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23 May 2024
Anchorage man sentenced to 11 years for drug, firearm crimesRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced yesterday to 11 years in prison and four years’ supervised release for possessing firearms as a felon and possessing drugs with an intent to distribute them.
According to court documents, on Jan. 28, 2021, law enforcement found Joseph Franks, 42, asleep in a running tow truck along a road in Big Lake. Franks had an active warrant for his arrest and was asked to step out of the vehicle. Upon his arrest, law enforcement found a loaded pistol magazine on his person. They obtained a search warrant for the tow truck and found a backpack containing two stolen pistols, six pistol magazines and over 300 grams of marijuana, among other items, and a safe containing over 60 grams of heroin and paraphernalia commonly used for drug distribution.
Less than a week later, law enforcement attempted to stop a vehicle in Wasilla, but the vehicle fled, leading to a high-speed chase for several miles. Spike stripes were deployed, causing the vehicle to crash, but the driver, later determined to be Franks, broke the driver’s side window and fled from the vehicle on foot. Franks was apprehended by a K9 and law enforcement found $1,770 in cash and a small container with cocaine on his person, and $3,550 in cash, over 61 grams of marijuana, over 35 grams of meth, over 85 grams of heroin, and small amounts of psilocybin and cocaine inside a locked duffle back in the vehicle’s trunk.
“Mr. Franks repeatedly disregarded the law and endangered the community with his criminal conduct,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to pursue justice against defendants who choose to commit criminal acts, especially activity that puts our communities at risk like firearm and drug trafficking offenses.”
“The defendant continued to plague our community with serious crimes involving drugs, stolen firearms, and reckless flight from law enforcement,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “This sentence, stemming from a joint investigation with the Alaska State Troopers, exemplifies our shared commitment in keeping our communities safe.”
“The sentence handed down in this prosecution is a significant victory in the Alaska State Trooper’s fight against drug trafficking occurring across the State of Alaska,” said Captain Cornelius Sims, Captain of the Alaska State Trooper’s Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit. “The Alaska State Troopers will continue to work tirelessly with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to interrupt drug trafficking in Alaska and hold those that peddle these dangerous drugs accountable for their actions.”
The FBI Anchorage Field Office and Alaska State Troopers investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Ivers and Alana Weber prosecuted the case.
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Albany Man Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Nearly $1 Million in Federal FundsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Asjid Parvez, age 38, of Albany, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for stealing nearly $1 million in federal funds from a program that helped struggling farmers pay off their loans.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
In 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act authorized the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to financially assist certain distressed borrowers who had fallen behind on repaying their federally guaranteed farm loans. Parvez was one such borrower, having defaulted on a loan that he had used to purchase a Maryland chicken farm in 2014.
In previously pleading guilty, Parvez admitted that in May 2023, the FSA sent him a United States Treasury check in the amount of $972,564.61. Parvez knew that he needed to use these funds to pay off the federally guaranteed farm loan on which he had defaulted. But instead, he stole the money, and used the funds to pay personal expenses and to fund real estate investments. Parvez stole the money by opening a bank account in the name of his lender; depositing the Treasury check – which was jointly payable to the defendant and the lender – into that account; and then quickly transferring the Treasury funds to other accounts that he controlled.
United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also ordered Parvez to serve 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release and pay $972,564.61 in restitution to the FSA.
The FBI has already seized $516,974.54 traceable to the federal funds that Parvez stole, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Asset Recovery Unit has filed a civil action seeking the forfeiture of a residential property in Albany that was purchased using approximately $202,675 in stolen funds.
The FBI investigated this case, with assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett prosecuted this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Conger is representing the United States in the asset forfeiture action.
60 Members of a Violent Gang Charged with Drug Trafficking and Firearms Violations in Ponce, Puerto RicoRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On May 22, 2024, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging 60 gang members from the municipality of Ponce with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, possession and distribution of controlled substances, and firearms violations, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. This investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB), Ponce Strike Force, with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico National Guard Counterdrug Program, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), CBP Air and Marine Operations, U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Puerto Rico Department of Treasury (Hacienda).
“Too many lives have been lost because of drug trafficking and the violence it causes. This indictment demonstrates our shared commitment to protect our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “This is the third multi-defendant gang takedown this month and underscores the unyielding resolve of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in Puerto Rico to bring violent offenders to justice.”
“Guns, violence, drugs, and murders are the day to day of this organization. Ponce residents deserve peace, and our children deserve to play in a street free of drugs. HSI is committed to our community, and we will not tolerate this violent behavior in our island,” said Rebecca González Ramos, Special Agent in Charge of HSI.
“Today marks a pivotal moment in our ongoing efforts to dismantle violent drug trafficking organizations that threaten the safety and well-being of our communities. The arrest of approximately 60 individuals is a testament to the unwavering dedication and collaboration of federal and local law enforcement agencies,” said Denise Foster, Special Agent in Charge of DEA. “This operation not only disrupts a major criminal network, but also underscores our commitment to bringing justice and safety to the people of Ponce. We will continue to leverage our combined resources and expertise to combat drug trafficking and ensure the security of all our citizens.”
The indictment alleges that from 2016, the drug trafficking organization distributed cocaine base (commonly known as “crack”), heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and fentanyl within 1,000 feet of the Arístides Chavier Arévalo, Ernesto Ramos Antonini, Dr. Manuel de la Pila, Ponce Housing and Hogares de Portugués Public Housing Projects (PHPs), and other areas in and nearby the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico, all for significant financial gain and profit. The object of the conspiracy was the large-scale distribution of controlled substances and to distribute the same in street quantities amounts at their drug distribution points. Some of these narcotics would be sent illegally by mail to the continental United States using the U.S. Postal Service.
The investigation revealed that during the conspiracy the defendants and their co-conspirators would use force, violence, including murder and intimidation, against rival drug trafficking organizations and to discipline members of their own drug trafficking organization. Members of the organization would go to “war” with rival gangs, which included retaliatory shooting incidents that, at times, resulted in injuries and death.
The defendants acted in different roles to further the goals of the drug trafficking conspiracy, including as leaders, owners, enforcers, runners, sellers, and facilitators. The members of the gang used force, violence, and intimidation to maintain control of the areas in which they operated. Twenty defendants are facing one charge of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The defendants charged in the indictment are:
[1] Armando L. Alicea-Santiago, a.k.a. “La Mami/Ñañito”
[2] José A. Custodio-Colón, a.k.a. “Gilligan/El Viejo”
[3] Christopher Román-Medina, a.k.a. “Keke”
[4] Armando Ortiz-Meléndez, a.k.a. “Yokain”
[5] Nestor Murray-Valentino, a.k.a. “Valentino”
[6] Nicky Cosme-Rivera, a.k.a. “Mellao”
[7] Héctor Pacheco-Figueras, a.k.a. “La H”
[8] Joshua Almodóvar, a.k.a. “Mamaito”
[9] Orlando Coimbre-Echevarría, a.k.a. “Orlandito”
[10] Giovanni Vargas-Maldonado, a.k.a. “Jova/La J”
[11] Jon Alvarado-Hernández, a.k.a. “Jacob”
[12] Raymond Torres-Zayas, a.k.a. “Macho”
[13] Eduardo Aponte Torres, a.k.a. “Edu/Menor/Bubu”
[14] Luis Laboy-Nadal, a.k.a. “Marlon/Mailon”
[15] Juan Limardo-Meléndez, a.k.a. “Jonny”
[16] José Méndez-Morales, a.k.a. “Hugo Boss/Gordo”
[17] Bryant Santiago-Ramírez, a.k.a. “Bryant”
[18] Edgargo Caraballo-Echevarría, a.k.a. “La J”
[19] Jomar Irrizarry-Sarriera
[20] Norberto Martinez-Castro, A/K/A Berto/Bertito/Enano,
[21] Eduardo Negron-Perez, A/K/A Bebo,
[22] Adam Maldonado-Santuche,
[23] José Vázquez-Vargas, a.k.a. “Gordo Janet”
[24] Kelvin Almodóvar-Toro, a.k.a. “Calvo”
[25] Jaime Padilla-Gómez, a.k.a. “Jimito”
[26] Rafael Alers-Ortiz, a.k.a. “Memin”
[27] José A. Custodio-Flores, a.k.a. “Gele”
[28] Jai López-Díaz, a.k.a. “Chai”
[29] Luis J. Alvarado-De La Cruz, a.k.a. “Joel”
[30] Joshua Rodríguez-Cortez, a.k.a. “Medusa/Versace”
[31] Vilma J. Vázquez-Vargas, a.k.a. “Janet”
[32] Jay Pages-Pacheco
[33] Héctor J. Orengo-Torres, a.k.a. “Javi”
[34] Ramón Echevarría-Caraballo, a.k.a. “Árabe”
[35] José Rodríguez-Casiano, a.k.a. “Jon Z”
[36] William González-Maldonado, a.k.a. “Casqui”
[37] Miguel Ortiz-González, a.k.a. “Saca Mostro”
[38] Jonathan Vázquez-Bota, a.k.a. “Mama Deo/Jona”
[39] Wilson Berríos-Flores, a.k.a. “Panda”
[40] Neftaly Rivera-Santiago, a.k.a. “Taly”
[41] Miguel Alexander-Báez, a.k.a. “Yoyo”
[42] Kevin Cosme-Rivera
[43] Josué Pérez-Torres, a.k.a. “Aguja”
[44] Ángel Santana-Pacheco, a.k.a. “Goldo”
[45] William Ramos-Rivera, a.k.a. “Willy”
[46] Alexis Aponte-Negrón
[47] Coral González-Bacenet
[48] Anthony Limardo-Mercado, a.k.a. “Mariachi”
[49] Arturo De Lahongrais-Emmanuelli
[50] Silverio Yoguez-Mercado, a.k.a. “Gringo”
[51] Jovelyn Marquez-Ruiz, a.k.a. “La Flaca”
[52] Manuel Alicea-Alicea, a.k.a. “Alicea”
[53] Wanda Vargas-Álvarez
[54] Jaime Méndez-Ortiz, a.k.a. Jimmy
[55] Ángel Mercado-Acabeo, a.k.a. “Cano/Canito”
[56] Ilia Martínez-Pagán, a.k.a. “Coral/Charlot”
[57] Jayson Camacho-Rodríguez
[58] María Mercado-Crespo, a.k.a. “Luly”
[59] Jadira Báez-Flores
[60] José Cambrelen-Pabón, a.k.a. “Buba”
Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) and Chief of the Gang Section Alberto López-Rocafort; Deputy Chief of the Gang Section, AUSA Teresa Zapata-Valladares; AUSAs R. Vance Eaton and Héctor Siaca Flores are in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted on the drug charges, the defendants face a minimum sentence of 10 years, and up to life in prison. If convicted of both the drug and firearms charges in Count Seven, the defendants face a minimum sentence of 15 years, and up to life in prison. All defendants are facing a narcotics forfeiture allegation of $123,662,000.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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22 May 2024
“Sovereign Citizen” Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for $3.4 Million Tax Fraud Scheme, Filing A False Lien, and Absconding While on BondRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker today sentenced Judy Grace Sellers to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to submit false tax returns and defraud the U.S. Treasury, substantive counts of aiding in the preparation of false tax returns, and filing a false lien against the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, followed by a consecutive four-year sentence for failure to appear. Sellers was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $23,264.08, representing the unrecovered loss from the tax counts. Sellers originally was indicted in December 2014. Her indictment was superseded to add a charge for absconding while on bond in February 2024. She was convicted on all counts by a federal jury on March 1, 2024.
According to evidence presented at trial, in 2008 and 2009, Sellers operated a website called commercialredemption.com on which she promoted the use of IRS Form 1099-OID to commit tax fraud. Sellers identified as a “sovereign citizen” and perpetuated the false premise that the U.S. Treasury maintains secret accounts attributed to every U.S. citizen that can be drawn on by filing a series of bogus documents with the Treasury and other government entities.
As part of this fraud scheme, Sellers also promoted the use of IRS Form 1099-OID to fraudulently report to the IRS debts – including mortgages, student loans, credit card debts, and court judgments – as income, along with 100% withholdings of that “income” in informational returns to overcome the IRS’s internal controls and induce the IRS to issue refunds that were not owed. The proper use of the 1099-OID form is for companies such as brokers to report to the IRS income received by the purchaser of a discounted security. Sellers personally created and submitted to the IRS 1099-OID forms that were fraudulent on their face. After submitting the fraudulent 1099-OID forms, Sellers’s co-conspirators prepared and submitted fraudulent returns seeking massive refunds, in one case exceeding half a million dollars on a single return. All these refunds were based on non-existent 1099-OID “income” and withholdings. The conspiracy resulted in the submission of at least 22 returns requesting fraudulent refunds totaling at least $3.4 million from the IRS.
In 2011, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida filed a civil action to enjoin Sellers from promoting her fraudulent scheme on her commercialredemption.com website. In retaliation, Sellers filed a false lien against the then-U.S. Attorney and a Department of Justice tax attorney who was leading the civil action.
In 2014, Sellers was indicted and arrested on charges of tax fraud and filing a false lien. In January 2015, she was placed on house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor pending trial. In May 2015, Sellers was granted permission by her probation officer to leave her home to get her hair done in preparation for her pretrial hearing a few days later. The next day, Sellers cut off her GPS ankle monitor, flung it on the side of the highway, and absconded.
The cut GPS ankle monitor
Sellers was located more than eight and a half years later in New Mexico. Prior to this, Sellers had pleaded guilty to failing to appear for her sentencing in her previous federal counterfeiting case in 2002. In her previous case, Sellers was apprehended living under a false name in Mississippi.
“Today's sentencing emphasizes our resolve in pursuing those who attempt to corrupt our nation's tax system,” said Lani Rosado-Espinal, Acting Special Agent in Charge, CI Tampa Field Office. “No one is above the law in this great nation. Our law enforcement partners are just as committed as we are to ensuring that those seeking to live above the law are brought to justice.”
This case was investigated by IRS – Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Laura Cofer Taylor and Kelly Milliron.
Winter Garden Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced Michael Barrington Douglas (52, Winter Garden) to two years and one day in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for aggravated identity theft and false representation of a Social Security number. As part of his sentence, Douglas also must pay restitution to the Florida Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Douglas entered a guilty plea on January 17, 2024.
According to court documents, Douglas was born in Jamaica and entered the United States on an immigrant visa in 1991. In 1999, an immigration judge ordered Douglas removed from the United States after he was convicted of felony firearm and drug offenses. Douglas, however, never departed the United States. Instead, he assumed the identity of J.M., a U.S. citizen, and remained in the United States.
On April 8, 2021, Douglas obtained a Florida driver license in J.M.’s name and date of birth. To obtain the driver license, Douglas falsely claimed he was a U.S. citizen and presented J.M.’s birth certificate and Social Security card.
Because Douglas was not authorized to work in the United States following his removal order, he used J.M.’s identity to apply for and obtain employment. Douglas worked at a hotel in Lake Buena Vista from 2012 to 2023. He was furloughed for a period during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which he applied for and received unemployment insurance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) benefits using J.M.’s identity.
Douglas also used J.M’s identity to apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which he received and spent at various locations in the Middle District of Florida.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General, and the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro and Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan.
Wilson County Man Sentenced to over 17 Years in Federal Prison on Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Jonathon Aaron Ladd, 30, of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, was sentenced yesterday to 210 months in federal prison for the production, transportation, and distribution of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. That term of imprisonment will be followed by 10 years of supervised release.
In 2020, the defendant made a sexually explicit video recording of a six-year-old girl in his care. He shared that video, along with another sexually explicit video of a different child, in an online chat application with other sexual predators.
A federal grand jury indicted the defendant in 2021 on one count of production of child pornography, one count of transportation of child pornography, and one count of distribution of child pornography. On September 21, 2023, he pled guilty to all counts in the indictment.
“Protecting children will always be a top priority for the Justice Department,” said United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis. “In this case, as a result of the excellent work done by law enforcement and members of our office, the defendant will spend the next 17 years in federal prison and far away from children.”
“This sentencing is a prime example of the joint efforts in which HSI works with our law enforcement partners to rescue children who are being sexually exploited,” said HSI Nashville Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud. “Let this be a warning to anyone who engages in the abhorrent behavior of producing and distributing child sexual assault material. Our investigators work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to deliver justice to those who would harm our children.”
Homeland Security Investigations; the FBI Memphis Field Office, Nashville Resident Agency; and the Metro Nashville Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Daughtrey prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Watervliet Man Pleads Guilty to Dealing Firearms Without a LicenseRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Sean Patrick, age 45, of Watervliet, New York, pled guilty today to dealing firearms without a license.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
Patrick admitted that between June 2021 and November 2022, he built and sold four non-serialized, semi-automatic pistols without being licensed to do so, filling out any paperwork, or paying any taxes in connection with the sales. On November 10, 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant on Patrick’s residence in Watervliet, and recovered four more privately manufactured, non-serialized, semi-automatic pistols, another semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number, assorted gun kits and fabrication tools, and over a thousand rounds of ammunition of various calibers.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 19, 2024, before Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Khan. Patrick faces a maximum term of 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The FBI and its Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force — which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie and Watervliet Police Departments — investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
PSN, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Washington State Man Admits Possessing Fentanyl with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Washington state man pleaded guilty to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Jose Luis Pineda Torres, 48, of Monroe, Washington, pleaded guilty before U.S. District William J. Martini in Newark federal court on May 20, 2024, to an information charging him with one count of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Feb. 15, 2023, Pineda Torres travelled to a warehouse in Secaucus, New Jersey, where individuals loaded boxes into his vehicle. The boxes contained powder and more than 20,000 pills containing fentanyl and weighing more than 6 kilograms.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The count to which Pineda Torres pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 29, 2024.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordann R. Conaboy of the U.S. Attorney’s Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark.
pinedatorres.information.pdfU.S. Attorney Will Thompson Commends the Release of Framework for Prosecutors to Strengthen National Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson commends the announcement of the Department of Justice’s new resource for prosecutors, “Framework for Prosecutors to Strengthen Our National Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Involving Adult Victims.”
The announcement was made on Monday, May 20, 2024, in Dallas, Texas, at the Conference on Crimes Against Women by Rosemarie Hidalgo, Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). The guide, written by prosecutors for prosecutors, sets out five principles that, if implemented, will lead to better outcomes for victims, safer communities, and greater accountability for perpetrators of sexual assault and domestic violence.
“The framework announced today reaffirms our commitment to expanding access to justice for all survivors, who deserve respect and the right to be heard,” Hidalgo said. “Enhancing the prosecution response to sexual assault and domestic violence in a trauma-informed manner is a key piece in ending gender-based violence, as part of a broader coordinated community response that includes services and support for survivors, and can have a real, immediate impact on the safety of survivors and entire communities.”
“This guide is a welcome resource for prosecutors at all levels of government, and goes to the heart of our primary obligation to the Constitution, to the rule of law, and to see that justice is done,” Thompson said. “In clear language informed by decades of expertise, insight and experience, it offers a blueprint for a stronger, consistent, and more effective response to these crimes.”
Declinations of meritorious allegations may result from misconceptions about how crimes involving sexual assault and domestic violence are committed and reported, how victims give their accounts, and the evidence required to prove their accounts. This guide equips prosecutors to build provable cases by: (1) relying on the evidentiary value of the victim’s account to frame the investigation; (2) meeting with victims and working with investigators and victim specialists to do so; (3) using the law and evidentiary rules effectively; (4) being thoughtful about what justice and accountability look like; and (5) sustaining a productive, healthy, and committed workforce by redefining success– all of which are rooted in a prosecutor’s primary obligation to seek the truth and uphold the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law.
“As the state sexual assault coalition, the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services (WVFRIS) applauds the efforts of the U.S. Department of Justice to assist prosecutors in holding offenders accountable in cases of sexual assault and domestic violence,” said WVFRIS Executive Director Nancy Hoffman. “This is particularly timely in West Virginia, as our state Sexual Assault Kit Initiative has completed the processing of thousands of sex crime kits that had not been submitted for testing. With DNA results and hundreds of matches in CODIS, this project is now in the process of supporting local law enforcement officers in investigating and prosecuting those cases. Strengthening prosecution efforts will be the final step in providing justice for the victims each case represents.”
More than 120 state, Tribal, military, and federal prosecutors, as well as advocates, academics, and investigators from an array of jurisdictions were consulted in developing this guide. This guide is designed to encourage prosecutors with all levels of experience to implement its principles when evaluating, investigating, and prosecuting allegations involving sexual assault and domestic violence. In conjunction with this guide, OVW launched a new webpage with resources designed to assist prosecutors in implementing the guide and its principles. This guide further serves as a complement to the Justice Department’s 2022 updated guidance on Improving Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence by Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias.
OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies, and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW funds national training and technical assistance and undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.
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.
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U.S. Attorney Todd Gee Holds Listening Session in Rankin CountyRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – U.S. Attorney Todd Gee, members of his staff, and the Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service hosted a Listening Session at the Brandon Public Library on Tuesday, May 21. During the moderated discussion, community members had an opportunity to voice concerns about civil rights issues in Rankin County.
U.S. Attorney Gee discussed the civil rights-related work being done by his office and the importance of engaging with members of local communities to address civil rights issues, such as law enforcement accountability. U.S. Attorney Gee reaffirmed the Justice Department’s commitment to enforcing laws protecting the civil rights of all persons in Rankin County and throughout the nation.
As the United States Attorney’s Office stated in press releases issued on August 3, 2023 and on December 4, 2023, the public is encouraged to contact the FBI hotline at 1-800-CALL-FBI, email tips.fbi.gov or call the FBI Jackson Field Office at 601-948-5000, if you or someone you know has been a victim of abuse by a member of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s online complaint form to report allegations of civil rights violations is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdms/civil-division webpage. The form can be emailed to [email protected] , or concerns can be shared by leaving a voice mail for our Civil Rights Division at (601) 973-2825.
Two ‘La Dank DMV’ Members Sentenced for Roles in Sophisticated Marijuana Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Avery Bost, 29, of Brandywine, MD, was sentenced today to 37 months and Joe Blyther, 29, of Bowie, MD, was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years in prison for participating in the “LA Dank DMV Crew,” a sophisticated conspiracy responsible for bringing hundreds of pounds of marijuana from California to the metropolitan area, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.
Bost pleaded guilty on October 27, 2023, to Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana. Blyther pleaded guilty on November 8, 2023, to Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana; Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense; Possession of a Machine Gun; and Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Felon. In addition to Bost and Blyther’s prison sentences, Judge Kollar-Kotelly ordered both to serve three years of supervised release.
Eight LA Dank co-defendants have pleaded guilty to various drug trafficking and/or firearms counts. The co-defendants include Abubakr Banire, Kavon Duncan, Joe Blyther, Christopher Akinduro, Isaac Akinduro, Avery Bost, Omar Butler, and Randall Lance, who all entered their pleas in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Christopher Akindkuro was sentenced to 74 months, Isaac Akinduro was sentenced to 41 months, Duncan was sentenced to 71 months, Butler was sentenced to 18 months, and Lance was sentenced 63 months. Banire, the leader of the LA Dank crew, is awaiting sentencing on June 24, 2024.
The guilty pleas and sentences follow a lengthy investigation led by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Between May 2021 and December 2021, crew members operated a sophisticated conspiracy to traffic large amounts of high-grade marijuana from California to the DMV area for distribution to customers.
As part of their distribution scheme, members of the crew relied heavily on mass marketing through three dedicated LA Dank websites, as well as social media platforms like Instagram where individual crew members would advertise the LA Dank brand and LA Dank branded marijuana for sale. Crew members also used rental properties to set up stash houses or points of sale that were used to conduct drug distribution operations for a short period of time before moving on to different locations.
The crew is known, and was found to possess numerous firearms, including semi-automatic and fully automatic machine guns, and devices used to convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic machine guns. Certain members of the crew also plead guilty to the possession of firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking operations. In total, approximately 122 pounds of marijuana, 19 firearms, and 10 machine gun conversion devices were recovered. Three of these nineteen firearms were discovered to be operational machine guns that had been modified with machinegun conversion devices. Seven of these machine gun conversion devices were found in an “LA Dank” branded bag. Two of these firearms were privately made AR-pistol style machine guns, sometimes referred to as “ghost guns.”
Ledgers and receipts show that the crew trafficked well over 100 kilograms of marijuana into the DMV area for distribution.
Blyther specifically plead guilty to one of the pistols equipped with a machine gun conversion device.
The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the FBI Washington Field Office, in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Department, Anne Arundel County Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Justin F. Song, Meredith E. Mayer-Dempsey, and Thomas Strong.
Two Former Board Members of Failed Washington Federal Bank in Chicago Sentenced to Prison for Falsifying Records and Obstructing RegulatorsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Two former board members of the failed Washington Federal Bank for Savings in Chicago were sentenced this month to federal prison terms for conspiring to falsify bank records to deceive the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
GEORGE F. KOZDEMBA, 74, of Fort Myers, Fla., and JANICE M. WESTON, 66, of Orland Park, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to a federal conspiracy charge. U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall on May 9, 2024, sentenced Kozdemba to a year and a day in federal prison and fined him $25,000. Judge Kendall on May 6, 2024, sentenced Weston to three months in prison and fined her $20,000. A third Washington Federal board member, WILLIAM M. MAHON, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax charges and was sentenced in January to 18 months in prison.
Kozdemba, Weston, and Mahon were members of Washington Federal’s Board of Directors. Weston also served as the bank’s Senior Vice President and Compliance Officer. The bank, which was based in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood, was shut down in 2017 after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency determined that it was insolvent and had at least $66 million in nonperforming loans. When the OCC was evaluating Washington Federal’s loan portfolio prior to its failure, the board members made and caused to be made false entries in bank records and provided them to the OCC with the intent to deceive the agency and obstruct its examination. They also falsified records to make it appear that Washington Federal was operating in compliance with banking rules and internal policies and controls.
The sentencings of Kozdemba and Weston were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Vincent R. Zehme, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Region of the FDIC’s Office of Inspector General; Machelle L. Jindra, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General in Chicago; Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago; Korey Brinkman, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Central Region of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General; Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Andrea Peacock, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General; Deborah Witzburg, City of Chicago Inspector General; and Kathryn B. Richards, Chicago Housing Authority Inspector General. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Trustee Program. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Petersen, Kristin Pinkston, and Jeffrey Snell, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Netols.
The federal criminal investigation into the bank’s collapse led to criminal charges against a total of 16 defendants, including the bank’s Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, and other high-ranking employees, for conspiring to embezzle at least $31 million in bank funds. Four defendants were convicted after jury trials, while ten defendants pleaded guilty and two entered into deferred prosecution agreements.
Much of the money was transferred to Chicago attorney ROBERT M. KOWALSKI and real estate developers MIROSLAW KREJZA and MAREK MATCZUK without all of the required documentation and often without any documentation whatsoever. Juries last year convicted Robert Kowalski, Krejza, and Matczuk on embezzlement and fraud charges. They are awaiting sentencing. Robert Kowalski’s sister, JAN R. KOWALSKI, also an attorney, pleaded guilty and was sentenced last year to more than three years in prison for fraudulently enabling her brother to conceal more than $357,000 from creditors and the trustee in his bankruptcy case.
Chicago attorney PATRICK D. THOMPSON was convicted by a jury in 2022 of making false statements to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. regarding the amount of money he received from Washington Federal via a purported loan and other unsecured payments. He was also convicted of filing tax returns in which he falsely deducted interest that he had not actually paid to Washington Federal. Thompson was sentenced to four months in federal prison.
Two Defendants Sentenced to Life Imprisonment in Murder-For-Hire of Perceived Business RivalRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Qing Ming Yu, also known as “Allen,” and Zhe Zhang, also known as “Zack,” were sentenced by United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon to mandatory life imprisonment for their roles in the February 12, 2019 killing of 31-year-old Xin “Chris” Gu outside a karaoke bar in Queens. In October 2023, following a two-week trial, a federal jury found the defendants guilty of murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire conspiracy. As part of the sentence, the Court ordered the defendants to pay $1,035,000 in restitution to the victim’s family.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Edward A. Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentences.
“Allen Yu set out to kill Xin Gu because he started a rival business and Zhang agreed to carry out the execution-style murder without hesitation,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Driven by greed and revenge, they hired a hitman to commit a brutal murder of a young man, traumatizing the victim’s family as well as the Flushing community. The defendants will spend the rest of their lives behind prison walls for this premediated murder. I hope today’s sentences bring some measure of closure to Xin Gu’s family.”
“Threatened by Xin Gu’s entrepreneurial skills, Allen Yu sought revenge and unwarranted retribution against his former employee. After securing Zhang and a hitman as accomplices to his calculated plot, the trio unjustly ended the life of a promising young businessman. Today’s lifelong sentences serve as a just punishment for two individuals who deemed cold-blooded murder as an acceptable response for slighted feelings,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith.
“Today’s sentences bring with them some satisfaction to the dedicated investigators who worked on this horrific case and, hopefully, a modicum of relief to the family and friends of the victim,” stated NYPD Commissioner Caban. “Life in prison is an appropriate outcome for the crimes these men coldly carried out. I commend and thank our NYPD investigators for their meticulous work and our partners at the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York for their diligent prosecution.”
Allen Yu was the president of Amaco, a multi-million-dollar construction company that renovated apartments in New York City. In 2015, Xin Gu joined Amaco as a project manager. Although Amaco’s business nearly quadrupled after he joined the company, Xin Gu became concerned about the company’s financial viability and resigned in 2018 to start his own property development company called KG Management. After Xin Gu’s departure, several clients and employees also cut ties with Allen Yu’s business. Multiple companies took their lucrative projects from Amaco to KG Management, including one project valued at $1 million. Enraged at Xin Gu’s perceived disloyalty, Allen Yu hired Zhe Zhang and another co-conspirator to kill Xin Gu in exchange for payment. Zhang in turn hired another co-conspirator, Antony Abreu, to act as the shooter in carrying out the murder.
On the evening of February 11, 2019, into the following morning, Xin Gu’s new company hosted a celebration of the Lunar New Year at Lake Pavilion restaurant in Flushing. After that dinner, Xin Gu and a smaller group went to a karaoke bar, Grand Slam KTV, on Fowler Avenue. The hit team learned of the party and with Zhe Zhang serving as the getaway driver, Abreu walked up to the victim and shot him multiple times as he waited for an Uber, killing him. Over the next three months, Allen Yu paid a co-conspirator $150,000 and Zhe Zhang $30,000 for the murder.
Abreu was convicted of murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire conspiracy following a two-week trial in April 2024 and is awaiting sentencing.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Devon Lash, Nadia E. Moore, Gabriel Park and Eric Silverberg are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Elizabeth Reed and Legal Assistant Thomas “Cole” Englert.
The Defendants:
QING MING YU (also known as “Allen”)
Age: 56
Oyster Bay, New YorkZHE ZHANG (also known as “Zack”)
Age: 36
Arcadia, California and Flushing, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-208 (CBA)
Two Alleged Members of a Transnational Money Laundering Organization Arrested for Laundering Millions of Dollars in Drug ProceedsRead the Press Release
Two alleged members of a transnational money laundering organization were arrested on criminal charges related to their alleged involvement in a scheme to launder millions of dollars in illegal drug proceeds for Mexican drug trafficking organizations, including the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels (also known as CJNG).
Li Pei Tan, 46, of Buford, Georgia, was arrested today. Chaojie Chen, 41, a foreign national residing in Chicago, was arrested on April 18.
According to court documents, Tan and Chen allegedly worked for a money laundering organization that laundered millions of dollars in proceeds related to the importation of illegal drugs into the United States, primarily through Mexico, and the unlawful distribution of these drugs. Tan, Chen, and their co-conspirators allegedly traveled throughout the United States to collect proceeds derived from trafficking in fentanyl and other drugs (or to cause them to be collected). They allegedly communicated and coordinated with co-conspirators in China and other foreign countries to arrange for the laundering of these proceeds through financial transactions that were designed to conceal the illicit source of the drug proceeds.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Drug Threat Assessment, the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are at the heart of the fentanyl crisis in the United States.
Tan and Chen are charged in separate criminal complaints with conspiring to commit money laundering. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia; and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram made the announcement.
The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit is investigating the case, with assistance from the DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit and the DEA’s offices in Chicago, Atlanta, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Trial Attorney Mary K. Daly of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Georgia and Northern District of Illinois.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Alleged Members of a Transnational Money Laundering Organization Arrested for Laundering Millions of Dollars in Drug ProceedsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two alleged members of a transnational money laundering organization were arrested on criminal charges related to their alleged involvement in a scheme to launder millions of dollars in illegal drug proceeds for Mexican drug trafficking organizations, including the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels (also known as CJNG).
Li Pei Tan, 46, of Buford, Georgia, was arrested today. Chaojie Chen, 41, a foreign national residing in Chicago, was arrested on April 18.
According to court documents, Tan and Chen allegedly worked for a money laundering organization that laundered millions of dollars in proceeds related to the importation of illegal drugs into the United States, primarily through Mexico, and the unlawful distribution of these drugs. Tan, Chen, and their co-conspirators allegedly traveled throughout the United States to collect proceeds derived from trafficking in fentanyl and other drugs (or to cause them to be collected). They allegedly communicated and coordinated with co-conspirators in China and other foreign countries to arrange for the laundering of these proceeds through financial transactions that were designed to conceal the illicit source of the drug proceeds.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Drug Threat Assessment, the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are at the heart of the fentanyl crisis in the United States.
Tan and Chen are charged in separate criminal complaints with conspiring to commit money laundering. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram made the announcement.
The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit is investigating the case, with assistance from the DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit and the DEA’s offices in Chicago, Atlanta, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Mary K. Daly of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Georgia and Northern District of Illinois.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Tompkinsville Woman Sentenced to over 3 Years for Stalking and Mailing ThreatsRead the Press Release
Bowling Green, KY – A Tompkinsville, Kentucky woman was sentenced yesterday to 3 years and 3 months in federal prison for stalking and mailing threating communications to a government official in 2023.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the Louisville Field Office, and Chief Michael Delaney of the Bowling Green Police Department made the announcement.
According to court records, Tara K. Thomas, 32, was sentenced to 3 years and 3 months in prison, followed by a 3-year term of supervised, for one count of stalking and one count of mailing threatening communications.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Thomas sent multiple threating communications to a government official via Facebook Messenger on September 21, 2021. In January 2023, while an inmate at the Warren County Detention Center, she sent multiple threating communications to the same government official through the United States Postal Service.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bowling Green Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond McGee, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, prosecuted the case.
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Three Highland Park Men Indicted for Allegedly Stealing Checks from Post Offices and Using Instagram to Find Accounts to Deposit ThemRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Three men from the Highland Park area of Los Angeles have been charged in a five-count indictment alleging they schemed to defraud banks by stealing mail from United States Post Office docks and elsewhere in Southern California to fraudulently obtain other people’s checks, used Instagram to find third-parties to deposit the stolen money in their bank accounts, and once led police on a high-speed chase, dumping mail out a car window while on a freeway, the Justice Department announced today.
The indictment returned on May 14 charges the following defendants with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud:
- Antonio Hernandez, 20;
- Ivan Murillo-Hernandez, 20; and
- Alexis Garcia Martinez, 28.
Hernandez also is charged with one count of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of robbery of a post office, and one count of mail theft. Murillo-Hernandez also is charged with one count of mail theft.
Hernandez and Murillo-Hernandez have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them and are scheduled to go to trial on July 8. Martinez is in state custody on unrelated charges and is expected to be transferred over to federal custody in the coming weeks.
The total intended losses to the banks alleged in this scheme is at least $800,000, law enforcement estimates.
According to the indictment, from November 2022 to August 2023, Hernandez, Murillo-Hernandez, and others stole mail from U.S. post office docks and other locations in the mail stream – including by using threats of violence – with the aim of stealing mail containing checks belonging to various victims.
The indictment alleges mail thefts from a Highland Park apartment building as well as from post offices in Studio City, Azusa, Upland, Anaheim, El Segundo, and Beverly Hills. The defendants allegedly attempted to steal mail from a La Mirada post office but were unsuccessful.
Martinez allegedly provided vehicles to Hernandez and others to travel to post offices to commit back dock thefts and advised them on how to commit such crimes without law enforcement detecting them.
Hernandez and Murillo-Hernandez allegedly used social media to solicit bank account holders to provide their debit card and account information by promising them a cut of any fraudulently obtained funds deposited into their accounts. To avoid banks’ fraud protections, the co-conspirators requested bank accounts that had been open for a certain amount of time so they could access the stolen funds more quickly.
For example, in December 2022, Hernandez allegedly posted a story on his Instagram account advertising the sale of stolen checks and seeking third parties with Bank of America accounts older than two years in which to deposit stolen checks.
Hernandez and Murillo-Hernandez then allegedly deposited the stolen funds into the third-party bank accounts by falsely representing that they were the payees on the checks and were entitled to the money. Then, they rapidly depleted the fraudulently deposited funds from the third-party accounts by making cash withdrawals, electronic transfers, or debit card purchases, according to the indictment.
Also, Hernandez and Murillo-Hernandez sold and attempted to sell stolen checks to others who fraudulently cashed them, the indictment states.
The defendants allegedly recruited at least three people under the age of 18 in the scheme.
In April 2023, after stealing mail from an Anaheim post office, Hernandez, Murillo-Hernandez, and three minors led police of a high-speed chase on the 57 and 60 freeways and dumped mail out of a gray Toyota Camry as they fled, according to the indictment. One of the minors involved in the chase who had evaded law enforcement later posted a video on Instagram taken from inside the Camry depicting a pursuing police car as seen in the front passenger side rear view mirror for followers and potential stolen check customers to “like.”
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant committed a crime. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for the bank fraud conspiracy charge. Hernandez also would face up to 30 years in federal prison for the bank fraud count, up to 10 years in federal prison for the post office robbery count, and a two-year mandatory consecutive prison sentence for the aggravated identity theft count. Hernandez and Murillo-Hernandez would face up to five years in federal prison for the mail theft count.
The United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance of the Los Angeles Police Department, California Highway Patrol, and the Anaheim Police Department, is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Angela C. Makabali of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
Three Facing Federal Charges for Metro East Mail Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment charging three individuals with various crimes for their alleged involvement in a mail theft scheme from collection boxes in Fairview Heights.
Tylann J. Starks, 29, of Swansea, is facing one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, four counts of bank fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of conspiracy to steal U.S. mail.
Tiara D. Johnson, 32, of Cahokia Heights, is facing one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of bank fraud, and one count of conspiracy to steal U.S. mail.
Jamil Jackson, 51, is facing one count of conspiracy to steal U.S. mail, one count of theft of a specialized key to access US Postal receptacles, and one count of making false statements to a federal law enforcement officer.
“Thieves are targeting mail collection boxes as a site to commit fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Law enforcement is committed to investigating individuals who steal checks from the mail and manipulate the payee and amount sections to personally enrich themselves.”
The U.S. Postal Service uses specialized keys, commonly referred to as arrow keys, to service and open mail collection boxes. Arrow keys are labeled with serial numbers so they can be tracked.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is charged with defending the nation’s mail system. With the collaborative investigative efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies, Postal Inspectors investigate and pursue those individuals who defraud unwitting victims by stealing their identities and attacking their personal well-being, such as those involved in this investigation” said Inspector in Charge Ruth Mendonça who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.
According to court documents, Starks purchased an arrow key from former postal employee Jackson to gain access to mail collection boxes throughout the Metro East. Agents conducted an undercover purchase of a second arrow key from Jamil Jackson for $1,000.
Starks and Johnson would search collection boxes for checks in order to exploit bank account and personal identifying information from victims from February 2020 through February 2023. Jackson would steal checks out of mail from his route that he provided to Starks. The conspirators also used the stolen account information to generate counterfeit checks.
“This indictment represents the hard work and dedication by USPS OIG Special Agents and U.S. Postal Inspectors working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring charges on this significant mail theft investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennus Bishop, U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Central Area Field Office. “The majority of postal employees are hard-working public servants dedicated to moving mail to its proper destination. The USPS OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.”
Starks and Johnson would then cash, deposit or otherwise negotiate the stolen and counterfeit checks at area businesses, banks and ATM machines in Belleville, East St. Louis and O’Fallon.
An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
If convicted, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud charges are punishable by up to 30 years’ imprisonment; aggravated identity theft and stealing post office keys can carry sentences of up to 10 years’ imprisonment; conspiracy to steal U.S. mail and false statement convictions can garner up to five years in federal prison.
Agents with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General contributed to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Weinhoeft is prosecuting the case.
Tampa Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit COVID-Related Unemployment Insurance Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Mehdi Tazi (29, Tampa) to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and a substantive count of aggravated identity theft. Tazi entered a guilty plea on February 2, 2024. As part of his sentence, the court also ordered Tazi to pay $1,070,647 in restitution, jointly with his co-conspirators who were previously sentenced for the below listed offenses.
Name (Age, City)
Charges
Sentence Imposed
Steve Aloysius Moodie Jr.
(36, Tampa)
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft
5 years, 10 months
Tyree Wingfield
(26, Dade City)
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and aggravated identity theft 5 years, 10 monthsMelinda Sue Hernandez
(35, Sun City Center)
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and aggravated identity theft 3 years, 6 monthsAccording to court documents, from approximately June 2020 through April 2021, the conspirators obtained personal identifying information (PII) of others without their knowledge. Hernandez was employed as a medical assistant at a Tampa Bay area hospital and gained access to patient PII, which she shared with Moodie. Thereafter, Tazi, Moodie, and Wingfield used that PII and that of others to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims to various state workforce agencies to obtain UI benefits. These UI benefits were then transferred to bank accounts or loaded onto debit cards issued in the names of others. Tazi, Moodie, Wingfield, and Hernandez then used the fraudulently obtained debit cards to withdraw money from ATMs and for other personal items. Law enforcement calculated the total intended loss caused by the fraudulent UI claims to be between $1.5 million and $3.5 million.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Greg Pizzo.
In March 2020, the President signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which expanded states’ ability to provide UI for many workers impacted by COVID-19, including for workers who were not ordinarily eligible for benefits.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Syracuse Man Sentenced to 62 Years in Federal Prison for Child Exploitation CrimesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Benjamin Munson, age 33, of Syracuse, was sentenced today to serve 720 months (60 years) in federal prison following his earlier plea of guilty to a 13-Count Indictment charging him with six counts of sexual exploitation of an infant, four counts of distributing child pornography, two counts of possessing child pornography, and one count of committing a felony offense against a minor as a registered sex offender.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made the announcement.
In his previous guilty plea Munson admitted that while on supervised release for a 2010 federal conviction for distribution and possession of child pornography, and while required to register as a sex offender, he befriended another sex offender who allowed Munson to babysit the other offender’s infant daughter. Munson admitted that on at least six separate occasions he sexually abused the infant, produced images and videos of the abuse, and uploaded the depictions to an internet trading group he administered.
Of the over twenty child pornography trading groups Munson admitted to administering, the group to which he uploaded the images of the infant was exclusively dedicated to new content, and others on the site were required by Munson to also produce and upload new sexually explicit content of children in order to join.
Munson’s crimes were discovered on the internet by FBI and Australian law enforcement authorities in August of 2022, and within days the FBI in Syracuse arrested Munson and rescued the infant. Munson was found in possession of several unauthorized electronic devices on which he possessed 35,139 images and 4,918 videos of child pornography. In addition to images and videos of the infant, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified 12,526 of the images and 1,258 of the recovered video files as depicting 457 separate children whose images are in their database of known victims.
In addition to the 60-year sentence, Munson was sentenced to a consecutive 2-year term of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release from his prior offense.
Munson was also ordered to pay over $111,000 in restitution to the victims of his crimes, including the infant and the victims depicted in the other child pornography he possessed. He was ordered to forfeit the electronic media used to commit the offenses and to pay a special assessment of $1,300. Munson will be placed on supervision for the remainder of his life when released from prison, and will continue to be required to register as a sex offender.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force and the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa M. Fletcher, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the Northern District of New York, prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Syracuse Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child Pornography from Multiple Minors via SnapChatRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – William Futrell, age 31, of Syracuse, pled guilty yesterday to ten counts of receipt of child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea, Futrell admitted that he used SnapChat to communicate with minors from across the country. In some instances, Futrell would offer to pay the minor children to entice them to send explicit images to him, but with no intention of ever paying them. On at least the 10 occasions charged, Futrell obtained, directly from minor children, images depicting the children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Futrell is a registered sex offender with a previous conviction for possession of child pornography in New York.
The offenses to which Futrell pled guilty carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, with a maximum of 40 years imprisonment. If Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes accepts the parties’ agreed-upon disposition at sentencing on September 20, 2024, Futrell will receive an imprisonment term of 262 months. Futrell’s sentence must also include a post-imprisonment term of supervised release of between five years and life, a fine of up to $250,000.00, restitution to the victims, and he will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant violated, the United States Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
United States Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led the investigation with the assistance of the New York State Police (NYSP) Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the New York State Police (NYSP) Troop D Computer Crime Unit. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck prosecuted Futrell as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Tammany Parish Man Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that LARRY JAMES (“JAMES”), age 23, of Madisonville, Louisiana, pled guilty on May 21, 2024, to violating the Federal Controlled Substances Act, before United States District Judge Susie Morgan.
Specifically, JAMES pled guilty to Counts 1 through 5 of the indictment pending against him. Count 1 charged him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute, 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of Fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846. JAMES also pled guilty to three counts of distribution of fentanyl and, one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, in violation of 21 United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846.
According to court documents, JAMES sold fentanyl pills to an undercover agent on August 25, 2023, September 8, 2023, and September 15, 2023. On September 28, 2023, law enforcement searched JAMES’s residence pursuant to a state search warrant and found additional fentanyl pills, packaging materials, and two digital scales.
For Counts 1 and 4, JAMES faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years and up to 40 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, and at least 4 years of supervised release. For Counts 2, 3, and 5, JAMES faces up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least 3 years of supervised release. For each count, JAMES, also faces payment of a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. JAMES’s sentencing is set for August 20, 2024.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit oversees the prosecution.
St. Louis County Man Accused of Pandemic, Disability FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri has been accused in an indictment of fraudulently obtaining $620,000 in COVID-19 pandemic loans and committing a separate fraud involving disability payments.
Preston Randall, 59, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis May 15 with 13 felony charges: five counts each of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, two counts of theft of government property and one count of concealing information from the Social Security Administration about a payment.
On Wednesday, Randall was arrested, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The indictment says Randall applied for money from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, a Small Business Administration program intended to help struggling business owners during the pandemic.
Between June 26, 2020, and Aug. 5, 2020, Randall filed five fraudulent loan applications using five different company names and the identities of two other people, the indictment says. The loan applications contained false information, including about gross revenue and the number of employees, the indictment says. Those fraudulent applications resulted in loans and advances totaling $620,000 that were deposited into accounts controlled by Randall, it says.
The indictment also accuses Randall of fraudulently obtaining $17,906 in Social Security Administration disability payments from March 2021 through October 2023 by concealing his receipt of the EIDL money and other resources.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information about pandemic fraud should call the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or report via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Self-proclaimed king of Bissonnet heads to prison for multi-state sex trafficking schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 48-year-old man has been sentenced for sex trafficking four women by means of force and of taking three women across state lines to engage in prostitution, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
On Oct. 10, 2023, a federal jury in Houston deliberated for approximately three hours before convicting Larry “Lavish” Lewis following a six-day trial.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Lewis to serve 480 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by 10 years of supervised release. At the hearing, the government asked the court to consider the victims in the case and highlighted Lewis’s complete absence of remorse for his crimes.
“Today, the victims of Lewis’s abhorrent crimes have finally received the answer they have been waiting to hear for years,” said Hamdani. “The message the court delivered in its sentence is clear: traffickers do not get to profit from the sale of victims’ bodies. They do not get to use drugs, beatings and threats to compel others to engage in prostitution. Traffickers, like Lewis, are not welcome in the Southern District of Texas, or anywhere outside of a federal penitentiary, and my office will see to that.”
Lewis used physical force and coercion to compel four women to engage in commercial sex in the Bissonnet street area of Houston and various cities in Texas and Louisiana. The jury also found he coerced them to cross state lines to engage in prostitution.
At trial, the victims detailed how Lewis recruited them on false promises of good money and a good life. Lewis confiscated the identification cards of two women and tightly controlled access to their hotel rooms. The women were completely dependent on him for food, lodging and basic necessities.
Lewis’ rules dictated where and how long they worked. The women were required to give Lewis all money they earned after commercial sex dates.
The victims detailed the consequences of breaking Lewis’ rules. He kicked one victim in the head into a window because he believed she disrespected him. During another incident, Lewis whipped the same victim with an electrical cord following an attempt to escape using his vehicle. Another victim described how Lewis broke her ribs and left bruises all over her body after receiving many beatings.
The jury ultimately did not believe defense claims that the women sought out Lewis because of his marketing expertise in the commercial sex industry.
Lewis has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sebastian A. Edwards and Christine J. Lu prosecuted the case.
Texas Department of Public Safety and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of the FBI as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA).
HTRA law enforcement includes members of the Houston Police Department, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Attorney General’s Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor (DOL), DOL – Wage and Hour Division, Department of State, Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, Texas Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General (OIG), Social Security Administration – OIG and Sheriff’s Offices in Harris and Montgomery counties in coordination with District Attorney’s offices in Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties.
Established in 2004, the United States Attorney’s office in Houston formed HTRA to combine resources with federal, state and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those that the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.
Riverside Man Charged in Indictment Alleging Pattern of ‘Swatting’ Calls Threatening Schools and an International AirportRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – A Riverside County man has been arrested on an 18-count indictment alleging he placed “swatting calls” threatening to commit mass shootings at several schools in the Inland Empire and Sandy Hook, Connecticut, and to bomb Nashville International Airport on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), the Justice Department announced today.
Eduardo Vicente Pelayo Rodriguez, 31, of Riverside, is charged with one count of stalking, seven counts of transmitting threats in interstate commerce, seven counts engaging in hoaxes, and three counts of transmitting threats or false information regarding fire and explosives.
He was arrested Tuesday and his arraignment is scheduled for this afternoon in United States District Court in Riverside.
“Swatting” refers to falsely reporting in the name of another person that an emergency is in progress or about to occur, with the intent to result in emergency services or law enforcement responding to that other person’s location or investigating them.
According to the indictment that a federal grand jury returned on May 16 and was unsealed today, Rodriguez in January and February of 2023 used a Voice over Internal Protocol (VoIP) service to place more than a dozen calls impersonating the victim. Initially, Rodriguez called a suicide prevention center and a veterans crisis hotline, claimed to be the victim, and said that he was contemplating committing suicide or killing others.
Rodriguez allegedly then called school staff at seven different schools -- in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, as well as Sandy Hook, Connecticut – and threatened to commit either a mass shooting or bombing at the schools. Finally, Rodriguez allegedly called Nashville International Airport in Tennessee, said he had planted a bomb on a plane and in the airport, and said, “this is for ISIS,” and “one hour, boom.”
Law enforcement responded to these phone calls and determined they were fake.
“The sorts of ‘swatting’ crimes alleged against this defendant are highly troubling,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “The indictment alleges that the defendant placed calls to schools, airports, and other locations that were designed to cause maximum fear and trigger an emergency response. ‘Swatting’ is a serious crime that can cause great trauma and risk loss of life, so it is important that we hold wrongdoers accountable.”
“Mr. Rodriguez is alleged to have conducted swatting attacks, to include the callous targeting of an open wound at Sandy Hook, without regard for the potential consequences of this insidious type of hoax,” said Krysti Hawkins, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. “Perpetrators of swatting hoaxes should understand that the FBI and our local partners take these threats seriously and that the penalties – if convicted – are considerable.”
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted of the charges, Rodriguez would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison on the stalking count, five years on each of the threats counts, five years on each of the hoax counts, and 10 years on each of the counts relating to fire and explosives.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating this matter. The Riverside Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Newton (Connecticut) Police Department, and the Nashville Airport Authority provided substantial assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Jenna W. Long of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
Ringleader and Company Insider Plead Guilty to Defrauding Biochemical Company and Diverting Products to China Using Falsified Export DocumentsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced that Pen Yu, also known as Ben Yu, 51, of Gibsonton, Florida, and Gregory Muñoz, 45, of Minneola, Florida, have each pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently procure deeply discounted products from Massachusetts biochemical company Sigma-Aldrich Inc., doing business as MilliporeSigma, and export them to China using falsified export documents.
In addition, the Justice Department announced that it has declined the prosecution of MilliporeSigma after considering the factors set forth in the Department’s Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations and the National Security Division Enforcement Policy for Business Organizations (NSD Enforcement Policy). The NSD Enforcement Policy creates a presumption that companies that (1) voluntarily self-disclose to NSD potentially criminal violations arising out of or relating to the enforcement of export control or sanctions laws, (2) fully cooperate, and (3) timely and appropriately remediate will generally receive a non-prosecution agreement, unless aggravating factors are present. This is the first time that NSD has declined the prosecution of a company under the NSD Enforcement Policy.
“When a business uncovers criminal wrongdoing within its ranks, the company is far better off reporting the violation than waiting for the Justice Department to discover it,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “That’s exactly what MilliporeSigma did in the first-ever corporate declination under our National Security Division’s voluntary self-disclosure program. Because of MilliporeSigma’s timely disclosure and exceptional cooperation, a rogue company insider and his accomplice pled guilty to fraudulently diverting millions of dollars worth of biochemicals to China, and the company will not be prosecuted. As national security and corporate crime increasingly intersect, companies that step up and own up under the Department’s voluntary self-disclosure programs can help themselves and our nation.”
“When MilliporeSigma found evidence that one of its employees was diverting biochemical products to an unauthorized purchaser in China, they did not sweep the misconduct under the rug. Instead, the company made the early decision to cooperate with the Justice Department, resulting in the convictions of responsible individuals,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s announcement reflects the value for companies like MilliporeSigma to quickly self-disclose potential criminal activity and reaffirms our commitment to work in partnership with the private sector to root out conduct that violates the law and jeopardizes our national security.”
“When company and university insiders abuse the trust that their institutions place in them, they will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “Here, Millipore Sigma’s prompt disclosures led to the uncovering of this multimillion- dollar criminal enterprise, and enabled law enforcement to disrupt the scheme and stop further illegal exports to China. These disclosures led to the seizure of multiple illegal shipments to China and the conviction of two of the most culpable participants in the scheme. Millipore Sigma’s prompt and full cooperation was essential in obtaining this result.”
“Faking an affiliation with an academic research lab to obtain controlled biochemical materials, and then sending those materials to China, is not only wrong, but illegal,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. “Today’s announcement provides yet another fact pattern for universities to beware of — the misuse of academic institutions by outsiders who seek to obscure the actual customer of controlled items.”
According to court documents, beginning in at least July 2016 and continuing through at least May 2023, Yu ordered biochemical products from MilliporeSigma, a subsidiary of multinational science and technology company Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, with help from Muñoz, a MilliporeSigma salesperson, by falsely representing that Yu was affiliated with a biology research lab at a large Florida university. This fictitious affiliation led MilliporeSigma to provide Yu over $4.9 million worth of discounts and other benefits, such as free overnight shipping, not available to the public. Yu gave Muñoz thousands of dollars in gift cards for facilitating these fraudulent discounted orders. When the products arrived at the university stockroom, a stockroom employee diverted the products to Yu, who repackaged them and shipped them to China. To avoid scrutiny, Yu made false statements about the value and contents of these shipments in export documents.
This scheme continued until MilliporeSigma compliance personnel identified certain orders as suspicious, prompting the company to retain outside counsel who voluntarily disclosed the misconduct to the Department of Justice’s National Security Division only a week later. MilliporeSigma made the disclosure well before its counsel had completed their investigation and understood the full nature and extent of the scheme. MilliporeSigma offered exceptional cooperation to the prosecution team, including by proactively identifying and producing documents to the Department that established probable cause to search residences and electronic devices of culpable individuals. MilliporeSigma’s cooperation allowed investigators to quickly identify the individuals responsible for the scheme, including Yu and Muñoz, and secure their felony guilty pleas. As a result of MilliporeSigma’s timely self-disclosure and extraordinary cooperation, MilliporeSigma will not be charged, despite the criminal wrongdoing committed by Muñoz, a MilliporeSigma employee.
The Defense Criminal Investigative Service; Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security; and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Marcet for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Garrett Coyle of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the cases.
Note: View the information and plea agreement for Yu.
View the information and plea agreement for Muñoz.View the declination letter here.
Ringleader and Company Insider Plead Guilty to Defrauding Biochemical Company and Diverting Products to China Using Falsified Export DocumentsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced that Pen Yu, also known as Ben Yu, 51, of Gibsonton, Florida, and Gregory Muñoz, 45, of Minneola, Florida, have each pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently procure deeply discounted products from Massachusetts biochemical company Sigma-Aldrich Inc., doing business as MilliporeSigma, and export them to China using falsified export documents.
In addition, the Justice Department announced that it has declined the prosecution of MilliporeSigma after considering the factors set forth in the Department’s Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations and the National Security Division Enforcement Policy for Business Organizations (NSD Enforcement Policy). The NSD Enforcement Policy creates a presumption that companies that (1) voluntarily self-disclose to NSD potentially criminal violations arising out of or relating to the enforcement of export control or sanctions laws, (2) fully cooperate, and (3) timely and appropriately remediate will generally receive a non-prosecution agreement, unless aggravating factors are present. This is the first time that NSD has declined the prosecution of a company under the NSD Enforcement Policy.
“When a business uncovers criminal wrongdoing within its ranks, the company is far better off reporting the violation than waiting for the Justice Department to discover it,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “That’s exactly what MilliporeSigma did in the first-ever corporate declination under our National Security Division’s voluntary self-disclosure program. Because of MilliporeSigma’s timely disclosure and exceptional cooperation, a rogue company insider and his accomplice pled guilty to fraudulently diverting millions of dollars worth of biochemicals to China, and the company will not be prosecuted. As national security and corporate crime increasingly intersect, companies that step up and own up under the Department’s voluntary self-disclosure programs can help themselves and our nation.”
“When MilliporeSigma found evidence that one of its employees was diverting biochemical products to an unauthorized purchaser in China, they did not sweep the misconduct under the rug. Instead, the company made the early decision to cooperate with the Justice Department, resulting in the convictions of responsible individuals,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s announcement reflects the value for companies like MilliporeSigma to quickly self-disclose potential criminal activity and reaffirms our commitment to work in partnership with the private sector to root out conduct that violates the law and jeopardizes our national security.”
“When company and university insiders abuse the trust that their institutions place in them, they will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “Here, Millipore Sigma’s prompt disclosures led to the uncovering of this multimillion- dollar criminal enterprise, and enabled law enforcement to disrupt the scheme and stop further illegal exports to China. These disclosures led to the seizure of multiple illegal shipments to China and the conviction of two of the most culpable participants in the scheme. Millipore Sigma’s prompt and full cooperation was essential in obtaining this result.”
“Faking an affiliation with an academic research lab to obtain controlled biochemical materials, and then sending those materials to China, is not only wrong, but illegal,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. “Today’s announcement provides yet another fact pattern for universities to beware of — the misuse of academic institutions by outsiders who seek to obscure the actual customer of controlled items.”
According to court documents, beginning in at least July 2016 and continuing through at least May 2023, Yu ordered biochemical products from MilliporeSigma, a subsidiary of multinational science and technology company Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, with help from Muñoz, a MilliporeSigma salesperson, by falsely representing that Yu was affiliated with a biology research lab at a large Florida university. This fictitious affiliation led MilliporeSigma to provide Yu over $4.9 million worth of discounts and other benefits, such as free overnight shipping, not available to the public. Yu gave Muñoz thousands of dollars in gift cards for facilitating these fraudulent discounted orders. When the products arrived at the university stockroom, a stockroom employee diverted the products to Yu, who repackaged them and shipped them to China. To avoid scrutiny, Yu made false statements about the value and contents of these shipments in export documents.
This scheme continued until MilliporeSigma compliance personnel identified certain orders as suspicious, prompting the company to retain outside counsel who voluntarily disclosed the misconduct to the Department of Justice’s National Security Division only a week later. MilliporeSigma made the disclosure well before its counsel had completed their investigation and understood the full nature and extent of the scheme. MilliporeSigma offered exceptional cooperation to the prosecution team, including by proactively identifying and producing documents to the Department that established probable cause to search residences and electronic devices of culpable individuals. MilliporeSigma’s cooperation allowed investigators to quickly identify the individuals responsible for the scheme, including Yu and Muñoz, and secure their felony guilty pleas. As a result of MilliporeSigma’s timely self-disclosure and extraordinary cooperation, MilliporeSigma will not be charged, despite the criminal wrongdoing committed by Muñoz, a MilliporeSigma employee.
The Defense Criminal Investigative Service; Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security; and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Marcet for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Garrett Coyle of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the cases.
Declination letter Yu information Yu plea agreement Munoz information Munoz plea agreementRed Bluff Man Charged with Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Child & Other OffensesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On May 16, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Christopher King, 29, of Red Bluff, charging him with attempted sexual exploitation of a child and distribution and possession of visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The case was unsealed Tuesday following his arrest.
According to court documents, King attempted to sexually abuse a minor by producing secret recordings of the minor utilizing a hidden camera. King also distributed images of children involved in sexually explicit conduct on an online social media platform. Finally, King possessed several images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct on electronic devices seized from his residence.
This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitnee Goins is prosecuting the case.
If convicted of attempted sexual exploitation of a child, King faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, restitution, and a $250,000 fine. If convicted of distribution of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, King faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, plus restitution and a fine. If convicted of possession of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, King faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, plus restitution and a fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Randolph County Man Admits to Methamphetamine ChargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Donald Ray Cantrell, Jr., 48, of Mill Creek, West Virginia, pled guilty today to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Cantrell was on supervised release after serving time for a drug charge. U.S. Probation officers searched Cantrell’s home during a visit and found 220 grams of methamphetamine.
Cantrell faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Mountain Region Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the West Virginia State Police investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Quincy Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Drug and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON - A Quincy man was sentenced today for illegally possessing a loaded handgun while trafficking cocaine and fentanyl.
Rey David Fulcar, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to eight years in prison and three years of supervised release. Fulcar pleaded guilty in December 2023 to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and two counts of possessing cocaine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
On July 23, 2022 Fulcar was observed conducting a drug deal in his car in Boston. The buyer was stopped by law enforcement and found with three bags of crack cocaine he had just bought from Fulcar. Fulcar was subsequently stopped as he drove away from the drug deal and attempted to flee during his arrest. Thirteen more bags of cocaine and fentanyl were found hidden inside Fulcar’s underwear. Additionally, five large shrink-wrapped packages containing suspected marijuana, as well as $1,141 cash were found inside Fulcar’s vehicle.
During a subsequent search of Fulcar’s Quincy apartment, fentanyl and a stash of cocaine in trafficking quantities were found along with a semi-automatic pistol loaded with seven rounds of ammunition. Also found was a handwritten list Fulcar maintained detailing drug customers, their orders and debts owed, a scale, cutting agent, packaging material and other drug paraphernalia in his kitchen.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Michael Cox, Commissioner of the Boston Police Department made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Fred M. Wyshak, III and John T. Dawley and of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
The investigation was conducted by a multi-agency task force through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf.
Purported Rap Promoter Pleads Guilty to Role in $2.3M Nationwide Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
An Illinois man pleaded guilty today to his role in a nationwide wire fraud conspiracy that victimized businesses and individuals across the United States, and caused a total loss of $2,299,842.
According to court documents, between at least March 2016 and September 2020, Antonio M. Strong, 31, of Lansing, Illinois, conspired with Herbert Wright, Joseph Williams, Demario Sorrells, and others to defraud numerous businesses and individuals by using unauthorized and stolen payment card account information to obtain valuable goods and services from those businesses and individuals, including private jet charters, private yacht charters, luxury car rentals, luxury hotel and vacation rental accommodations, private chef and security guard services, designer puppies, limousine and chauffeur services, commercial airline flights, consumer goods, meals, and other incidentals. The actual cardholders discovered these transactions on their accounts and disputed the charges. The actual cardholders’ payment card companies then reversed their payments and charged back the transactions to the businesses and individuals, which consequently suffered losses in the amounts of the unauthorized transactions.
During this time, Strong presented himself as a rap promoter based in the Chicago area. To conceal his identity and perpetrate the fraud, Strong used various fictitious names and aliases; provided fake driver’s licenses; used email accounts in the names of fictitious and real businesses; and falsely stated that he was from “Universal Music,” “Sony Music,” “Epic Music,” and other real and fictitious companies.
Strong pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 19 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines
Wright, Williams, and Sorrells have all pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Wright was sentenced on Jan. 11 to three years of probation and was ordered to pay $139,968 in both restitution and forfeiture. Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on June 28, and Sorrells is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 29. Two other co-conspirators were indicted in October 2020 and their trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 21.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts; and Special Agent in Charge Andrew Murphy of the U.S. Secret Service Boston Field Office made the announcement.
The U.S. Secret Service is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Andrew Tyler and Kyle Crawford of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow for the District of Massachusetts are prosecuting the case.
President and Owner of Baltimore County Business Convicted After Seven Day Trial for Honest Services Wire Fraud and BriberyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland –After a seven-day trial, a federal jury returned guilty verdicts yesterday convicting Wayne I. Kacher, Jr., age 51, of Harford County, Maryland, on federal charges of conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud and bribery, honest services wire fraud, and bribery involving federal funds.
The guilty verdict was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office.
As detailed in trial testimony, the Maryland Broadband Cooperative, Incorporated (“MdBC”) was a not-for-profit corporation whose purpose was to work with internet service providers to offer broadband internet service to under-served and un-served areas in Maryland. For a fee, public and private entities could join the cooperative and gain access to the broadband infrastructure that MdBC installed. MdBC’s office was located in Salisbury, Maryland. William Patrick Mitchell worked as the President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of MdBC.
Defendant Wayne Kacher (“Kacher”) was the president and owner of Bel Air Underground, Inc. (“BAU”), a company that is principally located in Baltimore County, Maryland. BAU frequently acted as a subcontractor on projects for MdBC. Kacher was also the president and owner of Pro Comm Engineering and Locating Services, LLC (“Pro Comm”), which was principally located in Baltimore, County Maryland. Pro Comm also acted as a subcontractor on projects for MdBC.
From 2014 to 2018, MdBC paid Kacher’s company, BAU, more than $11 million for broadband network related work. Of that amount, approximately $7.9 million was for work on installing and improving a fiber optic broadband connection from NASA Wallops Island to Patuxent River Naval Air Station (hereafter “Pax River”) in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, to enhance the communications capacity between those locations.
The trial evidence showed that from at least 2014 to 2018, Kacher provided Mitchell with financial benefits, including cash payments, and payments for an all-terrain vehicle and a John Deere Gator owned by Mitchell. Kacher also paid for renovations and improvements to Mitchell’s residence, including paying for the construction of a pole building on Mitchell’s property. Kacher gave these things to Mitchell because of and in exchange for the work that MdBC was subcontracting to BAU and Pro Comm.
At sentencing, not yet scheduled by the court, Kacher faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy; twenty years in federal prison for honest services wire fraud; and a maximum of ten years in prison for federal program bribery.
On May 10, 2024, William Patrick Mitchell, age 58, previously pleaded guilty to Counts One and Two of the Superseding Indictment, which charged Mitchell with Conspiracy and Honest Services Wire Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371 and 1346. Judge Gallagher will sentence Mitchell on October 4, 2024.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended DCIS and the FBI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Phelps and Christine Goo, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Petersburg drug dealer sentenced for meth, heroin distributionRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Petersburg man was sentenced today to 10 years and six months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.
According to court documents, from Sept. 9, 2022, to Feb. 8, 2023, the Virginia State Police 1B Task Force conducted five controlled purchases of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine from Richard Arthur Jones, 37. The last three of these transactions occurred at Jones’ apartment.
On Feb. 16, 2023, as the task force executed a search warrant on the apartment, Jones attempted to throw a plastic bag from his balcony. The bag became stuck in a tree, however, and was recovered by law enforcement. The bag contained a total of approximately 306.14 grams of meth and approximately 95.56 grams of heroin. From inside the apartment, law enforcement recovered approximately 32.5 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl and approximately 21.14 grams of methamphetamine, as well as a .40 caliber handgun in a Gucci cross-body bag.
Jones pleaded guilty on Jan. 4.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jason Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Travis C. Christian, Chief of Petersburg Bureau of Police; and Lt. Col. Brad J. Badgerow, Acting Chief of Chesterfield County Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Miller and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon E. Schulz, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, 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-143.
This release was edited on May 29, 2024, to recognize the work of the Petersburg Bureau of Police on this case.
Owner of SoCal-Based Ambulatory Transportation Companies Indicted for Alleged Tax Evasion and COVID-19 Relief FraudRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A federal grand jury today returned a superseding indictment charging an Orange County man with wire fraud and money laundering for allegedly making fraudulent claims to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, two federal programs created to provide financial assistance to Americans suffering economic harm because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the superseding indictment, from May 2020 to December 2021, Mehrdad “Mitch” Tabrizi, of Aliso Viejo, submitted two fraudulent PPP applications on behalf of Life Fleet Inc., a Riverside-based business he owned, seeking $695,565 in loans. In the applications, Tabrizi allegedly claimed that Life Fleet had at least 54 employees and monthly payroll obligations of $139,313. After receiving the PPP funds, Tabrizi allegedly used the proceeds for personal expenses. Similarly, Tabrizi allegedly filed a false EIDL application claiming that Life Fleet had gross revenues of more than $4 million and 63 employees. However, Life Fleet allegedly was not in business, had no revenue and had no employees.
Tabrizi also allegedly filed a fraudulent EIDL application in the name of Resonante Group Inc., an Anaheim-based company he controlled. According to the superseding indictment, this EIDL application falsely claimed Resonante Group had gross revenues of more than $19 million and over 300 employees. As a result, the Small Business Administration allegedly disbursed approximately $319,800 into bank accounts controlled by Tabrizi, which he was not entitled to receive and used for personal expenses.
Tabrizi was previously charged with tax evasion and filing false tax returns. According to the superseding indictment, Tabrizi operated SoCal Medical Transportation Inc., a Riverside-based company. In 2015 and 2016, Tabrizi allegedly deposited approximately $2.6 million of income into a bank account but did not disclose these funds to the CPA firm he hired to prepare SoCal Medical’s corporate tax returns. Instead, Tabrizi allegedly informed the CPA firm that these funds had been received by a separate business.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of four counts of wire fraud, 10 years in prison for each of four counts of money laundering, five years in prison for each of two counts of tax evasion and three years in prison for each of two counts of filing false tax returns. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Brett A. Sagel of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Strike Force and Trial Attorneys Christopher E. Lin and Boris Bourget of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting this case.
Owner of Ambulatory Transportation Company Indicted for Tax Evasion and COVID-19 Relief FraudRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Santa Ana, California, returned a superseding indictment today charging a California man with wire fraud and money laundering for making fraudulent claims to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, two federal programs created to provide financial assistance to Americans suffering economic harm as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. He had previously been charged with tax evasion and filing false corporate tax returns.
According to the superseding indictment, from May 2020 to December 2021, Mehrdad “Mitch” Tabrizi, of Aliso Viejo, submitted two fraudulent PPP applications on behalf of Life Fleet Inc., a California business he owned, seeking $695,565 in loans. In the applications, Tabrizi allegedly claimed that Life Fleet had at least 54 employees and monthly payroll obligations of $139,313. After receiving the PPP funds, Tabrizi allegedly used the proceeds for personal expenses. Similarly, Tabrizi allegedly filed a false EIDL application claiming that Life Fleet had gross revenues of more than $4 million and 63 employees. In reality, however, Life Fleet allegedly was not in business, had no revenue and had no employees.
Tabrizi also allegedly filed a fraudulent EIDL application in the name of Resonante Group Inc., a California company he controlled. According to the superseding indictment, this EIDL application falsely claimed Resonante Group had gross revenues of more than $19 million and over 300 employees. As a result, the Small Business Administration allegedly disbursed approximately $319,800 into bank accounts controlled by Tabrizi, which he was not entitled to receive and used for personal expenses.
Tabrizi was previously charged with tax evasion and filing false tax returns. According to the superseding indictment, Tabrizi operated Socal Medical Transportation Inc., a company incorporated in California. In 2015 and 2016, Tabrizi allegedly deposited approximately $2.6 million of income into a bank account but did not disclose these funds to the CPA firm he hired to prepare Socal Medical’s corporate tax returns. Instead, Tabrizi allegedly informed the CPA firm that these funds had been received by a separate business.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of four counts of wire fraud, 10 years in prison for each of four counts of money laundering, five years in prison for each of two counts of tax evasion and three years in prison for each of two counts of filing false tax returns. 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 and U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Boris Bourget of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Sagel for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ohio Resident Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl and FluorofentanylRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Youngstown, Ohio, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and fluorofentanyl, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Teqwan Scott, 29, pleaded guilty before Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab to conspiring to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 10 grams or more of fluorofentanyl between May 2021 and October 2022.
Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for October 1, 2024. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, United States Postal Inspection Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Lawrence County Drug Task Force, Mercer County Drug Task Force, New Castle Police Department, Sharon Police Department, and Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation resulting in the conviction of Scott.
Ninth Defendant Sentenced for Federal Civil Rights Conspiracy and Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances OffensesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Heather Idoni, 59, of Linden, Michigan, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 24 months incarceration for her role in a conspiracy that created a blockade at a Washington, D.C. reproductive health care clinic to prevent the clinic from providing, and patients from receiving, reproductive health services.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.
“Using force and intimidation to deprive others of their civil rights is a crime, and rightly so,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “This office will continue to defend and protect the right of every citizen to access health care.”
“Federal law is clear: using force, threatening to use force or physically obstructing access to reproductive health care is unlawful,” said Assistant Attorney General Clarke. “People have a First Amendment right to communicate their views but they do not have the right to use chains, locks and obstruction to prevent access to reproductive health care facilities. The Justice Department will continue to protect both patients seeking reproductive health services and providers of those services.”
Idoni is the ninth member of the conspiracy to be sentenced on charges of civil rights conspiracy and Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act violations. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced seven other members of the conspiracy.
Another of the defendants, the only one to plead guilty, Jay Smith, 34, of Freeport, New York, was sentenced to 10 months in prison and three years of supervised release in March 2023.
As the evidence at trial showed, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to create a blockade at the reproductive health care clinic to prevent the clinic from providing, and patients from receiving, reproductive health services. As part of the conspiracy, Handy, Hinshaw, and Goodman, traveled to Washington, D.C. from various northeast and midwestern states, to meet with Handy and participate in a clinic blockade that was directed by Handy and was broadcast on Facebook.
According to the evidence, Handy, Hinshaw, and Goodman – along with their co-conspirators – forcefully entered the clinic and set about blockading two clinic doors using their bodies, furniture, chains, and ropes. Once the blockade was established, their activities were live-streamed. The evidence also showed that the defendants violated the FACE Act by using a physical obstruction to injure, intimidate and interfere with the clinic’s employees and a patient, because they were providing or obtaining reproductive health services.
DEFENDANTS
NAME
AGE
GUILTY OF
SENTENCE
Lauren Handy
Alexandria, VA
30
Found Guilty on August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act
Sentenced
May 14, 2024, to 57 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised ReleaseJohn Hinshaw
Levittown, NY
69
Found Guilty August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act
Sentenced
May 14, 2024, to 21 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised ReleaseWilliam Goodman Bronx, NY
54
Found Guilty August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act
Sentenced
May 14, 2024, to 27 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised ReleaseJay Smith
Freeport, NY
34
Pleaded Guilty March 1, 2023, to Violating the FACE Act
Sentenced
Aug. 17, 2023, to 10 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised ReleaseJonathan Darnel Arlington, Va.
42
Found Guilty September 15, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act
Sentenced
May 15, 2024, to 34 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release
Jean Marshall Kingston, Mass.
74
Found Guilty September 15, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act
Sentenced
May 15, 2024, to 24 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release
Joan Bell
Montague, NJ
76
Found Guilty September 15, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act
Sentenced
May 15, 2024, to 27 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release
Herb Geraghty Pittsburgh, Pa
27
Found Guilty August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act
Sentenced
May 15, 2024, to 27 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release
Heather Idoni Linden, Mich.
59
Found Guilty August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act
Sentenced
May 22, 2024 to 24 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised ReleaseThis case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with valuable assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office. It was prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the Fraud, Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of New Jersey, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Eastern District of New York, and Southern District of New York; and FBI Field Offices in Newark, New York City, Boston, and Detroit provided valuable assistance.
Niagara Falls man pleads guilty to cocaine charge after leading police on a brief car chaseRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Jonathan Bersani, 32, of Niagara Falls, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis A. Testani, who is handling the case, stated that on April 14, 2023, law enforcement attempted a traffic stop on Bersani’s vehicle. However, instead of yielding to law enforcement, Bersani drove into the civilian vehicle in front of him, pushing the vehicle approximately 10 feet forward, and then into the law enforcement vehicle behind him, causing significant damage to all three vehicles. Bersani then fled in his vehicle, and, ultimately, on foot after his vehicle was rendered inoperable. Bersani was ultimately apprehended and, within close range of his path of flight, law enforcement recovered a black bag containing approximately 183 grams of cocaine. Bersani was also in possession of $3,266 in cash. Later that day, a search warrant was executed at Bersani’s residence, during which another 27 grams of cocaine, and drug paraphernalia were seized.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Niagara County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti and Homeland Security Investigations BEST Team, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.
Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
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New York Man Sentenced for Dismembering Body in Broken ArrowRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Alex Ray Scott, 28, to 540 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release for Second Degree Murder in Indian Country.
“Alex Scott was sentenced for the murder and dismemberment of Robin Skocdopole” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “This successful prosecution was the result of the exhaustive investigation and outstanding cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement. We will continue to work with law enforcement partners to hold violent offenders accountable.”
According to court documents, in January 2020, Scott walked into a police precinct in New York City and admitted to killing someone in an unrelated case. Members of the New York Police Department found identification and credit cards belonging to Robin Skocdopole in Scott’s possession. During an interview with law enforcement, Scott provided a prior residence in Broken Arrow and mentioned living with the victim. Several unsuccessful attempts were made by law enforcement to contact Skocdopole.
In February 2020, the Broken Arrow Police Department searched the residence of Skocdopole and found the house empty of all possessions. Forensic searches and cadaver dogs found multiple locations of blood spatter and a large pool of blood. DNA tests revealed the blood belonged to Skocdopole.
In May 2020, human remains positively identified as belonging to Skocdopole were discovered on the edge of a creek in Broken Arrow. The Medical Examiner’s report indicated two different saws were used during the dismemberment including a saw comparable to a chainsaw.
During the investigation, it was determined Scott was fitted with an ankle monitor in July 2019 awaiting trial on an unrelated case in Tulsa County District Court. The last time Skocdopole was seen alive was in August 2019. During this time, Scott was renting a room from the victim and told associates that Skocdopole abruptly left and moved to Dallas for work. Friends of the victim told law enforcement that when they attempted to reach out to him, they received vague and oddly worded responses. Scott later admitted to sending the email responses. Further analysis of Scott’s ankle monitor data showed where Scott traveled to dispose of the body parts. Scott’s ankle monitor data and bank history confirmed that he purchased and returned a chainsaw from a local retailer.
In May 2023, Scott agreed to be interviewed by the FBI. He explained the circumstances surrounding the murder of Skocdopole, as well as the dismemberment and disposal of the body afterward. Scott agreed to take the FBI to the last known location of Skocdopole’s head. Unfortunately, when Scott took FBI to the location, no additional remains were found.
Scott has entered a plea of not guilty in the pending case in New York.
Scott is a member of the Cherokee Nation. He will remain in custody while the New York case is pending. After the New York case is completed, Scott will be transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prison facility.
The FBI and Broken Arrow Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Nasar and Valeria Luster prosecuted the case.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Fentanyl DistributionRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ANYTHONY DOYLE (“DOYLE”), age 40, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on May 21, 2024 by Chief United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown on three (3) counts of distribution of Fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(C).
According to court documents, on three (3) separate occasions in August of 2023, DOYLE sold Fentanyl to undercover special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. DOYLE arranged these transactions through recorded phone calls and text messages. These transactions were video recorded. For one of the three drug deals, DOYLE sent his co-defendant, CARLOS GUILLEN, on his behalf.Specifically, Chief Judge Brown sentenced DOYLE to serve 92 months in prison, to be followed by four (4) years of supervised release and a mandatory special assessment fee of $300. Previously, DOYLE’s co-defendant GUILLEN pled guilty to distribution of Fentanyl and received a sentence of thirty months in prison.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives on this investigation. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Maria M. Carboni of the Financial Crimes Unit.
New Mexico Man Indicted for Allegedly Trying to Burn Down Church Preschool and Strip Mall in San Bernardino CountyRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – A federal grand jury today returned a two-count indictment against a New Mexico man who allegedly tried to burn down a San Bernardino County church preschool while children and school employees were inside and, that same day, tried to burn down a strip mall.
Jonathan A. Barajas Nava, 36, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is charged with two counts of attempted destruction of property by means of fire.
Nava was arrested on April 24 and was charged in state court prior to a federal criminal case being brought against him. Nava made his initial appearance in the federal case on May 8 and was ordered detained pending trial.
He is scheduled for arraignment on May 28 in United States District Court in Riverside.
According to an affidavit previously filed with a criminal complaint in this case, on April 24, Nava tried to burn down the Retreat Church and Yucaipa Christian Preschool by pouring an ignitable liquid on the church preschool’s entrance and lighting it on fire. There were 48 preschoolers and 14 staff members inside the church preschool at the time, but no one was injured.
That same day, Nava allegedly tried to burn down a Yucaipa strip mall by pouring an ignitable liquid on the building’s gas meters and then lighting the gas meters on fire.
A criminal complaint and an indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted of both charges, Nava would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Peter Dahlquist and Austin D. Young of the Riverside Branch Office are prosecuting this case.
New Haven Man on Supervised Release Charged with Distributing Methamphetamine Pills, CrackRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment yesterday charging DONALD OGMAN, also known as “Mainey-O” and ”Manny O,” 42, of New Haven, with methamphetamine and cocaine distribution offenses.
As alleged in court documents, Ogman has been a leader of the Grape Street Crips (GSC), a violent New Haven gang. In 2012, the FBI arrested Ogman for offenses related to his role in GSC, including drug trafficking. He pleaded guilty to narcotics offenses and, on March 10, 2015, was sentenced to 188 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release. In August 2022, a federal judge granted Ogman’s motion for compassionate release, reduced Ogman’s sentence to time served, and he was released from prison.
It is alleged that Ogman resumed his drug trafficking activity while on federal supervised release and was distributing multi-colored pills containing methamphetamine in and around New Haven. The investigation included surveillance, trash pulls, and controlled purchases of methamphetamine pills from Ogman in March and April 2024. Ogman was arrested on May 9, 2024. On that date, searches of his person and residence revealed additional quantities of methamphetamine, as well as crack cocaine.
The indictment charges Ogman with one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, methamphetamine, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; three counts of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years on each count; and one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of cocaine, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.
The indictment also alleges that Ogman is subject to enhanced penalties due to his prior conviction for a serious drug felony. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Ogman has been detained since his arrest.
This matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the New Haven Police Department and the Hamden Police Department. The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut State Police and the New Haven, Waterbury, East Haven, Branford, West Haven, Ansonia, Meriden, Naugatuck, and Shelton Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and Ross Weingarten through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Mississippi Man Admits $51 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme Involving Durable Medical Equipment, Genetic Cancer Screening Tests, and Compounded MedicationsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Mississippi man who owned, operated, had financial interests in, or was affiliated with pharmacies, durable medical equipment (DME) companies, and a laboratory today admitted his role in a health care fraud scheme that caused losses to Medicare in excess of $51 million, Attorney for the United States Caroline Sadlowski announced.
Keaton Langston, 39, of Booneville, Mississippi, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
Langston and others owned, operated, had financial interests in, or were affiliated with pharmacies, DME companies, and a laboratory that Langston and others used to defraud health care benefit programs by offering and paying kickbacks and bribes in exchange for doctors’ orders for DME, genetic cancer screening tests, and compounded medications. The pharmacies, DME companies, and laboratory submitted or caused the submission to Medicare of claims for reimbursement without regard to medical necessity, and sent a portion of the proceeds to others as payment for the doctors’ orders generated through the conspiracy. Langston and others concealed the payment of bribes, in part, by entering into sham contracts designed to make it appear that suppliers were engaged in and being paid for legitimate marketing and referral services based on the hours and expenses incurred or on a flat-rate basis.
The pharmacies, DME companies, and laboratory billed Medicare and other health care benefit programs at approximately $51 million for tests and orders that were the product of the illicit scheme. Langston received approximately $10 million from these reimbursements.
The charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 1, 2024.
Attorney for the United States Sadlowski credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz; the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Solecki; and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Specht of the Special Prosecutions Division.
langston.information.pdfMexican National Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Mexican national, residing in the United States illegally, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
According to court documents, Joel Terrazas Olvera, 51, was found in possession of a firearm by a Rankin County Sheriff’s Deputy on September 19, 2023, during a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Olvera was riding as a passenger. A federal grand jury indicted Olvera for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He pled guilty on February 23, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee, Acting Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Goff prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Man Charged in Scams Targeting SeniorsRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – May 22, 2024
SAN DIEGO – Jiaci Liu appeared in federal court today following his arrest for engaging in a multinational fraud conspiracy targeting seniors, including a 63-year-old man from Poway.
According to a federal complaint, the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force (ETJF) learned of the fraud scheme after the victim reported to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department that he been duped as part of a layered tech support, bank impersonation and government impersonation scam.
Specifically, while on his personal computer, a pop-up window appeared indicating there was a possible virus on his computer and instructing him to contact a phone number. When he contacted the number, he was transferred through a series of co-conspirators pretending to work in tech support. The victim was informed that his computer had viruses. The victim was then transferred to another conspirator who claimed to be from the victim’s bank. During that interaction, the victim was told there were unauthorized transfers from his bank. The victim was instructed to go immediately to his bank and to withdraw all his money for safekeeping.
At the direction of the conspirators, the victim went to his bank and withdrew $28,000. The victim was then instructed by the conspirators that someone from the U.S. Marshals Service would come to his house to pick up the money. After the interaction, the victim became suspicious and contacted the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, which informed the victim to contact them if anyone showed up to pick up the money.
According to the complaint, on June 9, 2023, defendant Jiaci Liu arrived at the victim’s residence. The victim called the police, who arrived and found Liu outside the victim’s home. Liu’s cellphone was seized and later searched. Investigators located evidence indicating that in just one week in June 2023, Liu had picked up over $348,000 dollars from multiple victims located in Southern California and Phoenix, Arizona.
“Everyone with a computer is vulnerable to sophisticated scams like the one alleged in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “If you think you’ve been targeted, report it quickly. The faster the report comes in, the more likely we are to catch the scammers and recover any swindled money.”
“Individuals committing tech scams are getting more and more innovative with the methods they use to con innocent people,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi. “The FBI and its law enforcement partners continually adapt our strategies so that we can stay ahead of those who scheme and collude to defraud the American public. We are committed to ensuring each of these individuals is brought to justice.”
A detention hearing is scheduled for May 24, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge David D. Leshner.
This case was investigated by the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force and its member agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Carlsbad Police Department, San Diego Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available through the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833 FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). You can also report fraud to any local law enforcement agency or on the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari.
DEFENDANT Case Number 24MJ1929-MSB
Jiaci Liu Age: 34 Monterey Park, California
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1349
Criminal Forfeiture – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 981(a)(1)(C), 982(a)(2)(A), and Title 28, U.S.C., Section 2461(c)
Maximum Penalties: Thirty years in prison; $1 million fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
San Diego County Sheriff’s DepartmentSan Diego Police Department
San Diego Elder Justice Task Force
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Lexington Woman Sentenced for Trafficking Methamphetamine and FentanylRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A Lexington, Ky, woman, Stacey R. Smith, 42, was sentenced on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, to 175 months in prison, for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine and 400 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl.
According to her plea agreement, beginning in January 2021 to March 2022, Smith conspired with others to distribute 500 grams of methamphetamine and 400 grams of fentanyl. Specifically, from a source of supply in the Lexington area, Smith obtained pound quantities of methamphetamine and ounce quantities of what she believed to be heroin, which laboratory testing confirmed was fentanyl. Smith then sold the drugs to several others, including her co-defendant, Shane Brock, 62, of London. These other drug dealers would then distribute the drugs to more drug dealers and end users.
For his role in the conspiracy, Brock was previously sentenced to 97 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Under federal law, Smith must serve 85 percent of her prison sentence. Upon her release from prison, she will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Erek Davodowich, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Louisville Field Division; and Sheriff John Root, Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA and Laurel County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Dotson prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
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Lake County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of A Firearm by A Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that William Scott Fogg (37, Altoona) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Fogg faces up to 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the court records, Fogg has been convicted of eight felonies since 2008, including burglary, grand theft, and illegal drug possession. On August 28, 2023, Fogg approached his girlfriend who was seated in a truck with her minor children. Fogg entered the truck, took his girlfriend’s pistol out of the center console, pulled back the slide, and told her that was going to shoot all of them. Responding deputies subsequently took Fogg into custody and recovered the loaded firearm. As a convicted felon, Fogg is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.
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.
Kansas Man Sentenced to 24 Years for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Pittsburg, Kansas, man who led Kansas authorities on a motorcycle chase before being apprehended in Missouri has been sentenced in federal court for possessing methamphetamine to distribute.
Justin T. Lapping, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark on Tuesday, May 21, to 24 years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered the federal prison sentence to be served consecutively to any sentence imposed in a pending state case in Taney County, Mo. Lapping was sentenced as a career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.
On May 11, 2023, Lapping pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
A Crawford County, Kan., sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop Lapping on Aug. 9, 2022, but he fled on his motorcycle. Soon after entering Barton County, Mo., on Highway 160, Lapping abandoned his motorcycle and fled on foot from law enforcement officers. Officers deployed tasers and Lapping was taken into custody. He was carrying a Ziploc baggie that contained 187.9 grams of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Lapping has nine prior felony convictions, five of which are for drug trafficking, and two of which involve his flight from law enforcement in a vehicle.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the FBI, the Barton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Crawford County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department.
Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Jefferson County Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Recording Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced a Pevely, Missouri man to 40 years in prison for recording his sexual abuse of a minor.
Matthew Gamel, 36, sexually abused the victim and recorded it on at least four occasions, he admitted in a guilty plea. The victim was under 14 years of age at the time. In addition to the recordings he made, Gamel possessed more than 1,700 media files containing child sexual abuse material that he obtained online.
“We are pleased with today’s sentencing and appreciate the hard work and partnership with the Pevely Police Department to bring justice to the victim,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “We hope this will help with the process of healing the trauma the defendant unconscionably inflicted on a young vulnerable child.”
Gamel pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of receipt of child pornography.
The Pevely Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Jackson Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Jackson man was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on October 5, 2023, Mikel D. Williamson, 27, was found to be in possession of a firearm by the Jackson Police Department while in his automobile on County Line Road and at the perimeter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Jackson. Williamson has a previous felony conviction for armed carjacking, and federal law prohibits a convicted felon from possessing a firearm.
On October 6, 2023, the FBI secured a federal complaint against Williamson for his arrest and Williamson was brought into federal custody from state custody. On October 11, 2023, a federal grand jury indicted him for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He pled guilty on February 15, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen 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.