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Tuesday 19 March 2024
Owner of Oakland Money Services Business Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Laundering Drug Proceeds to MexicoRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – Felipe de Jesus Ornelas Mora, the owner of Rincon Musical, a money transmitting business in Oakland, was sentenced today to 18 months in federal prison following his conviction for conspiracy to commit money laundering, announced First Assistant United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins; IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Mosley of the Oakland Field Office; and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), San Francisco Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Clark. The sentence was handed down by the Hon. Jeffrey S. White, Senior United States District Judge.
Ornelas Mora, 51, of Oakland, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h), in October 2023. He had originally been charged with that offense in August 2022.
According to his plea agreement, Ornelas Mora owned and operated Rincon Musical. From no later than September 2020 through August 2022, Ornelas Mora and his employees knowingly laundered drug proceeds by accepting large amounts of cash from drug dealers and wiring it to Mexico, disguising it to look like routine remittances. The defendant and his employees used legitimate customers’ names and IDs to circumvent the compliance controls of Rincon’s parent wire service, Money Services Business-1 (MSB-1). The defendant oversaw the structuring of large amounts of cash into multiple wire transfers of less than $3,000, which is the threshold above which federal law imposes mandatory customer reporting requirements. Employees of Rincon then disguised the wire payments as routine remittances by sending them using the names and IDs of legitimate customers to avoid arousing the suspicion of MSB-1 and the U.S. authorities. Ornelas Mora and his employees engaged in these practices after completing extensive anti-money laundering training, which is required annually for money services businesses employees.
“This defendant knowingly aided Bay Area drug dealers by disguising drug money as remittances and laundering it through his business through wire payments to Mexico,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Robbins. “By disrupting the flow of drug money, this Office demonstrates its commitment to a sweeping approach to combatting the drug trade in the Northern District of California. Today’s sentence should send a signal to other money services businesses who launder drug proceeds and abuse the financial system: we will find you and we will prosecute you.”
“Facilitating the profitability of drug trafficking by laundering illegal drug proceeds perpetuates the deadly drug epidemic in our communities, and we will not stand for it,” said CI Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Mosley. “Taking money launderers off the street and leading criminal investigations that land them in prison is what CI special agents do. CI special agents are experts at uncovering money trails and dedicated to the safety of our communities.”
“Money and greed are the foundation of the cartel business model and Ornelas Mora provided a lifeline by laundering drug proceeds,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Clark. “This sentence underscores our commitment to aggressively pursue every level of the drug supply chain to include those facilitators who enable transnational criminal networks.”
In its sentencing papers, the government described how the investigation leading to Ornelas Mora’s conviction began with wire receipts found on the cell phones of drug dealers who had been arrested. Wire receipts found on the phone of one drug dealer (Drug Trafficker-1) showed that, between August 2020 and December 2020, Drug Trafficker-1 had wired more than $109,000 to Mexico and Honduras from Rincon. Federal agents determined from the receipts that Drug Trafficker-1 had used Rincon to send more than 60 wire payments to Mexico between August 2020 and December 2020. The receipts showed that Rincon employees had made Drug Trafficker-1’s wire payments look legitimate by using the names of unrelated customers and listing those customers as the senders of the wires.
As the investigation continued, federal agents used two confidential witnesses—CW-1 and CW-2—to conduct multiple undercover wire transactions at Rincon. CW-1 and CW-2 told Rincon cashiers that they did not want their names and IDs used to send large amounts of cash from Rincon to recipients in Mexico. Two Rincon cashiers structured the cash brought in by CW-1 and CW-2 into multiple wire transfers that fell below $3,000 to avoid federal reporting requirements. The cashiers then processed the wire payments using legitimate customers’ names and IDs, without authorization from those customers, to feign compliance with MSB-1’s ID requirements. During an undercover operation on June 16, 2022, for example, CW-2 wired more than $12,000 to five recipients in Mexico. With Ornelas Mora present at the adjacent teller window when CW-2 requested the wires, a Rincon cashier sent each of the wire payments in amounts less than $3,000. Later that evening, the Rincon cashier texted CW-2 receipts that reflected the names of other individuals as the senders of the wires.
In his plea agreement, Ornelas Mora admitted he knew that large amounts of cash he and his employees received from certain individuals and sent to Mexico and Honduras using the names and IDs of unrelated customers were drug proceeds. He also admitted that he knew the structuring of cash payments in excess of $3,000 into multiple wires falling below that threshold was prohibited by federal law. And he admitted he knew that he and his employees acted with intent to avoid mandatory customer information and customer information reporting requirements by structuring wire payments to fall below the $3,000 threshold.
In addition to sentencing Ornelas Mora to prison, Judge White ordered the defendant to serve three years of supervised release to begin after his prison term is completed.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Pastor is prosecuting the case with assistance from Amanda Martinez and Andy Ding. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by CI and DEA, with assistance from the Oakland Police Department.
Operator of Key West Labor Staffing Companies Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Tax and Immigration ChargesRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On March 18, the operator of several Key West, Florida, labor staffing companies – including PSEB Specialty Service Inc., Perfect Service Excellent Benefits Services Inc., Starline Hospitality Inc., Norbert Janitorial Service Inc., E.S.F. Services Inc. and Expert Services F.S. Inc. – was sentenced to four years in prison for tax and immigration-related crimes.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at various times between January 2011 and January 2021, Petr Sutka and others helped run a series of labor staffing companies that facilitated the employment in hotels, bars and restaurants in Key West and elsewhere of non-resident aliens who were not authorized to work in the United States. These labor staffing companies did not withhold federal income taxes and Social Security and Medicare taxes from these workers’ wages and did not report the wages to the IRS.
In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez ordered Sutka to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $3,551,423.84 in restitution to the United States.
Sutka’s co-conspirators Vasil Khatiashvili and Zdenek Strnad are scheduled to be sentenced on April 22.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office made the announcement.
HSI Miami and IRS-CI, Miami Field Office investigated the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark, Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Jessica A. Kraft, Nicholas J. Schilling, Jr., Matthew C. Hicks and Wilson Rae Stamm of the Justice Department’s Tax Division prosecuted the case.
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.
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Omaha Man Sentenced to 14 Years’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine ChargeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Christopher Ramos-Rivas, 27, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced March 15, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Ramos-Rivas to 168 months’ imprisonment. He also forfeited $9,159 found in his possession at the time of his arrest. There is no parole in the federal system. After Ramos-Rivas’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
On December 30, 2022, OPD officers received information about the location of Ramos-Rivas who had local drug warrants. Officers located Ramos-Rivas at an Omaha gas station where he was taken into custody on his warrants. A search of the car he was driving revealed approximately 6.5 lbs. of meth and $9,159.00 in United States currency. During a post arrest interview, Ramos admitted to dealing meth to support his habit.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Gary Lockett, 40, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced March 15, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for his involvement in a methamphetamine conspiracy. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Lockett to 180 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 10-year term of supervised release.
Beginning in October 2020, the FBI began investigating Kashaun Lockett for distributing meth. Over the course of eight months, the FBI utilized a Confidential Source (CS) to make 13 controlled buys of meth from Kashaun Lockett. In total, 419 grams of meth were purchased from Lockett. On one occasion, Kashaun Lockett was in the hospital for a gunshot wound, so he utilized his brother, Gary, to deliver 55 grams of meth.
On June 14, 2021, a controlled buy was arranged with Kashaun Lockett. Kashaun Lockett’s residence was under surveillance at the time, and Kashaun Lockett was followed when he left to meet with the CS. The Omaha Police Department attempted a traffic stop on Kashaun Lockett, however, Kashaun Lockett fled from the traffic stop.
During Kashaun Lockett’s flight, surveillance officers still at his residence saw Gary Lockett and Robert Culberson exit the residence and toss meth and a firearm into the tree line at the back of the residence.
Gary Lockett’s sentence was enhanced due to having a previous federal drug conviction. Kashaun Lockett was sentenced on March 8, 2024, to 204 months. Culberson was sentenced on August 15, 2023, to 120 months.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Omaha Police Department
Omaha Company and Company President Plead Guilty to Covid Related CrimesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced today that Quin Global, an entity incorporated in Nebraska, entered pleas of guilty to mail fraud and selling an unregistered pesticide. Matthew Petersen, age 39, of Omaha, Nebraska, the President of Quin Global, entered a plea of guilty to selling an unregistered pesticide. Both Quin Global and Petersen entered the pleas of guilty at hearings on March 19, 2024, in front of Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. Chief Judge Rossiter scheduled Petersen’s sentencing hearing for July 19, 2024, at 10:00 AM and Quin Global’s sentencing hearing for July 19, 2024, at 10:30 AM.
For the mail fraud count, Quin Global faces a maximum possible penalty of 5 years’ probation and a minimum of 1 year probation, a fine of $500,000 or twice the gross gain or loss (whichever is higher), and a mandatory special assessment of $400 per count. For the sale of the unregistered pesticide, Quin Global faces a maximum possible penalty of 5 years’ probation, a fine of $200,000 or twice the gross gain or loss (whichever is higher), and a mandatory special assessment of $125. Petersen faces a maximum of 1 year in prison, a $50,000 fine, a year term of supervised release, and a $25 special assessment.
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), 7 U.S.C. § 136 et seq., regulates the distribution, sale, and use of all pesticides in the United States, including antimicrobial pesticides. Antimicrobial pesticides are substances used to destroy or suppress the growth of harmful microorganisms – such as the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 – on inanimate objects and surfaces. All pesticides distributed or sold in the United States must be registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”). Registrants of antimicrobial pesticide products that claim to control microbes that pose a threat to public health must additionally submit efficacy data to support these public health claims.
Quin Global is located in Omaha, Nebraska and is a manufacturer of adhesive and tool systems. Matthew Petersen is the President of Quin Global. In March 2020, Quin Global began efforts to expand its business by manufacturing and selling pesticides. Quin Global initially contacted a company formerly known as Lonza, Inc. seeking to become a supplemental distributor of Lonza Inc.’s product Formulation HWS-64. Lonza, Inc. informed Quin Global that it would take months to enter into a legally permissible agreement.
In response, Quin Global purchased the product from, Buckeye International, a supplemental distributor of Lonza, Inc. The product Quin Global purchased from Buckeye International was being marketed as Buckeye Sanicare Lemon Quat. Quin Global began diluting and repackaging this product into its own proprietary pressurized canister and application systems. Quin Global sold this diluted product as a Quin Global product named Ramsol-RS1 which it marketed as being “EPA-approved” and as being effective against the COVID virus. The product being sold by Quin Global was not “EPA-approved” nor was it registered with the EPA pursuant to FIFRA since Quin Global never sought registration for the product.
In April 2020, Quin Global consulted a regulatory consultant, Delta Analytical, regarding the feasibility of registering Ramsol-RS1 product, which Quin Global was already manufacturing and distributing. Quin Global was informed of the requirements and did not seek to comply with the required EPA FIFRA registration requirements.
From April 2020 through July 2020, Quin Global distributed Ramsol-RS1 to 73 of its distributors in the United States of America and Canada. These distributors then supplied the product to their own retail customers. Quin Global received numerous inquiries from customers about the product’s validity and efficacy. Quin Global repeatedly assured their customers that its product would be effective against viruses and cited to the EPA registration for the Lonza/Buckeye product.
Lonza’s Formulation HWS-64 was listed on the EPA’s List N in March of 2020 as being approved for use against SARS-CoV-2 with the instructions that the product be utilized in accordance with directions for use against Adenovirus Type 7. Similarly, Buckeye Sanicare Lemon Quat was also listed on the EPA’s List N for use against SARS-CoV-2 at a specified concentration. For most of its accepted disinfection uses it is to be diluted at a 1/64 concentration, or 2 ounces per gallon of water. For Adenovirus Type 7 it is to be used at a higher concentration dilution of 8 ounces per gallon of water.
On or about April 24, 2020, Quin Global shipped 72 22-liter containers and 20 7-L containers of Ramsol-RS1 from Omaha, Nebraska to a downstream distributor, Chemical Concepts Inc., in Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania, using R&L carriers, a commercial interstate carrier.
In June 2020, investigators with the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division conducted undercover purchases of 7-liter canisters of Ramsol-RS1 from Chemical Concepts and Panther East in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Chemical Concepts and Panther East are downstream distributors for Quin Global.
The two 7-Liter canisters of Ramsol-RS1 that were purchased from Chemical Concepts and Panther East were sent to the EPA National Enforcement Investigation Center (NEIC) for further testing. The NEIC found Quin Global’s product to be significantly diluted, with active ingredients being diluted more than 100 times than the product should be if diluted at 8 ounces per gallon. The Ramsol-RS1 product was also diluted well beyond what it should have been if diluted at 2 oz per gallon of water with active ingredients being diluted more than 25 times what they should have been. Ramsol-RS1 was diluted to a point well beyond efficacy against viruses and, specifically, the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Between April 2020 and July 2020, Quin Global, advertising this product as being EPA approved and as being effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, sold approximately $1.4 million worth of Ramsol-RS1 and $185,000 in related equipment. Specifically, Quin Global sold 1,148 7-liter containers and 3,363 22-liter containers. Quin Global stopped sales after being confronted by the EPA.
This case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency-Criminal Investigation Division.
Oklahoma Man Convicted of Murder-For-Hire of St. Louis SchoolteacherRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on March 19, 2024 found Phillip J. Cutler of Muskogee, Oklahoma guilty of conspiring to murder-for-hire and the murder-for-hire of St. Louis Public School teacher Jocelyn Peters, and her unborn child, Micah Leigh, in 2016.
Prosecutors proved to jurors that Cutler was enlisted by his longtime friend, Cornelius M. Green, to murder Green’s 30-year-old girlfriend, Jocelyn Peters, and her unborn child.
Green, 42, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty on Feb. 28, 2024 to the same charges. He admitted as part of his plea hiring his longtime friend, Cutler, to kill Peters. Peters was 31 weeks pregnant with Green’s child, which she had named Micah Leigh. Green was also involved in sexual relationships with several other women.
Green admitted during his plea that he used cash stolen from Carr Lane Middle School, where he was principal, to pay Cutler. On Feb. 28, 2016, Green texted Cutler and asked him to come to St. Louis during the week of March 20, 2016. Cutler asked if Green would be sending “the package,” and on March 7, Green sent Cutler a UPS package containing $2,500 cash.
On March 21, Cutler arrived in St. Louis via Greyhound bus, staying with Green’s sister. Green took a train trip to Chicago to establish his alibi for the murder, giving Cutler the keys to his Kia Optima and Peters’ apartment.
On March 24, Cutler drove Green’s car to Peters’ apartment in the 4200 block of West Pine in St. Louis, let himself in using Green’s keys, and shot Peters in the eye using a potato as a silencer. During his testimony, Cutler admitted seeing the 1992 film South Central, during which a character similarly used a potato as a silencer. Peters was working on baby shower invitations at the time she was killed.
At 6:14 a.m. the morning following the murder, Cutler confirmed to Green that Jocelyn and the baby had been killed. Following their conversation, Green bought his return train ticket, and Cutler then went to North River Front Park to dispose of evidence.
Upon arriving back in St. Louis, Green retrieved his car from Cutler and went directly to Peters’ apartment and called 911 to report her death. He repeatedly made false statements to law enforcement and others attempting to evade responsibility for his ordering of the murders and pretending he had no knowledge of the circumstances leading to the deaths. Cutler was detained for questioning that same night after attempting to retrieve the Kia Optima from the crime scene. When told he was being detained, Cutler actually ate two pieces of paper from a notebook in his pocket.
Green is scheduled to be sentenced June 5 and faces a sentence of life in prison. As part of the plea, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office has agreed to dismiss their case against Green for the murders if he is sentenced to life in federal prison.
Cutler is scheduled to be sentenced June 18. He faces life in prison on each charge.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case, which is being prosecuted in cooperation with the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Becker and Zachary Bluestone are prosecuting the case. Former SLMPD Detective Mark Biondolino was the case agent.
Oglala Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced an Oglala, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on March 15, 2024.
Cole Don Brewer, 32, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Brewer was indicted for Discharge of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon by a federal grand jury in September of 2023. He pleaded guilty on December 1, 2023.
The conviction stems from Brewer shooting a male twice in the legs on August 24, 2023, at an apartment in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.
Brewer was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Norwalk Inn Agrees to Permit Service Animals in Americans with Disabilities Act SettlementRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached a settlement agreement with the Norwalk Inn and Conference Center (“Norwalk Inn”), located in Norwalk, to resolve allegations that the facility was not operating in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”).
The settlement agreement resolves an ADA complaint filed by an individual with disabilities alleging that the Norwalk Inn required the removal of a service animal from the Inn as a condition of service in July 2023.
As a result of the settlement agreement, the Norwalk Inn is in the process of posting signage indicating “Service Animals Welcome,” implementing a “Service Animal Policy,” which includes the types of legally permissible inquiries Norwalk Inn employees may make of a customer who enters the facility with a service animal, and training employees regarding the policy.
Under federal law, private entities that own or operate places of “public accommodation,” including hotels and restaurants, are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of disability. The ADA authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate complaints and undertake periodic reviews of compliance of covered entities. The Justice Department is also authorized to commence a civil lawsuit in federal court in any case that involves a pattern or practice of discrimination or that raises issues of general public importance, and to seek injunctive relief, monetary damages, and civil penalties.
U.S. Attorney Avery noted that the owners of Norwalk Inn have worked cooperatively with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to promptly address the ADA issues without litigation.
Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-821-3700.
Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov, or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383 (TTY). More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Brown, Jr. of the District of Connecticut in coordination with the Disability Rights Section of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
North Tonawanda man indicted by a federal grand jury, charged with selling fentanyl and cocaine causing a deathRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Ernest Green a/k/a Fire a/k/a Burn a/k/a Ern the Burn a/k/a Dread a/k/a B Love, 41, of North Tonawanda, NY, with distribution of fentanyl causing death, and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, between 2019 and May 27, 2020, conspired with others to sell fentanyl and cocaine. The indictment also alleges that on May 27, 2020, Green sold fentanyl which resulted in the deaths of three individuals identified as J.Y., T.M., and D.R.
Green, who is currently serving a 120-month federal sentence following a 2022 conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, was arraigned today before U.S Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer.
“Fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and other illegal narcotics are deadly poisons that are finding their way into our communities and onto our streets because of defendants like Ernest Green,” stated U.S. Attorney Ross. “Our office is working every day with our law enforcement partners at all levels to track down these defendants, whose actions show no regard for human lives. Ernest Green has been indicted on multiple charges, including selling fentanyl, cocaine, and causing the death of another person. This office will dedicate time and resources to the prosecution of all individuals who committee these types of crimes in our community.”
Green is the fifth defendant in the last six months to be accused of selling fentanyl and cocaine that resulted in a death or serious bodily injury. Other defendants include:
- Michael Paonessa is charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl. According to the criminal complaint, Paonessa sold fentanyl and cocaine that led to the death of an individual identified as R.A.
- Darryl Sweat was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of distribution of cocaine, fentanyl, and para-fluorofentanyl, causing death, possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine, fentanyl, and para-fluorofentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. According to the indictment, Sweat sold cocaine and fentanyl, which resulted in the death of an individual identified as V.O.
- Lloyd Smith, Jr. was charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. Smith allegedly sold fentanyl and cocaine to two individuals who overdosed and had to be revived with multiple doses of Narcan.
- Rashaun Cruel was charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl. Cruel allegedly sold fentanyl and cocaine which resulted in the deaths of two individuals.
Green’s indictment is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in Charge Frank Tarantino, III, New York Field Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito, the North Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief Keith Glass, and the Niagara County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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North Lauderdale Man Who Transported Child Pornography Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On March 14, a North Lauderdale man, who is a registered sex offender, and who was convicted of transportation of over 620 electronic images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore, who sits in Miami.
Jason Hemans, 40, arrived at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from Jamaica on August 18, 2023. Due to Hemans being a registered sex offender, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers conducted an examination of Hemans’ smartphone. During the examination, numerous images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were discovered on Hemans’ smartphone. Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Fort Lauderdale, responded and conducted further review of Hemans’ smartphone and discovered several hundred images of CSAM on the device and arrested Hemans, who also admitted to receiving and viewing the images. On December 19, 2023, Hemans pled guilty to one count of violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(1) (transportation of child sexual abuse material).
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, announced the sentence.
HSI Fort Lauderdale, a member of the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, investigated the case with the assistance from United States Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Koontz prosecuted the case.
This case was a result of “Operation Angel Watch” which was created in 2007 through International Megan’s Law and is a joint effort by the Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Operation Angel Watch plays a crucial role in the global fight against transnational child sexual abuse by identifying individuals who have been previously convicted of sexual crimes against children and who may pose a potential threat while traveling overseas for the purpose of sexually abusing or exploiting minors.
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 Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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-60160.
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New Orleans Man Sentenced to 37 Months for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that TORIN JENKINS, age 29, of New Orleans, was sentenced on March 12, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan to 37 months imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee after previously pleading guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
According to court filings, on December 3, 2021, NOPD officers arrested JENKINS based on outstanding arrest warrants. After failing to cooperate with officers during the arrest process, JENKINS was observed throwing an object of the window of his residence. After his arrest, officers discovered the object was a Glock Model 36, .45 caliber firearm.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit.
Mexican national charged with attempting to bring over $100,000 of cocaine into countryRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 40-year-old resident of Mexico has been indicted for attempting to import almost 10 kilograms of cocaine into the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment today against Ricardo Cantu-Vasquez. He is expected to appear for his arraignment before a U.S. magistrate judge in the near future.
The criminal complaint originally filed in the case alleges that on Feb. 27, law enforcement stopped Cantu-Vasquez for a traffic violation. Authorities conducted a search of the vehicle and allegedly found 9.5 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside a concealed compartment under the rear seat of the vehicle.
The drugs have an estimated street value of nearly $115,000.
If convicted, he faces up to life in prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Laredo Police Department conducted the investigation with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany Jensen and Brian Bajew are prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF is the largest anti-crime task force in the country. 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 on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Memphis Man Sentenced to over 12 Years for Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A federal judge recently sentenced a Memphis man to more than 12 years in federal prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, on September 16, 2022, officers observed Carl Turner, 26, driving a white 2020 Kia Optima matching the description of a vehicle that had been reported stolen the night before. The officers activated their blue lights and sirens for a traffic stop but Turner reversed and drove towards the officers’ squad cars, striking one and disabling it in the process. Turner then led officers in a high-speed car chase for two miles through a residential neighborhood. After Turner crashed the Kia into a utility pole, he ran away from the officers on foot and tossed a brown backpack during the chase. Officers detained Turner and recovered the brown backpack, which contained a Bersa .380 caliber automatic pistol.
On November 20, 2023, Turner pled guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Turner on March 14 to 150 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The PSN Gun Task Force investigated this case for federal prosecution with assistance from the Memphis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
United States Attorney Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorney Eileen Kuo, who prosecuted this case, as well as law enforcement partners who investigated the case.
Member of “Noir’s Luxury Refunds” Telegram Channel Pleads Guilty to FraudRead the Press Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A member of “Noir’s Luxury Refunds” pled guilty today to participating in a fraud conspiracy, organized through the cloud-based messaging service Telegram, that targeted retailers across the country, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.
Brian Nicklaus Buchanan, 28, of Clayton, North Carolina, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Corey L. Maze to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
According to court documents, Buchanan was a member of Noir’s Organization, a group that operated the Telegram channel “Noir’s Luxury Refunds,” as well as other fraud-based Telegram channels. Noir’s Luxury Refunds was dedicated to refund fraud, a type of fraud where a purchaser claims to return an item, receives a refund, but keeps the product. Customers would pay Noir’s Organization a percentage of the product price in exchange for the organization fraudulently refunding the item on the customer’s behalf. Noir’s Organization marketed itself as having the expertise to defraud retailers across the world in a wide range of industries. At one point, the Noir’s Luxury Refunds channel had over 5,900 followers. Noir’s Organization operated from July 2020 until July 2022.
Documents reflect that the group obtained refunds or attempted to obtain refunds for millions of dollars’ worth of products, including electronics, designer clothing and apparel, home furnishings, and appliances. Noir’s Organization used a variety of tactics to commit refund fraud, including social engineering to manipulate customer services representatives into issuing refunds, manipulating shipping labels to deceive a retailer into believing they had received a returned product when it had not, and recruiting customer service representatives as “insiders” to perform refunds on the conspiracy’s behalf. Noir’s Organization also developed malware that would target retailers’ websites to facilitate refund fraud by circumventing fraud prevention measures.
Ten other individuals who are alleged to have been members of Noir’s Organization have been indicted in related cases pending in the Northern District of Alabama:
- Aiman Akram Kaif, also known as “Dior,” 19, from New York, New York;
- Damion Wayne Scarlett, also known as “Dash,” 23, from Deer Park, New York;
- Dhruv Gargi, also known as “Panda,” 24, from Newark, New Jersey;
- David James Park, also known as “Plutus,” 22, from Phoenix, Arizona;
- Andre Johannes Ischler Simonet, also known as “Chief,” 22, from Northfield, Minnesota;
- Nicholas John Caruso, also known as “Deaf,” 31, from Dallas, Texas;
- Jennifer Mireya Palma, also known as “Bianca,” 23, from Los Angeles, California;
- CK Chikong Tran, also known as “Radiant,” 28, from New York, New York;
- Tyree Samuel Tinsley, also known as “Tysamtin,” 30, from Richmond, Virginia; and
- Jason Seib, also known as “Waynor,” 42, from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The FBI investigated the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John M. Hundscheid and Edward J. Canter are prosecuting the cases.
Assistance was provided by Target Corporation; Amazon.com, Inc.; Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; Wayfair Inc.; Dell Technologies; Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.; American Airlines Group Inc.; Hewlett Packard Incorporated; Adidas AG; eBay Inc.; and Google’s CyberCrime Investigation Group. The Sûreté Nationale of Morrocco also provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
This case was brought as part of Operation Chargeback, an FBI investigation into organized refund fraud groups across the United States and internationally. Cases have also been brought in the Western District of Washington and the Northern District of Oklahoma as part of the initiative.For more resources on cybercrime, visit www.ic3.gov.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Member of Catalytic Converter Theft Crew Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Springfield, Mass. man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to his role in a regional organized theft crew that stole catalytic converters from nearly 500 vehicles, robbed jewelry stores and stole ATMs.
Carlos Fonseca, 33, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce and interstate transportation of stolen property. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for June 21, 2024
In April 2023, Carlos Fonseca was arrested and charged along with six others in connection with the theft, transportation and sale of stolen catalytic converters taken from at least 496 vehicles across Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 2022 through April 2023 alone. It is believed that a significant number of additional thefts have not been identified or were not ever reported to law enforcement. Fonseca participated in thefts of catalytic converters from 103 vehicles over the course of 13 separate instances between Aug. 23, 2022 and Oct. 4, 2022 – most of which targeted vehicles in more than one municipality over the course of a single night.
According to court filings, there has been a precipitous decline in catalytic converter thefts reported in Massachusetts as a result of the April 2023 takedown – with only seven reported incidents of catalytic converter theft over the past 11 months following the arrests, in comparison to the hundreds of thefts reported during the nine-month period prior.
Catalytic converter theft has become a nationwide problem across the country due to the high-valued precious metals they contain – some of which are more valuable than gold, with black-market prices being more than $1,000 each in recent years. The theft of a vehicle's catalytic converter results in damage that renders the vehicle inoperable – both mechanically and legally under EPA regulations – until properly replaced.
Fonseca was a member of a skilled, organized theft crew that utilized battery operated power-tools, car jacks to cut away and steal catalytic converters from vehicles across Massachusetts and into New Hampshire. The catalytic converter thefts were predicated upon the use of an internet application that provided real-time pricing for catalytic converters quantifying the commodity prices of the amounts of precious metal in a particular vehicle’s converter. Equipped with special knowledge of the values on the black market and technical skill with vehicles, the defendants targeted specific makes and models of vehicles to maximize the profits. The theft crew would travel hundreds of miles, hours on end in a single night, to specific locations, including home driveways and business parking lots where large numbers of these vehicles were located. On numerous occasions, the crew targeted more than 10 vehicles in a single night, with one night resulting in thefts from 26 vehicles.
The thefts resulted in losses of approximately $5,000 per vehicle with certain trucks costing over $10,000 to repair. This amounts to an approximate $2 million in losses suffered by more than 300 separate victims who were forced to deal with their vehicles being disabled for potentially weeks on end. The more than 300 victims included businesses and individuals across Massachusetts and parts of New Hampshire, including a food pantry, automotive businesses, tradesmen, a bakery, single parents, a home healthcare provider and the elderly. Some businesses were repeatedly targeted on multiple nights.
Once in possession of the stolen catalytic converters, the crew would then sell them to Jose Torres, who would accumulate stolen catalytic converters from multiple theft crews and then in turn sell them to scrap dealers in the Northeast – transacting approximately $30,000 to $80,000 in stolen catalytic converters per week. In particular, Torres sold stolen catalytic converters to scrap dealers who have since been charged federally for interstate transportation of stolen property and money laundering in the District of Connecticut, the Eastern District of California and Northern District of Oklahoma.
Fonseca is the sixth defendant to plead guilty in the case. Torres pleaded guilty in May 2023 and scheduled to be sentenced on a later date. The crew’s alleged leader Rafael Davila has pleaded not guilty and remains pending trial.
The charge of conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of interstate transportation of stolen property each provide for a sentence of up to 10 years, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; and Kevin Gallagher, Director of Operations for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Northeast Region made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was also provided by the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Northern District of Oklahoma and the Eastern District of California; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office; and the New England State Police Information Network. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
Over 70 local police departments in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut contributed to this investigation through the submission of their investigations of catalytic converter thefts and burglaries in their jurisdiction. The Massachusetts Police Departments contributing to the investigation were Abington, Acton, Andover, Auburn, Bedford, Bellingham, Beverly, Billerica, Burlington, Bridgewater, Canton, Carver, Chelmsford, Concord, Cranston, East Hampton, Easton, Fitchburg, Framingham, Franklin, Gardner, Hampton, Hanover, Haverhill, Hingham, Holliston, Holyoke, Hudson, Ipswich, Lawrence, Leominster, Lynn, Malden, Mansfield, Maynard, Medford, Marlborough, Methuen, Middleton, Milford, Millbury, Needham, Newton, Northborough, Norwell, Norwood, Peabody, Pembroke, Plymouth, Randolph, Rockland, Sharon, Shrewsbury, Springfield, Sterling, Sturbridge, Sudbury, Tyngsborough, Walpole, Waltham, Watertown, West Bridgewater, Weymouth, Wilmington, Woburn and Worcester. The New Hampshire Police Departments contributing to the investigation were Bow, Concord, Derry, Hooksett, Hudson, Londonderry, Manchester, Salem and Windham. The South Windsor and Windsor Connecticut Police Departments also contributed to the investigation.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Scheme to Steal Money from U.S. Bank AccountsRead the Press Release
A Maryland man pleaded guilty today in Baltimore federal court to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
According to court documents, Theodore Sapperstein, 66, of Pikesville, and his coconspirators unlawfully debited money from the bank accounts of unknowing U.S. victims without their authorization. Sapperstein and his coconspirators created shell companies and then falsely represented that debits against consumer-victims’ bank accounts were authorized as payment for services allegedly provided by those shell companies.
The unauthorized debits against consumer-victim accounts resulted in returned transactions and high return rates that could generate scrutiny from banks. To both conceal and continue making unauthorized debits, Sapperstein and his coconspirators caused “micro debit” transactions (i.e., a large number of low-value sham transactions) to be made against other bank accounts that they controlled and/or funded, and which they knew would not result in returns. The “micro debits” were therefore used to artificially lower return rates to levels that Sapperstein and his coconspirators believed would reduce bank scrutiny and potential termination of banking services. Sapperstein helped broker payment processing for the fraud scheme, securing a payment processor who processed the unauthorized debits and the fraudulent micro debits. As part of his guilty plea, Sapperstein admitted that more than $1.5 million in loss was reasonably foreseeable to him.
“Those who knowingly participate in schemes to use personal and financial information about American consumers to steal money from their accounts will be held accountable,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We are committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who facilitate such schemes.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) will not tolerate schemes aimed at draining the accounts of innocent people trying to create financial stability for themselves and their families,” said Inspector in Charge Carroll N. Harris of USPIS' LA Division. “Postal Inspectors along with their law enforcement partners will tirelessly investigate these crimes, ensuring these criminals face the maximum penalties for their illegal activities.”
“We formed the Maryland Financial Intelligence Task Force to identify financial fraudsters, whose actions impact victim-account holders here in Maryland and beyond,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “Our goal is to aggressively protect the financial information of public consumers.”
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 15. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Cases against related scheme participants have previously been filed in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas. In May 2023, a grand jury in Los Angeles returned an indictment in United States v. Courdy, et al. charging 14 defendants with RICO conspiracy and other charges in the Central District of California. The indictment alleges that the defendants and associates debited consumer-victims’ bank accounts without authorization and used shell entities and “micro debits” to conceal the activity from banks. The “Information for Victims in Large Cases” section on the Consumer Protection Branch’s website contains additional information on United States v. Courdy, et al. In December 2023, scheme participant Luis Ramirez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud in federal court in San Diego, and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22. A related scheme participant, Harold Sobel, pleaded guilty to bank fraud conspiracy in federal court in Las Vegas. In December 2022, Sobel was sentenced to 42 months in prison.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Wei Xiang, Meredith Healy and Amy Kaplan of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Darryl Tarver for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Consumer complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to His Role in a Bank Fraud Scheme to Steal More Than $1.5 Million from Victims Throughout the United StatesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Theodore Sapperstein, age 66, of Pikesville, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
The guilty plea was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland and Postal Inspector in Charge Carroll N. Harris of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Los Angeles Division.
According to his guilty plea, Sapperstein and his coconspirators unlawfully debited money from the bank accounts of unknowing victims throughout the United States without their authorization, created shell companies, and falsely represented that debits against consumer-victims’ bank accounts were authorized as payment for services allegedly provided by those shell companies.
The unauthorized debits against consumer-victim accounts resulted in returned transactions and high return rates that could generate scrutiny from banks. To both conceal and continue making unauthorized debits, Sapperstein and his coconspirators caused “micro debit” transactions (i.e., a large number of low-value sham transactions) to be made against other bank accounts that they controlled and/or funded, and which they knew would not result in returns. The “micro debits” were therefore used to artificially lower return rates to levels that Sapperstein and his coconspirators believed would reduce bank scrutiny and potential termination of banking services. Sapperstein helped broker payment processing for the fraud scheme, securing a payment processor who processed the unauthorized debits and the fraudulent micro debits. As part of his guilty plea, Sapperstein admitted that more than $1.5 million in loss was reasonably foreseeable to him.
“We formed the Maryland Financial Intelligence Task Force to identify financial fraudsters, whose actions impact victim-account holders here in Maryland and beyond,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron. “Our goal is to aggressively protect the financial information of public consumers.”
“Those who knowingly participate in schemes to use personal and financial information about American consumers to steal money from their accounts will be held accountable,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We are committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who facilitate such schemes.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will not tolerate schemes aimed at draining the accounts of innocent people trying to create financial stability for themselves and their families,” said Inspector in Charge Carroll N. Harris for USPIS. “Postal Inspectors along with their law enforcement partners will tirelessly investigate these crimes, ensuring these criminals face the maximum penalties for their illegal activities.”
Sapperstein faces a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for August 15, 2024, at 11:00 a.m.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for its work in the investigation and thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for its assistance in the prosecution of the case. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorney Darryl Tarver and Trial Attorneys Wei Xiang, Meredith Healy, and Amy Kaplan of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Maryland MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Participating in a Racketeering Conspiracy, Including a MurderRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Oscar Efrain Zavala Urrea, age 23, an El Salvadoran national residing in Silver Spring, Maryland, today to 25 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his participation in a racketeering conspiracy, including a murder, related to his activities as part of the MS-13 gang.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
According to court documents, La Mara Salvatrucha gang, also known as “MS-13,” is an international criminal organization composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Frederick County, and throughout the United States. In Maryland and elsewhere, MS-13 members are organized in “cliques,” smaller groups that operate in a specific city or region. MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence, both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang and against rival gangs. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible. Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increases the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position.
As detailed in the plea agreement, from at least January 2020, Zavala Urrea was a member or associate of the MS-13 Fulton Locos Salvatruchas (“FLS”) clique and agreed with members of MS-13 to conduct and participate in the gang’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity that included murder, conspiracy to commit murder, extortion and drug distribution.
In the Spring of 2020, a MS-13 member, who was a former roommate of Victim 20, was assaulted by Victim 20 and others because they believed that MS-13 member had stolen property from Victim 20. After being told of the assault, MS-13 members indicated that the gang would have to retaliate against Victim 20 to maintain its standing. MS-13 gang members also believed that Victim 20 was associated with the rival 18th Street gang, which was another sufficient reason to kill him.
According to the plea agreement, over the course of several weeks Zavala Urrea and other MS-13 members met to plan the murder of Victim 20, including discussing what role each participant would play, conducted surveillance to determine when Victim 20 left the apartment, and obtained guns to be used in the murder. The night of May 25, 2020, Zavala Urrea and other MS-13 gang members gathered in a park in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Zavala Urrea met with each gang member to discuss the plan to murder Victim 20, which was to happen the next morning.
As detailed in court documents, on May 26, 2020, at approximately 7:05 a.m., two FLS MS-13 gang members approached Victim 20 as he left his apartment in Silver Spring, Maryland and fired handguns at him repeatedly, hitting him eight times. Victim 20 died as a result of being shot.
Following the murder, Zavala Urrea and a co-conspirator traveled to Annapolis where they met a third MS-13 gang member. Zavala Urrea and the co-conspirator changed their clothes and disposed of the old clothing. They gave the third gang member a backpack containing two firearms for safe keeping. A few days later, Maryland State Police stopped the third gang member who had the backpack containing the two firearms.
Zavala Urrea admitted that, to assist the gang to raise money, he also participated in the sale of marijuana and the collection of extortion money from brothels and other businesses, providing the proceeds to gang leadership.
Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Barron commended the FBI, HSI, Montgomery County Police Department, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark and Anatoly Smolkin, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Maryland Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice Related to Cover-Up of Excessive Force IncidentRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Daric Evans, age 32, of Crisfield, Maryland, a correctional officer at the Eastern Correctional Institution (“ECI”) in Westover, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to obstruct justice, related to covering up evidence that a fellow officer at ECI had unlawfully assaulted an inmate.
The guilty plea was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; and Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI Baltimore Field Office.
According to his guilty plea, on July 12, 2021, while working at ECI, Evans learned that another officer had used force against an inmate. Upon learning of the incident, Evans responded to the scene, where he assisted other correctional officers with escorting the inmate to a medical evaluation. During the evaluation, the inmate cried and was visibly injured with blood on his face. The inmate also asserted that he had been assaulted by a correctional officer, Samuel Warren. Then, Evans and several other correctional officers escorted the inmate to a cell for a monitored strip search. During the strip search, the inmate was fully compliant and crying. Correctional Officer David Quillen filmed the inmate during the evaluation and strip search.
After the strip search, Evans and a number of other correctional officers watched Quillen’s video of the inmate. After watching the video, a supervisory officer commented that the video looked bad and needed to be deleted. Quillen indicated that he would delete the video, and Evans understood that Quillen subsequently did so. In addition, the supervisory officer proposed a cover story for why the video had gone missing, and Evans and other officers agreed to lie about the deletion.
Following the deletion, Evans and other correctional officers discussed that—as previously agreed—they would lie to investigators about what had happened to the video of the inmate. Evans in fact lied about what happened to the video, including by withholding the information from state investigators and lying to federal investigators.
Evans faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy to obstruct justice. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for June 27, 2024.
Samuel Warren, age 38, of Westover, Maryland, has since pleaded guilty to federal offenses related to his unlawful assault of the inmate and is scheduled for sentencing on June 11, 2024. David Quillen, 37, of Ocean View, Delaware, also pleaded guilty to federal offenses related to the deletion of the video and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke commended the FBI for its work in the investigation and thanked the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for its assistance. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Marquardt and Trial Attorney Erin Monju of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section who are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Special Legal Counsel Mark Blumberg of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Maryland Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Offense Related to Cover-Up of AssaultRead the Press Release
A correctional officer at the Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI) in Westover, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to obstruct justice, with the purpose of covering up evidence that a fellow officer at ECI had unlawfully assaulted an inmate.
According to court documents, on July 12, 2021, while working at ECI, Daric Evans, 32, learned that another officer had used force against an inmate. Upon learning of the incident, Evans responded to the scene, where he assisted other correctional officers with escorting the inmate to a medical evaluation. During the evaluation, the inmate cried and was visibly injured with blood on his face. The inmate also asserted that he had been assaulted by a correctional officer, Samuel Warren. Evans and several other correctional officers escorted the inmate to a cell for a monitored strip-search. During the strip-search, the inmate was fully compliant and crying. Another correctional officer, David Quillen, filmed the inmate during the evaluation and strip-search.
Following the search, Evans and a number of other correctional officers watched Quillen’s video of the inmate. After watching the video, a supervisory officer commented that the video looked bad and needed to be deleted. Quillen indicated that he would delete the video, and Evans understood that Quillen subsequently did so. In addition, the supervisory officer proposed a cover story for why the video had gone missing, and Evans and other officers agreed to lie about the deletion.
Following the deletion, Evans and other correctional officers discussed that — as previously agreed — they would lie to investigators about what had happened to the video of the inmate. Evans lied about what happened to the video, including by withholding the information from state investigators and lying to federal investigators.
Warren pleaded guilty to offenses related to his assault of the inmate and cover-up of the assault. Quillen also pleaded guilty to offenses related to the deletion of the video.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland and Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI Baltimore Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Baltimore Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
Trial Attorney Erin Monju of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Marquardt for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Special Legal Counsel Mark Blumberg of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
Many, LA Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of Methamphetamine and a FirearmRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the sentencing of Lionel George Somersall, Jr., 45, of Many, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Somersall was sentenced by United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to 195 months (16 years, 3 months) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to information presented in court, on September 13, 2021, Somersall and a female were driving in a vehicle which did not have a proper license plate. A Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy performed a traffic stop of the vehicle. Somersall was the driver of the vehicle and did not have a valid driver’s license. A K9 deputy was brought to the scene and the dog alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. After searching the vehicle, deputies found a Charter Arms .38 Special revolver inside. Both Somersall and his passenger were convicted felons and were prohibited from possessing a firearm. Law enforcement agents conducted a search of the gun’s history and found that it had been reported as stolen. Somersall and his passenger were both arrested.
Agents learned through their investigation that Somersall’s passenger told a co-defendant that she had thrown a bag full of illegal drugs out the window of the vehicle prior to them being stopped. A subsequent search was conducted of the area and deputies found a bag containing ammunition and receipts to Somersall. In addition, they discovered approximately 170 grams of methamphetamine inside the bag. Law enforcement agents were able to examine Somersall’s phone and found text messages discussing the distribution of methamphetamine. Somersall also later admitted to law enforcement agents that he possessed the firearm located inside the vehicle.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert F. Moody.
The investigation and conviction of Somersall 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.
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Man Sentenced for Murder of Department of Defense Employee Stationed OverseasRead the Press Release
A U.S. citizen was sentenced today to 16 years and eight months in prison for killing his mother, a U.S. Department of Defense civilian employee stationed at a naval base in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
According to court documents, on Jan. 31, 2021, Giovonni Z. Pope, 30, killed his mother in the apartment they shared in Bahrain by stabbing her with a knife. At the time, Pope’s mother was employed as a U.S. Department of the Navy civilian employee, assigned to Naval Support Activity Bahrain, and Pope was living with her as a dependent. After fatally stabbing his mother, Pope cleaned her body and removed evidence of the murder from the apartment. He then left in his mother’s car. On Feb. 1, 2021, Pope was apprehended by Bahraini authorities.
On Feb. 11, 2021, Pope was ordered detained and removed from Bahrain to the United States pursuant to the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act. Pope was charged on March 4, 2021, in the District of Maryland with one count of murder while employed by or accompanying the armed forces outside the United States. Pope pleaded guilty on Nov. 3, 2023, to second degree murder.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland; Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Rothrock of the FBI Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge John Parkinson of the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Middle East Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI and NCIS investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Brian Morgan of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Cunningham for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided assistance.
Leader of Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A Brownwood man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 420 months in prison for conspiring to import and possess methamphetamine for a drug trafficking organization.
According to court documents, Jacob Andrew Mendoza, 37, of Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico was held accountable for supplying multiple illicit drugs to be smuggled into the U.S., including 56.8 kilograms of methamphetamine along with heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, and “Ice” with a purity level of 99%.
Mendoza was indicted in December 2020 for one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of conspiracy to import methamphetamine. He was taken into federal custody May 26, 2021 in San Angelo and pleaded guilty to both charges of the indictment on Oct. 17, 2022.
“Mendoza was a career offender and the leader of a Mexican drug trafficking organization that set out to profit from trafficking their drugs into our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “Thanks to our partners at Homeland Security Investigations, federal law enforcement has dismantled another DTO and aggressively prosecuted many of its members.”
“This lengthy sentence highlights the success of HSI’s collaborative efforts in combating drug trafficking along the southern border,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee for HSI San Antonio. “HSI is committed to holding those accountable who recklessly push this poison into our communities.”
HSI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler Fleming and Larry Fadler prosecuted the case.
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Justice Department Secures Agreement with North Carolina Printing Company to Resolve Claims of Immigration-related DiscriminationRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a settlement agreement with Printful Inc. (Printful), an on-demand printing and fulfillment company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The agreement resolves the department’s determination that Printful violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by discriminating against a worker based on her citizenship status when checking her permission to work, and by having a discriminatory policy requiring non-U.S. citizens to present specific documents to prove their permission to work.
“Companies cannot reject workers’ valid documents or require specific or unnecessary documents based on citizenship status when checking their permission to work,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable employers who run afoul of our nation’s civil rights laws.”
The department’s investigations determined that Printful rejected a lawful permanent resident’s valid driver’s license and Social Security card, even though those documents were sufficient to prove her permission to work, and required her to present her Permanent Resident Card (sometimes referred to as a “green card”). The Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) also concluded that Printful maintained at least a year-long policy, starting from July 2022 to July 2023, of requiring non-U.S. citizens to present specific documents to prove their permission to work while allowing U.S. citizens a choice of documents. Federal law allows all workers to choose which valid, legally acceptable documentation to present to demonstrate their identity and permission to work, regardless of citizenship, immigration status or national origin. Employers cannot demand more documents than are necessary or specify documentation they prefer to see as part of this process.
Under the terms of the settlement, Printful will pay civil penalties to the United States and backpay to the worker who filed a complaint. The agreement also requires Printful to train its personnel on the INA’s anti-discrimination requirements, revise its employment policies and be subject to departmental monitoring and reporting requirements.
IER is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. Among other things, the statute prohibits discrimination based on citizenship status and national origin in hiring, firing or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; retaliation and intimidation.
Find more information on how employers can avoid discrimination when verifying someone’s permission to work on IER’s website. Learn more about IER’s work and how to get assistance through this brief video. Applicants or employees who believe they were discriminated against based on their citizenship, immigration status or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment or during the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify); or subjected to retaliation, may file a charge. The public can also call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); sign up for a live webinar or watch an on-demand presentation; email [email protected] or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites. Sign up for email updates from IER.
Justice Department Hosts Forum and Sends Letter to Local Officials to Reinforce Federal Civil Rights Protections for Religious Land UseRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division hosted a forum in Orange County, California, today with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California on the department’s continued efforts to combat religious discrimination and promote religious liberty through enforcement of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). RLUIPA is a federal law that protects people and religious institutions from discriminatory and overly burdensome land use regulations. The division also issued a letter to state, county and municipal leaders throughout the country to remind them of their obligations under RLUIPA.
During the forum, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Johnathan Smith of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California discussed the continued importance of RLUIPA and highlighted the need to ensure that the public is aware of the critical protections provided by the law. They heard from members of different religious communities, land use officials and local attorneys about challenges involving religious land use in Southern California.
Today’s forum, held at the Fowler School of Law at Chapman University, is the second in a series of nationwide outreach events designed to ensure that communities understand RLUIPA’s legal protections and are of the department’s enforcement of the law. The department held the first outreach event of the series in October in New Jersey.
“At this time when many faith communities are experiencing antisemitism, Islamophobia or other forms of religious discrimination, the department is actively working to guarantee that all faith communities are free to worship and engage in religious exercise,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act is an important federal law in the Justice Department’s efforts to combat religious discrimination. Our letter aims to ensure that state and local governments around the country are aware of and understand their obligations under the law.”
“Today’s unprecedented gathering brought together local faith leaders, land use officials, lawyers and students to learn and discuss how federal laws such as RLUIPA protect the free exercise of religion,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. “My office and the entire Justice Department is committed to protect religious institutions from unduly burdensome or discriminatory land use regulations. Over the past year, the civil rights attorneys in my office have worked closely with local religious organizations such as Micah’s Way and the Catholic Charities of Orange County to ensure that zoning officials do not run afoul of the RLUIPA statute.”
The Civil Rights Division’s letter to officials outlines RLUIPA’s land use provisions and emphasizes the protections they afford to religious institutions and assemblies. The letter, which describes documents and resources available from the Justice Department to help local governments comply with RLUIPA, was prompted by a concern, based on the department’s enforcement and outreach work, that many government officials are insufficiently familiar with law’s requirements.
RLUIPA was passed unanimously by Congress and signed into law on Sept. 22, 2000. The law contains provisions covering both religious land use and religious exercise by people who are incarcerated. Since RLUIPA’s passage, the department has opened over 155 formal investigations and filed nearly 30 lawsuits and 36 briefs related to RLUIPA’s land use provisions. In June 2018, the Justice Department announced its Place to Worship Initiative, which focuses on RLUIPA’s provisions that protect the rights of houses of worship and other religious institutions to worship on their land. More information is available at www.justice.gov/crt/placetoworship.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California is actively involved in enforcing RLUIPA, including recently filing a statement of interest in Micah’s Way v. City of Santa Ana, a federal lawsuit alleging that Santa Ana violated a faith-based group’s freedom to engage in protected religious exercise.
Individuals who believe they have been subjected to religious discrimination in land use or zoning decisions may file a complaint with the U.S Attorney’s Office at www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/civil-division/civil-rights-section or call the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Section at (213) 894-2879. Individuals may also contact the Civil Rights Division Housing and Civil Enforcement Section at (833) 591-0291 or submit a complaint through the complaint portal.
Jackson Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man pled guilty today to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Marcus Allen Brown, 44, was found with a firearm after Jackson Police responded to a reported disturbance at an apartment complex. Brown has multiple previous felony convictions for burglaries of homes and businesses.
Brown will be sentenced on July 8, 2024. Because of Brown’s prior felony convictions, he may be subject to the Armed Career Criminal Act, in which case he will face a minimum of 15 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 and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by the ATF and the Jackson Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Idaho Man Pleads Guilty to Hacking Computers of the City of Newnan and a Griffin Medical ClinicRead the Press Release
NEWNAN, Ga. - Robert Purbeck, also known as “Lifelock,” and “Studmaster,” who hacked into the computer servers of the City of Newnan and a Griffin medical clinic, and then targeted at least 17 other victims across the United States – in the process stealing personal information of more than 132,000 individuals – has pleaded guilty today to federal charges of computer fraud and abuse.
“Purbeck breached computer systems in our district and across the country, stole vast amounts of personal information, and aggravated his crimes by weaponizing sensitive data in an egregious attempt to extort his victims,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Cyber-attacks on health care facilities and local governments pose a grave risk to the security of personal information. Our office is committed to tirelessly coordinating with our law enforcement partners to help safeguard the sensitive information of citizens by combatting cybercrime threats from within and outside this district.”
“FBI Atlanta continues to be unrelenting in bringing cybercriminals to justice and determined to defeat and disrupt campaigns targeting critical infrastructure,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley. “Helping victims of crime is the FBI’s highest priority. The FBI will continue to aggressively pursue these criminal actors wherever they attempt to hide and ensure they are held accountable under the law.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: in June 2017, Purbeck purchased access to the computer server of a Griffin, Georgia medical clinic on a darknet marketplace. He then used the stolen credentials to gain unauthorized access into computers of the medical clinic and stole medical records and other documents, which contained sensitive personal information of over 43,000 individuals, including names, addresses, birthdates, and social security numbers.
Subsequently, in February 2018, Purbeck purchased access to a City of Newnan, Georgia Police Department server on a darknet marketplace. Purbeck then used these stolen credentials to hack into the city’s computer systems and steal records consisting of police reports and documents, which included personal information of more than 14,000 people.
On August 31, 2019, as part of an FBI investigation, agents executed a federal search warrant on Purbeck’s home in Meridian, Idaho. During the search, the FBI seized multiple computers and devices, which contained personal information of over 132,000 individuals obtained through numerous data breaches, including the City of Newnan, the Griffin medical clinic, and at least 17 other victims throughout the United States. As part of his plea agreement, Purbeck agreed to pay more than $1 million in restitution to these victims.
Sentencing for Purbeck, 44, of Meridian, Idaho, is scheduled for June 18, 2024, 2024, at 10:30 am before Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr. in the United States Courthouse in Newnan, Georgia.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Atlanta Field Office, with valuable assistance provided by the FBI Boise, Idaho Resident Agency.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Herskowitz, Nathan Kitchens, Alex Sistla, and Nicholas Evert, and Trial Attorney Brian Mund of the U.S. Department of Justice Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho has also provided valuable assistance in this case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Guilty Plea in Va. and Md. Spree of Gunpoint Pharmacy RobberiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Floyd Neal, 32, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty yesterday to his role in a rash of 2021 gunpoint robberies of pharmacies in Maryland and Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office.
Neal pleaded guilty on March 18, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson to three counts of interference with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting (also known as Hobbs Act robbery). He also pleaded guilty to using, carrying, and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. Judge Berman Jackson scheduled sentencing for June 21, 2024.
According to court documents, on February 14, 2021, Neal and two co-conspirators traveled from the District to a pharmacy in Henrico, Virginia. Neal approached the pharmacy counter, brandished a firearm, and ordered the pharmacist to hand over codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone. Neal held one employee at gunpoint while a co-conspirator demanded the pharmacist open the prescription safe. After grabbing prescription narcotics and amphetamines, they fled in a red SUV driven by another co-conspirator.
On March 25, 2021, Neal and a co-conspirator traveled from the District to a pharmacy in Alexandria, Virginia. They entered the store wearing yellow construction vests and posed as customers by grabbing beer. Then the co-conspirator shouted “Give me all the money. Oh, you think I’m playing,” as he reached toward his waistband to indicate that he had a firearm. The men ordered two employees into the store’s office before taking between $7,000 to $10,000 from the safe. The men fled in a 2005 silver sedan.
On March 31, 2021, Neal and his co-conspirators drove to a pharmacy in Beltsville, Md. Neal’s co-conspirator went behind the store counter, grabbed a store employee, and demanded the code to the store’s safe. While the robbery was in progress, the store’s manager entered the store. Neal’s co-conspirator forced the store’s manager into the back office where Neal was watching the other employee. Neal’s co-conspirator forced the manager to open the safe and then stole the contents. Neal remained at the front of the store where he emptied the contents of the cash registers. The trio then fled in a dark sedan with silver trim.
On April 1, 2021, Neal and a co-conspirator traveled to a pharmacy in Manassas, Virginia. One employee locked herself in the back office. Another employee ran to the front where the co-conspirator grabbed them by the neck. Threatening the employees, Neal ordered one to give him “percocets and oxys” or else he would hurt them. Neal also demanded the employee open the cash registers. Police arrested Neal and the co-conspirator after fleeing the pharmacy. A search revealed Neal had been in possession of a loaded 9mm Hipoint C9 firearm. Each of the pharmacies robbed by Neal is part of a national chain of retailers and the robberies affected interstate commerce.
Neal faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each Hobbs Act robbery count and a maximum of life in prison for using a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was investigated by the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force with valuable assistance from local law enforcement in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Gold and Cameron Tepfer.
Grand Island Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Adam E. Jarzynka, 49, of Grand Island, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 19, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for one count of distribution of methamphetamine mixture, one count of distribution of five grams or more of meth (actual), and two counts of distribution of fifty grams or more of meth (actual). Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Jarzynka to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Jarzynka’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
In August and September of 2021, drug investigators used a Confidential Informant (CI) to arrange the controlled purchase of meth from Adam Jarzynka. Four meth purchases were conducted during that time period at various locations in Grand Island. The quantities purchased during those buys ranged from a quarter of an ounce to nearly three ounces. In total, Jarzynka sold over 167 grams of lab-confirmed meth to the CI.
This case was investigated by the Tri-City Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT). TRIDENT is a task force with law enforcement personnel from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Grand Island Police Department, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Hastings Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Kearney Police Department, and the Nebraska State Patrol.
GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Extradited to Face Sex Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Michael Pratt, the alleged mastermind behind the GirlsDoPorn commercial sex trafficking ring, made his first appearance in federal court today following his extradition from Spain Monday night.
Pratt, who was the owner of the website GirlsDoPorn, was charged in October 2019 in the Southern District of California with sex trafficking crimes in connection with a scheme to deceive and coerce young women to appear in pornographic videos. Pratt was an international fugitive for more than three years before he was arrested in Spain in December 2022. Earlier in 2022, he was named to the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list.
At today’s hearing, Pratt was arraigned and entered a not-guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel E. Butcher. A detention hearing is scheduled for March 21 at 3 p.m. before Judge Butcher, followed by a motion hearing/trial setting on April 19 at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino.
“We cast a wide net in search of Mr. Pratt and now that he is in San Diego, we are prepared to bring him to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath. “We extend our deep appreciation to the government of Spain for its assistance in securing his arrest and extradition.”
“Michael Pratt’s initial appearance in San Diego is tangible proof that the pursuit of justice never stops, regardless of length of time or location,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge, Stacey Moy. “Pratt’s arrest and extradition back to the United States reflects a great collaboration among multiple agencies, both in the United States and Spain who were dedicated to seeking justice for the young women he allegedly victimized. This large, internationally coordinated effort could not have been successful without support from our law enforcement partners in Spain, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Department of Justice, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
According to public court filings, Pratt and his co-defendants used force, fraud, and coercion to recruit hundreds of young adult women – most in their late teens – and at least one minor victim, to appear in GirlsDoPorn videos.
Pratt is accused of recruiting the victims from throughout the United States and Canada using internet advertisements for clothed modeling jobs. Even after the victims were told the gig involved an adult video-shoot, Pratt and his co-defendants convinced the women that their videos would be provided solely to private collectors on DVD in foreign countries, that they would remain anonymous, and that the videos would not be posted on the internet – assurances that Pratt and his co-defendants knew to be false.
Most of the video shoots took place in San Diego – at local hotels and short-term rental units. Although the women were promised that the video shoots would be brief, they often took hours. Once the video productions began, some women were not permitted to leave the shooting locations until the videos were completed; some were threatened with lawsuits or cancelled flights home if they did not complete the videos; and others were allegedly forced to perform certain sex acts, which they had earlier declined to do.
After the victims returned home, still believing that they would remain anonymous, Pratt and his co-defendants posted clips of the videos on heavily trafficked adult film sites, like Pornhub, to funnel traffic to the full-length versions of the videos on his website, GirlsDoPorn. Pratt charged visitors to GirlsDoPorn a subscription fee. The site generated more than $17 million in revenue for Pratt.
Pratt faces 19 felony counts stemming from the operation of GirlsDoPorn. The charges include:
• Fifteen counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion;
• Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion;
• Production of child pornography;
• Sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud, and coercion; and
• Conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of California recognizes the outstanding efforts of the FBI in San Diego; the FBI Legal Attaché in Spain; the U.S. Marshals Service; Spain’s Ministry of Justice; and law enforcement officials in Spain and Portugal; as well as the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, for their substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Pratt.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 19cr4488
Michael James Pratt Age: 36 Unknown
Matthew Isaac Wolfe Age 37 San Diego, CA
Ruben Andre Garcia Age: 31 San Diego, CA
Theodore Gyi Age, 46 Solana Beach, CA
Valorie Moser Age: 37 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES IN SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT
Count 1
Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion, 18 U.S.C. § 1594
Maximum Penalty: Life in prison, $250,000 fine.
Counts 2-16
Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion 18 U.S.C. §1591(a) and (b)(1)
Minimum penalty: Fifteen years in prison; Maximum penalty: life in custody, $250,000 fine.
Count 17
Production of Child Pornography, 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) and (e)
Minimum penalty: Fifteen years in prison; Maximum penalty: thirty years in prison, $250,000 fine.
Count 18
Sex Trafficking of a Minor and By Force, Fraud and Coercion, 18 U.S.C. § 1591(a)(1), (a)(2), and (c)
Minimum penalty: Fifteen years in prison; Maximum penalty: life in custody, $250,000 fine.
Count 19
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments, 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(A)(i) and 1956(h).
Civil penalty of the greater of (A) the value of the property, fund or monetary instruments involved in the transaction or (B) $10,000
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
FBI – Southern District of California and Legal Attaché in Spain
U.S. Marshals Service
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs
Spanish National Police
Spain’s Ministry of Justice
Spain’s Ministry of Interior
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Georgia Man Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Prison for Cocaine Distribution ConvictionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced in federal court to 71 months of incarceration, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for his conviction on charges of conspiring to distribute and distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Gerard Riley, 52.
According to information presented to the Court, Riley conspired with others to distribute kilograms of cocaine to co-defendants in the Western District of Pennsylvania and to transmit the proceeds from the sale of that cocaine to another co-defendant. This included 10 kilograms of cocaine that Riley delivered to a co-defendant on September 27, 2021, which later that same day were seized by the DEA after execution of a search warrant.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Bissoon stated that the defendant participated in a very serious crime and that his sentence was meant to reflect the serious nature of the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Katherine C. Jordan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Drug Enforcement Administration for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Riley.
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.
Friend and Business Partner of GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Sentenced to 14 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 19, 2024
SAN DIEGO – Matthew Isaac Wolfe was sentenced in federal court today to 14 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy with Michael Pratt, owner of the website GirlsDoPorn, and others, to deceive and coerce young women into appearing in pornographic videos. A restitution hearing is scheduled for May 7, 2024 at 10 a.m.
The conspiracy included recruiting the victims from throughout the United States and Canada using internet advertisements for clothed modeling jobs. Even after the victims learned the gig involved an adult video-shoot, Wolfe admitted to persuading women to appear in the videos by telling them that the videos would never be posted online, that the videos would never be released in the United States, and that no one who knew the women would ever find out about the videos, representations he knew to be false. In truth, the videos were exclusively marketed and distributed on the internet. Not only did Wolfe lie to the women, he also instructed others to do so. Wolfe told co-defendant Theodore Gyi, the cameraman on hundreds of GirlsDoPorn video shoots, that if asked, he should lie to the women and tell them the videos would not be posted on the internet.
Most of the video shoots took place in San Diego – at local hotels and short-term rental units. Although the women were promised that the video shoots would be brief, they often took hours. Once the video productions began, some women were not permitted to leave the shooting locations until the videos were completed; some were threatened with lawsuits or cancelled flights home if they did not complete the videos; and others were allegedly forced to perform certain sex acts, which they had earlier declined to do.
After the victims returned home, still believing that they would remain anonymous, clips of the videos were posted on heavily trafficked adult film sites, like Pornhub, meant to funnel viewers to the full-length versions of the videos on Pratt’s website, GirlsDoPorn. Pratt charged visitors to GirlsDoPorn a subscription fee and generated more than $17 million in revenue.
Wolfe pleaded guilty to the conspiracy on July 26, 2022, admitting he moved to the United States from New Zealand in 2011 to work for Pratt and had a wide range of responsibilities. He filmed approximately 100 videos; uploaded finished videos onto the internet; oversaw the company’s financial books; and operated various business entities that were used to promote the business. Wolfe worked at GirlsDoPorn from 2011 until his arrest in October 2019.
During hearings today and on January 22, 2024, approximately 30 survivors asked a federal judge to impose a significant sentence, describing how the actions of Wolfe and his co-defendants destroyed their lives. Survivors, many of them college students at the time, described answering what they thought were legitimate modeling ads and flying to San Diego for paid modeling gigs, only to be forced to perform sexual acts on camera.
The women spoke of struggling with substance and alcohol abuse, anxiety and depression, suicidal thoughts and attempts, and post-traumatic stress syndrome in the aftermath of their videos going viral. Some spoke of lost relationships with friends and family; others dropped out of school; and others went into hiding.
One of the women said: “I was robbed of my privacy, my dignity, and my peace of mind… But worst of all, I was robbed of my identity. I was once viewed as a beautiful, fun-loving and strong woman who was known for her athleticism and ability to make just about anyone laugh. I was a caring friend and a daughter my parents were proud of. Mr. Wolfe shattered who I was…Today I'm taking my identity back. I am not a victim. I'm a survivor.”
One woman recalled the day she learned that her pornographic video received more than 300 million views on Pornhub, one of the most-visited websites in the world.
“That ad seemed harmless, but it wrecked my entire life. In an instant, the life I had was gone: My hopes gone, my relationships gone, everything was gone…The fall-out from the videos spread to every part of my life like cancer, and that cancer remains to this day, making it virtually impossible for me to start a new life. I lost my modeling career, my college years, my whole twenties, my name, my career path, my friends, and my family. Everything I had built was gone, and so too was my future. Doors that were once opened were slammed in my face…Matthew Wolfe stole my life, and it wasn't just my life. He stole hundreds of lives. What kind of price do you put on a life? Mr. Wolfe deserves a jail sentence that accounts for each and every life he has stolen.”
Another woman told the court: “It's been nearly 3,650 days of living in a tortuous purgatory, but today marks a major milestone in my recovery. Today there's a shift in the winds. Today is the day all the survivors get their voices back. Today is the day we get to be heard.”
Wolfe also admitted he was aware that personal identifying information and social media accounts for some women were being posted on pornwikileaks.com, a site controlled by Pratt and dedicated to “exposing” the true identities of individuals appearing in pornographic videos, causing the victims to be subjected to severe harassment. Even after Wolfe became aware of this, he and others continued to assure prospective models that no one would ever find out about their video shoot or learn their identity.
“We applaud all survivors who courageously speak out in pursuit of justice,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Their voices rang out in the courtroom today, and we stand beside them in holding Mr. Wolfe accountable for the incredible pain and suffering he caused.”
“Matthew Wolfe’s willingness to use deception, coercion and intimidation to exploit young women paints a sordid picture of the lengths some people will go just to make money,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “Wolfe’s sentencing today, and any past or future sentencings related to this case, are small slivers of justice for the victims, but ultimately don’t fully heal the deep pain spawned by Mr. Wolfe and the other defendants.”
Co-defendant Michael Pratt made his first appearance today after being extradited from Spain following more than three years as an international fugitive. In 2022, Pratt was named to the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list.
Ruben Andre Garcia, the recruiter and male model, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on June 14, 2021. Theodore Gyi was sentenced to four years in prison on November 9, 2022. Valorie Moser, the office manager, is set for sentencing on August 9, 2024.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 19cr4488
Michael James Pratt Age: 36 Unknown
Matthew Isaac Wolfe Age 37 San Diego, CA
Ruben Andre Garcia Age: 31 San Diego, CA
Theodore Gyi Age, 46 Solana Beach, CA
Valorie Moser Age: 37 San Diego, CA
CHARGES
Count 1
Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion, 18 U.S.C. § 1594
Maximum Penalty: Life in prison, $250,000 fine.
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
FBI – Southern District of California
U.S. Marshals Service
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former police officer sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession of child sexual abuse materialsRead the Press Release
Oxford, Miss. – A former policeman from Bruce, Mississippi and part-time volunteer firefighter was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison on Tuesday morning for possessing child sexual abuse materials. Following a sentencing hearing in Oxford, U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock ordered Corey Harrelson to serve 121 months in prison, followed by a term of supervised release of 5 years. Harrelson was also ordered to make restitution payments of $3,500 to each of eight known victims, for a total of $28,000.
According to court documents, Harrelson of Bruce, Mississippi, possessed computer files containing images and videos of minors, including prepubescent children, engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Harrelson possessed files of more than 80 known child victims.
“Today’s sentence should serve as a stark reminder that those who possess images of the sexual abuse of children will face significant punishment in federal court, regardless of their job or status,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “I would like to thank the FBI and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office for their assistance in this investigation, and for their continued commitment to put defendants like this one behind bars.”
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said, "I am proud of my team for their hard work investigating this horrific crime and grateful to the U.S. Attorney's Office for securing this sentence. While this conviction does not turn back the clock, it prevents this predator from inflicting more harm, and it is my hope and prayer that the closure of this case helps these victims find peace and healing."
“Safeguarding our society's future begins with protecting underage citizens in our community from vile individuals like, Corey Harrelson,” remarked Jackson Mississippi Resident FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Maher Dimachkie. “Those who commit these heinous crimes against our youth will not be tolerated. The FBI and the DOJ maintain a commitment to protect our communities by aggressively investigating and protecting the innocence of our minors, assuring offenders are brought to justice. “
The FBI and Mississippi Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Roberts prosecuted the case.
Former White Mountain Police Officer Indicted for Obstruction of InvestigationRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Last week, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a two-count indictment against Joshua Ben Anderson, 49, of Whiteriver, for his actions in connection with the death of a woman on Thanksgiving Day, 2023.
The grand jury charged Anderson, a former White Mountain Apache Tribal police officer, with one count of Engaging in Misleading Conduct to Hinder or Delay and one count of Corruptly Altering and Concealing Evidence.
The indictment alleges that, at approximately 3:31 a.m. on November 23, 2023, Anderson was on-duty and was dispatched to conduct a welfare check of a body that had been observed on State Route 73, on White Mountain Apache Tribal lands. Anderson proceeded to the scene and discovered that the person was deceased. Anderson later acknowledged that only minutes before being dispatched to the scene, he had driven the same stretch of highway and felt a “bump” but continued southbound on SR 73 without stopping to investigate.
Anderson actively took part in the police investigation into the pedestrian’s death. He spoke with paramedics, interviewed witnesses, briefed and directed officers, filled out an autopsy report, and notified the victim’s family of her death. The indictment alleges that Anderson did not inform his superiors or fellow officers about his likely involvement in the traffic fatality, but rather allowed the investigation to continue. It is further alleged that after returning to his home, Anderson removed the bumper from his patrol vehicle, which had been damaged in the accident, and concealed it. The next day, Anderson resigned from the police department.
A conviction for each of the two alleged crimes carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the White Mountain Apache Tribe Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-08027-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-036_Anderson# # #
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.Former President and CEO of Metal Finishing Company Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for FraudRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – Harry Corl, III was sentenced today to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay $253,625.50 in restitution to over 30 victim employees and shareholders, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Klaus Placke, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, San Francisco Regional Office.
Corl, now of Pittsburg, California, was indicted on several wire fraud and money laundering counts by a federal grand jury on November 29, 2018. On September 25, 2023, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349.
According to court filings, from 2008 to 2014, Corl and his estranged wife and co-defendant were executive officers for Nu-Metal Finishing, Inc. They also served as trustees of the company’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Trust, or ESOP, which provided retirement benefits and savings to the company’s employees by purchasing and investing company stock for their collective benefit. As trustees, the Corls had a fiduciary duty to competently manage the ESOP’s cash, stock, and assets and act in the best interests of the employee-shareholders. They failed to do so.
As set forth in the government’s sentencing memorandum, from 2011 to 2014, Corl used Nu-Metal’s corporate accounts to pay for numerous personal expenses wholly unrelated to the business of a metal finishing company. For example, Corl used corporate funds to purchase extravagant jewelry from Tiffany & Co. and made lease payments on a Ferrari 599 GTB coupe, listing Nu-Metal Finishing as a lessee. Corl also used corporate funds to lease a Bentley and to purchase outright a Mercedes S63 sedan. The Corls flaunted their luxury car collection on social media.
Furthermore, in May 2014, the Corls arranged a fraudulent sale of Nu-Metal. In all formal written agreements and conversations with all parties involved, the Corls represented themselves as the sole owners of the company, falsely stating that the ESOP had been terminated and was no longer a concern. In reality, the ESOP and another shareholder owned well over 50% of the company’s outstanding stock and were owed their corresponding portion of the proceeds from the company’s sale. However, Corl immediately transferred nearly the entire sale proceeds to his personal accounts and moved to Texas. To date, the employees who participated in the ESOP, all laid off after the sale of the company, have not received any portion of the sale proceeds owed to them. As indicated in the filed victim impact statements, these victims lost expected retirement income, and some have suffered serious financial distress a result.
The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Edward J. Davila, U.S. District Judge, who also sentenced Corl to pay $253,625.50 in restitution, serve a three-year period of supervised release, and pay a $100 special assessment fee. The defendant will begin serving his sentence on June 13, 2024.
Marissa Harris is the Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting the case with the assistance of Sahib Kaur. The prosecution is the result of a four-year investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration.
Former Finance Director Charged for Role in $10M Foreign Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a former finance director of the Latin America division of Stericycle Inc., an international waste management company headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, for his role in an alleged scheme to pay over $10 million in bribes to foreign officials in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina.
According to court documents, between 2011 and 2016, Abraham Cigarroa Cervantes, 51, of Mexico, and others allegedly caused hundreds of bribe payments to be made to government officials in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina to obtain and retain business and to secure improper advantages for Stericycle, a U.S. securities issuer, in connection with providing waste management services. As part of the scheme, employees at Stericycle’s offices in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina allegedly made bribe payments, typically in cash, and calculated the amount of the bribes as a percentage of underlying contract payments made by or owing from a government customer. In all three countries, Cigarroa and his co-conspirators allegedly tracked the bribe payments through spreadsheets and described the bribes through code words and euphemisms. To conceal the corrupt payments, Cigarroa and others allegedly maintained false books, records, and accounts that did not accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of Stericycle’s assets, causing Stericycle to falsely record bribe payments as legitimate expenses in its consolidated books, records, and accounts. Cigarroa also allegedly submitted and maintained falsified Sarbanes-Oxley certifications and business unit representation letters falsely attesting that the books, records, and accounts were accurate.
Cigarroa is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act’s (FCPA) anti-bribery provisions and one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA’s books and records provisions. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count.
In April 2022, Stericycle admitted to bribing officials in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina in violation of the FCPA’s anti-bribery and books and records provisions. Stericycle entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement with the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and agreed to pay more than $84 million as part of a coordinated resolution with the Justice Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and authorities in Brazil.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Assistant Director in Charge James Smith of the FBI New York Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI New York Field Office is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Manolo Reboso and Trial Attorneys Paul A. Hayden and Jil Simon of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and authorities in Brazil and Mexico provided assistance in the matter.
The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/foreign-corrupt-practices-act.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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.
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Former Finance Director Charged for Role in $10M Foreign Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida returned an indictment today charging a former finance director of the Latin America division of Stericycle Inc., an international waste management company headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, for his role in an alleged scheme to pay over $10 million in bribes to foreign officials in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina.
According to court documents, between 2011 and 2016, Abraham Cigarroa Cervantes, 51, of Mexico, and others allegedly caused hundreds of bribe payments to be made to government officials in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina to obtain and retain business and to secure improper advantages for Stericycle, a U.S. securities issuer, in connection with providing waste management services. As part of the scheme, employees at Stericycle’s offices in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina allegedly made bribe payments, typically in cash, and calculated the amount of the bribes as a percentage of underlying contract payments made by or owing from a government customer. In all three countries, Cigarroa and his co-conspirators allegedly tracked the bribe payments through spreadsheets and described the bribes through code words and euphemisms. To conceal the corrupt payments, Cigarroa and others allegedly maintained false books, records, and accounts that did not accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of Stericycle’s assets, causing Stericycle to falsely record bribe payments as legitimate expenses in its consolidated books, records, and accounts. Cigarroa also allegedly submitted and maintained falsified Sarbanes-Oxley certifications and business unit representation letters falsely attesting that the books, records, and accounts were accurate.
Cigarroa is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act’s (FCPA) anti-bribery provisions and one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA’s books and records provisions. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count.
In April 2022, Stericycle admitted to bribing officials in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina in violation of the FCPA’s anti-bribery and books and records provisions. Stericycle entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement with the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and agreed to pay more than $84 million as part of a coordinated resolution with the Justice Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and authorities in Brazil.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; and Assistant Director in Charge James Smith of the FBI New York Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI New York Field Office is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Paul A. Hayden and Jil Simon of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Manolo Reboso for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and authorities in Brazil and Mexico provided assistance in the matter.
The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/foreign-corrupt-practices-act.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former DuBois Resident Sentenced to More than Five and a Half Years in Prison for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of DuBois, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court on March 14, 2024, to 70 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his convictions for violating federal narcotics laws resulting from a nine-month Title III wiretap investigation into drug trafficking in and around Jefferson, Clearfield, and Allegheny counties, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Brent Coder, 57.
According to information presented to the Court, Coder sold two ounces of methamphetamine to a confidential source on August 19, 2020. A month later, Pennsylvania State Police troopers seized approximately one and a half pounds of methamphetamine from Coder’s vehicle, resulting in Coder’s indictment. Federal agents executed a search warrant at Coder’s residence on August 31, 2021, with investigators seizing an additional pound of methamphetamine and four firearms during the search.
Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan D. Lusty prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Allegheny County Police, and Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Coder. The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, and Clarion Borough Police Department also assisted.
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.
Florida Woman Admits to Elder Financial FraudRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Spring Hill, Florida, woman has pled guilty to defrauding a Berkeley County man who suffered from dementia.
Wendy Renee Bunner, age 48, pled guilty on Monday to one count of money laundering. According to court documents and statements made in court, Wendy Bunner conspired with her husband to obtain a $280,318.73 cashier’s check from a United Bank account belonging to the elderly victim to purchase real estate in Charles Town, West Virginia.
Samuel Bunner, husband of Wendy Bunner, previously pled guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. According to court documents, Samuel Bunner defrauded the same victim of $1,906,229 by selling his real estate, emptying his investment and bank accounts, and opening a credit card in his name. Together, the Bunners used the money taken from the victim for their own personal benefit and purchased homes, campers, cars, and hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of consumer goods.
“The Bunners took advantage of a vulnerable victim to fund a lifestyle that they otherwise could not have afforded,” said United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to pursue those who prey upon the elderly to ensure that there is accountability when this type of conduct occurs.”
Samual Bunner faces up to thirty (30) years in prison and Wendy Bunner faces up to ten (10) years in prison. Sentencing hearings for each will take place later this year.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eleanor Hurney is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. The Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida, and FBI-Tampa assisted with the matter.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Final Defendant Sentenced to over 12 Years in Prison for Role in Conspiracy to Distribute over 1,000 Pounds of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
RENO – The final defendant involved in a large methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy was sentenced Monday by United States Chief District Judge Miranda M. Du to 145 months in prison for his role in a large methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy.
According to court documents, in 2014, Nassrollah Behmard fled to Mexico to avoid being arrested for his involvement in a Washoe County drug trafficking case. In March 2022, the FBI learned that Behmard, who was still in Mexico, was conspiring with co-conspirators located in Reno and Los Angeles to distribute multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine in the Reno area. From March 2022 to June 2022, Behmard and his co-conspirators were responsible for distributing over 140 pounds of methamphetamine.
On June 6, 2022, Behmard arranged with co-conspirator Ramon Guadalupe Sanchez Maldonado to deliver 100 pounds of methamphetamine from Los Angeles to Reno. Law enforcement intercepted the methamphetamine and traced it back to a clandestine lab located in the Los Angeles area. Law enforcement dismantled the lab and seized approximately 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine.
In June 2022, a federal grand jury in Reno charged Behmard, also known as “Benny” and “Michael Holt,” and his co-conspirators Sanchez Maldonado, Melissa Ann Longo, Owen Eugene Dick, and Jesus Sanchez Vargas with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and related offenses including money laundering. Maldonado was sentenced to 120 months in prison, Longo was sentenced to 57 months in prison, and Dick was sentenced to 57 months in prison.
United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI made the announcement.
The FBI Northern Nevada Safe Streets Task Force, comprised of the FBI, Reno Police Department, Carson City Sheriff’s Office, Nevada Gaming and Control Board, Nevada Department of Corrections, and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case with assistance by the FBI Los Angeles Field Office, the San Bernardino Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Andolyn Johnson prosecuted the case.
This case 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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
If you have information of potential drug trafficking, call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit an anonymous tip online at TIPS.FBI.GOV.
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Fayette County Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Lexington man, Dakota Douglas Himes, 27, was sentenced on Monday, by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, to 18 years in prison, for attempted production of child pornography.
According to his plea agreement, from February 23 to February 27, 2019, Himes engaged in online chats with a New Jersey man who had a toddler son. In the chats, the New Jersey man talked about abusing the toddler and discussed his preferred method of sharing sexually explicit imagery of the toddler, prompting Himes to ask if he could see “live” sexually explicit images of the toddler. Although the New Jersey man did not create new images in response to Himes’s request, he sent Himes an image of the toddler’s genitals that had been taken earlier in the day. In his guilty plea, Himes admitted that he attempted to receive sexually explicit images of a minor via the Internet and had previously received sexually explicit images of the minor via the Internet.
Under federal law, Himes must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 25 years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael E. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Russell Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, with computer-forensic assistance from the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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El Departamento de Justicia llega a un acuerdo con una imprenta con sede en North Carolina que resuelve acusaciones de discriminación relacionada con la inmigraciónRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que ha llegado a un acuerdo conciliatorio con Printful Inc. (Printful), una empresa de impresión y logística a la carta con sede en Charlotte, Carolina del Norte. El acuerdo resuelve la determinación del Departamento que Printful infringió la ley de Inmigración y Nacionalidad (INA, por sus siglas en inglés) cuando discriminó a un trabajador por motivos de su estatus de ciudadanía a la hora de verificar su permiso para trabajar, y al tener una política discriminatoria que requiere que los no ciudadanos de los EE. UU. presenten documentos específicos para demostrar su permiso para trabajar.
«Al verificar su permiso para trabajar, las empresas no pueden rechazar documentos válidos de los trabajadores ni tampoco requerir que entreguen documentos específicos o innecesarios, con base en su estatus de ciudadanía», afirmó Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. «El Departamento de Justicia seguirá responsabilizando a los empleadores que vulneren las leyes de derechos civiles de nuestra nación».
Las investigaciones del Departamento determinaron que Printful rechazó la licencia de conducir y la tarjeta del Seguro Social válidas de un residente permanente legal, aunque esos documentos eran suficientes para demostrar su permiso para trabajar, y le exigió que presentara su tarjeta de residente permanente (a veces denominada «tarjeta verde»). Por otra parte, la Sección de Derechos de Inmigrantes y Empleados («IER», por sus siglas en inglés), de la División de Derechos Civiles, también concluyó que Printful mantuvo una política durante al menos un año, eso es, desde julio del 2022 hasta julio del 2023, de exigir que los no ciudadanos de los EE. UU. presentasen documentos específicos para demostrar su permiso para trabajar mientras ofrecía una selección de documentos a ciudadanos de los EE. UU. Las leyes federales permiten a todos los trabajadores elegir la documentación válida y legalmente aceptable que desean presentar para demostrar su identidad y permiso para trabajar, independientemente de su estatus de ciudadanía, estatus migratorio o nacionalidad de origen. Los empleadores no pueden exigir más documentos de los necesarios ni especificar la documentación que prefieren ver como parte de este proceso.
En virtud de los términos del acuerdo, Printful pagará sanciones civiles a los Estados Unidos y pagos retroactivos al trabajador que presentó una reclamación. El acuerdo también requiere que Printful capacite a su personal en cuanto a los requisitos antidiscriminatorios de la INA, que revise sus políticas de empleo y que se someta a los requisitos de supervisión y declaración departamentales.
La IER es responsable de hacer cumplir la disposición antidiscriminatoria de la INA. Entre otras cosas, 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 discriminar al verificar el permiso para trabajar de alguien 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 gratuito 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.
Durham man sentenced for possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
WINSTON-SALEM – A North Carolina man was sentenced today to 224 total months of imprisonment, after pleading guilty to one count of felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).
ARMAND SAQUAN SUFYAN LEWIS-LANGSTON, age 26, of Durham, North Carolina, was sentenced by the Honorable Thomas D. Schroeder, United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC to a 200-month term of imprisonment after pleading guilty on December 11, 2023, to felon in possession of a firearm, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(e). He was sentenced to an additional twenty-four-month term of imprisonment to run consecutively to the 200-month term for violating the terms of his federal supervised release.
According to court records, LEWIS-LANGSTON, then on federal supervised release after serving a 26-month term of imprisonment for felon in possession of a firearm, was found asleep in a car by a Durham Police Department (DPD) officer on October 22, 2020, with a Cugir 7.62x39 Draco assault-style pistol. He was arrested and charged by the state and bonded out of custody.
On November 17, 2020, officers with the DPD Select Enforcement Team arrested LEWIS-LANGSTON at a residence on Scheer Avenue in possession of a Kel-Tec Sub2000 9mm foldable rifle. This firearm was forensically linked to the shooting of an off-duty Durham County Sheriff’s Office deputy that occurred on November 14, 2020. Specifically, a forensic firearms examiner with DPD microscopically compared 9mm cartridge casings recovered from the November 14, 2020, shooting of the deputy with a cartridge casing test fired from the Kel-Tec Sub2000 9mm foldable rifle and determined that, based on similar class characteristics and sufficient agreement of individual characteristics, the 9mm cartridge casings recovered from the scene on November 14, 2020, were fired from the Kel-Tec Sub2000 9mm foldable rifle.
At the time of these offenses, LEWIS-LANGSTON had been previously convicted of multiple felonies. In connection with these offenses, LEWIS-LANGSTON was sentenced to multiple terms of imprisonment exceeding one year. Thus, at the time of the offenses, LEWIS-LANGSTON was legally barred from possessing a firearm due to his status as a felon.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Task Force (SSTF), the Durham Police Department, and the Durham County Sheriff’s Office. The lead investigator was an FBI Task Force Officer from the Durham County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney JoAnna G. McFadden.
Since 1992, the FBI’s Safe Streets Violent Crime Initiative has successfully aligned FBI Agents, state and local law enforcement investigators, and federal and state prosecutors onto SSTFs to reduce violent crime. This nationwide initiative brings resources together in a “force multiplier concept” and utilizes the expertise of each agency. SSTFs focus primarily upon street gang and drug-related violence through sustained, proactive, coordinated investigations to obtain prosecutions on violations such as racketeering, drug conspiracy, and firearms violations.
A copy of this press release will be posted on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:23-cr-321-1 and 1:16-cr-10-1.Driving Instructor Who Bribed RMV Road Test Examiner Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A driving instructor pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) resulting in driver’s licenses being issued to applicants who did not pass the road test.
Ngan Dinh, 48, of Boston, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris has scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 5, 2024.
Dinh paid a road test examiner at the Brockton RMV service center to misrepresent to the RMV that certain driver’s license applicants had passed their road test when in fact they had not. Some of the applicants did not even show up to take the test. As a result of the fraud, the RMV mailed driver’s licenses to applicants who had not proved they were qualified.
The charge of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Christopher A. Scharf, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine J. Wichers and Adam W. Deitch of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
District Felon, a Member of ‘No Rats Allowed,’ Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking and Possession of an Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Keith Jones, 27, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty today for participating in a long-running drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed fentanyl throughout the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office.
Jones, a member of the violent No Rats Allowed crew, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols to conspiring to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Judge Nichols scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2024, where he will face a five-year mandatory minimum sentence. At the time of the trafficking offenses, he was on supervised probation for a robbery conviction out of Prince George’s County, Maryland.
The plea follows a lengthy investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Narcotics Enforcement Unit (NEU), FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The law enforcement partnership identified a crew of young men operating within on the 200 block of K Street, Southwest, with firearms, large amounts of U.S. currency, and illegal narcotics. The members of the group wore matching insignia on clothing printed with “NO RATS ALLOWED” or “N.R.A.” Jones, aka “Chief,” and other members of the N.R.A. crew used several townhouses on the block as stash locations or “trap houses” for narcotics and firearms. Many of Jones’ N.R.A. associates have been arrested and successfully prosecuted for firearms offenses and the possession and distribution of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.
The government’s investigation showed from October 2021 to October 2023, Jones relied heavily on social media to both make connections with other drug dealers to conduct sales of illegal substances to individual customers and N.R.A. crew members. On his Instagram account and cell phone, investigators found evidence showing Jones’ trafficking of crack cocaine, promethazine, and wholesale quantities of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and marijuana. Furthermore, the digital evidence showed that Jones was aware that at least some of the counterfeit pills he sold contained fentanyl, was warned by another drug dealer that certain pills he was selling might contain lethal amounts of fentanyl, and knowingly distributed the pills with full knowledge they might harm or kill customers.
Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested Jones on October 28, 2023, following a foot chase, during which he discarded a firearm in the lobby of the Capitol Park Plaza Apartments in Washington D.C. That firearm discharged as he tossed it and the bullet struck a glass window in the lobby of the apartment building, narrowly missing two security guards that were feet away from him.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force, with valuable assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin F. Song.
Depew Man Sentenced for Child Sex Crimes After Federal Jury Trial ConvictionRead the Press Release
Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Eric F. Melgren sentenced Johnny Lee Summers, 24, of Depew. Summers was convicted by a federal jury in March 2023 for Coercion and Enticement of a Minor; Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country; and Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country. Summers was sentenced to 340 months imprisonment, followed by 15 years of supervised release. Judge Melgren further ordered that Summers register as a sex offender upon his release.
During the trial, three victims testified against Summers explaining how he took advantage of them. From February 2021 through January 2022, Summers sought out and coerced one of the victims, who was 14 years old. Summers wanted to engage in sexual activity and sent her thousands of sexually inappropriate messages. He requested that she send him nude photos and eventually sexually abused her.
Summers is a citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, and Creek County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Valeria Luster and Steven Briden 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 Justice.gov/PSC.
Decatur Man Sentenced to 300 Months in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
URBANA, Ill. – A Decatur, Illinois, man, Tevin Ford, 29, was sentenced on March 13, 2024 to 300 months in the Bureau of Prisons, to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a child.
At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Ford had sexually assaulted three minors at a hotel room in Decatur in September of 2021. Also at the hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Michael M. Mihm found that Ford’s intent to abuse the minors had been clear from the beginning of the offense.
Ford pleaded guilty to the offense on September 14, 2023.
The statutory penalties for sexual exploitation of a child are 15 to 30 years imprisonment; a fine up to $250,000; and not less than five years of supervised release.
Decatur Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the United States Marshal Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elly Peirson and Rachel Ritzer represented the government in the prosecution.
This case was investigated as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Court Sentences Leader in Interstate Bank Fraud and Identity Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Saheed B. Dairo, 40, most recently of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced on March 19, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Dairo to 151 months’ imprisonment for bank fraud and a consecutive 24 months’ imprisonment for aggravated identity theft. There is no parole in the federal system. After Dairo’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. Dairo was also ordered to pay $1,491,802.39 in restitution. Dairo was identified as a Nigerian citizen who may be deported following completion of his sentence.
During approximately 2018 to 2021, Dairo and others traveled from city to city conducting fraudulent transactions at bank branches using real customers’ information and false identification documents. Dairo was the leader. He created phony driver’s licenses and credit cards and supplied them to other fraudsters who posed as customers. He also provided other individuals working the fraud scheme with account and personal information about customers and instructed them how to conduct the transactions. The group’s pattern was to conduct a series of fraudulent transactions in a particular area during a short period of time, then travel to a different city and conduct fraudulent transactions there. Overall, individuals acting at Dairo’s direction attempted approximately $5.2 million in fraudulent transactions and obtained about $1.49 million.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department, the Council Bluffs, Iowa Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations, in coordination with law enforcement agencies in other states.
Convicted Felon Indicted for Possessing Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute and Possessing A Firearm in Furtherance of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Lewis James Scott (35, Tampa) with one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted of the narcotics charge, Scott faces up to 20 years in prison. If convicted of the first firearm charge, he faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. This charge also carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years in prison, to run consecutive to any other sentence. The second firearm charge for possessing the firearm as a convicted felon carries up to 15 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, Scott has previously been convicted of a felony for tampering with physical evidence. The indictment charges that on September 4, 2023, Scott possessed methamphetamine with intent to distribute it. It also alleges that on September 4, 2023, Scott possessed a Smith and Wesson Model M&P Bodyguard .380 and three rounds of ammunition and possessed this firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Columbia County Man Indicted for Receipt and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on March 12, 2024, Vincent Shaffer, age 44, of Schuylkill County, PA, was indicted on a charge of possession of child pornography.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that Shaffer received child pornography on August 20, 2023, and possessed child pornography on December 7, 2023, in Columbia County.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation-RAC Williamsport and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Tatum R. Wilson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is 20 years, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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