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12 July 2024
U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures Guilty Plea in Federal Funds Theft CaseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A former Indian Health Service (IHS) housing manager admitted stealing over $5,000 in federal funds by pocketing rent payments from traveling medical personnel and students.
According to publicly available court documents, Alonzo James Cayatineto, 39, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, served as housing manager for IHS in Crownpoint from approximately 2017 until his resignation in January 2023. In this role, Cayatineto was responsible for collecting rent payments from pharmacy students and other medical personnel on temporary assignments in Crownpoint.
In December 2022, Cayatineto emailed former pharmacy students, claiming they had outstanding housing debts. He instructed them to pay via his personal Venmo account to avoid collections. Between December 2022 and January 2023, Cayatineto collected $5,363 in rent payments from 12 individuals through 15 separate Venmo transactions. Cayatineto failed to remit these funds to IHS and was not authorized to collect payments in this manner.
The scheme was uncovered in January 2023 when students complained about not receiving receipts for their payments. An internal IHS investigation led to Cayatineto being placed on administrative leave on January 27, 2023. He resigned the same day.
Cayatineto was sentenced to two years of probation. He was also ordered to complete community service and pay back the $5,363 he stole.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez made the announcement today.
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.
View the Plea Agreement# # #
U.S. Attorney, Homeland Security Investigations Secure 17-Year Sentence in Child Exploitation CaseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – An El Paso man was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for his role in a cross-border conspiracy to distribute child pornography, following an investigation that uncovered thousands of explicit images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, including infants.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, between April 28, 2022, and April 24, 2023, Yamil Pillado, 23, and his cousin, Ryan Gallardo, engaged in a conspiracy to send and receive images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material via various online platforms. Pillado and Gallardo used WhatsApp and the MEGA file hosting service to exchange these illegal materials across state lines, with Pillado located in Texas and Gallardo in New Mexico.
During the investigation, law enforcement uncovered extensive conversations between Pillado and Gallardo discussing their mutual sexual interest in minors, including infants. The cousins exchanged numerous files containing sexually explicit images and videos of children.
Specifically, on April 29, 2022, Gallardo sent Pillado several videos showing an adult male sexually abusing a prepubescent female. On July 5, 2022, Pillado reciprocated by sending Gallardo an image of a minor female being sexually exploited.
A search of Pillado's phone uncovered more than 2,000 files containing child sexual abuse material.
Upon his release from prison, Pillado will be subject to 20 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.
Gallardo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and receive child pornography and remains in custody pending sentencing which is current scheduled for July 17, 2024. At sentencing Gallardo faces up to 20 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Jason T. Stevens, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations - El Paso, made the announcement today.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case with assistance from the El Paso Police Department and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa A. Ong and A’Kiesha Soliman are prosecuting the case.
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U.S. Attorney Secures Guilty Plea in Oil and Gas Fraud CaseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Farmington woman has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to submitting false and inaccurate oil and gas extraction reports, failing to pay due taxes and royalties to the Jicarilla Apache Nation, Navajo Nation, and federal government.
In her plea agreement, Teresa McCown, owner of M&M Production & Operation, Inc. (M&M) and Shoreline Oil & Gas Company (Shoreline), admitted that between 2017 and 2023, she repeatedly submitted false and inaccurate oil and gas extraction and production reports through online reporting systems, failed to submit mineral reports in some cases, and did not pay due taxes and royalties for oil and gas produced from Federal and Indian leases.
As a lease operator, McCown was responsible for accounting, reporting mineral production, and paying royalties to mineral owners for extracted gas and minerals. To that end, McCown was required to submit monthly Oil and Gas Operations Reports (OGOR) and royalty payments to the Department of the Interior's Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) based on the amount and value of oil and gas produced from the leases.
On December 6, 2019, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) received a complaint letter from the Jicarilla Apache Nation alleging M&M and Shoreline’s ongoing failures to report oil and gas extraction volumes and failure to report revenue. ONRR began its investigation into McCown and her companies’ failure to pay royalties and determined that required reporting for royalties was missing for long periods of time.
In her plea, McCown admitted to filing over 400 incorrect reports on Indian and Federal leases during the time period, that there are approximately 1,000 missing or unfiled OGOR reports for at least 32 leases or agreements, that she falsely reported gas extraction amounts, and failed to pay due royalties and interest. McCown was issued numerous Notices of Noncompliance (NONC), Failure to Correct Civil Penalties notices (FCCP), and Immediate Liability Civil Penalty (ILCP) notices for inaccurate reporting. ONRR held two pre-penalty teleconferences with McCown to discuss the civil penalties assessed in the NONCs, FCCPs, and ILCPs and any mitigating circumstances that may have prevented her companies from complying by the prescribed deadlines. Both of these teleconferences were audio recorded. In those teleconferences, McCown offered no relevant mitigating circumstances and instead gave various excuses, blaming medical ailments and fired employees for not properly reporting the well sites. Even after those teleconferences, McCown took no corrective action.
ONRR then sent the companies’ debts for unpaid royalties and penalties to the U.S. Treasury for collection. As of January 2024, neither M&M nor Shoreline had paid the debts to the U.S. Treasury and both debts continued to accrue.
In addition, McCown knowingly submitted false or inaccurate reports to ONRR over the internet, constituting wire fraud. When a user accesses ONRR's online systems, there is a validation process. The validation process all occurs over wires and an interaction with the data center where user logins are authenticated and authorized. Thus, when reports are submitted via an internet connection, users are confronted with a popup message that reads “I am authorized to report for this Reporter and certify that the electronic data transmitted is valid, accurate, complete and accept responsibility for such data…”, and must click “OK” to proceed.
During the reporting periods at issue in the indictment, McCown also accessed relevant websites as an official representative of her two companies. When she accessed those websites to submit information, she agreed to ONRR’s Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), which warned against entering inaccurate or false information into the reporting system. The online system separately warns users that a violation of the AUP may result in criminal prosecution.
In her plea agreement, McCown admitted that she submitted inaccurate or false information through these systems on numerous occasions and that she intended to undertake a scheme to defraud the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Nation, and the United States of full amounts due for her companies’ operations – even after receiving notices, penalties, and participating in teleconferences with regulators.
As part of her plea agreement, McCown agreed to liquidate personal properties in Farmington and Rio Arriba County, an RV, and two motor vehicles and apply the proceeds the restitution she owes. McCown also agreed not to contest proceedings initiated by the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management to cancel her oil and gas leases. She agreed to file financial disclosure forms with the United States Attorney’s Office until restitution is complete, and agreed to fully comply with ongoing curative audit and compliance procedures that will follow her plea.
The Court ordered that McCown remain on conditions of release pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
At sentencing, McCown faces up to 20 years in prison. Upon her release from prison, McCown will be subject to up to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and the Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Inspector General made the announcement today.
The Department of the Interior, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Energy Investigations Unit investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Flores is prosecuting the case.
View the Plea Agreement# # #
U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves Welcomed Youth to 14th Annual “Breaking the Silence on Youth Violence” Youth SummitRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and numerous local and federal law enforcement agencies and community-based organizations welcomed about 150 District youths to the 14th Annual “Breaking the Silence on Youth Violence” Youth Summit,” held today at The Catholic University of America’s Przybyla Center.
The event focused on a variety of subjects, including opioid abuse prevention, gun violence prevention, and mental health awareness. A moment of silence was held to remember young victims lost by homicide in 2024. The Summit featured dynamic speakers, entertainment, information, and resources. U.S. Attorney Graves presented the United States Attorney’s Office’s Youth Citizenship Awards to four participants.
Thousands of the District’s youth have participated in the Summit since the U.S. Attorney’s Office began holding this event. The Summit is a part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhood Program, a nationwide effort to reduce violent crime.
The U.S. Attorney thanks this year’s partners: the East of the River Family Strengthening Collaborative; the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation; The Catholic University of America, including its Department of Public Safety; the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Metro Transit Police Department; the D.C. Housing Police Department; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Housing; and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigation.
The event is planned and executed each year by members of the Community Engagement Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Two Non-Citizens Illegally Present in the United States Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Firearms in SpringfieldRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. – Walter Geovanni Arteta-Gonzalez, age 33, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment on July 10, 2024, for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and illegal reentry after removal. Santos Fernando Zepeda-Arteta, 21, was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment on July 11, 2024, for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Both men are originally from Honduras.
At the sentencing hearings before U.S. District Court Judge Colleen R. Lawless, the government established that both Arteta-Gonzalez and Zepeda-Arteta possessed firearms knowing they were in the United States without legal documentation. On November 27, 2023, Springfield Police officers responded to a Springfield hotel to investigate shots being fired. After eyewitnesses were interviewed and the hotel surveillance video was reviewed, both Arteta-Gonzalez and Zepeda-Arteta admitted to police officers that they possessed firearms. Further, both men were observed on the videos holding a firearm and firing several shots into the air. Arteta-Gonzalez stated he fired rounds outside his hotel room “just for fun.” The gun possessed by Zepeda-Arteta was stolen from an unspecified location in St. Louis, Missouri.
Both Arteta-Gonzalez and Zepeda-Arteta have remained in the custody of the United States Marshals Service since their arrests in November of 2023.
The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person are up to 15 years imprisonment; up to three years of supervised release; up to a $250,000 fine; and a $100 special assessment.
In addition to the firearm possession, Arteta-Gonzalez was sentenced on illegal re-entry into the country after a prior removal. The statutory penalties for this charge include up to 2 years' imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The Springfield Police Department, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Sangamon County Sheriffs’ Office investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Sierra-Senor Moore represented the government in the prosecution.
The 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.
Two Georgia Women Sentenced for Stealing Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Teresa Carter and Sharon Crowder have been sentenced for theft of government funds for their unlawful receipt of Social Security benefits intended for relatives, who died years earlier.
“Carter and Crowder chose to assume the responsibility of acting on behalf of loved ones as the recipients of their relative’s Social Security benefits,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Then they concealed the deaths of their relatives and knowingly and unlawfully continued to receive these government funds to which they were not entitled. The defendants’ prosecution and sentence should place others on notice that stealing money from the government and taxpayers is a serious offense.”
“As representative payees, these defendants had a responsibility to report the death of the beneficiary, rather they falsified information to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and wrongfully converted funds to their own use, which is a crime. These sentences demonstrate that we will continue to investigate representative payees who misappropriate funds issued by the SSA,” said Rodregas W. Owens, Special Agent in Charge, SSA Office of the Inspector General, Atlanta Field Division. “I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane C. Schulman for their work in this case.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Teresa Carter was the representative payee for her father’s Social Security benefits. As the representative payee, she was required to spend all of his monthly benefits on his behalf and submit annual reporting statements to the SSA that documented any changes in his condition. Carter’s father died on July 17, 2006. Rather than report his death to the SSA, Carter continued to submit annual reporting statements to the SSA in which she falsely stated that her father was still alive.
In March 2023, when SSA investigators interviewed Carter, she admitted that her father had died and that she had submitted false statements after his death to continue to receive the benefits. But she falsely claimed that a Social Security employee told her to lie on the annual reporting form so that she could continue to receive the benefits which she falsely claimed were pension benefits from a private pension fund. In total, Carter stole over $130,000 in government funds.
Sharon Crowder acted as the representative payee for her brother’s Social Security benefits. Her brother died on September 10, 2009. Like Carter, Crowder did not report her brother’s death to the SSA. Instead, she submitted annual reporting statements to the SSA in which she falsely stated that her brother was still alive. When confronted by investigators in August 2023 about this deception, Crowder admitted that she submitted the false statements to the SSA and spent the funds knowing that she was not entitled to receive them. In total, Crowder stole more than $139,000 in government benefits.
Teresa Carter, 66, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown two years of probation with the first 90 days to be served on home confinement. She was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $130,182.90. Carter was convicted of this charge on March 7, 2024, after she pleaded guilty.
Sharon R. Crowder, 55, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by Judge Brown to four years of probation with the first six months to be served on home confinement. She was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $139,656.00. Crowder was convicted of this charge on March 12, 2024, after she pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane C. Schulman prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Sulphur Man Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Time for Receipt of Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that a Sulphur, Louisiana man was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. on child pornography charges.
Gabriel Lyons, 26, was sentenced to 150 months (12 years, 6 months) in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, on child pornography charges. According to information introduced in court, in July 2022, Lyons was communicating with a 15-year-old minor female and began asking her for sexually explicit images and videos. Lyons would engage in “cybersexing” with the minor female. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cyber tip in August 2022 and began an investigation into these activities.
Through their investigation, law enforcement agents determined that on July 4, 2022, Lyons received a video of the minor female over the internet. Law enforcement agents obtained a search warrant for the residence in which Lyons lived in the Lake Charles area. Lyons was present during the search and admitted to agents that he had been communicating with the minor female, knowing that she was 15 years of age, and in fact at the time of the search admitted that he was still communicating with her. Lyons was charged and pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography.
This case was investigated by Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Luke Walker.
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South Georgia Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. –A Valdosta, Georgia, resident was sentenced to serve 27 years in federal prison for coercing and enticing a 13-year-old child to a hotel room, where he gave her alcohol and sexually abused her.
Dewayne Howell, 50, was sentenced to serve 324 months in prison to be followed by 12 years of supervised release and also ordered to pay $4,050 in restitution to Minor Victim 1 (MV1) by U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands on July 11. In addition, Howell will have to register as a child sex offender upon release from prison. Howell was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of coercion and enticement of a minor on Feb. 6, 2024. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Child predators who target the most vulnerable members of our society will face severe punishment in federal court,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “I want to thank the local law enforcement teams in the Valdosta community for helping us hold this defendant accountable for his crime.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Dewayne Howell and his brother, Laronce Howell, picked up 13-year-old MV1 and her 16-year-old sister near their house on Oct. 2, 2020. They traveled to a liquor store, where Dewayne Howell purchased alcohol, and then to a hotel in Valdosta, where he rented a hotel room. Dewayne Howell took MV1 alone to the hotel room, where he sexually abused her. Surveillance video from the hotel showed that Dewayne Howell then let Laronce Howell and MV1’s sister into the room. The adult men gave the children alcohol before eventually bringing them back home.
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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the Valdosta Police Department and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Howard prosecuted the case for the Government.
Six Individuals Charged in $1 Million Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Update: Charges against Chinenye Nwodim were dismissed in August 2024.
BOSTON – Five Massachusetts residents and one New York resident have been charged in connection with a scheme to defraud various health insurance companies by submitting fabricated claims seeking reimbursement for over $1 million worth of bogus medical expenses, purportedly incurred during international travel.
Brendon Ashe, 40, of Dorchester; Aqiyla Atherton, 36, of Roxbury; Darline Cobbler, 40, of Randolph; Henry Ezeonyido, 36, of Brockton; Ariel Lambert, 34, of Brooklyn, NY; and Chinenye Nwodim, 36, of Brockton, were charged in a complaint unsealed yesterday with one count each of health care fraud. All six defendants were released on conditions following initial appearances in federal court in Boston.
According to the charging document, the defendants allegedly submitted health insurance claims, or had claims submitted on their behalf, for expensive medical treatment that they purportedly received and paid for out-of-pocket while traveling overseas. The claims submitted to four different insurance companies related to alleged traumatic injuries such as stabbings, hit and run car accidents, as well as gunshot wounds that the defendants purportedly suffered and that required their hospitalization abroad. The complaint alleges that the defendants were in the United States at the time they claimed to be hospitalized in foreign countries. It is further alleged that some of the defendants received unrelated medical services in the United States at the same time they were purportedly hospitalized overseas.
In support of these claims submitted to the insurance companies, the defendants allegedly provided fabricated records – including fake bank records purporting to show payment to the treating facilities, bogus medical records purporting to show the medical care provided, and falsified police reports describing the circumstances of shootings or stabbings. In some instances, the details of the claims submitted by or on behalf of the defendants and supporting documentation – including the dates of service, country where the alleged traumatic injuries occurred, and nature and circumstances of the alleged injuries –are nearly identical to one another. As a result of these fraudulent claims, various health insurance companies were billed over $1 million for services that were never rendered.
“These defendants allegedly fabricated over $1 million in insurance claims for injuries that never happened in a brazen abuse of our healthcare system. This kind of deceit is not only illegal, it victimizes every law-abiding person by diverting resources from those truly in need and driving up costs for everyone,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Health care fraud is a serious crime that erodes public trust and undermines the integrity of our healthcare system. Prosecuting health care fraud, in whatever permutation it takes, has always been and remains a top priority.”
“Yesterday, the FBI charged six people whose guiding compass appears to have been greed. We believe they feigned injuries they never suffered and submitted bogus claims for medical treatment rendered in overseas hospitals they never set foot in, while most claimed to be victims of violent crimes that never actually took place,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Unscrupulous schemes like the one we allege here drives up health care costs for all of us which is why the FBI, and our partners won’t hesitate to bring to justice anyone who perpetrates blatant and egregious fraud.”
“These individuals allegedly lied and said they sustained injuries or illness and had to pay substantial healthcare costs while abroad for their medical needs. We allege that they then fraudulently requested their health insurance carriers to reimburse them for these fictitious costs, including by using the U.S. Mail. Postal inspectors will not let these schemes go unchecked and are committed to protecting the integrity of the U.S. Mail,” said Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division.
“Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts is committed to combating this illegal activity through vigilant investigation and collaboration with our partners. Insurance fraud harms everyone and undermines trust in the insurance system and increase costs of insurance,” said Anthony M. DiPaolo, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Insurance Fraud Bureau.
The charge of health care fraud carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting U.S. Attorney Levy, FBI SAC Cohen, USPIS INC Larco‐Ward and IFB Executive Director DiPaolo made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie Wright and Patrick Callahan of the Criminal Division’s Health Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the complaint are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Sioux City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Meth Conspiracy ConvictionRead the Press Release
A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced on July 10, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City.
Kenneth Dawdy, 39, from Sioux City, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on January 26, 2024.
At the plea and sentencing hearings evidence showed that Dawdy participated in a conspiracy from January 2021 through June 2023 that distributed at least 3500 grams of methamphetamine in the Sioux City area. Dawdy admitted to assisting others in the conspiracy by acquiring and delivering money and methamphetamine to/from others involved in the conspiracy.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Dawdy was sentenced to 31 months’ imprisonment and must serve a term of three years of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Dawdy remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-4055. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Seven Charged in Wide Ranging Conspiracy Resulting in the Death of Four VictimsRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Amanda Marie Correa, 29, Robert Andrew Barnes, 24, Christine Deann DiCarlo, 50, Shaqare Jaymont Blackwell, 23, Shakur Serafin Brownstein, 27, Dylan Wilson Small, 35, and Samual Jordan, 42, were charged by a federal grand jury in a Superseding Indictment which includes (1) conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury; (2) two counts of distributing fentanyl resulting in death and serious bodily injury; (3) two counts of brandishing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; (4) kidnapping; and (5) aggravated identity theft.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment notes that this group of individuals that law enforcement has dubbed the “Fentanyl Robbery Gang (F.R.G.),” some of whom were affiliated with New York gangs, trafficked drugs and guns. Additionally, they used dating websites to connect with individuals interested in hiring prostitutes. Members and associates of the F.R.G. would arrange to come to the victim’s location with the intent to rob the victim of firearms, cash, cellular telephones, identification documents, debit and credit cards, drugs, and other items of value.
The victim would be offered narcotics (usually purported cocaine), though unbeknownst to the victim, the narcotics contained fentanyl. If the victim refused the drugs, members of and associates of the F.R.G. would administer fentanyl-laced narcotics to the victim by forcibly or surreptitiously introducing it into the victim’s body. This was done to incapacitate victims as to steal firearms, cash, cellular telephones, identification documents, debit and credit cards, drugs, and other items of value. If a victim was not incapacitated, or not incapacitated quickly enough, members of the F.R.G. would instead change course and simply commit home-invasion robberies where they would be let into the victim’s home by other members and associates and then steal items of value at gunpoint or through other violent means, including threats, beatings, and aggravated assault.
The superseding indictment alleges that four individuals have died as the result of overdosing on fentanyl. Three deaths occurred in Berks and Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and one death in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The seven individuals named in the superseding indictment are all in custody. This is an on-going investigation and law enforcement are attempting to identify and arrest additional members and associates of F.R.G. and to identify and locate victims. Victims and others who may have information concerning F.R.G. are requested to contact the FBI at 570-344-2404.
The charges were the result of a joint investigation by the FBI; Pennsylvania State Police, the United States Marshals Service – Scranton office; the District Attorney Offices of Pike, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wyoming, and Berks Counties in Pennsylvania; the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Police Department, and the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office; and various state and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant United States Attorneys Todd K. Hinkley and Luisa Honora Berti are 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.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Sentence Handed Down for Murder of Maryland Man Left in Car for Three DaysRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jordan Jones,23, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was sentenced Friday for voluntary manslaughter while armed for the killing of Noel Nicol in Southeast D.C. in October, 2021. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Jones pleaded guilty on December 5, 2023, to voluntary manslaughter while armed for the fatal shooting of Nicol, an acquaintance. Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe sentenced Jones to 13 years in prison and five years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Jones agreed to meet Nicol in Southeast D.C. on October 11, 2021, the day after Jones arranged to purchase a 9mm handgun (the same caliber as murder weapon). Mr. Nicol was last seen by family and friends on the afternoon of October 11, 2021. The police did not locate Mr. Nicol until three days later when they were investigating an anonymous tip and discovered Mr. Nicol’s body in the in the driver’s seat of a car parked on Savannah Place S.E.. The police could not locate the murder weapon or any eyewitnesses, but detectives obtained surveillance video footage from the vicinity of the vehicle for a 3-day period and developed Jones as a suspect in the murder. Jones admitted to the police in his post-arrest interview that he was in the car at the time of the shooting and that he and Nicol struggled over a gun. The medical examiner findings and the physical evidence recovered by the police were consistent with the shots being fired at close range from the passenger side of the vehicle where Jones was sitting.
This case was investigated by MPD’s Criminal Investigation Division Homicide Branch. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Interrante.
Schenectady Man Sentenced to 72 Months for Role in Capital Region Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Andrew Deleon, age 27, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, and distributing methamphetamine.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
As part of his earlier guilty plea, Deleon admitted that he received multiple packages in the U.S. Mail that he knew contained controlled substances and intended to give the controlled substances to the leader of the drug trafficking organization. Deleon also distributed methamphetamine on behalf of the organization. As part of the conspiracy, Deleon distributed and/or possessed with the intent to distribute approximately 1,827.18 grams of pure methamphetamine and 10.68 grams of fentanyl.
United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also imposed a term of 3 years of supervised release, which will start after Deleon is released from prison.
Five other defendants have been charged as part of this conspiracy and are currently awaiting trial:
Defendant
Charges
Max./Min. Terms of Imprisonment
Felix Arencibia
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl
Distribution of methamphetamine
Minimum: 10 years Maximum: Life
Todd Austin
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Distribution of methamphetamine
Maximum: 20 years
Ahmad Burke
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Maximum: 20 years
Kevisha DuBoise
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Distribution of methamphetamine
Maximum: 20 years
Christian Mur-Santana
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl
Distribution of methamphetamine
Minimum:10 years Maximum: Life
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. These defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Three other defendants charged as part of this conspiracy have pled guilty and are currently pending sentencing:
Melissa Karwan, age 37, of Schenectady, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and distribution of methamphetamine. Karwan is scheduled to be sentenced on August 30, 2024.
Flor Arencibia, age 39, of Albany, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and distribution of methamphetamine. Arencibia is scheduled to be sentenced on September 5, 2024.
Stefanie Plass, age 37, of Schenectady, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and distribution of methamphetamine. Plass is scheduled to be sentenced on September 30, 2024.
These cases are being investigated by DEA and USPIS. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashlyn Miranda and Joshua Rosenthal are prosecuting the cases.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Santa Barbara County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Fentanyl that Resulted in Death of Fellow Jail InmateRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Lompoc man was sentenced today to 240 months in federal prison for aiding and abetting the distribution of fentanyl that resulted in the death of a fellow inmate at a Santa Barbara County jail and the serious bodily injury of another inmate.
Kaelen Jacobkeali Wendel, 32, was sentenced by United States District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong.
At the conclusion of a five-day trial, a jury on March 1 found Wendel guilty of one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and serious bodily injury.
In October 2022, Wendel smuggled fentanyl into a unit of the Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail. He packaged the powerful synthetic opioid in candy containers.
As the new inmate, Wendel handed some fentanyl to his co-defendant, Michael Villapania, 36, of Lompoc, in the expectation that he would receive jail commissary goods in exchange. Villapania then sold the drug to a victim identified in court documents as “J.V.” J.V. then shared the fentanyl with another victim, who is identified in court documents as “E.E.”
After ingesting the drug during the early morning hours of October 20, 2022, E.E. and J.V. overdosed. After an inmate alerted a custody deputy about the overdose, deputies and nurses administered multiple doses of Narcan – a life-saving medication used to reverse opioid overdoses – and performed CPR on both inmates. They revived J.V., but E.E. died.
Villapania pleaded guilty on February 1 to one count of distribution of fentanyl. He was sentenced on June 10 to seven years in federal prison.
“[Wendel] committed a serious offense that ended in a tragedy,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “He smuggled fentanyl into a jail unit, killing E.E. and nearly killing J.V. He created a market for fentanyl where there was none.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Suria M. Bahadue, Alexandra Kelly, and Kenneth R. Carbajal of the General Crimes Section prosecuted this case.
Richlands Woman Pleads Guilty to Selling Black Market Prescription DrugsRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Richlands, Virginia woman, who is not a licensed healthcare provider but received and distributed prescription drugs as well as other drugs that are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pled guilty this week to federal charges.
Melissa Bandy, 54, waived her right to be indicted and pled guilty this week to a one count Information charging her with receiving misbranded drugs in interstate commerce and delivering and proffering for delivery the misbranded drugs for pay.
“When the public buys an FDA-approved drug, they are purchasing a drug that has been vetted for safe consumption in line with its intended purpose,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “When individuals skirt these safeguards in order to enrich themselves, they put the health and safety of others at risk. I am grateful to the FDA for their work on this important matter and their continued relationship with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia.”
“Unlicensed individuals who sell unapproved and misbranded ‘Botox-like’ products and other prescription drugs put their unsuspecting customers at risk because FDA has not found these products to be safe and effective for their intended uses and they cannot be safely administered without the supervision of a licensed medical practitioner,” said George Scavdis, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Metropolitan Washington Field Office. “We are fully committed to bringing to justice those who subvert FDA’s requirements and place consumers at risk of serious harm. Our valued partnership with the Virginia State Police and the forethought of the Richlands Police Department for channeling this matter to FDA-OCI were integral to our efforts in safeguarding the public health and safety in this case.”
Although not a licensed healthcare provider and with no valid prescriptions, Bandy accessed prescription drugs through black-market websites specializing in products manufactured overseas. Many of her orders were for drugs that require injection needles, including Saxenda, SelaTox, Botulax 200, and Innotox.
Serious negative health effects may occur by taking these drugs without legitimate medical supervision, including thyroid c-cell tumors, acute pancreatitis, and acute gallbladder disease. Nevertheless, Bandy resold dozens of misbranded and unapproved doses to multiple individuals.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 1, 2024 at the United States Courthouse in Abingdon.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Virginia State Police, and the Richlands Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Stone is prosecuting the case.
Revere Man Sentenced to over Five Years in Prison for Cocaine OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Revere man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for cocaine related offenses.
Francisco Restrepo Mesa, 55, was sentenced on July 10, 2024 by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 68 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. In April 2024, Restrepo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, one count of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
In March 2023, a co-conspirator retrieved two kilograms of cocaine from Restrepo inside a Revere apartment he maintained as a drug stash location. A search was executed at Restrepo’s stash apartment, yielding 15.5 kilograms of cocaine and $190,750. Following his arrest, Restrepo told his wife during recorded jail calls, that authorities had missed some of the drugs during their search. A second search warrant was executed at the Revere stash apartment and an additional 1.6 kilograms of cocaine was recovered from a hidden compartment inside the bathroom wall.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency, New England Field Division; and John E. Mawn, Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Ferguson, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit and OCDETF Lead Task Force Attorney, prosecuted the case.
This effort 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.
Repeat Sex Offender from Michigan Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal Prison After Being Convicted of Numerous Sexual Offenses Against A ChildRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Jeremy Robert Ward, a registered sex offender from Michigan, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison on Thursday. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down by Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.
Ward was previously convicted in 2013 in Michigan of three counts of possession of child sexual abusive material and one count of accosting a child for an immoral purpose.
Ward met the 12-year-old minor victim online in September 2022 when he added her to his Snapchat account. He exchanged messages with the victim for approximately three weeks before traveling to Arkansas from his home in Michigan to meet her. On October 15, 2022, he met her face-to-face when he met her in his pickup truck while she was riding her bike near her neighborhood in Bryant. During her encounter with Ward, the victim began surreptitiously recording a portion of her exchange with him. On the video, Ward told her, “I was hoping to take you home” and “I just wish she [her mom] would let you go, especially since I drove all the way down here.” Ward also told the minor victim that she must “think I’m gonna kidnap you or something,” to which she replied, “You probably are about to at this point.” He later asked if she knew of any “private spots,” in an attempt to find a more secluded place to be with her.
Around the same time, using an application on her cell phone, her father noticed she was outside of the established boundary where she was permitted to be. Her parents went to her location, and her father found the minor victim laying in the grass with Ward, whose pants were around his ankles. Ward then fled into the woods.
The minor victim testified at trial that while she was in the field with Ward, he attempted to commit sexual acts with her. Subsequent investigation revealed that the victim and Ward communicated through video messages, some of which Ward recorded on his phone. The recorded video messages were recovered from Ward’s phone and included video and still images of the nude minor victim in the shower.
After a three-day trial that concluded on January 24, 2024, a federal jury found Ward, 33, of Marine City, Michigan, guilty on all nine counts for which he was indicted: one count of interstate travel with the purpose of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity with a minor, six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of travel with the purpose to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor.
Judge Baker also sentenced Ward to a lifetime of supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the Bryant Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Amanda Fields.
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Additional information about the office of the
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Repeat Drug Dealer Sentenced to 8 ½ Years for Orchestrating Cocaine Trafficking in BeloitRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Kelvin Haley, Jr., 41, Beloit, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 8 ½ years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine in the Beloit area from July 2021 to August 2023. The prison term will be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Haley pleaded guilty to this charge on March 25, 2024.
During a federal investigation, multiple witnesses identified Haley as an individual selling large quantities of cocaine). Law enforcement discovered that Haley used multiple homes in the Beloit area to store and sell cocaine. As part of the investigation, law enforcement conducted recorded purchases of cocaine from Haley at some of these homes on multiple occasions between November 2022 and March 2023.
Haley had previously been convicted and sentenced by Judge Conley for drug trafficking. Judge Conley expressed disappointment that Haley returned to drug trafficking after his release from prison, despite having legitimate employment options. Finding that Haley was a central figure in selling large amounts of cocaine in the Beloit area, Judge Conley said 8 ½ years was warranted given the nature of Haley’s offense and repeat conduct.
The charge against Haley was the result of an investigation conducted by the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, Beloit Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Anderson prosecuted this case.
Registered sex offender going to prison for 35 years for production of child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Charles Porterfield, 37, of Springville, NY, who was convicted by a federal jury of production of child pornography and committing the offense as a registered sex offender, was sentenced to serve 420 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Bonanno, who handled the prosecution of the case, stated that in 2011, Porterfield was convicted in Erie County Court of Engaging in a Course of Sexual Conduct in the 2nd Degree and sentenced to five years in prison and three years post release supervision. Porterfield was also required to register as a sex offender for life. Less than one month after completing his post release supervision, Porterfield paid a 13-year-old girl (Victim) to engage in an online sexual relationship. Porterfield used the Victim to produce images and videos of child pornography.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the Northern York County Regional Police Department.
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Readout of Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen’s Trip to the HagueRead the Press Release
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division traveled to The Hague, Netherlands, this week to address the Counterterrorism Law Enforcement Forum (CTLEF) and to convene a high-level meeting with European partners on stopping the illicit flow of sensitive technology to foreign adversaries.
The CTLEF was held on July 10-11 at the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol). Assistant Attorney General Olsen delivered opening remarks, along with U.S. Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism Ian Moss. In his remarks, Assistant Attorney General Olsen discussed the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts to combat heightened threats from domestic violent extremists in the United States, including those engaged in racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism (REMVE) and individuals who cite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as inspiration in targeting Jewish and Muslim Americans. He also highlighted the importance of international law enforcement cooperation to confront transnational connections among REMVE actors who spread violent ideologies across borders, including through social media and online gaming platforms.
On July 12, Assistant Attorney General Olsen cohosted a meeting at the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) aimed at enhancing transatlantic cooperation in the fight to keep sensitive western technology out of the hands of Russia and other foreign state adversaries. In addition to the Assistant Attorney General, keynote remarks were delivered by Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, European Commissioner Didier Reynders (by video), and Eurojust President Ladislav Hamran. Representatives from more than 30 countries as well as several EU institutions participated in the meeting.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen (left), Eurojust President Ladislav Hamran (middle) and Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin (right).In his remarks, Assistant Attorney General Olsen described the threats posed by adversaries seeking sophisticated American technologies like semiconductors, quantum, hypersonics and artificial intelligence. Adversary regimes can exploit these tools to increase their military capabilities, engage in mass surveillance, and commit human rights abuses. He highlighted the success of the Department’s Disruptive Technology Strike Force – an interagency enforcement effort co-led with the Commerce Department to prevent critical technological assets from being unlawfully acquired and used by foreign adversaries. Citing recent criminal prosecutions, Assistant Attorney General Olsen emphasized the concrete impacts of criminal enforcement of U.S. sanctions and export control laws and the force-multiplier effect of international partners’ complementary efforts to deny malign actors these technologies.
“The countries represented here have a shared commitment to the common goal of combating the national security threat posed by the misuse of critical technology,” said Assistant Attorney General Olsen. “International partnerships are critical to our work. Our adversaries’ efforts to obtain sensitive technology reach across the globe, and it demands an international response.”
Valuable insights were also shared by senior officials from the European Commission, Eurojust, Europol, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
Queens Man Arrested for Bank Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Queens, N.Y. man was arrested today in connection with an alleged scheme to steal over $3 million in COVID relief tax credits using the stolen identity of a corporate executive in New Jersey.
Linval Jackson, 32, was charged by complaint with bank fraud, bank fraud conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft. Following an initial appearance in the District of Connecticut, Jackson was detained pending a hearing scheduled for July 15, 2024. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. Jackson’s alleged co-conspirator, Isaiah Aaron Tenryk, was previously arrested and charged by a separate criminal complaint in May 2024. He was subsequently released on conditions.
According to the charging documents, Jackson and Tenryk allegedly used a fraudulent driver’s license as well as the name and Social Security number of a corporate executive in New Jersey to open a bank account in Boston. Tenryk then allegedly deposited an approximately $3 million Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) check payable to the executive’s company into the fraudulent account. ERTC is a refundable tax credit for certain eligible businesses that had employees and were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the check was deposited, Jackson allegedly attempted to link the fraudulent account to other bank accounts he controlled to transfer the stolen money.
The charges of bank fraud and bank fraud conspiracy each provide for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory two-year sentence in prison to be served consecutive to any sentence imposed, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division, Boston Field Office; and Ketty Larco Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Postal Employee Charged with Destruction of MailRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that PJ WHITAKER (“WHITAKER”), age 34, of New Orleans, was indicted on July 11, 2024, on two counts of destruction of mail, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1703. According to the indictment, WHITAKER, a postal employee, unlawfully secreted, destroyed, detained, delayed, and opened multiple parcels of mail on August 8, 2023 and November 7, 2023.
If convicted, WHITAKER faces a maximum penalty of five (5) years of imprisonment, up to three (3) years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00 and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
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 United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Christine Calogero of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Postal Employee Charged with Destruction of MailRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JORRY HARRISON (“HARRISON”), age 36, of Houma, Louisiana, was indicted on July 11, 2024, for destruction of mail, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1703.
According to the indictment, HARRISON, a postal employee, unlawfully secreted, destroyed, detained, delayed, and opened multiple parcels of mail, including one large brown parcel, on October 25, 2023.
If convicted, HARRISON faces a maximum penalty of five (5) years of imprisonment, up to three (3) years of supervised release, up to a $250,000.00 fine, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
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 United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Christine Calogero of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Portsmouth Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Possessing Fentanyl and FirearmRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, the investigation into Carlton Jamel Dillard, 40, began on December 31, 2022, when a Portsmouth ambulance found an unconscious male who was suffering from gunshot wounds in the middle of Randolph Street. The male was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. Police discovered the crime scene to be at 1700 Atlanta Avenue with several spent cartridge casings. During the investigation, the police learned that the victim had a conflict with another narcotics distributor, identified as “Mel,” who detectives determined was Carlton Jamel Dillard. A witness stated that Dillard arrived in an unknown vehicle as a passenger with an unknown driver in front of 1700 Atlanta Avenue. Dillard and the driver approached on foot and started firing shots at the victim.
Based on this information, on January 1, 2023, a felony arrest warrant for homicide was issued in the City of Portsmouth for Dillard, and police attempted to located him. Two days later, law enforcement found Dillard, took him into custody, and searched him incident to arrest. On his person, law enforcement recovered eight capsules of fentanyl and keys to a parked SUV. Within plain view, detectives observed a 9mm ammunition box in the back seat of the SUV and a digital scale. Law enforcement then obtained a search warrant for the SUV and, from within the vehicle, recovered a loaded black CZ 75 P-01 semi-automatic pistol, four clear plastic bags, cocaine, a digital scale, and ammunition from the back seat. After being advised of his rights, Dillard admitted to shooting the victim with the firearm recovered during the search.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan M. Montoya prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-64.
Pittsburg County Resident Sentenced for Federal Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Willie Ray Carter, age 36, of Haileyville, Oklahoma, was sentenced to five years in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On May 11, 2023, Carter pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. According to investigators, on November 13, 2021, an OHP trooper conducting a routine traffic stop discovered Carter to be knowingly in possession of a firearm and ammunition after having been previously convicted a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
The Honorable William P. Johnson, U.S. Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Carter will remain in the 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 Attorneys Richard J. Lorenz and Edith Singer represented the United States.
Pharmaceutical Marketer Sentenced for Compounded Medications Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Texas pharmaceutical marketer was sentenced today to two years and five months in prison and ordered to pay over $59 million in restitution for conspiring to defraud the United States, receiving illegal kickbacks in exchange for compounded medications prescription referrals, and money laundering.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Quintan Cockerell, 43, of Palos Verdes Estates, California, worked with others to create and market expensive compounded medications, which are intended to be custom-tailored to individual patient needs, that were not medically indicated. Cockerell and others used preloaded prescription pads that identified the high-billing formulations for doctors to easily select. Cockerell, along with his co-conspirators at the compounding pharmacy that received the fraudulent prescriptions, implemented “standing orders” that enabled the pharmacy to swap out ingredients in the medications originally prescribed by doctors to maximize insurance reimbursements. Cockerell and others recruited doctors to write prescriptions for these expensive compounded medications by creating so-called “investment opportunities” so that doctors who wrote prescriptions to the pharmacy could profit from pharmacy operations. Cockerell and others also took doctors on expensive and lavish trips to Las Vegas, Mexico, and the Grand Caymans, among other places.
In an effort to conceal the illegal kickbacks Cockerell received in exchange for prescription referrals, the pharmacy paid Cockerell’s wife at the time as a sham employee. Evidence presented at trial demonstrated that Cockerell’s wife did not work at the pharmacy, but that Cockerell communicated with the pharmacy using her email address and received checks for his kickbacks in her name. Cockerell then spent the proceeds from the kickback scheme.
In October 2023, a federal jury in the Northern District of Texas convicted Cockerell of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of receiving kickbacks, and one count of money laundering.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Michael Mentavlos of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s 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 B. Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Dallas Field 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.
DCIS, HHS-OIG, FBI, DOL-OIG, and VA-OIG investigated the case.
Assistant Chiefs Kate Payerle and Brynn Schiess and Trial Attorneys Jacqueline DerOvanesian and Lee Michael Hirsch 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.
Oklahoma Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting a ChildRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore.—An Oklahoma City man was sentenced to federal prison Wednesday for sexually abusing a child and capturing the abuse on video.
Jeremy Lee Peterson, 44, was sentenced to the statutory maximum sentence of 360 months in federal prison and a life term of supervised release.
According to court documents, on February 18, 2022, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding a video depicting child sexual abuse. Agents reviewed the video’s file data and suspected it was created in a specific apartment in Eugene, Oregon. The agents identified distinctive physical characteristics of the abuser in the video, including a scorpion tattoo on the man’s chest.
On February 24, 2022, investigators searched the apartment and identified furniture and bed sheets consistent with those appearing in the abuse video. Investigators also found photos of Peterson on social media and obtained a booking photo from a previous arrest, both of which matched the likeness and physical attributes, including the scorpion tattoo, as depicted in the abuse video. During their investigation, agents learned the minor victim and the victim’s parent had recently moved to a residence in Oklahoma that matched Peterson’s most recent address.
On February 28, 2022, agents in Oklahoma executed a search warrant on Peterson’s address and found the minor victim and parent living there. Peterson was arrested and the child was rescued. Soon after, agents learned that Peterson had recently helped the victim and the victim’s parent move to his residence in Oklahoma.
On March 15, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a one-count indictment charging Peterson with sexually exploiting a child and producing child pornography.
Months after Peterson was charged, his minor victim contacted law enforcement to discuss the abuse in Oregon and disclose additional abuse in Oklahoma.
On March 27, 2024, Peterson pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a child.
This case was investigated by HSI in the District of Oregon and the Western District of Oklahoma, with assistance from the Eugene Police Department. It was prosecuted by William M. McLaren, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org.
Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for
Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.Odessa Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for January CarjackingRead the Press Release
MIDLAND, Texas – An Odessa man was sentenced in federal court in Midland to 30 years in prison for carjacking and discharging a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.
According to court documents, Isaac Ramirez Carrasco, 38, carjacked a couple on Jan. 30 by pointing a shotgun at the driver and ordering both occupants out of their vehicle. The victim did not initially comply, and Carrasco fired the shotgun at least one time in the air before returning his aim to the victim. The couple ultimately exited the truck and Carrasco drove away in it. Odessa Police were able to track the truck to a nearby residence, where they also located Carrasco and the shotgun.
“This 30-year sentence sends a strong message that violent crime in our community will not be tolerated and will be met with the full force of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas. “Carrasco demonstrated a complete and total disregard for human life and risked causing innocent people severe injury or worse. Thanks to the response by our local law enforcement partners, Carrasco is off the streets and our community is safer.”
“The partnerships that we have with other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors allows us to create a safer community for all of our citizens,” said Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke. “We are appreciative that multiple entities came together to remove this dangerous criminal from our streets.”
The Midland/Odessa Violent Crimes Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Mahoney prosecuted the case.
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Norwalk Felon Admits Possessing Loaded Handgun with Obliterated Serial NumberRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that PATRICK ELMORE, 32, of Norwalk, pleaded guilty yesterday in Bridgeport federal court to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, which has been investigating gang violence in Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Stamford, assisted local law enforcement in executing a state arrest warrant for Elmore on April 12, 2023. At the time of his arrest, Elmore possessed a loaded SCCY, model CPX-2, 9mm semiautomatic handgun with an obliterated serial number.
Elmore’s criminal history includes state convictions for felony drug distribution and weapon possession offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Elmore has been detained since his federal arrest on May 25, 2023.
Unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, the Bridgeport Police Department, and the Norwalk Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Gresham with the assistance of Law Student Intern Michael Fording.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.
New London Man Charged with Cocaine Distribution and Firearm Possession OffensesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, today announced that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport has returned an indictment charging LUIS OLIVER-GARCIA, also known as “Bebo,” 34, of New London, with cocaine distribution and firearm possession offenses.
The indictment was returned on July 2, 2024, and Oliver-Garcia appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia in New Haven pleaded not guilty to the charges. He has been detained since his arrest on June 21, 2024.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force identified Oliver-Garcia as a large scale distributor of cocaine. The investigation revealed that Oliver-Garcia rented a storage unit at a facility on Cross Road in Waterford to store narcotics and other items. On June 21, 2024, Oliver-Garcia arrived at the storage facility shortly before investigators were about to conduct a court-authorized search of his storage unit. Oliver-Garcia was arrested after the search revealed more than three kilograms of cocaine, approximately $30,000 in cash, and a 9mm firearm, and a search of the car that he drove to the facility revealed an additional quantity of cocaine and two boxes of 9mm ammunition.
It is alleged that Ortiz-Garcia’s criminal history includes state convictions for felony drug distribution and weapon possession offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
The indictment charges Oliver-Garcia with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years; unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least five years.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force, which includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reed Durham.
New Jersey Woman Convicted of Investment FraudRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – A New Jersey woman pled guilty today to an investment scheme in which victims from West Virginia and elsewhere lost more than $300,000.
United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced that Diana Mae Fernandez, age 38, of Bergenfield, New Jersey, admitted to wire fraud.
According to court documents, Fernandez, also known as “Diana Fernandez Koporan,” “Dana Fernandez,” and “Dajana Ko,” operated purported investment firms known as “The Self Made Success” and “Diana Mae K., LLC.” Fernandez used social media and email to solicit investors, claiming she offered “no-risk” and “guaranteed” investment opportunities. Multiple victims, including a victim from Marion County in West Virginia, were defrauded of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Fernandez used the money she stole for her personal benefit and made false claims about why returns on investments could not be provided to her clients.
“We should always approach investment opportunities that promise high returns and no risk with skepticism,” said U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld. “One way to protect yourself before investing is to use the FINRA BrokerCheck, a valuable tool that’s free and allows you to research the background and experience of financial brokers, advisers, and firms.”
Fernandez faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod Douglas is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The FBI investigated the case.
U.S. Magistrate James P. Mazzone presided.
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Multiple-Time Convicted Felon and Former U.S. Postal Service Carrier Sentenced for Mail TheftRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to 20 months in prison for theft of mail by a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee.
According to court documents, Terell Taylor, 40, a USPS employee and postal carrier assigned to deliver mail in Richmond from at least April 2023 through December 2023, stole mail entrusted to his care on multiple occasions. Taylor then sold stolen mail in bulk to a co-conspirator in exchange for cash. For instance, on November 29, 2023, Taylor removed mail from the mail stream in his USPS vehicle and placed the mail in two black trash bags. Then, Taylor sold the two black trash bags for $300.
Taylor was a multiple-time convicted felon, with over 20 prior convictions for felony theft-related offenses. He also had prior convictions for eluding police and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Taylor is no longer employed by the USPS.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jeff Krafels, Special Agent in Charge of the Mid Atlantic Area Field Office for the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-28.
Montgomery County Landlord and His Property Management Company Agree to Pay $570,000 to Settle Allegations of Collecting Excess Rent from Section 8 TenantsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Landlord Allan R. Posner and his property management company ILJOR Properties, LLC, have agreed to pay $570,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act during their participation in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP), commonly known as “Section 8.”
The HCVP is the federal government’s primary program for helping low-income families, the elderly, and disabled people to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. As conditions of participation in the HCVP, landlords must regularly certify that the rents they charge to tenants who receive housing assistance vouchers (“assisted tenants”) are not higher than those paid by unassisted tenants residing in comparable properties, and must certify that they are not charging any additional amounts to assisted tenants other than charges specified in each housing assistance payment contract.
The United States contends that, during the period from January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2020, ILJOR regularly charged Section 8 tenants more than unassisted tenants in comparable properties. These overcharges arose, in part, from Posner’s engagement in a prohibited quid pro quo sexual relationship with an unassisted tenant in which he made an unwelcome proposal to lower that tenant’s monthly rental payments in exchange for sex. The individual acquiesced because she was afraid of losing her housing. Then, Posner regularly lowered her rent in exchange for sexual acts. In doing so, Posner overcharged the Section 8 tenants whose rent was higher than this unassisted tenant, whose rent was regularly reduced.
“Quid pro quo harassment, where a landlord requires a person to submit to an unwelcome sexual request in exchange for housing, is illegal. Here, where the landlord lowered the rent of an unassisted tenant in exchange for sex, he also falsely certified to the government that Section 8 tenants and HUD were not being charged more than unassisted tenants in comparable units,” said Jacqueline C. Romero, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “This office will continue to investigate landlords who take advantage of tenants and who overcharge the government under the Section 8 program.”
ILJOR also charged assisted tenants additional fees that exceeded the fees paid by unassisted tenants, and that were not specified in the housing assistance payment contracts, including excess fees for storage space, garage access, and laundry.
In one circumstance, the housing authority determined that a tenant, JS, could only afford to pay $4 a month toward her rent. Posner agreed in the Section 8 contract with the housing authority that the tenant would have no additional charges, other than electric services, aside from the agreed-upon rent. But in the lease for this unit, Posner charged JS $25 a month for a storage locker. Posner later threatened to evict JS when she could not make a $30 payment for rent of her apartment and the storage locker. In another instance, Posner charged assisted tenant LR, someone with an amputation who used a wheelchair for mobility, $125 a month for a storage unit located down a flight of stairs in the basement. This additional fee was not included in the housing assistance payment contract Posner entered into with the housing authority, as required. From January 1, 2017, to December 1, 2020, Posner received over $38,000 in fees he was not allowed to receive from HCVP-assisted tenants.
“Exploiting vulnerable individuals through sexual misconduct or overcharging HUD-assisted tenants is both reprehensible and abusive,” said Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “We will continue to partner with the United States Attorney to hold these landlords accountable, protect low-income households from sexual and financial predation, and promote the integrity of HUD programs.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and HUD’s Office of Inspector General invite participants in HUD’s Section 8 program who have experienced sexual harassment by a landlord or a landlord requesting extra money from them to call the HUD OIG hotline at 1-800-347-3735.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General and Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Lindgren.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Mexican National Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years for Trafficking Meth through Eagle Pass Port of EntryRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A Mexican national was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 235 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on Nov. 12, 2020, Braulio Reyes, 27, of Agujita, Coahuila, Mexico, attempted to enter the United States through the Eagle Pass Port of Entry pedestrian lane. Customs and Border Protection Officers discovered Reyes had several packages strapped to his waist, containing 3.45 kgs of methamphetamine hydrochloride with a purity level of 100%.
Reyes pleaded guilty Feb. 26, 2021, facing a federal prison term of 10 years to life and a maximum fine of $10,000.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rex Beasley and Holly Pavlinski prosecuted the case.
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Media Advisory – Press Conference: U.S. Attorney to Provide Update on Wilmington Violent Crime Strategy, Including Recent Indictments and SeizuresRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – United States Attorney Michael Easley, along with representatives from the Wilmington Police Department, the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will hold a press conference on Monday to provide an update on the Wilmington Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP). The update will include information on recent arrests and seizures.
WHERE: Wilmington Police Department – Blue Room – 615 Bess Street, Wilmington, NC 28401
WHEN: Monday, July 15 at 11:00 a.m.
Media please arrive at the Police Department by 10:30 a.m. for set up.
For logistical information in advance of the media availability, please contact Brandon Shope at the Wilmington Police Department or the Public Information Office at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. No case specific information is available until the press conference.
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Madison Man Sentenced to More Than 4 Years for Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Joshua Gentle, 31, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 4 years and nine months in federal prison for possessing firearms as a felon. The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Gentle pleaded guilty to this charge on April 9, 2024.
In October and November of 2023, Gentle sold three handguns to a person he knew could not legally possess them. During one of the transactions, Gentle commented that he had avoided a prior federal case for selling guns. He threatened to shoot one of the people involved in the transaction, as he believed that person was an undercover police officer.
Gentle is prohibited from legally possessing firearms because of prior felony convictions, including convictions for armed robbery and felon in possession of a firearm.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson determined that a sentence near the top of advisory sentencing guideline range was appropriate because of the serious nature of the crime and the fact that this was one of the most aggravated gun possession cases that the court has seen. Judge Peterson found that Gentle was callous firearms dealer who had served as a pipeline for diverting guns to criminals who could not legally possess them. Judge Peterson also noted that Gentle was fully aware that his conduct was both illegal and dangerous.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting individuals who illegally sell firearms on the street,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea. “I am grateful for the strong partnership we have with ATF and with our local law enforcement partners to reduce gun violence by holding accountable those who use guns in crime and those who provide guns to criminals.”
“Given the defendant’s lengthy history of violence, it was a priority to investigate his recent firearms activity,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Travis Riddle, of the St. Paul Field Division. “I’m grateful for the work our agents and partners put into this case. I hope with this sentence today the community will be a little bit safer, and Mr. Gentle can have some time to consider modifying his behavior upon his release from prison.”
The charge against Gentle was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.
This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 292 Months in Prison for Retaliation Murder on Long IslandRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Edwin Amaya-Sanchez, also known as “Strong,” a member of the Guanacos Lil Cycos Salvatruchas clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Gary R. Brown to 292 months’ imprisonment. Amaya-Sanchez pleaded guilty in April 2018 to firearms-related murder charges in connection with his participation in the July 14, 2014 murder of Jose Lainez-Murcia, who was shot and killed while sitting in a car outside his home in Brentwood.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Robert E. Waring, Acting Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the sentence.
“As Amaya-Sanchez admitted, the murder he committed was premeditated and brutal. Now he will have a long time to think about his cruel actions as he serves his sentence behind bars,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office and our law enforcement partners will continue working tirelessly to eliminate MS-13 and the threat this transnational criminal enterprise presents to our community.”
“After ten years, justice has been served. In 2014, Edwin Amaya-Sanchez, a MS-13 gang member, meticulously planned the calculated murder of Jose Lainez-Murcia based upon unverified assumptions of his involvement in the deaths of former MS-13 affiliates. Today’s sentencing affirms the FBI’s relentless commitment to eradicating the presence of violent gangs in our neighborhoods,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Curtis.
“Edwin Amaya-Sanchez's calculated actions to seek out the victim at his home are proof that he would stop at nothing to carry out his crimes,” Suffolk County Police Acting Commissioner Robert Waring said. “This sentencing sends a message that the Suffolk County Police Department and its law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to combat violent criminal enterprises and bring justice to the victims and their families.”
As set forth in the government’s sentencing memorandum, prior court filings and statements during the sentencing, Amaya-Sanchez and other MS-13 members orchestrated the murder of Lainez-Murcia because they suspected that Lainez-Murcia was an assassin who had killed MS-13 members in El Salvador. Amaya-Sanchez knew where Lainez-Murcia lived, what car he drove, and what time he left for work in the morning, because they previously worked together. In the early morning hours of July 14, 2014, Amaya-Sanchez drove two other MS-13 members, each of whom was armed with a 9mm handgun, to Lainez-Murcia’s neighborhood and dropped them off. When Lainez-Murcia left the house and entered his car, the MS-13 members approached and fired multiple times with the 9mm handguns, killing him. The two MS-13 members ran down the block where Amaya-Sanchez picked them up and drove away.
Amaya-Sanchez, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, who previously was deported from the United States and illegally returned, was initially arrested on September 21, 2015, in connection with federal immigration charges. During today’s hearing, Judge Brown also sentenced the defendant to time served following his guilty plea to the immigration charge in April 2016. Upon completion of the 292-month sentence, the defendant faces deportation from the United States.
Today’s sentencing is the latest achievement in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization. The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States. With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults. Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 70 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
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.
The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
Edwin Amaya-Sanchez (also known as “Strong”)
Age: 36
Brentwood, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-403 (JFB)
Justice Department Meets with International Partners to Enhance Cooperation to Counter Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent ExtremismRead the Press Release
Racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism (REMVE) is a serious global threat. REMVE attacks and transnational linkages are increasing, and new threats are emerging posed by technological changes and Russia-linked actors developing and spreading false narratives on REMVE in Ukraine. The international community has developed strong coordination and cooperation over the last 20 years to counter terrorist groups and networks, such as al-Qa’ida and ISIS. There is not yet the same type of routine information sharing for REMVE threats.
To address this gap in international cooperation, the Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) and U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism (State CT) co-hosted the third annual meeting of the Counterterrorism Law Enforcement Forum (CTLEF) in The Hague on July 10 and 11. The CTLEF gathered law enforcement, prosecutors, and other criminal justice practitioners from around the world to discuss how to effectively address and counter REMVE threats. The CTLEF increased the participants’ shared understanding of REMVE global activity, including the overlap between anti-government and conspiracy theorist movements. This meeting, which builds on the conversations that participants had in the first two forums in Berlin and Oslo in 2022 and 2023, respectively, reflects the type of cooperation that will be needed in the coming years as REMVE threats continue to build their transnational ties. The CTLEF continues to serve as a locale to begin building lines of communication between like-minded law enforcement and other partners and practitioners around the world who are working on combating REMVE.
Assistant Attorney General (AAG) Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division delivered opening remarks, along with U.S. Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism Ian Moss. AAG Olsen discussed the Justice Department’s efforts to combat heightened threats from domestic violent extremists, including those who cite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as inspiration in targeting Jewish and Muslim Americans. AAG Olsen also highlighted the importance of international law enforcement cooperation to confront the increased transnational connections among REMVE actors, many of whom spread their violent ideologies across borders, including through their use of social media and online gaming platforms.
OPDAT Director Faye Ehrenstamm, along with Deputy Director for Counterterrorism Jill Rose, delivered closing remarks after both days of the CTLEF. Director Ehrenstamm noted the importance of international cooperation to combat the REMVE threat, especially considering new threats from rapid technological changes and Russia-linked false REMVE narratives in Ukraine.
Participants came from numerous like-minded countries in Europe, North and South America, the Pacific Rim (Australia and New Zealand), and South Africa, as well as specialists from Europol, INTERPOL, the European Union, Global Counterterrorism Forum, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law, and other multilateral organizations.
For more information about OPDAT’s capacity building efforts around the world, visit www.justice.gov/criminal-opdat.
Jury Convicts Two Executives in Longstanding Antitrust Conspiracy to Fix Prices, Rig Bids and Allocate Markets for ConcreteRead the Press Release
A jury convicted Gregory and David Melton yesterday in the U.S. District Court in Savannah, Georgia, for their role in a conspiracy to fix prices, rig bids and allocate markets for sales of ready-mix concrete in Georgia and South Carolina. The conspiracy, which began as early as 2010 and continued until about July 2016, involved coordinating price-increase letters to customers, allocating specific jobs in the coastal Georgia area and submitting bids to customers at collusive and noncompetitive prices.
Including yesterday’s verdicts, this investigation resulted in five criminal convictions and one deferred prosecution agreement. Defendants James Pedrick, Timothy Strickland and Strickland’s company, Evans LLC, previously pleaded guilty as a part of the same conspiracy. Pedrick’s former employer, Argos USA LLC, previously entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Antitrust Division, admitted to its participation in the conspiracy and agreed to pay a $20 million criminal penalty.
“Concrete is essential to our nation’s infrastructure,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Today’s guilty verdicts reflect the Antitrust Division’s commitment to holding individuals accountable for cheating American consumers out of the opportunity to purchase necessary building materials free of corruption and collusion. The division and its law enforcement partners will continue to prioritize their work prosecuting individuals responsible for this illegal and unethical conduct.”
“Customers expect to receive fair value for construction materials – not to enrich unscrupulous vendors who collude to unfairly increase their profits,” said U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia. “This verdict makes it clear that our office and law enforcement partners will hold accountable those who violate the law to pad their bottom line.”
“Today’s verdict shows the determination of the FBI and our partners to hold accountable those who interfere with a free marketplace for consumers,” said Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “The public should expect an open and fair market, free from corruption and collusion, with the ability to purchase essential building materials."
“Bid rigging and fraud schemes are serious criminal actions that adversely impact the competitive contracting marketplace,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph Harris of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT OIG), Southern Region. “Today’s conviction should serve to deter individuals and companies from engaging in deceptive practices that violate federal regulations and the public’s trust.”
“The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, along with our other federal law enforcement partners, secured a victory with today’s guilty verdict in our fight against bid-rigging and collusion,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Kenneth Cleevely of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Office of Inspector General (OIG). “The USPS OIG will vigorously investigate those who would engage in harmful anticompetitive practices, and we continue to ask for the public’s assistance in identifying and reporting those engaged in this type of activity.”
Violating the Sherman Act, which is a federal criminal antitrust statute, is a felony. The maximum penalty for individuals convicted of violating the Sherman Act is 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine. The fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Washington Field Office, DOT OIG and USPS OIG investigated the case.
Attorneys Patrick S. Brown and Julia M. Maloney of the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Greg Gilluly Jr. for the Southern District of Georgia prosecuted the case, with valuable assistance from Senior Litigation Counsel Gary Bell, Assistant Chief Megan Lewis and Trial Attorney Daniel A. Loveland of the Antitrust Division.
In November 2019, the Justice Department created the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government – federal, state and local. To learn more about the PCSF, or to report information on bid rigging, price fixing, market allocation and other anticompetitive conduct related to government spending, go to www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.
Joint Communique from the 2024 U.S.-Canada Cross Border Crime Forum (CBCF)Read the Press Release
The United States and Canada have a longstanding and enduring security, law enforcement, and intelligence partnership that is centered on protecting public safety, consistent with rights protected by law. Yesterday, to advance our shared goals, U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas hosted Canada’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Arif Virani, and Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, Dominic LeBlanc, in Washington, D.C., for the U.S.-Canada Cross Border Crime Forum (CBCF). This meeting is the third CBCF since it was reestablished by President Biden’s and Prime Minister Trudeau’s 2021 “Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership.”
Building on the success of previous CBCF meetings, including the “Statement of Partnership to Prevent, Investigate, Prosecute, and Disrupt Cross-Border Crime,” which was signed at last year’s meeting, the four U.S. and Canadian officials (“the Ministers”) discussed ways to enhance collaboration in the following areas:
Foreign Interference/National Security
The Ministers acknowledged the threat from hostile foreign actors, including in the context of electoral interference. Malign actors may seek to influence outcomes and undermine public confidence in elections in many ways. They may deploy efforts to subvert democratic processes, such as engaging in cyber-attacks and other interference activities against election campaigns and election infrastructure to disrupt election processes. They may seek to influence elections, including by covertly exploiting and fueling divisions within society; and this, in turn, may also help fuel coercive activity and harassment, and threats of violence toward voters, candidates, and election personnel. Both the United States and Canada agreed that fair and secure elections are cornerstones of democracy and emphasized the need to work together to combat any threats that seek to undermine it.
Malign foreign actors also have demonstrated an intent and willingness to use insiders, computer intrusion, or other means to steal trade secrets and sensitive technologies. This global problem requires a global response, and the United States and Canada will continue to investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute espionage that threatens our economies and export control violations. In this vein, the Ministers agreed on the need to preserve the cross-border flow of data between allies and partners that is critical to our economic well-being, while maintaining the security of sensitive personal data.
The Ministers similarly reaffirmed their united front in protecting our democracies and the democratic process. A key tool in combating the threat of transnational repression, as well as malign foreign influence and interference generally, is transparency through foreign agent registries; the United States discussed the use of its Foreign Agents Registration Act and related statutes, while Canada highlighted its newly passed legislation in this area, Bill C-70, “An Act respecting countering foreign interference,” which will establish a Foreign Influence Transparency Registry and update criminal law tools to better safeguard democracy. These efforts, along with investigations and prosecutions of transnational repression-related cases, will further enhance the ability of the United States and Canada to protect those living within our borders.
Law Enforcement Cooperation and Information Sharing
The United States and Canada continue to combat the devastation caused by fentanyl and synthetic opioids by working together at disrupting the illicit supply chain, to include production and distribution and the importation of illicit precursor chemicals from China and elsewhere. Similarly, the violence wrought by firearms smuggled across the U.S.-Canada border requires continued efforts to target those responsible, including shippers and receivers, by seizing illicit firearms and tracing their origins.
Key in all these counter opioid and firearm efforts is enhanced information sharing between U.S. and Canadian law enforcement agencies, which has already led to successful operations. The Ministers applauded the advances in cooperation between U.S. and Canadian law enforcement since the last CBCF and underscored the need to build on and further operationalize prior Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs). The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to provide clear policy direction and training to ensure that institutional policies and practices maximize information sharing within the context of each other’s laws and regulations, and in accordance with recent MOUs. They plan to continue to work together to improve the operationalization and systemization of intelligence and law enforcement sharing at the border, with the goals of supporting interdictions and investigations, countering transnational organized crime, continuing to build the global coalition against synthetic drug threats, and disrupting the synthetic opioid and firearm supply chains.
In the context of enhancing information sharing, the Ministers also discussed the challenges associated with cross-border human smuggling that is occurring in both directions, and challenges in related investigations. Accordingly, the Ministers called on their officials to continue strengthening ways to gather and share information for the detection and investigation of organized crime groups and networks that target vulnerable people and engage in human smuggling. They also tasked officials to review information sharing case studies of border incidents and identify opportunities to further improve intelligence sharing, detection, and interdiction, in order to disrupt cross-border smuggling and investigate and hold accountable those involved.
With respect to law enforcement cooperation and information sharing at the border, the Ministers also considered their respective country’s approach to providing advance notification of sex offender travel, which remains a key tool in making informed admission decisions. Both countries will seek to maximize the sharing of sex offender travel notifications, in the interest of ensuring public safety.
Online Crime and Hate Crimes
The Ministers began their discussion of online crime by acknowledging the need to maintain tightly controlled lawful access to communications content that is vital to the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes, including terrorism and online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The Ministers then turned to collective efforts to address the increasing prevalence of online child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The Ministers noted the increase in both countries of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated CSAM and the need for international engagement to combat this threat, to include law enforcement, non-governmental organizations, the technology industry, and others.
With respect to AI more generally, the Ministers acknowledged the benefits and risks posed by AI technology. Moreover, the Ministers recognized that AI crosses over multiple government equities, including criminal law, civil rights, and antitrust law, and recommended that this continue to be a focus of study by the CBCF.
The need for strategic and coordinated engagement between and among international partners was also discussed in the context of elder fraud and romance scams. The Ministers discussed avenues available to collectively identify and disrupt such schemes to prevent further victimization.
The United States and Canada also acknowledged the ways in which hate crimes erode communities. The Ministers noted with concern the increased number of attacks motivated by anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of bias on both sides of the border and pledged to work together to address this issue.
The Ministers also welcomed the outcomes of the strengthened collaboration between their respective Access to Justice Offices over the past year, including on strategies to overcome systemic inequality and discrimination, as part of efforts to increase access to – and strengthen confidence in – the justice system.
Conclusion
The Ministers plan to continue their close contact on all these critical issues, both in the context of the CBCF, and in other bilateral exchanges. They reiterated the strength, success, and depth of the security and law enforcement relationships along the U.S.-Canada border and the need to remain aligned.
Contacts
Jean-Sébastien Comeau
Deputy Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
343-574-8116
Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657
Chantalle Aubertin
Deputy Director, Communications
Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
613-992-6568
Media Relations
Department of Justice Canada
613-957-4207
Nicole Navas Oxman
Senior Communications Advisor for International Law Enforcement/Spokesperson
U.S. Department of Justice
202-305-5625
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Office of Public Affairs
Informational: Federal Court arraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared recently before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt:
Appearing in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan and pleading not guilty on July 11 was:
Kaitlyn Beth Cochran, 33, of Billings, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. If convicted of the most serious crime, Cochran faces a mandatory minimum of five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release. Cochran was detained pending further proceedings. Homeland Security Investigations, the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, Billings Police Department and Bozeman Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 24-68.
Shanley Leonard Bighorn, 39, a transient, on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Bighorn faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Bighorn was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation. PACER case reference. 24-49.
Appearing in Missoula before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto and pleading not guilty on July 1 was:
Owen David James, 50, of Dillon, on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. If convicted of the most serious crime, James faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release on the drug charges and a mandatory minimum of five years to life in prison, consecutive to any other crime, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release on the firearm charge. James was released pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Montana Highway Patrol. Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office, Butte Silver Bow Law Enforcement and Idaho State Police investigated the case. PACER case reference. 24-19.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Indian River County Drug Dealer Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Fentanyl Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On July 11, Keyon Lewis, 27, of Indian River County, Fla., was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison, to be followed by 4 years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl resulting in death.
According to the court record, on Nov. 5, 2021, Lewis distributed fentanyl to a man in the parking lot of a restaurant in Vero Beach, Fla.. The next day, the man’s wife found him dead on the kitchen floor of their residence. After law enforcement discovered the victim’s body, they used the victim’s cellphone to order more fentanyl from Lewis, unbeknownst to Lewis that law enforcement was posing as the victim. On Nov. 7, 2021, Lewis showed up at the victim’s residence with more fentanyl, at which point he was arrested by deputies with the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office (IRCSO).
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, and IRCSO Sheriff Eric Flowers made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon in Fort Pierce, Fla. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Porter.
According to the DEA’s National Drug Threat Assessment, synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, are poisoning our nation. Fentanyl has proven to be a deadly poison that does not discriminate. Its victims include every gender, race, age, and economic background, and its debilitating effects are the same across all demographics. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Even in small doses, fentanyl can be deadly. Just one fentanyl pill can kill, as noted in DEA’s One Pill Can Kill campaign. As little as two milligrams, about the size of 5 grains of salt, can be fatal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths. Over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. The State of Florida has also seen an exponential increase in overdoses associated with fentanyl. In 2022, more than 5,622 people died from overdoses involving fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in Florida.
For more information visit: https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MEC/Publications-and-Forms/Documents/Drugs-in-Deceased-Persons/2022-Annual-Drug-Report-FINAL-(1).aspx; https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/fentanyl.html#; and https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/fentanyl.
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 http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-CR-14030.
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Illegal Possession of Fentanyl and Firearms Results in Federal Prison for Three MenRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Three South Louisiana men were sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. in separate cases involving illegal possession of firearms and narcotics, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown.
Duane Khristopher Huntsberry, 36, of Lake Charles, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, on firearms charges. On May 3, 2021, an anonymous citizen’s complaint was received alleging drug activity at a local apartment in the Lake Charles area. Deputies with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office went to the apartment and were approached by Huntsberry, who advised them that he lived at the apartment, but it was in his girlfriend’s name. When deputies informed him of the reason for their visit, Huntsberry advised that there was a firearm inside the apartment and admitted that he was currently on parole. Deputies subsequently asked the girlfriend for consent to search the residence, but she declined. A search warrant was obtained to search the residence and upon entry of the apartment, officers found and seized a Troy AR style pistol with a loaded magazine, as well as four boxes of ammunition in the master bedroom. Law enforcement agents determined that Huntsberry has numerous felony convictions, including illegal possession of a stolen firearm, possession of controlled substances, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and pleaded guilty to the charge on March 11, 2024.
This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog.
Kirk Wayne August, 46, of Lake Charles, was sentenced to 63 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On May 14, 2022, Lake Charles Police Department officers responded to a complaint of gunshots fired in an area near N. Lyons Street in Lake Charles. Officers spoke to a citizen who informed them that they had observed August in his backyard holding a firearm. When officers approached August and questioned him about the incident, he denied possessing any firearm. Officers were able to obtain a search warrant for August’s residence and upon execution of the warrant, found and seized a Henry .22 caliber rifle and a Savage .410 shotgun. August was charged and pleaded guilty on March 28, 2024, and admitted to possessing the firearm despite knowing he was prohibited from doing so. August has a prior felony conviction for simple burglary from 2022.
This case was investigated by ATF and Lake Charles Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Craig R. Bordelon.
Brandon Alfred, 33, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced to 46 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In April 2021, detectives with the Anti-Drug Task Force based in Calcasieu Parish began an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of Alfred. On April 14, 2021, law enforcement officers conducted mobile surveillance of the vehicle Alfred was driving and conducted a traffic stop. When officers made contact with Alfred, they detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Alfred admitted that he had a bag of marijuana in his pants pocket and the officer retrieved approximately 4 grams from Alfred’s person. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a tan compressed substance wrapped in plastic in the driver’s side door where Alfred had been sitting. The substance was sent to the crime laboratory for testing, and it was confirmed to be a mixture containing tramadol, heroin, and fentanyl and weighed approximately 236 grams. Alfred was charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances containing fentanyl and pleaded guilty on February 26, 2024.
This case was investigated by Department of Homeland Security Investigations and Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel J. Vermaelen.
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I-295 Drive-By Murder Defendant Gets More Than 35 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Oscar Ramos, 34, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 39.5 years in prison for first degree murder while armed and assault with intent to kill while armed for the May 28, 2015 shooting that killed one many and injured another, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
A jury found Ramos guilty in April of killing 50-year old Pedro Melendez Alvarado and wounding 56-year old Miguel A. Rodriguez Carabantes. The two men, both of Alexandria, Virginia, were driving to work together when Ramos shot them from his car on I-295. Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan ordered Ramos to serve 360 months in prison for the first-degree murder conviction and 114 months in prison for assault with intent to kill.
According to the government’s evidence, Ramos, who is a member of MS-13, was one of three men in a car that was driving on I-295 NB, in Southwest, D.C., near exit 1, when the car he was in pulled alongside the victims’ car. Two men in the defendant’s car then opened fire on Mr. Alvarado’s car, striking the victims, and then pulled away.
The defendant was charged in 2021 after evidence was developed identifying him as having plotted to kill Mr. Alvarado. The defendant and Mr. Alvarado are both from El Salvador. The defendant believed Mr. Alvarado was somehow involved in the death of the defendant’s father, years earlier, in El Salvador.
U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from MPD, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Department of Justice Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. Field Office, the Prince George’s County (Md.) Police Department, the Montgomery County (Md.) Police Department, the Chelsea, Massachusetts Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County (Md.) Fire Department. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Liebman and Jacqueline Yarbro who prosecuted the case at trial.
Guatemalan Man Previously Deported Three Times Sentenced to Seven Months in Prison for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Genaro Romero-Romos, 34, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Judge William G. Young to seven months in prison and one year of supervised release. He will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. In April 2024, Romero-Romos pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry.
Romero-Romos is a citizen of Guatemala who had been deported from the United States on three prior occasions and served two prior sentences for immigration offenses. In November 2023, Romero-Romos was arrested for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Immigration and Customs Enforcement became aware of Romero-Romos’ unlawful presence in the United States following this arrest.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Todd M. Lyons, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement. Assistant United States Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Georgia Woman Sentenced to Nine Months in Prison for Role in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Georgia woman was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for her involvement in trafficking cocaine and cocaine base as part of a larger drug trafficking conspiracy.
Tatiana Morrissey, 39, of Atlanta, Ga., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to nine months in prison and three years of supervised release. On Feb. 12, 2024, Morrissey pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base. Morrissey was charged with 24 others in June 2020 as part of Operation Snowfall.
Beginning in November 2018, an investigation began into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) for which Kenji Drayton was a principal drug supplier. The DTO was comprised of Boston-based street gang members and associates in the Commonwealth Development in Brighton, formerly known as Fidelis Way, a multi-apartment public housing development. It is alleged that the DTO assumed control over multiple apartments, where they stored, cooked, packaged and sold drugs – most of which was cocaine or cocaine base, which the DTO supplied to customers, wholesalers and distributors. As a result, the DTO caused a blight of the development and reduced the quality of life of the other residents.
It is alleged that the DTO continued to distribute cocaine and cocaine base throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown. In 2019, Drayton ordered drugs from an alleged high-level drug supplier and co-conspirator Derek Hart. Hart allegedly put Drayton in touch with Morrissey, who delivered a kilogram of cocaine to Drayton on or about July 27, 2019. Morrissey delivered smaller quantities of cocaine or cocaine base, including between 14 grams of cocaine base and up to 125 grams of cocaine, on multiple other occasions in July and August 2019. Morrissey also collected drug proceeds from Drayton, accepted a drug order from Drayton, stored drugs at her residence.
Morrissey is the 23rd defendant to be sentenced in this case. The remaining defendant, Derek Hart, remains at large.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Brian Kyes, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; John E. Mawn, Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Braintree, Cambridge, Canton, Randolph and Weymouth Police Departments; the Suffolk, Norfolk and Bristol County District Attorneys’ Offices; and the Suffolk, Plymouth and Norfolk County Sheriffs’ Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin R. O’Donnell and Timothy E. Moran of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.This effort 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.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Franklinton Mail Contractor Indicted for Forged Check Scam and Mail TheftRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that RACHEL WATTS SANDERS (“WATTS SANDERS”), age 39, of Loranger, Louisiana, was indicted on July 11, 2024, for bank fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344(2), and mail theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1708.
According to the indictment, WATTS SANDERS stole over forty checks from the mail, forged endorsements on the stolen checks, and deposited them into her own bank account.
If convicted, WATTS SANDERS faces a maximum penalty of thirty (30) years of imprisonment, up to five (5) years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for bank fraud; and a maximum penalty of five (5) years of imprisonment, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.00 for the theft of mail. WATTS SANDERS also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count.
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 United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Christine Calogero of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Former Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Pleads Guilty to Smuggling ContrabandRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad announced that on July 12, 2024, Johanna Grace (age: 34) plead guilty to providing marijuana and a cellular telephone to an inmate of the Waukesha County Jail, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2(a), 1791(a)(1), 1791(b)(3), and 1791(b)(4).
Publicly filed documents reflect that when Grace committed this offense, she was serving as a Lieutenant with the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office. She coordinated with associates outside the Waukesha County Jail to bring contraband inside the facility, and when she realized her crime would be discovered, Grace shared internal law enforcement reports with those same associates. Grace has acknowledged that as part of her offense of conviction, she obstructed justice.
Grace faces a statutory maximum of five years’ imprisonment. Sentencing is set for October 9, 2024, before United States District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller.
This matter was investigated by the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine Halopka-Ivery and Kevin Knight.
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Public Information Officer [email protected]
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Former Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Pleads Guilty to Smuggling ContrabandRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad announced that on July 12, 2024, Johanna Grace (age: 34) plead guilty to providing marijuana and a cellular telephone to an inmate of the Waukesha County Jail, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2(a), 1791(a)(1), 1791(b)(3), and 1791(b)(4).
Publicly filed documents reflect that when Grace committed this offense, she was serving as a Lieutenant with the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office. She coordinated with associates outside the Waukesha County Jail to bring contraband inside the facility, and when she realized her crime would be discovered, Grace shared internal law enforcement reports with those same associates. Grace has acknowledged that as part of her offense of conviction, she obstructed justice.
Grace faces a statutory maximum of five years’ imprisonment. Sentencing is set for October 9, 2024, before United States District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller.
This matter was investigated by the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine Halopka-Ivery and Kevin Knight.
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For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer [email protected]
414-297-1700
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Former Owner of Oklahoma Oil and Gas Services Provider Charged with Bank FraudRead the Press Release
Indictment Alleges More Than $2,000,000 Worth of Losses for Bank
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, a federal grand jury indictment was unsealed charging RYAN BLOOM, 34, of Oklahoma City, with bank fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
Between February and September 2023, Bloom was owner and manager of Pathfinder HDD, LLC, which provided boring and drilling related services to oil and gas and public utility companies, and constructed fiber optic communications lines for telecommunications companies. Pathfinder had a bank account with Valliance Bank during this time. According to the Indictment, in February 2023, Bloom executed an agreement with Valliance, in which Pathfinder was provided a line of credit from the bank secured by its accounts receivable. It is alleged that Bloom regularly submitted to Valliance invoices and other information regarding what he represented to be Pathfinder’s valid accounts receivable when, in truth, most of the invoices were false and fraudulent. It is further alleged that Valliance relied on Bloom’s false representations and purchased nearly $3,000,000 of Pathfinder’s purported accounts receivable. Then, in August 2023, Pathfinder declared bankruptcy. After the bankruptcy was filed, the Indictment alleges Valliance learned that at least $2,300,000 worth of purported accounts receivable were fraudulent.
If found guilty, Bloom faces up to 30 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $1,000,000. The public is reminded this charge is merely an allegation, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney D.H. Dilbeck is prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.