Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Friday 12 April 2024
Maryland man who illegally purchased 59 guns in 17 months sentencedRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Temple Hills, Maryland, man was sentenced today to a year and two months in prison for making false statements while purchasing firearms in Virginia.
According to court documents, from August 2020 through December 2021, Robert Smith, 48, bought a total of 59 firearms over 24 purchases, each time affirming on the required federal firearms forms that he lived in Arlington, Virginia. At no time during that period did Smith live at the provided address in Arlington. Maryland state laws regulating firearms purchases would not have allowed Smith to purchase this many firearms during this period of time, whereas Virginia law allows it.
The investigation into Smith began when four firearms he had purchased were recovered from four different individuals during traffic stops. In each case, the serial number of the firearm was obliterated. During the prosecution of this case, at least two additional firearms linked to Smith were recovered, again with obliterated serial numbers. Aside from these, two were recovered from Smith and he did not report any of the firearms stolen. The locations of the remaining firearms he purchased are unknown to law enforcement.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Durham and Ronald L. Walutes Jr. prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-90.
Maryland Man Indicted on Charges He Killed His Girlfriend’s HusbandRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Keyon Slaughter, 27, of Waldorf, Maryland, was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with the December 2022 murder of Dana Bailey, Jr., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The indictment charges Slaughter with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, first‑degree felony murder while armed, first-degree burglary while armed, and related firearm offenses, including illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted person, punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.
According to the government’s evidence, in the morning hours of December 5, 2022, Slaughter entered the apartment that his girlfriend shared with her husband, Dana Bailey, Jr., in Southeast, Washington, D.C. Bailey had learned of his wife’s affair with Slaughter earlier in 2022. Slaughter confronted and shot Bailey once in the chest, killing him. Slaughter then fled the scene and traveled to North Carolina. Before Bailey died, he identified Slaughter as the murderer to a responding officer by Slaughter’s nickname, “Papi.” At that time, defendant was on supervised probation for a 2019 conviction for armed robbery in Charles County, Maryland. Slaughter was arrested in this case in July 2023 and has been detained pending trial since his arrest.
This case is being investigated by members of MPD’s Homicide Branch. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles R. Jones.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Manderson Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Manderson, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to an Intimate Partner and Tampering with a Witness. The sentencing took place on April 8, 2024.
Cruz Gibbons, 28, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for the Tampering conviction, and five years in federal prison—the statutory maximum—for the Assault conviction, followed by three years of supervised release. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently. Gibbons was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Gibbons was indicted for Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to an Intimate Partner, Distribution of a Controlled Substance to an Individual Under 21 and Tampering with a Witness by a federal grand jury in October of 2023. He pleaded guilty on January 12, 2024.
The convictions stem from Gibbons beating his former girlfriend in August of 2023, which caused her substantial bodily injury. After being arrested, Gibbons contacted the victim hundreds of times from the jail and persuaded her to refuse to testify. Notwithstanding Gibbons’ efforts to thwart the investigation and case, investigators successfully assembled a case against Gibbons, leading to his guilty pleas and sentencing.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.
Gibbons was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
Rock Island, Ill. – A Chicago, Illinois, man, Eric A. Boyd, 55, of the 700 block of Chicago, Illinois, has been sentenced to 180 months in the Bureau of Prisons, to be served consecutive to a U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois sentence, followed by a 5-year term of supervised release, for armed bank robbery.
At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that, on the morning of May 1, 2023, Boyd entered a Chase Bank in Moline, Illinois, wearing a mask and carrying a duffle bag. Boyd brandished an apparent firearm, indicated he had a bomb, and ordered employees and customers to “get on the ground”. Boyd then placed the duffel bag on the counter and directed bank employees to fill the bag with currency.
Also at the hearing, U.S. District Court Judge James E. Shadid found that, in January of 2021, Boyd was released early from a previous prison sentence for multiple armed bank robberies, and that at the time of this offense he was on supervised release from the Bureau of Prisons. Judge Shadid also noted that Boyd’s extensive criminal history indicated he was a risk to reoffend, that prior prison sentences had not deterred Boyd from engaging in new crimes, and that a lengthy sentence was necessary to protect the community from further harm.
Boyd was arrested on May 5, 2023, and has remained in the custody of the United States Marshals Service since his arrest. Boyd pleaded guilty on September 19, 2023.
The statutory penalties for armed bank robbery are up to 25 years in prison.
Moline Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office. Supervisory Assistant U.S Attorney John Mehochko represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Boyd 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.
Lowell Man Arrested for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lowell man has been arrested for child pornography offenses.
Steven Armando Estrada Ramirez, 21, was charged with receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Estrada Ramirez made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston yesterday.
According to the charging documents, Estrada was identified as a participant in multiple groups on a mobile chat application, in which the primary purpose of the group, is for users share and view CSAM. It is alleged that multiple files located within those chat application groups depicted child pornography. During a search of his residence, Estrada was found to be in possession of a USB drive containing approximately 800 video files, many of which had filenames descriptive of child pornography, and the majority of which depicted child pornography. The files allegedly depicted children who appeared to be approximately one to eight years old.
The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime 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 and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Maynard 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 documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Louisville Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Online EnticementRead the Press Release
Louisville, Ky. – A Louisville, Kentucky, man was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in federal prison for attempted online enticement of a minor.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office made the announcement.
According to court documents, Joshua Ryan Teichman, 33, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for one count of attempted online enticement of a minor. Teichman used a cellular telephone to access online applications via the internet to communicate with a minor female and an undercover law enforcement agent he believed to be the minor female. During those communications he knowingly attempted to entice the minor to engage in criminal sexual activity by exchanging sexually explicit images and making plans to meet in person for sexual contact.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the FBI.
Assistant United States Attorneys A. Spencer McKiness and Jo E. Lawless prosecuted the case.
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.”
###
Louisville Man Sentenced to over 15 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Sex Trafficking of Children and Attempted Online Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A Louisville man was sentenced yesterday to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for attempted sex trafficking of children and attempted online enticement of a minor.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, Special Agent in Charge Robert Holman of the United States Secret Service, and Chief Richard Sanders of the Jeffersontown Police Department made the announcement.
According to court documents, Justin Nelson Aubrey, 26, was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months in prison, followed by a life term of supervised release, for one count of attempted sex trafficking of children and one count of attempted online enticement of a minor. Aubrey used a cellular telephone to access online applications via the internet to communicate with two individuals, then cooperating with law enforcement, to negotiate to pay for sex with children. Aubrey subsequently showed up, with money, to meet one of the children before being apprehended by law enforcement.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was the result of a joint federal, state, and local operation called Operation Angel, aimed at making federal arrests of individuals who preyed upon children. The United States Secret Service, the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, and the Jeffersontown Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie M. Zimdahl and Jo E. Lawless prosecuted the case.
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.”
###
Justice Department’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force Continues Strategic Growth, adds Four National PartnersRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – The Justice Department announced today that the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) is adding four new national partners, for a total of 38 agencies and offices committed to deterring, detecting, investigating, and prosecuting antitrust crimes and related schemes that target government procurement, grants, and program funding at all levels of government.
The new partners include three U.S. Attorney’s Offices in districts with diverse government spending oversight priorities and proven PCSF and Antitrust Division relationships:
- Philip R. Sellinger, District of New Jersey
- S. Lane Tucker, District of Alaska
- Duane A. Evans, Eastern District of Louisiana
The PCSF is also welcoming Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General, whose oversight of billions of dollars authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act of 2022 closely aligns with PCSF priorities.
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger“A level playing field and fair competition are vitally important to ensure that taxpayers are getting the best value for their money when government contacts are awarded. My office is proud to join this national effort to combat price-fixing, bid rigging, and any type of collusion or fraud in government procurement. Working with our investigative partners, we will hold accountable anyone who tries to corrupt the procurement process.”
“Since 2019, the Procurement Collusion Strike Force has aggressively investigated and prosecuted crimes that undermine and distort the competitive process in taxpayer-funded procurements,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “With new investments in infrastructure, energy and hi-tech manufacturing the PCFS’ strategic expansion to include these four partners positions it to accomplish its important mandate more effectively.”
“Billions in federal funds are coming into our state to improve the lives of Alaskans, making it imperative that those tax dollars are used for their intended purpose and not illegally obtained,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “The implementation of the Procurement Collusion Strike Force in Alaska showcases my office’s commitment to take action against collusive conduct and related fraudulent schemes by individuals or corporations that threaten government spending destined to progress our great state.”
“We welcome the new partnership and expertise that the PCSF brings to our district,” said U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “Our office now has access to an important force multiplier, the investigatory strength and institutional knowledge of 37 fellow agencies and offices dedicated to enforcing antitrust laws and protecting the integrity of our government procurement programs. Indeed, it will become a formidable partnership laser-focused on deterring and prosecuting procurement fraud.”
“Preventing, detecting and defeating criminal activity related to federal procurement and grant programs is a high priority for Commerce OIG,” said Acting Inspector General Roderick Anderson of the Department of Commerce. “We are pleased to join this strike force and look forward to collaborating with our partners to enhance our collective efforts to combat antitrust violations, ensure integrity within government procurements and spending and maximize value for taxpayers.”
In November 2019, the Department of Justice created the PCSF, a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant, and program funding at all levels of government – federal, state and local. For more information, visit https://www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.
Justice Department’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force Announces Four New National Law Enforcement PartnersRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) is adding four new national partners for a total of 38 agencies and offices committed to deterring, detecting, investigating and prosecuting antitrust crimes and related schemes that target government procurement, grants and program funding at all levels of government.
The new partners include three U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in districts with diverse government spending oversight priorities and proven PCSF and Antitrust Division relationships:
- U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska
- U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana
- U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey
The PCSF is also welcoming the Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General (OIG), whose oversight of billions of dollars authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act of 2022 closely aligns with PCSF priorities.
“Since 2019, the Procurement Collusion Strike Force has aggressively investigated and prosecuted crimes that undermine and distort the competitive process in taxpayer-funded procurements,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “With new investments in infrastructure, energy and hi-tech manufacturing the PCSF’ strategic expansion to include these four partners positions it to accomplish its important mandate more effectively.”
“Billions in federal funds are coming into our state to improve the lives of Alaskans, making it imperative that those tax dollars are used for their intended purpose and not illegally obtained,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “The implementation of the Procurement Collusion Strike Force in Alaska showcases my office’s commitment to take action against collusive conduct and related fraudulent schemes by individuals or corporations that threaten government spending destined to progress our great state.”
“We welcome the new partnership and expertise that the PCSF brings to our district,” said U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “Our office now has access to an important force multiplier, the investigatory strength and institutional knowledge of 37 fellow agencies and offices dedicated to enforcing antitrust laws and protecting the integrity of our government procurement programs. Indeed, it will become a formidable partnership laser-focused on deterring and prosecuting procurement fraud.”
“A level playing field and fair competition are vitally important to ensure that taxpayers are getting the best value for their money when government contacts are awarded,” said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. “My office is proud to join this national effort to combat price-fixing, bid rigging, and any type of collusion or fraud in government procurement. Working with our investigative partners, we will hold accountable anyone who tries to corrupt the procurement process.”
“Preventing, detecting and defeating criminal activity related to federal procurement and grant programs is a high priority for Commerce OIG,” said Acting Inspector General Roderick Anderson of the Department of Commerce. “We are pleased to join this strike force and look forward to collaborating with our partners to enhance our collective efforts to combat antitrust violations, ensure integrity within government procurements and spending and maximize value for taxpayers.”
In November 2019, the Justice Department created the PCSF, a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government – federal, state and local. For more information, visit www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.
Jacksonville Woman Sentenced to 10 Years for Distributing Methamphetamine and FentanylRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Annette Jones (37, Jacksonville) to 10 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Jones entered a guilty plea on November 16, 2023.
According to court documents, Jones was part of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in Jacksonville between 2020 and 2023. During this time, Jones was responsible for distributing over 50 kilograms of methamphetamine and over 5 kilograms of fentanyl. Between December 2022 and February 2023, Jones sold over 1 kilogram of methamphetamine and a loaded firearm with an extended magazine to an undercover law enforcement officer. On March 15, 2023, federal agents and local law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Jones’s residence and recovered two loaded firearms, including one that had been reported stolen.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Aakash Singh.
Jackson Man Sentenced to over 15 Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, in June 2022, as part of an ongoing investigation, agents executed a search warrant at the residence of Charleston Porter, 34, in Jackson where they recovered a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Glock magazine, ammunition, and methamphetamine. Agents also found an extended handgun magazine containing ammunition.
Porter pled guilty on July 19, 2023, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the Ridgeland Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Keesha Middleton.
The case is the result of an extensive investigation targeting illegal drug trafficking in the Hinds County, Mississippi, and surrounding areas. The operation 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.
Informational: Federal Court arraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt:
Appearing in Missoula before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto and pleading not guilty on April 10 was:
Kyle Barclay Wallace, 36, of Kalispell, on charges of false statement in acquisition of a firearm and receipt of a firearm by person under indictment. If convicted of the most serious crime, Wallace faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Wallace was released pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Flathead County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. PACER case reference. 22-29.
Appearing in Great Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston and pleading not guilty on April 9 was:
Taneal Raschae Sutherland, 30, of Deer Lodge, on charges of kidnapping and assault with intent to commit a felony. If convicted of the most serious crime, Sutherland faces a maximum of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release. Sutherland was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI and Rocky Boy’s Police Department conducted the investigation. PACER case reference. 24-21.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
XXX
Illinois Man Pleads Guilty to Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
An Illinois man pleaded guilty yesterday to preparing false income tax returns for clients.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Gary Sandiego, of Barrington, owned and operated G. Sandiego and Associates, a tax preparation business. For tax years 2014 through 2017, he prepared and filed false income tax returns for his clients. Instead of relying on information provided by the clients, Sandiego either inflated or entirely fabricated expenses to falsely claim on the returns Residential Energy Credits and employment-related expense deductions. As a result, Sandiego caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $4,586,154.
Sandiego is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 14. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count. Sandiego also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant Chief Andrew Kameros and Trial Attorney Sara Henderson of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Honduran National Indicted for Illegal Re-Entry of Removed AlienRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MARLON CHAVEZ-AGUIRRE, age 50, a native of Honduras, was indicted on April 11, 2024, for illegal re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to the indictment, CHAVEZ-AGUIRRE reentered the United States illegally after being previously deported on September 24, 2012. If convicted, CHAVEZ-AGUIRRE faces a sentence of up to 2 years imprisonment, up to 1 year of supervised release, up to a $250,00 fine, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of United States Border Patrol in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Paul J. Hubbell of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Guatemala Native Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Camilo Antonio Batz-Ortiz, age 40, of Guatemala, was indicted on April 9, 2024, by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry into the United States by a previously deported alien and possession of a fraudulent immigration document.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that Camilo Antonio Batz-Ortiz was previously removed from the United States on September 9, 2013, and it is alleged that he was subsequently found in the United States without having first obtained legal permission to reenter the country. The indictment also alleges that on March 4, 2024, Batz-Ortiz was encountered in Clinton County, Pennsylvania and at that time, he was in possession of a fraudulent Permanent Resident Card.
This matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Assistant United States Attorney Tatum Wilson is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is ten years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
# # #
Grand Island Man Sentenced for Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Thomas McHenry, 49, of Grand Island, Nebraska, was sentenced April 12, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for possession of a firearm by a felon. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced McHenry to 46 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After McHenry’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
In October of 2022, on a report of a disturbance, law enforcement in Grand Island were dispatched to a residence. Upon their arrival, several witnesses identified McHenry as the individual who had brandished a firearm and threatened to kill a family member. McHenry was arrested and it was determined he had numerous prior felony convictions. A search warrant was obtained for the residence and law enforcement found and seized seven firearms and numerous types of ammunition.
This case was brought as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive national strategy that creates local partnerships with law enforcement agencies to effectively enforce existing gun laws. It provides more options to prosecutors, allowing them to utilize local, state, and federal laws to ensure that criminals who commit gun crime face tough sentences. PSN gives each federal district the flexibility it needs to focus on individual challenges that a specific community faces.
This case was investigated by the Grand Island Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Glastonbury Man Charged with Federal Gun OffenseRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, today announced that ANDREW PAYNE, 40, of Glastonbury, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with unlawfully possessing a firearm while being a user of a controlled substance.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, an ATF investigation identified Payne as a possible purchaser of machinegun conversion devices. In March 2023, investigators interviewed Payne and explained that these devices were illegal under federal law. Payne arranged through his attorney to turn in to ATF all of the illegal devices he claimed he had in his possession.
It is also alleged that, in the early morning hours of November 29, 2023, Hartford Police responded to a hotel on Brainard Road after hotel employees found a firearm in a hotel hallway. A hotel employee stated that the hotel guest who possessed the firearm, identified as Payne, had been acting erratically and crawling on the hallway floor. During a search of Payne’s room, police found used hypodermic needles and other evidence of drug use, and the investigation revealed that the firearm was registered to Payne. Payne was charged with state offenses and was ordered to surrender his firearms to a Federal Firearms Licensee (“FFL”). In addition, his state pistol permit was revoked.
It is further alleged that on March 18, 2024, Simsbury Police arrested Payne for violating the conditions of his release after it was determined that Payne had access to numerous firearms, firearm components, and firearm manufacturing equipment found in two units of a business complex at 2 Tunxis Road in the Tariffville section of Simsbury (See photos below). Investigators conducted searches of the locations on March 19 and March 20, 2024, and seized these items, which included machinegun conversion devices that ATF had advised Payne were illegal to possess. Payne had also represented in court after his November 2023 arrest that he did not have access to firearms. A search of Payne’s vehicle also revealed glassine envelopes containing suspected fentanyl, empty glassine envelopes, and used hypodermic needles.
Payne, who was released after his arrest on March 18, has been detained in state custody since March 20, when he was arrested after arriving at 2 Tunxis Road while investigators were executing a search warrant.
Payne made his initial appearance in Hartford federal court on April 11, 2024.
The charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm while being a user of a controlled substance carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Simsbury Police Department, the Hartford Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret Donovan and Christopher Lembo.
Georgia Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Laundering Millions in Proceeds from Fraud Schemes Perpetrated by Nigeria-Based Criminal EnterpriseRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that UWEMEDIMO UMOREN was sentenced to three years in prison for his participation in an international wire fraud conspiracy based in Nigeria, involving the theft of millions of dollars from victims across the U.S., by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero. UMOREN pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on August 28, 2023, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The multimillion-dollar fraud enterprise Uwemedimo Umoren participated in preyed on the trust of elder Americans and others, using deceitful tactics to drain their hard-earned savings. The impact of this financial exploitation on the victims is devastating. With today’s sentencing, justice is served, but our fight isn’t over. This case underscores the importance of collaboration between law enforcement agencies in combatting complex fraud schemes and safeguarding Americans from financial fraud and exploitation.”
According to allegations in the Indictment and other filings and statements made in court:
From at least in or about 2016 through at least in or about December 2021, UMOREN participated in a criminal enterprise (the “Enterprise”) based in Nigeria that conducted a series of scams against individuals and businesses located across the U.S. UMOREN facilitated the laundering of proceeds of the Enterprise’s investment, business email compromise, and romance scams. Members of the Enterprise used electronic messages sent via email, text messaging, or online dating websites to gain the trust of the victims, many of whom were vulnerable older men and women who lived alone, and caused the victims to transfer money to bank accounts controlled by members of the Enterprise.
UMOREN received fraud proceeds from victims of the Enterprise in more than a dozen business bank accounts that he controlled in Georgia. The business bank accounts were opened in the names of companies formed by the defendant that were purportedly involved in, among other things, automobile sales and health care. From in or about 2016 through at least in or about December 2021, UMOREN controlled at least 15 bank accounts held in the name of shell companies he controlled that received deposits totaling over approximately $8 million.
At least 17 individual and corporate victims lost money as part of UMOREN and his co-conspirators’ schemes. The victims include vulnerable, isolated, and elderly victims who entered into relationships after the deaths of their spouses and, over a period of several years, were induced to drain their entire retirement savings. Many victims experienced severe emotional harm, including a now-deceased man whose stress from losing his life savings to the schemes contributed to his suffering a stroke.
* * *
In addition to the prison term, UMOREN, 62, of Hoschton, Georgia, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. UMOREN was also ordered to forfeit a money judgment in the amount of $8,230,516.04 and was ordered to pay $1,246,072 in restitution.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the U.S. Secret Service (“USSS”). Mr. Williams also thanked the USSS Field Office in Atlanta, Georgia, for its assistance in the investigation of this case.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Juliana N. Murray is in charge of the prosecution.
Georgia Man Indicted for Bank Fraud, Passport Fraud, and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of a 15-count superseding indictment charging Gary Dale Thrasher (56, Georgia) with bank fraud, passport fraud, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, Thrasher faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on the bank fraud counts, a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment for the passport fraud offenses, and a 2-year minimum mandatory term of imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft.
According to the superseding indictment, between May and June 2023, Thrasher obtained and used, or attempted to use, fraudulent identification documents and a means of identification of others to withdraw cash from four different federally insured financial institutions within the Middle District of Florida.
A superseding indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Ocala Police Department, the Wildwood Police Department, the Leesburg Police Department, and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
Ft. Thompson Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Ft. Thompson, South Dakota, man convicted of eight counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor, two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact, two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography, and Tampering with a Witness. The sentencing took place on April 8, 2024.
Loren Goodlow, 34, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $1,400 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Goodlow was indicted by a federal grand jury in April of 2023. He was found guilty following a three-day jury trial in December of 2023.
The conviction stems from Goodlow engaging in sexual acts with two minor females on the Pine Ridge Reservation on March 18, 2023. Goodlow also enticed one of the minors in December of 2022 and engaged in sexual acts with the minor between December 26, 2022, and January 16, 2023. After the minor disclosed Goodlow’s behavior in March of 2023, Goodlow attempted to tamper with one of the witnesses. The investigation also revealed that on December 8, 2021, Goodlow enticed another minor female and attempted to receive child pornography.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.
Goodlow was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Four men plead guilty to targeting and robbing victims selling products on the online marketplace application OfferUpRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On April 10, the last of four defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit robbery, robbing several people who had listed electronic items for sale on the online marketplace application OfferUp and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Jordan Denzel Lewis’s co-defendants, Tyrell Brion Bouie, Anthony Christopher Diggs Jr., and Johntaevious Henry Johnson pleaded guilty earlier in the case to charges of conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, and using a firearm during a robbery.
From September to October 2022, Lewis, Bouie, Diggs, and Johnson contacted victims who had posted electronics for sale online through OfferUp. After contacting the victims and pretending to be interested in purchasing the electronics, Lewis and his co-defendants would meet the victims at an agreed public location such as a public parking lot or restaurant, and instead of purchasing the items, Lewis, Bouie, Diggs, and Johnson would rob the victims. On some occasions, they brandished guns or used violence during the robberies.
Markenzy Lapointe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office made the announcement.
FBI Miami investigated the case with assistance from the Plantation Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deric Zacca and Vanessa Bonhomme are prosecuting it.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-60138.
###
Former U.S. Ambassador and National Security Council Official Admits to Secretly Acting as Agent of the Cuban Government and Receives 15-Year SentenceRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Victor Manuel Rocha, 73, of Miami, Florida, a former U.S. Department of State employee who served on the National Security Council from 1994 to 1995 and as U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002, pleaded guilty today to secretly acting for decades as an agent of the government of the Republic of Cuba. Immediately thereafter, a federal judge sentenced Rocha to the statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in prison for his crimes of conviction.
“Victor Manuel Rocha secretly acted for decades as an agent of a hostile foreign power. He thought the story of his covert mission for Cuba would never be told because he had the intelligence, knowledge, and discipline to never to be detected. Rocha underestimated those same skills in the prosecutors and law enforcement agents who worked tirelessly to bring him to justice for betraying his oath to this country,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “I am mindful that Rocha’s decades-long criminal activity on behalf of the Cuban Government is especially painful for many in South Florida. Rocha’s willingness to cooperate, as required by his plea agreement, is important, but does not change the seriousness of his misconduct or his clandestine breach of the trust placed in him. Rocha’s 15-year prison sentence, the maximum punishment for his crimes of conviction, sends a powerful message to those who are acting or seek to act unlawfully in the United States for a foreign government: we will seek you out anywhere, at any time, and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Today’s plea and sentencing brings to an end more than four decades of betrayal and deceit by the defendant,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Rocha admitted to acting as an agent of the Cuban government at the same time he held numerous positions of trust in the U.S. government, a staggering betrayal of the American people and an acknowledgement that every oath he took to the United States was a lie.”
U.S. District Court Judge Beth Bloom accepted Rocha’s guilty plea to counts 1 and 2 of the indictment, which charged him with conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government and conspiring to defraud the United States and acting as an agent of a foreign government without notice as required by law.
The Court then sentenced Rocha to the statutory maximum penalty on his counts of conviction: 15 years’ imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a special assessment. The court also imposed significant restrictions on Rocha.
Under the terms of the parties’ plea agreement, Rocha must cooperate with the United States, including assisting with any damage assessment related to his work on behalf of the Republic of Cuba. Rocha must relinquish all future retirement benefits, including pension payments, owed to him by the United States based upon his former State Department employment. Rocha must also assign to the United States any profits that he may be entitled to receive in connection with any publication relating to his criminal conduct or his U.S. Government service.
“Despite swearing an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, Rocha betrayed the U.S. by secretly working as a Cuban agent for decades,” said Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “After years of lying and endangering national security and U.S. citizens, he finally accepted responsibility for his actions and received the maximum prison sentence. This should serve as a notice to our adversaries that the FBI will work tirelessly to stop foreign intelligence services and any who work with them against the interests of the United States and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Victor Manuel Rocha was sentenced to 15 years in prison today for deceiving our nation,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “He blatantly violated the oath of office he willingly took as an employee of the State Department and disregarded the loyalty to the United States that is inherent with that oath. As this case demonstrates, the counterintelligence threat facing our nation is real, pervasive, and has the potential to cause great harm to our national security. I want to commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida for their close partnership on this highly sensitive matter. I also want to thank our Washington Field Office and our Counterintelligence Division, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service for their valuable contributions to this case.”
“The investigation of this crime demonstrates the sustained threat from hostile intelligence services,” said Assistant Director for Domestic Operations Andrew Wroblewski of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). “Today’s guilty plea and sentencing are another example of our commitment to successfully work together with our federal law enforcement partners in the pursuit of those who compromise the security of the United States.”
In pleading guilty, Rocha admitted that, beginning in 1973, and continuing to the time of his arrest, he secretly supported the Republic of Cuba and its clandestine intelligence-gathering mission against the United States by serving as a covert agent of Cuba’s General Directorate of Intelligence.
By his own admission, to further that role, Rocha obtained employment at the U.S. Department of State, where he worked between 1981 and 2002, in positions that provided him access to nonpublic information, including classified information, and the ability to affect U.S. foreign policy. Aside from serving as the U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia and on the White House National Security Council, Rocha’s career included a stint as Deputy Principal Secretary of the State Department’s U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Cuba from 1995-97. After his State Department employment ended, Rocha engaged in other acts intended to support Cuba’s intelligence services.
Rocha kept his status as a Cuban agent secret to protect himself and others and to allow himself the opportunity to engage in additional clandestine activity. Rocha provided false and misleading information to the United States to maintain his secret mission and traveled outside the United States to meet with Cuban intelligence operatives.
In a series of meetings during 2022 and 2023, with an undercover FBI agent posing as a covert Cuban General Directorate of Intelligence representative, Rocha made repeated statements admitting his “decades” of work for Cuba, spanning “40 years.” When the undercover told Rocha he was “a covert representative here in Miami” whose mission was “to contact you, introduce myself as your new contact, and establish a new communication plan,” Rocha answered “Yes,” and proceeded to engage in lengthy conversations during which he described and celebrated his activity as a Cuban intelligence agent. Throughout the meetings, Rocha behaved as a Cuban agent, consistently referring to the United States as “the enemy,” and using the term “we” to describe himself and Cuba. Rocha additionally praised Fidel Castro as the “Comandante,” and referred to his contacts in Cuban intelligence as his “Compañeros” (comrades) and to the Cuban intelligence services as the “Dirección.” Rocha described his work as a Cuban agent as “enormous … More than a grand slam,” and asserted that what he did “strengthened the Revolution … immensely.”
The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case, with valuable contributions by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan D. Stratton and John C. Shipley of the Southern District of Florida, along with Trial Attorneys Heather M. Schmidt and Christine A. Bonomo of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-20464.
###
Former U.S. Ambassador and National Security Council Official Admits to Secretly Acting as Agent of the Cuban Government and Receives 15-Year SentenceRead the Press Release
Victor Manuel Rocha, 73, of Miami, a former U.S. Department of State employee who served on the National Security Council from 1994 to 1995 and as U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002, pleaded guilty today to secretly acting for decades as an agent of the government of the Republic of Cuba. Immediately thereafter, a federal judge sentenced Rocha to the statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
“Today’s plea and sentencing brings to an end more than four decades of betrayal and deceit by the defendant,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Rocha admitted to acting as an agent of the Cuban government at the same time he held numerous positions of trust in the U.S. government, a staggering betrayal of the American people and an acknowledgement that every oath he took to the United States was a lie."
“Victor Manuel Rocha secretly acted for decades as an agent of a hostile foreign power. He thought the story of his covert mission for Cuba would never be told because he had the intelligence, knowledge, and discipline to never to be detected. Rocha underestimated those same skills in the prosecutors and law enforcement agents who worked tirelessly to bring him to justice for betraying his oath to this country,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “I am mindful that Rocha’s decades-long criminal activity on behalf of the Cuban Government is especially painful for many in South Florida. Rocha’s willingness to cooperate, as required by his plea agreement, is important, but does not change the seriousness of his misconduct or his clandestine breach of the trust placed in him. Rocha’s 15-year prison sentence, the maximum punishment for his crimes of conviction, sends a powerful message to those who are acting or seek to act unlawfully in the United States for a foreign government: we will seek you out anywhere, at any time, and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
U.S. District Court Judge Beth Bloom accepted Rocha’s guilty plea to counts 1 and 2 of the indictment, which charged him with conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government and conspiring to defraud the United States and acting as an agent of a foreign government without notice as required by law.
The court then sentenced Rocha to the statutory maximum penalty on his counts of conviction: 15 years in prison, a $500,000 fine, three years of supervised release and a special assessment. The court also imposed significant restrictions on Rocha.
Under the terms of the parties’ plea agreement, Rocha must cooperate with the United States, including assisting with any damage assessment related to his work on behalf of the Republic of Cuba. Rocha must relinquish all future retirement benefits, including pension payments, owed to him by the United States based upon his former State Department employment. Rocha must also assign to the United States any profits that he may be entitled to receive in connection with any publication relating to his criminal conduct or his U.S. Government service.
“Despite swearing an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, Rocha betrayed the U.S. by secretly working as a Cuban agent for decades,” said Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “After years of lying and endangering national security and U.S. citizens, he finally accepted responsibility for his actions and received the maximum prison sentence. This should serve as a notice to our adversaries that the FBI will work tirelessly to stop foreign intelligence services and any who work with them against the interests of the United States and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Victor Manuel Rocha was sentenced to 15 years in prison today for deceiving our nation,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “He blatantly violated the oath of office he willingly took as an employee of the State Department and disregarded the loyalty to the United States that is inherent with that oath. As this case demonstrates, the counterintelligence threat facing our nation is real, pervasive, and has the potential to cause great harm to our national security. I want to commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida for their close partnership on this highly sensitive matter. I also want to thank our Washington Field Office and our Counterintelligence Division, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service for their valuable contributions to this case.”
“The investigation of this crime demonstrates the sustained threat from hostile intelligence services,” said Assistant Director for Domestic Operations Andrew Wroblewski of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). “Today’s guilty plea and sentencing are another example of our commitment to successfully work together with our federal law enforcement partners in the pursuit of those who compromise the security of the United States.”
In pleading guilty, Rocha admitted that, beginning in 1973, and continuing to the time of his arrest, he secretly supported the Republic of Cuba and its clandestine intelligence-gathering mission against the United States by serving as a covert agent of Cuba’s General Directorate of Intelligence.
By his own admission, to further that role, Rocha obtained employment at the U.S. Department of State, where he worked between 1981 and 2002, in positions that provided him access to nonpublic information, including classified information, and the ability to affect U.S. foreign policy. Aside from serving as the U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia and on the White House National Security Council, Rocha’s career included a stint as Deputy Principal Secretary of the State Department’s U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Cuba from 1995-97. After his State Department employment ended, Rocha engaged in other acts intended to support Cuba’s intelligence services.
Rocha kept his status as a Cuban agent secret to protect himself and others and to allow himself the opportunity to engage in additional clandestine activity. Rocha provided false and misleading information to the United States to maintain his secret mission and traveled outside the United States to meet with Cuban intelligence operatives.
In a series of meetings during 2022 and 2023, with an undercover FBI agent posing as a covert Cuban General Directorate of Intelligence representative, Rocha made repeated statements admitting his “decades” of work for Cuba, spanning “40 years.” When the undercover told Rocha he was “a covert representative here in Miami” whose mission was “to contact you, introduce myself as your new contact, and establish a new communication plan,” Rocha answered “Yes,” and proceeded to engage in lengthy conversations during which he described and celebrated his activity as a Cuban intelligence agent. Throughout the meetings, Rocha behaved as a Cuban agent, consistently referring to the United States as “the enemy,” and using the term “we” to describe himself and Cuba. Rocha additionally praised Fidel Castro as the “Comandante,” and referred to his contacts in Cuban intelligence as his “Compañeros” (comrades) and to the Cuban intelligence services as the “Dirección.” Rocha described his work as a Cuban agent as “enormous … More than a grand slam,” and asserted that what he did “strengthened the Revolution … immensely.”
The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case, with valuable contributions by the FBI Washington Field Office and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan D. Stratton and John C. Shipley for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Heather M. Schmidt and Christine A. Bonomo of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Former Security Engineer Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Hacking Two Decentralized Cryptocurrency ExchangesRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that SHAKEEB AHMED was sentenced today to three years in prison by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero for hacking two separate decentralized cryptocurrency exchanges and stealing cryptocurrency worth over $12 million. AHMED previously pled guilty to computer fraud.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Today, Shakeeb Ahmed was sentenced to prison in the first ever conviction for the hack of a smart contract and ordered to forfeit all of the stolen crypto. No matter how novel or sophisticated the hack, this Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to following the money and bringing hackers to justice. And as today’s sentence shows, time in prison — and forfeiture of all the stolen crypto — is the inevitable consequence of such destructive hacks.”
According to the charging documents and other filings and statements made in court:
On or about July 2 and 3, 2022, AHMED carried out an attack on a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange (the “Crypto Exchange”), in which he used fake pricing data to generate approximately $9 million worth of inflated fees, then withdrew those fees in the form of cryptocurrency. After he stole the fees, AHMED had communications with the Crypto Exchange in which he agreed to return all of the stolen funds except for $1.5 million if the Crypto Exchange agreed not to refer the attack to law enforcement.
On or about July 28, 2022, a few weeks after the hack of the Crypto Exchange, AHMED carried out an attack on a second decentralized cryptocurrency exchange called Nirvana Finance (“Nirvana”). AHMED used an exploit he discovered in Nirvana’s smart contracts to allow him to purchase cryptocurrency from Nirvana at a lower price than the contract was designed to allow. He then immediately resold that cryptocurrency to Nirvana at a higher price. Nirvana offered AHMED a “bug bounty” of as much as $600,000 to return the stolen funds, but AHMED instead demanded $1.4 million, did not reach agreement with Nirvana, and kept all the stolen funds. The $3.6 million AHMED stole represented approximately all the funds possessed by Nirvana, which as a result shut down shortly after AHMED’s attack.
AHMED laundered the millions that he stole from the Crypto Exchange and from Nirvana to conceal their source and ownership, using sophisticated techniques including token-swap transactions; “bridging” fraud proceeds from the Solana blockchain over to the Ethereum blockchain; exchanging fraud proceeds into Monero, an anonymized cryptocurrency that is particularly difficult to trace; using overseas cryptocurrency exchanges; and using cryptocurrency mixers, such as Samourai Whirlpool.
At the time of both attacks, AHMED, a U.S. citizen, was a senior security engineer for an international technology company, whose resume reflected skills in, among other things, reverse engineering smart contracts and blockchain audits, which are some of the specialized skills AHMED used to execute the hacks.
* * *
In addition to the prison term, AHMED, 34, of New York, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. AHMED was also ordered to forfeit approximately $12.3 million and a significant quantity of cryptocurrency and pay restitution to the Crypto Exchange and Nirvana in the amount of over $5 million.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of Homeland Security Investigations and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit and Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David R. Felton and Kevin Mead are in charge of the prosecution.
Former SCDC Captain and SCDC Inmate Indicted for Bribery, Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a 15-count indictment against Christine Mary Livingston, 46, of Gaston, and Jerell Reaves, 33, for bribery, conspiracy, honest services wire fraud, and money laundering.
During the alleged crimes, Livingston was a correctional officer and supervisor at the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC), where she worked as a law enforcement officer from 2005 through 2021. Reaves is an inmate serving a sentence for voluntary manslaughter.
The indictment alleges that during her work at the Broad River Correctional Institute, Livingston accepted more than $200,000 in bribes from inmates and their families in exchange for smuggling contraband into the prison. She is alleged to have brought approximately 173 contraband cell phones into the facility, as well as headphones, sim cards, chargers, and other contraband. Livingston held the rank of Captain at SCDC from 2016 through 2021.
One of those inmates was Jerell Reaves. Reaves is alleged to have caused more than $40,000 in bribes to be paid to Livingston in exchange for contraband.
Both defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, $250,000 in monetary penalties, and forfeiture.
The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the SCDC Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliott B. Daniels is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs stated that all charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The indictment may be found on the public docket at case number 3:24-cr-252-CRI.
###
Former Border Patrol Agent Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Drug Smuggling and BriberyRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Carlos Victor Passapera Pinott, 56, of Buckeye, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 18 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Passapera pleaded guilty to Bribery of a Public Official and Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Fentanyl, and Heroin on June 23, 2023.
On August 9, 2020, while working as a United States Border Patrol Agent, Passapera drove his Border Patrol vehicle into the desert, west of the Lukeville Port of Entry, and retrieved two large duffel bags. Passapera then changed vehicles and transported the duffel bags to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, where he parked and loaded the bags into the vehicle of a co-conspirator. The co-conspirator was stopped by law enforcement shortly after leaving the airport parking lot. A search of the two duffel bags revealed multiple packages of cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin. Approximately 21 kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of fentanyl, and one kilogram of heroin were seized. An additional $311,100 in U.S. currency was seized from Passapera’s safe deposit box. Passapera admitted to accepting large cash payments in exchange for using his position to smuggle drugs.
“Defendant Passapera has betrayed his Border Patrol colleagues,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “The Border Patrol has earned the trust of a grateful nation for its exemplary efforts to protect the border and to humanely process the migrants who come to America for a better life. Defendant’s actions threaten that trust, and violated his oath to faithfully discharge his duties as a law enforcement officer.”
“The citizens of Arizona are the true victims of this crime. Passapera was a trusted agent who took an oath to protect our border and keep drugs out. He broke that oath when he chose money over honor to transport and distribute drugs in this country,” said FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Akil Davis. “We hope this sentence demonstrates that corruption does not pay, and the FBI will continue to investigate and pursue those who abuse their positions.”
“A Border Patrol agent using his position to smuggle fentanyl and heroin into the United States is unconscionable” said DHS Inspector General, Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari. “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that government officials who betray the people they are meant to protect are held accountable.”
Two individuals pleaded guilty in 2022 and were sentenced for Bribery of a Public Official charges related to this case. Omar Natalio Martinez Fontes pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bribery and Alien Smuggling. Fontes received time served after serving over two years in custody (CR-21-00792-TUC-JGZ). Luis Alfredo Quintero-Gonzalez also pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bribery and Alien Smuggling. Quintero-Gonzalez received time served after serving over 22 months in custody (CR-21-01529-TUC-JGZ).
The investigation was conducted primarily by the Southern Arizona Border Corruption Task Force (composed of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility, Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility, and Tucson Police Department), Drug Enforcement Administration, Native Task Force, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, and Surprise Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-20-01706-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-050_Passapera# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Florida Woman Arrested for Filing False Tax Refund ClaimsRead the Press Release
A Florida woman was arrested today on an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on April 4 in Miami that charged her with filing false tax returns.
According to the indictment, from 2017 through 2021, Yolanda Dewar, of Sunrise, allegedly filed four false tax returns on behalf of a trust to obtain refunds the trust was not entitled to receive. Specifically, Dewar allegedly filed returns falsely reporting that the trust earned significant income, made payments to the IRS and had federal taxes withheld on its behalf. In addition, Dewar allegedly falsely claimed that these payments to the IRS were more than the tax the trust otherwise owed, thereby entitling it to large refunds. Dewar allegedly continued this conduct even after the IRS notified her that her claims were frivolous. Dewar allegedly sought refunds totaling over $1.9 million, of which the IRS paid approximately $500,000. Dewar allegedly used some of the fraudulently-obtained proceeds to purchase a car for a family member, get plastic surgery and renovate her home.
Dewar is charged with four counts of filing false tax returns. If convicted, she faces three years in prison for each count. She also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
IRS-CI is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Melissa S. Siskind and Kavitha Bondada of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Deric Zacca for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Firearms Trafficker Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Prison for Unlawfully Dealing Firearms and “Switch” Devices in Chicago AreaRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal judge has sentenced a Chicago-area firearms trafficker to nearly six years in prison for unlawfully dealing handguns, rifles, and “switch” devices capable of converting semi-automatic firearms into machine guns.
Over a three-month period last year, ROGELIO CASTANEDA sold nine firearms and 28 “switch” devices, also known as “Glock switches,” to undercover law enforcement agents. The sales occurred in Chicago, Stickney, Ill., and Hammond, Ind. Three of the guns sold by Castaneda were unlicensed, privately made firearms. At the time of his illegal sales, Castaneda was on pre-trial release for a firearms charge in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Castaneda, 30, of Chicago, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to one count of unlawfully possessing a machine gun. U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman imposed a 70-month prison sentence during a hearing Tuesday in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“The city of Chicago continues to face a gun violence epidemic,” Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary McDonnell argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Glock switches and converted Glocks are a grave threat to public safety and serve no purpose other than to inflict maximum damage on enemies and innocent bystanders.”
Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking is the focus of the Department of Justice’s Firearms Trafficking Strike Force. As part of the strike force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with ATF, CPD, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in the Northern District of Illinois and across the country to help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms and identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes.
Holding firearm offenders accountable through federal prosecution is also a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide initiative that brings together law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders, and other stakeholders to develop comprehensive solutions to the most pressing violent crime problems in a community. In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
Final Defendants Sentenced in $65 Million TRICARE FraudRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – April 12, 2024
SAN DIEGO – The final two members of a massive conspiracy to bilk TRICARE, the military’s healthcare program, out of more than $65 million have been sentenced in federal court.
Former U.S. Marine Joshua Morgan and former U.S. Navy Sailor Kyle Adams were sentenced to 21 months and 15 months, respectively, and ordered to pay millions in restitution and forfeit the fruits of their criminal activity.
Morgan and Adams have admitted that they recruited fellow servicemembers and their dependents to receive expensive prescription compounded drugs, while others in the conspiracy wrote bogus prescriptions and filled out duplicitous paperwork to process fraudulent insurance reimbursements, resulting in at least $65 million in losses to TRICARE.
Both the defendants were working for Jimmy and Ashley Collins, a married couple living in Birchwood, Tennessee, who quarterbacked the scheme. Jimmy Collins received a 10-year prison sentence; Ashley Collins was sentenced to 18 months in home confinement. To account for all the fraud, the couple was ordered to pay $65,679,512.71 in restitution to Defense Health Agency and TRICARE. Other patient recruiters, including Daniel Castro, Jeremy Syto and Bradley White were previously sentenced to custody.
According to plea agreements, the servicemembers that Morgan and Adams recruited agreed to receive the pricey compounded medications in return for a monthly kickback of approximately $300. For young Sailors and Marines-turned-straw-beneficiaries, this money was equivalent to a significant portion of their monthly paycheck. Morgan noted that “it took very little work to sign people up to receive free money.”
For recruiting bogus patients, defendants Morgan and Adams were paid an illegal kickback of between 3 and 7 percent of the total TRICARE reimbursement paid to the pharmacy for the drugs sent to their recruits. By the time this fraud scheme was in full swing, the average cost for these compounded drugs was over $13,000 for a 30-day supply, peaking at around $25,000 for individual drugs.
Over the course of the conspiracy, those illegal kickbacks amounted to at least $2,633,942.69 for Morgan, which, in recognition of his role as the top-level recruiter in this multi-level marketing scheme, was more than twice as much as the next nearest patient recruiter. Meanwhile, Adams earned more than $1 million for his efforts.
To fund these kickbacks, based on false pretenses and representations, TRICARE paid at least $11,490,654.00 in insurance reimbursements for compounded medications prescribed to straw beneficiaries directly recruited by defendant Adams. During the same period, TRICARE paid at least $4,418,709 for compounded medications prescribed to straw beneficiaries directly recruited by defendant Morgan, although that amount underrepresents the severity of his criminal conduct due to his role as a top-level recruiter responsible in part for the losses to TRICARE caused by various sub-recruiters.
The doctors, Carl Lindblad and Susan Vergot, and a nurse practitioner, Candace Craven, who wrote the fraudulent prescriptions and filled out other duplicitous paperwork, were previously sentenced. The pharmacy that filled the fraudulent prescriptions, CFK, Inc., also previously pleaded guilty.
According to the pleadings, the sharp increase in the number of bogus prescriptions for compounded drugs was the result of multiple fraud schemes, including this one, that popped up around the country. As a result, the TRICARE program faced a $2 billion explosion in liability for compounded prescription drugs.
“Today’s sentencing closes the last chapter on this outrageous fraud scheme that almost put TRICARE into bankruptcy,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Our military members and taxpayers deserve so much better. The magnitude and significance of this case reflects our continued dedication to the well-being of the armed forces and their families, as well as our steadfast protection of the U.S. taxpayer.”
“NCIS will not stand by as individuals shamelessly attempt to disrupt the lives of those who have and continue to serve our country, and steal from what they rightfully earned,” said Director Omar Lopez, Naval Criminal Investigative Service. “This case highlights NCIS’ investigative capabilities and our commitment to collaborate with our law enforcement partners in detecting and dismantling these criminal acts of fraud.”
“Today’s sentencing demonstrates the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) unwavering commitment to hold accountable those individuals who commit TRICARE fraud and imperil our military healthcare system,” said Kelly Mayo, Director DCIS. “The outstanding work of the investigative team ensured the perpetrators were held criminally accountable. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for their continuing dedication to the pursuit of justice.”
During the course of the investigation, authorities seized numerous items and properties purchased by the Collinses and others with the proceeds of the fraud, including an 82-foot yacht; multiple luxury vehicles, including two Aston Martins; a multimillion-dollar investment annuity; gold and silver bars; cashier’s checks; dozens of pieces of farm equipment and tractor-trailers; and three pieces of Tennessee real estate.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark W. Pletcher.
DEFENDANTS Case Number: 18-CR-1027-JLS
Joshua Morgan Age: 31 San Diego, CA
DEFENDANTS Case Number: 18-CR-0432-JLS
Kyle Adams Age: 36 Victoria, Texas
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Joshua Morgan:
Conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349, 1347
Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 fine or double loss amount, whichever is greater
An order of restitution requiring defendant to repay at least $4,418,709 to DHA/TRICARE
Kyle Adams:
Conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349, 1347
Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 fine or double loss amount, whichever is greater
An order of restitution requiring defendant to repay at least $11,490,654 to DHA/TRICARE
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Defense Criminal Investigative Service
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
IRS Criminal Investigation Division, Gulfport, MS
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Jackson, MS Field Office
Federal Inmate Sentenced to 5 Years’ Imprisonment for Assaulting Correctional OfficersRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced Paige Robert Davis (44, Illinois) to five years in federal prison for two counts of assaulting a federal officer. He entered a guilty plea on October 30, 2023.
According to court records, Davis was an inmate in the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County. On November 18, 2022, during a standard pat-down search, Davis turned and punched a correctional officer in the face. When the correctional officer fell to the ground, hit his head on the concrete, and lost consciousness, Davis got on top of the officer and continued to strike him. Davis then fought with other responding correctional officers before finally being subdued.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.
Fayette County Labor Union Official Sentenced for EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Jason Todd Weaver, 50, of Mount Hope, was sentenced today to 5 years federal probation and ordered to pay $2,896.78 in restitution for embezzlement of funds by an officer of a labor organization.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 29, 2021, Weaver used his position as secretary/treasurer of the American Postal Workers Union, Local 1509 to write out a check for $352.62 to himself. The check was written from Local 1509’s Beckley bank account. Weaver signed his name as an authorized account signatory and forged the name of another union officer who was also an authorized account signatory.
Weaver admitted that he knew he was not entitled to the money, and that he deposited the check into his personal bank account. Weaver further admitted that he used his position with Local 1509 to embezzle a total of $12,396.78 union funds, including issuing 17 union checks to himself and misusing the union’s credit card 59 times, from at least April 25, 2016, through November 13, 2021. Weaver repaid $9,500 of that total before pleading guilty to the embezzlement offense.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS).
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-130.
###
Exembajador de los Estados Unidos y funcionario del Consejo de Seguridad Nacional admite haber actuado en secreto como agente del gobierno cubano y recibe sentencia de 15 añosRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Víctor Manuel Rocha, de 73 años, de Miami, Florida, exempleado del Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos que sirvió en el Consejo de Seguridad Nacional de 1994 a 1995 y como embajador de los Estados Unidos en Bolivia de 2000 a 2002, hoy se declaró culpable de actuar en secreto durante décadas como agente del gobierno de la República de Cuba. Inmediatamente después, un juez federal condenó a Rocha a la pena máxima legal de 15 años de prisión por sus delitos penales.
“Víctor Manuel Rocha actuó en secreto durante décadas como agente de una potencia extranjera hostil. Pensó que la historia de su misión encubierta a Cuba nunca sería contada porque tenía la inteligencia, el conocimiento y la disciplina para no ser detectado nunca. Rocha subestimó esas mismas habilidades en los fiscales y agentes del orden público que trabajaron incansablemente para llevarlo ante la justicia por traicionar su juramento a este país”, señaló el fiscal federal Markenzy Lapointe para el Distrito Sur de Florida. “Soy consciente de que la actividad delictiva de décadas de Rocha en nombre del gobierno cubano es especialmente dolorosa para muchos en el sur de Florida. La voluntad de Rocha de cooperar, como lo exige su acuerdo de culpabilidad, es importante, pero no cambia la gravedad de su mala conducta o su abuso clandestino de la confianza depositada en él. La sentencia de 15 años de prisión de Rocha, el castigo máximo por sus delitos penales, envía un poderoso mensaje a quienes actúan o quieren actuar ilegalmente en los Estados Unidos para un gobierno extranjero: los buscaremos en cualquier lugar, en cualquier momento y los procesaremos con todo el peso de la ley”.
“La declaración de culpabilidad y la sentencia de hoy ponen fin a más de cuatro décadas de traición y engaño por parte del acusado”, expresó el fiscal general adjunto Matthew G. Olsen de la División de Seguridad Nacional del Departamento de Justicia. “Rocha admitió haber actuado como agente del gobierno cubano al mismo tiempo que ocupaba numerosos cargos de confianza en el gobierno de los Estados Unidos, una asombrosa traición al pueblo estadounidense y un reconocimiento de que cada juramento que hizo a los Estados Unidos fue una mentira”.
La jueza del Tribunal Federal de Distrito, Beth Bloom, aceptó la declaración de culpabilidad de Rocha por los cargos 1 y 2 de la acusación formal, que le atribuyen conspiración para actuar como agente de un gobierno extranjero y conspiración para defraudar a los Estados Unidos y actuar como agente de un gobierno extranjero sin notificación según lo exige la ley.
A continuación, la jueza condenó a Rocha a la pena máxima legal por los cargos penales: 15 años de prisión, multa de $500,000 dólares estadounidenses, tres años de libertad supervisada y una cuota especial. La jueza también impuso importantes restricciones a Rocha.
Según los términos del acuerdo de culpabilidad de las partes, Rocha tiene que cooperar con los Estados Unidos, incluido el asistir con cualquier evaluación de daños relacionados con su trabajo en nombre de la República de Cuba. Rocha debe renunciar a todos los beneficios de jubilación futuros, incluidos los pagos de pensiones, que los Estados Unidos le debe por su antiguo empleo en el Departamento de Estado. Rocha también debe ceder a los Estados Unidos cualquier ganancia que tenga derecho a recibir en relación con cualquier publicación relacionada con su conducta delictiva o su servicio al gobierno de los Estados Unidos.
“A pesar de haber hecho un juramento de defender la Constitución de los Estados Unidos, Rocha traicionó a los Estados Unidos al trabajar en secreto como agente cubano durante décadas”, apunta la subdirectora ejecutiva Larissa L. Knapp de la División de Seguridad Nacional del FBI. “Después de años de mentir y poner en peligro la seguridad nacional y a los ciudadanos estadounidenses, finalmente aceptó la responsabilidad de sus acciones y recibió la pena máxima de prisión. Esto debería servir como aviso a nuestros adversarios de que el FBI trabajará incansablemente para detener a los servicios de inteligencia extranjeros y a cualquiera que trabaje con ellos en contra de los intereses de los Estados Unidos y procesarlos con todo el peso de la ley”.
“Víctor Manuel Rocha fue sentenciado hoy a 15 años de prisión por engañar a nuestra nación”, señaló el agente especial a cargo Jeffrey B. Veltri de la Oficina de Campo del FBI en Miami. “Incumplió descaradamente el juramento que tomó voluntariamente como empleado del Departamento de Estado e ignoró la lealtad a los Estados Unidos que es inherente a ese juramento. Como lo demuestra este caso, la amenaza de contrainteligencia que enfrenta nuestra nación es real, generalizada y tiene el potencial de causar un gran daño a nuestra seguridad nacional. Quiero felicitar a la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito Sur de Florida por su estrecha colaboración en este asunto tan delicado. También quiero agradecer a nuestra Oficina de Campo en Washington y a nuestra División de Contrainteligencia, así como a la División de Seguridad Nacional del Departamento de Justicia y al Servicio de Seguridad Diplomática del Departamento de Estado por sus valiosas contribuciones a este caso”.
“La investigación de este delito demuestra la amenaza sostenida de los servicios de inteligencia hostiles”, expresó el subdirector de Operaciones Nacionales, Andrew Wroblewski, del Servicio de Seguridad Diplomática (DSS) del Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos. “La declaración de culpabilidad y la sentencia de hoy son otro ejemplo de nuestro compromiso de trabajar satisfactoriamente junto con nuestros colaboradores federales del orden público en la persecución de aquellos que comprometen la seguridad de los Estados Unidos”.
Al declararse culpable, Rocha admitió que, desde 1973 y hasta el momento de su arresto, apoyó secretamente a la República de Cuba y su misión clandestina de recopilación de inteligencia contra los Estados Unidos sirviendo como agente encubierto de la Dirección General de Inteligencia de Cuba.
Según admitió él mismo, para promover ese papel, Rocha obtuvo empleo en el Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos, donde trabajó entre 1981 y 2002, en puestos que le brindaron acceso a información no pública, incluida información clasificada, y la capacidad de afectar la política exterior de los Estados Unidos. Además de servir como embajador de los Estados Unidos en Bolivia y en el Consejo de Seguridad Nacional de la Casa Blanca, la carrera de Rocha incluyó un período como vicesecretario principal de la Sección de Intereses de los Estados Unidos del Departamento de Estado en La Habana, Cuba, de 1995 a 1997. Después de que terminó su empleo en el Departamento de Estado, Rocha participó en otros actos destinados a apoyar a los servicios de inteligencia de Cuba.
Rocha mantuvo en secreto su condición de agente cubano para protegerse a sí mismo y a los demás, y para permitirse la oportunidad de participar en actividades clandestinas adicionales. Rocha proporcionó información falsa y engañosa a los Estados Unidos para mantener su misión secreta y viajó fuera de los Estados Unidos para reunirse con agentes de inteligencia cubanos.
En una serie de reuniones durante 2022 y 2023, con un agente encubierto del FBI haciéndose pasar por un representante encubierto de la Dirección General de Inteligencia cubana, Rocha hizo repetidas declaraciones admitiendo sus “décadas” de trabajo para Cuba, que abarcan “40 años”. Cuando el agente encubierto le dijo a Rocha que era “un representante encubierto aquí en Miami” cuya misión era “contactarle, presentarme como su nuevo contacto y establecer un nuevo plan de comunicación”, Rocha respondió: “Sí” y procedió a entablar largas conversaciones durante las cuales describió y celebró su actividad como agente de la inteligencia cubana. A lo largo de las reuniones, Rocha se comportó como un agente cubano, refiriéndose constantemente a los Estados Unidos como “el enemigo” y utilizando el término “nosotros” para describirse a sí mismo y a Cuba. Rocha también elogió a Fidel Castro como el “Comandante” y se refirió a sus contactos en la inteligencia cubana como sus “compañeros” y a los servicios de inteligencia cubanos como la “Dirección”. Rocha calificó su labor como agente cubano como “enorme… Más que un grand slam”, y aseveró que lo que hizo “fortaleció a la Revolución… inmensamente”.
La Oficina de Campo del FBI en Miami investigó el caso, con valiosas contribuciones de la Oficina de Campo del FBI en Washington y el Servicio de Seguridad Diplomática (DSS) del Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos.
Los fiscales federales adjuntos Jonathan D. Stratton y John C. Shipley del Distrito Sur de Florida, junto con las abogadas litigantes Heather M. Schmidt y Christine A. Bonomo de la Sección de Contrainteligencia y Control de Exportaciones de la División de Seguridad Nacional procesaron el caso.
Toda persona que tenga información puede llamar al 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) o visitar tips.fbi.gov.
Todos los documentos e información relacionada se pueden encontrar en el sitio web del Tribunal de Distrito, Distrito Sur de Florida en www.flsd.uscourts.gov o en http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, bajo el número de caso 23-cr-20464.
###
Exembajador de los Estados Unidos y funcionario del Consejo de Seguridad Nacional admite haber actuado en secreto como agente del gobierno cubano y recibe sentencia de 15 añosRead the Press Release
Víctor Manuel Rocha, de 73 años, de Miami, Florida, exempleado del Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos que sirvió en el Consejo de Seguridad Nacional de 1994 a 1995 y como embajador de los Estados Unidos en Bolivia de 2000 a 2002, hoy se declaró culpable de actuar en secreto durante décadas como agente del gobierno de la República de Cuba. Inmediatamente después, un juez federal condenó a Rocha a la pena máxima legal de 15 años de prisión por sus delitos penales.
“La declaración de culpabilidad y la sentencia de hoy ponen fin a más de cuatro décadas de traición y engaño por parte del acusado”, expresó el fiscal general adjunto Matthew G. Olsen de la División de Seguridad Nacional del Departamento de Justicia. “Rocha admitió haber actuado como agente del gobierno cubano al mismo tiempo que ocupaba numerosos cargos de confianza en el gobierno de los Estados Unidos, una asombrosa traición al pueblo estadounidense y un reconocimiento de que cada juramento que hizo a los Estados Unidos fue una mentira”.
“Víctor Manuel Rocha actuó en secreto durante décadas como agente de una potencia extranjera hostil. Pensó que la historia de su misión encubierta a Cuba nunca sería contada porque tenía la inteligencia, el conocimiento y la disciplina para no ser detectado nunca. Rocha subestimó esas mismas habilidades en los fiscales y agentes del orden público que trabajaron incansablemente para llevarlo ante la justicia por traicionar su juramento a este país”, señaló el fiscal federal Markenzy Lapointe para el Distrito Sur de Florida. “Soy consciente de que la actividad delictiva de décadas de Rocha en nombre del gobierno cubano es especialmente dolorosa para muchos en el sur de Florida. La voluntad de Rocha de cooperar, como lo exige su acuerdo de culpabilidad, es importante, pero no cambia la gravedad de su mala conducta o su abuso clandestino de la confianza depositada en él. La sentencia de 15 años de prisión de Rocha, el castigo máximo por sus delitos penales, envía un poderoso mensaje a quienes actúan o quieren actuar ilegalmente en los Estados Unidos para un gobierno extranjero: los buscaremos en cualquier lugar, en cualquier momento y los procesaremos con todo el peso de la ley”.
La jueza del Tribunal Federal de Distrito, Beth Bloom, aceptó la declaración de culpabilidad de Rocha por los cargos 1 y 2 de la acusación formal, que le atribuyen conspiración para actuar como agente de un gobierno extranjero y conspiración para defraudar a los Estados Unidos y actuar como agente de un gobierno extranjero sin notificación según lo exige la ley.
A continuación, la jueza condenó a Rocha a la pena máxima legal por los cargos penales: 15 años de prisión, multa de $500,000 dólares estadounidenses, tres años de libertad supervisada y una cuota especial. La jueza también impuso importantes restricciones a Rocha.
Según los términos del acuerdo de culpabilidad de las partes, Rocha tiene que cooperar con los Estados Unidos, incluido el asistir con cualquier evaluación de daños relacionados con su trabajo en nombre de la República de Cuba. Rocha debe renunciar a todos los beneficios de jubilación futuros, incluidos los pagos de pensiones, que los Estados Unidos le debe por su antiguo empleo en el Departamento de Estado. Rocha también debe ceder a los Estados Unidos cualquier ganancia que tenga derecho a recibir en relación con cualquier publicación relacionada con su conducta delictiva o su servicio al gobierno de los Estados Unidos.
“A pesar de haber hecho un juramento de defender la Constitución de los Estados Unidos, Rocha traicionó a los Estados Unidos al trabajar en secreto como agente cubano durante décadas”, apunta la subdirectora ejecutiva Larissa L. Knapp de la División de Seguridad Nacional del FBI. “Después de años de mentir y poner en peligro la seguridad nacional y a los ciudadanos estadounidenses, finalmente aceptó la responsabilidad de sus acciones y recibió la pena máxima de prisión. Esto debería servir como aviso a nuestros adversarios de que el FBI trabajará incansablemente para detener a los servicios de inteligencia extranjeros y a cualquiera que trabaje con ellos en contra de los intereses de los Estados Unidos y procesarlos con todo el peso de la ley”.
“Víctor Manuel Rocha fue sentenciado hoy a 15 años de prisión por engañar a nuestra nación”, señaló el agente especial a cargo Jeffrey B. Veltri de la Oficina de Campo del FBI en Miami. “Incumplió descaradamente el juramento que tomó voluntariamente como empleado del Departamento de Estado e ignoró la lealtad a los Estados Unidos que es inherente a ese juramento. Como lo demuestra este caso, la amenaza de contrainteligencia que enfrenta nuestra nación es real, generalizada y tiene el potencial de causar un gran daño a nuestra seguridad nacional. Quiero felicitar a la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito Sur de Florida por su estrecha colaboración en este asunto tan delicado. También quiero agradecer a nuestra Oficina de Campo en Washington y a nuestra División de Contrainteligencia, así como a la División de Seguridad Nacional del Departamento de Justicia y al Servicio de Seguridad Diplomática del Departamento de Estado por sus valiosas contribuciones a este caso”.
“La investigación de este delito demuestra la amenaza sostenida de los servicios de inteligencia hostiles”, expresó el subdirector de Operaciones Nacionales, Andrew Wroblewski, del Servicio de Seguridad Diplomática (DSS) del Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos. “La declaración de culpabilidad y la sentencia de hoy son otro ejemplo de nuestro compromiso de trabajar satisfactoriamente junto con nuestros colaboradores federales del orden público en la persecución de aquellos que comprometen la seguridad de los Estados Unidos”.
Al declararse culpable, Rocha admitió que, desde 1973 y hasta el momento de su arresto, apoyó secretamente a la República de Cuba y su misión clandestina de recopilación de inteligencia contra los Estados Unidos sirviendo como agente encubierto de la Dirección General de Inteligencia de Cuba.
Según admitió él mismo, para promover ese papel, Rocha obtuvo empleo en el Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos, donde trabajó entre 1981 y 2002, en puestos que le brindaron acceso a información no pública, incluida información clasificada, y la capacidad de afectar la política exterior de los Estados Unidos. Además de servir como embajador de los Estados Unidos en Bolivia y en el Consejo de Seguridad Nacional de la Casa Blanca, la carrera de Rocha incluyó un período como vicesecretario principal de la Sección de Intereses de los Estados Unidos del Departamento de Estado en La Habana, Cuba, de 1995 a 1997. Después de que terminó su empleo en el Departamento de Estado, Rocha participó en otros actos destinados a apoyar a los servicios de inteligencia de Cuba.
Rocha mantuvo en secreto su condición de agente cubano para protegerse a sí mismo y a los demás, y para permitirse la oportunidad de participar en actividades clandestinas adicionales. Rocha proporcionó información falsa y engañosa a los Estados Unidos para mantener su misión secreta y viajó fuera de los Estados Unidos para reunirse con agentes de inteligencia cubanos.
En una serie de reuniones durante 2022 y 2023, con un agente encubierto del FBI haciéndose pasar por un representante encubierto de la Dirección General de Inteligencia cubana, Rocha hizo repetidas declaraciones admitiendo sus “décadas” de trabajo para Cuba, que abarcan “40 años”. Cuando el agente encubierto le dijo a Rocha que era “un representante encubierto aquí en Miami” cuya misión era “contactarle, presentarme como su nuevo contacto y establecer un nuevo plan de comunicación”, Rocha respondió: “Sí” y procedió a entablar largas conversaciones durante las cuales describió y celebró su actividad como agente de la inteligencia cubana. A lo largo de las reuniones, Rocha se comportó como un agente cubano, refiriéndose constantemente a los Estados Unidos como “el enemigo” y utilizando el término “nosotros” para describirse a sí mismo y a Cuba. Rocha también elogió a Fidel Castro como el “Comandante” y se refirió a sus contactos en la inteligencia cubana como sus “compañeros” y a los servicios de inteligencia cubanos como la “Dirección”. Rocha calificó su labor como agente cubano como “enorme… Más que un grand slam”, y aseveró que lo que hizo “fortaleció a la Revolución… inmensamente”.
La Oficina de Campo del FBI en Miami investigó el caso, con valiosas contribuciones de la Oficina de Campo del FBI en Washington y el Servicio de Seguridad Diplomática (DSS) del Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos.
Los fiscales federales adjuntos Jonathan D. Stratton y John C. Shipley del Distrito Sur de Florida, junto con las abogadas litigantes Heather M. Schmidt y Christine A. Bonomo de la Sección de Contrainteligencia y Control de Exportaciones de la División de Seguridad Nacional procesaron el caso.
Toda persona que tenga información puede llamar al 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) o visitar tips.fbi.gov.
Elm Creek Woman Convicted for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Hallie Deleon, 25, formerly of Elm Creek, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 12, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for possession with intent to distribute meth. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Deleon to 22 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Deleon’s release from prison, she will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
On September 8, 2022, law enforcement stopped a vehicle in Buffalo County, Nebraska. The vehicle had multiple occupants and Deleon was the front seat passenger. Law enforcement found probable cause and searched the vehicle. While searching the vehicle, law enforcement found two firearms, magazines with ammunition, drug paraphernalia, vials with suspected meth residue, a scale, and multiple used and unused baggies. Deleon was arrested, along with the other occupants of the vehicle. At the jail, staff found about an ounce of suspected meth on Deleon’s person.
This case was investigated by the Tri-City Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT). TRIDENT is a task force with law enforcement personnel from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Grand Island Police Department, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Hastings Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Kearney Police Department, and the Nebraska State Patrol.
Edwardsville Man Sentenced to 168 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Lamar Brown, age 38, of Edwardsville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 168 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for drug trafficking offense.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, on July 13, 2020, in Luzerne County, Brown possessed with intent to distribute quantities of fentanyl and cocaine, both Schedule II controlled substances.
The matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Luzerne County Drug Task Force, the Kingston Police Department, the Wilkes-Barre Police Department, and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney James Buchanan 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.
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
# # #
Dominican Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison as Member of Maritime Cocaine-Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on April 11, 2024, Herlin Hernandez-Trinidad, a/k/a “Rainely” (age: 29) of Miches, Dominican Republic, pled guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, in violation of Title 46, United States Code, Section 70506(b). He was sentenced that same day to 10 years in federal prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Pamela Pepper.
According to court documents, beginning around January 2019 and continuing through August 2020, Hernandez-Trinidad and others coordinated maritime shipments of bulk quantities of cocaine from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico. Once the cocaine arrived in Puerto Rico, Hernandez-Trinidad distributed it to individuals like David Quinones-Quinones (a/k/a “Davo”), a Puerto Rico-based kilogram-quantity cocaine trafficker, who supplied individuals responsible for sending cocaine to various locations within the continental United States, including Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Court documents further reveal that Hernandez-Trinidad received maritime shipments of cocaine from the Dominican Republic. On one occasion, Hernandez-Trinidad facilitated a 300-kilogram cocaine shipment from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico. Hernandez-Trinidad was also linked to a maritime cocaine load seized by law enforcement on December 10, 2019. On that date, federal and local authorities interdicted a boat with Dominican nationals carrying 181 kilograms of cocaine near the shoreline of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
At sentencing, the Chief Judge noted that a significant sentence was necessary to reflect the significant quantity of drugs that were involved in the conspiracy.
“The sentence in this case is a direct result of excellent collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement,” stated U.S. Attorney Haanstad. “I commend the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in investigating and prosecuting this conspiracy.”
This prosecution is the product of a multi-year investigation led by law enforcement agents and officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Milwaukee Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Brady, Jr. and Assistant United States Attorney Gail Hoffman prosecuted the case.
###
For further information contact:
Public Information Officer
(414) 297-1700
Follow us on Twitter
District Man Indicted on Enhanced Second-Degree Theft for Theft from Target Retail Store in NorthwestRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, Brandon Goodwin, 38, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on one count of felony second-degree theft stemming from events occurring on March 28, 2024, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.
Brandon Goodwin is to be arraigned on May 1, 2024, at a hearing before a Superior Court judge.
According to the government’s evidence, on March 28, 2024, Brandon Goodwin took store merchandise without paying from the Target store in Northwest, Washington, D.C. Mr. Goodwin was arrested after investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Mr. Goodwin has two or more prior theft convictions, though not from the same occasion, and therefore is subject to enhanced penalties for his alleged theft, including a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in jail for each count of theft for which he is indicted.
Since September 1, 2023, including the aforementioned case, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has indicted 39 cases involving a felony second-degree theft charge based on a defendant’s two or more prior theft convictions, not from the same occasion.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Gaskin.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty
District Man Indicted on Enhanced Second-Degree Theft for Theft from CVS Retail Store in NorthwestRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, Melvin Dykes, 61, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on one count of felony second-degree theft stemming from events occurring on February 23, 2024, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.
Dykes is to be arraigned on April 30, 2024, at a hearing before a Superior Court judge.
According to the government’s evidence, on February 23, 2024, Dykes took merchandise without paying from the CVS store in Northwest, Washington, D.C. Dykes was located and arrested after investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Dykes has two or more prior theft convictions, though not from the same occasion, and therefore is subject to enhanced penalties for his alleged theft, including a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in jail for each count of theft for which he is indicted.
Since September 1, 2023, including the aforementioned case, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has indicted 39 cases involving a felony second-degree theft charge based on a defendant’s two or more prior theft convictions, not from the same occasion.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Cotter.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
Delaware Woman Arrested for International Sextortion and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
A Delaware woman was arrested today in Delaware on criminal charges related to her role in an international sextortion scheme that targeted thousands of victims throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
According to an indictment unsealed today, from May 2020 through December 2022, Hadja Kone, 28, of Wilmington, and Siaka Ouattara, 22, of Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, and other co-conspirators allegedly operated an international, financially motivated sextortion and money laundering scheme in which the conspirators engaged in cyberstalking, interstate threats, money laundering, and wire fraud. Through the scheme, Kone, Outtara, and others attempted to extort approximately $6 million from thousands of potential victims and successfully extorted approximately $1.7 million from those victims, using CashApp and ApplePay accounts alone.
As alleged in the indictment, Ouattara and others posed as young, attractive females online and initiated communications with thousands of potential victims, who were primarily young men and included minors from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Ouattara and others allegedly offered to provide and/or provided victims with sexual photographs, video recordings, and/or “web cam” or “live video chat” sessions of what they falsely portrayed to be an attractive young female, when in fact they were the ones operating the accounts. Unbeknownst to the victims, during the web cam/live video chats, Ouattara and others surreptitiously recorded the victims as they exposed their genitals and/or engaged in sexual activity. Ouattara and others sent the victims copies of the victims’ fraudulently obtained sexual images and threatened to distribute the victims’ sexual images to the victims’ friends, family members, significant others, employers, and co-workers and to publish the victims’ sexual images widely online, unless the victims transferred funds to designated recipients. Ouattara, Kone, and others also operated infrastructure to transfer the funds illegally obtained from the victims to Ouattara and others located in Côte d’Ivoire and elsewhere overseas.
On Feb. 24, Ivoirian authorities separately arrested Ouattara in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, on Ivoirian charges stemming from the same scheme.
Kone and Ouattara are each charged with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and to send interstate threats, conspiracy to engage in money laundering, money laundering, and wire fraud. If convicted, Kone and Ouattara each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each conspiracy count and money laundering count, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss for the District of Delaware; and Assistant Director Michael Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case, with assistance from the government of Cote d’Ivoire.
Trial Attorney Austin Berry of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Senior Trial Attorney Mona Sedky of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Briana Knox for the District of Delaware are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Dallas Anesthesiologist Convicted of Tampering with IV Bags Linked to Cardiac Emergencies During Routine SurgeriesRead the Press Release
A Dallas anesthesiologist was convicted today for injecting dangerous drugs into patient IV bags, leading to one death and numerous cardiac emergencies, the Justice Department announced.
Raynaldo Riviera Ortiz Jr., 60, was charged by criminal complaint in September 2023 and indicted the following month on charges related to tampering with IV bags used at a local surgical center. After eight days of trial and seven hours of deliberation, a jury convicted him of four counts of tampering with consumer products resulting in serious bodily injury, one count of tampering with a consumer product and five counts of intentional adulteration of a drug.
“The facts brought out at trial in this case are particularly disturbing,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will work with its law enforcement partners to hold accountable anyone who puts patients’ lives at risk by tampering with critical medical products.”
“Dr. Ortiz cloaked himself in the white coat of a healer, but instead of curing pain, he inflicted it,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton for the Northern District of Texas. “He assembled ticking time bombs, then sat in wait as those medical time bombs went off one by one, toxic cocktails flowing into the veins of patients who were often at their most vulnerable, lying unconscious on the operating table. We saw the patients testify. Their pain, their fear and their trauma was palpable in that courtroom.”
“Patients expect that their doctors will use only safe and effective medical products during their surgeries. When illicit tampering occurs, serious harm and even death can result,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles L. Grinstead of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OIC). “Working with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to monitor, investigate and bring to justice those who would risk patients’ health and safety.”
According to evidence presented at trial, between May and August 2022, numerous patients at Surgicare North Dallas suffered cardiac emergencies during routine medical procedures performed by various doctors. About one month after the unexplained emergencies began, an anesthesiologist who had worked at the facility earlier that day died while treating herself for dehydration using an IV bag. In August 2022, doctors at the surgical care center began to suspect tainted IV bags had caused the repeated crises after an 18-year-old patient had to be rushed to the intensive care unit in critical condition during a routine sinus surgery.
A local lab analyzed fluid from the bag used during the teenager’s surgery and found bupivacaine (a nerve-blocking agent), epinephrine (a stimulant) and lidocaine (an anesthetic) — a drug cocktail that could have caused the boy’s symptoms, which included very high blood pressure, cardiac dysfunction and pulmonary edema. The lab also observed a puncture in the bag.
Ortiz surreptitiously injected IV bags of saline with epinephrine, bupivacaine and other drugs, placed them into a warming bin at the facility, and waited for them to be used in colleagues’ surgeries, knowing their patients would experience dangerous complications. Surveillance video introduced into evidence showed Ortiz repeatedly retrieving IV bags from the warming bin and replacing them shortly thereafter, not long before the bags were carried into operating rooms where patients experienced complications. Video also showed Ortiz mixing vials of medication and watching as victims were wheeled out by emergency responders.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Ortiz was facing disciplinary action at the time for an alleged medical mistake made in his one of his own surgeries, and that he potentially faced losing his medical license.
At trial, doctors testified about the confusion they felt when their patients’ blood pressures suddenly skyrocketed. Reviewing medical records, they all noted the emergencies occurred shortly after new IV bags had been hung. Patients recalled waking up unexpectedly intubated in intensive care units they had been transported to via emergency medical transportation services, in pain and in fear for their lives.
A sentencing date has not yet been set. Ortiz faces a maximum penalty of 190 years in prison. The court will set his sentencing hearing at a later date.
FDA-OCI Special Agents Chad Medaris and Daniel Allgeyer investigated the case.
Assistant Director Patrick Runkle and Trial Attorney Rachel Baron of the Civil Division's Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney John de la Garza for the Northern District of Texas prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gail Hayworth for the Northern District of Texas provided appellate support. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey presided over trial.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, visit www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx
Dallas Anesthesiologist Convicted of Tampering with IV Bags Linked to Cardiac Emergencies During Routine SurgeriesRead the Press Release
A Dallas anesthesiologist was convicted today for injecting dangerous drugs into patient IV bags, leading to one death and numerous cardiac emergencies, the Justice Department announced.
Raynaldo Riviera Ortiz Jr., 60, was charged by criminal complaint in September 2023 and indicted the following month on charges related to tampering with IV bags used at a local surgical center. After eight days of trial and seven hours of deliberation, a jury convicted him of four counts of tampering with consumer products resulting in serious bodily injury, one count of tampering with a consumer product and five counts of intentional adulteration of a drug.
“The facts brought out at trial in this case are particularly disturbing,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will work with its law enforcement partners to hold accountable anyone who puts patients’ lives at risk by tampering with critical medical products.”
“Dr. Ortiz cloaked himself in the white coat of a healer, but instead of curing pain, he inflicted it,” U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas said in a video statement. “He assembled ticking time bombs, then sat in wait as those medical time bombs went off one by one, toxic cocktails flowing into the veins of patients who were often at their most vulnerable, lying unconscious on the operating table. We saw the patients testify. Their pain, their fear and their trauma was palpable in that courtroom.”
“Patients expect that their doctors will use only safe and effective medical products during their surgeries. When illicit tampering occurs, serious harm and even death can result,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles L. Grinstead of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OIC). “Working with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to monitor, investigate and bring to justice those who would risk patients’ health and safety.”
According to evidence presented at trial, between May and August 2022, numerous patients at Surgicare North Dallas suffered cardiac emergencies during routine medical procedures performed by various doctors. About one month after the unexplained emergencies began, an anesthesiologist who had worked at the facility earlier that day died while treating herself for dehydration using an IV bag. In August 2022, doctors at the surgical care center began to suspect tainted IV bags had caused the repeated crises after an 18-year-old patient had to be rushed to the intensive care unit in critical condition during a routine sinus surgery.
A local lab analyzed fluid from the bag used during the teenager’s surgery and found bupivacaine (a nerve-blocking agent), epinephrine (a stimulant) and lidocaine (an anesthetic) — a drug cocktail that could have caused the boy’s symptoms, which included very high blood pressure, cardiac dysfunction and pulmonary edema. The lab also observed a puncture in the bag.
Ortiz surreptitiously injected IV bags of saline with epinephrine, bupivacaine and other drugs, placed them into a warming bin at the facility, and waited for them to be used in colleagues’ surgeries, knowing their patients would experience dangerous complications. Surveillance video introduced into evidence showed Ortiz repeatedly retrieving IV bags from the warming bin and replacing them shortly thereafter, not long before the bags were carried into operating rooms where patients experienced complications. Video also showed Ortiz mixing vials of medication and watching as victims were wheeled out by emergency responders.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Ortiz was facing disciplinary action at the time for an alleged medical mistake made in his one of his own surgeries, and that he potentially faced losing his medical license.
At trial, doctors testified about the confusion they felt when their patients’ blood pressures suddenly skyrocketed. Reviewing medical records, they all noted the emergencies occurred shortly after new IV bags had been hung. Patients recalled waking up unexpectedly intubated in intensive care units they had been transported to via emergency medical transportation services, in pain and in fear for their lives.
A sentencing date has not yet been set. Ortiz faces a maximum penalty of 190 years in prison. The court will set his sentencing hearing at a later date.
FDA-OCI Special Agents Chad Medaris and Daniel Allgeyer investigated the case.
Assistant Director Patrick Runkle and Trial Attorney Rachel Baron of the Civil Division's Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney John de la Garza for the Northern District of Texas prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gail Hayworth for the Northern District of Texas provided appellate support. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey presided over trial.
Cumberland County Man Charged with Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Edward Clouser, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was charged on April 10, 2024, by a federal grand jury with distributing and possessing child pornography.
According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges Clouser with distributing child pornography on November 28, 2022, and possessing child pornography including images involving a prepubescent minor and a minor who had not attained 12 years of age on February 7, 2023, in Cumberland County.
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.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Haugsby prosecuted the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a term of up to lifetime supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
###
Convicted Felon Is Sentenced to Prison for Firearms Offense, Assaulting Federal Officers, and Assault with Intent to Commit MurderRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Martin Medina, 32, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison and three years of supervised release for a firearms offense, assaulting federal officers, and assault with intent to commit murder, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the sentence imposed for the weapons and assault convictions, Medina was ordered to serve an additional 30 months in prison for violating the terms of his federal supervised release, for a total sentence of more than 16 years.
Medina was convicted of federal charges in 2012 for abusive sexual contact and related offenses. Medina was sentenced to a term of imprisonment followed by a lifetime of supervised release. As a convicted felon, Medina was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. Also, among the conditions of Medina’s supervision were warrantless searches of his person and his residence.
According to court documents and court proceedings, on June 14, 2022, at approximately 1:10 p.m., federal probation officers and a deputy with the Cherokee Indian Police Department (CIPD) arrived at Medina’s residence, located in Swain County within the Qualla Boundary, to conduct a warrantless search. Medina met the law enforcement officers outside, then quickly ran inside his residence. A federal probation officer began to negotiate with Medina to come outside, but Medina did not comply. Officers with Tribal Alcohol Law Enforcement, Tribal Natural Resources Enforcement, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs arrived to assist. Law enforcement continued to negotiate with Medina, and over the course of the negotiations, law enforcement observed shell casings in the driveway. This led officers to believe that Medina was armed even though he was prohibited from possessing firearms.
According to court records, a SWAT team was called to the scene. Law enforcement reported potential gunfire coming from inside the residence. Medina continued to refuse to surrender, even after law enforcement deployed non-lethal gas into the residence. After deploying more gas into the home, law enforcement was again met with gunfire. Medina continued to fire at law enforcement, causing one of the officers to sustain a non-fatal injury. Eventually, Medina agreed to surrender, and he was taken into custody at 5:51 p.m.
Court records show that following Medina’s arrest, officers executed a search warrant at Medina’s residence, seizing five firearms, including three shotguns, assorted ammunition, extended magazines loaded to capacity for all weapons, two ballistic vests, a ballistic helmet, night vision goggles, a gas mask, various fixed-blade knives, suspected marijuana, and several thousand dollars in cash.
Medina remains in federal custody awaiting transfer to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Probation Office, the Cherokee Indian Police Department, Tribal Alcohol Law Enforcement, Tribal Natural Resources Enforcement, the Office of the Tribal Prosecutor, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for their work on this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
Colorado Man Pleads Guilty to Participating in Global Prize Notice Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Colorado man pleaded guilty today for engaging in a prize notice fraud scheme that defrauded thousands of consumers across the United States and abroad. John Kyle Muller, 58, of Boulder, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
According to the indictment, Muller and his co-conspirators mailed millions of fraudulent prize notices that led their victims to believe that they had been individually selected to receive a large cash prize and would receive their prize if they paid a $20 to $50 fee. In reality, no victim ever received a large cash prize from Muller or his co-conspirators. Instead, victims received a “report” describing sweepstakes opportunities or a trinket of minimal value. After victims responded to one fraudulent prize notice mailing, Muller and his co-conspirators inundated them with additional fraudulent mailings. They also provided victims’ contact information to others in the fraudulent mass-mailing industry. Muller and his co-conspirators used the scheme to steal more than $15 million from victims, many of whom were elderly.
The fraud scheme operated from 2012 to February 2018, when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) executed multiple search warrants and the Justice Department obtained a court order shutting down the fraudulent mail operation. Muller authored, edited and approved many of the fraudulent prize notice mailings before they were mailed to victims and shared the profits from the scheme.
“Through this fraud scheme, the defendant targeted and victimized the some of the most vulnerable among us,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to protecting all consumers – including the elderly and vulnerable – from predatory mass-mailing schemes.”
“John Kyle Muller appeared to be a successful, upstanding member of his community, while hiding the truth that that “success” was taking advantage of older Americans across the country,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the USPIS’ Criminal Investigations Group. “Postal inspectors work hard to investigate and apprehend fraudsters, but also to prevent these scams. The best defense is to not respond to prize-notice mailings in the first place – if you have to pay money to claim a prize, you can be sure it’s a scam.”
USPIS investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Carolyn Rice and Charles Dunn of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch prosecuted the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.
The department urges individuals to be on the lookout for fraudulent psychic, lottery, prize notification and sweepstakes scams. If you receive a phone call, letter or email promising a large prize in exchange for a fee, do not respond. Fraudsters often will use official-sounding names or the names of real lotteries or sweepstakes or pretend to be a government agent purportedly helping to secure a prize.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with inappropriate agencies and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.
More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage at www.justice.gov/elderjustice. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.
Coffee County man sentenced to federal prison for illegally obtaining COVID-19 pandemic relief fundsRead the Press Release
WAYCROSS, GA: A Coffee County man was sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay more than $1.3 million in restitution for fraudulently obtaining funds intended to help businesses struggling financially during the pandemic.
Kyle Waldron, 59, of Douglas, Ga., was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Waldron to pay $1,371,219 in restitution. During the investigation federal agents seized $326,461 from Waldron’s bank accounts, which is subject to forfeiture. Judge Wood ordered Waldron to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Kyle Waldron committed brazen fraud and theft from pandemic relief funds,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who would illegally access these funds to fuel their own greed.”
Enacted by Congress in 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided more than $650 billion to financially struggling small businesses during the COIVD-19 pandemic. Those funds were disbursed primarily as grants and forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) through the Small Business Administration (SBA).
As described in court documents and testimony, an investigation by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations and the U.S. Secret Service determined that Waldron submitted at least 20 different PPP or EIDL applications on behalf of multiple businesses and individuals. To obtain loan funds, Waldron submitted multiple fake IRS forms in support of the funding applications, and falsely claimed large numbers of non-existent employees and inflated revenues in fraudulent requests for PPP and EIDL funding. Those applications resulted in SBA disbursements of more than $1.3 million.
“The sentence, along with the restitution, serves as a notice to those who committed COVID-19 fraud that IRS Criminal Investigation special agents and our partners are still conducting investigations and holding them accountable,” said Demetrius Hardeman, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office.
“Waldron believed that he could commit fraud and steal money designated to help businesses struggling to survive during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said J. Craig Reno, Resident Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service Savannah Resident Office. “This sentence should serve as a warning to potential thieves that they will be caught and prosecuted. As part of our dual protective and investigative mission, we are tasked with safeguarding the United States’ financial and payment systems from criminal exploitation. The U.S. Secret Service is committed to investigating cases of fraud and we work hand-in-hand with our law enforcement partners to pursue justice for victims of financial crime across the country.”
The case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations and the U.S. Secret Service and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew A. Josephson and J. Bishop Ravenel.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Clayton Resident Sentenced to 20 Years for Federal Drug and Firearms CrimesRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Troy Michael Goforth, age 49, of Clayton, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 180 months for one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, and 60 months on one count of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. The terms will be served consecutively.
The charges arose from a joint investigation by members of Choctaw Nation Tribal Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On May 31, 2023, Goforth pleaded guilty to the charges. On September 21, 2022, Goforth led officers on a high-speed pursuit, during which Goforth was observed tossing a green duffel bag out of the car before jumping out of the vehicle and fleeing on foot. Upon apprehending and arresting Goforth, officers discovered a loaded 9mm pistol tucked into Goforth’s waist band. During a subsequent search of the nearby ditch, officers recovered the green duffel bag, which contained syringes, baggies, digital scales, and over 500 grams of methamphetamine.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearings. Goforth was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Satter represented the United States.
Cedar Rapids Man Involved in Methamphetamine Trafficking Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced today to more than 15 years in federal prison.
Calvin Williams, age 39, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 20, 2023 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance after a prior conviction for a serious drug felony and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that Williams was involved in a large-scale drug trafficking organization that was responsible for mailing methamphetamine from California to Iowa through the United States Postal Service. Williams and a co-defendant developed a source of supply in California who was sending packages containing methamphetamine through the United States Postal Service to several addresses in Cedar Rapids. Williams and a co-defendant would wrap the cash proceeds from the distribution of controlled substances, and they would mail the proceeds back to their source of supply in California in packages that listed fake names and return addresses.
Williams was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Williams was sentenced to 183 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a ten-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Williams is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of
Justice through a cooperative effort of the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force. The DEA Task Force consists of the DEA, the Linn County Sheriff's Office, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Marion Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-CR-91.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Castle Shannon Resident Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Possession of Methamphetamine and Cocaine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Castle Shannon, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court on April 10, 2024, to 108 months of imprisonment, to be followed by four years of federal supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and a quantity of cocaine, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States Senior District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Michael Hunsinger, 58.
According to information presented to the Court, on June 3, 2022, the Castle Shannon Police Department executed a search warrant at Hunsinger’s residence as part of a narcotics investigation within the community. During the search, law enforcement seized large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine from the residence.
Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Stockey prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Castle Shannon Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Hunsinger.
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.
Carlsbad Man Sentenced for Federal Drug and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Carlsbad man was sentenced to 240 months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Manuel Pineda Montoya, 44, was arrested during 2023 joint enforcement operation in Carlsbad, New Mexico which resulted in the arrest of 12 alleged drug and firearms traffickers.
According to court documents, in May of 2023, Montoya was pulled over in three separate traffic stops – two in Eddy County and one in Lincoln County. During the first incident, officers located 3.8 kilograms of fentanyl pills, over $11,000 in cash, and two loaded firearms in Montoya’s vehicle. As a previously convicted felon, Montoya knew that he was prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition.
During the next two incidents, officers found a total of 6,710 net grams of methamphetamine in Montoya’s vehicle. In his plea agreement, Montoya admitted that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine to others.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Montoya will be required to serve 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 Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force, with enforcement assistance from the United States Marshal Service, Carlsbad Police Department, Eddy County Sheriff’ Department, Roswell Police Department, Chaves County Drug Task Force, DEA Airwing and Customs and Border Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Renee L. Camacho and Devon Aragon-Martinez are prosecuting the case.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The task force initiatives are also part of the New Mexico High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program (HIDTA), a federal grant program that supports law enforcement efforts to combat the drug threat in the state.
# # #
California man sentenced to over 20 years for distributing pure meth in VirginiaRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A California man was sentenced today to 21 years and ten months in prison for distribution of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, from Sept. 21, 2022, to Feb. 13, 2023, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and task force agents used a confidential source to make multiple purchases of meth from Rodolfo Villanueva, 30. Each time, Villanueva sent a courier to meet the source. The courier would provide the meth from Villanueva to the source and collect from the source money owed to Villanueva for previously supplied meth. Villanueva was found to have supplied over 5 kilograms of nearly pure methamphetamine.
Following the final sale on Feb. 13, 2023, agents took Villanueva into custody and recovered the money from the transaction, which was in Villanueva’s coat pocket. A search of Villanueva’s Richmond apartment resulted in the recovery of 8.9 kilograms of fentanyl and 8.8 kilograms of cocaine.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia L. Norman prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-50.