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Thursday 18 April 2024
Sheldon Man Sentenced to 12 years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A man who distributed child pornography to a minor was sentenced today, April 18, 2024, to 12 years in federal prison.
Henry Araica-Gonzalez, age 22, from Sheldon, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 5, 2023, guilty plea to Distribution of Child Pornography.
Evidence showed that in February 2023, a minor victim disclosed a sexual relationship with Araica-Gonzalez and an investigation began. Law enforcement executed a search warrant and during an interview with law enforcement, Araica-Gonzalez admitted he knew the victim was a minor, admitted to the sexual relationship, and admitted he filmed some of the sexual encounters on both his and her phones. Araica-Gonzalez further admitted that on at least one occasion he sent the videos to the victim.
Araica-Gonzalez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Araica-Gonzalez was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $1,100 in fines and assessments. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Araica-Gonzalez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sergeant Bluff Police Department, and Sheldon Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is CR23-4031. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Sharon Resident Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Prison for Cocaine Trafficking and Firearm ViolationsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Sharon, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 65 months in federal prison for committing cocaine trafficking and firearm crimes, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States Senior District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on Raymond Briskey, 38, also ordering Briskey to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Briskey previously pleaded guilty in this case to possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base on October 21, 2020, and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime. Prior to sentencing, the Court was informed that, when committing these crimes, Briskey had outstanding bench warrants for failures to appear to address drug trafficking and theft charges in two counties in Ohio and to be sentenced for contraband and drug convictions in two cases in Mercer County, Pennsylvania.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Mercer County Drug Task Force, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Briskey.
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 of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification ActRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gary Allen Swift Jr., 62, pleaded guilty today to failure to provide information related to interstate travel as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
According to court documents and statements made in court, from on or about July 1, 2023 through on or about February 6, 2024, Swift failed to register or update his registration as required by SORNA after he relocated to West Virginia from Iowa.
Swift is required to register as a sex offender and comply with SORNA because of his convictions for first-degree sexual abuse in Nicholas County, West Virginia, Circuit Court on March 18, 1986, and criminal sexual assault in Rock Island, Illinois, Circuit Court on November 20, 2006.
Swift is scheduled to be sentenced on August 1, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service (USMS).
Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. SORNA seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs, in part by requiring registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-27.
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Scott County Man Sentenced for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Georgetown, Ky., man, Tyler Brady Lawson, 27, was sentenced on Wednesday, by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, to 28 years in prison, for production of child pornography.
According to his plea agreement, Lawson was the long-term boyfriend of a woman who had close connections to two young girls, Victim 1 and Victim 2. Through these connections, the young girls frequently visited the residences where Lawson and his girlfriend lived. In March 2023, law enforcement became aware of a disclosure to a therapist for one of the girls. The resulting investigation revealed that Lawson produced and possessed sexually explicit images of the girls, as well as cartoon and computer-generated images of the sexual abuse of children. In pleading guilty, Lawson admitted that he knowingly captured visual depictions of one of the girls and that he intended to create depictions of sexually explicit conduct.
Court documents outlined that the sexually explicit pictures of Victim 1 and Victim 2 existed within a larger pattern of sexual abuse perpetrated by Lawson. Allegations of his abuse began when Victim 1 was just five year old. Eventually, Victim 1 disclosed to her therapist that Lawson had recently been sexually abusing her. She then disclosed to law enforcement that physical sexual abuse occurred nearly every time that she visited Lawson’s residence. According to Victim 1, Lawson also threatened to harm her if she told anyone about the abuse. The pictures that law enforcement eventually found on Lawson’s phone corroborated Victim 1’s reports.
Under federal law, Lawson must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life.
“This case demonstrates what many in law enforcement know: consumption and production of child pornography often exists side-by-side with physical child sexual abuse,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “This correlation is one of many reasons why enforcement in this area is so critically important. The defendant’s conduct was egregious and appalling, and it certainly warrants the punishment he received. To those who are engaging in the production of child sexual abuse material, this case should serve as a warning that such conduct gives rise to substantial prison sentences.”
United States Attorney Shier; Michael E. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Chief Darin Allgood, Georgetown Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Georgetown Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — David Tran, 36, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to money laundering, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between Oct. 18, 2022, and Jan. 11, 2023, Tran conducted multiple financial transactions involving funds he believed to be proceeds of cocaine trafficking. Tran’s belief was based on representations of a confidential informant working with law enforcement. The transactions involved the confidential informant giving Tran purported trafficking proceeds in cash in exchange for cashier’s checks payable to a fake company. Tran retained 10% of the cash as a commission. In total, the confidential informant gave Tran $90,000 in cash and Tran gave the confidential informant $81,000 in cashier’s checks. Tran engaged in the transactions intending to conceal or disguise the nature and source of the purported drug trafficking proceeds.
As part of his plea agreement, Tran agreed to pay the U.S. Small Business Administration approximately $240,000 as restitution for payments he received based on fraudulent applications for funds under the Paycheck Protection Program.
This case is the product of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Thuesen is prosecuting the case.
A sentencing date for Tran has not been set. Tran is scheduled for a status hearing regarding sentencing before U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta on Aug. 1, 2024. Tran faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Rock Hill Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Sharif Ahmad Laguda, 32, of Rock Hill, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Evidence presented to the Court showed that in the early morning hours of July 31, 2022, Laguda was driving to his home when he was involved in a traffic incident with another motorist. During the encounter, Laguda retrieved a 9mm pistol from his car and fired the pistol at the other motorist’s car, striking the car five times. Laguda later turned over the pistol to Rock Hill Police Department investigators.
Laguda was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition based on a 2010 conviction for two counts of assault and battery with intent to kill.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced James to 57 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Rock Hill Police Department (RHPD). Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Taylor is prosecuting the case.
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Readout of Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco’s Trip to Detroit and ChicagoRead the Press Release
Deputy Attorney General (AG) Lisa Monaco traveled to Detroit and Chicago this week to highlight the Justice Department’s work with state and local law enforcement to successfully drive down violent crime across the United States.
Launched in 2021, the Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime focuses federal resources — such as personnel, intelligence, and expertise — on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime. After a rise beginning in 2020 during the pandemic, violent crime is on a downward trajectory — including double-digit drops in homicide rates across many major cities.
In Detroit, the Deputy AG underscored the strong law enforcement and community partnerships that led the city to close out 2023 with the fewest homicides on record in over 50 years. She met with Detroit Police Chief James White and toured the Detroit Police Department’s Real-Time Crime Center, which harnesses real-time data to help federal, state, and local law enforcement collaborate to tackle violent crime. Together with U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan and other city officials, the Deputy AG delivered remarks at a convening of One Detroit — the Eastern District of Michigan’s violent crime reduction initiative that brings together law enforcement, nonprofits, faith leaders, and policymakers to address every element of violent crime. In stressing the importance of partnerships like One Detroit she said:
“When data informs strategy that is guided by community, when trust develops into real partnership, and when prevention, intervention, and enforcement all work hand in hand — that’s a formula for success against violent crime.”
In Chicago, joined by Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois, Superintendent Larry Snelling of the Chicago Police Department, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and other law enforcement leaders, Deputy AG Monaco announced a new, expanded Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) — which brings together personnel from 13 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to focus exclusively on investigating and preventing gun violence. CGICs use cutting-edge technology to rapidly develop and pursue investigative leads to drive case clearance rates up — which in turn can drive violent crime rates down. In her announcement, the Deputy AG said:
“To continue our historic progress against violent crime, we need to bring more crime gun intelligence to more law enforcement agencies, in more jurisdictions, more quickly than ever before.”
The Deputy AG also previewed the Justice Department’s launch of seven new carjacking task forces across the country, which build on the success of current task forces in several cities — including Chicago — where available data shows that carjacking rates are now falling. These task forces will bring together prosecutors, officers, agents, and analysts to share intelligence and apply best practices to tackle this public safety threat.
On her trip, the Deputy AG visited the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Michigan and Northern District of Illinois, where she thanked the dedicated prosecutors and professional staff of both offices for their dedication to the Department’s mission, especially the work each office is doing to tackle violent crime in their communities.
Photo credit: Detroit Police Department. Photo credit: Detroit Police Department. Photo credit: Chicago Police Department.Provincetown Man Arrested for Possessing and Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Provincetown man was arrested today for child pornography offenses. The defendant allegedly possessed several thousand image and video files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Laurence Pagnoni, 63, was charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. Following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston this afternoon before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Jennifer C. Boal, Pagnoni was released on conditions, including home detention with electronic monitoring.
According to the charging documents, an individual arrested in a child exploitation sting reported to law enforcement that, in March of 2023, Pagnoni allegedly distributed CSAM to him via the online cloud storage platform Mega. It was determined that Pagnoni had allegedly sent thousands of CSAM files to this individual. During a search of Pagnoni’s home in Provincetown in May of 2023 a number of items, including Pagnoni’s cellphone, were seized. During a subsequent search of Pagnoni’s cellphone, it is alleged that several thousand image files and video files containing CSAM, including at least 51 known series of CSAM as identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, were discovered.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.
The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years 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; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Protecting Migratory Birds is a Priority in the Southern District of IowaRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – World Migratory Bird Day will be celebrated May 11, 2024, and again on October 12, 2024, aligning generally with migration patterns.
The state of Iowa is located within the Mississippi Flyway, the longest overland flyway in North America. The Mississippi Flyway is a critically important route for migratory birds as they migrate north in spring and south in the fall, with the wetlands and forests along the Mississippi River being important for many species of migratory songbirds in particular. Waterfowl and other wetland birds also heavily use the wetlands in the central and northern Prairie Pothole Region of Iowa, which are essential for both migratory stopover habitat as well as breeding habitat for hundreds of species of birds.
As Peter Rea, supervisory park ranger with DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge explains, “Refuges and wildlife areas throughout Iowa, such as DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, provide critical habitat for migratory birds to rest, feed and recuperate on their long migration journeys. For many, these places act more like a rest stop as they continue their migration northward, while for some it's their ultimate destination for the spring and summer nesting season.” “During this time of year, it's important to minimize disturbance so other visitors can appreciate the tremendous diversity of birds that we can see throughout the state,” continued Rea.
Federal law protects migratory birds. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) prohibits the taking (including killing, wounding, capturing, selling, trading, transporting, importing, and exporting) of protected migratory bird species without prior authorization of the Department of Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 16 U.S.C. §§ 703, 707(a). The list of federally protected migratory birds is comprehensive and includes many of the birds residing in or migrating through Iowa, including Canada geese. Refer to the Federal Code of Regulations for more information. The penalties for violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act are a term of imprisonment of up to 6 months, a fine of up to $15,000, or both.
Additional federal statutes that protect migratory birds include:
- The Lacey Act prohibits the importation, exportation, transportation, sale, receipt, acquisition, purchase, or inhumane transport of certain wildlife including birds. 16 U.S.C. § 42;
- The Endangered Species Act prohibits the taking, killing, wounding, importing, exporting, shipping, or sale of endangered species. 16 U.S.C. §§ 1538, 1540. Iowa’s birds on the endangered species list include the following: piping plover, rufa red knot, whooping crane, Indiana bat, and Northern long-eared bat. Learn more about protected species.
- The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits the taking, killing, wounding, bald or golden eagles, their feathers, nests, and eggs. 16 U.S.C. § 668.
“Birders and other wildlife enthusiasts can be helpful advocates in reducing wildlife crime. Knowing the laws that protect birds and other wildlife, and speaking up can make a big difference,” said Christopher Aldrich, Special Agent in Charge, Midwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“Preservation and protection of wildlife and endangered species go hand in hand with the high quality of life here in the State of Iowa. Knowing these laws and reducing wildlife crime helps everyone continue to enjoy what makes Iowa a great place to live,” said Richard Westphal, United States Attorney.
If you believe you have information related to a wildlife crime that violates federal law, please reach out to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. You can also contact the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Iowa by telephone at 515-473-9300 or email at [email protected].
If you spot an injured bird, state licensed wildlife rehabilitators can aid the bird. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources maintains a list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators at the following links:
- Iowa DNR licensed wildlife rehabilitators
- County-specific wildlife rehabilitation look-up for Iowa
Thank you for caring about the wildlife in your community. Remember to observe wildlife from a safe distance. If a young animal isn’t visibly injured, its parents are likely nearby and still caring for it. Be sure to give young animals plenty of space to avoid spooking the parents.
Learn more about what to do if you find a baby bird, injured or orphaned wildlife.
Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Conspiracy ChargeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
James Stewart, 44, pleaded guilty on April 16, 2024, to one count before United States District Judge Robert J. Colville.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that a long-term investigation into drug-trafficking and illegal firearms activity in the Western District of Pennsylvania involving, among others, Anthony Peluso, a heroin and cocaine trafficker who supplied narcotics to lower-level drug traffickers, identified Stewart as one of Peluso’s customers. This included Stewart meeting with Peluso or his associates on multiple occasions to obtain cocaine that Stewart then redistributed to others. The investigation was conducted by the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Judge Colville scheduled sentencing for August 15, 2024. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca L. Silinski and Jonathan D. Lusty are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the United States Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigations. Other assisting agencies include the Allegheny County Police Department, Baldwin Police Department, Brentwood Police Department, McKees Rocks Police Department, Stowe Township Police Department, and West Deer Township Police Department.
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.
Pittsburgh Health Care Facility Owner Indicted on 33 Counts, Including Fraud, Money Laundering, and Making False Statements Related to Health Care MattersRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of health care fraud, making false statements relating to health care matters, and money laundering, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
The 33-count Indictment named Kelley Oliver-Hollis, 59, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, from December 2016 to July 2023, Oliver-Hollis, as owner of SerenityCare LLC, located in Penn Hills, schemed to overbill Pennsylvania Medicaid in connection with services SerenityCare provided to residents with intellectual disabilities. The Indictment asserts that, as part of the scheme to defraud, Oliver-Hollis failed to adequately train direct care workers in the proper care of residents, failed to keep adequate records, and allowed the residents’ homes to fall into a state of disrepair. In addition, according to the Indictment, Oliver-Hollis submitted false and fraudulent claims regarding the care and staffing provided to residents, which caused an overpayment of Medicaid benefits in excess of $2 million dollars.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on the health care fraud charge; up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on the false statements relating to health care matters charge; and up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on the money laundering charge. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Labor, Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, and Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The United States Attorney’s Office’s efforts to combat healthcare fraud are frequently made possible by tips from the community. To report suspected fraud, please contact the FBI’s healthcare fraud tipline at [email protected] or the Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-HHS-TIPS.
Pharmacy Owner Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that NERIK ILYAYEV was sentenced today to four years in prison for his involvement in a multimillion-dollar health care fraud scheme that targeted the Medicare and Medicaid programs and private insurance companies. ILYAYEV owned and operated two different pharmacies and submitted millions of dollars in fraudulent claims to the government health care programs and private insurers. ILYAYEV previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Nerik Ilyayev took advantage of our nation’s health care system, which provides payments for critical medications for low-income HIV patients. He paid illegal kickbacks to these patients to use their billing information and took millions of dollars in reimbursements from the Medicare and Medicaid program for medications that he did not actually dispense. This prosecution and today’s sentence are part of our Office’s ongoing work in combating fraud in the health care system and ensuring that public resources are spent on patients who need them, rather than being fraudulently stolen by criminal actors.”
According to the Complaint, Information, court filings, and statements made in public court proceedings:
From approximately February 2021 through March 2022, ILYAYEV owned and operated a pharmacy in Manhattan (“Pharmacy-1”). ILYAYEV used Pharmacy-1 to pay illegal kickbacks to low-income HIV patients to recruit them to fill prescriptions for expensive HIV medications at Pharmacy-1. ILYAYEV did not actually obtain or provide HIV medications to these illegally recruited patients, but instead bought unopened bottles of pills back from the patients at a small fraction of their true value so he could re-use the same pills over and over again. ILYAYEV, on behalf of Pharmacy-1, then submitted fraudulent insurance claims to Medicare and Medicaid to cover the cost of the HIV medications he claimed to be dispensing. In order to conceal his role in the fraud scheme, ILYAYEV used the identity of another person (“Individual-1”) and pretended to be Individual-1 to own and operate Pharmacy-1. Medicare and Medicaid collectively paid approximately $5.2 million in fraudulent claims for HIV medications to Pharmacy-1.
After shutting down Pharmacy-1, ILYAYEV took control of another pharmacy in Queens, New York (“Pharmacy-2”). Again, to conceal his role in the fraud, ILYAYEV used the identity of another person and pretended to be this individual to own and operate Pharmacy-2. Pharmacy-2 submitted fraudulent insurance claims to no-fault automobile insurance providers. Pharmacy-2 defrauded the no-fault automobile insurance providers of approximately $1.2 million. In addition, Pharmacy-2 unlawfully sold pharmaceuticals to other pharmacies that ILYAYEV had obtained from illegitimate sources.
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In addition to the prison term, ILYAYEV, 36, of Queens, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution and forfeit more than $6 million.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General. Mr. Williams also thanked the National Insurance Crime Bureau and the Investigations Medicare Drug Integrity Contractor for their assistance in the investigation.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cecilia E. Vogel and Thane Rehn are in charge of the prosecution.
Peru Woman Pleads Guilty to Selling Methamphetamine to Undercover OfficerRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Peru, Maine woman pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to distributing and possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, conspiring to distribute and possess methamphetamine, and using a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court records, from July 2022 to January 2023, Mandy Shorey, 43, made multiple sales of methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Portland after obtaining the drugs from her Massachusetts supplier. Following several successful controlled buys from Shorey, in November 2022 the undercover officer arranged to purchase two pounds of methamphetamine from her. That night, while waiting for her supplier to arrive, Shorey was armed with a handgun; she told the undercover officer that it was her practice to always carry a firearm for protection when conducting drug deals. On January 26, 2023, Shorey again supplied the undercover officer with a substantial quantity of methamphetamine—approximately one pound—at the same Portland location. That night, Shorey’s supplier, Angel Luis Lozano of Lowell, Massachusetts, who has also pleaded guilty to federal drug charges for his role in the conspiracy, sold Shorey approximately 459 grams of methamphetamine which she in turn sold to the undercover officer. Shortly after the transaction, the Portland Police Department initiated a traffic stop of Shorey’s vehicle, recovering the handgun.
Shorey faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, and a fine of up to $10 million followed by supervised release for at least five years and up to life for the drug charges. She faces a minimum sentence of five years and a fine of up to $250,000 on the firearms charge. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Portland Police Department.
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Peoria Man Sentenced to 81 Months in Prison for Federal Firearm and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois man, Detrey D. Robinson, 28, of the 1800 block of West Ann Street, was sentenced on April 17, 2024, to a total of 81 months in the Bureau of Prisons, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, for the following offenses:
Count 1: Felon in Possession of a Firearm, 21 months.
Count 2: Possession of a Machine Gun, 21 months.
Count 3: Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute, 21 months.
Count 4: Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, 60 months.
Counts 1 through 3 will be served concurrently, with the sentence on the 4th Count to be consecutive to the other three Counts, as mandated by statute.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the government established that on June 22, 2023, agents from the Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force executed a federal search warrant at Robinson’s residence on W. Ann Street in Peoria. Robinson, a felon, was located inside the residence, along with a loaded AR-15, 5.56 caliber rifle, a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and a 9mm Glock pistol. The Glock pistol was loaded as well and was equipped with a high-capacity extended ammunition magazine. The gun was further equipped with an auto-sear, commonly referred to as a “switch”. The switch enabled the pistol to fire as a fully automatic machinegun. In addition to the firearms, several drugs and drug-related items were found in Robinson’s bedroom, including cocaine, a scale, and over 200 plastic baggies consistent with those used in trafficking illicit drugs.
Robinson was originally charged by a criminal complaint filed in June 2023, followed by a four-count indictment in July 2023. He pleaded guilty to all 4 counts in November 2023. Robinson has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest in June 2023.
The statutory penalties are as follows; Felon in Possession of a Firearm is up to 15 years imprisonment; Possession of a Machine Gun, up to 10 years imprisonment; Possession of a Controlled Substance, up to 20 years imprisonment; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, 5 years to life, to run consecutive to the other charges.
The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department; Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Passaic County Correctional Officer Admits Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice in Connection with Civil Rights Investigation Involving Assault of Pretrial DetaineeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. –A Passaic County correctional officer today admitted conspiring to obstruct justice in connection with an investigation of an assault of a pretrial detainee, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Officer Lorenzo Bowden, 39, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court to an information charging him with conspiracy to obstruct justice.
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger“Lorenzo Bowden, a correctional officer, admitted today that he helped transport a detainee to an area where there were no video cameras and stood by while other officers repeatedly hit and assaulted the handcuffed detainee who posed no threat. The vast majority of law enforcement officers understand the trust placed in them by our community when they wear the badge. But when law enforcement officers abuse the trust the community places in them – when they violate the constitutional rights of the people of New Jersey, including prisoners, they will be held accountable.”
“There are methods to hold accountable suspected criminals who act out while in custody,” FBI – Newark Special Agent in Charge Hames E. Dennehy said. “Corrections officers know these procedures and policies. Instead of following those rules, Bowden admits he and his co-conspirators took matters into their own hands and then decided to lie about it. As law enforcement, we must live up to a higher standard of behavior because of the legal and physical power we wield.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Jan. 22, 2021, a pretrial detainee at the Passaic County Jail (PCJ) squirted a mixture containing urine onto a correctional officer. The following day Bowden admitted that he, along with Sergeant Jose Gonzalez and Sergeant Donald Vinales, who were also charged in this case, transported the detainee through an area of the PCJ that does not have a video surveillance camera, which correctional officers and inmates at the PCJ have referred to as a “blind spot.” Gonzalez and Vinales assaulted the detainee, as he was handcuffed, when they knocked him to the ground and struck him multiple times. Bowden later admitted that he did not intervene to stop the assault. One day after the assault, the detainee was taken to a local hospital, which documented injuries from the assault.
In April 2022, after receiving federal grand jury subpoenas in connection with this investigation, Gonzalez, Vinales, and Bowden, among others, met to discuss the federal investigation. The group agreed not to cooperate with the federal investigation and also agreed to say that nothing had happened to the detainee (referring to the assault). During an interview with federal investigators in October 2022, Bowden falsely stated that the detainee had not been assaulted and that there had not been any meeting or communication among those who participated in or witnessed the assault.
The charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Bowden’s sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 5, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office Division of Internal Affairs, under the direction of Acting Sheriff Gary F. Giardina, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin of the Criminal Division and the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Civil Rights Task Force, and R. Joseph Gribko, Deputy Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Rights Division.
The charges and allegations against Sergeants Gonzalez and Vinales, which are still pending, are merely accusations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
bowden.information.pdfPalm Harbor Man Sentenced to Prison for Receiving and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven has sentenced James Joseph Weishaar (65, Palm Harbor) to eight years in federal prison for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material. The court also ordered Weishaar to pay $27,000 in restitution to victims of the offenses and register as a sex offender. He entered a guilty plea on September 27, 2023.
According to court documents, between March and December 2020, the FBI used a file sharing program to connect to Weishaar’s computer and download from it several files depicting the sexual abuse of children. In January 2021, the FBI executed a search warrant at Weishaar’s home and seized several electronic devices. A forensic search of those devices revealed more than 1,000 photos and over 100 videos of child sexual abuse material, including images depicting sadistic conduct and toddlers. In an interview with the FBI, Weishaar stated, “I don’t even know if it’s okay, but I’m attracted to it.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation—Tampa, with substantial assistance from the Largo Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Abigail K. King and Ross Roberts.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
New York pair indicted for $1.4 million bank fraud scheme that victimized customers across the U.S.Read the Press Release
Seattle – A couple from New York state are in custody tonight following their indictment for a nationwide bank fraud scheme, some of which was executed in Seattle, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Amber Towndrow, 35, and Darby Canfield, 34, were indicted by a Seattle federal grand jury on April 3, 2024. Towndrow is currently incarcerated for drug possession in New York. Canfield was apprehended in New York and is being transferred to the Western District of Washington for arraignment on the indictment.
“These defendants are alleged to have cunningly and systematically drained victim bank accounts and cashed them out before anyone could stop them,” said U.S. Attorney Gorman. “While they traveled the country committing this fraud, it was investigators here in Western Washington who put the information together to understand and to prosecute this significant fraud scheme.”
According to the indictment, Towndrow and Canfield acquired personal identifying information for a number of victims nationwide. In Western Washington, the two used that personal information to register businesses with the Washington Secretary of State. Armed with the business documents and false identification documents such as drivers’ licenses and passports, Towndrow would open business bank accounts at financial institutions where the victim already had a personal savings account. The bank system would link the new business bank account to the real customer’s bank account. The conspirators would then transfer money from the personal bank account to the business account. Towndrow would then use a business account debit card to purchase money orders and high value goods such as designer merchandise or electronics. Canfield and other conspirators would use various fake IDs to cash the money orders at locations such as Money Tree outlets.
The indictment details how Towndrow set up a business called “Smitty Consulting Inc.,” listed a Colorado victim as a registered owner, and opened the business bank account using a Seattle address. After the business account linked to the victim’s personal account, Towndrow transferred funds to the business account and used the business debit card to purchase 128 U.S. Postal Service money orders totaling $126,653. The money orders were made payable to various people the co-schemers could impersonate with their fake IDs. Canfield then cashed several of the money orders at various locations in the Seattle area.
The indictment alleges similar conduct regarding victims residing in Texas, Colorado, and New York. Some of the businesses were “registered” and used for fraud in Indiana, with others “registered” and used for fraud in Colorado. The investigation into the scope of the fraud continues.
In addition to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, the pair are charged with seven counts of bank fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft and three counts of money laundering.
Conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and bank fraud are punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Money laundering is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum two years in prison consecutive to any other sentence imposed in the case.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Diplomatic Security Service, and the Seattle Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean Waite.
towndrow_and_canfield_indictment.pdfNew Jersey company and CEO pay $316,779 for defrauding U.S. Postal Service following wire fraud convictionRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Cornerstone Facility Solutions, LLC (Cornerstone), a maintenance and repair service located in Brick, New Jersey, and its CEO, Paul Galgon III, paid $316,779 to resolve their False Claims Act liability for falsifying invoices and inflating the cost of services provided to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).
Cornerstone entered into a service agreement to perform repairs on USPS facilities. USPS requires providers like Cornerstone to report whether they self-performed or subcontracted services for the repairs. If the provider subcontracts the work, the provider is allowed to markup the subcontractor’s cost by no more than 10 percent.
From July 2016 to July 2021, Cornerstone submitted false invoices to USPS for repair work, in which Cornerstone claimed its employees performed the work, even though the work was actually performed by subcontractors. Galgon directed Cornerstone employees to alter subcontractor invoices to make them appear as though the work was performed by Cornerstone employees, which enabled Cornerstone to build in an improper 30-percent markup on the subcontractor’s costs. As a result of the scheme, Cornerstone overcharged USPS $158,380.
The resolution is the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the USPS Office of Inspector General.
Galgon also pleaded guilty to one count of criminal wire fraud for the conduct covered by the civil settlement and was sentenced to three years of probation and a $5,000 fine.
The civil case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Hochul III. The criminal case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell L. Carlberg and Kristin S. Starr.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. The related criminal docket may be found at United States v. Galgon, No. 1:23-cr-188 (E.D. Va.).
New Haven Gang Member Admits Role in 2 Murders, 2 Other ShootingsRead the Press Release
ANTWAN HILL, also known as “Bandz,” 21, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to a racketeering offense stemming from his role in a violent New Haven street gang.
Today’s announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; John P. Doyle, Jr., State’s Attorney for the New Haven Judicial District; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England; and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address violence in New Haven, the ATF, FBI, DEA and New Haven Police Department, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, have been investigating an ongoing gang war between members and associates of the Exit 8 street gang and rival gangs in the Hill section and other areas of the city. The Exit 8 gang is named after the geographic area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven. Recently, younger members of Exit 8 are identifying themselves with the word “Honcho,” which is derived from the street name of an Exit 8 member who was murdered on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 2020.
The investigation revealed that Hill and other members of the Exit 8 gang engaged in drug trafficking, used and shared firearms, and, since June 2018, have committed at least three murders and 16 attempted murders. Exit 8 members and associates also stole vehicles, at times from outside of the state, and used those stolen vehicles when committing acts of violence. Gang members also promoted, coordinated, facilitated, and celebrated their narcotics distribution and acts of violence through text messaging and the use of social media applications and websites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube.
Hill pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, and specifically admitted that he took part in four gang-related shootings, which resulted in two deaths. On September 26, 2020, Hill and another Exit 8 gang member shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang. On May 19, 2021, Hill and other Exit 8 members conspired to kill rival gang members, including a rival gang member who was shot and killed on that date by another Exit 8 member. On July 5, 2021, Hill and another Exit 8 member shot and killed an individual. On April 12, 2022, Hill and another Exit 8 member shot and attempted to kill rival gang members.
At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Hill faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. He has been detained since August 3, 2023.
This investigation is being conducted by ATF, the FBI, the DEA, the New Haven Police Department, the Hamden Police Department, and the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens, Rahul Kale and Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis.
This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.
PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities. Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Mullins Man Sentenced to Nearly a Decade in Federal Prison for Drug and Firearms CrimesRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, S.C. — Marquand Jerome Newell, 41, of Mullins, was sentenced to more than 9 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Evidence presented to the Court showed that, on September 28, 2022, Deputies with Dillon County Sheriff’s Office went to a home in Dillon, South Carolina to serve an Order of Protection. When they arrived at the home, they discovered Newell sitting in a vehicle in the driveway. Deputies made contact with Newell to determine if he was the individual they were looking for. Upon approach to the vehicle, Deputies detected the odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle. Newell admitted he had marijuana and handed Deputies a cooler containing a large bag of suspected marijuana. Newell also indicated there was something in the glove compartment of the vehicle that law enforcement should recover.
In a search of the vehicle, Deputies found 33 grams of methamphetamine, 56 grams of cocaine, 13 grams of crack cocaine, and 27 grams of fentanyl. In the glove compartment of the car was a loaded .40 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun. Deputies found approximately $1,800 in cash on Newell.
United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III sentenced Newell to 117 months imprisonment, 57 months on the drug charge with 60 months consecutive on the firearm charge, to be followed by a 5-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by Dillon County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Flynn is prosecuting the case.
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Morris County Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Creating Female and Male Personas to Induce Dozens of Minors to Send Sexually Explicit Pictures and VideosRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Morris County, New Jersey, man who was employed by a New Jersey elementary school and helped run a youth soccer club was sentenced today to 204 months in prison for producing and possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Steven Brooks, 37, of Morristown, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before former U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez to an information charging him with one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Brian Martinotti imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In January 2021, law enforcement officers were notified about possible child pornography on an external hard drive belonging to Brooks. Pursuant to judicially authorized search warrants, law enforcement officers searched Brooks’ external hard drive, electronic devices and social media accounts. Brooks utilized fake online personas on social media platforms to solicit photos and videos from dozens of minors that depicted the minors engaging in sexual activity. Brooks acknowledged, as relevant conduct, the attempted online enticement, production and possession of child pornography involving at least 79 victims.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Brooks to 10 years of supervised release and ordered restitution of $237,000.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents and members of the Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force of the Newark field office of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy, as well as special agents from the FBI’s San Francisco field office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office National Security Unit in Newark.
Mexican National Indicted for Possessing over 200,000 Fentanyl Pills with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Miguel Obed Romero Reyes, 25, of Sinaloa, Mexico, charging him with possessing over 400 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Romero conspired with another individual to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl. Romero was pulled over by law enforcement officers while driving north on Interstate 5 in Fresno County. Deputies seized a large duffel bag containing 48 pounds (21.8 kilograms) of blue counterfeit M-30 pills in 20 separate 1-gallon Ziploc bags. In total, Romero was transporting over 200,000 fentanyl pills in his car.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody S. Chapple is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Romero faces a statutory minimum of 10 years with a statutory maximum of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Mexican National Guilty of Federal Drug Trafficking and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Mexican national was convicted by a federal jury of drug trafficking and firearms offenses after less than 22 minutes of deliberation.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on February 22, 2022, Albuquerque Police Department Officers (APD) were dispatched to a stolen vehicle call in Southeast Albuquerque. Upon arrival, APD Officers observed three male subjects inside a parked pick-up truck matching the description given by the calling party. Octavio Jimenez-Marquez, 37, exited the front driver’s side of the vehicle and began to grab items from the bed of the truck. Officers gave commands for Jimenez to get on the ground and he complied.
After placing Jimenez under arrest, officers conducted an inventory search of the vehicle. During the inventory, officers located a large vacuum-sealed package containing 445 grams of methamphetamine and a stolen firearm underneath driver seat and an assault rifle up within arm’s reach of Jimenez. The truck also contained a Ziplock bag with 84 grams of methamphetamine.
Jimenez claimed that he had borrowed the truck from a friend but was unable to provide the friend’s name and did not know any further information about him. When asked about the firearms and drugs, Jimenez admitted there was a rifle inside the truck, but stated that the guns and drugs were not his.
Subsequent investigation uncovered evidence on Jimenez’s cell phones that was consistent with drug-trafficking activity and firearm possession. Investigators also learned that Jimenez was born in Mexico and never sought or obtained legal status in the United States.
On March 1, 2022, Jimenez was released to the third-party custody of the La Pasasda Halfway House pending trial. In July 2022, Jimenez absconded from supervision and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Jimenez was re-arrested in Albuquerque in December 2022.
The Court ordered that Jimenez remain in detention pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, Jimenez faces a minimum of fifteen years and up to life in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Division, made the announcement today.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case with assistance from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department, Albuquerque Police Department, Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Louis Mattei and Elaine Y. Ramirez prosecuted the case.
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Maryland Man Sentenced to 140 Months in Prison for Attempting to Arrange Sex with a 14-Year-Old ChildRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jose Eduardo Valasquez, 62, of Solomons Island, Maryland, was sentenced today to 140 months in prison for attempting to meet up with an underaged child in Washington D.C. for sex.
The sentence, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Valasquez pleaded guilty to a count of coercion and enticement on December 15, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan. In addition to the prison term, Judge Chutkan ordered Valasquez to serve 15 years of supervised release and register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, Valasquez began communicating on social media with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl on November 16, 2020. In reality, the girl was an undercover officer working with FBI/MPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. Valasquez, using an account bearing the username “Jose E V,” initiated a conversation with the undercover officer by sending a message to the effect of “I really like you” in Spanish. Valasquez eventually offered $200 to “be with [her] in bed.”
Valasquez then arranged a November 17 meet-up in Northwest, Washington, D.C, after he got off work at 5 p.m. He sent amorous messages and exchanged text messages about being a 9th grader in high school. On the way to a motel for his expected tryst, Valasquez got a flat tire on I-395 and had to reschedule. Valasquez canceled another planned assignation after he was scared off by police.
On December 14, 2020, Valasquez asked if he could pick up her at 2:30 that day to have sex. At approximately 2:26 p.m., Valasquez asked his correspondent to walk up to 19th and C Street Northeast. Members of law enforcement located Valasquez near the corner of 19th and C Streets Northeast, operating a Toyota Corolla. Police arrested Valasquez at 15th and C Streets Northeast.
Valasquez admitted that he drove from Maryland to the District to have sex with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl, on the date of December 14, 2020. He arrived at the arranged meet location for the sexual act, only to be confronted by law enforcement and learn that the 14-year-old girl with whom he had been communicating was actually a law enforcement agent. He also admitted that his efforts to entice the person to meet him at locations outside of the District of Columbia were for the purpose of engaging in unlawful sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation/Metropolitan Police Department Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force
It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Arco and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Bond, as well as former Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Buckner.
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Man Convicted for $110M Cryptocurrency SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal jury in New York convicted a man residing in Puerto Rico today of commodities fraud, commodities market manipulation, and wire fraud in connection with the manipulation on the Mango Markets decentralized cryptocurrency exchange.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Avraham Eisenberg, 28, engaged in a scheme to fraudulently obtain approximately $110 million worth of cryptocurrency from Mango Markets and its customers by artificially manipulating the price of certain perpetual futures contracts.
“Avraham Eisenberg executed a manipulative trading scheme on a cryptocurrency exchange, defrauding the exchange and its investors out of $110 million,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Manipulative trading puts our financial markets and investors at risk. This prosecution—the first involving the manipulation of cryptocurrency through open-market trades—demonstrates the Criminal Division’s commitment to protecting U.S. financial markets and holding wrongdoers accountable, no matter what mechanism they use to commit manipulation and fraud.”
“Moments ago, Avraham Eisenberg was found guilty by a unanimous jury in the first-ever cryptocurrency open-market manipulation case,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “This ground-breaking prosecution epitomizes this office’s ability to employ innovative methods and cutting-edge law enforcement tools to continue to protect all financial markets. The career prosecutors of this office continue their expertise in prosecuting financial fraud, one of our core priorities, and would-be financial criminals should think twice before daring to engage in illicit conduct on our watch.”
“The FBI and its partners will not stand by when criminals engage in illicit activity at the expense of the American people and our financial institutions,” said Executive Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch. “If you engage in fraudulent activity, whether that be in the cryptocurrency space or through other forms of market manipulation, you will be held accountable for your ill-gotten gains.”
Eisenberg is scheduled to be sentenced on July 29 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the commodities fraud count and the commodities manipulation count, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the wire fraud count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI investigated the case, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation.
Trial Attorney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tian Huang of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, a member of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Burnett and Peter Davis for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
The NCET was established to combat the growing illicit use of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Within the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the NCET conducts and supports investigations into individuals and entities that are enabling the use of digital assets to commit and facilitate a variety of crimes, with a particular focus on virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, and infrastructure providers. The NCET also works to set strategic priorities regarding digital asset technologies, identify areas for increased investigative and prosecutorial focus, and lead the department’s efforts to collaborate with domestic and foreign government agencies as well as the private sector to aggressively investigate and prosecute crimes involving cryptocurrency and digital assets.
Man Convicted for $110 Million Cryptocurrency SchemeRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Nicole M. Argentieri, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Timothy Langan, the Executive Assistant Director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”); and James Smith, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI, announced today the conviction of AVRAHAM EISENBERG of commodities fraud, commodities market manipulation, and wire fraud in connection with manipulation on the Mango Markets decentralized cryptocurrency exchange. EISENBERG was found guilty following a 10-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Moments ago, Avraham Eisenberg was found guilty by a unanimous jury in the first-ever cryptocurrency open-market manipulation case. This ground-breaking prosecution epitomizes this Office’s ability to employ innovative methods and cutting-edge law enforcement tools to continue to protect all financial markets. The career prosecutors of this Office continue their expertise in prosecuting financial fraud, one of our core priorities, and would-be financial criminals should think twice before daring to engage in illicit conduct on our watch.”
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri said: “Avraham Eisenberg executed a manipulative trading scheme on a cryptocurrency exchange, defrauding the exchange and its investors out of $110 million. Manipulative trading puts our financial markets and investors at risk. This prosecution — the first involving the manipulation of cryptocurrency through open-market trades — demonstrates the Criminal Division’s commitment to protecting U.S. financial markets and holding wrongdoers accountable, no matter what mechanism they use to commit manipulation and fraud.”
FBI Executive Assistant Director Timothy Langan said: “The FBI and its partners will not stand by when criminals engage in illicit activity at the expense of the American people and our financial institutions. If you engage in fraudulent activity, whether that be in the cryptocurrency space or through other forms of market manipulation, you will be held accountable for your ill-gotten gains.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith said: “With today’s conviction, Avraham Eisenberg now rightly faces justice for his duplicitous manipulation of virtual currencies on the Mango Markets exchange. The FBI will continue to ensure that any individual attempting to scheme and take advantage of financial markets, whether traditional or emerging, for personal gain be held accountable.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial:
EISENBERG engaged in a scheme to fraudulently obtain approximately $110 million worth of cryptocurrency from Mango Markets and its customers by artificially manipulating the price of certain perpetual futures contracts.
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EISENBERG, 28, of Puerto Rico, was convicted of commodities fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; commodities manipulation, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The statutory maximum penalties in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. EISENBERG is scheduled to be sentenced on July 29, 2024.
Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the FBI and further thanked Homeland Security Investigations and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation for their assistance.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force and the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (“NCET”). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Burnett and Peter Davis and Trial Attorney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tian Huang of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, a member of the NCET, are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Ryan Sears and Jonathan Oshinsky.
The NCET was established to combat the growing illicit use of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Within the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the NCET conducts and supports investigations into individuals and entities that are enabling the use of digital assets to commit and facilitate a variety of crimes, with a particular focus on virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, and infrastructure providers. The NCET also works to set strategic priorities regarding digital asset technologies, identify areas for increased investigative and prosecutorial focus, and lead the Department’s efforts to collaborate with domestic and foreign government agencies as well as the private sector to aggressively investigate and prosecute crimes involving cryptocurrency and digital assets.
Man Charged in $1.49 Million Scam Involving Bitcoin ATM Deposits and Bulk Gold Purchases; Victim is Retiree who Lost Life SavingsRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – April 18, 2024
SAN DIEGO – Xilin Sun made his first appearance in federal court today to face charges that he participated in a multinational fraud conspiracy that targeted a 70-year-old retiree from Carlsbad who was tricked into handing over $1.335 million.
According to the complaint, the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force learned of the fraud scheme after the victim reported to Carlsbad police that she was duped over a period of months by fraudsters posing as government, bank and tech-support employees. Specifically, she said she was using her computer when a pop-up window appeared, advising her to call for help because her computer had been hacked.
When she made the call, she was transferred through a series of co-conspirators pretending to work in tech support who told her to download software on her computer. She was also told her personal identifying and bank account information were compromised and was subsequently referred to co-conspirators posing as employees from her financial institutions. The victim was then told she needed to “secure” her assets. At the direction of someone posing as a bank employee, she deposited approximately $55,700 into Bitcoin ATMs located in North County San Diego.
The complaint further describes how once the scammers discovered the victim had substantial savings, they convinced her she could safeguard her funds by obtaining gold bars and sending them to the U.S. treasury, which would create a locker under her name. Over the course of two months, the victim sent approximately $1,335,000 via three separate wire transfers to a precious metal business located in San Marcos, California. Once each of the wire transfers were completed, the victim was instructed to pick up the purchased precious metals—consisting of mostly gold—and to package them. The victim was then directed to hand the package over to an individual under the false pretense that it was being “secured” for safekeeping. In reality, the victim was scammed out of her life savings.
According to the complaint, in February 2024, the scammers reached out to the victim yet again and instructed her to purchase $100,000 worth of additional gold. This time, however, the victim contacted the FBI, which set up a controlled delivery of a package made to look like it contained $100,000 in gold.
The complaint described how the victim met with one of the conspirators outside a bank in Carlsbad. After handing the package to the conspirator, task force agents followed the first conspirator, who traveled approximately two miles before handing the package to a second conspirator, later identified as defendant Xilin Sun.
Sun was stopped by the California Highway Patrol, the complaint said. In Sun’s vehicle, investigators located the fake gold package and the victim’s receipt. Agents also located additional evidence linking Sun to the victim, including photos of the fake gold the victim had sent to the conspirators over the phone, a copy of an invoice, and the receipt for the gold.
“If you think you may have been scammed, report it immediately,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “These schemes are organized by sophisticated global networks with the ability to fool even the most savvy computer users. But if victims report quickly, we have a better chance of catching the scammers and retrieving stolen money.”
“Thousands of people fall victim to elder fraud every year. Many do not report the fraud because they are embarrassed or afraid; however, the best course of action is to report scams as early as possible,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge John Kim. “The San Diego Elder Justice Task Force is dedicated to relentlessly pursuing criminals who prey on innocent individuals for personal gain.”
This case was investigated by the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force and its member agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Carlsbad Police Department, San Diego Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available through the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833 FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). You can also report fraud to any local law enforcement agency or on the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
The FBI requests victims report:
- The name of the person or company that contacted you.
- Methods of communication used, including websites, emails, and telephone numbers.
- Any bank account number(s) to which you wired funds and the recipient name(s).
- The name and location of the metal dealer company and the account to which you wired funds, if you were instructed to buy precious metals.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari.
DEFENDANT Case Number 24MJ1502-BLM
Xilin Sun Age: 35 Ontario, California
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1349
Criminal Forfeiture – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 981(a)(1)(C), 982(a)(2)(A), and Title 28, U.S.C., Section 2461(c)
Maximum Penalties: Thirty years in prison; $1 million fine
AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
San Diego Elder Justice Task Force
Carlsbad Police Department
California Highway Patrol
San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
San Diego Police Department*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Mahopac Man Charged with Sexual Exploitation of A Minor and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the unsealing of a Complaint charging JOHN TOWERS with sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child pornography. TOWERS was arrested this morning and presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause in White Plains federal court.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “John Towers’s alleged disturbing conduct violated the public’s trust by placing hidden cameras in a public bathroom and using those cameras to capture sexually explicit images of children. As today’s arrest shows, we will use every tool available to law enforcement to investigate and prosecute those alleged to have sexually exploited children.”
As alleged in the Complaint filed on April 17, 2024, in White Plains federal court and unsealed today:[1]
From at least on or about July 24, 2018, up to and including at least on or about December 9, 2019, TOWERS placed hidden cameras in a bathroom in a privately owned, public park in Putnam County, New York, to surreptitiously record prepubescent minors in order to capture sexually explicit images of the minors. TOWERS then transferred the recordings to a hard drive.
Following the execution of a search warrant at TOWERS’s residence, law enforcement recovered a hard drive that was found to contain over 800 videos of females, including prepubescent females, using a bathroom. Approximately 78 of the videos had file names that included the term “yung.”
On or about March 29, 2024, TOWERS, while in Putnam County, New York, possessed DVDs containing video files he downloaded from the internet depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit activity.
On March 29, 2024, TOWERS was arrested and charged in Carmel Town Court in Putnam Valley with two counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child less than 17 years old, three counts of possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. He was on bail at the time of today’s arrest.
Anyone who may have relevant information regarding JOHN TOWERS is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).
* * *
JOHN TOWERS, 54, of Mahopac, New York, is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, and one count of possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Putnam County District Attorney’s Office, and the Putnam County Sherriff’s Office in connection with this investigation.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia S. Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Lumberton Gang Member Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison After Conviction for Possessing a Firearm as a FelonRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Robeson County man was sentenced to 100 months in prison and three years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. On November 29, 2023, a federal jury convicted, Quillan Inman of the charge.
"This defendant’s long history of violence has finally caught up to him, now getting ten years in federal prison after a high-speed chase exceeding 90 miles per hour in Robeson County," said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. "We are proud to partner with the FBI and Robeson County Sheriff’s Office to prioritize cases involving violent felons undermining safety in Southeastern North Carolina."
"I want to thank our federal partners for their continued collaboration with our agency and hard work to help us keep the residents of Robeson County safe," said Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins. "Gangs, guns, and drugs continue to be an issue in our county, and efforts such as this should send a message that we won’t tolerate it. A jury has spoken in this case, which I consider to be further evidence that people are fed up with this type of behavior."
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Inman, 33, possessed a firearm as a convicted felon. Robeson County Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered this during a traffic stop involving a vehicle in which Inman was a passenger. The deputies initiated a traffic stop, but the vehicle initially evaded them, accelerating to speeds over 90mph. When the vehicle eventually came to a stop, a deputy observed Inman making suspicious movements toward the front of his hooded sweatshirt. Inman was ordered to step out of the vehicle. As Inman stepped out of the vehicle, the deputy saw the handle of a handgun sticking out of the pocket of the hoodie. He immediately cuffed Inman, who attempted to grab the gun as the deputy patted him down. The deputy also recovered suspected cocaine and suboxone strips. A search of the vehicle revealed three more firearms. Inman denied his possession of the firearm throughout the case even telling the jury at trial that the Sheriff’s Office planted all of the evidence in the case.
Inman was previously convicted in North Carolina state court of robbery with a dangerous weapon and two counts of second-degree kidnapping as well as multiple breaking and entering charges. He has a lengthy criminal history spanning back to 2010.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Robeson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lori Warlick and Phil Aubart prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:22-CR-7-FL.
Lexington Man Sentenced for Receiving and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Lexington man, Matthew Ryan Mullins, 29, was sentenced on Thursday, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, to 168 months in prison, for receiving and possessing child pornography.
According to his plea agreement, on June 21, 2022, law enforcement identified Mullins during an investigation into online groups involving the receipt and distribution of child pornography. Mullins admitted to exchanging large amounts of child sexual abuse material with others across the world using various online platforms. Over 3,300 images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children were found on his phone.
Under federal law, Mullins must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 20 years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by HSI and KSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Leader sent to prison in unemployment insurance fraud scamRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 41-year-old man from Edinburg is the final man to be ordered to prison for fraudulently obtaining unemployment benefits from the Department of Labor (DOL), announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Jose Luis Gonzalez pleaded guilty March 21, 2023.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered him to serve a total of 74 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $531,161 in restitution. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence and testimony that described how Gonzalez kept this fraud going on for a decade and caused substantial loss to the Department of Labor (DOL) and Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). The court also heard how he kept the money from the citizens in our community who qualified for the benefits and needed those benefits.
“Gonzalez and others committed substantial fraud against the taxpayers of Texas,” said Hamdani. “By creating fictitious companies, forging documents and ultimately cheating the TWC, Gonzalez kept money from people who truly needed it. Thanks to the work of law enforcement, Gonzalez will have to trade his fake companies for a real prison cell.”
Beginning in August 2008, Gonzalez devised a scheme in which he filed fraudulent unemployment insurance claims with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). He created and provided several fraudulent documents to file for unemployment benefits. He then advertised his scheme on Facebook where he recruited and assisted others to do the same. Several others paid Gonzalez to assist them in making fraudulent employment benefits claims.
Specifically, Gonzalez would create a fictitious employer account with the TWC to include an employer name, address and similar information. The address he created was his address or an address he controlled. TWC would mail a notice to the fictitious employer at that address, and Gonzalez would pretend to be the employer and respond to the TWC letter confirming the fictitious employment of the applicant. This caused TWC to generate and fund a debit card and mail it to a separate address Gonzalez or another individual controlled.
Ultimately, the scheme resulted in approximately 50 fraudulent unemployment claims totaling $531,161.
Nine others had also pleaded guilty and have already been sentenced.
Gonzalez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
DOL - Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation with the assistance of the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Sarina S. DiPiazza prosecuted the case along with former AUSAs Steven Belt and Michael Mitchell.
Lawrence Jackson of Rutland Convicted of Federal Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that yesterday, Lawrence Jackson, also known as “Boo-Bee”, 53, of Rutland, Vermont was convicted in U.S. District Court in Burlington of seven drug and gun charges after a seven-day jury trial. U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss ordered that Jackson remain in jail pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. Jackson has been held without bail since his arrest in November 2021.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Jackson was arrested in Rutland City on November 23, 2021 while in possession of over 400 grams of powder cocaine and cocaine base. A Taurus Judge .410/45 caliber revolver was seized during a law enforcement search of Jackson’s Rutland residence. The Judge revolver was located in a bedroom identified as belonging to Jackson. A desk in the bedroom contained numerous items used for cooking, weighing, and packaging cocaine and cocaine base. Elsewhere in the residence, law enforcement located two more firearms. At the time The Judge was seized, the revolver was loaded with both .45-Long Colt bullets and .410 shotshells. Jackson is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his extensive criminal history.
Evidence at trial also established that Jackson sold cocaine in August 2020 and cocaine base in September 2020 to a confidential informant working at the direction of law enforcement. The jury also convicted Jackson of participating in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and over 500 grams of cocaine from approximately January 2021 until he was arrested on November 23, 2021. Jackson used firearms, including The Judge revolver, to further his drug trafficking conspiracy. For example, Jackson used a firearm to strike a man who owed him a drug debt.
Based on the jury’s verdict, Jackson faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life. The actual sentence will be determined with reference to Federal Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
U.S. Attorney Nikolas Kerest commended the collaborative investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations, the Rutland City Police Department, and the Vermont Drug Task Force. U.S. Attorney Kerest also thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Vermont State Police for their investigative assistance, Homeland Security Investigations for extensive support during trial, and the U.S. Marshals Service for assistance during trial.
“Lawrence Jackson did a lot of damage to many peoples’ lives in the Rutland area, both by distributing cocaine and with physical violence,” stated U.S. Attorney Nikolas Kerest. “Thanks to the dedication of the team in this office and our many law enforcement partners who contributed to this investigation and trial, Mr. Jackson has been brought to justice. This guilty verdict and the focused effort put into this case by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its partners exemplifies our dedication to addressing violent drug crime in Rutland and throughout Vermont. We will continue to prioritize the prosecution of violent drug crime and will not rest in that effort as long as conduct like Mr. Jackson’s persists.”
“Our investigation into Jackson painted a picture of a violent and cruel individual who used his reputation to perpetrate a string of crimes in Rutland. Yesterday, a jury found him guilty on seven counts related to drug trafficking and illegal possession of a firearm and now he’s facing a serious federal sentence. HSI is proud to work alongside our partners here in Vermont to make our communities safer,” said Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England.
“As a direct result of the collaborative effort between local, state, and our federal law enforcement partners, Mr. Jackson has been held accountable for the harm he inflicted upon many individuals and the entire Rutland community. We give thanks to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont for its dedication to the prosecution of this matter,” said Rutland City Police Chief Brian Kilcullen.
At trial, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Ophardt and Nicole Cate represented the government. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Stendig worked on this matter for the government during the pre-trial phase. Jackson represented himself at trial, and Robert Behrens, Esq. served as standby counsel.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
La Crosse Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Possessing Firearm as a FelonRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Shane Tucker, 30, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 5 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. Tucker pleaded guilty to this charge on January 22, 2024.
On July 20, 2023, La Crosse police officers responded to a reported domestic incident involving Tucker. The reporting party said that Tucker was carrying a handgun in his backpack, and another witness to the incident said that Tucker threatened to “shoot this whole place up.” When officers contacted Tucker, they found a loaded .22 caliber silver handgun in a backpack that he had been carrying but tried to hide. Tucker has two prior felony convictions for drug trafficking and is legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson was concerned that the firearm could cause great harm and noted that Tucker had an established pattern of domestic violence. Judge Peterson remarked that because Tucker’s conviction in this case was related to his long history of domestic offenses, a substantial period of incarceration was necessary to protect the public and send a message to Tucker. Tucker was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.
The charge against Tucker was the result of an investigation conducted by the La Crosse 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.
Kidnappers Who Abducted 6-Year-Old to Peru IndictedRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The grand jury today indicted Edwin Alonso Cuadros Bravo, 54, and Yulisa Alexsandra Guevara Wintong, 49, both formerly residing in Sacramento, charging them with interstate and international kidnapping and kidnapping conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in November 2021, Cuadros Bravo and Guevara Wintong abducted their six-year-old grandchild from Sacramento and took the victim to Peru. Despite pleading from the mother, Cuadros Bravo and Guevara Wintong did not return the victim to the United States. Cuadros Bravo and Guevara Wintong were initially charged by criminal complaint in February 2022. In December 2022, the victim was returned to Sacramento as a result of government intervention. On April 10, 2024, Cuadros Bravo appeared for the first time in federal court in Sacramento.
Cuadros Bravo was detained following his first appearance and he remains in custody. Guevara Wintong has not yet appeared to answer the charges against her.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica M.A. Alegría is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Cuadros Bravo and Guevara Wintong face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Kansas City, Kansas Men Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Kansas City man was sentenced on April 11, 2024, to 260 months in federal prison after being found guilty by jury trial on Counts One and Two of the Indictment. His co-defendant was sentenced on December 12, 2023, to 120 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to Counts One and Two of the Indictment.
According to public court documents, George Madison Kitchen, IV, 46, and Cardel Jordan Harris, 26, were transporting methamphetamine from Kansas City, Missouri with a destination of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In July 2022 law enforcement stopped Kitchen for a traffic violation with Harris as a passenger. Kitchen and Harris were asked to step out of the vehicle due to the odor of marijuana, instead of stepping out, they fled the scene. Kitchen led officers, from different agencies, on a high-speed pursuit northbound on Interstate 29. The vehicle was stopped north of Council Bluffs. Kitchen and Harris threw bags out the passenger side window while speeding along the interstate. Officers found the bags along the interstate which resulted in the discovery of distribution quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine.
Kitchen must serve a ten-year term of supervised release after the prison term. Harris must serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Council Bluffs Police Department, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, and the Missouri Valley Police Department were involved in the apprehension and the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department, and the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force were involved in the apprehension and investigation of the case.
Justice Department Sues to Shut Down Miami Return PreparerRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s Tax Division filed a civil injunction suit today to permanently bar Nia Daniel and her tax return preparation business, Nia Help Service LLC, from preparing federal income tax returns for others.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, alleges that Daniel prepared over 2,000 federal income tax returns from 2020 through 2024 and that she employed a variety of schemes to understate her customers’ tax liabilities and overstate the refunds to which they were entitled. The complaint alleges that Daniel made up false businesses on customers’ returns, knowingly reported fake or inflated business expenses and fraudulently claimed various credits like the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, American Opportunity Credit and Residential Energy Credit – usually without customers’ knowledge. The complaint goes on to explain that Daniels falsified customers’ income and filing statuses to increase the amount of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
According to the complaint, the United States has been harmed by Daniel’s conduct, resulting in the significant loss in tax revenue of more than $500,000 in 2023 alone. In addition to seeking an injunction, the government requests an order of disgorgement to prevent Daniel and her business from profiting from their violation of the internal revenue laws.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’s Dirty Dozen Tax Scams and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against dishonest tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers guidance on the credentials and qualifications that taxpayers should seek from their return preparer.
In the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Daniel Complaint - ecf stamped.pdfJustice Department Seizes Four Web Domains Used to Create over 40,000 Spoofed Websites and Store the Personal Information of More Than a Million VictimsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today the seizure of four domains used by the administrators and customers of a domain spoofing service. The domain seizures were authorized pursuant to seizure warrants issued in the Western District of Pennsylvania and were executed in coordination with the arrest of dozens of administrators and customers of the illicit service by foreign law enforcement agencies.
“Together with our international partners, the Justice Department has disrupted another cybercrime scheme originating from Russia that enabled criminals to steal from over a million victims in the United States and around the world,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I am grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the FBI, and our partners at the Secret Service for their work on this case, and to our foreign law enforcement partners whose efforts have led to the arrests of dozens of LabHost administrators and users.”
According to court records, the United States obtained authorization to seize the domains as part of an investigation of the spoofing service operated through the Lab-host.ru domain (LabHost), which resolves to a Russian internet infrastructure company. LabHost provided online infrastructure and interactive functionality for its subscription-based services. According to court records, customers of LabHost used its services to create and manage spoofed websites designed to look like the legitimate websites of businesses such as Amazon, Netflix, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Chase Bank. LabHost customers used the spoofed websites to lure unwitting victims into disclosing their personally identifiable information (PII) — e.g., date of birth, email address, password, address, and credit card information — on the websites the victims believed were legitimate. In turn, according to court documents, LabHost’s customers used the stolen PII to engage in unauthorized financial transactions at the expense of the victims. As outlined in court records, LabHost has been used to create over 40,000 spoofed websites, and its infrastructure has stored over one million user credentials and nearly 500,000 compromised credit cards.
The warrants authorized the seizure of the following four domains associated with application programming interface (API) services used to install spoofed websites and manage LabHost’s phishing and credential-theft operations: Instapi-1xoa93z90o348fz.co, Api2-4hdfix74ks.co, Api1-9kcpqcf7olw1w300w3m6.cc, and Api-d789342789342uy432hjf87df87dfk.cc. The four LabHost API domains were registered to NameSilo, LLC, a third-party webhosting service based in the United States. According to court records, the seized domains represented property used to commit violations of federal criminal law, including access device fraud, computer fraud, wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering.
The effect of the domain seizures was to shut down the LabHost platform.
“The theft of personal information — and the financial ruin that often follows — should never be just another cost of using the internet for ordinary citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “Today’s domain seizures show that cybercriminals’ greed will not go unchecked — no matter their sophistication and geographic reach. We will continue to work with our domestic and foreign law enforcement partners, using all available tools, to protect the global public.”
“Seizing LabHost and arresting those involved will have a systemic impact on transnational cybercrime,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy P. Burke of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Pittsburgh Field Office. “We are proud to work with our foreign and domestic law enforcement partners as we continue to counter those engaged in cybercrime.”
“Behind every cybercrime-as-a-service operation lurks one thing: financial devastation,” said Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office. “The FBI and our global partners will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who thinks they can get rich by stealing from hard-working Americans. Selling cybercrime tools has ripple effects that go far beyond the businesses and borders of America. With every theft and intrusion, the public loses more and more trust in our critical digital infrastructure.”
The domain seizures in the United States occurred in conjunction with the international arrests of dozens of LabHost administrators and customers facing criminal charges in more than a dozen foreign countries. Law enforcement authorities from the following countries participated in the investigation: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark V. Gurzo for the Western District of Pennsylvania is prosecuting the case.
The FBI and USSS investigated the case in the United States, and the United Kingdom’s London Metropolitan Police investigated the international case, with the support of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre and Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce.
Justice Department Seizes Four Web Domains Used to Create over 40,000 Spoofed Websites and Store the Personal Information of More Than a Million VictimsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today the seizure of four domains used by the administrators and customers of a domain spoofing service. The domain seizures were authorized pursuant to seizure warrants issued in the Western District of Pennsylvania and were executed in coordination with the arrest of dozens of administrators and customers of the illicit service by foreign law enforcement agencies.
According to court records, the United States obtained authorization to seize the domains as part of an investigation of the spoofing service operated through the Lab-host.ru domain (LabHost), which resolves to a Russian internet infrastructure company. LabHost provided online infrastructure and interactive functionality for its subscription-based services. According to court records, customers of LabHost used its services to create and manage spoofed websites designed to look like the legitimate websites of businesses such as Amazon, Netflix, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Chase Bank. LabHost customers used the spoofed websites to lure unwitting victims into disclosing their personally identifiable information (PII)—e.g., date of birth, email address, password, address, and credit card information—on the websites the victims believed were legitimate. In turn, according to court documents, LabHost’s customers used the stolen PII to engage in unauthorized financial transactions at the expense of the victims. As outlined in court records, LabHost has been used to create over 40,000 spoofed websites, and its infrastructure has stored over one million user credentials and nearly 500,000 compromised credit cards.
The warrants authorized the seizure of the following four domains associated with application programming interface (API) services used to install spoofed websites and manage LabHost’s phishing and credential-theft operations: Instapi-1xoa93z90o348fz.co, Api2-4hdfix74ks.co, Api1-9kcpqcf7olw1w300w3m6.cc, and Api-d789342789342uy432hjf87df87dfk.cc. The four LabHost API domains were registered to NameSilo, LLC, a third-party webhosting service based in the United States. According to court records, the seized domains represented property used to commit violations of federal criminal law, including access device fraud, computer fraud, wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering.
The effect of the domain seizures was to shut down the LabHost platform.
“Together with our international partners, the Justice Department has disrupted another cybercrime scheme originating from Russia that enabled criminals to steal from over a million victims in the United States and around the world,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I am grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the FBI, and our partners at the Secret Service for their work on this case, and to our foreign law enforcement partners whose efforts have led to the arrests of dozens of LabHost administrators and users.”
“The theft of personal information—and the financial ruin that often follows—should never be just another cost of using the internet for ordinary citizens,” U.S. Attorney Olshan said. “Today’s domain seizures show that cybercriminals’ greed will not go unchecked—no matter their sophistication and geographic reach. We will continue to work with our domestic and foreign law enforcement partners, using all available tools, to protect the global public.”
“Seizing LabHost and arresting those involved will have a systemic impact on transnational cybercrime,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy P. Burke, U.S. Secret Service Pittsburgh Field Office. “We are proud to work with our foreign and domestic law enforcement partners as we continue to counter those engaged in cybercrime.”
“Behind every cybercrime-as-a-service operation lurks one thing: financial devastation,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek. “The FBI and our global partners will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who thinks they can get rich by stealing from hard-working Americans. Selling cybercrime tools has ripple effects that go far beyond the businesses and borders of America. With every theft and intrusion, the public loses more and more trust in our critical digital infrastructure.”
The domain seizures in the United States occurred in conjunction with the international arrests of dozens of LabHost administrators and customers facing criminal charges in more than a dozen foreign countries. Law enforcement authorities from the following countries participated in the investigation: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Assistant United States Attorney Mark V. Gurzo is representing the government in this matter.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Secret Service conducted the investigation in the United States, and the international investigation was led by the United Kingdom’s London Metropolitan Police, with the support of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre and Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce.
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Link to seizure warrant (unsealed by the Court on 4/18/2024)
Link to Europol press release on seizuresJustice Department Secures Agreement with City of Virginia Beach to Improve Access for Individuals with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today a settlement agreement with the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia, to ensure that individuals with disabilities, including Veterans, have equal access to city buildings and other civic programs. The agreement is part of the department’s commitment to ensure that civic institutions comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Virginia Beach has a large population of Veterans, active-duty military service members, retirees and their families.
“The ADA mandates equal access to civic life for people with disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division is committed to ensuring that cities and other public entities eliminate physical, communication and other barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating fully in community life. We commend Virginia Beach for its commitment to work with the Civil Rights Division to ensure equal access for individuals with disabilities, including Veterans.”
“Ensuring that individuals who have disabilities are afforded equal access to local government programs and services is required by the ADA and a high priority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We are pleased that the City of Virginia Beach has agreed to take numerous steps to ensure that individuals with disabilities, including Veterans, have equal access to vital public services, including emergency services and the City’s website.”
Under the agreement announced today, Virginia Beach will remove accessibility barriers to buildings such as police stations, libraries, technology centers, community centers and places of recreation. The agreement requires Virginia Beach to ensure that parking, routes into buildings, entrances, restrooms, signage, service counters and drinking fountains are accessible to people with disabilities, and that assembly areas, such as the Giant Screen Theater at the Aquarium, provide the required wheelchair and companion seating. The agreement also requires Virginia Beach to ensure effective communication for individuals with hearing and vision disabilities through methods such as sign language interpreters, real-time transcription services, Braille or large print documents and accessible electronic formats. The city will also provide access to emergency shelters, provide accessible websites, train employees on the requirements of the ADA, make sidewalks and curb cuts accessible and appoint an ADA coordinator.
The Justice Department plays a central role in advancing the nation’s goal of equal opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov. If you believe you’ve been discriminated against, you may file a complaint online at www.civilrights.justice.gov/.
Justice Department Secures Agreement with City of Virginia Beach to Improve Access for Individuals with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today a settlement agreement with the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia, to ensure that individuals with disabilities, including Veterans, have equal access to city buildings and other civic programs. The agreement is part of the department’s commitment to ensure that civic institutions comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Virginia Beach has a large population of Veterans, active-duty military service members, retirees and their families.
“The ADA mandates equal access to civic life for people with disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division is committed to ensuring that cities and other public entities eliminate physical, communication and other barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating fully in community life. We commend Virginia Beach for its commitment to work with the Civil Rights Division to ensure equal access for individuals with disabilities, including Veterans.”
“Ensuring that individuals who have disabilities are afforded equal access to local government programs and services is required by the ADA and a high priority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We are pleased that the City of Virginia Beach has agreed to take numerous steps to ensure that individuals with disabilities, including Veterans, have equal access to vital public services, including emergency services and the City’s website.”
Under the agreement announced today, Virginia Beach will remove accessibility barriers to buildings such as police stations, libraries, technology centers, community centers and places of recreation. The agreement requires Virginia Beach to ensure that parking, routes into buildings, entrances, restrooms, signage, service counters and drinking fountains are accessible to people with disabilities, and that assembly areas, such as the Giant Screen Theater at the Aquarium, provide the required wheelchair and companion seating. The agreement also requires Virginia Beach to ensure effective communication for individuals with hearing and vision disabilities through methods such as sign language interpreters, real-time transcription services, Braille or large print documents and accessible electronic formats. The city will also provide access to emergency shelters, provide accessible websites, train employees on the requirements of the ADA, make sidewalks and curb cuts accessible and appoint an ADA coordinator.
The Justice Department plays a central role in advancing the nation’s goal of equal opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov. If you believe you’ve been discriminated against, you may file a complaint online at www.civilrights.justice.gov/.
Justice Department Launches Updated Voting Rights and Elections WebsiteRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has updated www.justice.gov/voting, a one-stop resource providing voting and elections information for voters as well as state and local elections officials. As part of the update, the Civil Rights Division published two new informational guides on voting rights and updated five other guides. The Department’s longstanding practice is to update resources and provide information in election years on the efforts of the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Division, National Security Division, and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country, to ensure that all qualified voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots and have their votes counted free of discrimination, intimidation, or criminal activity in the election process, and to ensure that our elections are secure and free from foreign malign influence and interference. Over the coming months additional resources will be published.
“The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy, the right from which all others flow,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland. “The Justice Department is using every available authority to defend that right, both from efforts to undermine voting rights and from efforts to threaten and intimidate those who administer our elections. These updated resources will help voters understand their rights and assist public officials in fulfilling their duties.”
“Protecting the right to vote is one of the Justice Department’s highest priorities,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “Today, the Department is issuing new guidance documents, updating others, and updating our main voting website to make available in one place the resources the Department offers on voting rights — from a guide on the laws governing voting-related language assistance to a video explaining the protections against voter intimidation. We hope that these resources will make it easier for voters to exercise their rights and to enlist our help whenever and wherever those rights are under attack.”
“The Justice Department works every day to defend the right of every eligible American to exercise their voice in our democracy,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The new guides and updates we issue today, alongside our litigation, friend-of-the-court-briefs, and monitoring efforts demonstrate our commitment to using every tool available to protect the right to vote. These materials apprise voters about the protections provided by the Voting Rights Act and other civil rights laws and encourage voters to report violations. These resources also help state and local authorities comply with their obligations under the law.”
The new guides issued today include one on Voter Intimidation Under Federal Law, discussing the prohibition on threats, obstruction, or deliberately false information about the time, manner, or place of voting to prevent people from casting their ballots or participating in the electoral process. The Department has prepared a short video explaining how to report such misconduct.
The second new guide addresses Voting Protections for Language Minority Citizens under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act. Section 203 mandates language assistance to enable certain people with limited English proficiency to participate effectively in all phases of the electoral process.
Along with the two new guides, the Department updated five existing guides on the Justice Department website. The Department updated its guide on The Americans with Disabilities Act and Other Federal Laws Protecting the Rights of Voters with Disabilities. This guide describes the legal protections designed to allow equal access to every aspect of elections, including registration and voting, for people with disabilities. The Department also revised its Guidance Under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act for redistricting and methods of electing government bodies. Another update addressed Federal Law Constraints on Post-Election “Audits.” In addition, the Department updated its Guidance Concerning Federal Statutes Affecting Methods of Voting. Along with these revisions, the Department updated information on how to request Federal Election Monitors in a jurisdiction.
These guides on voting laws are just a few of the many resources the Department has made available on its website to help people exercise this foundational right and to assist public officials in fulfilling their duties. Other such resources include a brochure entitled Know Your Voting Rights, a 50-state Guide to State Voting Rules that Apply After a Criminal Conviction, explanations of the rights of voters with disabilities, including guides on Ballot Drop Box Accessibility, Solutions for Five Common ADA Access Problems at Polling Places, and How to File an ADA Complaint, and web pages addressing the voting rights of members of the armed services and U.S. citizens living overseas, the National Voter Registration Act, and the Help America Vote Act.
The www.justice.gov/voting website also provides information on the Department’s Election Threats Task Force, which leads the Department’s efforts to address violence against election workers and to ensure that all election workers — whether elected, appointed, or volunteer — are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation.
You can report suspected criminal activity regarding voting to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or by filing an online complaint at tips.fbi.gov. You can also contact local law enforcement. You can report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/report/ or 1-800-253-3931.
If at any time you are in imminent danger, call 911.
Jury Convicts Self-Described Civil Rights Activist from Toledo of Wire Fraud and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
TOLEDO – Sir Maejor Page, 35, of Toledo, was found guilty of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering by a jury after a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Helmick.
According to court documents and testimony, in 2016, Page created a Facebook page for “Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta” (“BLMGA”) and registered this organization as a domestic non-profit with the Georgia Secretary of State Corporation’s Division. In 2017, the IRS approved Page’s request granting BLMGA tax-exempt status under Section 503(c)(3) of the tax code, but dissolved this status in 2019. Page nonetheless accepted donations after falsely portraying BLMGA to the public as a legitimate charity engaged in social justice work, when in fact, it was not. Instead, Page used the money that individual donors gave to BLMGA not for social justice causes, but rather to buy items for his own personal use, such as a house and furniture. Page also committed money-laundering crimes when he bought these items with the donations that he fraudulently obtained.
“The United States Attorney’s Office prioritizes the prosecution of white-collar criminal conduct, particularly conduct involving deceptive schemes that selfishly exploit a charitable donor’s goodwill for personal gain,” said United States Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko, for the Northern District of Ohio. “The donors to BLMGA thought they were giving their hard-earned money to a cause they believed in. But instead of using it to support that cause, Page used it for himself. The jury’s verdict is a warning to every fraudster that when you misrepresent how donations or other money given to you in trust will be used, you will be prosecuted and punished.”
"Preying on the generosity of the public for personal gain is cold and calculated," said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. "The FBI and it's white-collar crime division along with our federal, state, and local partners will continue to aggressively find and investigate criminals who believe they can deceive others through shady business practices."
No sentencing date has been set.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gene Crawford and Rob Melching.
Jury Convicts FCI-Greenville Inmate of Possessing a Weapon in PrisonRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A man who was serving a prison sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Greenville was found guilty by a jury of possessing a weapon.
Tavian C. Steward, 22, was convicted Tuesday on one count of possession of contraband in prison.
“Inmates in possession of weapons pose a significant threat to correctional officers, prison staff and other inmates, and thanks to quick and efficient efforts by FCI-Greenville personnel, a dangerous situation was avoided,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe.
According to court documents and evidence presented during the trial, a correctional officer at FCI-Greenville received a tip Steward was in possession of a homemade weapon on Oct. 27, 2022. Following a pat-down search, correctional officers located a handmade weapon in the pocket of Steward’s jacket.
"Thanks to the watchful eyes and proactive efforts of FCI-Greenville correctional officers, a potentially dangerous situation was averted,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Joe Rodriguez. “FBI Springfield is committed to working closely with FCI-Greenville to help maintain the safety of their staff and inmates.”
The weapon was a piece of metal sharpened to a point with brown fabric wrapped around the base as a handle. The weapon was approximately 5.25 inches in length.
Possession of contraband in prison is punishable by up to 5 additional years’ imprisonment, which must be served consecutively to an inmate’s initial sentence. Steward’s sentencing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on July 25 at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis.
The FBI Springfield Field Office led the investigation with support from FCI-Greenville officials. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Dean and Tom Leggans are prosecuting the case.
Joshua Shonubi Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Commit Visa and Marriage FraudRead the Press Release
Baltimore Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman today sentenced Joshua Shonubi, age 59, of Bowie, Maryland, for federal charges of Conspiracy to Commit Visa and Marriage Fraud and a charge of Aggravated Identity Theft.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Ron Rosenberg, District Director, Washington District Office of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
According to the guilty plea, the Defendant, who was a pastor at New Life City Church, used his position of trust to recruit church members who were U.S. Citizens to marry foreign nationals for financial compensation. The Defendant accepted payment from the foreign nationals for facilitating these marriages. The Defendant used his role as a pastor to recruit and groom economically disadvantaged United States citizens to marry these foreign nationals and then sponsored them for permanent residence in the United States.
In furtherance of the fraud, the Defendant created false documentation and submitted it to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services so that the fraudulent marriage would be accepted and the foreign national could apply for lawful permanent residency, and later United States Citizenship. Among other things, the Defendant submitted letters written on his church letterhead asserting under oath that he had performed and officiated the weddings himself. The Defendant also procured and submitted fraudulent leases and paystubs to support the façade that the marriage between the U.S. Citizen and the foreign national was legitimate. Between June 2008 and June 2021, the Defendant facilitated over 60 fraudulent marriages and submitted well over 100 fraudulent documents in support of his scheme.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI and USCIS for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn, who prosecuted the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.# # #
Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Selling Firearms and Machinegun Conversion DevicesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Scott Randall Chance, Jr. (22, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to dealing firearms without a license and knowingly possessing a machinegun. Chance faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, in October 2022, federal and local law enforcement agencies identified Chance as a source of supply for illegal firearms and machinegun conversion devices (MCDs) in Duval and St. Johns counties. On four separate occasions, between February and July 2023, Chance illegally sold firearms and MCDs to an undercover law enforcement officer. In total, Chance sold six firearms and three MCDs to the undercover officer.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Aakash Singh.
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.
Jackson County Man on Federal Supervised Release Is Sentenced to 10+ Years in Prison on Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced John Allen Wise, 45, of Cashiers, N.C., to 121 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for distribution of methamphetamine and illegal possession of firearms, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which oversees the Charlotte District Office, and Sheriff Doug Farmer of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents, Wise was on court-ordered supervised release after serving a term of imprisonment on a federal drug conviction. On August 5, 2022, law enforcement with the U.S. Probation Office and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office arrived at Wise’s residence to arrest him on a supervised release violation warrant and to conduct a planned search. Law enforcement encountered Wise sitting on his front porch with a small bag containing methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Law enforcement proceeded to search the residence, seizing fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, digital scales and items consistent with drug distribution, a loaded semiautomatic pistol, and multiple rounds of ammunition. Wise’s criminal conviction prohibits him from possessing firearms and ammunition.
On April 24, 2023, Wise pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Wise is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney King thanked the DEA and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
Indictment Returned for Arson at Burlington Office of Senator SandersRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that a federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging Shant Soghomonian (also known as Michael Soghomonian), 35, previously of Northridge, California with using fire to damage the building at One Church Street – a building used in interstate commerce. He will be arraigned on the indictment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle next week, likely on Tuesday April 23, 2024. Soghomonian also appeared before Judge Doyle today for a continuation of a detention hearing, and Judge Doyle ordered that Soghomonian be detained pending further proceedings.
According to court records, Soghomonian entered the building at One Church Street in Burlington on the morning of April 5, 2024, and proceeded to the third floor where the Vermont office of Senator Sanders is located. Soghomonian was recorded on a security video spraying a liquid near the outer door of the office and then lighting the area with a handheld lighter. A blaze quickly began while Soghomonian departed via a staircase. The video recordings showed Soghomonian wearing and carrying distinctive items, and those distinctive items were later recovered during his arrest and subsequent searches of his hotel room and vehicle.
The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charge in the indictment contains only allegations and that Soghomonian is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty. If convicted, Soghomonian faces a maximum possible penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and sentencing factors in the United States Code.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Lasher. Soghomonian is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Mary Nerino.
Ida Grove Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Scott Allen Tomlinson, 49, from Ida Grove, Iowa, was sentenced April 18, 2024, to 10 years in federal prison for Possession of Child Pornography.
Evidence in the case established that between September 1, 2021, and February 23, 2022, Tomlinson possessed child pornography and used a cellular phone to access the images on the cloud. Law Enforcement recovered dozens of images from Tomlinson’s cloud-based storage system. These images included material that portrayed sadistic and masochistic conduct. Evidence at the sentencing hearing established that Tomlinson engaged in a pattern of activity involving the sexual abuse or exploitation of a minor.
Tomlinson was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Tomlinson was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $2,600 in fines and assessments. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Tomlinson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
The case was investigated by State of Iowa Department of Public Safety and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 22-CR-04904.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Humboldt, Iowa, Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited PersonRead the Press Release
A convicted felon who was found in possession of a stolen gun was sentenced on April 16, 2024, to 21 months in federal prison.
Joseph Isiah Hardy, Sr., age 38, from Humboldt, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 28, 2023, guilty plea to Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.
Evidence at the hearing showed that on October 27, 2022, the Humboldt Police Department responded to a call of a possible stolen gun. During a search of the property Hardy was detained and found with the stolen firearm. Hardy admitted he had previously been convicted of the felony assault of an at-risk person in Colorado in 2012. Hardy further admitted he knowingly possessed a stolen firearm.
Hardy was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Hardy was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Hardy is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Humbolt Police Department, Humbolt County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa State Patrol and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is CR23-3010. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Framingham Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearm in Furtherance of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Framingham man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston to unlawfully possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Edwin Alago, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release. In December 2023, Alago pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
In May 2021, Alago was found by police inside a car that was parked outside of a Framingham business. The lights were on and the car was running, but Alago was unresponsive and did not appear to be breathing. Officers roused Alago, removed him from the car and found that he was in possession of Xanax, gabapentin and cocaine. Alago’s fingerprints were also found on a SCCY .9mm CPX-2 semi-automatic pistol that was in the car. The gun had a defaced serial number and was loaded with seven rounds of .9mm ammunition. Alago was combative and spit on police officers.
Alago was charged in Framingham District Court with possession of a Class E substance (Xanax and gabapentin), possession of a Class B substance (cocaine) and assault and battery on a police officer. He pleaded guilty to these charges in October 2023 and was sentenced to 30 days in prison to run concurrent with the federal sentence imposed today.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office and the Framingham Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Meghan C. Cleary and Brian Sullivan of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.