes federales de derechos electorales federales en New JerseyRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que el cumplimiento con las leyes federales de del derecho al voto será monitoreado en Union County, New Jersey, en las elecciones primarias del 4 de junio.
El Departamento de Justicia asignará observadores federales a monitorear las elecciones en Union County, New Jersey, para observar cómo el condado cumple con la Ley de Derechos Electorales. En el 2023 una corte federal aprobó un decreto por consentimiento para resolver las alegaciones del Departamento bajo las secciones 203 y 208 de la ley de Derechos Electorales sobre la disponibilidad de asistencia electoral y materiales en español para votantes hispanoparlantes con conocimientos limitados del idioma inglés en Union County. La sección 203 exige que ciertas jurisdicciones, incluyendo a Union County, provean materiales electorales y asistencia en otros idiomas, además del inglés. La sección 208 provee el derecho a los votantes que necesiten asistencia para votar – debido a inhabilidad de leer o escribir, ceguera o discapacidad – a conseguir ayuda de una persona que ellos mismos elijan, con ciertas limitadas excepciones. El decreto por consentimiento autoriza a observadores federales a monitorear las actividades el Día de Elecciones en los lugares de votación del condado.
El Departamento envía su personal periódicamente a monitorear el cumplimiento de las leyes federales electorales en comunidades a través de todo el país. Además, la División envía observadores federales de la Oficina de Administración de Personal de EE. UU. según autorizado por una orden judicial federal.
La Sección de Votación de la División de Derechos Civiles, en colaboración con las Oficinas de los Fiscales Federales, velan por el cumplimiento de las leyes federales que protegen el derecho al voto, incluyendo la Ley de Derechos Electorales, la Ley Nacional de Inscripción de Votantes, la Ley Ayudemos a Estados Unidos a Votar, las leyes de derechos civiles y la Ley de Votación para los Uniformados y los Ciudadanos en el Extranjero.
Información adicional sobre la votación y las elecciones está disponible en el portal del Departamento de Justicia en https://www.justice.gov/es/espanol. Aprenda más sobre la Ley de Derechos Electorales y otras leyes federales electorales en https://www.justice.gov/es/crt/seccion-de-votacion. Denuncias relacionadas a posibles vulneraciones de las leyes federales de derechos electorales pueden ser presentadas en el sitio web de la División de Derechos Civiles en https://civilrights.justice.gov/?lang=es o por teléfono al (800) 253-3931.
Las personas también pueden ponerse en contacto con la Oficina del Fiscal Federal para el Distrito de New Jersey en www.justice.gov/usao-nj/page/file/1507671/dl?inline o por teléfono al (855) 281-3339.
Dorchester Man Who Manufactured Kilos of Counterfeit Pills Sentenced to Six Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican Republic man residing in Dorchester was sentenced today for trafficking multiple kilograms of counterfeit pills, including pills that contained fentanyl, through the mail.
Rahelin Reynoso, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to six years in prison and two years of supervised release. In November 2023, Reynoso pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Between September 2022 and November 2022, Reynoso worked at a pill press location in Mattapan, Mass. manufacturing counterfeit pills, including pills containing fentanyl, that were then counted, packaged and shipped to locations throughout the United States.
In November 2022, a search of the apartment where Reynoso worked resulted in over 20 kilograms of pills in various colors, over 20 kilograms of loose powder, numerous packages and mailing labels and three industrial grade pill presses being recovered. In total, over 12 kilograms of fentanyl were found in the apartment as well as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston Police Department; Massachusetts State Police; United States Customs and Border Protection; Drug Enforcement Administration; and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Mackenzie Duane and Jennifer Zacks of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
District Man Sentenced to Serve Five Years for CarjackingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Miliki Lee, 19, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today by the Honorable Michael Ryan of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The court sentenced Lee to five years’ incarceration and ordered an additional two years to be suspended under the Youth Rehabilitation Act. Carjacking otherwise carries a mandatory minimum term of seven years’ incarceration. The court also ordered the sentence be followed by 18 months’ probation.
According to the government’s evidence, with which Lee agreed, at approximately 9:30 p.m. on October 27, 2023, the victim was driving in the 1000 block of Buchanan St NE, when another car blocked hers. Lee and his accomplices got out of that car and surrounded the victim’s vehicle, banged on the windows, brandished a handgun, and eventually forced her out of her car at gunpoint. Lee and his accomplices drove off in the victim’s car. MPD officers immediately used its helicopter to track the victim’s vehicle into Prince George’s County, Maryland, and then back into the District. Lee crashed the car at North Capitol and Ingraham Streets and ran. Police apprehended Lee, and recovered a Glock handgun that was loaded with 29 rounds of ammunition.
The government had requested a nine-year prison term.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, with valuable assistance from the Prince George’s County Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Bartz.
Del Rio Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A Del Rio man was sentenced in federal court to 97 months in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, Henry P. Arredondo, 23, received and sent files depicting CSAM using his social media account in August 2021. Homeland Security Investigations agents conducted a forensic analysis of Arredondo’s cell phone, recovering 46 images depicting CSAM, including images of prepubescent male children. Arredondo was arrested Aug. 26, 2022. He pleaded guilty Nov. 21, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rex Beasley prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.
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Chief Financial Officer of Multinational Media Company Charged with Participating in Scheme to Launder at Least $67 Million in Fraud ProceedsRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Jonathan Mellone, the Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Region of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (“DOL-OIG”); and Andrew Wroblewski, the Assistant Director of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (“DSS”) Domestic Operations, announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging WEIDONG GUAN, a/k/a “Bill Guan,” the Chief Financial Officer of a multinational media company headquartered in New York City with participating in a transnational scheme to launder at least approximately $67 million of illegally obtained funds to benefit himself and the media company. GUAN was arrested yesterday morning and will be presented this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Bill Guan, the Chief Financial Officer of a global newspaper and media company, conspired with others to benefit himself, the media company, and its affiliates by laundering tens of millions of dollars in fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits and other crime proceeds. When banks raised questions about the funds, Guan allegedly lied repeatedly and falsely claimed that the funds came from legitimate donations to the media company. Today’s charges reflect this Office’s ongoing commitment to vigorously enforcing the laws against those who facilitate fraud through money laundering and to protecting the integrity of the U.S. financial system.”
DOL-OIG Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone said: “An important part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of fraud involving the U.S. Department of Labor’s unemployment insurance program. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to safeguard benefits intended for unemployed American workers.”
DSS Domestic Operations Assistant Director Andrew Wroblewski said: “This case highlights the expansive global reach of the Diplomatic Security Service, demonstrating our capacity to collaborate effectively with both U.S. and international law enforcement agencies on complex transnational cases. DSS, along with our law enforcement partners, are tirelessly working to conduct investigations of this nature daily around the world.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment:[1]
From at least in or about 2020, through in or about May 2024, GUAN, while working as the Chief Financial Officer of a multinational media company headquartered in New York, New York (the “Media Company”), conspired with others to participate in a sprawling, transnational scheme to launder at least approximately $67 million of illegally obtained funds to bank accounts in the names of the Media Company and related entities (together, with the Media Company, the “Media Entities”). In furtherance of the money laundering conspiracy, GUAN managed, among other teams, the Media Company’s “Make Money Online” team (the “MMO Team”), which was located in a particular foreign office of the Media Company. Under GUAN’s management, members of the MMO Team and others used cryptocurrency to knowingly purchase tens of millions of dollars in crime proceeds, including proceeds of fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits, that had been loaded onto tens of thousands of prepaid debit cards. The crime proceeds were generally purchased by the scheme participants, including members of the MMO Team and others working with them, using a particular cryptocurrency platform, at discounted rates of approximately 70 to 80 cents per dollar, and in exchange for cryptocurrency.
Once the crime proceeds were purchased, the MMO Team and other participants in the scheme used stolen personal identification information to open accounts, including prepaid debit card accounts, cryptocurrency accounts, and bank accounts, that were used to transfer the crime proceeds into bank accounts associated with the Media Entities. After the crime proceeds reached those bank accounts, they were often further laundered through other bank accounts held by the Media Entities, GUAN’s personal bank accounts, and through GUAN’s personal cryptocurrency accounts.
In or around the same time the money laundering scheme began, the Media Company’s internal financial accounting reflected an increased annual revenue over the previous year of approximately 410%—from approximately $15 million to approximately $62 million. When banks asked GUAN about the increase in transactions entering the bank accounts of the Media Entities, GUAN lied, including to two U.S.-based banks, and claimed that the increase in funds came from donations. However, in 2022, GUAN wrote a letter addressed to a congressional office falsely stating “donations” constitute “an insignificant portion of the overall revenue” of the Media Company.
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GUAN, 61, of Secaucus, New Jersey, is charged with one count of conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and two counts of bank fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. The charges do not relate to the Media Company’s newsgathering activities.
The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of DOL-OIG, DSS, and the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Williams also thanked the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for its valuable assistance.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (“OCDETF”) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level criminal organizations using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Deininger, Rebecca T. Dell, and Jane Kim are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Bridgeport Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Scheme that Defrauded Social Security AdministrationRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TROVOY DIXON, 31, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for laundering criminal proceeds of a scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2021, unidentified fraudsters engaged in a scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration (SSA) using stolen identities. The fraudsters would contact the SSA posing as legitimate Social Security recipients, often presenting the SSA with confidential personal information, like Social Security numbers and dates of birth, to validate their purported identities. They would then instruct the SSA to change the legitimate SSA recipients’ existing bank account deposit information so that monthly SSA payments would be deposited into bank accounts controlled by scheme participants.
In approximately August 2021, Dixon was contacted by phone by a scheme participant using a Jamaican based telephone number and was asked if he wished to make money through moving money. Dixon agreed, and was instructed to open bank accounts that he would control. After monies generated from the scheme were deposited into Dixon’s online bank accounts, he would withdraw cash from the accounts and use commercial money transfer services to wire a portion of the cash to designated bank accounts in either Jamaica or Mexico. Dixon learned the monies were illegally obtained, but ultimately kept close to half of the monies for his personal use.
Between August 2021 and July 2023, more than $360,000 was deposited into bank accounts Dixon controlled. When accounts were closed due to suspicious fraudulent withdrawal activity, Dixon opened additional accounts to continue his illegal activity.
Judge Oliver ordered Dixon to pay $161,000 in restitution.
On March 8, 2024, Dixon pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering. Dixon who is released on a $50,000 bond, is required to report to prison on July 29.
This investigation was conducted by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.
Brevard County Man Pleads Guilty to Multi-Kilogram Cocaine OffenseRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jackie Jamal Hines (46, Melbourne) has pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine. Hines faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on December 6, 2023, a traffic stop was attempted on a vehicle being driven by Hines after he left his storage unit in Melbourne, Florida. Hines exited his vehicle and fled on foot from law enforcement. Once he was detained, officers located a bag containing over 300 grams of cocaine and two digital scales on his person. Hines was also in possession of a key to his storage unit. A search warrant was then obtained for the storage unit, where agents located a safe with five pressed bricks containing about a kilogram of cocaine each.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Melbourne Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman.
Box Elder man sentenced to more than three years in prison for assaulting woman on Rocky Boy’s Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Box Elder man who admitted to assaulting a woman at his residence on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation in 2021 was sentenced today to three years and two months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Gabriel Evan Jordan, 26, pleaded guilty in January to a superseding information charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on Nov. 16, 2021, the victim, identified as Jane Doe, visited Jordan at his residence. Jordan assaulted the victim by intentionally holding her down and forcing sexual contact, causing serious bodily injury to the victim.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer S. Clark and Stephanie D. Robles prosecuted the case. The FBI, Rocky Boy’s Police Department, Hill County Sheriff’s Office and Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.
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Bloods Gang Member Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Violent and Extortionate Takeover of the New York City Fire Mitigation IndustryRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that JATIEK SMITH, a/k/a “Tiek,” was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role as the leader of a violent and extortionate racketeering enterprise that terrorized the fire restoration industry in New York City. SMITH was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff after being convicted following a bench trial in December 2023 of racketeering and extortion conspiracies.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Jatiek Smith led a group of gang members and associates that audaciously took over the New York City fire restoration industry through violence and threats. We will not stand for gangs or any criminal groups that try to corrupt our institutions and threaten our safety. Today’s sentence demonstrates that those who use violence and intimidation will face significant jail time.”
According to the Indictment, statements made in public court proceedings and filings, and the evidence at trial:
The fire restoration industry refers to the businesses that repair properties that have suffered damage from fires or exposures to fires. Within this industry, fire restoration companies (sometimes referred to as emergency mitigation services companies) provide emergency mitigation services, demolition, and construction services to properties that have suffered such damages. First Response Cleaning Corp. (“First Response”) was one such EMS company.
In 2019, JATIEK SMITH joined First Response and quickly assumed control over its operations. SMITH, a member of the Bloods, the violent street gang, recruited other gang members and associates to join him at First Response. As the leader of this crew, SMITH and his associates used violence, threats of violence, and extortion to terrorize and dominate the fire restoration industry in New York City.
SMITH asserted control over the industry by first ousting First Response’s main competitor through violence, threats, and extortion. Once SMITH and his crew had established control over the industry, they imposed rules that allocated a preferential share of fires to First Response. These rules were backed by threats — including threats to kill children — and violence. Industry participants, including senior citizens, who solicited fires in violation of SMITH’s rules were assaulted in broad daylight. Through threats of violence, actual violence, and economic fear, SMITH and his crew also extorted hundreds of thousands of dollars from other industry participants. SMITH maximized his profits from this scheme by concealing illegal conditions in properties and defrauding insurance companies.
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In addition to the prison term, SMITH, 39, of Staten Island, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $354,546.44. Restitution will be determined at a later date.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the New York City Police Department, and the New York City Department of Investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rushmi Bhaskaran, Marguerite B. Colson, Elizabeth A. Espinosa, and Adam S. Hobson are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Grayson Glogoff and Ananya Sankar.
Asheboro man arrested after high-speed chase through Randolph and Chatham CountiesRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – A North Carolina man who led deputies on a 75-mile high-speed chase in September was sentenced today to 151 months in prison, after pleading guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina.
According to court records, a deputy with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office was patrolling an area near Highway 220 in Randolph County on September 3, 2023, when he encountered an individual on a motorcycle approach, turn off his headlights, and accelerate quickly away. The deputy then pursued the individual, ADAM MICHAEL CLODFELTER, age 24, of Asheboro, for over 75 miles. CLODFELTER had no license plate and was recklessly switching lanes while reaching speeds of over 150 miles per hour. CLODFELTER was arrested after losing control of the vehicle and found to be in possession of a firearm, methamphetamine, a lock pick, and drug paraphernalia. At the time of the incident, CLODFELTER has previously been convicted of a crime with a term of imprisonment exceeding one year, rendering him ineligible to possess a firearm.
CLODFELTER was sentenced to a 151-month term of imprisonment by the Honorable William L. Osteen, Jr., United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. He pleaded guilty on January 3, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, a violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C).
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, and the Asheboro Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Mary Ann Courtney.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Appleton Woman Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 3, 2024, Charlotta A. Belgum (age: 38) of Appleton, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison by Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach.
According to court records, Belgum created child pornography using a minor child and distributed the child pornography via the internet to an individual in Texas whom she had met in an online fetish forum. The recipient of the child pornography has been arrested and has charges pending in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Court records further indicate that Belgum also distributed other images of child pornography and engaged in lengthy online conversations centered around the intended sexual abuse of children.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Griesbach noted that Belgum’s crime was “of great magnitude and despicable” in nature. Judge Griesbach also emphasized the profound impact of the crime on Belgum’s victims. Upon the completion of her twenty-year federal prison sentence, Belgum will spend the remainder of her life on supervised release. She will also have to register as a sex offender under state and federal law.
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 U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Appleton Police Department, with the assistance of the Department of Homeland Security’s Milwaukee and San Antonio Field Offices. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.
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Animal Breeder Pleads Guilty to Animal Welfare and Pollution Crimes and Will Pay More than $35M, Including Record Fine in an Animal Welfare CaseRead the Press Release
Envigo RMS LLC pleaded guilty today to conspiring to knowingly violate the Animal Welfare Act, and Envigo Global Services Inc. pleaded guilty to a felony of conspiring to knowingly violate the Clean Water Act. Both pleas are in relation to a dog breeding facility located in Cumberland County, Virginia, from which the Justice Department secured the surrender of over 4,000 beagles in 2022.
As part of the resolution, Inotiv — of which Envigo RMS and Envigo Global Services are subsidiaries — will guarantee more than $35 million in payments, be subject to increased animal care standards and be subject to a compliance monitor. This resolution marks the largest ever fine in an Animal Welfare Act case.
“Our nation’s animal welfare and clean water laws exist to prevent suffering and harm,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “That’s why we secured the transfer of thousands of beagles from Envigo’s Cumberland facility into adoption, and that’s why today’s plea agreement is so significant. The plea agreement includes the largest ever fine in an animal welfare case as well as heightened standards of care for facilities across the country.”
“Envigo promoted a business culture that prioritized profit and convenience over following the law. This callous approach led to dire consequences: the inhumane treatment of animals and the contamination of our waterway,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Virginia. “The historic monetary penalties and significant compliance measures as part of these guilty pleas send a clear message: every company, in every industry, must have compliance and corporate responsibility as a critical part of their business model.”
“The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) were designed to protect animals from any type of inhumane treatment. Even in those instances of animals being bred for scientific and medical research purposes, they still must be provided with safe and sanitary living conditions,” said Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker of the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General. “AWA violations remain an investigative priority for us, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who fail to adhere to the provisions of the AWA.”
“Envigo compounded the heartbreaking nature of its animal welfare crimes by committing egregious Clean Water Act violations that undermined public health and the wellbeing of the animals in their care,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Everyone victimized in this precedent-setting animal welfare case deserved better: the workers, the beagles, the environment and the community. Envigo deserves every dollar of its record fine.”
“Envigo’s violations of the Clean Water Act and the Animal Welfare Act directly resulted in the contamination of local waterway, negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of the community, and the horrible suffering of over 4,000 beagles. This precedent-setting case emphasizes the power of collaboration between local, state and federal authorities,” said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
According to court documents, Envigo RMS conspired to knowingly violate the Animal Welfare Act by failing to provide, among other things, adequate veterinary care, adequate staffing and safe living conditions for dogs housed at the Cumberland County facility.
In addition, Envigo Global Services conspired to knowingly violate the Clean Water Act by failing to properly operate and maintain the wastewater treatment plant at the Cumberland County facility, which led to massive unlawful discharges of insufficiently treated wastewater into a local waterway and also impacted the health and well-being of the dogs at the facility.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, the entities will serve from three to five years of probation and pay a total criminal fine of $22 million — that is $11 million for each violation. In addition, the entities will pay approximately $1.1 million to the Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force and approximately $1.9 million to the Humane Society of the United States for direct assistance provided to the investigation.
An additional $3.5 million will be paid to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to benefit and restore the environment and ecosystems in Cumberland County, at least $500,000 of which will be spent on purchasing riparian wetland or riparian land located in or near Cumberland.
The entities will spend at least $7 million to improve their facilities and personnel beyond the standards imposed by the Animal Welfare Act.
Finally, the entities will pay all costs associated with a compliance monitor, which will oversee the entities’ compliance with these enhanced animal welfare standards, the Animal Welfare Act, the Clean Water Act, a nationwide compliance plan and additional terms of the agreements and probation.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 7.
The Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General and EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case. The Virginia State Police provided security assistance during a multi-day federal search in May 2022 of the dog breeding facility.
Senior Trial Attorney Banu Rangarajan and Trial Attorney Sarah Brown of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy Ramseyer, Corey Hall and Carrie Macon for the Western District of Virginia and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Welch (an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office) are prosecuting the case.
Animal Breeder Pleads Guilty to Animal Welfare and Pollution Crimes and Will Pay More than $35M, Including Record Fine in an Animal Welfare CaseRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Envigo RMS LLC pleaded guilty today to conspiring to knowingly violate the Animal Welfare Act, and Envigo Global Services Inc. pleaded guilty to a felony of conspiring to knowingly violate the Clean Water Act. Both pleas are in relation to a dog breeding facility located in Cumberland County, Virginia, from which the Justice Department secured the surrender of over 4,000 beagles in 2022.
As part of the resolution, Inotiv — of which Envigo RMS and Envigo Global Services are subsidiaries — will guarantee more than $35 million in payments, be subject to increased animal care standards and be subject to a compliance monitor. This resolution marks the largest ever fine in an Animal Welfare Act case.
“Our nation’s animal welfare and clean water laws exist to prevent suffering and harm,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “That’s why we secured the transfer of thousands of beagles from Envigo’s Cumberland facility into adoption, and that’s why today’s plea agreement is so significant. The plea agreement includes the largest ever fine in an animal welfare case as well as heightened standards of care for facilities across the country.”
“Envigo promoted a business culture that prioritized profit and convenience over following the law. This callous approach led to dire consequences: the inhumane treatment of animals and the contamination of our waterway,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Virginia. “The historic monetary penalties and significant compliance measures as part of these guilty pleas send a clear message: every company, in every industry, must have compliance and corporate responsibility as a critical part of their business model.”
“The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) were designed to protect animals from any type of inhumane treatment. Even in those instances of animals being bred for scientific and medical research purposes, they still must be provided with safe and sanitary living conditions,” said Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker of the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General. “AWA violations remain an investigative priority for us, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who fail to adhere to the provisions of the AWA.”
“Envigo compounded the heartbreaking nature of its animal welfare crimes by committing egregious Clean Water Act violations that undermined public health and the wellbeing of the animals in their care,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Everyone victimized in this precedent-setting animal welfare case deserved better: the workers, the beagles, the environment and the community. Envigo deserves every dollar of its record fine.”
“Envigo’s violations of the Clean Water Act and the Animal Welfare Act directly resulted in the contamination of local waterway, negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of the community, and the horrible suffering of over 4,000 beagles. This precedent-setting case emphasizes the power of collaboration between local, state and federal authorities,” said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
According to court documents, Envigo RMS conspired to knowingly violate the Animal Welfare Act by failing to provide, among other things, adequate veterinary care, adequate staffing and safe living conditions for dogs housed at the Cumberland County facility.
In addition, Envigo Global Services conspired to knowingly violate the Clean Water Act by failing to properly operate and maintain the wastewater treatment plant at the Cumberland County facility, which led to massive unlawful discharges of insufficiently treated wastewater into a local waterway and also impacted the health and well-being of the dogs at the facility.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, the entities will serve from three to five years of probation and pay a total criminal fine of $22 million — that is $11 million for each violation. In addition, the entities will pay approximately $1.1 million to the Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force and approximately $1.9 million to the Humane Society of the United States for direct assistance provided to the investigation.
An additional $3.5 million will be paid to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to benefit and restore the environment and ecosystems in Cumberland County, at least $500,000 of which will be spent on purchasing riparian wetland or riparian land located in or near Cumberland.
The entities will spend at least $7 million to improve their facilities and personnel beyond the standards imposed by the Animal Welfare Act.
Finally, the entities will pay all costs associated with a compliance monitor, which will oversee the entities’ compliance with these enhanced animal welfare standards, the Animal Welfare Act, the Clean Water Act, a nationwide compliance plan and additional terms of the agreements and probation.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 7.
The Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General and EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case. The Virginia State Police provided security assistance during a multi-day federal search in May 2022 of the dog breeding facility.
Senior Trial Attorney Banu Rangarajan and Trial Attorney Sarah Brown of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy Ramseyer, Corey Hall and Carrie Macon for the Western District of Virginia and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Welch (an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office) are prosecuting the case.
Activity in the U.S. Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Child Sexual Assault Material
William Dean Decker, 65, of Gillette, Wyoming, was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for production of child pornography and possession of child pornography. According to court documents, on and before Dec. 15, 2023, the Wyoming Division of Investigation (DCI) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force received six Cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Investigators learned that a minor child, known to Decker, was involved in the production and they moved quickly to stop the abuse. A search warrant uncovered hundreds of images and video files of Decker sexually abusing the child in his residence. Decker pleaded guilty on Mar. 8 and Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on May 31. This crime was investigated by DCI’s ICAC task force and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Z. Seth Griswold.
Firearm Offenses
Taylor Jay Whiting, 33, of Lusk, Wyoming, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on Oct. 22, 2023, Lusk Police Department located Whiting, who had a warrant for his arrest, walking down the street and instructed him to put his hands up and turn around. As officers approached him, Whiting told them he had a gun in his hoodie pocket. Officers located a Ruger .380 handgun in Whiting’s sweatshirt. Whiting is a previously convicted felon and not allowed to possess a firearm. He pleaded guilty to the charge on Mar. 8, and Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on May 31. This crime was investigated by the Lusk Police Department and the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Hammer.
Drug Trafficking
Amanda Lynn Piercy, 37, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced to 40 months and 21 days in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. According to court documents, on Sep. 8, 2023, Cheyenne Police Department officers were dispatched to a Cheyenne residence because of an unconscious person. Officers learned Piercy had overdosed on fentanyl in the basement of the residence. When she was revived, officers removed 7 fentanyl pills from her pants pocket. During a search of the property, officers found additional drugs and a handgun. Piercy pleaded guilty to the charges on Feb. 20 and Senior U.S. District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal imposed the sentence on May 22. The crime was investigated by the Cheyenne Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney T.J. Forwood.
Sandra Munoz, 40, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. According to court documents, on Oct. 8, 2023, a Cheyenne Police Department officer attempted to stop Munoz for speeding and having a cracked windshield. She fled, but after a short pursuit, she crashed, and the officer detained her and three other passengers. During a search of the vehicle, the officer found approximately 2,000 fentanyl pills and 173 grams of methamphetamine. Piercy pleaded guilty to the charges on Feb. 20 and Senior U.S. District Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal imposed the sentence on May 22. The crime was investigated by the Cheyenne Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney T.J. Forwood.
Illegal Re-entry of a Previously Deported Alien
Carlos Marcelo Lopez-Hernandez, 34, of Guatemala, was sentenced to time served for illegal re-entry into the United States of a previously deported alien. According to court documents, a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper arrested Lopez-Hernandez on Jan. 31 for driving with no license and no identification. During the booking process, Lopez-Hernandez’s fingerprints were matched with a profile in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) database. ICE verified that Lopez-Hernandez had previously been deported and was in the United States illegally. This case was investigated by ICE and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on May 24.Gonzalo Parra-Munoz, 31, of Chihuahua, Mexico, was sentenced to 6 months’ imprisonment for illegal re-entry into the United States of a previously deported alien. According to court documents, On Jan. 27, Parra-Munoz was arrested by the Converse County Sheriff’s Department (CCSD) for possession of stolen property/motor vehicle, unlawful acts, and driving under the influence. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) verified that Parra-Lopez had previously been deported and was in the United States illegally. This crime was investigated by CCSD and ICE. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on May 31.
Sunday 2 June 2024
Woman Accused of Murder-for-Hire Admits to Using the Dark Web to Carry Out the CrimeRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A Salt Lake City woman pleaded guilty to using the dark web to attempt to carry out a murder for hire in 2023 in the District of Utah.
According to court documents, Krista Renae Stone, 23, of Salt Lake City, pleaded guilty May 30, 2024, by felony information to use of interstate commerce facilities in commission of murder-for-hire. Beginning in March 2023 and continuing through September 2023, Stone used the internet, specifically the dark web, with the intent to murder another person. In return for the murder, Stone agreed to pay money. Stone further admitted she engaged with a website offering “hitman for hire” type services and “ordered” the killing of the victim for $5,000 using Bitcoin to complete the order. Stone included a detailed description of the victim, including a photograph, where the victim was located, and how she wanted the job done.
Stone is scheduled to be sentenced July 15, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.3 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorney Carol A. Dain of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Friday 31 May 2024
Waterloo Marijuana Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
A Waterloo man who possessed over 1,000 grams of marijuana and two firearms was sentenced May 29, 2024, to more than three years in federal prison.
Daquavion Marquise Walker, age 21, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 10, 2024 guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a drug user.
Information disclosed at sentencing showed that, in March 2022, Walker was charged in state court with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and failure to affix a drug tax stamp. In June 2022, while the state charge was pending, Walker had someone buy him a Glock pistol from a federal firearms licensee in Cedar Falls, Iowa. In January 2023, law enforcement officers searched an apartment and a vehicle associated with Walker and they seized two Glock pistols, including the Glock purchased for Walker in June 2022, which had a thirty‑one‑round magazine attached to it; a fifty‑round drum magazine; and over 1,000 grams of marijuana.
Walker was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Walker was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a three‑year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Walker is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Waterloo Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23‑CR‑02053.
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USA Ross commemorates Pride Month/Week in Buffalo, Rochester, and Elmira communitiesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – June 1, 2024, marks the beginning of Pride Month in the U.S. and June 2, 2024, begins Pride Week in the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, and Elmira, in the Western District of New York, celebrating members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community.
As Pride Month/Week get underway, U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross is reminding the public that all members of our community are protected under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
“As U.S. Attorney, I take very seriously any violation of an individual’s civil rights, including members of the LGBTQ community,” said U.S. Attorney Ross” “Since becoming U.S. Attorney, I have increased resources in the Western District of New York, including appointing three Assistant U.S. Attorneys to work on civil rights cases in the district. These AUSAs, as well as support staff members, engage with the community to increase awareness of civil rights and investigate any violations.”
The Library of Congress states, “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan.” The Stonewall Uprising was a series of protests fighting for the rights of the LGBTQ community.
As the community celebrates, our FBI partners encourage vigilance: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/detroit/news/fbi-brings-awareness-to-safety-resources-during-pride-month#:~:text=In%20a%20May%2010%2C%202024,LGBTQIA%2B%20events%20during%20Pride%20Month
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Two Previously Convicted Felons Sentenced for Possessing Firearms Inside a “No Rats Allowed” Stash HouseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Leroy Frye, 32, of Waldorf, Md., and Francis White, 28, of Washington, D.C., were sentenced today to 60 months in prison and 46 months in prison, respectively, on firearms possession charges. The sentences were 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 Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to court documents, both guilty pleas stemmed from a residential search warrant that occurred on November 3, 2021, at 215 K Street, Southwest, a known trap house operated by members of the “No Rats Allowed” (NRA) crew which they used to stash their narcotics and firearms. Members of NRA would refer to 215 K through text messages as the “Dope Hole.” During a search of the trap house, 457 blue pills containing fentanyl (approximately 48.6 grams), 37 grams of crack-cocaine, and approximately 980 grams of suspected marijuana.
NRA is a known violent street crew that operated on the 200 block of K Street, Southwest, in the District’s Greenleaf Gardens neighborhood. The NRA crew is responsible for distributing thousands of counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl and possessing firearms as part of their distribution schemes. Counterfeit pills are fake medications that have different ingredients than the actual medication. They may contain no active ingredient, the wrong active ingredient, or have the right ingredient but in an incorrect quantity. Counterfeit pills may contain lethal amounts of fentanyl or methamphetamine and are extremely dangerous because they often appear identical to legitimate prescription pills, and the user is likely unaware of how lethal they can be. One example of these counterfeit pills that the NRA crew are known to traffic are blue pills stamped with “M” and “30.”
Legitimate M30 Pill Counterfeit M30 Pill
During the execution of the search warrant, law enforcement also seized four firearms, three of which were inside of the same kitchen drawer near where the drugs were found. One of the firearms was an FN FNS.40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, with a high-capacity magazine, with one round the chamber and 14 total rounds in the magazine. In his plea, Frye admitted the FN FNS was his.
From the same kitchen drawer, law enforcement also seized a Glock 17 9mm semi-automatic pistol, with a high-capacity magazine capable of holding 31 rounds, with one round in the chamber and 28 total rounds in the magazine. In his plea, White admitted the Glock 17 was his.
Judge Friedrich recently sentenced two co-defendants in this case. On May 29, 2024, the judge sentenced Bartwone Copeland, 28, to 144 months (12 years) in prison and five years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon, distribution of fentanyl, and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Copeland was also linked by DNA to one of the pistols found in the kitchen drawer that was modified with a “giggle switch,” a device that converted the firearm to function as a fully automatic machine gun. On January 10, 2024, Judge Friedrich sentenced Adrian Wade to 60 months in prison and five years of supervised release for carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
This case was investigated by the MPD and the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin F. Song and Joshua Gold.
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Two Men Sentenced to over 13 Years Each for Gunpoint Robberies of Businesses in Kensington and the Lower Northeast PhiladelphiaRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Angel Fayez, 19, and Kevin Antun, a.k.a. Acquah Evans, 20, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were each sentenced to 162 months in prison by the Honorable Juan R. Sanchez.
On February 6, 2024, both men plead guilty to one count of carjacking, eight counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of carrying and using a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.
Fayez and Antun were charged by indictment in March 2023 with these offenses, in connection with a series of gunpoint robberies of businesses in the Kensington and the Lower Northeast sections of Philadelphia.
According to the indictment, the defendants committed one carjacking and robbed a variety of small businesses, stealing approximately $3,613 total between November 22, 2022, and December 3, 2022. The incidents detailed are as follows:
- On November 22, 2022, Fayez and Antun carjacked a woman at the Liberty gas station located at 3949 Kensington Avenue;
- On November 22, 2022, Fayez and Antun robbed the Dollar General located at 1240 E. Erie Avenue;
- On November 22, 2022, Fayez and Antun robbed the Popeyes located at 501 Adams Avenue;
- On November 28, 2022, Fayez and Antun robbed the Texas Chicken and Burger located at 3960 Kensington Avenue;
- On November 30, 2022, Fayez and Antun robbed the Wingstop located at 3855 Aramingo Avenue;
- On November 30, 2022, Fayez and Antun robbed the Wingstop located at 2118 Cottman Avenue;
- On November 30, 2022, Fayez and Antun robbed the Domino’s Pizza located at 6391 Oxford Avenue; and
- On December 3, 2022, Fayez and Antun robbed the Popeyes located at 3541 Aramingo Avenue.
On May 29, 2024, Judge Sanchez sentenced Fayez to 162 months’ imprisonment, a five-year period of supervised release, and a $900 special assessment.
On May 30, 2024, Judge Sanchez sentenced Antun to 162 months’ imprisonment, a five-year period of supervised release, and a $900 special assessment.
"Today, two Philadelphia men were sentenced to over thirteen years in prison for terrorizing businesses in Kensington and Lower Northeast Philadelphia," said U.S. Attorney Romero. "Interfering with interstate commerce by robbing a business at gunpoint is a federal crime. The U.S. Attorney’s office, along with ATF and the Philadelphia Police Department, will continue to fight violent crime to ensure the safety and sanctity of our streets prevail."
“This crime spree was extremely violent, and the sentence sends a clear message that even young offenders with no criminal history will be held to account if they terrorize their community,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “The Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force has again shown their value to the people of Philadelphia, making our community a bit safer again.”
"I am grateful to see these dangerous individuals receive significant prison sentences for a crime spree that terrorized Philadelphians for almost two weeks," said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel. "The collaboration between the ATF, the PPD, and the U.S. Attorney's Office demonstrates the relentless dedication our agencies have in pursuing violent criminals; and the sentences handed down sends a strong message that gun violence will not be tolerated in Philadelphia.
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 prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert and Special Assistant United States Attorney David Osborne.
Trillium Capital Manager Charged with Securities Fraud Scheme Involving Getty ImagesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Mashpee man has been charged, and has agreed to plead guilty, in connection with a scheme to artificially inflate the trading price of Getty Images Holdings, Inc. and attempting to cover up the alleged scheme.
Robert Scott Murray, 60, has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to one count of securities fraud. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
Getty Images Holdings, Inc. (Getty) is a visual media company and supplier of images, videos and music, headquartered in Seattle. Getty’s stock is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GETY. Murray was a long-time investor who previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of multiple public companies, including Stream Global Services and 3Com. It is alleged that in April 2023 Murray owned approximately 300,000 GETY shares. Thereafter, Murray allegedly issued press releases and sent emails in the name of Trillium Capital LLC – a “venture investment company” located in Massachusetts of which Murray was the sole owner and manager – urging that Getty add Murray to its board of directors. Murray’s efforts to join Getty’s board of directors failed.
Murray allegedly proceeded to make false and misleading statements, including through press releases and in media interviews, with the purpose of artificially inflating the GETY trading price so that Murray could sell the GETY shares he owned at the artificially inflated price. On Friday, April 21, 2023, GETY shares closed at a trading price of $5.06 per share. On Monday, April 24, 2023, prior to the market opening, Murray allegedly caused the publication of a press release in which Trillium Capital made a proposal to acquire Getty for “$10 per share.” When the market opened, GETY shares traded at $7.88 per share, nearly 56 percent above the prior closing price. According to court documents, Murray then sold all the GETY shares he owned within less than one hour for approximately $1,486,467. It is further alleged that Murray’s friend, who Murray had previously instructed to buy GETY shares, also sold shares that same morning at Murray’s direction for approximately $558,328.
On or about Dec. 6, 2023, at the direction of law enforcement, Murray’s friend texted Murray, “I just got a subpoena from the SEC” and “they’re asking me for any communications with you” related to “Getty stock.” Murray allegedly responded, “just say there were none” and “you should delete all my texts.” Murray further stated that text messages are “like virginity, once you delete your virginity you ain’t getting it back.” On or about that same day, it is alleged that Murray emailed his friend a proposed response to the subpoena, which falsely stated that the friend bought Getty stock “solely based on my read of the various press releases from Trillium Capital and my knowledge that Scott Murray is a very experienced investor” and “not from any communications from Scott Murray or Trillium Capital.” It is further alleged that when approached by law enforcement in February 2024, Murray falsely denied telling his friend to buy Getty shares.
The charge of securities fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil complaint against Murray alleging violations of the securities laws.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division made the announcement. The Securities and Exchange Commission provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Markham of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Thirteen defendants charged with firearms trafficking related offenses; over one hundred-forty firearms seizedRead the Press Release
MIAMI – U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, announced today that since January 2024 the Southern District of Florida has indicted 13 defendants for federal firearms trafficking related offenses, to include smuggling of firearms, dealing in firearms without a license, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and making a false statement in a firearms purchase, and seized over 140 firearms.
“Traffickers who illegally engage in the business of unlicensed firearms dealing contribute to the illicit flow of firearms into the black market,” stated U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “All too often these powerful firearms then make their way into the hands of felons, gang members, and other violent offenders. Some of these weapons make their way into countries in our hemisphere, with undesirable consequences in those places as well. Our Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify targets who unlawfully traffic in and possess firearms, prosecute the offenders, and reduce gun violence. We are grateful for the men and women in law enforcement who put their lives on the line to help keep our communities safe and firearms out of the hands of unauthorized persons.”
“Firearms trafficking is a crime that affects our communities in many ways and ATF and HSI Miami are in communication and collaboration with our unique jurisdictions to combat the flow of illegal weapons to those who perpetrate violent acts in a myriad of fashions to the detriment of public safety domestically and internationally,” said ATF Miami Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson.
“The illegal trafficking of weapons out of the United States is a top priority for HSI. These weapons are fueling the violence in our neighboring nations and continues to destabilize parts of the region,” said Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Miami. “HSI will continue to collaborate with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to target individuals and criminal organizations that are involved in the illicit movement of firearms.”
The arrests and resulting cases are a result of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) strategy. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. This evidence-based program has proven to be effective at reducing violent crime by engaging a broad spectrum of stakeholders working together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in communities and developing comprehensive solutions that reduce crime. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses on prevention and intervention efforts through community engagement and problem-solving partnerships, strategic enforcement of the most violent offenders, and locally based re-entry programs to reduce recidivism.
The following firearms trafficking related cases were charged in the Southern District of Florida since January 2024:
U.S. v. Jamaal Calloway, Case No. 24-CR-20006
Jamaal Calloway, 41, of Florida City, Florida was charged in a seven-count indictment for dealing in firearms without a license, which included selling pistols, rifles, and at least seventy machine guns, unlawful transfer, and possession of machine guns, and being a convicted felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Calloway sold approximately thirty-nine machine gun conversion devices that had the capability of enabling a semi-automatic firearm to discharge more than one shot without manual reloading and with a single function of the trigger. On March 22, 2024, the defendant pleaded guilty. Sentencing is set for June 7, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck. ATF Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefan Diaz Espinosa is prosecuting the matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Klco is handling asset forfeiture.
U.S. v. Ronald Zapete, Case No. 24-CR-20049
U.S. v. Amanda Roden, Case No. 24-CR-20165
Ronald Zapete, 39, and Amanda Roden, 31, of Miami, were indicted separately for smuggling firearms to the Dominican Republic. The indictments allege that Roden bought firearms in Dania Beach, Florida, and the pair, Zapete and Roden, arranged for a common or contract carrier to export three firearms – without permission - to the Dominican Republic in October 2023. HSI Miami investigated both cases with the assistance of ATF Miami. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosenfeld is prosecuting both cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika M. Miranda is handling asset forfeiture.
U.S. v. Trevin Roberts, Case No. 24-CR-20167
Trevin Roberts, 29, of Aventura, Florida, was charged by indictment on April 24, 2024, with smuggling firearms and ammunition from Miami to the Bahamas. On April 5, 2021, law enforcement seized eleven firearms loaded with magazines and ammunition from a freight shipping company in Opa-Locka, Florida that were to be shipped to the Bahamas at Robert’s direction. Roberts was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. ATF Miami and HSI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey Pence Tomanelli is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jorge Roberto Delgado is handling asset forfeiture.
U.S. v. Samuel Pierre, et al., Case No. 24-CR-20168
Samuel Pierre, 34, of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Reginald Louis Chosson, 28, of Homestead, Florida, were charged by indictment on April 24, 2024, for participating in a conspiracy to purchase firearms by means of false statement and to smuggle firearms and ammunition from Miami to Haiti. From May 2022 through July 2022, the defendants conspired to purchase firearms and ship those firearms to Haiti. On July 12, 2022, law enforcement seized eight rifles, one belt-fed machine gun, fourteen pistols, and approximately 4,000 rounds of ammunition from a cargo shipment destined for Miargoane, Haiti. HSI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey Pence Tomanelli is prosecuting it.
U.S. v. Nathaniel Christian Guillaume, Case No. 24-CR-20175
Nathaniel Guillaume, 24, of Miami, was charged by indictment with making a false statement during a firearms purchase. The indictment alleges that the defendant purchased a firearm on behalf of another person while knowingly making a false statement on ATF Form 4473 when he represented that he was the actual buyer of the firearm. ATF Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Maultasch is prosecuting it.
U.S. v. Dante Marquaze Donaldson and Jeleel Eion Gumbs, Case No. 24-CR-20177
Dante Marquaze Donaldson, 24, of Conyers, Georgia, and Jeleel Eion Gumbs, 24, of Atlanta, Georgia, were charged in a three-count indictment for conspiring to smuggle firearms and ammunition from the U.S. to Saint Martin, attempting to smuggle firearms and ammunition from the U.S. to Saint Martin, and for delivering firearms and ammunition to a common carrier without written notification. According to the allegations contained in the indictment, starting on or about Oct. 18, 2022, and continuing through on or about October 31, 2022, the defendants and their co-conspirators purchased firearms and ammunition in Georgia and thereafter concealed those items in an air tank. The defendants and their co-conspirators shipped the package with the concealed firearms and ammunition in an air tank intended for Saint Martin via Doral, Florida. Five firearms were recovered. HSI Miami, HSI Caribbean, and ATF Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Maultasch is prosecuting it.
U.S. v. Sondy Dales, Case No. 24-CR-20184
Sondy Dales, 35, of Orlando, Florida, was charged in a two-count indictment for delivering three firearms and ammunition to a common carrier to be transported to a foreign country. HSI Miami investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Farina is prosecuting it.
U.S. v. Hiledin Quintero Martinez, a/k/a “Mily Alvarez”, Case No. 24-CR-20197
Hiledin Quintero Martinez, a/k/a “Mily Alvarez,” 36, of Orlando, was charged in a four-count information for conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and delivery of firearms to a common or contract carrier without written notice. According to the allegations contained in the indictment, starting in or about June 2020, and continuing through on or about Jan. 13, 2021, the defendant, using the fictitious alias “Mily Alvarez,” and her co-conspirators delivered and caused to be delivered, without notifying common or contract carriers, multiple packages containing approximately ten firearms. The packages were destined for Venezuela and Colombia. HSI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefan Diaz Espinosa is prosecuting the matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon is handling asset forfeiture.
U.S. v. Jacoby Karmaren Smith, Case No. 24-CR-60035
Jacoby Karmaren Smith, 22, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida was charged by indictment for aiding, abetting, and willfully causing another person to make a false statement during the purchase of four firearms. HSI Miami and ATF Miami investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Farina is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Raemy Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture.
U.S. v. Allen John Collier, Case No. 24-CR-60049
Allen John Collier, 30, of Fort Lauderdale, was charged in a six-count information for making false statements during six separate firearms purchases. Several of the firearms Collier purchased were transported to Jamaica. Pursuant to the investigation, at least thirteen firearms were seized. HSI Miami and ATF Miami investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Farina is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika M. Miranda is handling asset forfeiture.
If an individual is convicted of the respectively charged offenses, the maximum statutory penalties are: 10 years for smuggling goods from the United States; 10 years for attempted smuggling goods from the United States; 10 or 15 years for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (depending on the date of the offense); 10 years for unlawful transfer and/or possession of a machine gun; 10 years for purchase of firearm by means of a false statement; 5 years for dealing in firearms without a license; 5 years for conspiracy; and 5 years for delivery of a firearm to a common carrier without written notification.
An indictment, complaint, and information each contain mere allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under the corresponding case numbers.
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Tennessee Man Pleads Guilty to Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that BART GREEN (“GREEN”), age 62, of Nashville, Tennessee, pled guilty on May 30, 2024 to Bank Robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a). GREEN faces a maximum of twenty years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release following his release from prison, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
GREEN admitted that on March 1, 2024, he entered the Regions Bank in New Orleans, and presented a note to a teller demanding $2,000. GREEN admitted that he received $2000 in $100 bills before leaving the bank.
Sentencing is scheduled in this matter for September 19, 2024, before United States District Judge Eldon Fallon.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crime Task Force and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul J. Hubbell of the General Crimes Unit is handling the prosecution.
Taos Pueblo Man Charged with Multiple Counts of Sexual Abuse of ChildrenRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Taos Pueblo man has been charged by indictment with multiple counts of sexual abuse against three minors.
Ben John Martinez, 75, an enrolled member of the Taos Pueblo, appeared before a federal judge today to be informed of the eleven count federal indictment he faces.
According to the indictment, between September 2001 and October 2010, Martinez engaged in sexual acts with three children whose ages ranged from five to thirteen years old at the time of the abuse. If convicted of the current charges, Martinez faces not less than 30 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Taos Pueblo Department of Public Safety. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Flores is prosecuting the case. The FBI continues to investigate Martinez’s involvement in crimes against other victims. If you have reason to believe you or someone you know may be a victim, please call the FBI at (505) 889-1300 or Chief Summer Mirabal of the Taos Pueblo Department of Public Safety at (575) 741-0764.
View the IndictmentAn indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Tampa Serial Robber ConvictedRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Johnny Flores (45, Tampa) guilty of three counts of Hobbs Act robbery. Flores faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 22, 2024.
According to evidence presented at trial, between February 13 and February 25, 2022, Flores entered three Tampa businesses wearing a hooded sweatshirt and facial covering. He brandished and threatened the victims with a weapon and removed cash from the registers. Flores verbally and physically assaulted the victims during the course of the three robberies.
Flores was initially identified through video surveillance recordings that showed him leaving two of the robberies in a vehicle that was traced back to an individual. That individual identified Flores but died prior to the trial. A second individual had dropped Flores off near the remaining robbery. Although he testified that he didn’t know that Flores had committed a robbery, the individual testified that he had driven Flores to a location near the robbery. Additional video surveillance recordings showed Flores at a clinic prior to the robberies with similar clothing. He was subsequently identified by law enforcement.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Tampa Police Department. It is being 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.
Systems Engineer Sentenced to Prison for Embezzling from Houma CompanyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that SCOTT P. RICHARD (“RICHARD”), age 48, of Raceland, La. was sentenced on May 23, 2024 to a year and a day in prison by U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon. RICHARD had previously pleaded guilty to access device fraud in relation to his theft from his former employer, a Houma-based company identified in court records as “Company A.”
According to those records, RICHARD was a systems engineer for Company A, entrusted with the specification, purchase, installation, and support of equipment and systems used by the company’s technology infrastructure. RICHARD admitted to fraudulently using the corporate credit card issued to him by Company A for his own personal benefit. RICHARD embezzled money from his employer by creating false invoices for a shell company he controlled and using his corporate card to make fraudulent purchases from the shell company. RICHARD also made unauthorized purchases of equipment, for his own personal use, with his corporate card. From January 1, 2012 through September 27, 2021, RICHARD fraudulently diverted $526,569.42 from Company A to himself.
In addition to his incarceration sentence, RICHARD was ordered to pay restitution of $526,569.42 to Company A. Judge Fallon also sentenced RICHARD to three years of supervised release as well as payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Orleans Field Office, in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Payne of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Statement of U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery on the Line of Duty Death of Connecticut State Police Trooper First Class Aaron PelletierRead the Press Release
“This is a sad day for law enforcement and a sad day for all of us in Connecticut, and I offer my heartfelt condolences to his wife, two young children, family, friends, and colleagues in the Connecticut State Police. Trooper Pelletier’s life and stellar career, which included service on a federal task force charged with fighting violent crime in the Hartford area, was cut way too short by this senseless event. His death provides a terrible, but necessary, reminder of the dangers that all members of law enforcement face every day. Their work to keep our communities safe, to keep our streets and roads safe, is never routine.”
Retired Navy Admiral and Business Executives Arrested in Connection with Alleged Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Robert Burke, 62, of Coconut Creek, Florida, a retired Navy Admiral, and two business executives – Yongchul “Charlie” Kim, 50, and Meghan Messenger, 47, both of New York, – were arrested this morning on charges related to their alleged roles in a bribery scheme that involved a U.S. government contract. The charges are contained in a five-count indictment, unsealed today, and relate to an alleged scheme in which the Admiral accepted future employment at the executives’ company in exchange for awarding them a government contract.
The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Deputy Director of Investigative Operations Grant A. Fleming of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Special Agent in Charge Stanley A. Newell of the DCIS Transnational Operations Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Economic Crimes Field Office, and Assistant Director Michael D. Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.
From 2020 to 2022, Robert Burke was a four-star Admiral who oversaw Naval operations in Europe, Russia, and most of Africa, and commanded thousands of civilian and military personnel. Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger were the co-CEOs of a company (“Company A”) that provided a workforce training pilot program to a small component of the Navy from August 2018 through July 2019. The Navy terminated a contract with Company A in late 2019 and directed Company A not to contact Burke.
Despite the Navy’s instructions, Kim and Messenger then allegedly met with Burke in Washington, D.C., in July 2021, in an effort to reestablish Company A’s business relationship with the Navy. At the meeting, the charged defendants allegedly agreed that Burke would use his position as a Navy Admiral to steer a sole-source contract to Company A in exchange for future employment at the company. They allegedly further agreed that Burke would use his official position to influence other Navy officers to award another contract to Company A to train a large portion of the Navy with a value Kim allegedly estimated to be “triple digit millions.”
In furtherance of the conspiracy, in December 2021, Burke allegedly ordered his staff to award a $355,000 contract to Company A to train personnel under Burke’s command in Italy and Spain. Company A performed the training in January 2022. Thereafter, Burke allegedly promoted Company A in a failed effort to convince a senior Navy Admiral to award another contract to Company A. To conceal the scheme, Burke allegedly made several false and misleading statements to the Navy, including by creating the false appearance that Burke played no role in issuing the contract and falsely implying that Company A’s employment discussions with Burke only began months after the contract was awarded.
In October 2022, Burke began working at Company A at a yearly starting salary of $500,000 and a grant of 100,000 stock options.
“As alleged in the indictment, Admiral Burke used his public office and his four-star status for his private gain,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “The law does not make exceptions for admirals or CEOs. Those who pay and receive bribes must be held accountable. The urgency is at its greatest when, as here, senior government officials and senior executives are allegedly involved in the corruption.”
“Today’s indictment exemplifies our unwavering commitment to eradicating fraud within the DoD,” said Deputy Director, Grant A. Fleming, Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General’s, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). “Together with our federal partners, DCIS will persist in dismantling attempts to defraud the U.S. Government.”
“NCIS takes every allegation of corruption within the Department of the Navy seriously, regardless of rank or position,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the NCIS Economic Crimes Field Office. “NCIS and our partners remain committed to rooting out criminality that degrades public trust in the Department of the Navy.”
“Burke allegedly steered a lucrative contract to Kim and Messenger's company in exchange for the promise of future employment and then lied to try to conceal the scheme,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott. “As a four-star admiral, Burke not only cheated U.S. taxpayers but also did a disservice to military personnel under his command. As this indictment demonstrates, the FBI and our partners remain committed to investigating and prosecuting corrupt officials regardless of their rank or title.”
Burke, Kim, and Messenger are each charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery. Burke is also charged with performing acts affecting a personal financial interest and concealing material facts from the United States. If convicted, Burke faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, and Kim and Messenger each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
This case is being investigated by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Trevor Wilmot and Kathryn E. Fifield of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rothstein for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Retired Navy Admiral and Business Executives Arrested for Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
A retired Navy Admiral and two business executives were arrested today on criminal charges related to their roles in a bribery scheme that involved a U.S. government contract.
As alleged in an indictment unsealed today, from 2020 to 2022, Robert Burke, 62, of Coconut Creek, Florida, was a four-star Admiral who oversaw Naval operations in Europe, Russia, and most of Africa, and commanded thousands of civilian and military personnel. Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger, both of New York, are the co-CEOs of a company (Company A) that provided a workforce training pilot program to a small component of the Navy from August 2018 through July 2019. The Navy terminated a contract with Company A in late 2019 and directed Company A not to contact Burke.
Despite the Navy’s instructions, Kim and Messenger then allegedly met with Burke in Washington, D.C., in July 2021 in an effort to reestablish Company A’s business relationship with the Navy. At the meeting, the charged defendants allegedly agreed that Burke would use his position as a Navy Admiral to steer a sole-source contract to Company A in exchange for future employment at the company. They allegedly further agreed that Burke would use his official position to influence other Navy officers to award another contract to Company A to train a large portion of the Navy with a value Kim allegedly estimated to be “triple digit millions.”
In furtherance of the conspiracy, in December 2021, Burke allegedly ordered his staff to award a $355,000 contract to Company A to train personnel under Burke’s command in Italy and Spain. Company A performed the training in January 2022. Thereafter, Burke allegedly promoted Company A in a failed effort to convince a senior Navy Admiral to award another contract to Company A. To conceal the scheme, Burke allegedly made several false and misleading statements to the Navy, including by creating the false appearance that Burke played no role in issuing the contract and falsely implying that Company A’s employment discussions with Burke only began months after the contract was awarded.
In October 2022, Burke began working at Company A at a yearly starting salary of $500,000 and a grant of 100,000 stock options.
Burke, Kim, and Messenger are each charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery. Burke is also charged with performing acts affecting a personal financial interest and concealing material facts from the United States. If convicted, Burke faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, and Kim and Messenger each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia; Deputy Director of Investigative Operations Grant A. Fleming of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS); Special Agent in Charge Stanley A. Newell of the DCIS Transnational Operations Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Economic Crimes Field Office; and Assistant Director Michael D. Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.
DCIS, NCIS, and the FBI are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Trevor Wilmot and Kathryn E. Fifield of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rothstein for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Readout of Director Rachel Rossi’s Trip to ConnecticutRead the Press Release
Director Rachel Rossi of the Justice Department’s Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) traveled to Connecticut this week as part of the office’s mission to ensure access to justice across the civil justice system, to expand access to counsel and to support innovative efforts to improve the judiciary and court administration. As part of the visit, Director Rossi met with U.S. Attorney Vanessa Avery for the District of Connecticut to applaud her leadership on access to justice issues in the state and to discuss future collaboration.
Director Rossi and ATJ staff also convened members of the Connecticut Bar Foundation (CBF), Connecticut Bar Association, Connecticut Access to Justice Commission and Connecticut Judiciary. During the meeting, Director Rossi highlighted recent initiatives, including quarterly convenings of the over 40 access to justice commissions across the country; the Federal Pro Bono Program; updates on the work of the Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable; and recent efforts to support the reduced reliance on fines and fees. Attendees discussed civil justice barriers, resource needs and innovative access to justice projects.
In the afternoon, Director Rossi participated in a site visit to the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center (CVLC), where she toured the Newington Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center and observed the CVLC’s medical-legal partnership model. She also met with CVLC leadership and medical and legal staff, to learn about the legal services program and implementation of the model in other VA Medical Centers across the country. Director Rossi reiterated ATJ’s commitment and highlighted efforts to expand Access to Justice for Veterans, service members and their families and ATJ’s recent launch of the first-ever medical-legal partnership within a federal prison, in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Director Rossi also met with Reginald Dwayne Betts, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Reads, a non-profit organization that uses literature, design and architecture to create transformative experiences for incarcerated individuals and to address reentry and rehabilitative needs. Director Rossi discussed various ATJ initiatives aimed at addressing barriers to reentry faced by formerly incarcerated individuals and efforts to improve access to counsel for those in custody.
At the conclusion of the trip, Director Rossi delivered keynote remarks for CBF’s Annual Reception, which annually celebrates CBF’s work to fund and support programs that provide legal services for Connecticut residents who cannot afford an attorney. The reception honors CBF’s James W. Cooper Fellows and the innovative projects that forward the mission of advancing civil justice for all regardless of power or resources. In her remarks, Director Rossi emphasized the office’s mission of “engaging in the bold, transformative and systemic work necessary to ensure that all communities have access to the promises and protections of our criminal and civil legal systems.” She encouraged the fellows’ work of driving policy change and expanding program efforts for pro bono support as well as legal services. The CBF is a non-profit organization with a mission to facilitate systemic change that advances civil justice for all, regardless of power or resources, to achieve a more just and equitable society.
Director Rossi and members from Connecticut Bar Foundation, Connecticut Bar Association, Connecticut Access to Justice Commission and Connecticut Judiciary. Director Rossi and members from Connecticut Bar Foundation, Connecticut Bar Association, Connecticut Access to Justice Commission and Connecticut Judiciary. Director Rossi and staff from the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center. Director Rossi speaking at the Connecticut Bar Foundation's Annual Reception.Prime Capital Ventures Owner Arrested for FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kris Roglieri, age 44, of Queensbury, New York, was arrested today on a criminal complaint charging him with wire fraud.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
Roglieri operated Prime Capital Ventures LLC (“Prime Capital”) and Prime Commercial Lending LLC (“Prime Commercial”), among other companies, that were based in Albany.
The criminal complaint alleges that Prime Capital held itself out as a commercial lending business. As part of contractual arrangements with its borrower clients situated across the country, Prime Capital obtained upfront interest payments from prospective borrowers while it sought to secure loans for those borrowers; these upfront interest payments were characterized by Prime Capital as the “Interest Credit Account Payment,” or “ICA” payment for short. ICA payments did not represent fees to Prime Capital. Instead, each borrower’s upfront ICA payment would be debited over time as the loan was funded and accrued more interest. An ICA payment would also be refundable if Prime Capital failed to secure a loan for the borrower client.
The complaint alleges that Roglieri defrauded a Minnesota company in December 2023, by committing to fund, through Prime Capital, a $100 million commercial project, even though, at the time, Prime Capital had failed to fund numerous loans promised to earlier clients; failed to return tens of millions of dollars in ICA payments to earlier clients once those loans did not materialize; and had been sued multiple times by clients alleging fraud and seeking the return of ICA payments.
On or about December 22, 2023, Roglieri, on behalf of Prime Commercial, signed a Deposit Agreement by which he agreed to keep the Minnesota company’s ICA payment in a “separate and distinct” bank account, and to hold it as a “trust fund.”
On December 22, the Minnesota company wire transferred a $5 million ICA payment to a Prime Capital account controlled by Roglieri. The complaint alleges that Roglieri then transferred and spent these funds, including by transferring $950,000 in order to meet a financial obligation to another Prime Capital client; paying $84,000 for his purchase of a Rolex day-date 36 mm yellow gold diamond bezel watch; and paying $101,000 to a private jet services company, for round-trip, private air travel between Albany International Airport and Anguilla, for a family vacation that Roglieri took from about December 29, 2023 to January 5, 2024.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted of the charge set forth in the complaint, Roglieri faces up to 20 years in prison, a maximum $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Roglieri appeared today in Albany before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel, and was ordered detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for Monday, June 3 at 3 p.m.
The FBI is conducting this ongoing investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua R. Rosenthal and Michael Barnett are prosecuting this case.
Pocola Resident Sentenced to 22 Years for Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Patrick Timothy Kelley, age 46, of Pocola, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 270 months in prison for one count of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country.
The charges arose from investigations by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the District 16 Drug and Violent Crime Task Force in Le Flore County.
On October 10, 2023, Kelley pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, during the summer of 2021, Kelley sexually abused a minor under the age of 12. As part of the plea, Kelley also admitted to creating and transporting sexually explicit depictions of two minors between 2015 and 2021. The crimes occurred in Le Flore County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
“Homeland Security Investigations will never relent in our pursuit to hold those accountable who prey on innocent children,” said Robert Melton, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the HSI Dallas – Oklahoma Division. “We are proud of the collaboration with our partners of the Tornado Alley Child Exploitation and Trafficking Taskforce and U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure justice was served.”
“This sentence should serve as another clear warning to those who prey on children: we will leverage all available resources to identify, apprehend, and prosecute you,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “I am grateful to our law enforcement partners at Homeland Security Investigations and District 16 Drug and Violent Crime Task Force for their work in bringing this defendant to justice.”
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Kelley will remain in custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Bove represented the United States at sentencing.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood and internet safety, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources”.
We encourage anyone who suspects or has information regarding child sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors, sextortion, child pornography, or any other means of child exploitation to immediately contact law enforcement. You can file a report on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) website at www.cybertipline.com. If you prefer to speak to someone directly, you can contact NCMEC’s Call Center at 1-800-843-5678, the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or HSI at 1-877-4-HSI TIP (1-877-447-4847).
Pocahontas County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Jose Dominguez, 42, of Snowshoe, was sentenced today to seven years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 29, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Dominguez in Beckley. During the traffic stop, a police K-9 alerted to the presence of controlled substances in the vehicle. Officers observed an open bag containing methamphetamine on the driver’s side floorboard. Dominguez admitted that he possessed the approximately 659 grams of methamphetamine found in the bag, that he had just acquired the controlled substance and that he intended to distribute it within the Southern District of West Virginia.
Dominguez has a long criminal history that includes a dozen prior convictions including six convictions for drug-related offenses in California and Florida.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, the Beckley Police Department, and the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office. The Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, and the Beckley Police Department.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-15.
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Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Illegally Possessing a Firearm; Gun was Used in Violent Assault and Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Kelvin Canales, 29, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Karen S. Marston to 120 months’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment for possession of a firearm by a felon, stemming from an incident in which he violently assaulted a victim before disposing of the weapon.
On April 21, 2021, Canales robbed and assaulted a victim of his cell phone on a sidewalk in North Philadelphia. After the defendant returned to his car, he reapproached the victim and shot the victim multiple times in the back. Video footage shows Canales then fleeing the area. Approximately an hour later, the defendant crashed his car in a single-car accident. When paramedics arrived and attempted to speak with the defendant, he allegedly fled the accident scene, walked behind a row of houses, and hid a loaded firearm in a trash can.
Canales pleaded guilty to the felon in possession charge on November 29, 2023.
"Kelvin Canales' possession of a firearm as a repeat offender with a history of violent crime was a threat to the larger community," said U.S. Attorney Romero. "Today's sentencing of Canales for possession of a firearm keeps a dangerous man off the streets. It reinforces our commitment, in cooperation with our law enforcement partners, to keep Philadelphia safe and fight violent crime."
“This case is another example of ATF Philadelphia Field Division’s long history of partnership with the Philadelphia Police Department,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “Violent criminals who attack randomly like Kelvin Canales did will be prosecuted vigorously to ensure justice for the victims and to make our communities safer.”
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 prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert.
Pharmacy Owner Sentenced for Paying Illegal Kickbacks and Engaging in a Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A Texas pharmacy owner was sentenced today to four years and four months in prison and ordered to pay over $59 million in restitution for paying illegal kickbacks and engaging in a money laundering conspiracy.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Richard Hall, 53, of Fort Worth, worked with others to create and market expensive compounded medications, which are intended to be custom-tailored to individual patient needs. Hall paid marketers to recruit area doctors to write prescriptions for these expensive compounded medications, including by creating so-called “investment opportunities” so that doctors who wrote prescriptions to the pharmacy could profit from the pharmacy operations. Hall paid illegal kickbacks to these marketers and engaged in a conspiracy to launder the unlawful proceeds.
A federal jury in the Northern District of Texas convicted Hall in July 2023 of four counts of paying and receiving unlawful kickbacks and one count of conspiring to launder money.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Michael Mentavlos of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS); Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Dallas Regional Office; Special Agent in Charge Chad B. Yarbrough of the FBI Dallas Regional Office; Special Agent in Charge Casey Howard of the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG) Central Regional Office; and Special Agent in Charge Kris Raper of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG) South Central Field Office made the announcement.
The DCIS, HHS-OIG, FBI, DOL-OIG, and VA-OIG investigated the case.
Assistant Chiefs Kate Payerle and Brynn Schiess and Trial Attorneys Lee Michael Hirsch and Jacqueline DerOvanesian of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
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.
Ozark Woman Pleads Guilty to Selling Counterfeit Luis Vuitton Bracelets OnlineRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An Ozark, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to selling counterfeit Louis Vuitton bracelets and other items online.
Carissa L. Bedford, 46, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr., to a federal information that charges her with trafficking in counterfeit goods.
Bedford operated JOVEE, LLC, an online wholesale business that sold to boutique stores and which operated out of Bedford’s residence.
By pleading guilty today, Bedford admitted she sold various counterfeit Louis Vuitton bracelets, hair ties, and other products through JOVEE from April to December 2022. The counterfeit consumer goods and apparel were typically manufactured in Hong Kong and China and shipped to the United States for distribution. Numerous shipments were delivered from Hong Kong or China to Bedford and another individual who operated JOVEE, who is not identified in court documents, from May 4 to Nov. 14, 2022.
Bedford specifically admitted to ordering 200 Louis Vuitton-branded, counterfeit bracelets from Hong Kong in April 2022. She also admitted to selling three Louis Vuitton-branded, counterfeit hair ties to an individual working in an undercover capacity in association with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on May 26, 2022. Bedford received $70,770 in criminal proceeds from her illegal actions.
Under federal statutes, Bedford is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Orlando Jury Convicts Deerfield Beach Man for Bank Robbery and Brandishing Firearm During A Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Johnson Saint-Louis (39, Deerfield) guilty of bank robbery using a dangerous weapon and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Saint-Louis faces up to 25 years in prison for the armed bank robbery, followed by a mandatory consecutive sentence of between 7 years, up to life, imprisonment for brandishing a firearm during the offense. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 10, 2024. Saint-Louis was indicted on December 14, 2022.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Saint-Louis was a former ATM technician who traveled around the southeast tampering with ATMs serviced by his former employer. On February 16, 2021, Saint-Louis robbed an ATM technician who was sent out to fix an ATM malfunction caused by Saint-Louis at a bank in Longwood. Saint-Louis was previously convicted of a similar robbery in Tallahassee that took place in September 2021. In addition, during the trial, the government introduced evidence of similar robberies committed by Saint-Louis in Boca Raton in November 2019, and in Raleigh, North Carolina in August 2021.
As part of the FBI’s investigation into the bank robberies, Saint-Louis was surveilled by deputies from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office on November 4, 2021, who observed Saint-Louis traveling to various bank locations in Seminole County. Deputies eventually stopped Saint-Louis, and during that traffic stop, they observed that Saint-Louis had a firearm inside his car with black tape covering its serial numbers, as well as several pieces of paper listing the branch locations in Jacksonville. The listed bank branches were annotated with whether the ATM at each location was manufactured by Saint-Louis’s former employer or by another company, as well as notes like “too open,” “not enough exit route,” and “two man job.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tallahassee Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel S. Lyons and Chauncey A. Bratt.
Oklahoma Attorney and Landman Cousin to Serve More Than Six Years in Federal Prison Collectively for Scheme to Defraud Oklahoma Oil CompanyRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – BLAINE DYER (Blaine), 42, of Oklahoma City, and JAMES DYER (Jimmy), 39, of Edmond, have been sentenced to serve 78 months in federal prison collectively for conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On December 19, 2022, a federal grand jury returned an eleven-count Superseding Indictment against Blaine and Jimmy, charging them with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and six counts of honest services wire fraud, and charging Blaine with three counts of making a false statement on a promissory note. The Superseding Indictment alleged that Blaine, an attorney who specialized in oil and gas title opinions, and his cousin, Jimmy, who worked as a landman, conspired together to commit wire fraud against Continental Resources (CLR), an oil and gas exploration company based in Oklahoma City. In November 2013, Blaine and Jimmy received CLR’s confidential drilling and leasing plans from an employee of the company. Public record reflects that with knowledge reaped through the illegally obtained CLR plans, Jimmy sought out and negotiated with landowners across Oklahoma, and purchased leases that CLR intended to acquire. To avoid detection, Blaine, Jimmy, and others, formed several shell companies to facilitate these transactions.
The Superseding Indictment further alleged that in 2014, Blaine, Jimmy, and others, sold some of the leases purchased using CLR’s information back to CLR. As part of the agreement, CLR continued to make royalty payments on the leases to the defendants and others through the conspirators’ shell companies.
On February 17, 2023, Blaine pleaded guilty to a one-count Superseding Information, charging him with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. As part of his plea, Blaine admitted to participating in the conspiracy to purchase leases using CLR’s stolen information, then selling those leases back to CLR, and accepting royalties on the leases through 2020. Jimmy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud on February 16, 2023.
At the sentencing hearings on May 30, 2024, U.S. District Judge Jodi W. Dishman sentenced Blaine to serve 60 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, and Jimmy to serve 18 months in federal prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. The Court also ordered the defendants to pay $2,316,185.43 in restitution to CLR, and ordered Blaine and Jimmy to forfeit $1,661,263.42 and $230,761.74, respectively, to the United States. The defendants were ordered to self-surrender to the Bureau of Prisons to begin serving their sentences, Blaine within 30 days, and Jimmy within 60 days.
“The defendants’ greed resulted in an elaborate scheme to exploit insider information and defraud Continental simply to enrich themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Troester. “The significant sentences imposed by the Court should serve as a strong deterrent to those who seek personal gain and profit by defrauding Oklahoma businesses. I commend the investigation by the FBI and the prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julia Barry and Brandon Hale in unraveling this scheme and holding these defendants accountable.”
This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julia E. Barry and Brandon Hale prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Norway Man Sentenced to 2 Years for PPP Loan FraudRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Norway man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for filing fraudulent applications for loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Merton Weed Jr., 52, to 24 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $253,646. Weed pleaded guilty on October 23, 2023.
According to court records, between May 2020 and January 2021, Weed filed eight fraudulent PPP loan applications with four different lenders and received $243,745 in PPP funds. The applications listed false average monthly payrolls and numbers of employees for phony businesses that did not exist. Weed supported the applications with falsified bank records.
The FBI investigated the case.
“Motivated by greed, Merton Weed took advantage of a program intended to help small businesses survive economic uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee. “Mr. Weed has a lengthy history of enriching himself through fraud, so it is perhaps not surprising that he made not one but eight attempts to take advantage of a time of international turmoil. The Department of Justice and my office will continue to bring to justice those who, like Mr. Weed, sought to capitalize on an unprecedented crisis to line their own pockets.”
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): The PPP was a COVID-19 pandemic relief program administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) that provided forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses. The PPP permitted participating third-party lenders to approve and disburse SBA-backed PPP loans to cover payroll, fixed debts, utilities, rent/mortgage, accounts payable and other bills incurred by qualifying businesses during, and resulting from, the COVID-19 pandemic. PPP loans were fully guaranteed by the SBA.
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New Orleans Man Sentenced for Violations of the Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – BRISON SHELTON (“SHELTON”), age 50, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on May 29, 2024 after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five hundred grams or more of cocaine hydrochloride, and possession with intent to distribute five hundred grams or more of cocaine hydrochloride, violations of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846. Specifically, SHELTON was sentenced to twelve months and one day of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents, SHELTON, and other co-conspirators, are responsible for the distribution of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin within the Eastern District of Louisiana.
During the investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, seized over forty (71) kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride, twelve (12) kilograms of fentanyl, four and a half (4.5) kilograms of heroin, and nearly $1,200,000.00 in U.S. Currency and other seized property.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration – New Orleans Field Division Office, and was assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Border Patrol, the Gretna Major Crimes Task Force, the Kenner Police Department, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the St. John’s Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the New Orleans Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit.
New Orleans Man Indicted for Federal Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – WARDELL FLETCHER (“FLETCHER”), age 48, a resident of New Orleans, was indicted on May 30, 2024, on three counts of 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), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
As to each count, if convicted, FLETCHER faces up to 15 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents, on December 27, 2023, FLETCHER, knowing he was a convicted felon, possessed a Taurus Model 608, .357 Magnum caliber revolver, and ammunition. On January 25, 2024, FLETCHER possessed a Intratec Model TEC-9, 9-millimeter pistol, bearing a partially obliterated serial number as well as the above-referenced Taurus Model 608, .357 Magnum caliber revolver and ammunition.
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy Bell of the Violent Crime Unit.
Nevada felon sentenced for gun possessionRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Justin Hall, 43, of Wellington, Nevada, who was convicted of being a prohibited person in possession of firearms, was sentenced to time served (24 months) by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett Fitzsimmons, who handled the case, stated that in May 2021, Hall was arrested in Gardnerville, Nevada, for possessing a firearm. Subsequently, in May 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Buffalo, received information from the Nevada FBI that Hall was traveling around the Buffalo area. On May 22, 2022, law enforcement conducted a motor vehicle stop of Hall’s vehicle on Interstate 90 near the Transit Road exit. A search of Hall’s vehicle recovered three firearms, as well as over 1,200 rounds of various caliber ammunition and five magazines. In March 2017, Hall was convicted a misdemeanor crime of Domestic Battery in Nevada, and is legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia. Additional assistance was provided by the Douglas County, Nevada Sheriff’s Office and the Nevada FBI.
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Nashua Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Nashua man pleaded guilty today in federal court to possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Dwayne Frechette, 60, pleaded guilty to possessing and accessing with intent to view child pornography. U.S. District Court Joseph Laplante scheduled sentencing for September 23, 2024.
Frechette was identified during an undercover investigation involving a peer-to-peer network used to exchange CSAM. During the investigation, agents identified an IP address in Nashua that was using the peer-to-peer network to make images of CSAM available for others to download. The target IP address geolocated to a restaurant in Nashua, where it was later determined that Frechette was a delivery driver. A search warrant for the restaurant resulted in the seizure of Frechette’s cell phone, which was found to contain hundreds of cached images of CSAM.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least 5 years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and mandatory restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Nashua Police Department led the investigation. The Homeland Security Investigations and the Nashua Police Department provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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Miami resident sentenced to prison for shooting at a U.S. Postal Service Mail CarrierRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On May 29, Charlie Holley, 43, of Florida City, Florida, was sentenced to 192 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz II, after having been convicted by a federal jury of forcibly assaulting a federal employee, brandishing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.
According to evidence introduced at trial, in June 2021, the victim, a mail carrier with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), was delivering the mail on her usual route in Florida City when she arrived at Holley’s townhouse to deliver a package addressed to a name used by Holley. The victim got out of the mail truck and heard Holley speaking to her from a second-story window. The victim told Holley that she had a package for him. In response, Holley demanded that the victim open the package. The victim advised Holley that she was not permitted to open the package, which Holley responded to by shouting, “Do you think I’m f----- playing with you?,” and then lifting a 45 caliber, semi-automatic rifle and pointing it at the victim. The victim fled to her postal truck and heard a bullet hit her truck as she drove away.
In response to her 911 call, officers responded to Holley’s residence, where he barricaded himself inside. After a near two-hour standoff, Holley surrendered. The black rifle was found in a bedroom with several magazines loaded with ammunition, and a bullet fragment was recovered from above the gas tank of the postal truck.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Inspector in Charge Juan A. Vargas of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, Director Stephanie V. Daniels of the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), and Chief Pedro W. Taylor of the Florida City Police Department made the announcement.
USPIS, FBI Miami, ATF, MDPD and the Florida City Police Department investigated the case. Miami-Dade Schools Police Department and Homestead Police Department provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Maultasch and Zachary A. Keller prosecuted it.
Anyone with information about a crime having been committed against a postal employee, to include an assault, robbery or attempted robbery is encouraged to call 877-876-2455 or submit a tip to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at www.uspis.gov/report. The Postal Inspection Service is authorized to issue monetary rewards for the forcible assault, robbery or attempted robbery of any custodian of any mail, money, or other property of the United States under the control and jurisdiction of the Postal Service.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-cr-20373.
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Mexican National Sentenced for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican national has been sentenced in federal court after more than 88 pounds of methamphetamine was found in the trunk of a car in which he was traveling on Interstate 70.
Juan Emilio Gomez-Padilla, 32, who was residing in Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Thursday, May 30, to 11 years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Gomez-Padilla to forfeit to the government $5,505 that was seized by law enforcement.
On Jan. 5, 2024, Gomez-Padilla pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Gomez-Padilla admitted that he was a passenger in a car that was carrying more than 88 pounds of methamphetamine in the trunk when it was stopped by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper in Saline County, Mo., on April 5, 2021.
Gomez-Padilla is the third and final defendant to be sentenced in this case. Co-defendants Jose Alfredo Renteria-Rojas, 35, and his brother, Gustavo Renteria-Rojas, 40, who are both citizens of Mexico residing in Chicago, have each been sentenced to 11 years and six months in federal prison without parole. They each pleaded guilty to their roles in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and to illegally possessing a firearm.
All three of the defendants were in a white 2011 Volkswagen Jetta driven by Gustavo Renteria-Rojas on eastbound Interstate 70 that was stopped by a state trooper in Saline County. As Jose Renteria-Rojas was getting out of the vehicle, the state trooper saw a loaded Smith & Wesson .380-caliber handgun that contained a magazine as well as an extra magazine in the door pocket. The trooper found four white cardboard boxes in the trunk, which contained 36 packages of methamphetamine that weighed a total of 88.7 pounds. The trooper also found $5,505 in cash in the car.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Massachusetts Surgeon to Pay $200,000 to Resolve Allegations of Soliciting and Receiving Illegal KickbacksRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Massachusetts doctor has agreed to pay $200,000 to resolve allegations that he violated the Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act by soliciting and receiving free products from DePuy Synthes, Inc. and DePuy Synthes Sales, Inc. (collectively “DePuy”), in return for ordering DePuy products for use in his procedures. Doctor used these free products in surgeries he performed overseas in countries including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Qatar.
In January 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced that DePuy had agreed to pay approximately $9.75 million to resolve allegations related to its role in this conduct. DePuy manufactures and distributes medical devices, including spinal implants, and has headquarters in Raynham, Mass.
According to the settlement agreement, Dr. Tannoury admits, acknowledges, and accepts responsibility for the facts underlying the government’s allegations. From at least July 2016 through February 2018, Dr. Tannoury received products from DePuy for use in overseas surgeries, including cages, rods, screws, plates, and modular access and retraction systems. He performed at least five surgeries using these products in countries including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Qatar. Dr. Tannoury never paid DePuy for these products that he used overseas and continued to use DePuy products in surgeries in Boston, including for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
The Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”) prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare and other federally funded programs. The statute is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients. The United States contends that Dr. Tannoury knowingly and willfully solicited and received free DePuy products, worth over $100,000, in return for Dr. Tannoury’s ordering, arranging for, and recommending the purchase of DePuy’s products in spine surgeries he performed on Medicare and Medicaid patients in Massachusetts in violation of the AKS.
“Physicians violate the law when they solicit and receive free goods from medical device manufacturers. Unlawful kickbacks like these can corrupt medical judgment and create an uneven playing field for companies that play by the rules,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Today’s settlement reflects our office’s commitment to holding individuals who receive kickbacks accountable under the False Claims Act.”
“Improper financial arrangements can compromise medical judgment and adversely influence the medical decision-making process,” said Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “These types of arrangements have no place in our health care system, and we will continue working together with our federal and state law enforcement partners to pursue such allegations.”
“Today’s settlement resolves allegations that Dr. Tony Tannoury solicited and received illegal kickbacks, and in doing so, used his patients as pawns,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division. “Health care fraud has serious costs, and serious consequences, and the FBI will continue to make investigations like this a priority as we work to deter this behavior.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Levy, HHS-OIG SAC Coviello, and FBI SAC Cohen made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica J. Weber and Andrew A. Caffrey, III of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled this matter. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is represented by Assistant Attorney General Kevin Lownds.
Maryland Felon Convicted After Four Day Jury Trial of Possessing A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – After a four-day trial, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict today convicting John Robert Williams III, age 42, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland on the federal charge of possessing a firearm and ammunition after having been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.
The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron, Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Chief of Police Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to the evidence at trial, the defendant possessed a firearm and ammunition, specifically, a Kel-Tec P-11 semi-automatic pistol loaded with one round of 9mm Luger caliber ammunition – after having been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.
Specifically, on the evening of September 10, 2022, members of the Prince George’s County Police Department (“PGPD”) were conducting proactive patrols in a specific area of Oxon Hill, Maryland in response to recent gun and drug-related crime in this area. An officer noticed a white Chevy Trailblazer stopped next to a business in this area and saw what he believed to be an interrupted drug transaction as he drove by.
After additional officers returned to do an investigative stop, law enforcement saw what appeared to be a firearm in the back right pocket of Mr. Williams’ pants. Mr. Williams was placed into handcuffs for the officers’ safety, and law enforcement pulled from Mr. Williams’ back right pocket a Kel-Tec P-11 semi-automatic pistol loaded with one round of 9mm Luger caliber ammunition.
Trial testimony further showed that the officers also recovered from Mr. Williams the keys to the Trailblazer and approximately $2,458 in cash. A subsequent search of the Trailblazer found a number of bags of marijuana, as well as two more firearms: a loaded Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver, and a loaded Ruger Model P89 9mm pistol.
At sentencing, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. District Judge Chuang has scheduled sentencing for September 11, 2024 at 2:30 p.m.
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.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and PGPD for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Rosenthal and William Moomau, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Manchester Man Charged with Child Exploitation Offenses Related to Sexual Abuse MinorRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Manchester Police Chief William Darby today announced that HERNAN AYALA, 32, of Manchester, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with child exploitation offenses.
Ayala appeared yesterday in Hartford federal court. He has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on March 9, 2024.
As alleged in court documents, in March 2024, the Manchester Police Department received a complaint that a minor female had been sexually abused by Ayala. The minor female reported that Ayala had engaged in sexual conduct with her for more than eight years, and that Ayala had recorded his sexual abuse of her on his cellphone. On that date, investigators searched Ayala’s residence and seized several electronic devices, including his iPhone. Analysis of the seized phone revealed numerous videos and images of Ayala engaging in sexual conduct with the minor victim.
The complaint charges Ayala with sexual exploitation of children, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, and with possession of child pornography, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that a criminal complaint is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Manchester Police Department, the Glastonbury Police Department, and the Connecticut Center for Digital Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford.
U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the State’s Attorney’s Offices for the Judicial Districts of Hartford and Tolland for their cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Lawrence Man Sentenced to More Than Three and a Half Years in Prison for Fentanyl Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lawrence was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his role in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy.
Fraily Rodriguez Morillo, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV to 46 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. In February 2024, Morillo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue; three counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; and one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue.
Morillo was indicted by a federal grand jury along with Melvin Antonio Perez Medina and Manuel Fredis Guerrero Guzman in November 2022.
Between March 2022 and August 2022, Morillo, Perez Medina and Guzman conspired to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue, in Lawrence, Woburn, Wilmington and Andover.
In March 2022, Morillo and Guzman met with a cooperating witness to negotiate future drug deals, including the price that Guzman would charge for fentanyl and for cocaine. On two separate occasions in April 2022 Morillo distributed 50 grams of fentanyl to a cooperating witness in Lawrence. In July 2022, Morillo worked with Perez Medina to distribute nearly 130 grams of fentanyl on one occasion, and over 560 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and p-fluorofentanyl (a fentanyl analogue) on another occasion, to a cooperating witness and Woburn. In total, Morillo is responsible for the distribution of approximately 230 grams of fentanyl and 560 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and p-fluorofentanyl (a fentanyl analogue).
In August 2022, Perez Medina was arrested and found in possession of nearly two kilograms of a mixture containing fentanyl and a fentanyl analogue. The nearly two kilograms were found secreted inside of a cereal box.
On Jan. 18, 2024, Perez Medina was sentenced to 64 months in prison and three years of supervised release after previously pleasing guilty to his role in the conspiracy. In March 2024, Guzman pleaded guilty and on May 30, 2024 Guzman was sentenced to 21 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; and John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. The Massachusetts Department of Correction; the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office; and the Watertown, Reading, Peabody, Hudson, Concord and Waltham Police Departments provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alathea Porter of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Lancaster Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Lancaster, Ky., man, Brett M. Martin, 33, was sentenced on Friday, by Chief U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves, to 180 months in prison, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to his plea agreement, on October 12, 2022, law enforcement conducted a search warrant at Martin’s residence, locating six firearms and 93.53 grams of methamphetamine. Additionally, officers located $36,685.99 in cash at Martin’s grandmother’s residence. Martin admitted to drug trafficking and to possessing the methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it.
Under federal law, Martin must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Erek Davodowich, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Louisville Field Division; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police (KSP); Sheriff Willie Skeens, Garrard County Sheriff’s Office; and Sheriff Shawn Hines, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA, ATF, KSP, Garrard County Sheriff’s Office, and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paco Villalobos prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
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Lake City Resident Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A former resident of Lake City, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 15 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to make restitution in the amount of $4,000 and to pay a $5,100 special assessment on his conviction of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter imposed the sentence on William Joseph Leuschen, 39.
According to information presented to the Court, from in and around May 2020 to in and around February 2022, Leuschen received and possessed images depicting prepubescent minors, some as young as infants and toddlers, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Erie County Detectives Bureau, and Erie County Adult Probation and Parole Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Leuschen.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.