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Thursday 4 April 2024
El Departamento de Justicia llega a un acuerdo con una empresa de servicios de gestión con sede en Dallas para resolver acusaciones de discriminación en el empleoRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que ha llegado a un acuerdo conciliatorio con Riata Corporate Group LLC, una empresa con sede en Dallas que presta servicios de gestión a los sectores de energía y bienes de consumo. El acuerdo resuelve la determinación del departamento de que la empresa infringió la ley de Inmigración y Nacionalidad (INA) cuando discriminó a un solicitante al negarse a considerarla para el empleo porque es ciudadana estadounidense naturalizada.
«La discriminación a los trabajadores basada en su ciudadanía o estatus migratorio no solo perjudica a los trabajadores, sino también a los empleadores, porque pierden a los solicitantes cualificados», afirmó Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. «La ignorancia de la ley no sirve de excusa, y el Departamento de Justicia seguirá responsabilizando a los empleadores que infrinjan las leyes federales de derechos civiles de nuestra nación».
La Sección de Derechos de Inmigrantes y Empleados (IER, por sus siglas en inglés), de la División de Derechos Civiles, inició una investigación basada en la queja de una trabajadora y determinó que, en octubre de 2023, Riata la discriminó ilegalmente, aunque la empresa la había reclutado inicialmente para el empleo. Después de enterarse de que el trabajador es ciudadana naturalizada, la empresa le informó de que no podía contratarla debido a su estatus de ciudadanía. El Departamento determinó que Riata rechazó a la trabajadora porque malinterpretó uno de sus contratos gubernamentales, creyendo que exige que la empresa contrate solamente a ciudadanos nacidos en los EE. UU.
La INA prohíbe que los empleadores discriminen a los trabajadores con base en su estatus migratorio o ciudadanía, a menos que una ley, un reglamento, una orden ejecutiva o un contrato gubernamental requiera tal discriminación. Aunque Riata tenía un contrato con el gobierno que le exigía contratar solo a ciudadanos de los EE. UU. para ciertos trabajos, el contrato no autorizó a Riata a excluir a los ciudadanos naturalizados de los EE. UU.
Según los términos del acuerdo, Riata pagará los salarios perdidos al trabajador afectado. El acuerdo también requiere que Riata pague una sanción civil a los Estados Unidos, que capacite a su personal en cuanto a los requisitos antidiscriminatorios de la INA, que revise sus políticas de empleo y que se someta a ciertos requisitos de supervisión y declaración.
La IER es responsable de hacer cumplir la disposición antidiscriminatoria de la INA. La ley prohíbe la discriminación por motivos de estatus de ciudadanía y nacionalidad de origen en los procesos de contratación, despido o reclutamiento o recomendación por comisión, prácticas documentales injustas y represalias e intimidación.
Puede obtener más información sobre cómo los empleadores pueden evitar la discriminación en la contratación y el reclutamiento en el sitio web de la IER. Aprenda más sobre el trabajo de la IER y cómo conseguir ayuda mediante este vídeo corto. Aquellos aspirantes o empleados que creen haber sido discriminados por motivos de su ciudadanía, estatus migratorio o nacionalidad de origen en los procesos de contratación, despido, reclutamiento o verificación de la elegibilidad para trabajar (Formulario I-9 e E-Verify) o sujetos a represalias pueden presentar una denuncia. El público también puede llamar a la línea directa de la IER para trabajadores al 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY para personas con discapacidades auditivas); llamar a la línea directa de la IER para empleadores al 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY para personas con discapacidades auditivas); inscribirse a un seminario en línea en vivo o visualizar una presentación a la carta; enviar un correo electrónico a [email protected] ; o visitar los sitios web de la IER en inglés y español. Inscríbase para recibir actualizaciones por correo electrónico desde la IER.
District Men Charged with Armed Carjacking and Related OffensesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Gregory Patterson, 40, of Washington, D.C., was ordered held pending trial following a preliminary hearing today for an armed carjacking and armed robbery that occurred on June 11, 2023. Patterson’s codefendant, Jimmy Johnson, 43, was arrested on March 28, 2024. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to the government’s evidence at the preliminary hearing, on June 11, 2023, the victim was trying to pull into the Kenilworth Market and had driven into an adjacent alley when he saw the driveway block. The alley also had a sign blocking the victim’s path, prompting him to get out to move the obstruction. At that point, Patterson started speaking with the victim, and then punched the victim twice and pushed him to the ground. Patterson then entered the victim’s car and rummaged through it before calling over the three other men who robbed the victim of personal property and tried to take his car. The victim fought off his attackers and they ultimately retreated. The victim subsequently identified Patterson and a second man, Jimmy Johnson, as two of the four attackers.
Patterson was arrested on February 28, 2024. Today, Magistrate Judge Heide Herrmann ordered Patterson held pending trial and set a status conference for April 9, 2024. Johnson is scheduled to appear for a detention and probable cause hearing on April 9, 2024.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Gimenez of the Major Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
District Man Pleads Guilty to the Shooting Death of a Woman in Her Apartment in April 2020Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Karlos Kinney, 24, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty on April 2, 2024, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to voluntary manslaughter while armed in the April 2020 shooting death of 25-year old Resha Blount and also to assault with significant bodily injury for the November 2022 attack on inmate Jordan Jones while detained at the DC Jail, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 21, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, just prior to the homicide, Resha Blount, of Washington, D.C., had invited Kinney to her home for the purpose of purchasing marijuana from him. They had known each other from previous such occasions. During this meeting in her home, a dispute arose over the quality and price of the marijuana. When the argument escalated and Ms. Blount demanded that the defendant take his belongings and leave, Kinney pulled out a gun and shot Ms. Blount. Ms. Blount suffered four gunshot wounds and died on the floor of her apartment.
While detained at the DC Jail and awaiting trial on the homicide case, Kinney attacked inmate Jordan Jones with a sharp object, wounding him in the upper torso area. Mr. Jones had to be transported to Howard University Hospital and treated there due to the severity of his wounds.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the homicide and assault cases from the Metropolitan Police Department and the D.C. Department of Corrections. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Forman, Sara Hanson, and Jin Park, who investigated and prosecuted the homicide case, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sabena Auyeung, who indicted the assault case, and Katrenia Shelly, who prepared the assault case for trial.
Daytona Beach Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing over $88k of Veterans Affairs FundsRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Tijuanna J. Thomas (65, Daytona Beach) has pleaded guilty to theft of government property. Thomas faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. As part of her plea, Thomas has agreed to forfeit $88,440, the proceeds of her criminal conduct, and to make full restitution to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10, 2024.
According to the plea agreement, R.S. received both VA and Social Security benefits, which were direct deposited into a checking account he shared with Thomas. R.S. died on May 6, 2016. Thomas did not report R.S.’s death to the VA or the SSA, which continued to deposit benefits for R.S. into the account, thinking he was still alive. Thomas took those benefits, to which she was not entitled, and spent them on her own personal expenses.
This case was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Southeast Field Office and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro.
Convicted felon and sex offender sent to prison for possessing firearms, ammunition and methRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 45-year-old Corpus Christi resident has been sentenced for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition in addition to possessing meth, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
A federal jury convicted Roberto Moya Dec. 12, 2023, following a two-day trial.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Moya to serve 75 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional testimony that described the extent of Moya’s involvement in drug dealing. Evidence was also presented that depicted Moya fighting with guards at the jail. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Moya’s gang affiliations and his associations with known drug dealers resulted in the position he is in today.
On May 25, 2022, law enforcement conducted a search at Moya’s residence as part of a narcotics investigation. Although he was not the target, the investigation led them to that location.
During the search, authorities discovered a Glock pistol and a fully loaded magazine along with five other bullets of various calibers. Law enforcement found them between the mattress and box spring of the bed inside Moya’s bedroom. Law enforcement also found three pistols throughout the house, a shotgun and five shotgun shells in the garage, to which only Moya had a key.
The investigation further revealed Moya was a convicted felon for robbery and failure to register as a sex offender. As such, he is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Moya will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations and the Corpus Christi Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda L. Gould prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old, evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
Children’s store employee gets 25 years for attempting to sexually assault nine-year-oldRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 21-year-old man residing in San Juan has been sentenced for coercion and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Jorge Eduardo Naranjo pleaded guilty July 8, 2023, admitting he utilized a social media application and made arrangements to engage in a sexual encounter with a nine-year-old child.
U.S. District Chief Judge Randy Crane ordered Naranjo to serve 300 months in federal prison. The sentence was enhanced after the court determined Naranjo was a repeat and dangerous offender against minors, the offense involved a minor under the age of 12 and it was a commercial sex act. During the hearing, the court also heard argument that Naranjo crafted a life where he had access to children through employment at a children’s store and even expressed a desire to have his own female child so he could sexually assault her. The court also heard additional information that Naranjo was in possession of hundreds of child pornography files and further distributed those files. In handing down the prison term, Judge Crane noted that despite Naranjo’s age, his behavior was alarming and expressed the need to protect children in our community from this danger. Naranjo will also serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
“Naranjo exhibited some of the most dangerous behavior for our society,” said Hamdani. “He is a predator – he made specific inquiries about how to prevent children from reporting sexual abuse and if a nine-year-old could become pregnant. Thankfully, our partners put a stop to his threat and, together, we have taken another step in keeping our community safe from these reprehensible crimes.”
Naranjo, who operated several accounts with the username “Bored Dude” on a social media site, began communicating with an individual he believed had a nine-year-old child. Naranjo exchanged multiple messages clarifying his intent to engage in criminal sexual activity with the individual’s child who he referred to as “little.” Additionally, he sent files containing child pornography to the individual, messages inquiring how to keep children from reporting sexual abuse and if it was possible the child would become pregnant.
Naranjo traveled to an Edinburg hotel and intended to engage in the criminal sexual activity. Law enforcement took him into custody immediately upon his arrival at the hotel.
The FBI conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Devin V. Walker prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Career Offender Sentenced to 84 Months for PCP TraffickingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Harold Johnson, 41, of Temple Hills, Maryland, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for trafficking more than one kilogram of PCP, a dangerous hallucinogenic drug, within Washington, D.C.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget of the Washington Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Johnson, aka “Hump,” pleaded guilty on December 15, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb to seven counts of distribution of phencyclidine (PCP). In sentencing Johnson, Judge Cobb also ordered five years of supervised release on completion of his prison term.
According to court documents, Johnson primarily operated on the 2600 block of 14th Street, NE, in the District’s Park Morton area. Between September 2022 and February 2023, law enforcement conducted seven undercover purchases from Johnson, buying a total of approximately 50 ounces (over 1 kilogram) of PCP and 15 grams of fentanyl from him.
On August 25, 2023, law enforcement agents arrested Johnson in his Maryland home. Federal and state law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence where they seized $4,840 in cash, three bottles of an unknown liquid, a SIG Sauer P365 handgun with 9 mm ammunition with one round in the chamber and a Taurus 9mm handgun that was found under a mattress in a bedroom.
This investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Division, the DEA, and MPD's Violent Crime Suppression Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia Long and Shehzad Akhtar.
COVID-19 Testing Fraudster Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
An Irving man was sentenced yesterday to seven years in prison for his role in a $7 million COVID-19 testing fraud, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Terrance Barnard, 40, was indicted in December 2022 and pleaded guilty in September 2023 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and aggravated identity theft. He was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr, who ordered him to pay more than $7 million in restitution.
“These defendants took advantage of unsuspecting patients – and a global pandemic – to steal millions of dollars from insurers using private patient information,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton. “This sort of crime breaches patients’ trust and raises the cost of healthcare for all – at a time when access to medical care feels precarious to many.”
“Terrance Barnard and his co-conspirators submitted false claims to multiple healthcare plans, including Employee Retirement Income Security Act covered plans, for COVID-19 testing services using the stolen personal identifiable information of numerous individuals. Today’s sentencing affirms the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration to protect the integrity of employee benefit plans,” said Casey Howard, Special Agent-in-Charge, Central Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
According to plea papers, Mr. Barnard admitted that he and his coconspirators accessed private patient information – including names, dates of birth, and insurance subscriber numbers – through various clinics where Barnard worked as a contract lab technician. Mr. Barnard admitted that on some occasions, he took photographs of patient information and stored the images on “burner” phones, and on other occasions, he and a coconspirator accessed the clinics’ confidential electronic medical records to obtain large amounts of patient information at once.
They then used the patient information to submit claims to insurance providers – including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, United Healthcare, Aetna, Humana, and Molina Health Care – for COVID-19 testing that was never performed. (The patients had not requested COVID-19 testing, nor were they aware their information was being used to submit claims.)
Mr. Barnard admitted that the “labs” at which the coconspirators claimed the testing occurred, including TC Diagnostics, ME Diagnostics, and PHR Diagnostics, were, in fact, shell entities that never operated as labs. Collectively, these three entities submitted approximately $30 million in claims and were paid more than $7 million in reimbursements for fake testing.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, Mr. Barnard agreed to forfeit almost $2.5 million from bank accounts tied to him or his family, several real properties, five vehicles, and five luxury watches.
Also charged in the scheme were Connie Jo Clampitt, William Paul Gray, and Don Hogg, all of whom submitted guilty pleas. Mr. Gray was sentenced to 54 months in prison for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud; Ms. Clampitt and Mr. Hogg await sentencing on April 10 and May 1, respectively.
The Dallas Regional Office of the United States Department of Labor – Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Central Region of the Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, the Texas Department of Insurance Fraud Unit's Fort Worth Field Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Renee Hunter is prosecuting the case.
Bronx Man Charged with Foreign Murder of A U.S. NationalRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Nicole M. Argentieri, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Mehtab Syed, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and James Smith, the Assistant Director in Charge New York Field Office of the FBI, announced today that GANET ROZARIO was charged with the murder of a U.S. national on foreign soil, specifically, in Bangladesh. ROZARIO was arrested this morning and will be presented later today in Manhattan federal court. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Ganet Rozario, a citizen of the United States, allegedly murdered another U.S. national in Bangladesh. Today’s charges demonstrate that the reach of this Office and that of our law enforcement partners is vast and that our commitment to protect the men and women of New York City extends far beyond its geographical boundaries. The message is clear: this Office and its partners will be relentless in our pursuit of anyone who takes another life, even overseas.”
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri said: “As alleged in the indictment, the defendant, a U.S. national, murdered another U.S. national while they were both in Bangladesh. When an American murders another American abroad, they will face serious consequences. The Criminal Division is committed to investigating and prosecuting violent crimes committed against U.S. nationals wherever they occur and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.”
FBI Los Angeles Acting Assistant Director in Charge Mehtab Syed said: “The FBI devotes significant resources to investigating crimes that occur overseas which affect U.S. interests and impact American citizens. Individuals who commit crimes against U.S. citizens abroad will be held accountable through the FBI's extraterritorial investigations, which exist to deliver justice for victims of crimes beyond U.S. borders.”
FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge James Smith said: “Ganet Rozario allegedly committed the cold and calculated murder of Michael Rozario, a United States national, overseas in Bangladesh. It’s not up to the discretion of a single individual to take the life of another as this greatly disrupts the scales of justice. Today’s arrest emphasizes the FBI’s promise to aggressively pursue such egregious criminal acts against our citizens, even if they occur in foreign countries.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment:[1]
On June 11, 2021, GANET ROZARIO shot and killed Michael Rozario in Bangladesh.
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ROZARIO, 52, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with the foreign murder of a U.S. national, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, and use and carrying of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, which was discharged, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for information purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and thanked the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs for its assistance.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Violent & Organized Crime Unit, in conjunction with the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik and Senior Trial Attorney Frank Rangoussis of the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Beaumont man sentenced for federal firearms violation arising from domestic disturbanceRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Jorge Luis Castelan, Jr., 32, pleaded guilty on April 13, 2023, to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone on April 4, 2024.
According to information presented in court, during the early morning hours of May 15, 2022, Beaumont police responded to a domestic disturbance on Dogwood Lane in Beaumont. The 9-1-1 dispatcher advised the officers to look for a man who was armed and driving a silver pickup truck. Moments later when the officers arrived they found Castelan next to a silver pickup in possession of an assault-style rifle equipped with a fully-loaded, large-capacity magazine. After Castelan was taken into custody it was determined that he was previously convicted of aggravated robbery in Jefferson County. A federal grand jury indicted Castelan on Oct. 5, 2022. Under federal law, convicted felons are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.
“This case is emblematic of our commitment to utilize our violent crime prosecutors and our partner agents at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate and prosecute criminals who illegally possess guns in connection with domestic abuse,” said U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. “The long-lasting effects of domestic violence, dating violence and intimate partner violence are obviously amplified when firearms are involved. In this case, the quick response of the Beaumont Police Department defused a potentially deadly situation.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Beaumont Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross.
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Austin Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Smuggling Attempt That Resulted in Migrant DeathsRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – An Austin man was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 192 months in prison for one count of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death and 120 months for one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The two sentences will run concurrently.
According to court documents, on April 24, 2022, Joseph Alex Hernandez, 27, sped away from and attempted to evade Medina County Sheriff’s deputies for approximately seven minutes after they attempted a traffic stop. Hernandez reached speeds between 90 and 100 mph along the highway and access road, crossing the steep grassy median several times, and running a red traffic light. A rear tire on his vehicle eventually gave out, and Hernandez lost control, resulting in the vehicle crashing after flipping multiple times in the grassy median.
Hernandez had been transporting 13 undocumented noncitizens during the chase, including eight who were laying down in the covered truck bed. Three of the passengers were airlifted from the scene and the rest were transported via ambulance to local hospitals. While providing medical treatment, Emergency Medical Services personnel discovered that Hernandez was carrying a loaded pistol. Several days later, two of the smuggled migrants died in the hospital from their injuries.
Hernandez was charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death, transportation of illegal aliens resulting in death, and being felon in possession. He pleaded guilty Oct. 23, 2023 to the conspiracy and firearm charges.
“This case is another unfortunate and tragic example of how dangerous smuggling humans across the border has become,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “The defendant in this case put thirteen lives at risk in an attempt to evade law enforcement. Sadly, his actions led to two of those individuals paying the ultimate price.”
“This sentencing highlights HSI’s commitment to use every tool in our arsenal to investigate and dismantle transnational criminal organizations involved with human smuggling,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee for HSI San Antonio. “This case shows the lack of regard these organizations have for the people they have been paid to smuggle. There will be no safe haven in our communities for criminals who seek to evade our nation's laws and whose greed results in tragedy.”
HSI and the Medina County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Brown prosecuted the case.
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Arizona Doctor Pleads Guilty to Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Linh Cao Nguyen, M.D., of Peoria, pleaded guilty on March 19, 2024, to Health Care Fraud. Nguyen’s sentencing is scheduled for May 28, 2024, before United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker.
Nguyen admitted that for years, he engaged in a scheme to defraud various health care benefit programs, including Medicare, TRICARE, AHCCCS, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and UnitedHealthcare. As part of his scheme, Nguyen knowingly caused to be submitted thousands of false billing claims. Nguyen also falsely created patient records to conceal and avoid detection of his fraudulent billing scheme. Generally, the fraudulent claims identified a medical doctor as the treating provider when, in fact, another provider such as a nurse practitioner, social worker, unlicensed psychology intern, or wound care nurse provided the service independently. By billing the medical service as if it were provided by a physician, Nguyen falsely inflated the amount his company was to be paid for the service.
Nguyen admitted the loss he caused was at least $3.7 million dollars. Nguyen agreed to pay restitution to the private insurance companies totaling over $1 million.
A conviction for Health Care Fraud carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-02716-TUC-JCH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-044_Nguyen# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.April Federal Grand Jury 2024-A Indictments AnnouncedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the April Federal Grand Jury 2024-A Indictments.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Jason Wayne Case. Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography; Possession of Child Pornography. Case, 43, of Miami, is charged with receiving and distributing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. He is further charged with possessing visual images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children under 12 years old. The FBI and Miami Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen J. Flynn and Valeria Luster are prosecuting the case. 24-CR-102
Kyle Jackson Fugate. Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor. Fugate, 26, of Owasso and a member of the Osage Nation, is charged with knowingly attempting to persuade a minor child to engage in sexual activity in Mar. 2024. The Homeland Security Investigations and Rogers County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey P. Todd is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-101
O'Savion Goudeau. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Goudeau, 25, of Tulsa and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition after previously being convicted of felonies in Wagoner and Tulsa County District Courts. The Homeland Security Investigations, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Dowdell is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-100
Edwin Francisco Hernandez Guerrero. Drug Conspiracy (Count 1); Possession of Heroin with Intent to Distribute (Count 2); Distribution of Methamphetamine (Counts 3 & 4); Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises (Count 5). Guerrero, 25, a Mexican national, is charged with conspiring to distribute heroin and methamphetamine from Nov. 2023 through Mar. 2024. He allegedly possessed heroin with intent to distribute and intentionally distributed methamphetamine. He is further charged with maintaining a residence to distribute heroin and methamphetamine. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy M. Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-106
John Carpenter Lucas. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Lucas, 55, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition after previously being convicted of felonies in North Carolina and Georgia. He is further charged with allegedly possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen H. Flynn and Kenneth Elmore are prosecuting the case. 24-CR-108
Brandon Earl Presley. Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country (Counts 1 & 6); Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country (Counts 2 & 3); Production of Child Pornography (Count 4); Possession of Child Pornography (Count 5). Presley, 29, of Tulsa and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with knowingly engaging in a sexual act with two different minors under 16 years old. He allegedly had abusive sexual contact with one of those minor victims and a third minor victim under 16 years old. Presley also used a third minor victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct with the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. He is further charged with possessing a visual image depicting the sexual abuse of the child. The Homeland Security Investigations, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Department, and Bixby Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Brandon and Valeria Luster are prosecuting the case. 24-CR-107
Jerico Lee Reddell. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition (Count 1); Kidnapping in Indian Country (Counts 2, 5 & 8); Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country (Counts 3, 6 & 9); Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence (Count 4 & 7). Reddell, 41, of Bartlesville and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition after previously being convicted of felonies in Washington and Oklahoma County District Courts. He allegedly kidnapped two different victims, intentionally assaulted them with a dangerous weapon, and used a firearm in a crime of violence. The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, and Bartlesville Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michele W. Hulgaard and Stacey Todd are prosecuting the case. 24-CR-105
Kory Bryan Tuell; Lexus Nicole Fenix. First Degree Murder in Indian Country; Accessory After the Fact. Tuell, 30, of Tulsa and a member of the Cherokee Nation Tribe, is charged with deliberately killing Mitchell Jefferson in Mar. 2024. Fenix, 19, of Tulsa and a member of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, is charged with knowing Tuell committed murder and helping him avoid being arrested. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John E. Brasher and Stephen Flynn are prosecuting the case. 24-CR-099
23-Year-Old Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Distributing Fentanyl that Nearly Killed a Park City ResidentRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A U.S. District Court Judge sentenced Colin Andrew Shapard, 23, of Las Vegas, Nevada to 240 months’ imprisonment today, followed by 36 months supervised release. In December 2023, Shapard pleaded guilty to distribution of a controlled substance that resulted in serious bodily injury. Fentanyl Shapard shipped via U.S. Mail, nearly killed a Park City, Utah resident after the man overdosed in 2022. See prior release here.
DEAAccording to court documents, an investigation into Mr. Shapard began in November 2021 after a Park City resident reported to investigators that he obtained the drugs he possessed from Shapard. The resident also told investigators that in 2016, Shapard was the person who supplied a dangerous synthetic opioid to two 13-year-old middle-school students in Park City, who died as a result of ingesting the substance. Mr. Shapard was charged in juvenile court for the deaths of the two teens. Those offenses were processed through the juvenile court system as Shapard was a juvenile at the time.
In December 2021, subsequent to a search warrant, investigators identified and seized two shipments of counterfeit blue M30 pills laced with fentanyl that were mailed from Las Vegas to Utah. Simultaneously, DEA agents also learned that from December 2021 to May 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized four illicit drug shipments addressed to Shapard from the Netherlands. Additionally, in October 2020 customs enforcement agents in Germany seized two U.S. bound packages addressed to Shapard that contained illegal amphetamine-based drugs. Also in 2020, agents learned that Shapard received a FedEx package to a Midvale, Utah address that contained chemicals utilized in the manufacture of the drug GHB and or fentanyl. In 2022, undercover DEA agents purchased drugs from Shapard. Mr. Shapard told the undercover agent that the “blues” he sold were legitimate pharmaceuticals that he acquired from Canada. Shapard also claimed he tested every shipment of pills he received to confirm they did not contain fentanyl, when in fact they did.
In February 2022, the Park City resident was found on the floor unresponsive by his father. The father called 911 and began CPR. When emergency medical personnel arrived, they administered Naloxone, also referred to as Narcan, to the victim. Narcan is a drug that reverses the effects of opioids, including fentanyl, and is effective only on opioids. The victim was hospitalized and survived. The following day, DEA agents discovered that the victim overdosed on blue M30 fentanyl pills, which were purchased from Shapard. On March 8, 2022, Shapard was arrested.
“Community safety is a top priority for my office,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “Mr. Shapard not only knowingly sold dangerous synthetic opioids, but he did so while deceiving his customers about the nature of the product. Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. Had it not been for the quick response from the victim’s family and the fast acting first responders who administered Narcan this would have been a more tragic outcome. My office will vigorously prosecute those who distribute this poison in the state of Utah, particularly those who repeat the same behavior.”
“There is no outcome that can fully heal the destruction caused by Mr. Shapard’s actions. Nevertheless, today’s sentencing is an important step toward justice for the victim and the many family members and friends affected by Mr. Shapard’s distribution of deadly fentanyl. The tireless work on this case by some of DEA’s finest investigators is proof that the DEA is unwavering in its commitment to pursuing those criminals who seek to distribute poison in our communities," said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie, of the Salt Lake City District Office.
DEA
“Mr. Shapard continued to profit off numerous individuals with his fentanyl-laced pills even after being charged for the deaths of two teenagers in 2016. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to bringing all individuals to justice who use the U.S. Mail for their illegal activities. This significant sentence sends a message to drug traffickers who have no regard for human life, and we thank our law enforcement partners for their excellent teamwork,” said Inspector in Charge Glen Henderson of the USPIS Phoenix Division.
The case was part of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Park City Police Department, and the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
12 Members of Smog Inspection Cheating Ring IndictedRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Twelve people have been charged by federal indictment for a conspiracy to cheat California smog inspections using a sophisticated device known as the “OBDNator,” in violation of the Clean Air Act. The indictment was unsealed today following the arrests of the defendants who are alleged to have manufactured, distributed, and used OBDNators to cheat smog checks across the state.
U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert, Acting Special Agent in Charge Kimberly Bahney of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division, Region 9, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily of the FBI Sacramento Field Office made the announcement today.
According to court documents, between October 2015 and March 2024, the defendants participated in a conspiracy to cause polluting vehicles to pass California’s smog checks. Smog checks are typically performed by plugging smog inspection equipment, known as a Data Acquisition Device (DAD), into a vehicle’s On-Board Diagnostics port (OBD). To cheat smog tests, the conspirators plugged the smog inspection equipment into the OBDNator device instead. The OBDNator would then make it look like a vehicle had passed the smog check regardless of the true condition of that vehicle’s emission control system. While the defendants’ roles in the conspiracy varied, all of them used the OBDNator devices.
The following defendants are charged with conspiracy and making false statements pursuant to the Clean Air Act:
- Hossam “Sam” Hemdan, 54, of Hawthorne, owned and controlled several smog stations in Hawthorne and elsewhere. He designed, manufactured, and sold the OBDNator devices.
- Javier Salguero, 47, of Inglewood, owned and controlled several smog shops, including one in Bell and two in Maywood.
- Oscar Gomez, 36, of Rancho Cucamonga, ran a school for automotive technicians in Rancho Cucamonga.
- Guillermo Tovar, 35, of Fontana, worked at multiple smog stations.
- Arwa Harb, 53, of Redondo Beach, owned and controlled smog stations, including one in Wilmington and one in South Gate.
- Minh Truong, 45, of San Jose, operated out of smog stations owned by Thong Truong.
- Thong Truong, 40, of San Jose, owned and controlled smog stations, including two in Long Beach.
- Michael Nguyen, 38, of National City, operated out of a smog station in Spring Valley.
The following defendants are charged with conspiracy:
- Yehia Harb, 36, of Hawthorne, owned and controlled a smog shop that was formerly in Venice and presently is in Hawthorne.
- Khaled Hamdan, 31, of Hawthorne, worked at businesses owned by Hemdan.
- Jeremy Earls, 37, of Lakewood, owned and controlled smog stations, including two in Long Beach.
- Nas Meshal, 30, of La Palma.
“For many years, California’s Smog Check Program has successfully reduced the amount of pollution in the air we breathe by identifying polluting vehicles and requiring them to be repaired or retired,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “The developer and users of the OBDNator smog check cheating devices who are charged in the indictment unsealed today polluted the air we breathe for their own profit and harmed the health of Californians. Anyone who may be tempted to utilize a device to cheat on smog checks should consider that they too could face federal criminal charges and possible prison time. My office will continue to prioritize cases like this that protect our residents’ health and the environment.”
“Vehicle emissions testing is fundamental to protect air quality,” said EPA Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent in Charge Bahney. “The individuals ran a scheme to undermine the Clean Air Act ultimately at the expense of public health and the environment.”
“The FBI is deeply committed to investigating environmental crimes and the individuals and networks who seek to circumvent regulations for their own gain,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge, Mark Remily. “This case is a perfect example of law enforcement coordination to ensure the interests and safety of the American people are protected.”
According to court documents, Hemdan developed the OBDNator device and its accompanying software program. Hemdan sold and distributed OBDNator devices for as much as $18,000. After plugging the smog inspection equipment into the OBDNator, the conspirators would use the OBDNator to convey false smog check information to the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR). The OBDNator provided the Vehicle Identification Number and passing “answers” to the smog inspection equipment’s queries in the exact format that a passing vehicle of the same make, model, and year would provide. In order to provide those false answers, the defendants and others maintained collections of “clean” vehicle profiles that they would use to make it look like other, different vehicles had passed. The latest version of the OBDNator could pass a vehicle without the vehicle even being present at the smog station. During the conspiracy, some of the defendants organized classes to teach how to use the OBDNator and communicated through chat groups about how to avoid detection by authorities.
The defendants’ fraud was widespread. OBDNators are believed to be the most common and successful type of simulator devices used to cheat smog test in California. The devices, when used skillfully with the latest software updates, have at times advanced beyond BAR’s ability to detect cheating with its current equipment. However, when a user of the OBDNator performs a fraudulent smog imperfectly, BAR can often detect “tells” in the data conveyed to BAR in the course of the smog inspection. In the approximately six-month period preceding this indictment, BAR detected the use of a smog cheating device in more than 0.5% of total smog inspections. This is likely an undercount because many successful attempts are not detected.
The OBDNator devices have harmed California’s air quality and endangered the health of California residents. California’s Smog Check Program has made great progress at ensuring the vast majority of vehicles are compliant with emissions standards and improving California’s air quality. The defendants’ smog-cheating scheme undermines those efforts. A comparison between the failure rates of vehicles inspected in 2023 by BAR at random roadside checkpoints (13.5%) and by smog stations (7%) indicates how undetectable smog cheating leads to polluting vehicles being driven on California’s roads. The dirtiest vehicles – which could not pass smog inspections legitimately and which could not be registered without cheating – have an outsize impact on the air. For example, according to research presented by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the highest 1% of emitting light duty vehicles are responsible for approximately 42% of the total hydrocarbon emissions from all light-duty vehicles. BAR and CARB estimate that if all smog check stations in California operated as effectively as high-performing stations, that would have the impact of reducing approximately 56 additional tons per day of exhaust emissions.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, the California Bureau of Automotive Repairs, and Homeland Security Investigations San Diego. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine T. Lydon and Shea J. Kenny are prosecuting the case.
If convicted of the conspiracy count, the defendants face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. If convicted of the count of false statements in Clean Air Act documents, the defendants face a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
hemdan_et_al_obdnator_indictment.pdf
Wednesday 3 April 2024
“Head of Legal and Compliance” for Multibillion-Dollar Cryptocurrency Pyramid Scheme “OneCoin” Sentenced to Four Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that IRINA DILKINSKA was sentenced to four years in prison by U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos for her role in the massive OneCoin fraud scheme. OneCoin, which began operations in 2014 and was based in Sofia, Bulgaria, marketed and sold a fraudulent cryptocurrency by the same name through a global multi-level marketing (“MLM”) network. As a result of misrepresentations made about OneCoin, victims invested over $4 billion in the fraudulent cryptocurrency. DILKINSKA previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Irina Dilkinska's involvement in the sprawling OneCoin pyramid scheme was a flagrant breach of conduct. Rather than upholding the law and embracing her position as the Head of Legal and Compliance, she facilitated and committed money laundering, aiding in the exploitation of millions of victims. As Dilkinska learned today, this Office will hold accountable every perpetrator of the OneCoin scheme, no matter where they may hide.”
According to the allegations in the Superseding Information and other filings and statements made in court:
In 2014, RUJA IGNATOVA, a/k/a “the Cryptoqueen,” and KARL SEBASTIAN GREENWOOD co-founded OneCoin,[1] a company based in Sofia, Bulgaria, that marketed a purported cryptocurrency by the same name, which was in fact a fraudulent pyramid scheme. OneCoin operated as a MLM network through which members received commissions for recruiting others to purchase cryptocurrency packages. This MLM structure influenced rapid growth of the OneCoin member network. According to OneCoin’s promotional materials, over three million people invested in fraudulent cryptocurrency packages. OneCoin records show that between the fourth quarter of 2014 and the fourth quarter of 2016 alone, OneCoin generated €4.037 billion in sales revenue and earned “profits” of €2.735 billion.
DILKINSKA was the purported Head of Legal and Compliance for OneCoin. But rather than ensuring that OneCoin complied with the law, DILKINKSA assisted in running its day-to-day operations and laundered money for OneCoin, including arranging for the transfer of $110 million in fraudulently obtained OneCoin proceeds to a Cayman Islands entity.
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In addition to the prison term, DILKINSKA, 42, a citizen of Bulgaria, was sentenced to one month of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $111,440,000.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Folly, Juliana Murray, and Kevin Mead are in charge of the prosecution.
[1] OneCoin has operated using several corporate entities and d/b/a names, including “OneCoin Ltd.,” “OnePayments Ltd.,” “OneNetwork Services Ltd.,” “OneAcademy,” and “OneLife.” These entities and d/b/a names are referred to collectively here as “OneCoin.”
York County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. —DeQavion Keyon DaJohn DeShae Cook, 31, of Rock Hill, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that agents learned that between 2015 and 2023, Cook was responsible for selling drugs that were obtained from Darryl Hemphill. Agents learned the drugs obtained from Hemphill included crystal methamphetamine and pills that resembled 30 mg Oxycodone tablets, also known in the generic form as Roxicodone. The pills were produced by Hemphill and/or others with fentanyl at various locations in the Rock Hill and Charlotte region. As Hemphill was the leader of this organization, he was supplying the drugs to Cook who was incarcerated in the South Carolina Department of Corrections at that time.
The agents used multiple investigative techniques to determine the quantity of drugs provided to Cook while he was incarcerated in SCDC. Cook used his brother to obtain the pills and methamphetamine from Hemphill in Rock Hill and take the drugs to a correctional officer who would conceal the drugs and take them to Cook inside of the prison.
Cook faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $5,000,000 and four years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Cook after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. Cook’s sentence on this offense will begin after he completes his current federal sentence for another federal violation.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, York County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Rock Hill Police Department, York County Sheriff’s Office, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.
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Webster Groves Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Gun and Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry on Wednesday sentenced a man who was caught with a methamphetamine in a carjacked vehicle to 10 years in prison.
Taylor Aellen Foster, 26, of Webster Groves, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Foster was found unconscious by St. Louis County police on August 7, 2022, in a parking lot at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. When he got out of the vehicle, officers spotted a handgun on the driver’s seat behind Foster and a catalytic converter in the trunk area that had been cut off a vehicle and stolen. As a convicted felon, Foster is barred from possessing firearms.
On March 12, 2023, officers at a convenience store on Page Avenue in Overland spotted Foster getting into a 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse that had been carjacked the day before. The officers tried to pull the vehicle over, but Foster sped off, traveling from Page Avenue onto Interstate 170. After reaching speeds as high as 120 m.p.h., Foster crashed into a Volkswagen, causing that vehicle to hit a Pontiac. Foster ran away but passed out while police were pursuing him. Officers found nine counterfeit $100 bills, marijuana and the Eclipse owner’s work identification in Foster’s bag. They found almost 80 grams of meth in the Eclipse.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the Maplewood Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker 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.
Washington Parish Man Sentenced for Federal Drug ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – KELVIN WARREN (“WARREN”), age 30, a resident of Bogalusa, Louisiana, was sentenced on March 28, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Barry Ashe, to 130 months imprisonment, five years of supervised release, and the payment of a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine and over 40 grams of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A).
According to court documents, on January 27, 2022, WARREN occupied a vehicle that was pulled over by the police during a traffic stop. During a vehicle search, police located a bag on the front passenger floorboard at WARREN’s feet, that contained approximately 1.7 pounds of methamphetamine, 5.8 ounces of fentanyl, a scale, and other drug paraphernalia.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Maurice E. Landrieu, Jr. of the Narcotics Unit.
Two Violent Carjackings in Chicago Lead to 18-Year Federal Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison for violently carjacking two vehicles in Chicago.
KASHIF DUKES, 29, of Chicago, took the vehicles at gunpoint in 2017 and 2018. In the first carjacking, Dukes took a Mercedes-Benz sedan in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood on Sept. 10, 2017. Dukes pressed a gun to the driver’s chest and said words to the effect of, “get the [expletive] out the car or I’m going to shoot the [expletive] out of you.” Dukes then took the driver’s cellphones, cash, and wallet and sped off in the Mercedes. The second carjacking occurred on July 21, 2018, in the Little Italy neighborhood on Chicago’s Near West Side when Dukes and accomplices took a Chevy Equinox from a woman and her two children and granddaughter. The family was dropping off food at a friend’s house for a barbecue that evening. The carjackers brandished firearms and shouted at the women to “get the [expletive] out of the car” and to “get the baby and get the [expletive] out.”
Dukes pleaded guilty to the first carjacking and was convicted by a jury in 2021 of the second carjacking. The jury also convicted Dukes of federal firearm charges. U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso on Tuesday imposed a sentence of 18 years and three months in federal prison.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
“Defendant traumatized the victims and placed them in fear of their lives,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jasmina Vajzovic argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “The community as a whole – victims, witnesses, society, and perpetrators – needs to know that the federal system takes the crime of carjacking seriously and will justly punish those who choose to spend their time terrorizing others.”
Two Individuals Plead Guilty to Participating in Insider Trading Scheme Based on SPAC Merger with Trump Media & Technology GroupRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that MICHAEL SHVARTSMAN and GERALD SHVARTSMAN each pled guilty to one count of securities fraud, both in connection with their participation in an insider trading scheme surrounding the merger of Digital World Acquisition Corporation (“DWAC”) with Trump Media & Technology Group (“Trump Media”). MICHAEL and GERALD SHVARTSMAN were arrested in June 2023 and pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Michael and Gerald Shvartsman admitted in court that they received confidential, inside information about an upcoming merger between DWAC and Trump Media and used that information to make profitable, but illegal, open-market trades. Insider trading is cheating, plain and simple, and today’s convictions should remind anyone who may be tempted to corrupt the integrity of the stock market that it will earn them a ticket to prison.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment and statements made in public court proceedings:
In October 2021, MICHAEL SHVARTSMAN and GERALD SHVARTSMAN together made more than $22 million dollars in illegal profits by trading in securities of DWAC based on material, non-public information (“MNPI”) about DWAC’s planned, but not yet public, business combination with Trump Media, a media company founded by former President Donald J. Trump.
As sophisticated investors, MICHAEL SHVARTSMAN and GERALD SHVARTSMAN were invited to invest in DWAC and another special purpose acquisition company (“SPAC”), and after signing non-disclosure agreements, they were provided confidential information about the SPACs, including that a potential target of the SPACs was Trump Media. As a condition of receiving this information, the defendants were prohibited by the non-disclosure agreements from disclosing the confidential information they learned or using it to buy and sell securities on the open market. After making initial investments into DWAC through the initial public offering process, through placing their associate on DWAC’s board of directors, the defendants continued to learn valuable MNPI about DWAC’s plans to merge with Trump Media, such the status of the merger negotiations and the timing of a public merger announcement.
In violation of the non-disclosure agreements that they had signed, and in contravention of their associate’s duties and responsibilities as a board member, the defendants bought millions of dollars of DWAC securities on the open market before the news of the Trump Media business combination was public. The defendants also tipped others about the upcoming merger, inducing further trades in DWAC securities on the basis of the MNPI they had obtained subject to their non-disclosure agreement and through their associate’s board seat.
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MICHAEL SHVARTSMAN, 53, of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, and GERALD SHVARTSMAN, 46, of Aventura, Florida, each pled guilty to one count of securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge. MICHAEL SHVARTSMAN and GERALD SHVARTSMAN are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Liman on July 17, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. Mr. Williams also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which has filed a parallel civil action.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth A. Hanft, Daniel G. Nessim, and Matthew R. Shahabian are in charge of the prosecution.
Tuscaloosa County Man Sentenced to over 15 Years on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
Tuscaloosa, Ala. – A federal judge sentenced a Tuscaloosa County man on charges of transportation and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples.
U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced Nathaniel David Struening, 43, of Buhl, Alabama, to 188 months in prison followed by supervised release for life. Struening was also ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution to the child victims. Struening pled guilty in November 2023 to one count of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
In 2020, FBI Milwaukee, in collaboration with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, was investigating numerous groups of individuals engaged in the receipt, possession, distribution and possible production of child sexual abuse material through a proactive operation. As part of the FBI’s operation, online covert employees documented these illegal activities and forwarded the documentation for further investigation to the appropriate FBI field office. According to court documents, Struening transported child pornography in a group on the social media application, Kik. Federal search warrants were obtained for Struening’s Kik account and his residence where several electronic devices were seized. Additional child pornography was found in his possession.
The FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF) investigated the case, along with the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Division of the FBI, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), Homewood Police Department, and Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Three defendants sentenced in fraudulent nursing diploma schemeRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On April 2, three defendants were sentenced to federal prison after having previously been found guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges following a three-week jury trial in Fort Lauderdale in relation to a fraudulent nursing diploma scheme.
U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal sentenced Gail Russ, registrar of the Palm Beach School of Nursing in Lake Worth, Florida, to 78 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and ordered forfeiture of $861,672.
Judge Singhal sentenced Cassandre Jean, owner and operator of Success Nursing Review in Brooklyn, New York, to 36 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, a $20,000 fine and ordered forfeiture of $4,698,828.
The court ordered Russ and Jean to be remanded to the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to begin serving their sentences.
Judge Singhal sentenced Vilaire Duroseau, owner and operator of the Center for Advance Training and Studies in West Orange, New Jersey, to 33 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and ordered forfeiture of $1,381,913.40.
The court ordered Duroseau to surrender in Newark, New Jersey on April 5.
These defendants were charged along with 11 co-defendants for their involvement in a scheme to sell fraudulent nursing degree diplomas and transcripts obtained from two private nursing schools that at one time were approved by the State of Florida to issue diplomas and transcripts to individuals seeking licenses and jobs as registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPN/VNs).
The bogus diplomas and transcripts qualified purchasers to sit for the national nursing board exam and, after passing it, to obtain licenses and jobs in various states as RNs and LPN/VNs. The overall scheme involved the distribution of more than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas by Palm Beach School of Nursing and Quisqueya School of Nursing LLC in Palm Beach County, Florida. These schools are now closed due to the excessive failure rates of its students taking the state nursing board exam.
Those nursing applicants who passed the national nursing board exam used the fraudulent diplomas to obtain RN or LPN/VN licenses and nursing jobs with unwitting health care providers throughout the United States.
An additional 11 defendants entered pleas of guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in Case No. 23-60007-Cr-Singhal. In total, 27 defendants were charged and convicted in 2023 for their participation in this nursing diploma fraud scheme, known as Operation Nightingale, that created an illegal licensing and employment shortcut for aspiring nurses.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Stephen Mahmood of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Region announced the sentences.
FBI Miami and HHS-OIG Miami investigated these cases. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General; and Florida Attorney General-Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Mid-Atlantic Field Office provided valuable assistance. Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon M. Juenger prosecuted these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff handled asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-60007.
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Three Defendants Arrested During 2023 Joint Enforcement Operation in Carlsbad Plead Guilty to Federal Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Three of the eight defendants indicted following a joint enforcement operation last year in Carlsbad, pleaded guilty in federal court to federal drug offenses.
Carlos Venegas, Jr., 24, of Carlsbad, pleaded guilty on March 4, 2024, to one count each of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine, 400 grams and more of fentanyl, and 500 grams and more of cocaine, attempt to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine, attempt to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute 400 grams and more of fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine.
Amber Owen, 51, of Carlsbad, pleaded guilty on March 12, 2024, to one count each of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine and distribution of 50 grams and more of methamphetamine.
Kinny Gonzalez, 29, of Carlsbad, pleaded guilty on April 2, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine and 400 grams and more of fentanyl and more than 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, distribution of cocaine, conspiracy to smuggle goods from the united states, smuggling goods from the united states, attempt to smuggle a firearm and ammunition out of the united states to promote a drug trafficking offense, attempt to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine, attempt to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine, distribution of 400 grams and more of fentanyl and distribution of 50 grams and more of methamphetamine.
All 3 defendants will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
A federal grand jury indicted Venegas, Owen, and Gonzalez on July 19, 2023, along with their co-defendants and Jesus Alonso Cerezo-Espidio, Kassandra Lee Perales, Jared Michael Moore, Brian Kain Purdy and Sabino Alfonso Maldonado. According to court records, on March 5, 2023, Gonzalez provided cocaine to Moore. Then, on March 8, 2023, Gonzalez agreed to send multiple firearms and a black jeep to an individual in Mexico. Gonzalez arranged for Purdy and Maldonado to pick up the black Jeep in Carlsbad so that it could be loaded with firearms to be illegally exported to Mexico. Purdy and Maldonado then turned over the Jeep to a person who had traveled to Carlsbad from Mexico for the purpose of picking up the firearms and transporting them back to Mexico. As the individual from Mexico began to drive back to Mexico with the firearms, he was stopped by law enforcement officer, and the firearms were seized.
On April 2, 2023, an individual crossed the border from Mexico into the United States with an ice chest containing 1,974 net grams of cocaine and 501.4 net grams of pure methamphetamine. The following day, April 3, Venegas and Kassandra Perales traveled from Carlsbad to El Paso to pick up the ice chest and deliver it Kinny Gonzalez in Carlsbad. Unbeknownst to them, law enforcement officials had already seized the methamphetamine and cocaine from the vehicle overnight. After learning that the drugs were no longer in the car vehicle, Venegas and Perales had several conversations with Kinny Gonzalez in Carlsbad to whom they were supposed to deliver the ice chest regarding what could have happened to the drugs.
The following week, on April 10, 2023, Owen provided Venegas and Perales with 893.3 net grams of pure methamphetamine and 657 net grams of fentanyl pills which they planned to take to North Dakota to sell before returning to Carlsbad to pay Owen. On April 11, 2023, Venegas and Perales left Carlsbad and were driving toward North Dakota with the 893.3 net grams of pure methamphetamine, 657 net grams of fentanyl pills and a loaded firearm when we were stopped in Chaves County by law enforcement officers who seized the drugs and firearm.
At sentencing, Venegas, Owen, and Gonzalez each face between 10 years and life in prison followed by a term of supervised release.
To date, four of the other eight defendants have pleaded guilty to federal drug offenses. Kassandra Lee Perales, Jared Michael Moore, Brian Kain Purdy and Sabino Alfonso Maldonado all remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. Jesus Alonso Cerezo-Espidio is currently scheduled to stand trial on May 6, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Division, made the announcement today.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force, with enforcement assistance from the United States Marshal Service, Carlsbad Police Department, Eddy County Sheriff’ Department, Roswell Police Department, Chaves County Drug Task Force, DEA Airwing and Customs and Border Patrol. The New Mexico Air National Guard’s Air Unit, Artesia Police Department and Customs and Border Patrol’s Air Unit provided support during the operation on August 1, 2023.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Renee L. Camacho and Devon Aragon-Martinez are prosecuting the case.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The task force initiatives are also part of the New Mexico High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program (HIDTA), a federal grant program that supports law enforcement efforts to combat the drug threat in the state.
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Texas Man Sentenced for Hate Crimes Following Mass Shooting Targeting Muslims at Car Repair ShopRead the Press Release
A Dallas man was sentenced today to 37 years in prison, with credit for time served in state custody, following his guilty plea to hate crime charges arising out of a fatal shooting at a car repair shop.
On Sept. 14, 2023, Anthony Paz Torres, 39, pleaded guilty to five federal hate crime counts for killing one individual and attempting to kill four others during a mass shooting at Omar’s Wheels and Tires in Dallas on Dec. 24, 2015. Torres also pleaded guilty to one count of using a firearm to commit the murder.
“As this sentence makes clear, hate crimes fueled by Islamophobia, or by bias of any kind, will be met with the full force of the Justice Department,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “No person in this country should have to live in fear because of who they are, what they look like, or how they pray.”
“The defendant attempted to commit a mass shooting and intentionally targeted victims at a Muslim-owned business,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “This case is an abhorrent example of how deadly Islamophobia can be in our own country and the severe consequences that wait for anyone who commits acts of hateful violence. The FBI places civil rights investigations as one of our highest priorities because everyone deserves to practice their religion without fear.”
“No person in the United States should fear that they will be the target of violence because of their religion,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The sentence handed down today ensures that Torres will be held accountable for the hate-fueled, Islamophobic violence he inflicted on the victims in this case. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute such hate crimes.”
“North Texans come from a variety of religious traditions and backgrounds, and no one should have to live in fear because of the way they worship,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton for the Northern District of Texas. “This case demonstrates the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s dedication to protecting members of our north Texas community from acts of violence fueled by hatred toward any religious group. Let the message be clear: if you commit such acts, we will seek to prosecute you and send you to prison for as long as possible.”
According to court documents, Torres admitted that a few days prior to the shooting, he went to Omar’s Wheels and Tires, made anti-Muslim comments, and pledged that he would come back. When he returned to the business on Dec. 24, 2015, Torres asked customers if they were Muslim. After being escorted back to his vehicle by Omar’s Wheels and Tires employees, Torres discharged his firearm in the direction of multiple employees and customers. Torres admitted that he killed one person and attempted to kill four other people at Omar’s Wheels and Tires because he believed that they were Muslim.
The FBI Dallas Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Criminal District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Dana for the Northern District of Texas and Rebekah J. Bailey, formerly a Trial Attorney with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, prosecuted the case, with the help of Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Gilstrap for the Northern District of Texas.
For more information and resources about the Department’s work to combat hate crimes visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
Texas Man Sentenced for Hate Crimes Following Mass Shooting Targeting Muslims at Car Repair ShopRead the Press Release
A Dallas man was sentenced today to 37 years in prison, with credit for time served in state custody, following his guilty plea to hate crime charges arising out of a fatal shooting at a car repair shop.
On Sept. 14, 2023, Anthony Paz Torres, 39, pleaded guilty to five federal hate crime counts for killing one individual and attempting to kill four others during a mass shooting at Omar’s Wheels and Tires in Dallas on Dec. 24, 2015. Torres also pleaded guilty to one count of using a firearm to commit the murder.
“As this sentence makes clear, hate crimes fueled by Islamophobia, or by bias of any kind, will be met with the full force of the Justice Department,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “No person in this country should have to live in fear because of who they are, what they look like, or how they pray.”
“The defendant attempted to commit a mass shooting and intentionally targeted victims at a Muslim-owned business,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “This case is an abhorrent example of how deadly Islamophobia can be in our own country and the severe consequences that wait for anyone who commits acts of hateful violence. The FBI places civil rights investigations as one of our highest priorities because everyone deserves to practice their religion without fear.”
“No person in the United States should fear that they will be the target of violence because of their religion,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The sentence handed down today ensures that Torres will be held accountable for the hate-fueled, Islamophobic violence he inflicted on the victims in this case. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute such hate crimes.”
“North Texans come from a variety of religious traditions and backgrounds, and no one should have to live in fear because of the way they worship,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton for the Northern District of Texas. “This case demonstrates the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s dedication to protecting members of our north Texas community from acts of violence fueled by hatred toward any religious group. Let the message be clear: if you commit such acts, we will seek to prosecute you and send you to prison for as long as possible.”
According to court documents, Torres admitted that a few days prior to the shooting, he went to Omar’s Wheels and Tires, made anti-Muslim comments, and pledged that he would come back. When he returned to the business on Dec. 24, 2015, Torres asked customers if they were Muslim. After being escorted back to his vehicle by Omar’s Wheels and Tires employees, Torres discharged his firearm in the direction of multiple employees and customers. Torres admitted that he killed one person and attempted to kill four other people at Omar’s Wheels and Tires because he believed that they were Muslim.
The FBI Dallas Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Criminal District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Dana for the Northern District of Texas and Rebekah J. Bailey, formerly a Trial Attorney with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, prosecuted the case, with the help of Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Gilstrap for the Northern District of Texas.
For more information and resources about the Department’s work to combat hate crimes visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
Texas Man Pleads Guilty for Role in Armed Bank Robbery in Northwest Oklahoma CityRead the Press Release
Two Defendants from Nebraska Previously Pleaded Guilty to Their Role in the Armed Bank Robbery
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, CHRISTIAN DELEON LANE, 36, of Dallas, Texas, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting an armed bank robbery in the metro, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On March 21, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a three-count Indictment against Lane and two co-defendants, David John-Matthew Davis, 40, and Paris Kathryn Mace, 30, both of Omaha, Nebraska, for their roles in a metro bank robbery in February 2023. According to an affidavit previously filed in support of a criminal complaint, on February 23, 2023, Davis entered a bank in northwest Oklahoma City armed with a pistol. The affidavit alleges Davis pointed the firearm at multiple employees and ordered them to open the bank’s vault. After Davis filled a bag with money, he left the bank in a car without a license plate. Authorities found the car abandoned in a nearby parking lot, where surveillance video depicted Davis exit the car and get into a blue SUV driven by someone else.
The affidavit further alleges that Mace had rented the blue SUV and that Lane had purchased the abandoned car two days before the robbery. The day after Lane purchased the vehicle, Lane had reported to law enforcement that the car was missing and that he believed it had been stolen, but he declined to file a stolen vehicle report. The affidavit further alleges that surveillance video from an Oklahoma City motel depicted Davis, Lane, and Mace interacting with each other days before the robbery.
Today, Lane pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting armed bank robbery, and he admitted to purchasing the vehicle later used in furtherance of the crime.
Both Mace and Davis previously pleaded guilty in the case. In October 2023, Mace pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the armed robbery. In February 2024, Davis pleaded guilty to armed bank robbery and to possession of a firearm during the bank robbery. Each defendant, by pleading guilty to the armed bank robbery, faces punishment up to 25 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and restitution to the victim bank. In addition, Davis faces not less than five years in federal prison and up to life imprisonment, along with a $250,000 fine, for possession of the firearm during the bank robbery. Davis’s sentence for the firearm count must be served consecutively to his sentence for the armed bank robbery.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City, Dallas, and Omaha Field Offices and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wilson D. McGarry and Daniel Gridley are prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to a Total of 10 Years in Prison for Drug, Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man caught with a gun and fentanyl after a police chase to a total of 10 years in prison.
Antwan Boothe, 33, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in December to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted fleeing a traffic stop near the intersection of Jennings Station Road and West Florissant Avenue in St. Louis County on April 21, 2022, with his 9-year-old son in the car. While speeding away in a Chevrolet Camaro, Boothe hit multiple parked cars. After the Camaro became disabled, Boothe ran through the rear yards of homes adjoining the Jennings Senior High School campus, discarding a gun as he fled.
After officers caught and arrested Boothe, they found a plastic bag with nearly 200 capsules containing fentanyl. They retraced his steps and found a stolen .40-caliber Glock pistol and its magazine. They also found over $7,000 in the car. As part of his plea, Boothe admitted that he intended to sell some or all of the fentanyl.
Judge Perry sentenced Boothe to nine years in prison for the 2022 incident, and one more year for violating his supervised release in a 2015 federal case in which he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
If Boothe is caught and charged again with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, he could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin 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.
St. George Man Sentenced to 72 Months’ Imprisonment for Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah – James Edgar Conner, 42, of St. George, Utah, was sentenced today to 6 years’ imprisonment, and 15 years’ supervised release after he admitted to receipt of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements and admissions made at the change of plea hearing, from April 2019 through June 2023, in the District of Utah, Conner knowingly possessed electronic files depicting child pornography.
An investigation into Conner began in June 2023, when law enforcement received multiple cybertips for a Synchronoss account that belonged to Conner. Synchronoss provides cloud data storage for wireless customers. The cybertips revealed child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Law enforcement executed a search warrant for Conner’s Synchronoss account, and the return showed the account was associated with Conner’s cellphone and email address. Inside the account, law enforcement found 23 child pornography videos as well as personal identifying information such as Conner’s paychecks, driver’s license, and work badge. Law enforcement also found several surreptitious videos that Conner covertly recorded of adult women using his restroom.
On June 27, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Conner’s residence in St. George. Prior to the execution of the search warrant, law enforcement arrested Conner. During the search, officers found a number of digital devices including cellphones and covert camera equipment in the residence, among other items. During an interview, Conner admitted knowingly downloading multiple CSAM videos to his phone, some of which depicted children under the age of 10.
The case was investigated by the St. George Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Chris Burton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Springfield man pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Springfield to an Information charging him with three firearms offenses.
Benjamin Hunter-Blake, 25, pleaded guilty to one count each of felon in possession of firearm and ammunition, unlawful possession of machinegun, and unlawful possession of unregistered firearm (a silencer). U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for July 2, 2024.
On Jan. 27, 2023, five pistols, including a “ghost gun” with an attached “Glock switch” machinegun conversion device; four other Glock switches; a silencer; and a large collection of ammunition, large capacity magazines, and other firearms-related items were seized from Hunter-Blake’s residence in Springfield. Hunter-Blake’s mobile phone was also seized, which contained evidence that Hunter-Blake had been obtaining and distributing other firearms, including to at least one individual with a felony conviction.
Hunter-Blake was convicted twice in state court on firearms felonies and is currently under indictment and house arrest for a third state firearms case.The charge of felon in possession of firearm and ammunition provides for a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and three years of supervised release. The charge of unlawful possession of a machinegun and unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm provides for a sentence of 10 years in prison on each charge and three years of supervised release. Hunter Blake agreed to the forfeiture of the Glock switches and three high-capacity magazines. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Boston Feld Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance provided by the Springfield Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
South Texan sent to prison for hauling 32 people in horse trailerRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 34-year-old Mission resident has been sentenced following his conviction for transportation of undocumented aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Simon Garcia III pleaded guilty Dec. 15, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now ordered Garcia to serve 24 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence regarding the circumstances of the crime such as the heat and cramped conditions. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the number of people transported in the horse trailer.
On Sept. 15, 2023, Garcia approached the Falfurrias Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint driving a black Dodge Ram 3500 truck with an attached horse trailer and four horses. A K-9 alerted to the vehicle and authorities referred him to secondary inspection.
Upon further investigation, law enforcement discovered 32 people hidden within a storage compartment inside the trailer. All were illegally present in the United States and cramped into a small area.
After refusing to get inside the trailer, one person recalled that he was forced into the trailer. Some described how they crossed into the United States and were held at stash houses before masked individuals told them to get into the horse trailer, not move and be quiet. Another person said he was sweating excessively, had a hard time breathing, had no way to escape and feared for his life.
Garcia will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations and BP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Liesel Roscher prosecuted the case.
Six Defendants Sentenced to Federal Prison as A Result of A Joint Drug Trafficking InvestigationRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced today the sentences of six defendants who were indicted in multiple cases and convicted for their participation in a drug trafficking ring previously active in Escambia County, Florida. The prosecutions were the result of a large-scale multi-agency investigation spearheaded by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
“Our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners work tirelessly to keep us safe by removing addictive and deadly controlled substances from our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “We remain committed to support their efforts through the investigation and prosecution of criminals bringing drugs into North Florida. The imposed sentences illustrate the significant consequences of harming our citizens through their illicit drug trafficking activities.”
“We are proud of the combined efforts of our federal, state, and local partners,” said Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons. “This successful investigation will have a lasting impact on the availability of dangerous drugs in our area. Our commitment to safe communities remains strong.”
From November 2021 through March 2023, law enforcement seized over 26 kilograms of methamphetamine, over a kilogram of cocaine, over 1300 grams of fentanyl, multiple pounds of marijuana, a quantity of heroin, and 12 firearms.
As a result of the joint investigation, the following defendants were convicted on drug trafficking charges and/or firearm offenses, and have been sentenced to the following in federal court:
- Brandon M. Anderson, 32, of Pensacola, Florida, 20 years in prison
- Oddie A. Mims, 35, of Pensacola, Florida, 12 years in prison
- Ackrulmauert P. Mims, 30, of Pensacola, Florida, 12 years in prison
- Keontre M. Dortch, 30, of Pensacola, Florida, 10 years in prison
- William Contreras, 27, of Pensacola, Florida, 7 years in prison
- Bryant Lee Williams, 43, of Pensacola, Florida, 5 years in prison
Each will also be required to serve a term of supervised release following their prison sentence.
“Addictive, destructive, and oftentimes deadly, illegal drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin can destroy families and ruin communities,” said DEA Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne Reuter. “Strong partnerships between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are vital to keeping Florida communities safe and healthy, and DEA remains committed to working with our partners to hold those who distribute this poison in our communities responsible for their actions.”
“I commend our law enforcement partners for their exceptional investigative efforts which led to the apprehension of several drug dealers and the seizure of firearms and dangerous illicit drugs,” said Juan A. Vargas, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division. “We will continue to identify every level of these criminal enterprises, dismantle them, and hold them accountable.”
These cases resulted from a joint investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Explosives and Firearms, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Pensacola Police Department, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Gulf Breeze Police Department, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Ryan Love.
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.
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.
As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Sex Offender Who Possessed Child Pornography Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Woonsocket man who admitted to collecting thousands of images and nearly 200 videos of child pornography, at a time that he was already a registered sex offender, has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Matthew S. Hathaway, 26, of Woonsocket, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on January 4, 2024, to a charge of possession of child pornography involving prepubescent minors. He was sentenced on Tuesday by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to 42 months of incarceration to be followed by eight years of federal supervised release.
According to documents filed with the court, a member of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an IP address, later determined to originate from a Woonsocket residence where Hathaway resided, was being used to download and transfer child pornography.
On March 16, 2023, members of the ICAC Task Force executed a court-authorized search warrant at Hathaway’s residence and seized a desktop computer and cell phone belonging to Hathaway. A forensic audit of the electronic devices by Homeland Security Investigations determined that the devices contained 7,984 images and 192 videos of child sexual abuse material.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie M. White and Dulce Donovan.
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Schenectady Man Sentenced on Drug ConvictionsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Hason Harres, age 47, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced today to serve 57 months in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New York Division made the announcement.
As part of his previous guilty plea, Harres admitted to possessing and/or distributing more than 1,400 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, as well as 92 grams of methamphetamine. At the time of the offense, Harres was on post-release supervision for a state drug conviction. Senior U.S. District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn also imposed a 4-year term of supervised release and forfeiture of $13,800.00.
The DEA investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner prosecuted the defendant.
San Pedro Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Attempting to Persuade Minor to Produce Sexually Explicit Photos of HerselfRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A South Bay man has been sentenced to 360 months in federal prison for attempting – via text messages and audio calls – to convince an 11-year-old girl to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM), the Justice Department announced today.
Anthony Frank Scovotto, 58, of San Pedro, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer.
Scovotto pleaded guilty in May 2023 to one count of attempted production of child pornography.
In April and May of 2017, Scovotto contacted the victim, whom he believed was 12 years old, via audio calls and text messages. To convince the victim to produce CSAM, Scovotto told the victim that he loved her and that they were “meant for each other.”
Scovotto pretended to be 18 years old, and he instructed the victim to contact him in an online chat room. While they were both in the chat room, Scovotto asked the victim to take off her clothes. In text messages, Scovotto asked the victim to send him sexually explicit photographs of herself.
In his plea agreement, Scovotto admitted that in 2017 he separately contacted two additional victims online, both of whom were minors. He asked both victims to send him sexually explicit photographs of themselves, which they did.
“[Scovotto] preyed upon vulnerable pre-teen and adolescent girls by posing as a teenager or young man and pretending to love and care for them,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “He betrayed their trust and manipulated them for his sexual pleasure.”
In arguing in favor of the 30-year prison sentence, prosecutors noted that Scovotto’s criminal history includes a felony conviction in 2001 in Orange County Superior Court for attempted lewd and lascivious acts upon a child younger than 14 years old.
The FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Claire E. Kelly and Scott M. Lara of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.
Rhode Island Man Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for Fentanyl ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Providence, Rhode Island man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
Yeury Garcia-Rodriguez, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 25 months in prison and two years of supervised release. On May 9, 2023, Garcia-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Between May 2021 and June 2022, Garcia-Rodriguez distributed fentanyl on at least four occasions to a government cooperating source on behalf of his co-defendant and co-conspirator Estarlin Ortiz-Alcantara. In addition to delivering fentanyl for Ortiz-Alcantara, on two occasions, the defendant separately sold fentanyl to the cooperating source. The defendant told the cooperating source that he cooked, pressed, packaged and delivered fentanyl for Ortiz-Alcantara. Approximately 36 grams of fentanyl was seized from the defendant’s residence on July 19, 2022.
Estarlin Ortiz-Alcantara pleaded guilty on Dec. 14, 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9, 2024.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira; and Fairhaven Police Chief Michael J. Myers made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Homeland Security Investigations; Bristol County Sheriff’s Office; and Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Scituate, Yarmouth, Providence (R.I.) and West Warwick (R.I.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Quincy Man Pleads Guilty to Hate CrimeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Quincy man pleaded guilty today to committing a hate crime.
John Sullivan, 78, pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for June 26, 2024. Sullivan was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2023.
On Dec. 2, 2022, Sullivan encountered a Vietnamese family he had never met before outside a post office in Quincy. Sullivan yelled to the family, which included three children under the age of 12, to “go back to China,” and threatened to kill them. He then drove his car into one of the family members, causing the victim to land on the hood of the moving car and remain there while the car moved approximately 200 feet. After Sullivan stopped the car and the victim slid off, Sullivan again drove his car forward, hitting the victim a second time causing the victim to fall into a construction ditch and suffer injury.
“The actions of John Sullivan are appalling and a sad reflection of intolerance and hate that is far too prevalent in our society. Sullivan violently assaulted an individual in front of children because of his race and national origin,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “This behavior will never be tolerated and we will continue to aggressively prosecute hate crimes.”
“This defendant’s hate-filled attack not only seriously injured the victim, but also traumatized three children in his family, solely because they were Asian American,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “No person in this country should have to fear for their own or their family’s safety because of who they are or where they are from. The Justice Department is determined to stem the rising tide of hate crimes and will vigorously prosecute those who commit them.”
“John Sullivan’s hateful and violent conduct, motivated by racial intolerance, was intended to physically harm the victim in this case, and instill fear within the Asian community in Quincy,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “The FBI and our partners simply won’t tolerate crimes spurred by hate. While we all have the right to believe whatever we want, when those views lead to violence, that’s a different and dangerous story. We urge anyone who is a victim or witness to a hate crime, to report it to us at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.”
The charge provides for a maximum sentence of 10 years, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting U.S. Attorney Levy, AAG Clarke and FBI SAC Cohen made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Quincy Police Department and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey B. Cummings of the Civil Rights & Human Trafficking Unit and Tara Allison of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
Pocatello Doctor Pays $96,000 to Settle Allegations That He Wrote Unlawful PrescriptionsRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – Dr. Gerald Knouf, a family medicine doctor formerly of Pocatello, Idaho, agreed to pay $96,000 to resolve allegations that he wrote unlawful prescriptions, prescribed dangerous combinations of drugs, and billed Medicare and Medicaid for services that were not performed, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today. The settlement also restricts Dr. Knouf’s DEA registration for five years.
According to the settlement agreement, the government alleged that Dr. Knouf wrote prescriptions for controlled substances that lacked a legitimate medical purpose and/or were issued outside the usual course of professional practice between 2018 and 2023. That included prescriptions for dangerous combinations of drugs, including overlapping prescriptions for opioids, benzodiazepines, and muscle relaxers. The government alleged the Dr. Knouf’s actions violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and the False Claims Act (FCA).
“We will continue to hold prescribers accountable for writing unlawful prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances wherever such conduct is found,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “Cases like this demonstrate my office’s ongoing commitment to protecting our community from drug-related harms no matter who the offender might be, even if, as in this case, the offender is a medical professional.”
“The core mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration is to protect our communities, not just from illicit drug dealers, but also from the health care professionals who might misuse their positions of special trust to cause harm,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “The settlement in this case clearly shows that the DEA and our partners will hold everyone, including medical providers, accountable for their actions when they threaten the safety of our communities.”
“Medical professionals who prescribe dangerous amounts of controlled substances put their patients at severe risk of overdose and undermine our efforts to halt the opioid crisis,” said Steven J. Ryan, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to curb such irresponsible prescribing and billing schemes at every turn.”
This matter was investigated jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, with additional assistance provided by the Idaho Board of Pharmacy, the Idaho State Police, the Pocatello Police Department, and the Idaho Department of Correction.
The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only and there has been no admission or determination of liability.
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Pittsburgh Resident Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Possessing with Intent to Distribute Heroin/Fentanyl MixRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court on April 2, 2024, to 84 months of imprisonment, to be followed by six years of supervised release, on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV imposed the sentence on Randy Cross, 40.
According to information presented to the Court, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police officers seized 33 bricks, 11 bundles, and three plastic storage bags containing a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, as well as $11,260, from Cross’s residence in March 2021.
Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan D. Lusty prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Drug Enforcement Administration and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Cross.
Philadelphia Man Sentenced to More Than 13 Years in Prison for Robbing a Pizza Parlor in Mayfair and Shooting Two EmployeesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Kaleb Bridges, 20, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Gerald A. McHugh to 166 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release for robbing a local restaurant and shooting and wounding two employees.
On December 6, 2023, Bridges pleaded guilty to charges of Hobbs Act robbery and carrying, using, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The charges stem from Bridges’ actions on the night of March 8, 2023, when he entered the Mayfair Pizza restaurant at 7424 Frankford Avenue just before closing time. He produced a gun and demanded that an employee empty the cash register and place the money into a bag. After she had done so, Bridges pulled away before the employee could release the bag. Bridges then shot the employee (Victim #1) in the shoulder. She ducked down below the counter and Bridges fired another round, which struck a refrigerator.
The employee’s father, who owns the business, witnessed what happened. As Bridges made his way to the door with the bag of stolen money, the employee’s father then struggled with Bridges in an effort to keep him from fleeing. During the struggle, Bridges’ gun fell to the floor. Bridges retrieved and fired it, this time striking the employee’s mother (Victim #2), the co-owner of the pizza parlor. At that point, the employees were able to gain control of the defendant and hold him until the police arrived and took him into custody. Police officers rushed the shooting victims to the hospital, where Victim #1 was treated and released within a few hours. Victim #2 spent several weeks in the hospital recovering from her injuries.
“Kaleb Bridges’ decision to rob this family business at gunpoint and shoot two members of that family was life-changing for the victims,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “While this crime occurred in a matter of minutes, it will long stay with the two women he shot and the witnesses who struggled to restrain him. It’s also changed the course of Bridges’ life, which, for the next decade-plus, will be lived locked away in prison.”
“Armed robberies threaten Philadelphia’s business and communities, and ATF Philadelphia Field Division is committed to working with the Philadelphia Police Department and our other partners to investigate, prosecute and prevent such crimes,” said Eric J. DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Philadelphia Field Division. “We regularly work together, sharing the ATF’s unique forensic and investigative tools, to ensure justice for the victims and to make our communities safer through federal prosecution.”
“The brazen violence displayed by Kaleb Bridges is a threat to the safety of every person in our city,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel. “This case is a chilling example of how a robbery can escalate into a shooting, leaving innocent people injured and a community shaken. I applaud the collaborative efforts by the ATF, our detectives, and the U.S. Attorney's Office in holding this defendant accountable for his actions. This sentence sends a clear message that we will not tolerate this kind of violence in our neighborhoods, and that we will work tirelessly to bring those who commit such crimes to justice.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert.
Pennsylvania Man Sentenced for Sex Offender Registration ViolationRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Larry Collins Bryan, 65, of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 84 months for failing to update his sex offender registration.
According to court documents and statements made in court, officers were called to an apartment complex in Morgantown, West Virginia, for an altercation between Bryan and a female tenant in the complex who believed Bryan had inappropriately touched her child. Bryan was convicted of statutory rape of a minor in 1992 in Greene County, Pennsylvania, which requires him to register for life as a sex offender. Bryan had been living at the Morgantown complex for more than a year but had not registered as a sex offender in the state of West Virginia.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh found that Bryan committed the offense of third-degree sexual abuse against the child in violation of West Virginia law after the mother’s allegation was substantiated by a surveillance video.
Bryan will report for five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Wagner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the West Virginia State Police.
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Pascagoula Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Gulfport, MS – A Pascagoula, Mississippi man pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 55.3 grams of methamphetamine.
Timothy Harper, 42, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Gulfport.
According to court documents, on October 24, 2023, a clear plastic bag containing suspected methamphetamine was purchased from Timothy Harper in Pascagoula. A subsequent laboratory test of the substance confirmed that Harper sold 55.3 grams of methamphetamine at 98% purity.
Harper pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14, 2024, and faces up to twenty years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Smith is prosecuting the case.
Oxford Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – An Oxford man was sentenced on March 27, 2024, to 17 years in federal prison for receiving child pornography.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Corey Lester Schlemme, 48, set up multiple Facebook accounts under various names to send and receive child pornography. After receiving a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children a subsequent search of Schlemme’s Oxford residence confirmed that he was sending and receiving child pornography. Review of seized evidence also determined that Schlemme represented himself as a minor female in fraudulent Facebook accounts to persuade a minor victim to produce and send him child pornography. Over the course of nine months, Schlemme exchanged thousands of messages with the minor and solicited numerous videos and images of the minor engaged in sexually explicit acts. At the time of this investigation, Schlemme was a coach for the Clear Creek Amana School District.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Schlemme will be required to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Schlemme was also ordered to pay a special assessment of $5,000.00.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Johnson County Joint Forensic Analysis Cyber Team, with assistance from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
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 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.
Ohio Businessowner Pleads Guilty to Tax Offense Related to Illegal Gambling BusinessesRead the Press Release
An Ohio woman pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the IRS related to her operation of an illegal gambling business.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2014 through 2018, Stephanie Condric managed, and later co-owned, Gametastic, an illegal gambling business located in Canton, Ohio. Condric and her co-conspirators did not report to the IRS the cash wages paid to Gametastic’s employees, which caused the business to underpay its employment taxes. In addition, she filed false personal tax returns that concealed a portion of the income she received from Gametastic.
Sentencing for Condric is scheduled for a later date. Condric faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States. She also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation, the Stark County Prosecutor’s Office, Department of Treasury Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, Ohio Casino Control Commission and Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission-Major Crimes Task Force are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Sam Bean and Hayter Whitman of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.
Ohio Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Tax Offense Related to Illegal Gambling BusinessesRead the Press Release
An Ohio woman pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the IRS related to her operation of an illegal gambling business.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2014 through 2018, Stephanie Condric managed, and later co-owned, Gametastic, an illegal gambling business located in Canton, Ohio. Condric and her co-conspirators did not report to the IRS the cash wages paid to Gametastic’s employees, which caused the business to underpay its employment taxes. In addition, she filed false personal tax returns that concealed a portion of the income she received from Gametastic.
Sentencing for Condric is scheduled for a later date. Condric faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States. She also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation, the Stark County Prosecutor’s Office, Department of Treasury Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, Ohio Casino Control Commission and Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission-Major Crimes Task Force are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Sam Bean and Hayter Whitman of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.
New Orleans Woman Sentenced for Theft of More Than $88,000 in Government FundsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA -- ALINE JAMES, a/k/a “Aline Foster” (“JAMES”), age 51, of New Orleans, La., was sentenced for Theft of Government Funds, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to the indictment, JAMES’s mother J.J. was a recipient of Disability Insurance Benefit (“DIB”) Program funds. J.J. passed away in 2012. Unaware of J.J.’s death, the Social Security Administration continued to deposit approximately $87,098 in DIB funds into J.J.’s bank account. After her mother’s death, JAMES spent these funds and forged J.J.’s signature on checks to herself. In addition, JAMES spent $1,200 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES ACT”) funds that were sent to her mother.
U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced JAMES to four (4) years’ probation and payment of a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee. Judge Milazzo also ordered that JAMES pay $88,298.00 in restitution to the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service.
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 http://www.justice.gov/cornoavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 cn repot it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Carboni of the Financial Crimes Unit.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Danieel mutin, age 19, of New Orleans, pled guilty on March 27, 2024, to Counts 1 and 2 of an indictment charging him with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C) (Count 1); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i) (Count 2).
As to Count 1, MUTIN faces up to twenty years imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least 3 years of supervised release. As to Count 2, MUTIN faces a minimum of five years up to a maximum of life imprisonment, which must run consecutive to any other sentence, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 5 years of supervised release. As to each charged count, MUTIN also faces payment of a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. MUTIN is set for sentencing on June 26, 2024.
According to court documents, on May 18, 2023, New Orleans Police Officers observed a black Audi sport utility vehicle matching the description of a vehicle used in a shooting. Officers pursued the SUV to the intersection of Bullard Road and Dwyer Road, New Orleans. After seeing three black males, including MUTIN, abandon the SUV and flee on foot, officers followed and, ultimately, apprehended MUTIN. After his arrest, officers discovered that MUTIN possessed a backpack containing 134 fentanyl pills designated with the pharmaceutical marking used for Oxycodone. At the time of his arrest, MUTIN had a Glock Model 30, .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol in his pants pocket.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
New Jersey Tax Preparer Charged in COVID-19 Employment Tax Credit SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Newark, New Jersey, returned an indictment today charging a New Jersey tax preparer with fraudulently seeking more than $150 million from the IRS by filing more than 1,600 false tax returns for himself and his clients that claimed COVID-19-related employment tax credits.
Leon Haynes, of Teaneck, New Jersey, was charged with 55 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, five counts of mail fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and two counts of tax evasion. Haynes was previously charged by complaint in relation to the same scheme.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, Congress authorized an employee retention tax credit that an eligible small business could use to reduce the employment tax it owed to the IRS, also known as the “employee retention credit” or ERC.
Congress also authorized a credit that a business could take against employment taxes to reimburse businesses for the wages paid to employees who were on sick or family leave and could not work because of COVID-19. This “paid sick and family leave credit” was equal to the wages the business paid the employees during their leave.
As charged in the indictment, from November 2020 to May 2023, Haynes repeatedly exploited these programs that were intended to help small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Acting as a tax preparer, Haynes allegedly filed more than 1,600 false employment tax returns with the IRS claiming COVID-related tax credits on behalf of himself and his clients.
Haynes allegedly falsely told his clients that the government was giving out COVID-relief money for businesses and that they were eligible for it simply because they had a business. Haynes allegedly submitted forms to the IRS on behalf of his client’s businesses, often without consulting his clients, that grossly overstated the number of employees and the amount of wages paid to fraudulently claim these COVID-related tax credits. Haynes allegedly submitted similarly false forms for four of his own companies.
According to the indictment, based on these and other misrepresentations, Haynes fraudulently sought more than $150 million in tax refunds on behalf of his companies and numerous other businesses in his clients’ names.
The IRS allegedly disbursed at least $40 million in tax refunds to Haynes’ clients based on the false tax forms that Haynes filed. Haynes allegedly collected a percentage of the tax refunds the client received from the IRS as a fee. At Haynes’ request, many clients allegedly paid him those fees in cash. Haynes allegedly did not report on his or his businesses’ tax returns some of the income he received from clients as his share of the fraudulent obtained tax refunds. The IRS also allegedly directly mailed Haynes multiple tax refund checks totaling $1,428,592 based on false claims he submitted relating to his businesses.
If convicted, Haynes faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each mail fraud charge, a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each tax evasion charge, three years in prison for aiding and assisting in the preparation of false return charge and two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft charge. A federal district court judge will determine the 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 Phillip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation, the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Service are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Sam Bean of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Cano for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Mexican National Indicted or Heroin Trafficking, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Kansas, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury after police officers found almost six kilograms of suspected heroin in a trash bag he discarded following a traffic accident.
Luis Ponce-Lopez, 26, a citizen of Mexico, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, April 2. The indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Ponce-Lopez on March 26, 2024.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Ponce-Lopez was driving a black 2013 Ford F350 pickup truck when he was involved in a traffic accident on March 24, 2024. Witnesses told police officers they saw Ponce-Lopez get out of his truck after the collision, carry a black trash bag, dump it in a nearby field, and return to his truck. Officers found the trash bag, which contained several packages wrapped in black paper, a silver thermos, and two clear tubs. Four of the containers were tested and found to contain a total of nearly three kilograms of heroin. The total amount of suspected heroin in all of the containers weighed more than 5.7 kilograms.
Officers searched the pickup truck following Ponce-Lopez’s arrest and found a Dan Wesson 10mm semi-automatic handgun.
The federal indictment charges Ponce-Lopez with one count of possessing heroin with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon E. Gibson. It was investigated by the Jackson County Drug Task Force.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
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.
Metro Atlanta Man Sentenced for Laundering Fraudulently Obtained COVID-19 Unemployment FundsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Austin Martin Siampwizi was sentenced on April 1, 2024, for laundering money procured from fraudulent unemployment claims filed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Siampwizi laundered proceeds from fraudulent unemployment claims filed using the stolen identities of more than 50 victims,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “His sentence of imprisonment is an example of our office’s commitment to work closely with our federal and state law enforcement partners to hold individuals accountable for defrauding the CARES Act program.”
“Austin Martin Siampwizi engaged in a scheme to purchase and subsequently cash hundreds of money orders that were funded with fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. The UI benefits were from fraudulent online claims submitted to the Washington Employment Security Department using stolen identities. Today's sentencing affirms the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General’s commitment to working with our federal and state law enforcement partners to investigate identity theft involving the UI program,” said Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent-in-Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
“The defendant chose to enrich himself by committing fraud, further depleting limited funds that were designated to help businesses struggling to survive during the pandemic,” said Robert C. Donovan, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service Atlanta Field Office. “This case signifies our commitment to protect citizens and businesses from fraud and identity theft. We will continue to work closely with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to prosecute those who abuse these programs.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act created a temporary federal program that provided up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits for those unemployed as a result of the pandemic and included a provision to provide temporary benefits to individuals who had exhausted their entitlement to regular benefits or were otherwise not eligible. That temporary federal program was administered by state employment agencies.
Siampwizi laundered money obtained from fraudulent unemployment claims submitted to the Employment Security Department of Washington State. These claims were filed using stolen personally identifiable information of over 50 individuals. Siampwizi also submitted fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Program loan applications for his two businesses, Global Car Rental, LLC, and Global Group Development & Construction, LLC.
Siampwizi, 47, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to three years, one month in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $279,210.52. On December 14, 2023, Siampwizi pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Secret Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Klapman prosecuted the case.
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
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.