Southern District of California

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – September 5, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Sean Stevenson, a former high school science teacher at University City High School, was sentenced in federal court today to 120 months in prison for attempting to purchase oral sex from a 16-year-old. Stephenson was still a high school teacher at the time of the offense.

The defendant pleaded guilty on June 13, 2024, to one count of Attempted Enticement of a Minor.

According to the publicly-filed documents in the case, between April 9, 2023, and April 16, 2023, Stevenson used a voice over internet protocol (VOIP) line to negotiate by text message for commercial sex with an individual that went by the name of Kash and who represented to Stevenson that she was 20 years old. From April 15, 2023, through April 16, 2023, Stevenson offered Kash a fee to find a female under the age of 18 for Stevenson. In pertinent part, Stevenson stated to Kash the following:

• • “And I don’t suppose you know in[sic] younger girls I could pay u a premium for?”
  • “I pay u a finders fee and I pay her”
  • “The younger the better.”
  • “Just keep it in mind if you come across any high school age girls”
  • “Not young enough” (in response to Kash suggesting an 18 year old).

Between October 2, 2023, and October 24, 2023, Stevenson continued to negotiate by text message for commercial sex with an individual he believed to be Kash, but who was actually an undercover officer (UC). When the UC referenced a 16-year-old cousin as being available for commercial sex with Stevenson, he responded “Oh … yes!” and negotiated for the following:

• • • $150 for a “bbbj” (oral copulation without a condom)
    • $100 for manual genital stimulation
    • A “car date” (a commercial sex encounter that occurs inside a vehicle)

On October 17, 2023, Stevenson messaged the UC “Do you still have a younger girl?” and again negotiated the exchange of $150 for “bbbj” with the 16-year-old cousin.

On October 23, 2023, Stevenson re-engaged with the UC to confirm he still wanted to meet with the 16-year-old cousin for a commercial sex date. In pertinent part, Stevenson stated the following to the UC:

• • • “Ok, and $150 for a cardate bbbj. No condom.”
    • “Also, can you send a pic of your cousin please?” (lips emoji)
    • “Sexy pic”

On October 24, 2023, Stevenson agreed to meet with the 16-year-old cousin for the commercial sex date. The UC provided an address in San Diego, to which Stevenson asked, “what is she wearing?” (in reference to the 16-year-old cousin). Stevenson also renegotiated a fee of $140 for oral sex.

On October 24, 2023, at approximately 7:00 a.m., Stevenson arrived at the provided location. Stevenson drove to a parking lot where he had a full, unobstructed view of the meeting location and then drove laps near the location where Stevenson was told the 16-year-old cousin would be arriving. Stevenson was stopped and placed under arrest. During the arrest, $140 cash was located in the driver’s side door storage area of Stevenson’s sports car.

“Mr. Stevenson’s determination to purchase sex acts from a minor is appalling,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Thankfully he was caught before harming an actual child. The sentence imposed today reflects the magnitude of our commitment to protecting the vulnerable from exploitation.”

“I have a simple message for all those who target children for sex online: If you go after children in California, we’ll go after you,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Today’s announcement makes it clear that child sexual exploitation will not be tolerated. I’m extremely grateful to our San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force and our federal partners for their dedication and commitment to keeping our communities safe. My office always stands ready to work with our partners across California to fight for our children and for public safety.”

“This case represents another successful collaborative effort by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and our law enforcement partners to swiftly identify, investigate and bring to justice individuals that seek to exploit vulnerable populations,” said Chris Davis, acting special agent in charge for HSI San Diego.  “The defendant was in a position of public trust as a teacher at the time of arrest and law enforcement will not stand for this kind of abuse and misconduct; we are committed to protecting our children and our communities.”

“The San Diego Police Department is a proud member of the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force,” said Chief Scott Wahl. “A teacher is meant to protect and nurture students, guiding them with care and respect, but instead, this individual sought to sexually exploit a school-age girl. Thankfully, due to the actions of law enforcement agencies, Stevenson was arrested before a child was victimized.  The San Diego Police Department remains committed to protect our youth from the unthinkable.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Ko and Andrew Sherwood.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number                         23CR2368-AJB

Sean Stevenson                                               Age: 59                                   San Diego, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Attempted Enticement of a Minor– Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2422(b)

Maximum penalty: Life in prison, 10-year mandatory minimum

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations

San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY—August 29, 2024

SAN DIEGO— The U.S. Attorney’s Office, San Diego City Attorney’s Office and the name, image, likeness (NIL) collective Aztec Link today launched a social media campaign featuring members of San Diego State University’s women’s soccer team to promote fentanyl awareness and overdose prevention. The campaign coincides with International Overdose Awareness Day being commemorated in San Diego County on August 29th.

The goal of this joint effort is to raise awareness of the dangers of fentanyl, to reduce accidental use or overdose, and in the event of an overdose, to educate students on how to save lives in an emergency.

U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath will be available for interviews regarding the campaign following the International Overdose Awareness Day press conference on August 29 at 9 a.m. at the County Administration building on Harbor Drive.

The student athletes are showcased in a video filmed at various locations on SDSU’s campus, each reciting a line about the dangers of fentanyl, recognizing the signs of an overdose, and the importance of naloxone (also known by the brand name Narcan).

Naloxone is an opioid overdose reversal medication, available either as a nasal spray or an injector. Many pharmacies carry naloxone. In California, you can get naloxone from a pharmacist without a prescription. It is also possible to get naloxone from community-based distribution programs, local public health groups, or local health departments, free of charge. For more information about naloxone and how to get training on using it, visit: Naloxone Information.

This campaign uses the hashtags #TeamUp #SaveLives #InternationalOverdoseAwarenessDay. The social media public service announcement can be found here: SDSU Women’s Soccer Team - Fentanyl Awareness Video

This is the second time that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the City Attorney’s Office have teamed up to feature SDSU student athletes in partnership with a SDSU NIL collective. For this social media campaign, the offices partnered with Aztec Link, an NIL collective dedicated to partnering SDSU student athletes with businesses and organizations for promotions and endorsements while offering fans meaningful ways to support and connect with their favorite teams and players. Aztec Link was established after the NCAA began allowing student-athletes to receive compensation for the use of their NIL in 2021.

In the public service announcements, the student athletes state the following:

“Our goal is to team up and save lives.

We love spending time on the field, but we are also students.

Students who know that fentanyl kills.

And as a community, we need to defend ourselves from the dangers of fentanyl.

Fentanyl doesn’t care about your age, or if you are just trying it for the first time.

If you are offered Adderall, Xanax, Percocet, Cocaine or any other drug not directly from a pharmacy,

It likely contains a deadly amount of fentanyl.

It’s time for us to pass on our knowledge, assist our friends, and confront this epidemic.

We need to spread the word about the dangers of fentanyl. It’s everywhere and in everything.

Know where Narcan is on campus such as Narcan vending machines.

Learn how to use Narcan and how to recognize the signs of an overdose

Such as losing consciousness, difficulty breathing, choking noises or discolored skin.

We believe in you. If you are worried about your friend overdosing and are unsure, deploy Narcan and call 911.

Let’s make it our goal to team up and save lives.

And save lives.

And let’s save lives!”

The campaign is being deployed over social media platforms, including Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat, LinkedIn, and YouTube, by the individual student-athletes, Aztec Link, the Department of Justice, the San Diego State Athletic Department, and other coalition members.

“If you are worried about a friend who may have taken fentanyl or is unresponsive, call 911 and if necessary, administer naloxone,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Know the dangers and how to help others. When athletes, educators, and law enforcement team up to amplify this critical message, we can save lives.” McGrath thanked the SDSU women’s soccer team for using their influence to spread the critical message about fentanyl and naloxone.

“We lose around 800 San Diegans every year to fentanyl,” said City Attorney Mara Elliott. “While each of these deaths is tragic, I’m particularly struck by how many of those victims are college-aged students. My Office is proud to support the heroic efforts of these young women to educate their peers about the dangers of fentanyl and the lifesaving power of Narcan. This is exactly the type of communitywide effort that will be required to eradicate overdose deaths in San Diego.”

The Good Samaritan law in California provides that, “…it shall not be a crime for a person under the influence of, or to possess for personal use, a controlled substance…if that person, in good faith, seeks medical assistance for another person experiencing a drug-related overdose…” Cal. Health & Safety Code § 11376.5.

One year ago, to commemorate National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the City Attorney’s Office partnered with the SDSU men’s basketball team and another NIL collective, the MESA Foundation, to create a public service announcement and media campaign that was believed to be the first such collaboration of its kind. The campaign has since received over a million impressions. For more information, visit:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/san-diego-state-university-basketball-stars-join-us-attorneys-office-and-city.

Additional fentanyl prevention resources can be found at San Diego County’s Community & Parent Toolkits, which are available in both English and Spanish.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s participation in the social media campaign with Aztec Link is not an endorsement of any product, service, or enterprise associated with Aztec Link.  

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 29, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Andre Shammas, owner of Shammas Funding Inc., pleaded guilty in federal court today to fraud charges, admitting that he submitted bogus applications for more than $5 million in pandemic-related loans intended to help struggling businesses during the pandemic.

Shammas admitted using his accounting and tax preparation business, Shammas Funding, to illegally apply for more than 40 loans from the Paycheck Protection Program known as PPP.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering economic harm as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act established the PPP, under which banks would make forgivable loans to small businesses, so that those businesses could keep their doors open and employees on their payroll. If a business used the money for payroll and other eligible business expenses, the loans would be forgiven, and the federal government’s Small Business Administration would pay back the bank. 

According to court documents, Shammas solicited and recruited clients of Shammas’s tax preparation business and people to apply for fraudulent PPP loans. Shammas then prepared fraudulent tax and other documentation to support fraudulent PPP loan applications. Co-conspirators then prepared and filed the PPP applications using the fraudulent documentation provided by Shammas.

Some examples include:

• One of the bogus applications submitted by Shammas and his co-conspirators was for a PPP loan on behalf of Nasser Salman and the entity LGDG (charged in federal Case No. 23-CR-0821-LL). This fraudulent PPP application generated $85,000 in PPP proceeds.

• An application for a PPP loan was submitted on behalf of Rafael Santiago and the entity Blacktie Co-Investors, Inc. (charged in federal Case No. 23-CR-01915-LAB). This fraudulent PPP application generated $117,233 in PPP proceeds.

• Another fraudulent application was submitted for a PPP loan on behalf of Wendell Pialet and the entity Hope Nuggets, LLC (charged in federal Case No. 23-CR-02156-LL). This fraudulent PPP application generated $100,000 in PPP proceeds.

To induce the Small Business Administration and banks to approve the fraudulent PPP loans, Shammas and his co-conspirators included false and fraudulent statements in the loan applications, including false representations regarding the number of employees, the average monthly payroll, and the gross receipts earned by these purported businesses. 

“The Paycheck Protection Program served as a lifeline to many businesses desperately trying to stay afloat during the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “These charges will hold Shammas accountable for abusing this critical program.”

“As an accountant and tax preparer, Mr. Shammas is a gatekeeper who has a responsibility to do what is right for both his clients and the system. Mr. Shammas blatantly ignored that responsibility, and instead recruited clients to join his criminal conspiracy,” said FDIC OIG Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Korner.  We are proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners to protect our nation’s financial system and bring to justice individuals, like Mr. Shammas, who defraud our system to line their own pockets, while stealing benefits designated for those most in need during the pandemic.”

“Conspiring to defraud programs aimed at assisting small businesses that struggled to survive the pandemic is both unacceptable and reprehensible,” said SBA OIG’s Western Region Special Agent in Charge Weston King. “Our office is committed to ensuring that SBA funds reach those who truly need them and are not diverted by fraudulent schemes. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners in bringing those who exploit these programs to justice.”

Shammas is scheduled to be sentenced on November 18, 2024, at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Thomas Whelan.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Conover.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number - 24-CR-1765-W                                  

Andre Shammas                                             Age: 43                       San Diego, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1349

Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General

Homeland Security Investigations

Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

        

           

 

 

 

 

 

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 28, 2024

SAN DIEGO – David Constantin, mastermind of a scheme to steal more than $5 million in California unemployment benefits intended to help workers affected by the pandemic, was sentenced in federal court today to five years in prison and was ordered to pay $ $5,178,276 in restitution to the state.

The co-mastermind of the scheme, Constantin Bobi Sandu, charged separately, was sentenced in 2023 to 40 months in prison.

According to Constantin’s plea agreement, between July 2020 and August 2022, Constantin and Sandu conspired with 213 co-conspirators to fraudulently obtain at least $5,178,276 in California unemployment insurance benefits.

Thirteen other defendants were charged on the same indictment as Constantin with wire fraud and money laundering related to the unemployment fraud scheme.  Four of the defendants were sentenced on July 31, 2024, and ordered to pay restitution to the state of California. They are:

• Eduard Buse, 34 months and $244,050;
• Constantin Iosif Constantin, 32 months and $281,000;
• Leonard Miclescu, 15 months and $34,650; and
• Filip Nicolae, 13 months and $26,250.

Additional defendants include:

• Florentina Sima, wife of Buse, who was sentenced on May 29, 2024 to 15 months in custody and $28,350 in restitution; and
• Florin Nicolae, who pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 30, 2024, at 9 a.m.

According to admissions in their plea agreements, these defendants submitted fraudulent applications to the California Economic Development Department, falsely claiming to be United States citizens who had been employed full time prior to the pandemic, and who had earned substantial income. To substantiate these claims, the defendants submitted false documents, including fake Forms W-2 purporting to be from their prior employers, phony health insurance cards, and fake utility bills to support their claimed residence in California.

These defendants caused the California Employment Development Department to pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent benefits to individuals who were not entitled to those benefits. Many of them laundered their fraudulent proceeds by transferring funds to Romania. 

In some cases, while claiming that they needed the funds to take care of their families, the defendants used the proceeds of the fraud to purchase luxury items. Buse, for example, purchased a 2020 BMW for more than $100,000 and shipped it to Romania.

Other defendants are being sought by the United States so that they can be held accountable. 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Adeline Schulberg and Valerie H. Chu.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 23CR2090-RBM                               

David Constantin, Aka Vlad Alexandru         Age: 28           Transient, Romanian

Eduard Buse                                                    Age: 31           Transient, Romanian

Leonard Miclescu                                           Age: 49           Transient, Romanian

Constantin Iosif Constantin                            Age: 31           Transient, Romanian

Florentina Sima                                              Age: 30           Transient, Romanian

Filip Nicolae                                                   Age: 31           Transient, Romanian

Florin Nicolae                                                 Age:  34          Transient, Romania

*Additional defendants are not in custody and their names are redacted

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Title 18, U.S.C.  § 1349 and 1343 - Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud

Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison, a fine of $1 million or both;

Title 18 U.S.C. § 1943 – Wire Fraud

Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison, a fine of $1 million or both;

Title 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2)(A) — Laundering Monetary Instruments

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $500,000 fine or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved in the transportation, transmission, or transfer, whichever is greater;

Title 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2)(B)(i) – Laundering Monetary Instruments

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $500,000 fine or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved in the transportation, transmission, or transfer, whichever is greater;

Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1), and Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c) - Criminal Forfeitures 

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Bureau of Investigation

San Diego Police Department Economic Crimes Unit

IRS Criminal Investigation

California Employment Development Department Investigative Division

Department of Labor Office of Investigator General

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 23, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Son Nguyen of San Diego was arrested early today and charged in federal court with two counts of damaging property in connection with using explosives on two ATMs.

Nguyen, who unsuccessfully attempted to steal money from the machines, was tracked through surveillance video, vehicle registration and facial features, the complaint said. He was taken into custody by the FBI at his Mira Mesa residence and is scheduled to make his first appearance in federal court Monday.

According to the complaint, at approximately 3:24 a.m. on June 8, 2024, Nguyen drove up to an ATM outside of California Coast Credit Union on Governor Drive in San Diego. Nguyen got out of his car and brought a five-gallon blue plastic container with a white spout to the area in front of the ATM. He then appeared to insert a black polyvinyl chloride plastic (“PVC”) hose into the ATM. A short time later, a small explosion occurred inside the ATM. Despite efforts to pull money out of the machine, Nguyen left empty handed.

San Diego Police officers responded to an alarm at the credit union and observed a white PVC pipe connected to a black PVC pipe with two batteries taped to it. They also observed pieces of what looked like a blue balloon around the ATM.  Approximately 20 feet from the ATM was another plastic pipe. 

According to the complaint, a few weeks later, at approximately 2:10 a.m. on June 28, 2024, Nguyen drove up to another ATM in Rancho Bernardo outside of a First Citizen’s Bank branch in San Diego. He then repeated the same steps. After electrical components caught fire and smoke started coming out of the ATM, Nguyen returned and attempted to extract cash from the machine but was unsuccessful.

Investigators used surveillance camera video to track the defendant and his vehicle. While serving a court-authorized search warrant at Nguyen’s home, investigators found gas, black powder, potassium nitrate sulfur, explosive pre-cursor chemicals, a paper that explains how to make black powder and a firearm in Nguyen’s residence, among other equipment and clothing items consistent with those used during the attempts.

“Fortunately, neither of these incidents resulted in injury or successful theft of cash,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “With the discovery of chemicals and equipment in the search today, future attempts were also thwarted.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Sherwood and Shital Thakkar.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number                         24-mj-03215

Son Thanh Nguyen                                         Age: 44                                   San Diego, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Use of an Explosive to Damage Property – 18 U.S.C., Section 844(i)

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Bureau of Investigation

San Diego Police Department

San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad

City of San Diego’s Hazmat Team

A complaint itself is not evidence that the defendant committed the crimes charged. The defendant is presumed innocent until the Government meets its burden in court of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against Tony’s Auto Center Inc., doing business as Tony’s Auto Center, in Chula Vista, California, alleging that it illegally auctioned off a deployed U.S. Navy Lieutenant’s car, in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).  The SCRA prohibits a towing company from auctioning off a vehicle owned by a servicemember unless it first obtains an order from a court allowing it to do so.

“When towing companies ignore their legal obligations under the SCRA, it can have serious financial consequences for servicemembers,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We hope that bringing this case encourages other towing companies to review and improve their policies and ensure that the rights of all servicemembers are honored and respected.”

“The law provides specific and necessary protections to active duty servicemembers so they can dedicate themselves to protecting our freedom,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath for the Southern District of California. “As the filing of this complaint demonstrates, we will fight to enforce those protections.”              

The department’s lawsuit, which was filed today in the Southern District of California, alleges that Tony’s Auto Center illegally auctioned the Lieutenant’s 2011 Mazda 6 while he was deployed at sea aboard the USS Bunker Hill. Prior to deployment, the Lieutenant placed some personal belongings in his car and parked it in front of a friend’s house. While the Lieutenant was at sea, Chula Vista Police Department impounded the car due to an expired registration, and Tony’s Auto Center towed the car to its facility. About two months later, Tony’s Auto Center, through its agent, sold the Lieutenant’s car at auction without obtaining a court order authorizing the sale.

According to the complaint, in March 2023, the Lieutenant returned home from deployment to find that his car had been towed. He then contacted Tony’s Auto and learned that they had sold his car. Even though he no longer had the car, he had to continue making his monthly car loan payments to Navy Federal Credit Union, which totaled over $2,500.

Individuals with information that may be relevant to this case should call the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California at 619-546-7516.

Servicemembers and their dependents who believe their SCRA rights have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office.  Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil/.

The Justice Department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the department has obtained over $481 million in monetary relief for over 147,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. Additional information on department’s enforcement of the SCRA and other laws protecting servicemembers is available at www.servicemembers.gov.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 21, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Mohamed Muriidi Mohamed was sentenced in federal court today to 27 months in prison for participating in a childcare-benefits fraud scheme that bilked a California welfare and benefits program of millions of dollars.

At today’s hearing, U.S. District Judge Ruth Bermudez Montenegro also ordered Muriidi to pay $3.7 million in restitution to Child Development Associates.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funds a program known as “Alternative Payment Program/Stage 2 Childcare.” This childcare benefits program allows eligible parents to select a licensed childcare provider that best fit a family’s needs. In San Diego, this program is administered by two contractors: Child Development Associates (CDA) and the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). CDA and YMCA disburse the funding from HHS and the state of California directly to the designated childcare providers. In administering the program, CDA and YMCA require verification forms to be completed by the parent and the parent’s employer and/or school.

Muriidi and his three co-defendants fraudulently caused CDA and YMCA to pay out millions in childcare benefit program funds by falsely verifying that parents were working or attending school at the UMI Learning Center, a vocational and language school located on University Avenue, although the parents were not actually participating in classes or employment as claimed.  As part of the scheme, Muriidi also issued paychecks to make it appear that the parents were working at UMI but told the parents not to cash them. Meanwhile, childcare providers submitted daily childcare attendance forms falsely claiming that childcare was provided for days and hours when the parents were supposedly at UMI Learning Center for work or school. In exchange for these false verification forms, parents were expected to pay $200 to UMI Learning Center each month, and the childcare providers were expected to split the childcare benefit program funds they received with the parents. The defendants’ scheme caused CDA and YMCA to pay out $3.7 million dollars in childcare benefit program funds to approximately 150 households.

Muriidi and his wife, co-defendant Amina Abdirazak Omar, received childcare benefits for their own children. Muriidi signed his own and his wife’s verification forms for their own benefits under his alias to hide the fact that he was the one falsely verifying their presence at UMI. Amina Omar and her sister, co-defendant Osob Abdirazak Omar, and their brother, co-defendant Omar Omar, submitted false timesheets claiming Osob Omar and Omar Omar were providing childcare for Muriidi and Amina Omar’s children for days and hours they were not.

Co-defendants Amina Abdirazak Omar, Osob Abdirazak Omar and Omar Omar have also pleaded guilty to the same charge. Osob Omar was sentenced on July 26, 2024, to 12 months and 1 day in custody and ordered to pay $298,910 in restitution. Omar Omar was sentenced on August 2, 2024, to 90 days in custody and ordered to pay $101,153 in restitution. Amina Omar is scheduled to be sentenced on October 4, 2024.

“These defendants stole money intended to provide safe care for children of working parents,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to safeguarding government funded programs like this one, so families can better manage the heavy burden of childcare expenses.”

“These thieves organized a financial scheme with the sole purpose of lining their pockets with ill-gotten money,” said Christopher A. Davis, acting special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “The defendants in this case stole from the government and American taxpayers. We are committed to identifying fraudsters and bringing them to justice.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Valerie H. Chu and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa J. Sanniti.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 23CR0552-RBM                                           

Mohamed Muriidi Mohamed                         Age: 47                       Spring Valley

Amina Abdirazak Omar                                 Age: 41                       Spring Valley

Osob Abdirazak Omar                                    Age: 33                       San Diego

Omar Omar                                                     Age: 26                       San Diego

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Wire Fraud and Theft Conspiracy - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371

Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and fine of the greater of $250,000, or twice the pecuniary gain or loss

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 19, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Kevin Noe Campos Villa of Tijuana was sentenced in federal court today to seven months in prison for human smuggling.

Campos previously pleaded guilty, admitting he guided seven unauthorized immigrants through sewer pipes during heavy rains. Several had to be rescued from the Tijuana River by San Diego lifeguards.

Campos was arrested on January 22, 2024, after U.S. Border Patrol agents observed Campos directing the individuals from Mexico into the United States through the pipes about two miles west of the San Ysidro Port of Entry during heavy rains.

When confronted by Border Patrol agents, Campos and three of the immigrants he was guiding ran to avoid apprehension. While attempting to escape, they fell into the Tijuana River, known to be contaminated, and had to be rescued by San Diego lifeguards.

According to court records, two of the unauthorized immigrants who were rescued stated that they feared for their lives when crossing the river because they did not know how to swim. One stated that he was swept away by the river’s current and was able to grab and hold onto a tree branch until his rescue.

Sewer tubes between the United States and Mexico have grates to prevent individuals from illegally entering the United States. During heavy rain, the grates are opened to let water flow through the sewer tubes without damaging the grates. Due to heavy rain that was occurring in the area at the time, the grates were open, and Campos used the opportunity to smuggle the unauthorized immigrants into the United States.

Court documents established Campos agreed to guide the group in the January event, and in exchange he would have his own smuggling fee reduced to $6,000. Campos also admitted that he has been working for smugglers by building ladders to smuggle people across the U.S.-Mexico border fence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Adeline Schulberg.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24CR0290-LL                                   

Kevin Noe Campos Villa                               Age: 20                                   Tijuana, Mexico

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Title 8, United States Code, §1324(a)(1)(A)(i)— Bringing in Illegal Aliens at a Place other than a Designated Port of Entry

Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison; $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

United States Border Patrol

San Diego Lifeguard River Rescue

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 13, 2024

SAN DIEGO – George Joseph Wellinger II of San Diego made his first appearance in federal court today to face charges that he sent a threatening email to a member of the LGBTQ community.

The victim was targeted after being interviewed for a KTLA news report about a hate-inspired murder in Lake Arrowhead in 2023.

According to the indictment, the email called the victim “another alphabet clown that wants to take a dirt nap, too,” and included a link to the KTLA news report which featured the victim and others discussing the murder of a Lake Arrowhead business owner who had been gunned down for hanging a Pride flag in her business.

The email continued: “We know what you look like and know where are you are....only a matter of time....Love it....get ur ghey on sister....scissor it up....we coming for ur rainbow azz. Click Click!!!!;

Wellinger was arraigned on an indictment charging him with Transmitting a Threatening Communication. The indictment alleges Wellinger targeted his victim because of her sexual orientation.

“Hate crimes are designed to terrify both the victim and the community,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “The U. S. Attorney’s Office works tirelessly on prosecuting these cases to send our own message: San Diego is no place for hate.”

“Today’s indictment serves as a reminder there is no room for hate in our community,” said Stacey Moy, Special Agent in Charge for the FBI San Diego Field Office. “Hate crimes remain one of the top FBI priorities and we will continue to protect and safeguard our communities.”

Wellinger was taken into custody early today and at today’s hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara L. Major set a $50,000 bond and ordered home detention and electronic monitoring.

If you or anyone you know believes you have been the victim of a hate crime, please contact the FBI at https://tips.fbi.gov/home. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacqueline M. Jimenez and Alicia Williams are prosecuting this case.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number: 24-CR-1591                                       

George Joseph Wellinger II                            Age: 48                                   San Diego, CA

CHARGE

Transmitting a Threatening Communication - Title 18 U.S.C., § 875(c)

Maximum penalty: Five years in prison

INVESTIGATING AGENCY

Federal Bureau of Investigation

For more information and resources about the department’s work to combat hate crimes, visit https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.       

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 12, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Ryan Coffey of San Diego pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he sexually abused the 14-year-old girl seated next to him on an American Airlines flight from Charlotte, North Carolina to San Diego, California.

Coffey was indicted on March 15, 2024, for Sexual Abuse of a Minor and Abusive Sexual Contact stemming from his actions on an evening flight on January 7, 2023. Coffey, who was 31 years old at the time of the offense, pleaded guilty, admitting that he gave the girl rum and touched her inner thigh and breasts. The defendant did not know the victim.

“Thanks to the courage of a brave girl who reported what happened in the dark on a plane, and swift engagement from law enforcement, this defendant was brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting the public in the air, on the ground, or at sea.”

“Ryan Coffey’s conduct was abhorrent,” said Acting FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge TJ Holland.  “The FBI, along with our dedicated law enforcement partners remain committed to using all tools available to follow the evidence and bring those who commit crimes against children to justice.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Sherwood and Katie Grammenidis.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number                         24cr505-AJB

Ryan Coffey                                                   Age: 33                                   San Diego, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Abusive Sexual Contact Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2244(a)(3)

Maximum penalty: Two years in prison

INVESTIGATING AGENCY

Federal Bureau of Investigation

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 9, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Jarez Roberts, a felon and known gang member, was sentenced in federal court today to nine years in prison for committing various drug and gun-related crimes, including dealing methamphetamine while armed, being a felon in possession of firearms, and unlawfully transporting illegally-acquired firearms from Arizona to San Diego.

The case against Roberts was initiated in August 2022, after the San Diego Police Department recovered a loaded handgun from a dumpster in the College Grove Area. ATF investigators were then able to trace the firearm to a sale at Randall’s Sporting Goods in Glendale, Arizona.  The handgun had been purchased only two days prior to its recovery in San Diego. 

According to his plea agreement, in 2022 Roberts repeatedly coordinated the illegal purchase of handguns from an Arizona resident, later identified as Lillian Shingleton. Roberts then drove to Arizona on multiple occasions to acquire the handguns and transport them back to San Diego. Once in San Diego, Roberts used one of the firearms to protect himself while he dealt methamphetamine. 

On June 6, 2024, Shingleton pleaded guilty to being Roberts’ source of firearms in Arizona. Shingleton was arrested in Arizona and removed to San Diego to face federal charges for aiding and abetting Roberts.  According to her plea agreement, Shingleton knew that Roberts was unable to lawfully purchase firearms for himself and that she was paid a commission for each gun she acquired for him. As part of her plea, Shingleton also agreed that federal prosecutors could prove that Roberts was a felon and a gang member.

The Roberts-Shingleton connection is just one example of recent federal prosecutions involving firearms unlawfully obtained in Arizona and trafficked to San Diego.

Just last month, on July 29, 2024, Jacob Gall-Carrizosa pleaded guilty to transporting firearms without a federal license.  According to his plea agreement, Gall-Carrizosa traveled from San Diego to Arizona on multiple occasions between 2021 and 2022, to unlawfully buy eleven different firearms. To complete each purchase, Gall-Carrizosa used an Arizona Identification Card that falsely claimed he was an Arizona resident. After purchasing the firearms in Yuma, he brought them back to San Diego for illegal resale. One of the firearms illegally sold by Gall-Carrizosa was then recovered by law enforcement in Tijuana, Mexico. 

“Trafficking firearms across state lines creates a dangerous pipeline for illegal weapons,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “By bringing cases like these to justice, we are keeping guns out of the wrong hands.”

“The primary goal of ATF’s firearms trafficking strategy is to prevent violent crime by disrupting and dismantling the firearms trafficking organizations and networks responsible for supplying violent offenders with crime guns,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge of Los Angeles Field Division Christopher Bombardiere. “ATF’s strategy is multi-faceted and includes the inspection of licensed gun dealers, targeting and arresting straw purchasers, and a greater intelligence-driven emphasis by identifying and targeting these individuals responsible for organizing and directing firearms trafficking operations. ATF remains committed to arresting those who illegally supply firearms to prohibited individuals, and by deterring the diversion of firearms from lawful commerce into the illegal market.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has recently fortified efforts to address gun violence though increased prosecutions. The office has so far charted a 40 percent increase in gun-related prosecutions in 2024 versus 2023, with five months still remaining in the year. Given the proliferation of ghost guns, the office has also emphasized prosecutions involving these homemade weapons that are very difficult to trace. Prosecutors have charged more than 30 ghost gun-related cases since the beginning of the year.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew R. Haden and Allison B. Rogge.

DEFENDANTS                                            

Case Number 22cr2488-TWR

Jarez Roberts                                                  Age: 44                                   San Diego, CA

Case Number 24cr249-TWR          

Lillian Shingleton                                           Age: 38                                   Phoenix, Arizona

Case Number 24cr1252-AGS                                             

Jacob Gall-Carrizosa                                      Age: 39                                   San Diego, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute – Title 21, U.S.C. Section 841

Maximum penalty: Forty years in prison and $5 million fine

Possession of a Firearm in the Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Activity – Title 18, U.S.C. Section 924(c)

Maximum penalty: Life in Prison, mandatory five years and $250,000 fine

Felon in Possession of Firearms – Title 18, U.S.C. Section 922(g)(1)

Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 fine

Unlicensed Transportation of Firearms – Title 18, U.S.C. Section 922(a)(3)

Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCY

Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives

These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 2, 2024

SAN DIEGO – After a three-day trial, a federal jury has convicted Marin Morales-Espinoza and Francisco Alvarado-Ramirez of conspiracy to traffic counterfeit Levi’s jeans labels, tags, rivets and buttons to make counterfeit Levi’s jeans.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Morales paid people to smuggle counterfeit Levi’s pieces and parts into the United States from Mexico at the Calexico Port of Entry.  Another co-conspirator paid Morales to drive the pieces to his home in Los Angeles. That co-conspirator brought the pieces to Alvarado at his factory in the Garment District to make the counterfeit Levi’s jeans.

Tens of thousands of counterfeit Levi’s tags, buttons and rivets were seized at the Port of Entry. Over 2,000 completed counterfeit Levi’s jeans were seized from Alvarado’s factory. These fake Levi’s were sold at local swap meets by other co-conspirators. These are photos of the counterfeit parts:

The Senior Director of Global Brand Protection for Levi Strauss & Co. testified that none of the co-conspirators worked for Levi’s. He walked the jury through the seized merchandise to explain how they were not genuine Levi’s products.

“Counterfeit goods fool consumers and hurt retailers by diluting the value of a product and its trademark,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This case demonstrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to protecting consumers and retailers from fraud.”

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced November 1, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melanie Pierson and Sarah Akhtar, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Sanniti.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 23cr1356-JO                                          

Marin Morales-Espinoza                                            Age: 63                                   Calexico, CA

Francisco Alvarado-Ramirez                                     Age: 50                                   Los Angeles, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Traffic in Counterfeit Goods and Labels – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2320

Trafficking in Counterfeit Labels – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2320(a)(2)

Trafficking in Counterfeit Goods - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2320(a)(1)

Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $2 million fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCY

Homeland Security Investigations

 

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – July 31, 2024

SAN DIEGO – An indictment was unsealed today alleging that five individuals participated in a massive, complex fraud and money laundering scheme that resulted in losses of more than $27 million to over 2,000 seniors.

During a coordinated law enforcement operation this morning in Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada, about 60 federal, state and local law enforcement officials arrested four of the defendants—Zhao Wang of Henderson, Nevada; Jiandong Chen of Pomona, California; Jun Li of West Covina, California; and Xin Wang of San Gabriel, California—and searched their homes. The fifth defendant, Youfei Gong, was arrested on April 9, 2024, at his home in San Gabriel, California and was in custody on state charges.

According to the indictment and publicly filed documents, the five defendants and their co-conspirators operated a multinational organized fraud ring targeting elderly victims throughout the United States. 

The indictment said conspirators contacted victims through unsolicited pop-up ads, emails and phone calls designed to get victims to contact scam call centers in India. The conspirators used social engineering techniques to build trust with victims.  In many cases, the conspirators had victims install remote desktop software that the conspirators used to gain remote access to victims’ computers. After building trust with a victim based on fraudulent pretenses, the conspirators used technical support, government impersonation, bank impersonation and/or refund scams to induce victims to send money to other members of the conspiracy, including the five defendants charged in the indictment. 

At the direction of conspirators, victims sent wire transfers or cash in express mail packages to locations throughout Southern California, Nevada and elsewhere. The defendants provided fake names and addresses corresponding with retail locations, including CVS Pharmacy locations, where packages were picked up. The defendants and co-conspirators picked up money-laden packages using fake IDs. 

According to the indictment, the defendants specifically targeted elderly Americans. After receiving the victims’ money, the defendants laundered it through cryptocurrency transactions to their India-based co-conspirators. As defendant Xin Wang stated in a text message:

The FBI uncovered the multinational conspiracy showing the coordination between the defendants in the United States and their India-based co-conspirators who were in direct contact with victims. Between just 2021 to 2023, agents identified approximately 2,000 victims who lost more than $27 million to the conspirators.  The indictment said the conspiracy continued through June 2024. 

“Every day swindlers entangle unsuspecting seniors into scams to steal their hard-earned savings,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “We urge everyone to use caution and consult with others before sending money to strangers they know only through phone calls, texts, or a computer.”

“Southern California is sadly a target rich environment for foreign and domestic scam artists who relentlessly prey on vulnerable Americans and their bank accounts,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Today's arrests follow hard work by many dedicated law enforcement agencies and will aid our continuing efforts to educate potential victims to avoid responding to strangers who claim to care about them, and never give or send hard-earned money in response to a solicitation.”

“FBI San Diego Elder Justice Task Force, along with FBI LA, has worked tirelessly to bring justice to individuals who target, exploit, and victimize our most vulnerable citizens,” said Stacey Moy Special Agent in Charge for the Federal Bureau of Investigation San Diego Field Office. “The FBI remains resolute in our commitment to disrupt and dismantle foreign-based fraud schemes that prey on our older Americans. We will continue to work side by side with our law enforcement partners to deter and defeat organized fraud rings, no matter where they are located.”

This case was investigated by the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force and its member agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Carlsbad Police Department, San Diego Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available through the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833 FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). You can also report fraud to any local law enforcement agency or on the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 24CR1317-RSH                                

Zhao Wang, aka “Oscar”                                Age: 40                                   Henderson, NV

Jiandong Chen, aka “Little Tiger”                  Age: 40                                   Pomona, CA

Jun Li                                                              Age: 40                                   West Covina, CA

Xin Wang                                                       Age: 36                                   San Gabriel, CA

Youfei Gong                                                   Age: 29                                   San Gabriel, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 1349, 2326

Maximum Penalties: Forty years in prison; $1 million fine

Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 1956(a)(1)(A)(i), 1956(a)(1)(B)(i) and 1956(h)

Maximum Penalties: Twenty years in prison; maximum fine of $500,000 or twice the amount laundered

Criminal Forfeiture – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 981(a)(1)(C), 982(a)(1), 982(a)(2)(a), 2328 and Title 28, U.S.C., Section 2461(c)

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General

Homeland Security Investigations

San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department

San Diego Police Department

San Diego Elder Justice Task Force

Chino Police Department

Coronado Police Department

Escondido Police Department

Glendora Police Department

Long Beach Police Department

Orange County Sheriff’s Department

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – July 25, 2024

SAN DIEGO – David Warren of Las Vegas was sentenced in federal court today to 10 years in prison for coercing three women to engage in prostitution and transporting them from Las Vegas to San Diego for that purpose.

Authorities found the women after one victim approached a San Diego lifeguard to ask for help on September 12, 2023, at Mission Beach. The victim said she was trafficked from Las Vegas and wanted help. The lifeguard immediately notified San Diego Police. The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force quickly located and recovered the other two victims at a local hotel and arrested Warren.

According to his plea agreement, Warren preyed on and trafficked the victims—one of whom was homeless and vulnerable to substance abuse--through violence, threats of violence, and emotional abuse. Once Warren and the women were in San Diego, he took the victims to various beaches to solicit customers.

“Profiteers exploit victims of human trafficking anywhere they think they can take advantage, even on the beach in daylight,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This brave woman saved herself and others by trusting a San Diego lifeguard who immediately jumped into action.”

“The DOJ-led San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force is laser-focused on holding human traffickers accountable in San Diego County,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.  “We must work together across every level of government and society to help bring human trafficking to an end. No one agency can do it all alone. I am grateful to our local, state and federal partners for holding traffickers accountable and creating a real, lasting impact on survivors.”

“This circumstance was not the typical rescue our lifeguards perform,” said Marine Safety Captain Maureen Hodges. “However, we were glad to be of service and keep this victim safe while notifying San Diego Police that she needed assistance.”

“The San Diego Police Department is a proud member of the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force (SDHTTF),” said Chief Scott Wahl. “The suspect in this case used violence and manipulation to control his victims.  Thankfully, due to the quick action of the SDPD and SDHTTF, Warren was arrested and all three victims in the case were rescued.  SDPD remains committed to utilizing every resource to rescue victims of human trafficking, while holding their traffickers accountable.”

 If you are living or working under threat of violence or extortion, or you suspect someone else may be, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center toll free, 24/7 Hotline: CALL: (888) 373-7888 or TEXT BeFree or 233733.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Ko and Lyndzie M. Carter.  

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 23-cr-2102-JLS                   

David Warren                                                 Age: 37                                   Las Vegas, NV

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Transportation for Purpose of Prostitution – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2421(a)

Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 fine

Coercion and Enticement – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2422(a)

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations

San Diego Police Department

San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force

City of San Diego, Fire-Rescue Department, Lifeguard Services Division

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – July 24, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Nineteen alleged members of a human smuggling organization have been criminally charged for coordinating the smuggling of dozens of unauthorized migrants into the U.S. from Mexico, mostly aboard personal watercraft via the Pacific Ocean. Nine of the 19 are in custody. A grand jury returned an indictment against fourteen members of the organization, and a complaint was filed against an additional five.

“The Justice Department is committed to dismantling transnational human smuggling operations that prey on migrants and threaten our national security,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “Nefarious organizations like the one charged in this case can expect to answer for their alleged crimes in American courtrooms.”

“Human smuggling cases are a top priority because lives are at stake,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Whether racing a jet ski up the coast without lifejackets or hauling a tractor trailer packed with people, smugglers expose vulnerable migrants to extreme danger and prioritize profit over human life.”

The nine arrested defendants were taken into custody at ports of entry or elsewhere in San Diego during a multi-agency enforcement effort last week; the remaining defendants are fugitives. Federal agents served court-authorized search warrants at suspected stash houses in San Diego and in Los Angeles. Among other things, agents seized over $100,000 in U.S. currency and two boxes of ammunition during the enforcement operations. Agents previously seized more than $120,000 during the investigation.

According to the indictment and complaint, the defendants participated in a long-running conspiracy to illegally bring people from Mexico into the U.S. by land and sea. The organization arranged for transport from Mexico by personal watercraft to coastal areas such as Sunset Cliffs, Bird Rock in La Jolla, and Imperial Beach, often at night and in dangerous conditions. Smugglers favor personal watercraft for their speed and ability to approach shore quickly, allowing rapid drop-offs and evasion of authorities.

The charging documents allege the defendants were also responsible for transporting the migrants further within the U.S., whether driving themselves or coordinating with other drivers, including to Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Las Vegas. The organization allegedly charged between approximately $7,000 and $16,000 per smuggled person and transported tens of thousands of dollars in profits from San Diego to Mexico.

“Every aspect of human smuggling - whether it be by land, sea or aircraft - puts lives at risk,” said Christopher Davis, acting special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “HSI and our partner agencies are committed to curbing this illegal activity that’s solely designed to enrich greedy smugglers’ financial pockets.”

“This indictment serves as notice to those transnational criminal organizations operating along our coastal border that it is only a matter of time before they are brought to justice,” said San Diego Sector Chief Border Patrol Agent Patricia McGurk-Daniel. “Our focus continues to be on protecting our nation, and we will leverage all available resources to hold these criminals accountable for their actions.”

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter Horn, David Fawcett (who is detailed to Joint Task Force Alpha, a partnership between the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and the Department of Homeland Security) and Lawrence Casper for the Southern District of California are prosecuting the case.

The 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.

These actions are also the result of coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). Attorney General Merrick B. Garland established JTFA in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to combat the rise in prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. JTFA comprises detailees from U.S. attorneys’ offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, the District of Arizona, the District of New Mexico, and the Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, and supported by the Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training; the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; the Office of Enforcement Operations; the Office of International Affairs; and the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 310 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of human smuggling; more than 250 U.S. convictions; more than 185 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

DEFENDANTS IN CUSTODY                                          

Case Number 24-CR-1448-AJB                 

Edgar Jimenez Macias                                                Age: 33                                   Tijuana, Mexico

Alex Ceja Guzman, aka “Alejandro, aka “Gordo”     Age: 30                                   Tijuana, Mexico

Tobias Julian Burgara Gonzalez                                Age: 32                                   Tijuana, Mexico

Junior Zavala Ramirez, aka “JR”                               Age: 34                                   Tecate, Mexico

Case Number 24-MJ-2728-SBC                             

Ivan Pulido Jauregui                                                   Age: 49                                   Nayarit, Mexico

Manuel Gonzalez Lopez, aka “Tortillero”                 Age: 26                                   Nayarit, Mexico

Jesus Misael Molina Flores                                        Age: 20                                   Nayarit, Mexico

Alexis Adrian Villela Inda                                         Age: 29                                   Nayarit, Mexico

Mateo Adrian Alduenda Gutierrez                             Age: 26                                   Nayarit, Mexico

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Case Number 24-CR-1448-AJB

Conspiracy To Bring in Aliens for Financial Gain – Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii); Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371

Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain and Aiding and Abetting – Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii); Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2

Penalties (for bringing in aliens for financial gain and aiding and abetting): Mandatory minimum of five years and maximum of 15 years in prison, and up to a $250,000 fine

Case Number 24-MJ-2728-SBC

Conspiracy To Bring in Aliens for Financial Gain – Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii); Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371

Penalties: Maximum of five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine

*The names of the remaining defendants have not been publicly released.

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations – San Diego Marine Task Force

United States Border Patrol

United States Coast Guard

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Nineteen alleged members of a human smuggling organization were charged for coordinating the smuggling of dozens of unauthorized migrants into the United States from Mexico, mostly aboard personal watercraft via the Pacific Ocean. Nine of the 19 are in custody. A grand jury returned an indictment against 14 members of the organization, and a complaint was filed against an additional five.

“The Justice Department is committed to dismantling transnational human smuggling operations that prey on migrants and threaten our national security,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “Nefarious organizations like the one charged in this case can expect to answer for their alleged crimes in American courtrooms.”

The nine arrested defendants have been arrested at ports of entry or elsewhere in San Diego during a multi-agency enforcement effort last week; the remaining defendants are fugitives. Federal agents served court-authorized search warrants at suspected stash houses in San Diego and Los Angeles. Among other things, agents seized over $100,000 in U.S. currency and two boxes of ammunition during the enforcement operations. Agents previously seized more than $120,000 during the investigation.

According to the indictment and complaint, the defendants participated in a long-running conspiracy to illegally bring people from Mexico into the United States by land and sea. The organization arranged for transport from Mexico by personal watercraft to coastal areas such as Sunset Cliffs, Bird Rock in La Jolla, and Imperial Beach, California, often at night and in dangerous conditions. Smugglers favor personal watercraft for their speed and ability to approach shore quickly, allowing rapid drop-offs and evasion of authorities.

The charging documents allege the defendants were also responsible for transporting the migrants further within the United States, whether driving themselves or coordinating with other drivers, including to Los Angeles; Santa Barbara, California; and Las Vegas. The organization allegedly charged between approximately $7,000 and $16,000 per smuggled person and transported tens of thousands of dollars in profits from San Diego to Mexico.

“Human smuggling cases are a top priority because lives are at stake,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath for the Southern District of California. “Whether racing a jet ski up the coast without lifejackets or hauling a tractor trailer packed with people, smugglers expose vulnerable migrants to extreme danger and prioritize profit over human life.”

“Every aspect of human smuggling – whether it be by land, sea, or aircraft – puts lives at risk,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Davis of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego. “HSI and our partner agencies are committed to curbing this illegal activity that’s solely designed to enrich greedy smugglers’ financial pockets.”

“This indictment serves as notice to those transnational criminal organizations operating along our coastal border that it is only a matter of time before they are brought to justice,” said San Diego Sector Chief Border Patrol Agent Patricia McGurk-Daniel. “Our focus continues to be on protecting our nation, and we will leverage all available resources to hold these criminals accountable for their actions.”

Defendants Edgar Jiminez Macias, 33; Alex Ceja Guzman, 30, also known as Alejandro and Gordo; and Tobias Julian Burgara Gonzalez, 32, all of Tijuana, Mexico, and Junior Zavala Ramirez, 34, also known as JR, of Tecate, Mexico, are currently in custody. They are charged with conspiracy to bring in aliens for financial gain and bringing in aliens for financial gain and aiding and abetting. If convicted, they each face a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. Additional defendants Ivan Pulido Jauregui, 49; Manuel Gonzalez Lopez, 26, also known as Tortillero; Jesus Misael Molina Flores, 20; Alexis Adrian Villela Inda, 29; and Mateo Adrian Alduenda Gutierrez, 26, all of Nayarit, Mexico, are also in custody and are charged with conspiracy to bring in aliens for financial gain. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

The names of the remaining defendants have not been publicly released.

The HSI San Diego Marine Task Force, U.S. Border Patrol, and U.S. Coast Guard investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Fawcett (who is detailed to Joint Task Force Alpha, a partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and the Department of Homeland Security), Peter Horn, and Lawrence Casper for the Southern District of California are prosecuting the case.

The 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.

These actions are also the result of coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). Attorney General Merrick B. Garland established JTFA in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Justice Department, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to combat the rise in prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. JTFA comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, District of Arizona, District of New Mexico, and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, and supported by the Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training; Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; Office of Enforcement Operations; Office of International Affairs; and Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 310 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of human smuggling; more than 250 U.S. convictions; more than 185 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

An indictment or complaint are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – July 18, 2024

SAN DIEGO – An indictment was unsealed yesterday containing criminal charges against the alleged leader of a human smuggling organization responsible for unlawfully bringing thousands of migrants into the United States.  Along with the organization, the defendant, who was arrested in Mexico at the request of the United States, has also been designated for financial sanctions by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. These developments were made possible through extensive bilateral coordination and cooperation efforts between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement authorities.

Abdul Karim Conteh, 42, a national of Sierra Leone, was arrested on July 11 in Tijuana, Mexico. The United States is pursuing Conteh’s extradition on federal charges stemming from his alleged actions in leading the human smuggling organization. His wife, Veronica Roblero Pivaral, 25, a national of Mexico, remains at large.

“This arrest unravels a global web of coordinated human smuggling into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath for the Southern District of California. “Even the most far-reaching, prolific networks cannot evade justice.”

“In coordination with our law enforcement partners, the Justice Department has worked relentlessly to target and disrupt the unlawful, transnational human smuggling operations that endanger migrants and threaten our national security,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We allege Abdul Karim Conteh and his organization smuggled thousands of migrants from more than a dozen different countries through Mexico into the United States. He has been arrested for his alleged role in this prolific, exploitive smuggling operation by Mexican authorities, and the Justice Department will ensure that he is held accountable in an American courtroom.”

“Human smugglers exploit the vulnerable for profit,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Along with our partners across this Administration and around the world, we are bringing the full force of the law to bear against the individuals and their organizations that perpetrate this heinous crime. We couple our unrelenting efforts with this warning to would-be migrants everywhere: do not believe the smuggler’s lies and risk your lives in their ruthless hands.”

According to the indictment, Conteh’s organization allegedly smuggled thousands of migrants to the United States through Mexico. These smuggled migrants originated from countries around the world, including Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Somalia, Cameroon, Senegal, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Egypt, and others. The migrants paid smuggling fees, often tens of thousands of dollars, to be transported through various countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala, on the way to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Conteh allegedly coordinated with Roblero and co-conspirators throughout Mexico and other countries to facilitate the global transportation of migrants into and through Mexico to the U.S. border. Conteh then allegedly oversaw the migrants’ unlawful entry into the United States by various surreptitious and unlawful means, including the use of ladders and tunnels.

Conteh, Roblero, and others are charged with conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Conteh is also charged with the unlawful smuggling of migrants for financial gain, which carries a mandatory minimum of three years in prison for the first two violations. Additional violations carry a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

In addition, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added the Abdul Karim Conteh Human Smuggling Organization (HSO) and four individuals to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13851, as amended by E.O. 13863 (E.O. 13581, as amended). For additional information on actions taken by OFAC, please visit https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2470. 

The U.S. Border Patrol, HSI, and IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office are investigating this case.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Mexican authorities to secure Conteh’s arrest.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan A. Sausedo and David E. Fawcett for the Southern District of California are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.

These actions resulted from the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). Attorney General Merrick B. Garland established JTFA in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Justice Department, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to combat the rise in prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. JTFA comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, the District of Arizona, the District of New Mexico, and the Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, with additional support by the Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training; the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; the Office of Enforcement Operations; the Office of International Affairs; and the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 310 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of human smuggling; more than 250 U.S. convictions; more than 185 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

The investigation is also supported by the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a joint partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI. The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 24cr1059-JLS                            

(1) Abdul Karim Conteh                                 Age: 42                                   Tijuana, Mexico

(2) Veronica Roblero Pivaral                         Age: 25                                   Tijuana, Mexico

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Bring in Aliens at a Place Other Than Designated Port of Entry - Title 8, U.S.C., Sec. 1324(a)(l)(A)(i) and (v)(i);

Maximum Penalty: Ten years in prison

Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain and Aiding and Abetting - Title 8, U.S.C., Sec. 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii), and Title 18, U.S.C., Sec. 2

Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

U.S. Border Patrol

Homeland Security Investigations

Internal Revenue 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.

An indictment was unsealed yesterday containing criminal charges against the alleged leader of a human smuggling organization responsible for unlawfully bringing thousands of migrants into the United States. Along with the organization, the defendant, who was arrested in Mexico at the request of the United States, has also been designated for financial sanctions by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. These developments were made possible through extensive bilateral coordination and cooperation efforts between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement authorities.

Abdul Karim Conteh, 42, a national of Sierra Leone, was arrested on July 11 in Tijuana, Mexico. The United States is pursuing Conteh’s extradition on federal charges stemming from his alleged actions in leading the human smuggling organization. His wife, Veronica Roblero Pivaral, 25, a national of Mexico, remains at large.

“In coordination with our law enforcement partners, the Justice Department has worked relentlessly to target and disrupt the unlawful, transnational human smuggling operations that endanger migrants and threaten our national security,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We allege Abdul Karim Conteh and his organization smuggled thousands of migrants from more than a dozen different countries through Mexico into the United States. He has been arrested for his alleged role in this prolific, exploitive smuggling operation by Mexican authorities, and the Justice Department will ensure that he is held accountable in an American courtroom.”

“Human smugglers exploit the vulnerable for profit,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Along with our partners across this Administration and around the world, we are bringing the full force of the law to bear against the individuals and their organizations that perpetrate this heinous crime. We couple our unrelenting efforts with this warning to would-be migrants everywhere: do not believe the smuggler’s lies and risk your lives in their ruthless hands.”

According to the indictment, Conteh’s organization allegedly smuggled thousands of migrants to the United States through Mexico. These smuggled migrants originated from countries around the world, including Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Somalia, Cameroon, Senegal, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Egypt, and others. The migrants paid smuggling fees, often tens of thousands of dollars, to be transported through various countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala, on the way to the U.S.-Mexico border.

“This arrest unravels a global web of coordinated human smuggling into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath for the Southern District of California. “Even the most far-reaching, prolific networks cannot evade justice.”

Conteh allegedly coordinated with Roblero and co-conspirators throughout Mexico and other countries to facilitate the global transportation of migrants into and through Mexico to the U.S. border. Conteh then allegedly oversaw the migrants’ unlawful entry into the United States by various surreptitious and unlawful means, including the use of ladders and tunnels.

Conteh, Roblero, and others are charged with conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Conteh is also charged with the unlawful smuggling of migrants for financial gain, which carries a mandatory minimum of three years in prison for the first two violations. Additional violations carry a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

In addition, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added the Abdul Karim Conteh Human Smuggling Organization (HSO) and four individuals to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13851, as amended by E.O. 13863 (E.O. 13581, as amended). For additional information on actions taken by OFAC, please visit www.home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2470.

The U.S. Border Patrol, HSI, and IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office are investigating this case.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Mexican authorities to secure Conteh’s arrest.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan A. Sausedo and David E. Fawcett for the Southern District of California are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.

These actions resulted from the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). Attorney General Merrick B. Garland established JTFA in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Justice Department, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to combat the rise in prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. JTFA comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, the District of Arizona, the District of New Mexico, and the Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, with additional support by the Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training; the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; the Office of Enforcement Operations; the Office of International Affairs; and the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 310 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of human smuggling; more than 250 U.S. convictions; more than 185 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

Indictment

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – July 11, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Jonathan Christopher Laroche, a detective with the Department of the Navy’s Criminal Investigations Division, pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he used unreasonable force when he used a carotid restraint on a handcuffed man to the point of unconsciousness.  Laroche admitted to later grabbing the man by the throat and pushing his head against a wall while the man was handcuffed to a bench.

Laroche also pleaded guilty to willfully concealing his prior record of excessive force at the El Cajon Police Department in order to be hired as a detective by the Navy.

In the hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michelle M. Pettit, Laroche admitted that on November 14, 2023, while he was on duty, he encountered a man identified in court documents as G.D., who had been detained and transported to the security building aboard Naval Base San Diego by other Navy law enforcement personnel. 

Although Laroche did not know why G.D. had been detained, he followed the other Navy law enforcement officers into a separate room. At the time, G.D.’s hands were handcuffed behind him, and he posed no threat to Laroche or anyone else in the room. Nevertheless, Laroche immediately took G.D. to the ground and used a carotid restraint that lasted approximately 17 seconds and caused G.D. to lose consciousness. 

After G.D. regained consciousness, he was taken back into the main room of the security building, where Laroche handcuffed him to a bench. In a subsequent interaction, while G.D. remained handcuffed to the bench and was not a threat to anyone, Laroche grabbed G.D. by the throat and pushed his head against the wall. Laroche had to be pulled away from G.D. by a supervisor. Laroche admitted that during both of these incidents, he acted willfully and intentionally, depriving G.D. of his right to be free from unreasonable seizure, which includes the right to be free from the unreasonable use of force, under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

According to his plea agreement, Laroche also admitted that he lied in his August 15, 2022, application to the Criminal Investigations Division about the circumstances under which he left his prior employment with the El Cajon Police Department. Specifically, Laroche represented to the Department of the Navy that he had left the El Cajon Police Department because he had been “hired by U.S. Department of Defense police.” On the application, he falsely indicated that he had not been reprimanded or disciplined while employed by El Cajon Police Department and had not “quit after being told [he] would be fired,” among other false statements. 

In reality, Laroche resigned from the El Cajon Police Department in June 2018 after being informed he was going to be fired as a result of two separate incidents in 2017 where he was found to have used excessive force against civilians. He also received a letter of reprimand in September 2015 for an earlier incident in which he used excessive force. Laroche admitted that he knowingly and willfully provided this false information in his application to the Criminal Investigations Division.

“This defendant’s violent acts against someone who posed no threat are reprehensible,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Today, we stripped of power and held accountable an outlier who abused his authority and tarnished his badge.”

“The investigation into Mr. Laroche revealed that he betrayed his oath to protect and serve the Navy by using unreasonable force while on duty and by deliberately hiding his history of such offenses in order to be hired by the Navy,” said Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Carter of the NCIS Southwest Field Office. “NCIS remains committed to rooting out criminality that threatens the safety of Navy service members, civilians, and their families.”

As part of his plea agreement with the United States, Laroche must resign from his position with the Criminal Investigations Division and is prohibited from seeking or applying for any position of employment with a law enforcement agency in the future.

Laroche is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2024, at 10 a.m. before U.S. District Court Judge John A. Houston.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Askins in coordination with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Arne J. Bussler assisted in the investigation.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24cr1431                                   

Jonathan Christopher Laroche                        Age: 40                                   Spring Valley, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

False Statement – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1001

Maximum penalty:  Five years in prison and $250,000 fine

Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law (misdemeanor) – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 242

Maximum penalty: One year in prison and $100,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCY

Naval Criminal Investigative Service

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – July 11, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Felipe de Jesus Rosales-Herrera of Riverside pleaded guilty in federal court today to human smuggling charges, admitting he was a leader of an organization that smuggled more than 100 unauthorized migrants into the United States, in some instances imperiling public safety by leading authorities on high-speed chases.

According to his plea agreement, Rosales-Herrera employed foot guides to lead migrants over the border and drivers to pick them up on the U.S. side and deliver them to a stash house to meet a sponsor. Rosales-Herrera admitted that he charged approximately $10,000 per migrant.

According to court documents, some of the smuggling events in the conspiracy resulted in high-speed chases and crashes, which placed the migrants, drivers, law enforcement, and members of the public at risk. This culminated in a tragic collision on December 25, 2021. Kevin Antonio Quevedo-Moncada, acting under co-defendant Jose Luis Alejo-Cruz’s supervision, picked up three undocumented migrants in a remote area. When Border Patrol attempted to pull him over, Quevedo-Moncada fled into a nearby campground, swerving wildly and careening around a field at high speed before ramming a Border Patrol vehicle to escape. As agents pursued him, he sped away on wet, winding roads, reaching speeds of close to 100 mph. Quevedo-Moncada lost control of his car and struck a tree, killing one of the migrants and leaving the other two in critical condition. Quevedo-Moncada pleaded guilty to charges related to this incident.

Even after learning that his driver had killed someone, Rosales admitted in his plea agreement that he and his co-conspirators continued the conspiracy. As co-defendant John Douglas Oglesby III admitted in his plea agreement, drivers were told to flee if Border Patrol attempted to pull them over. Unfortunately, many drivers did just that, resulting in numerous high-speed chases and several crashes. Alejo-Cruz also relied on intimidation to preserve his position, tracking down and robbing two of his former drivers at gunpoint when he felt they had wronged him and plotting to kidnap a rival migrant smuggler.

“These smugglers treated humans as a commodity, endangering not only the migrants’ lives, but the safety of every driver on the road,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This office is focused on dismantling smuggling organizations and holding their leaders accountable.”

“We will never stop targeting these criminal organizations who prioritize profit over lives,” said U.S. Border Patrol, San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Patrica McGurk-Daniel. “Our agents are committed to the safety and security of migrants, the public, and our nation. It is only through strong partnerships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and all our law enforcement partners, that we ensure justice is served and consequences are delivered to these criminals.”

Co-defendants Alejo-Cruz and Oglesby were previously sentenced to 120 months and 70 months in federal prison, respectively. Sentencing for Rosales-Herrera is scheduled to take place on October 11, 2024. A motion hearing and trial setting for the final defendant, Miguel Isaac Villa-Gomez, is scheduled for July 12, 2024.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Benjamin.

DEFENDANTS                                            

Case Number 23-CR-871-CAB                                           

Felipe de Jesus Rosales-Herrera                     Age: 38                                   Riverside County, CA

Jose Luis Alejo-Cruz                                      Age: 23                                   Long Beach, CA

John Douglas Oglesby III                               Age: 20                                   Chesapeake, VA

Miguel Isaac Villa-Gomez                             Age: 27                                   Downey, CA

Case Number 22-CR-1995-CAB

John Douglas Oglesby III                               Age: 20                                   Chesapeake, VA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Transport Aliens – Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324

Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCY

United States Border Patrol

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – July 10, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Ernesto Saldivar, a civilian contractor at General Dynamics NASSCO who was employed as part of the shipyard’s modernization efforts, was sentenced in federal court today to 18 months in prison for stealing almost $600,000 worth of computer equipment from several U.S. Navy ships.

According to court documents, from November 2022 to August 2023, Saldivar stole hundreds of military hard drives and laptops from declassified areas on ships undergoing maintenance. Saldivar then sold the stolen items on eBay. Two of the hard drives he stole contained classified military communications. The affected ships included the USS Pinckney, USS Curtis Wilbur and USS Spruance. The total value of the stolen computer equipment – including two laptops, two programmer units, four DC-DC converters, 18 power converters, and 302 hard drives – totaled $596,997.53.

During the investigation of the missing hard drives, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory conducted a forensic analysis on fingerprints left inside the empty hard drive trays. These interior areas of the hard drive trays could only be touched after a hard drive was removed. The prints belonged to Saldivar. Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents also traced eBay listings of some of the stolen equipment to Saldivar. And, during a court-authorized search of Saldivar’s home on August 25, 2023, NCIS agents recovered 120 of the missing hard drives, a Panasonic Toughbook laptop from the USS Pinckney with software from Integrated Voice Communications System (IVCS), several DC-DC converters traceable to the USS Pinckney, a BPM Microsystems 1410 taken from the Curtis Wilbur, and a BPM Microsystems 1710 Universal Device Programmer matching the serial number of an inventoried loss, all stored haphazardly in a shed on Saldivar’s property.

Saldivar admitted in his plea agreement that the total value of the stolen items was $596,997.53, almost all of which he was ordered to pay the United States government in restitution. The defendant was also ordered to pay back the United States Navy the $2,584.98 he incurred in payments from eBay sales of the stolen items.

Prosecutors urged the court to impose a custodial sentence, noting that the three U.S. Navy destroyers that Saldivar stole from are critical to the national defense of the United States.

At sentencing, U.S. District Judge John A. Houston repeatedly admonished Saldivar for committing a “grave breach of national security,” and noted the danger Saldivar’s criminal behavior posed to military personnel and national defense. The judge declined to impose defense’s recommended sentence of probation, stating that “if you steal from the United States Navy, you go to jail. You don’t get a walk.”

“Stealing from the military doesn’t just hurt the taxpayer, it puts our national security at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Our armed forces rely heavily on contract employees and service members must be able to trust the civilians standing by their side.”    

“Mr. Saldivar’s criminal actions to steal nearly $600,000 worth of computer equipment from multiple U.S. Navy ships betrayed the Navy's warfighters, posed a threat to our national security, and wasted valuable taxpayer money,” said Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Carter of the NCIS Southwest Field Office. “NCIS and our partners remain committed to protecting the Department of the Navy’s assets.” 

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Goldwasser and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Wasserman.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24CR532-JAH                                  

Ernesto Saldivar                                             Age: 30                                   San Diego, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Theft of Government Property – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 641

Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCY

Naval Criminal Investigative Service

If you have information regarding fraud, waste, or abuse relating to Department of Defense personnel or operations, please contact the DoD Inspector General Hotline at 800-424-9098.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 26, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Taaj Services US LLC, one of the nation’s fastest-growing money transmitting businesses, pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that it failed to report financial transactions involving more than $10,000 in U.S. currency as required by the Bank Secrecy Act.

As part of the plea agreement, Taaj Services admitted that it was never licensed to operate in California, among other states. Beginning in November 2019, the company entered into a conspiracy with another money transmitting business (MTB-1) that was licensed to operate in California. Taaj worked together with MTB-1 to transfer money in California. With the use of the TaajPay network, MTB-1 could then have California-based customers send money abroad without state regulatory scrutiny of TaajPay’s compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act for MTB-1’s California clients because the California regulators would never know of TaajPay’s operations in the state.

From just November 27, 2019, to December 11, 2019, Taaj collected $703,078 from MTB-1’s operations in the Southern District of California and elsewhere. Taaj never reported these currency transactions as required by the Bank Secrecy Act. As part of the plea agreement, Taaj agreed to forfeit $700,000 to the U.S. government.

Taaj also admitted to transporting $900,000 in physical U.S. currency to the Middle East on behalf of MTB-1 in 2020 without reporting the exchange of currency between the two companies.

Further, after the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted international commercial flights, Taaj was no longer able to physically transport currency abroad on MTB-1’s behalf. As a result, Taaj began using MTB-1’s bank account to wire money abroad. Taaj would provide MTB-1 with cash for MTB-1 to deposit in its bank and then electronically transfer the money on Taaj’s behalf. Taaj admitted that it delivered more than $66 million dollars to MTB-1 as part of this practice and neither company filed any reports to document the exchange. 

The plea agreement provides for deferred entry of judgment, whereby the government will defer prosecution of the offense for a 24-month deferral period. If Taaj fully complies with the agreement, the government will dismiss the prosecution after the 24 months.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael A. Deshong, Carl F. Brooker, IV, and Christopher Beeler.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24cr1322-BAS                                       

Taaj Services US LLC                                    Minneapolis, MN

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Willful Failure to File Transaction Report – Title 31, United States Code, Sections 5313 and 5322; 31 C.F.R. § 1010.330.

Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCY

Homeland Security Investigations

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 20, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Because of a new and aggressive effort to thwart criminals who target seniors, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the San Diego FBI have recovered more than $3 million lost by victims of sophisticated fraud schemes that primarily targeted the elderly.

The ongoing operation, launched at the beginning of the year, is a collaboration led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI with assistance from state and local agencies. The operation uses a data-driven approach to target and seize money on behalf of victims of fraud. Since January 2024, investigators have obtained over 40 seizure warrants written for more than $5.6 million in seizures, with $3,339,273.58 recovered so far.

“By getting reports of suspected fraud early, we have been able to interrupt millions of dollars in transactions and recover victims’ money before it’s too far gone,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “We are using every tool at our disposal to support victims of these sophisticated scams, and bring those who prey on the elderly to justice. But our efforts depend on early reporting – so if you think you may have been contacted by a scammer, report it immediately.”

“It is imperative that we are relentless in our fight against scammers who seek to defraud our most vulnerable citizens,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge Jamie Arnold. “Our best defense is educating the public about how to avoid becoming a victim of these schemes, and encouraging those that fall victim to a scam to immediately report it to law enforcement.”

June 15 was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, meant to draw attention to the abuse and neglect affecting the older generations. Approximately one in ten people over the age of 60 have experienced some form of elder abuse, including financial exploitation. And such crimes are still widely underreported.

Cyber-enabled fraud is a nationwide menace, but it uniquely impacts California, including the citizens of the Southern District of California. According to the recently published 2023 FBI IC3 report, in 2023, California led the nation in both number of victims (more than 77,000) and the amount of victim loss ($2.1 billion). But population alone is not the reason for these troubling statistics. While California has 30 percent more population than Texas, the next most populous state, California has 63 percent more victims and more than double the victim loss in comparison.

Some recent prosecutions related to schemes that victimized seniors:

• United States v. Xilin Sun, 24CR1007-BTM - Man Charged in $1.49 Million Scam Involving Bitcoin ATM Deposits and Bulk Gold Purchases; Victim is Retiree who Lost Life Savings   

• United States v. Jiaci Liu, 24MJ1929-DDL - Man Charged in Scams Targeting Seniors

In terms of loss amounts, cryptocurrency investment scams have the highest loss amounts. These schemes involve victims being targeted through messages on mobile messaging apps or social media. It starts as a text message or a chat message from a stranger, often with an attractive profile photo, with a simple “hello” or what seems like confusion about why your phone number is in the person’s contacts. Once a victim responds to these messages, the conversation is steered over time to an online investment. After building the trust of the victim, the scammers suggest that they can show the victim how to make money by investing online in cryptocurrency, for example. In reality, the victim unknowingly transfers money to the scammers, who first pretend that the victim is making incredible gains, and then ultimately disappear with the money.

In terms of number of victims, the most prevalent scams are tech support/government impersonation/bank impersonation scams. These scams specifically target victims over 60 years old. These scams, alone or layered on top of one another, involve unsolicited pop-up ads on a computer or spam emails or phone calls.  The scam may involve allegations that the victim’s computer is compromised.  In other instances, victims receive emails claiming the victim made a purchase or subscribed to some service the victim did not subscribe to.  Victims are then directed to call a phone number to address the issue.  When the victim calls, they unwittingly connect to a scam call center that often then instructs the victim to download commercially available remote desktop software, which the scammers use to perpetuate the fraud. Ultimately, victims are defrauded into sending wire transfers, bulk cash in express mail packages, or to purchase gift cards for the scammers. Once a victim is successfully scammed, they are often repeatedly targeted until they no longer have any money. For that reason, it is critical for victims to report the scams to the FBI IC3 (www.ic3.gov), as well as local law enforcement. 

The last major category of scams affecting Americans are business email compromise (“BEC”). These scams involve spoofing an email address of a business, such as a realtor or escrow company or some other entity owed significant amounts of money. The scammers then pretend to be that business by creating email addresses that are very similar to the legitimate business’s email address. Victims are then told that the wire instructions have been changed and are instructed to wire money to the new account.  In reality, victims are defrauded out of thousands (often hundreds of thousands) of dollars when they send the wire transfer to the scammers’ bank accounts. Individuals involved in purchases of real estate are particularly vulnerable, since they are often dealing with realtors and escrow companies on a one-off basis and may not notice the person emailing the wire instructions is a fraud. If you receive wire instructions, especially involving high dollar amounts, it is best to confirm those instructions are real by contacting the other parties in the transaction by phone and using phone numbers you have already verified. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office requests that the following warnings be distributed or announced to the general public in an effort to engage and educate those who may be targeted:

• Legitimate companies DO NOT typically seek to access to computers or phones remotely, that is, you should not be asked to share your computer screen with a legitimate company.

• Legitimate companies DO NOT request that customers provide User ID or Passwords for the representative to log into your account for you.

• Legitimate companies DO NOT ask customers to send cash through the mail, deliver gold bars or precious metals, or make deposits into cryptocurrency ATMs.

• Legitimate companies DO NOT ask customers to mail money or wire funds in order to refund alleged overpayments.

If you are asked to do any of these things, HANG UP the phone.  

If you are concerned – HANG UP. It is ok to GET OFF THE PHONE AND CALL A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER TO DOUBLE CHECK if a call is suspicious.

A legitimate company will want you to be sure and careful.

If you think you’ve been contacted by a scammer, report it quickly at IC3.gov. There is a team standing by. The faster the report comes in, the more likely we are to stop the transaction and recover your money.

Ways to help prevent elder abuse and neglect:

•     Listen to older adults and their caregivers to understand their challenges and provide support.

•     Check-in on older adults who may have few friends and family members.

•     Look for unusual financial transactions – unexplained withdrawals, purchases of gold bars or cryptocurrency, or uncharacteristic efforts to wire large amounts of money.

•     And report abuse or suspected abuse to local adult protective services, long-term care ombudsman, or the police.

For other non-life-threatening emergencies, call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11, or go to the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative website for more information:

www.justice.gov/elderjustice.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 17, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Sean Keenan O’Connor of Oceanside was sentenced in federal court to 10 years in prison for money laundering, and firearms and drug trafficking offenses, including distribution of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and alprazolam.

According to O’Connor’s plea agreement, deputies with the San Diego Sherriff’s Department executed court-authorized search warrants on the defendant’s residence and car on February 28, 2023. Deputies seized a semi-automatic pistol; 2,617 fentanyl tablets; 209 methamphetamine tablets; 24.19 grams of cocaine; 4,384 alprazolam tablets; and 1,549 grams of marijuana. Deputies also seized about $150,000 in U.S. currency and 0.27 in Bitcoin – which he has admitted were proceeds from drug trafficking.

According to the United States’ sentencing memorandum, the defendant demonstrated callousness and extreme disregard for human life. In one text exchange, he called people who overdose on fentanyl “dummies” and bragged on social media about the product he was selling and the amount of money he was making through drug dealing. He also posted photographs of himself on Instagram with cash and drugs.

“This significant sentence of a prolific North County drug dealer is a meaningful victory for public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “By removing dangerous criminals, weapons, and drugs from our streets, we are ensuring a safer community for all.”

“This convicted criminal will spend a decade in prison allowing him the opportunity to think of his reckless actions uncovered by special agents with HSI and our partner agencies,” said Christopher Davis, acting special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “HSI prioritizes protecting communities against illicit drugs and activity that cause irreparable damage to those involved. HSI is determined to apply all the tools in our investigative arsenal to counter the fight against drugs.”

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Akhtar.

This prosecution was a result of the efforts of the Fentanyl Abatement Suppression Team (FAST). Formed in September 2022, the group known as FAST is a multi-agency task force led by Homeland Security Investigations working in conjunction with state and local agencies to target significant fentanyl distributors in San Diego County. FAST is an initiative under the San Diego Imperial Valley HIDTA, whose mission is to identify and disrupt fentanyl smuggling and distribution networks in San Diego County.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number: 23-cr-1034-TWR

Sean Kennan O’Connor                                  22                    Oceanside, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime (18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)

Mandatory Minimum: Five years in prison and Maximum penalty: Life in prison

Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Alprazolam, Marijuana (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)); Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison

Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments (18 U.S.C. § 1956(h)); Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison

AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

San Diego Sherriff’s Department

San Diego District Attorney’s Office

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 14, 2024

SAN DIEGO – U.S. Navy Captain Theodore E. Essenfeld was convicted by a federal jury today of cyberstalking and stealing the identity of his former girlfriend.

During the four-day trial, the United States presented evidence that Essenfeld created imposter accounts with Facebook, LinkedIn, email, and cellular phone accounts using the woman’s name, biographical information, and photographs without her knowledge or consent. Posing as the victim, Essenfeld posted erotic and sexually explicit content to the Facebook account, as well as graphic media files or “memes.”

In addition to the materials posted on the imposter Facebook account, the United States presented evidence that Essenfeld joined Facebook dating groups using the imposter account and interacted with numerous other Facebook users while impersonating the victim, including “liking” other users’ posts, sending messages with kissy-face emojis, and sending group messages. Essenfeld linked the imposter Facebook and LinkedIn accounts to the victim’s prospective employer by following and engaging with the prospective employer’s social media accounts. He also linked the fake accounts to other aspects of the victim’s life by “liking” posts by her former co-workers, her university, the U.S. Navy, and fitness studios she previously attended.

Over 1,200 Facebook users ultimately became “friends” with the imposter account, including the victims’ former colleagues. The evidence showed that the victim reported the imposter account to Facebook over 400 times, but Facebook refused to take down the account because it appeared more authentic than the victim’s actual account due to the volume of images and level of Essenfeld’s engagement on the platform.

“The impact of cyberstalking can be as crushing as a physical blow,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Thanks to the persistent courage of this victim, the jury saw the damage Mr. Essenfeld inflicted in every aspect of her life – from her workplace to her gym – and today, they held him accountable for his acts of deceit and destruction.”   

“Mr. Essenfeld deserves to be held to account for his cruel campaign to stalk, harass, and intimidate his victim,” said Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Carter of the NCIS Southwest Field Office. “NCIS and our law enforcement partners remain committed to protecting victims of cyberstalking and rooting out criminality that threatens Department of the Navy readiness.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sabrina Feve and Michael A. Deshong.

Essenfeld’s sentencing is scheduled for September 6, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Robert S. Huie.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 23cr0177-RSH                                       

Theodore E. Essenfeld                                    Age: 52                                   Chula Vista, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Count 1:          Cyberstalking – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2261A(2)(B)

Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine

Count 2:          Identity Theft – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1028(a)(7)

Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison and $250,000 fine

AGENCY

Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 13, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Sean Stevenson, a former high school science teacher at University City High School, pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that when he was still a teacher, he sought commercial sex with a 16-year-old girl.

Stevenson was arrested in October 2023 when he arrived for what he thought would be a sexual rendezvous with the underage girl. At the time he was unaware that he was communicating online with an undercover agent.

Stevenson’s alleged illicit activity was discovered during another sex trafficking investigation. According to his plea agreement, Stevenson used a voice-over-internet protocol (VOIP) line to negotiate by text message for commercial sex with a woman who identified herself as “Kash.”  Stevenson offered Kash a fee to find a female under the age of 18 for Stevenson. In pertinent part, Stevenson made these statements to Kash via text: “I don’t suppose you know in[sic] younger girls I could pay u a premium for?”; “I pay u a finders fee and I pay her”; “The younger the better”; and “Just keep it in mind if you come across any high school age girls.” When Kash suggested an 18-year-old girl, Stevenson replied: “Not young enough.”

When Kash was arrested as part of the sex trafficking investigation, an undercover officer continued the online conversation with Stevenson. Believing he was still speaking with Kash, when the undercover officer offered a 16-year-old cousin for commercial sex with Stevenson, he replied: “Oh ... yes!” Stevenson continued to exchange messages with the undercover officer, negotiating $150 for a “bbbj” (oral copulation without a condom); $100 for manual genital stimulation; a “car date” (a commercial sex encounter that occurs inside a vehicle). The exchange continued, with Stevenson stating, “Ok. Well I’m interested in her for sure!” He asked for a “sexy pic,” negotiated a $140 fee and arranged to meet up.

On October 24, 2023, at approximately 7 a.m., Stevenson arrived at the pre-arranged meet up location. He drove to a parking lot where he had a full unobstructed view of the meeting location. He then drove laps around a nearby apartment complex where he expected to meet the 16-year-old. Stevenson was stopped by law enforcement officials and placed under arrest. During the arrest, $140 was located in the driver’s side door storage area of Stevenson’s Mazda Miata.

“Instead of a protector, this teacher became a predator,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “These despicable acts betray the trust of students, parents, and the entire community. Yet through swift justice in this case we have continued to protect children from being exploited, trafficked, and abused.”

“Mr. Stevenson was a trusted member of the community who preyed upon our most vulnerable youth,” said Christopher Davis, acting special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “HSI is fully committed to working with our law enforcement partners to rescue victims and aggressively investigate allegations of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. We encourage anyone who has information related to human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children to report it to law enforcement immediately.”

Stevenson is scheduled to be sentenced on September 5, 2024, at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Battaglia.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Ko and Andrew Sherwood.

Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact San Diego County Crime Stoppers (888-580-8477) and the National Human Trafficking Hotline (888-373-7888).

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number            

Sean Stevenson                                               Age: 58                                   San Diego, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Attempted Enticement of a Minor– Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2422(b)

Maximum penalty: Life in prison, 10-year mandatory minimum

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations

San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 12, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Multiple nonprofit organizations—including two private country clubs and two homeowners associations—have paid $5,809,021.60 to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting false claims and obtaining Paycheck Protection Program loans for which they were not eligible.

Congress created the Paycheck Protection Program loans, known as PPP, in March 2020, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to provide emergency financial support to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses struggling to pay employees and other permitted business expenses. Under the CARES Act, certain entities organized under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code were not eligible for PPP loans.

Rancho Santa Fe Association is a homeowners association and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization. Rancho Santa Fe Association serves members in the community of Rancho Santa Fe in San Diego County, which includes over 4,000 residents, the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club, the Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club, private sports fields, The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, nearly 60 miles of private equestrian and pedestrian trails, shops, restaurants, and full-time security patrol.  In April 2020, Rancho Santa Fe Association applied for a PPP loan and later received disbursement of a $1,542,100 loan. The United States contended that Rancho Santa Fe Association knew or should have known it was not eligible to receive its PPP loan as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, and it caused the Small Business Administration (SBA) to forgive the loan and to pay lender fees and interest to the bank that processed the loan. Rancho Santa Fe Association paid $2,037,451.44 to settle allegations that it knowingly violated the False Claims Act.

Pine Mountain Lake Association, a homeowner’s association and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, is in Groveland, California near Yosemite National Park. Pine Mountain Lake Association is a gated community with amenities that include a private lake with six miles of shoreline, 18-hole championship golf course, swimming pool, tennis and pickleball courts, hiking trails, archery range, equestrian center, restaurant and lounge, and lake lodge. In April 2020, Pine Mountain Lake Association applied for a PPP loan and later received disbursement of a $687,500 loan. In January 2021, Pine Mountain Lake Association applied for a second PPP loan and later received disbursement of a $950,000 loan. The United States contended that Pine Mountain Lake Association knew or should have known it was not eligible to receive its PPP loans as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, and it caused the SBA to forgive the loan and to pay lender fees and interest to the bank that processed the loans. Pine Mountain Lake Association paid $2,372,440.98 to settle allegations that it knowingly violated the False Claims Act

Glendora Country Club, a private country club and 501(c)(7) nonprofit organization, is in San Gabriel Valley and offers its members an 18-hole golf course, a 25-yard swimming pool, and dining and entertainment options. In April 2020, Glendora Country Club applied for a PPP loan and later received disbursement of a $471,685 loan. The United States contended that Glendora Country Club knew or should have known it was not eligible to receive its PPP loan as a 501(c)(7) nonprofit organization, and it caused the SBA to forgive the loan and to pay lender fees and interest to the bank that processed the loan. Glendora Country Club paid $708,843.42 to settle allegations that it knowingly violated the False Claims Act.

The Palms Golf Club, a private, single membership golf club and a 501(c)(7) nonprofit organization, is in La Quinta, California. The Palms Golf Club claims to offer a world-class golfing environment with a golf course designed by Fred Couples, state-of-the-art practice facility, locker rooms and fitness facilities, and multiple dining options. In May 2020, The Palms Golf Club applied for a PPP loan and later received disbursement of a $327,035 loan. The United States contended that The Palms Golf Club knew or should have known it was not eligible to receive its PPP loan as a 501(c)(7) nonprofit organization, and it caused the SBA to forgive the loan and to pay lender fees and interest to the bank that processed the loan. The Palms Golf Club paid $690,285.76 on an ability-to-pay basis to settle allegations that it knowingly violated the False Claims Act.

“The PPP program was born from the urgent need to support small businesses weathering the storm of a generational pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “These agreements hold accountable those who deceitfully diverted public funds from the deserving hands of struggling small businesses trying to support their employees and serve their customers.”

“Providing false information to obtain PPP loans and forgiveness is wrong,” said SBA OIG’s Western Region Special Agent in Charge Weston King. “Today’s settlement sends a strong message that attempts to wrongfully obtain loan fund and forgiveness will not go unnoticed, and violators will be identified. I want to thank the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners for their support and dedication to pursuing justice in this case.”

The settlements resolve claims brought by Wade Riner under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under these provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery. The case is captioned United States ex rel. Riner v. Rancho Santa Fe Ass’n, et al., 22-CV-1285-GPC-KSC. Mr. Riner will receive a total share of nearly $700,000.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California and the SBA’s Office of General Counsel and Office of the Inspector General. In total, the United States recovered over $6.1 million against the named defendant in the qui tam action.

This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dylan M. Aste.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 12, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Leonard Darnell George was convicted by a federal jury late Monday, June 10, of accepting bribes to allow vehicles containing methamphetamine and other illicit drugs to pass through the border into the U.S.

George was also convicted of allowing vehicles with unauthorized individuals to pass through his lane and into the U.S. while working for two separate criminal organizations.

During the trial, several witnesses testified that George agreed to allow drug-laden vehicles enter the U.S. through his lane in late 2021. George would notify members of the drug trafficking organization when he was at work, what lane he was on, and that they had one hour to reach his lane. However, in February 2022 after an alert placed by law enforcement agents on a suspected drug smuggling vehicle was flagged entering George’s lane, George was forced to send the vehicle to secondary revealing approximately 222 pounds of methamphetamine. Undeterred, George allowed a second drug-laden vehicle affiliated with the drug trafficking organization and traveling directly behind the flagged vehicle enter the U.S. with over 200 pounds of drugs. Text messages sent by George the following day reveal he received approximately $13,000 for the vehicle he allowed to enter the U.S. On the same day he received his bribe payment, George purchased a 2020 Cadillac CT5 for an associate of the drug trafficking organization as a gift. George delivered the Cadillac CT5 to the associate in Ensenada on Valentine’s Day.

Over the course of six months, George continued to allow vehicles containing drugs and undocumented individuals to enter the U.S. through his lane.George repeatedly omitted passengers and the true names of drivers coming through his lane, instead entering the names of others to conceal his criminal activities. Law enforcement agents and prosecutors identified approximately 19 crossings associated with the criminal organizations during the six-month time period. Text messages confirmed George agreed to allow vehicles through his lane for $17,000 per vehicle, $34,000 for two vehicles, $51,000 for three vehicles, or $65,000 for four vehicles. One text message confirmed that George received $68,000 after he allowed four vehicles from one organization to enter his lane in June 2022.

Testimony from a witness confirmed that George purchased vehicles, motorcycles, and jewelry with the proceeds of his illicit activities. Additionally, on George’s days off, he travelled to Tijuana to visit Hong Kong Gentlemen’s Club where he spent approximately $5,000 per trip. He would stand on the second level of the club and throw cash over the balcony to the dancers below, “showering” them with money. He would buy bottles of alcohol, and occasionally gifts, for dancers.

The extent of George’s relationship with traffickers revealed itself when prosecutors admitted a photograph of one of George’s trafficking associates taking a selfie in George’s CBP uniform jacket.

“With this verdict, the jury sent a clear message to anyone considering trading in their badge for cash,” said U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath. “Abandoning the integrity of the uniform for the conspiracy of drug trafficking is a path to a criminal conviction.”

“As persons in positions of public trust, we are relied upon to serve and protect the American people,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge, Stacey Moy. “We also rely on each other to uphold that sacred oath. Should that oath be violated, the FBI and it's law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our pursuit of justice, even if it means holding ourselves accountable.”

“CBP does not tolerate misconduct within its ranks,” said Special Agent in Charge Elizabeth Cervantes of CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility, San Diego Field Office. “The Office of Professional Responsibility’s efforts in this case and this latest court decision are a testament to CBP’s commitment to preserving the honor of its overwhelmingly professional workforce, and to its core values of vigilance, integrity, and service to country.” 

“Today’s conviction shows HSI’s and our law enforcement partners dedication to dismantling criminal organizations and holding those criminals that enable their illicit activity accountable,” said Chris Davis, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego. “There is no place in law enforcement for those who dishonor their badge and oath to protect our communities and our country.”

“The Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General is grateful for the continued collaboration with our law enforcement partners as we fight corruption along our Southern Border,” said Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari. “This guilty verdict sends a clear message that federal employees who violate the law will be held accountable for their actions.”

The case was tried and prosecuted by lead Assistant U.S. Attorney Bianca Calderon-Peñaloza and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon J. Kimura.

George’s sentencing is scheduled for September 13, 2024, at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson.

SUMMARY OF CHARGES                                    Case Number 23CR1291

Receiving Bribe by Public Official – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 201

Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison

Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances – Title 21 U.S.C., Sections 952, 960, 963

Maximum penalty: Life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum

Bringing in Certain Aliens for Financial Gain – Title 18 U.S.C., Section 371, Title 8 U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii)

Maximum Penalty: Ten years in prison

Bringing in Certain Aliens for Financial Gain – Title 18 U.S.C., Section 371, Title 8 U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii)

Maximum Penalty: Ten years in prison

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG)

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

Customs and Border Protection – Office of Professional Responsibility (CBP OPR)

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 11, 2024

SAN DIEGO—Jesse Sanders of Oceanside was sentenced in federal court to 6.5 years in prison for selling the fentanyl powder that resulted in the fatal overdose of a 29-year-old active-duty U.S. Marine.

According to the plea agreement, Sanders admitted that she arranged a meeting with the Marine and delivered a small plastic bag of fentanyl to the victim on January 2, 2022. At approximately 3 p.m. that day, military police and emergency medical services responded to an emergency call after the victim’s wife found him unresponsive in his parked vehicle onboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. A small plastic bag with a white, powdery substance was discovered in the front console of the vehicle.

According to the government’s sentencing argument, Sanders was addicted to fentanyl, knew how deadly the drug was, and knew the dangers it posed to users; she sold the deadly fentanyl to the victim with a warning to have naloxone on hand – a medicine that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose - because the powder she was selling was strong. Within hours, the victim was found unresponsive and died from fentanyl toxicity.

Sanders has a history of narcotics-related criminality resulting from her substance abuse and drug addiction, according to the government’s sentencing memorandum. At the time she sold the deadly fentanyl powder to the victim, she was on summary probation from a San Diego Superior Court conviction and still has an additional pending felony case for robbery.

The victim received an Afghanistan Campaign Medal, a NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and multiple Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, certificates of commendation, and letters of appreciation. He was a trained combat marksmanship coach and martial arts instructor.

He was described by family as “patient, caring, and hilarious” and “lit up any room he walked into.” Two weeks prior to his death, the victim and his wife celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary.

“Fentanyl is so powerful, so toxic, so addictive, that it can snare even the toughest among us,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Today’s outcome cannot bring back this Marine, but it reflects the consequence for peddlers dealing this poison: prison.”

“The illicit distribution and use of fentanyl in the United States poses a critical threat to our local communities, our nation’s service members, and ultimately our national security,” said Special Agent in Charge Todd Battaglia of the NCIS Marine West Field Office. “The sentencing of Ms. Sanders for her role in the tragic death of a U.S. Marine should serve as a warning to criminals that NCIS and our partners will continue to work aggressively to bring to justice those who knowingly distribute lethal narcotics to service members.”

Special Agents with the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s Major Case Response Team led the investigation as part of ongoing efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute the distribution of illegal drugs—fentanyl in particular—that result in overdose deaths. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service and military commanders recognize the crucial role that drug use prevention plays in avoiding disastrous consequences for servicemembers and their families.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Wang and Special Asst. U.S. Attorney Arne Bussler.

DEFENDANT                                   Case Number: 23-cr-00270-BAS

Jesse Sanders                                      Age: 24                                   San Diego, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Distribution of Fentanyl – Title 18, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1)

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison

INVESTIGATING AGENCY

U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 11, 2024

SAN DIEGO – James Soriano of Las Vegas, Nevada, pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to multiple bribery conspiracies, admitting that while he was a public official at Naval Information Warfare Center in San Diego, he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from defense contractors in the form of free meals, tickets to premier sporting events, jobs for family and friends, and other things, in exchange for helping those contractors win and maintain hundreds of millions of dollars in government contracts.  Soriano also pleaded guilty to filing a false 2018 tax return in connection with the bribes he accepted.

According to Soriano’s plea agreement, the defense contractors – acting through their presidents, officers, and employees – gave various things of value to Soriano, including dinners at Ruth’s Chris, Island Prime, and Providence; tickets to the 2018 MLB All-Star Game, 2018 World Series, and 2019 Superbowl; and jobs for Soriano’s family and friends, including a member of Soriano’s family and Soriano’s family friend, Liberty Gutierrez, who was giving Soriano $2,000 a month from her salary at one of the companies working under a defense contract. 

In return, Soriano took official action to aid his benefactors, such as allowing defense contractors to draft government documents in competitive and non-competitive procurements, submitting those documents as part of the procurement process, and advocating for their selection as defense contractors. Soriano also willfully failed to disclose the cash payments he received from Ms. Gutierrez on his federal tax returns.

According to Soriano’s plea agreement, from approximately March 2016 through at least October 2019, Soriano and a coworker, Dawnell Parker, received bribes from Philip Flores, the President and CEO of Intellipeak Solutions, Inc., a defense contractor headquartered in Fredericksburg, Virginia.  Soriano also admitted that from approximately May 2015 through at least October 2019, he and Parker separately received bribes from another defense contractor, with offices in San Diego and Stafford, Virginia, who also gave him things of value, such as expensive meals, a job for his wife, and rounds of golf at private country clubs. 

Further, according to Soriano’s plea agreement, from approximately June 2014 through at least October 2019, Soriano received bribes from Russell Thurston, the Vice President of Cambridge International Systems, Inc., a defense contractor headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.  In return for these bribes, Soriano used various methods to steer contracts to these defense contractors and kept his contracting activities hidden from the Naval Information Warfare Center.

“The nation’s robust contracting apparatus relies on honesty and fairness,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This guilty plea demonstrates a commitment to the integrity of the system by holding accountable a defendant who lined his own pockets at the expense of taxpayers.”

“Mr. Soriano betrayed the trust the U.S. Navy placed in him by using his position to wrongfully enrich himself and others, ultimately at the expense of the Department of Defense and the American taxpayer,” said Bryan D. Denny, Special Agent in Charge for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Western Field Office.  “His guilty plea should act as a deterrent for others contemplating or attempting to misuse a position of public trust to subvert the integrity of the government’s acquisition process.”

“Mr. Soriano decided to put his own interests above U.S. Navy warfighters, trustworthy businesses, and our country’s taxpayers,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the NCIS Economic Crimes Field Office. “Protecting the integrity of the Department of the Navy’s procurement process from individuals abusing their official position to unlawfully seek personal gain remains a core function for NCIS and our partners.”

“Exploiting a position of public trust to fraudulently access federal programs for personal gain is unacceptable,” said SBA OIG’s Western Region Special Agent in Charge Weston King. “This guilty plea underscores our relentless efforts to combat corruption, protect taxpayer dollars, and maintain the integrity of SBA programs. I would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication to the pursuing justice in this case.”

“Mr. Soriano violated the trust placed in him to responsibly oversee a fair and competitive process in his role as a contracting officer,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office. “Instead, Mr. Soriano selfishly exploited that trust for personal benefit, meanwhile undermining a contracting process that ensures warfighters are equipped to fight and win in a complex and ever-changing global security environment. CI is committed to working with our federal law enforcement partners to help protect our servicemembers from this sort of malign activity that diminishes national security.”

Soriano is next scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson for sentencing on September 6, 2024.

Intellipeak and Flores are charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery in 23-cr-2282-TWR.  Thurston is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery in 24-cr-341-TWR.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Swan and Katherine E. A. McGrath (no relation to U.S. Attorney McGrath).

DEFENDANT                       Case Numbers 23-cr-2282-TWR-1 and 24-cr-341-TWR-1

James Soriano                         Age: 63                                   Las Vegas, NV

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Commit Bribery - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371

Maximum penalties (per count): Five years in prison; $250,000 fine

False Statements in Tax Returns – Title 26, U.S.C., Section 7206(1)

Maximum penalties: Three years in prison; $100,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Defense Criminal Investigative Service

Naval Criminal Investigative Service

Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General

Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation

Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General

If you have information regarding fraud, waste, or abuse relating to Department of Defense personnel or operations, please contact the DoD Hotline at 800-424-9098.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 3, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Palomar Health, a California public health care district located in San Diego County, has paid $250,000 to resolve allegations of diversion of fentanyl from one of its facilities and failure to keep accurate records for fentanyl.

Palomar Health is California’s largest health care district, with campuses in Escondido and Poway. This settlement arises from a self-disclosure Palomar Health made to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that one of its employees may have diverted controlled substances.

The government investigated Palomar Health and concluded that vials of fentanyl were diverted from Pyxis machines—automated medication dispensing machines often used in hospital settings—located at Palomar Health’s Cardiac Catheterization Lab in Escondido. Specifically, the government concluded that over a five‑month period, numerous vials of fentanyl were diverted from the Pyxis machines and unused fentanyl was not properly disposed of.

In addition to paying $250,000 to resolve the government’s claims, Palomar Health entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the DEA requiring Palomar Health to undertake additional measures to increase security, implement specialized training, and to handle controlled substances properly and safely.

“We commend self-reporting by those responsible for managing controlled substances and encourage others to notify law enforcement early to prevent needless harm,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath.

“We value our relationships with our registrant population and encourage all of them to be diligent in preventing and catching diversion,” said Diversion Program Manager Rostant Farfan. “Keeping medications, like fentanyl, off of the street is the responsibility of all who work with controlled substances.”  

This settlement was the result of a coordinated effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

To report a tip directly to a DEA representative regarding medical personnel writing suspicious opioid prescriptions and pharmacies dispensing large amounts of opioids, call (571) 324-6499 or visit the DEA’s website (https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/tips-online.html) and click on “Rx Abuse Online Reporting.”

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dylan M. Aste.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 6, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Deondre Demetris Porter of Victorville, California was sentenced in federal court to 10 years in prison for sex trafficking a 16-year-old girl who was physically assaulted and ejected from a moving car during an escape attempt.

Porter was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2023 along with codefendant Aaliyah White. Porter pleaded guilty in February 2024 to one count of sex trafficking of a minor. The victim had been recruited by Porter just three days prior to the assault, which occurred on Easter Sunday in April 2023.

In that short time span, Porter trafficked the minor victim, transporting her from Victorville to San Bernardino and then to San Diego. In San Diego, Porter required the minor to engage in commercial sex in hotel rooms and also walk Roosevelt Avenue in National City to elicit commercial sex buyers. White assisted Porter in monitoring the minor victim’s commercial sex activity.

On April 9, 2023, the San Diego Police Department received a 911 call and reports from witnesses that a girl had been thrown from a vehicle, half-dressed, and beaten up. As a result of her injuries, the minor victim was immediately transported to a hospital where she was treated and interviewed by officers from the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force. The victim immediately identified Porter and White as her attackers and sex-traffickers.

The investigation determined that the vehicle in which the victim was beaten, stripped of some of her clothing and ultimately, ejected from, belonged to Porter. Further investigation discovered commercial sex ads posted by Porter advertising the minor victim, as an adult, for commercial sex on the websites Private Delights and MegaPersonals. After communicating with commercial sex buyers responding to the advertisements regarding the minor victim, Porter directed the victim to have sex with the buyers in San Diego. Hotel surveillance video also confirmed Porter’s trafficking of the minor victim.

“This child was exploited, assaulted and ejected from a moving car, and yet she still found the courage to speak out against her assailants,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Her bravery, combined with the work of an exceptional team of agents and prosecutors, brought this defendant to justice.”  

“This lengthy sentence is a testament of HSI’s commitment to identifying a callus predator and rescuing a child victim from continued abuse,” said Christopher Davis, acting special agent in charge. “Along with our partner agencies, HSI will continue to devote resources to combat human trafficking.”

“The law enforcement community in San Diego remains dedicated to the rescue of sex trafficking survivors, as well as the aggressive prosecution for those responsible for these crimes,” said San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit. “This case is the culmination of tireless work by the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force and the United States Attorney’s Office. This survivor suffered life-long damages at the hands of the accused. We must never forget the impact upon the vulnerable in these kinds of cases. The San Diego Police Department will continue to dedicate the necessary resources in our pursuit of justice and public safety.”

Co-defendant Aaliyah White is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10, 2024.

If you are living or working under threat of violence or extortion, or you suspect someone else may be, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center toll free, 24/7 Hotline: CALL: (888) 373-7888 or TEXT BeFree or 233733.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Ko and Lyndzie M. Carter.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 23-cr-0955-AGS                              

Deondre Demetris Porter                                Age: 26                       Victorville, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Sex Trafficking of a Minor – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1591(a) and (b)(1)

Maximum penalty: Up to life in prison and $250,000 fine; Ten-year mandatory minimum sentence

AGENCY

San Diego Police Department

San Diego County Probation Department

Homeland Security Investigations

San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force

California Department of Justice

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 5, 2024

EL CENTRO – Fourteen indictments were unsealed in federal court today charging 47 alleged members of an Imperial Valley-based, Sinaloa Cartel-linked fentanyl-and-methamphetamine distribution network with drug trafficking, firearms and money laundering offenses.

In a coordinated takedown this morning, more than 400 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials arrested 36 defendants and executed 25 search warrants in Imperial County, San Diego, Fresno, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Salem, Oregon. As of this afternoon, the search continues for 11 fugitives.

Including seizures today and throughout the long-term investigation, authorities have confiscated more than four kilograms of fentanyl, which amounts to about two million potentially fatal doses; more than 324 kilograms (over 714 pounds) of methamphetamine; significant quantities of cocaine and heroin; and 52 firearms, including handguns and rifles.

The investigation also resulted in the arrest of Alexander Grindley for alleged methamphetamine trafficking while employed as a U.S. Border Patrol agent, and multiple spin-off investigations in this district and others.

Crimes charged in the indictments include drug trafficking, money laundering and gun-related offenses. Court documents indicated the defendants were operating throughout the Imperial Valley—in Brawley, El Centro, Westmoreland, Imperial, Calexico, Niland, Holtville, Calipatria—and in Mexicali, Mexico.

“With this takedown, the Justice Department has dealt yet another blow to the Sinaloa Cartel and its associates,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I am grateful to the more than 400 law enforcement officers whose work in this operation resulted in dozens of arrests, charges against 47 defendants, and the seizure of firearms, meth, cocaine, heroin, and two million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. We will continue to be relentless in our fight to protect American communities from the cartels.”

“This investigation tore apart a drug trafficking network responsible for supplying dealers in communities across the region,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “But there is still much work to be done. If you’re a parent, and today’s price of fentanyl terrifies you, talk to your kids about the dangers of drug use. If you’re an addict, and your dealer was arrested today, seek treatment. And if you’re a dealer but your supplier was arrested today, look out – we are coming for you next.”

“The Department of Homeland Security and our federal, state and local partners are unrelenting in our work to keep deadly fentanyl off our streets and bring those who traffic in it to justice,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The indictments unsealed today are the direct result of our multipronged and coordinated law enforcement approach – one that utilizes all of our government’s resources and capabilities. Together, we are preventing fentanyl and other deadly drugs from being produced, distributed, or consumed, and saving countless lives.”

“Today’s coordinated operation, involving, over 400 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, marks a decisive blow against an Imperial Valley-based, Sinaloa Cartel-linked distribution network and significantly disrupts the flow of dangerous drugs into our communities,” said Katrina W. Berger, Executive Associate Director for Homeland Security Investigations. “This operation is a testament to the power of law enforcement collaboration and our unwavering commitment to bringing these criminals to justice.”

“Today, the El Centro Border Patrol Sector teamed with allied law enforcement agencies to support both Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Attorney’s Office of San Diego in this operation,” said El Centro Sector Chief Gregory Bovino. “Our successful collaboration should be a reminder to criminal organizations in the Imperial Valley and elsewhere that justice will be served.”

“This operation shows what can be accomplished when there is collaboration between federal and local law enforcement agencies,” said Imperial County District Attorney George Marquez. “The Imperial County District Attorney’s office will continue to work together with our partners to bring to justice those that harm or are a danger to our community.”

According to the indictments and search warrants, the defendants belonged to various trafficking organizations that were part of an extensive network supplying all of Imperial County and beyond with dangerous drugs.

According to court records, on June 30, 2021, agents seized two pounds of methamphetamine and a cache of ghost guns and ammunition, including: 15 lower receivers, three upper receivers, multiple barrels and stocks, 18 magazines, 40 Luger 9mm rounds and approximately 400 rounds of .223 Red Army ammunition, which are made in Russia. None of the firearms or firearm parts had any identifying serial numbers or markings. They were all ghost guns.  Wiretap intercepts showed that defendant Cory Gershen supplied other members of the organization with ghost guns in exchange for methamphetamine. The investigation also revealed the assault rifles (depicted below) were destined for the organization’s source of supply in Mexico. 

Multiple AR-style firearms, parts, pistols, magazines, unfinished firearm parts used to create ghost guns, and a cache of Russian made ammunition.

On June 30, 2021, agents seized additional ghost guns, ammunition and methamphetamine from another member of the same drug trafficking organization. Specifically, agents seized two AR-style ghost guns and a Colt .380 semiautomatic handgun and additional Russian rifle ammunition from defendant Guadalupe Molina-Flores, one of the alleged members of the trafficking organization. According to a search warrant, after seizing the firearms, agents searched Molina-Flores’ residence and found 309.4 grams (0.68 pounds) of methamphetamine. 

Two more AR-style rifles, a pistol, magazines, and Russian made ammunition.  Notably, these were exchanged for drugs.

Fentanyl continues to be a prolific killer. Imperial County experienced 24 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2022, the most recent full year of data available from the California Department of Public Health. The annual mortality rate for 2022 was 13.57 deaths per 100,000 residents—an increase of 41 percent over 2021.

The investigation revealed that the price per fentanyl pill has plummeted.  For example, in June 2021, targets of the investigation were obtaining fentanyl pills in Imperial Valley at approximately $1.65 to $1.75 per pill.  By December 2021, the prices being discussed had dropped to approximately $1.25 per pill.  By May 2024, the same pills were being sold at only 45 cents per pill—less than one-third of the price three years earlier. The precipitous drop in price reflects the increased supply and availability of fentanyl being smuggled into the United States and the close ties between targets of this investigation and their Sinaloa Cartel supplier of fentanyl pills. 

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.

*An indictment, complaint or information in a search warrant is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24cr0455-CAB

Maria Isabel Ferrat                                         34                    Brawley, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1))                   

Maximum Penalties: Twenty years in prison and a $1 million fine. 

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 24cr0456-CAB

*Guadalupe Molina-Flores, AKA “Lupe”     43                    Westmoreland, CA

Stephanie Joann Hernandez, AKA “JoJo”     42                    El Centro, CA

*Emmanuel Becerra, AKA “E-Man”             36                    Westmorland, CA

Jeremy Clayton Harris, Sr.                             44                    El Centro, CA

Jack Daniel Myers                                          41                    Westmorland, CA

Cory Gershen                                                  36                    Jacumba, CA                                                  

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Fentanyl and Heroin (21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846)

Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1))       

Felon in Possession of Ammunition (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1))

Using, Carrying or Possession of Firearm in Commission of a Drug Trafficking Crime
(18 U.S.C. 924(c)(1)(A)(i))   

Maximum Penalties: For conspiracy charge and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine charges: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine. For felon in possession of ammunition charge: Ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. For using, carrying or possession of firearm in commission of a drug trafficking crime: Five years in prison mandatory consecutive to the related drug trafficking offense and $250,000 fine. 

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 24cr0504-CAB

Eduardo Mendoza, AKA “Casper”                31                    Niland, CA

Francisco Javier Mendoza, AKA “Pancho”   33                    Niland, CA

Carlos Cezar Mendoza                                   36                    Yuma, AZ

Christopher John Coffman                             59                    Brawley, CA

Daniel Estevan Mendoza                                30                    Brawley, CA

Tyran Malik Sullivan                                     40                    Brawley, CA

Katelyn Singh                                                 32                    Holtville, CA

Cynthia Diaz                                                   35                    Imperial, CA

Robert Leroy Humble                                     49                    Brawley, CA

Terry Kyle Christiansen                                 52                    Imperial, CA

Melvin Betha                                                  25                    Niland, CA

*Dylan Gutierrez                                            24                    Calexico, CA                              

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl (21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846)

Maximum Penalties: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine.  

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24cr0849-CAB

*Maricela Selk                                                            47                    Brawley, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846)

Maximum Penalties: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine.             

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24cr0854-CAB

Christopher Landon Bustin                            40                    Chula Vista, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846)

Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1))

Maximum Penalties: For possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine charges:  Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine. For felon in possession charge: Ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24cr0855-CAB

Ernie David Davila                                                     43                    Holtville, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1))

Maximum Penalties: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine.               

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24cr0856-CAB

*Karla Franco                                                             42                    Los Angeles, CA

Frederick Joseph McKenna, AKA “Downer”            32                    Pico Rivera, CA

Gabino Mora                                                               31                    Pico Rivera, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846)

Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1))

Maximum Penalties: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24cr0857-CAB

Alexander Bennet Grindley                            53                    Brawley, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1))

Maximum Penalties: Twenty years in prison and a $1 million fine.              

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24cr0858-CAB

Robert Thomas Isaac, AKA “RT”                  48                    Brawley, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Heroin and Fentanyl (21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846)

Maximum Penalties: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine.  

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24cr0909-TWR

*Bryan Ayala Alvarez, AKA “Pingo”                       41                    Brawley, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846)

Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1))

Maximum Penalties: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine.  

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24cr0910-CAB

*Alfred Aldapa Juarez, Jr.                              32                    Brawley, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1))

Maximum Penalties: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine.  

 DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24cr0911-CAB

*Pedro Alberto Rioseco, AKA “Pete”                       42        Calexico, CA

Jesus Antonio Escoto-Troncozo, AKA “Chocho”     45        El Centro, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846)

Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1))       

Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1))

Using, Carrying or Possession of Firearm in Commission of a Drug Trafficking Crime
(18 U.S.C. 924(c)(1)(A)(i))   

Maximum Penalties: For conspiracy charge and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine charges: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine. For felon in possession of ammunition charge: Ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. For using, carrying or possession of firearm in commission of a drug trafficking crime: Five years in prison mandatory consecutive to the related drug trafficking offense and $250,000 fine. 

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 24cr00093-RSH

Sergio Reyes-Green                                        32        Brawley, CA

James Wade Hanks                                         53        Brawley, CA

Jesus Fernardo Romero, AKA “Chuy”          28        (In Custody)

Yomayra Patricia Penuelas                             37        El Cajon, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Import Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. §§ 952, 960, 963)

Importation of Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. §§ 952, 960) 

Aiding and Abetting (18 U.S.C. § 2) 

Conspiracy to Launder Money (21 U.S.C. § 1956(h), 1956(a)(2)(A) and (a)(2)(B))

Maximum Penalties: For methamphetamine charges: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine. For the money laundering charges: Twenty years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount of criminal derived property, whichever is greater. 

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 24cr00094-RSH

Mario Alberto Urena, AKA “Vaca”                           34        Brawley, CA
Pablo Enrique Trejo, AKA “Bolas”                           45        Calexico, CA

*Carlos Felipe Ruedas-Celaya                                   45        Calexico, CA                                          

Estevan Ramirez Gonzalez                                        26        Phoenix, AZ
*Francisco Javier Ramirez-Garcia, AKA “Pitufo”    56        Calexico, CA
*Javier Jacquez                                                                       48            Calexico, CA
Araceli Rangel-Torres                                                28        Mexicali, Mexico
Miguel Angel Flores                                                   31        Fresno, CA
Carlos Valencia Mendoza                                          29        Mexicali, Mexico

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl (21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846)

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846)
Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846)

Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1))

Aiding and Abetting (18 U.S.C. § 2) 

Conspiracy to Launder Money (21 U.S.C. § 1956(h), 1956(a)(2)(A) and (a)(2)(B))

Maximum Penalties:

For conspiracy charges: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine.

For the possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine charges (except Count 3): Life in prison with a mandatary minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine.

For the possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine charge in Count 3: Forty years in prison with a mandatory minimum of five years and a $5 million fine.

For the money laundering charges: Twenty years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount of criminal derived property, whichever is greater. 

*Fugitives

AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations

Drug Enforcement Administration

Department of Justice, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces

Department of Justice Office of Enforcement Operations

United States Border Patrol

U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations

U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Air and Marine Operations

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives

United States Postal Inspection Service

DHS Office of Inspector General

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

California Highway Patrol

Brawley Police Department

El Centro Police Department

Calexico Police Department

Imperial County Sheriff’s Office

Imperial County District Attorney’s Office

Imperial County Probation Department

Imperial Police Department

Westmorland Police Department

Calipatria Police Department

Imperial Valley - Law Enforcement Coordination Center

Imperial County Child Protective Service

San Diego County Sheriff’s Office

United States Marshals Service 

Fourteen indictments were unsealed today charging 47 alleged members of an Imperial Valley, California-based, Sinaloa Cartel-linked fentanyl-and-methamphetamine distribution network with drug trafficking, firearms, and money laundering offenses.

In a coordinated takedown this morning, more than 400 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials arrested 36 defendants and executed 25 search warrants in Imperial County; San Diego; Fresno, California; Los Angeles; Phoenix; and Salem, Oregon. As of this afternoon, the search continues for 11 fugitives.

Including seizures today and throughout the long-term investigation, authorities have confiscated more than four kilograms of fentanyl, which amounts to about two million potentially fatal doses; more than 324 kilograms (over 714 pounds) of methamphetamine; significant quantities of cocaine and heroin; and 52 firearms, including handguns and rifles.

The investigation also resulted in the arrest of Alexander Grindley for alleged methamphetamine trafficking while employed as a U.S. Border Patrol agent and multiple spin-off investigations in this district and others.

Crimes charged in the indictments include drug trafficking, money laundering, and gun-related offenses. Court documents indicated the defendants were operating throughout the Imperial Valley — in Brawley, El Centro, Westmoreland, Imperial, Calexico, Niland, Holtville, Calipatria — and in Mexicali, Mexico.

“With this takedown, the Justice Department has dealt yet another blow to the Sinaloa Cartel and its associates,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I am grateful to the more than 400 law enforcement officers whose work in this operation resulted in dozens of arrests, charges against 47 defendants, and the seizure of firearms, meth, cocaine, heroin, and two million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. We will continue to be relentless in our fight to protect American communities from the cartels.”

“The Department of Homeland Security and our federal, state, and local partners are unrelenting in our work to keep deadly fentanyl off our streets and bring those who traffic in it to justice,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The indictments unsealed today are the direct result of our multipronged and coordinated law enforcement approach — one that utilizes all of our government’s resources and capabilities. Together, we are preventing fentanyl and other deadly drugs from being produced, distributed, or consumed, and saving countless lives.” 

“This investigation tore apart a drug trafficking network responsible for supplying dealers in communities across the region,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath for the Southern District of California. “But there is still much work to be done. If you’re a parent and today’s price of fentanyl terrifies you, talk to your kids about the dangers of drug use. If you’re an addict and your dealer was arrested today, seek treatment. And if you’re a dealer but your supplier was arrested today, look out – we are coming for you next.”

“Today’s coordinated operation, involving, over 400 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, marks a decisive blow against an Imperial Valley-based, Sinaloa Cartel-linked distribution network and significantly disrupts the flow of dangerous drugs into our communities,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Davis of Homeland Security Investigations, San Diego. “This operation is a testament to the power of law enforcement collaboration and our unwavering commitment to bringing these criminals to justice.”

“Today, the El Centro Border Patrol Sector teamed with allied law enforcement agencies to support both Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California in this operation,” said Chief Gregory Bovino of the U.S. Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector. “Our successful collaboration should be a reminder to criminal organizations in the Imperial Valley and elsewhere that justice will be served.”

“This operation shows what can be accomplished when there is collaboration between federal and local law enforcement agencies,” said Imperial County District Attorney George Marquez. “The Imperial County District Attorney’s office will continue to work together with our partners to bring to justice those that harm or are a danger to our community.”

According to the indictments and search warrants, the defendants belonged to various trafficking organizations that were part of an extensive network supplying all of Imperial County and beyond with dangerous drugs.

According to court records, on June 30, 2021, agents seized two pounds of methamphetamine and a cache of ghost guns and ammunition, including: 15 lower receivers, three upper receivers, multiple barrels and stocks, 18 magazines, 40 Luger 9mm rounds, and approximately 400 rounds of .223 Red Army ammunition, which are made in Russia. None of the firearms or firearm parts had any identifying serial numbers or markings. They were all ghost guns. Wiretap intercepts showed that defendant Cory Gershen supplied other members of the organization with ghost guns in exchange for methamphetamine. The investigation also revealed the assault rifles (depicted below) were destined for the organization’s source of supply in Mexico. 

On June 30, 2021, agents seized additional ghost guns, ammunition, and methamphetamine from another member of the same drug trafficking organization. Specifically, agents seized two AR-style ghost guns and a Colt .380 semiautomatic handgun, and additional Russian rifle ammunition from defendant Guadalupe Molina-Flores, one of the alleged members of the trafficking organization. According to a search warrant, after seizing the firearms, agents searched Molina-Flores’ residence and found 309.4 grams (0.68 pounds) of methamphetamine. 

Fentanyl continues to be a prolific killer. Imperial County experienced 24 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2022, the most recent full year of data available from the California Department of Public Health. The annual mortality rate for 2022 was 13.57 deaths per 100,000 residents — an increase of 41% over 2021.

The investigation revealed that the price per fentanyl pill has plummeted. For example, in June 2021, targets of the investigation were obtaining fentanyl pills in Imperial Valley at approximately $1.65 to $1.75 per pill. By December 2021, the prices being discussed had dropped to approximately $1.25 per pill. By May, the same pills were being sold at only 45 cents per pill — less than one-third of the price three years earlier. The precipitous drop in price reflects the increased supply and availability of fentanyl being smuggled into the United States and the close ties between targets of this investigation and their Sinaloa Cartel supplier of fentanyl pills. 

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.

An indictment, complaint, or information is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – May 30, 2024

SAN DIEGO – A federal grand jury has charged 14 people with participating in an international multi-million-dollar cocaine trafficking and money laundering scheme.

According to an indictment unsealed today, plus additional information in a related search warrant, the alleged leader of the trafficking organization, Jesus Ruiz-Sandoval, managed the smuggling and distribution of large quantities of cocaine from Tijuana into the United States, and the movement of cash proceeds back to Mexico. Ruiz is a United States citizen who fled the U.S. for Mexico several years ago, in violation of his terms of supervised release for a prior federal drug-trafficking crime (Case number 08-cr-00713-DSF in the Central District of California).

The search warrant said Ruiz worked closely with other co-conspirators, including John Joe Soto and Esteban Sinhue Mercado, who are also U.S. citizens currently residing in Mexico. The alleged conspiracy involved smuggling large multi-kilo quantities of cocaine from Tijuana through San Diego to Los Angeles. From there, commercial trucks transported the cocaine from Los Angeles to the Mid-Atlantic for distribution in the Eastern United States. Commercial trucks also transported cash proceeds from the cocaine sales back across the United States to Los Angeles, where it was packaged and loaded into cars that couriers drove through San Diego and into Tijuana, delivering the proceeds to Ruiz there. To date, investigators have seized more than $5 million in cash proceeds and more than 130 kilos of cocaine.

“This office targets sophisticated international trafficking cells by hitting them where it hurts ­— their wallets,” said U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath. “Following the money takes you to the heart of a trafficking organization and this prosecution aims to drive a stake through it.” U.S. Attorney McGrath expressed her gratitude to the Los Angeles Police Department and the Hawthorne Police Department, which provided invaluable partnership in this investigation.

“One of the pillars of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is to identify and dismantle international drug trafficking organizations who poison our communities,” said Christopher Davis, Acting Special Agent in Charge for HSI San Diego. “Throughout this investigation and with the unwavering support from our law enforcement partners, we further discovered their involvement in a money laundering scheme. This indictment serves as a warning to those believing they can remain undetected by HSI – our message is clear. You will be found and you will be brought to justice.”

“This indictment marks a significant milestone in our relentless pursuit of justice against transnational criminal organizations. By leveraging collaborative efforts, CBP alongside our partner agencies are able to target the root causes of crime and dismantle organized criminal enterprises,” said Sidney K. Aki, Director of Field Operations for San Diego Field Office. “Ultimately, this unified approach promotes public safety, reduces the flow of illegal drugs and laundered funds, and strengthens the resilience of communities against these threats.”

This investigation is one of two into Ruiz. Several months after a grand jury in San Diego first indicted Ruiz, a separate grand jury in the Central District of California indicted him and others for a separate, but similar, international trafficking scheme. See United States v. Sandoval et al., 24-CR-008 AB (C.D. Cal.). The prosecutions of Ruiz and others indicted in both cases will proceed in coordinated fashion. 

Another defendant, Ricardo Miranda-Beltran (aka Ricardo Miranda-Benitez), appeared Tuesday for his initial appearance on the indictment. Miranda was arrested in the Eastern District of California and ordered detained, and then ordered to appear in San Diego on these charges.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 23cr1574 AJB                                        

*Jose Ruiz-Sandoval                                      Age: 45                                   Mexico

*John Joe Soto                                                Age: 43                                   Mexico

*Esteban Sinhue Mercado                              Age: 24                                   Mexico

Brittany Mangrum                                          Age: 36                                   Van Nuys, CA

Liliana Ruvalcaba-Gonzalez                          Age: 25                                   Anaheim, CA

Yessenia Lazo                                                 Age: 23                                   Los Angeles, CA

Ricardo Miranda-Beltran                               Age: 57                                   Bakersfield, CA

Edwin Rafael Hernandez                                Age: 32                                   Pasadena, CA

*Denotes fugitives who are not in custody

**Additional defendants’ names are redacted and not listed here

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances – Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a) & 846

Maximum Penalty: Life in custody, $10 million fine, and a life term of supervised release

Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances – Title 21, United States Code, Sections 952, 960, and 963

Maximum Penalty: Life in custody, $10 million fine, and a life term of supervised release

Consp. to Launder Monetary Instruments – Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1956(a)(2)(B)(i) & (h)

Maximum Penalty:- Twenty years in custody, $500,000 fine or twice the laundered amount, and a 3-year term of supervised release

Bulk Cash Smuggling – Title 31, United States Code, Section 5332

Maximum Penalty: Five years in custody, $250,000 fine, and a 3-year term of supervised release

AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations

Customs and Border Protection

Los Angeles Police Department, Transnational Organized Crime Section

Hawthorne Police Department

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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.

        

SAN DIEGO – Former U.S. Border Patrol Agent Hector Hernandez, who admitted that he took bribes to smuggle methamphetamine and people across the U.S.-Mexico border while on duty, was sentenced in federal court today to 87-months in prison.

Hernandez pleaded guilty in January, admitting that he agreed to use his official position to open border fences and allow unauthorized immigrants to enter the United States from Mexico. Hernandez also agreed to move methamphetamine and other controlled substances from the Southern District of California further north to other locations within the United States.

In his plea agreement, Hernandez acknowledged he took Mexico-based smugglers on a tour of the U.S.-Mexico border, showing them the best locations to sneak unauthorized immigrants into the U.S. He also provided information about the location of monitoring devices and cameras – information only known to him by virtue of his position as a Border Patrol agent. Hernandez admitted that he opened restricted border fences on several occasions to allow people to illegally enter the United States in exchange for cash payments of $5,000 per opening.

“In every instance, the U.S. Attorney’s Office stands ready to reinforce public trust in law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “When that trust is undermined by criminal acts concealed behind a badge, it threatens both public safety and the integrity of our judicial system. Hernandez put personal greed above the safety of others and this sentence reflects the magnitude of his actions.”

“Agent Hernandez disgraced his badge when he chose to smuggle both drugs and people across the border,” said DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis. “His sentence reflects the harm he caused his coworkers and his country. As law enforcement we are held to a higher standard, and we must be held accountable for our actions.”

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that federal officials who betray the people they are sworn to protect will be held accountable for their actions,” said DHS Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari.

According to court records, Hernandez admitted that on May 9, 2023, he met with someone who unbeknownst to him was, in fact, an undercover federal agent, and agreed to pick up a bag full of narcotics that would be hidden near the border fence. Hernandez agreed to pick up the bag while on duty and deliver it to the undercover agent in exchange for $20,000. Once the agreement was made, agents loaded the bag with 10 kilograms of fake methamphetamine, one pound of real methamphetamine, and a tracking device, before placing the bag in a storm drain near the border fence.

Later that evening, Hernandez drove his official vehicle to the storm drain while on duty and retrieved the bag. He drove the bag to his residence in Chula Vista and left the bag there for the remainder of his work shift. On May 10, 2023, after his shift was over, Hernandez returned home, retrieved the bag, and drove to meet with the undercover agent. Upon arrest, agents confirmed that that the bag still contained both the sham and real methamphetamine.

After Hernandez was arrested, agents searched his residence and found $131,717 in cash and 7.7 grams of cocaine. Hernandez admitted at least $110,000 of the cash represented proceeds he received in connection with his narcotics trafficking and bribery activities.

As part of his plea agreement, Hernandez forfeited his personal vehicle used to bring the drugs to the undercover agent; $110,000 of the seized cash; and his interest in his residence where the drugs were maintained.

In court today, U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino said, “Border Patrol is an honorable and admirable agency of the Government sworn to protect and safeguard our borders… [Hernandez] chose to betray the agency, the nation and betray public trust.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Van Demark and Lawrence A. Casper.

DEFENDANT                                                      Case Number 23cr1114-JLS
Hector Hernandez                                               Age: 55                                                    Chula Vista, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Attempted Distribution of Methamphetamine – 21 U.S.C., Sections 841(a)(1) and 846
Maximum penalty: Life imprisonment in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum

Receiving Bribe by Public Official – 18 U.S.C., Section 201(b)(2)
Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General
Drug Enforcement Administration
Federal Bureau of Investigation

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – May 22, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Jiaci Liu appeared in federal court today following his arrest for engaging in a multinational fraud conspiracy targeting seniors, including a 63-year-old man from Poway. 

According to a federal complaint, the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force (ETJF) learned of the fraud scheme after the victim reported to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department that he been duped as part of a layered tech support, bank impersonation and government impersonation scam.

Specifically, while on his personal computer, a pop-up window appeared indicating there was a possible virus on his computer and instructing him to contact a phone number. When he contacted the number, he was transferred through a series of co-conspirators pretending to work in tech support. The victim was informed that his computer had viruses.  The victim was then transferred to another conspirator who claimed to be from the victim’s bank.  During that interaction, the victim was told there were unauthorized transfers from his bank.  The victim was instructed to go immediately to his bank and to withdraw all his money for safekeeping. 

At the direction of the conspirators, the victim went to his bank and withdrew $28,000.  The victim was then instructed by the conspirators that someone from the U.S. Marshals Service would come to his house to pick up the money.  After the interaction, the victim became suspicious and contacted the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, which informed the victim to contact them if anyone showed up to pick up the money.

According to the complaint, on June 9, 2023, defendant Jiaci Liu arrived at the victim’s residence. The victim called the police, who arrived and found Liu outside the victim’s home.  Liu’s cellphone was seized and later searched.  Investigators located evidence indicating that in just one week in June 2023, Liu had picked up over $348,000 dollars from multiple victims located in Southern California and Phoenix, Arizona. 

“Everyone with a computer is vulnerable to sophisticated scams like the one alleged in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath.  “If you think you’ve been targeted, report it quickly. The faster the report comes in, the more likely we are to catch the scammers and recover any swindled money.”

“Individuals committing tech scams are getting more and more innovative with the methods they use to con innocent people,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi. “The FBI and its law enforcement partners continually adapt our strategies so that we can stay ahead of those who scheme and collude to defraud the American public. We are committed to ensuring each of these individuals is brought to justice.”

A detention hearing is scheduled for May 24, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge David D. Leshner. 

This case was investigated by the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force and its member agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Carlsbad Police Department, San Diego Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available through the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833 FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). You can also report fraud to any local law enforcement agency or on the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24MJ1929-MSB                               

Jiaci Liu                                                          Age: 34                                   Monterey Park, California

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1349

Criminal Forfeiture – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 981(a)(1)(C), 982(a)(2)(A), and Title 28, U.S.C., Section 2461(c)

Maximum Penalties: Thirty years in prison; $1 million fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Bureau of Investigation

San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department

San Diego Police Department

San Diego Elder Justice Task Force

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – May 22, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Jiaci Liu appeared in federal court today following his arrest for engaging in a multinational fraud conspiracy targeting seniors, including a 63-year-old man from Poway. 

According to a federal complaint, the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force (ETJF) learned of the fraud scheme after the victim reported to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department that he been duped as part of a layered tech support, bank impersonation and government impersonation scam.

Specifically, while on his personal computer, a pop-up window appeared indicating there was a possible virus on his computer and instructing him to contact a phone number. When he contacted the number, he was transferred through a series of co-conspirators pretending to work in tech support. The victim was informed that his computer had viruses.  The victim was then transferred to another conspirator who claimed to be from the victim’s bank.  During that interaction, the victim was told there were unauthorized transfers from his bank.  The victim was instructed to go immediately to his bank and to withdraw all his money for safekeeping. 

At the direction of the conspirators, the victim went to his bank and withdrew $28,000.  The victim was then instructed by the conspirators that someone from the U.S. Marshals Service would come to his house to pick up the money.  After the interaction, the victim became suspicious and contacted the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, which informed the victim to contact them if anyone showed up to pick up the money.

According to the complaint, on June 9, 2023, defendant Jiaci Liu arrived at the victim’s residence. The victim called the police, who arrived and found Liu outside the victim’s home.  Liu’s cellphone was seized and later searched.  Investigators located evidence indicating that in just one week in June 2023, Liu had picked up over $348,000 dollars from multiple victims located in Southern California and Phoenix, Arizona. 

“Everyone with a computer is vulnerable to sophisticated scams like the one alleged in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath.  “If you think you’ve been targeted, report it quickly. The faster the report comes in, the more likely we are to catch the scammers and recover any swindled money.”

“Individuals committing tech scams are getting more and more innovative with the methods they use to con innocent people,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi. “The FBI and its law enforcement partners continually adapt our strategies so that we can stay ahead of those who scheme and collude to defraud the American public. We are committed to ensuring each of these individuals is brought to justice.”

A detention hearing is scheduled for May 24, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge David D. Leshner. 

This case was investigated by the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force and its member agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Carlsbad Police Department, San Diego Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available through the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833 FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). You can also report fraud to any local law enforcement agency or on the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24MJ1929-MSB                               

Jiaci Liu                                                          Age: 34                                   Monterey Park, California

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1349

Criminal Forfeiture – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 981(a)(1)(C), 982(a)(2)(A), and Title 28, U.S.C., Section 2461(c)

Maximum Penalties: Thirty years in prison; $1 million fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Bureau of Investigation

San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department

San Diego Police Department

San Diego Elder Justice Task Force

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – May 22, 2024

SAN DIEGO – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging Bryan Kim Bullard and Cameron William Fulston with distributing the fentanyl that resulted in the death of a 25-year-old Carlsbad woman.

According to court records, on September 10, 2023, at approximately 12:23 a.m., San Diego Police Department officers were dispatched for a suspected drug overdose to an apartment complex in Mission Valley. One minute prior, a 911 call had been placed from the victim’s phone, in which a male individual reported “overdose, overdose” before ending the call while the dispatcher was trying to explain life saving measures.                                                                                          

Upon arrival, officers located the victim, identified in court records as D.G., lying unconscious on the bathroom floor. A San Diego Police officer pulled D.G. from the bathroom, determined she was not breathing, and began CPR until medical personnel arrived. D.G. was transported to a local hospital where she died five days later, on September 15th. 

Within the bathroom where the overdose took place, officers observed a piece of foil with a brown liquid and a chunk of a white substance. Officers also located blue pills on the kitchen counter with “M30” stamped on them. The foil and pills both tested positive for the presence of fentanyl. Federal agents followed the evidence related to the sale of the fatal dose of fentanyl to the defendants.

“Behind every fatal overdose is a dealer who put someone’s life at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “We are holding them accountable to stop the cycle of devastation they perpetuate.”

“DEA in San Diego has made investigating overdose deaths a priority,” said DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis. “We are committed to bringing drug dealers who poison our communities to justice.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jill S. Streja and Adam Gordon.

Special Agents and Task Force Officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Overdose Response Team (formerly known as Team 10) led the investigation. This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the San Diego Police Department, the La Mesa Police Department, National Guard Counterdrug Task Force and the California Department of Health Care Services to investigate and prosecute the distribution of dangerous illegal drugs—fentanyl in particular—that result in overdose deaths. The Drug Enforcement Administration created the Overdose Response Team as a response to the increase in overdose deaths in San Diego County.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 24-cr-00201-BAS                            

Bryan Kim Bullard                                         Age: 43                                   San Diego, CA

Cameron William Fulston                              Age: 29                                   Carlsbad, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl Resulting in Death

U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C), 846

Maximum penalty: Life in prison

Mandatory minimum: Twenty years in prison

Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in Death

21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C)

Maximum penalty: Life in prison

Mandatory minimum: Twenty years in prison

Distribution of Fentanyl

21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison

Possession With Intent to Distribute Fentanyl 

21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)

Maximum penalty: Forty years in prison

Mandatory minimum: Five years in prison

Possession With Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine 

21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)

Maximum penalty: Forty years in prison

Mandatory minimum: Five years in prison               

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Drug Enforcement Administration

San Diego County District Attorney’s Office

Homeland Security Investigations

San Diego Police Department

La Mesa Police Department

California Department of Health Care Services

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

An Arizona man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in San Diego to 51 months in prison for conspiracy to commit access device fraud.

According to court documents, Luis Ramirez, 43, of Mesa, Arizona, helped to obtain “leads” for fraudsters who sought to steal money from the bank accounts of unknowing U.S. victims. The “leads” consisted of financial information for the prospective victims that included bank account numbers. Ramirez and his coconspirators trafficked “leads” that originated from payday loan applications of consumers across the United States. Ramirez was also sentenced yesterday to 120 months in prison on a separate case brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. In sentencing Ramirez, Judge Cynthia Bashant of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California determined that 24 months of his sentence should run consecutively, so that Ramirez’s total sentence is 144 months in prison.

“Those who knowingly supply fraudsters with personal and financial information about potential victims cause enormous harm to the American public,” 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 sell such information for illicit purposes.”

“The Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to protecting American consumers,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group. “In this case, small transactions were used to conceal the scheme, but that wasn’t enough to fool postal inspectors or keep us from adding it all together to put a halt to this fraud.”

Related cases against other scheme participants have previously been filed in Los Angeles and in Las Vegas. In May 2023, a grand jury in Los Angeles returned an indictment charging 14 defendants with RICO conspiracy and other charges in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The indictment alleges that the defendants and associates debited consumers’ bank accounts without authorization and used shell entities and “micro debits” to conceal the activity from banks. “Micro debits” serve to conceal fraud by grouping unauthorized charges with a large number of low-value, straw transactions to lower the fraudster’s chargeback rate. Another 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.

USPIS investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Wei Xiang, Meredith Healy and Amy Kaplan of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch prosecuted the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Central and Southern Districts of California.

For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – May 20, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Luis Reinaldo Ramirez of Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced in federal court today to 120 months in prison for his role as a leader in a transnational criminal organization that laundered $16.5 million dollars in narcotics proceeds for the Sinaloa Cartel.  Ramirez was also sentenced for his role in an extortion plot.

Ramirez was one of 12 people indicted on charges ranging from money laundering, narcotics trafficking, and extortion as part of a two-year investigation by FBI and DEA. The investigation resulted in the takedown of the organization that laundered millions of dollars for the Sinaloa Cartel, and the rescue of two victims of an extortion plot in February of 2021. To date the investigation has resulted in the seizure of more than $1.3 million in illicit assets. 

According to his plea agreement, Ramirez played a key role in the day-to-day operations of the organization. He created a network of incorporated shell companies in Wyoming that were used to launder illicit bulk cash. Ramirez directed and facilitated employees of the money laundering organization to travel to cities throughout the United States to pick up bulk cash belonging to narcotics traffickers. The employees picked up the bulk cash in Chicago, Omaha, Boston, New York City, Baltimore, Charlotte, and Philadelphia.

Narcotics traffickers delivered bulk cash in amounts of up to $200,000 to the employees in hotel rooms and parking lots. Following the delivery of the illegal monies, the criminal organization laundered the funds through the shell companies and transferred the monies to bank accounts in Mexico. To demonstrate the drug money connection, in November 2020 the FBI conducted surveillance on a bulk cash delivery from Idsel Valenzuela and Sugey Caro Salazar in Chicago.  The operation led to a subsequent search of Caro and Valenzuela’s home and vehicle, which led to the discovery and seizure of 368 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, 10 kilograms of heroin, and $97,390 in bulk cash.   

Earlier this year, several of Ramirez’s co-defendants were sentenced to prison, including Cristian Amaya Nava, 60 months; Christian Cruz Polanco, 30 months; Sugey Caro Salazar, 48 months; and Idsel Valenzuela, Cheliann Rivera Vazquez and Kimberly Reyes to probationary sentences. Additional co-defendants — Hector Vizcaino Moreno, Ricardo Torres, and Luis Armando Avila — are scheduled to be sentenced in the coming months. Three of Ramirez’s indicted co-defendants remain fugitives in Mexico, including the alleged former Mexico-based leader of the organization, Enrique Esparragoza Rosas of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico.  

The FBI’s investigation, in partnership with the United States Attorney’s Office, pursued an aggressive strategy of asset seizures in order to disrupt the money laundering organization’s activities.  In total, dozens of bank accounts used by the organization were targeted, resulting in the seizure of more than $1 million from U.S.-based bank accounts. Agents also conducted operations that resulted in the seizure of $197,430 in bulk cash and a Volvo tractor-trailer that was purchased with drug money. Agents also seized illicit funds that were used to purchase aircraft and aircraft engines for export to Mexico in several instances.

The FBI’s efforts also resulted in a successful rescue of two victims who were being extorted by the money laundering organization in February 2021. Prior to the extortion, one of the victims, an employee of the money laundering organization, began stealing illicit funds from a bank account he controlled for the organization. In February 2021, when Esparragoza and Ramirez learned of the theft, they conspired to threaten and extort the pair to repay the funds. Esparragoza sent Cristian Amaya-Nava to threaten the men and their families. Amaya-Nava then drove the two men around Imperial and San Diego counties to collect money from accounts they controlled. Esparragoza also directly threatened the men and their families during several phone conversations that day, telling them that two truckloads of men from Tijuana would “take care of them” if they did anything stupid. 

Once the FBI learned of the ongoing extortion, they began tracking the victim’s and Amaya Nava’s movements. FBI agents coordinated with the National City Police Department to conduct a traffic stop wherein Amaya Nava was arrested and the two victims were rescued.

“In cases like this we strike at the life blood of the drug trafficker,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath.  “Money launderers provide the means for cartels to produce and import their deadly poison into the United States.”

“The sentencing of Mr. Ramirez is a major step toward dismantling the Sinaloa Cartel,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge, Stacey Moy. “We remain committed to working collaboratively with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle organized crime activity not only in San Diego, but wherever our investigations may lead.”

“There is no place for drug trafficking in San Diego,” said DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis. “Drug trafficking is a violent crime that harms our citizens and weakens our communities. The DEA and our partners will continue to be vigilant in dismantling these operations.”

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.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Mellor.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 22cr2185-BAS                           

Luis Reinaldo Ramirez                                   Age: 41                                   Mesa, Arizona

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Money Laundering Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(h)

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $500,000 fine

Hobbs Act Extortion - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1951(a)

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Drug Enforcement Administration

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

A federal grand jury in San Diego returned a two-count indictment charging former San Diego Sheriff’s Deputy Aaron Russell for fatally shooting Nicholas Bils on May 1, 2020.  Russell is charged with depriving Bils of his right to be free from officers using excessive force and with discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.  

The indictment alleges that Russell, while acting as a San Diego Sheriff’s Deputy, shot Bils after Bils had escaped from a California Parks vehicle and was running away from law enforcement officers who were chasing him. Without warning Bils or his fellow officers, Russell fired five shots at Bils, who was unarmed, as he ran away. One or more of the shots hit Bils in the back and caused his death. None of the other officers on scene fired a shot or drew a weapon.

If convicted, Russell faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath for the Southern District of California and Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the FBI San Diego Field Office made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Seth Askins for the Southern District of California, Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer and Trial Attorney Lia Rettammel of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.  

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – May 17, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Fernando Castro Bazan, a Los Angeles-based drug trafficker, was sentenced in federal court today to 12 years in prison for his leadership role in a drug trafficking organization that employed drivers as young as 18 years old to import large quantities of methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico in the gas tanks of rental cars.

Castro Bazan, also known as “Benji” or “Benji Banks,” started using drivers to transport drugs for a Tijuana-based drug trafficking organization in the spring of 2021. Using his status as a club promoter and amateur musician, Castro Bazan hired numerous college-aged drivers, luring them with the prospect of easy money and “all-expenses-paid trips to Mexico.”

A number of the young drivers Castro Bazan employed were arrested at the border and convicted of drug trafficking or related offenses. They now have federal felony convictions on their records.

At today’s hearing, U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta noted that Castro Bazan had a “catastrophic and terrible impact on the lives of young people—teenagers—who had the misfortune to come across his path.”

“Not only did this defendant import staggering amounts of a deadly drug into our community, he took advantage of vulnerable young people who failed to appreciate the tremendous risk involved,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “He turned college-age kids into traffickers and will serve a significant sentence for it.”

Castro Bazan is also facing drug charges in the Eastern District of California for his role in a distribution conspiracy that used couriers to deliver narcotics direct to buyers in Northern California.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert J. Miller and Shivanjali A. Sewak.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 22cr971-001-JO                                   

Fernando Castro Bazan                                  Age: 32                                   Los Angeles, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Import Methamphetamine – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 952, 960 and 963

Maximum penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine

Minimum penalty: Ten years in prison

Importation of Methamphetamine – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 952 and 960

Maximum penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine

Minimum penalty: Ten years in prison

INVESTIGATING AGENCY

Homeland Security Investigations

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – May 17, 2024

SAN DIEGO – James Jason Hendershaw of San Diego was charged in an indictment unsealed this week with distributing the fentanyl and methamphetamine that resulted in the death of a 20-year-old San Diego resident.

The Oceanside Police Department and Oceanside Fire Department responded to a 911 call a few minutes after 6 a.m. on January 10, 2019. When they arrived, they found the victim, identified in court records as R.J., unresponsive and lying on a sidewalk at the corner of Farel Street and Via Sonora in Oceanside. He was pronounced dead a few hours later.

Hendershaw allegedly distributed the fatal mix of fentanyl and methamphetamine the night before.

“Prosecuting drug dealers who supply deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine is not just about accountability; it’s about preventing death by interrupting the supply chain,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “By identifying and charging the distributors, we send a clear message to the dealers of these toxins: You will be held accountable for the lives your product destroys.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Sausedo and Adam Gordon.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 23-CR-2645-RBM                                        

James Jason Hendershaw                               Age: 36                                   Vista, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Distribution of Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Resulting in Death – Title 18, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C)

Maximum penalty: Life in prison

Mandatory minimum: Twenty years in prison

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Oceanside Police Department

State of California Department of Health Care Services

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – May 2, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Palm Care Pharmacy, a San Diego County pharmacy chain with a storefront in El Cajon, has paid $350,000 to resolve allegations that it diverted controlled substances, failed to keep necessary accounting records for controlled substances, and improperly sold pseudoephedrine chemical products.

The settlement arises from a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigation into suspected illegal activity at Talimi International, Inc. d/b/a Palm Care Pharmacy. Based on an inventory audit conducted by the DEA and other investigative activities, the government concluded that Palm Care Pharmacy’s El Cajon location committed multiple violations of the Controlled Substances Act and the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act from 2018 through 2022.

The government alleged that Palm Care Pharmacy failed to control its inventory of controlled substances, failed to maintain a complete record of controlled substances and the transactions, and sold listed chemical products (e.g., pseudoephedrine) without the necessary training and certification. Palm Care Pharmacy’s failure to control inventory resulted in unaccounted-for pills, including: opioids (oxycodone, hydrocodone, and tramadol), benzodiazepines (Xanax), and muscle relaxants (Soma). In addition to paying $350,000 to resolve the government’s claims, Palm Care Pharmacy entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the DEA requiring Palm Care Pharmacy to undertake additional measures to handle controlled substances properly and safely.

“Failure to manage inventory of controlled substances is not just a compliance issue, it’s a public safety issue,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Every untracked pill is a problem waiting to happen.”

“Accurate record keeping prevents controlled substances from ending up in the wrong hands,” said DEA Diversion Program Manager Rostant Farfan. “DEA will continue to hold registrants accountable to ensure they are operating within the closed system of distribution.”

This settlement was the result of a coordinated effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

To report a tip directly to a DEA representative regarding medical personnel writing suspicious opioid prescriptions and pharmacies dispensing large amounts of opioids, call (571) 324-6499 or visit the DEA’s website (https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/) and click on “Report Illicit Pharmaceutical Activities.”

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dylan M. Aste.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – April 25, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Katherine Lu Acquista, former Director of Operations and Accounting for the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that she stole more than $400,000 from the non-profit for her personal benefit.

The Economic Development Corporation, known as EDC, works to maximize San Diego’s economic prosperity and global competitiveness. As Director of Operations and Accounting, Acquista had access to the EDC’s bank accounts, credit cards, checkbook and payroll system. According to her plea agreement, Acquista put personal expenditures on EDC’s credit card and directed the accounting department to issue checks from EDC to herself.

To conceal her scheme, Acquista caused false entries to be made in the non-profit’s accounting system to account for the missing funds. For example, Acquista put personal charges on the EDC credit card, and then caused the expenditures in the EDC’s accounting system to be entered as charges for maintenance and repairs or for office supplies. Similarly, Acquista directed that checks be written to herself from the EDC bank account but then caused the checks to be entered into EDC’s accounting system as charges for recurring IT expenses. Acquista admitted in her plea agreement that as a result of her scheme the EDC lost $433,275.89.

“This defendant took funds that were supposed to make San Diego a stronger business community and spent them on herself,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath.  “Our office takes embezzlement from local businesses very seriously and will continue to vigorously prosecute these cases.”

“Ms. Acquista worked for an organization whose goal is to help the San Diego community; however, she chose to abuse her position of trust within the organization,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge John Kim. “The FBI remains committed to ensuring that individuals who deliberately compromise the integrity of their position and organization for personal gain will be brought to justice.”

Acquista is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Battaglia for sentencing on July 15, 2024, at 9 a.m.

DEFENDANTS                                 Case Number 24CR0765-AJB

Katherine Lu Acquista                                    Age: 47                                   Escondido, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Wire Fraud - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1343

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison; $250,000 fine or the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater

INVESTIGATING AGENCY

Federal Bureau of Investigation

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – April 25, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Scott Anthony Sargent of San Diego appeared in federal court today to face charges that he distributed the fentanyl that resulted in the deaths of two victims in North Park in 2022. During the same incident, Sargent and another person also overdosed but survived.

Sargent is also charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. At today’s hearing, Sargent was detained without bond.

San Diego Police officers along with investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Overdose Response Team responded to a 911 call just before 6 a.m. on November 10, 2022. When they arrived, four individuals were found lying on the floor of a bedroom. Two of the individuals, identified in court records by the initials Z.W. and M.L., were pronounced dead at the scene, while Sargent and another individual were treated with Narcan and transported to nearby hospitals where they recovered.

Sargent allegedly brought and then distributed the fatal mix of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl (a common fentanyl analogue) to a residence in North Park. Investigators linked Sargent to the overdoses through the fentanyl/para-fluorofentanyl mixture found at the overdose location. The mixture was also found inside Sargent’s backpack and duffel bag recovered from the scene. A subsequent search by investigators of Sargent's storage unit also turned up additional baggies containing the same combination of fentanyl/para-fluorofentanyl.

“Fentanyl kills indiscriminately,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Yet as was accomplished in this case investigators will leave no stone unturned in the effort to identify and charge distributors of this poison.”

“Mr. Sargent’s alleged actions cost two people their lives,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis. “The San Diego DEA and its partners are dedicated to bringing to justice those that sell, traffic, or provide fentanyl in our community.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Gordon and Sarah Goldwasser.

Special Agents and Task Force Officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Overdose Response Team (formerly known as Team 10) led the investigation. This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the San Diego Police Department, and the California Department of Health Care Services to investigate and prosecute the distribution of dangerous illegal drugs—fentanyl in particular—that result in overdose deaths. The Drug Enforcement Administration created the Overdose Response Team as a response to the increase in overdose deaths in San Diego County.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24-CR-807-RSH                                            

Scott Anthony Sargent                                    Age: 63                                   San Diego, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in Death – Title 18, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C)

Maximum penalty: Life in prison

Mandatory minimum: Twenty years in prison

Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and Methamphetamine - Title 18, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1), and 846

Maximum penalty: Life in prison

Mandatory Minimum: Ten years in prison

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Drug Enforcement Administration

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Homeland Security Investigations

San Diego County District Attorney’s Office

San Diego Police Department

State of California Department of Health Care Services

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – April 24, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Deonathan Abdul Gaston of Long Beach, California, was sentenced in federal court Monday to nine years in prison for transporting two girls, ages 15 and 16, to San Diego in August 2023 to engage in prostitution.

One of the victims had been reported missing from Arizona prior to being transported by Gaston from Arizona to Los Angeles and then to San Diego to engage in prostitution. Gaston had known one of the victims since she was 14.

The victims were rescued by the National City Police Department on August 13, 2023, when officers conducted a traffic stop on the defendant in a high-crime area known for prostitution. He had no driver’s license on him and was not going to be allowed to drive the car. He called his “girlfriend” to come pick up the car from the traffic stop; the girl turned out to be the missing Arizona teen. Officers then responded to the hotel where the girl said they were staying and found the other victim. The case was turned over to the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force.

“Selling children for sex is a reprehensible crime that impacts victims for a lifetime,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “We can all play a part in protecting the vulnerable by paying close attention to warning signs and reporting concerns. Our children are not necessarily being grabbed from the street. They are being groomed and recruited online.” Please see https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/human-trafficking/recognizing-signs

If you are living or working under threat of violence or extortion, or you suspect someone else may be, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center toll free, 24/7 Hotline: CALL: (888) 373-7888 or TEXT BeFree or 233733.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lyndzie M. Carter and Derek Ko.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 23-cr-1944-AGS                  

Deonathan Abdul Gaston                                           Age: 26                                   Long Beach, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Transportation for Purpose of Prostitution – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2421(a)

Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

National City Police Department

San Diego County District Attorney’s Office

Homeland Security Investigations

Federal Bureau of Investigation

San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – April 24, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Shawn Brown, an inmate at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, was sentenced in federal court today to 30 months in prison for bribing a state corrections officer to smuggle contraband into prison, including dental molds and an expensive bejeweled “grill” for the inmate’s mouth.

A separate consecutive sentence of 48 months was also applied for Brown’s role in a scheme to file fraudulent claims with the California Employment Development Department, effectively stealing money that was intended give economic relief to people impacted by the pandemic. Brown was ordered to pay $550,000 in restitution to the State of California.

Benito Jamar Hugie, the corrections officer who helped Brown obtain the grill, was sentenced last month to 24 months in prison. Hugie, who is out on bond, was ordered to surrender by 12 p.m. on May 6, 2024.

Hugie pleaded guilty in November of 2023, admitting that he smuggled the gold-and-diamond grill into the facility in early October, 2020, and delivered it to Brown, who had custom ordered it from a jeweler in Houston, Texas, using a smuggled cell phone. A grill, also known as “fronts” or “golds,” is a type of dental jewelry worn over the teeth. Grills are generally made of metal and precious gems and are generally removable.

According to Brown’s plea agreement, the overall value of the scheme to acquire the custom grill, to bribe the corrections officer and to smuggle the contraband into the prison was more than $30,000.

At today’s hearing, U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo ordered Brown to turn over the grill to the government as part of his forfeiture agreement. Brown had opposed the request, arguing that he was unable to remove the grill because it was glued to his teeth. The government referred to a jail surveillance video that showed that the grill was, in fact, removeable. In this jail surveillance video, Brown was seen removing the grill from his mouth and putting it back in.

The COVID-related fraud scheme was discovered during the investigation of the bribery scheme. Agents learned that while in custody at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, Brown used his contraband cellular telephone to coordinate the theft of unemployment benefits intended for Californians who were unable to pay for food and housing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown and co-conspirators caused an estimated $1.4 million in fraudulent claims to be filed with the state Employment Development Department, resulting in actual cash payouts of more than $695,000 to Brown and his co-conspirators.

Brown was originally serving time at the state prison for first degree murder in violation of California Penal Code Section 187(a). At today’s hearing Judge Bencivengo ordered that today’s two federal sentences be served consecutively to each other and to the original underlying state sentence.

“Diamonds are not always your friend,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “These schemes have cost Brown years of his life and Hugie his career and good name. Maybe regular teeth would have been a better option.”

“The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain committed to ensuring the integrity of our criminal justice systems,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge John Kim. “Those who abuse their positions of trust and those who corrupt the same will be held accountable as demonstrated in this investigation.”

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Orlando Gutierrez.

DEFENDANTS         Case Number 22CR1238

Shawn Brown             Age: 28           California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Inmate         

Benito Jamar Hugie    Age: 49           San Diego, CA

DEFENDANT           Case Number 22CR1239                             

Shawn Brown             Age: 28           California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Inmate

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

1. Corruption Activities Stemming from the Grill

18 USC § 371                         Conspiracy to Violate the Travel Act- Bribery (Count 1)

                                             Defendants: Hugie, Brown

28 USC § 2461(c)                   Criminal Forfeiture

1. Indictment 2: Fraud Activities Involving EDD

18 USC § 1349                       Conspiracy; Mail Fraud

                                                Defendants: Brown

28 USC § 2461(c)                   Criminal Forfeiture

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Bureau of Investigation

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – April 23, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Virves Pablo-Francisco, a citizen of Guatemala, pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he and his younger brother, Nicolas Pablo-Francisco, kidnapped three unauthorized immigrants, including a boy from Afghanistan and a father and son from Ecuador, and held them for thousands of dollars in ransom in June 2023. Nicolas Pablo-Francisco pleaded guilty to similar charges in February.

In his plea agreement, Virves Pablo-Francisco admitted that on June 13, 2023, he, his brother and others abducted a 16-year-old boy from Afghanistan and held him hostage in a residence in Escondido along with two other foreign nationals—the father and son from Ecuador who were kidnapped the day before. The defendants demanded ransom payments ranging from $4,000 to $10,000 per person for their release.

Additionally, Virves Pablo-Francisco admitted that he provided the Ecuadorian father and son no food and told them they were required to pay extra if they wanted to eat.

Nicolas Pablo-Francisco, who pleaded guilty in February, admitted holding the boy hostage and demanding ransom from his family.  He also admitted assisting his older brother Virves in the continued detention of the Ecuadorian father and son pending payment of a ransom by their family.

Federal authorities first learned of the abductions late in the day on June 13, 2023, when the Pablo-Francisco brothers contacted the 16-year-old’s family member in the United States, claiming to have the boy and demanding $4,000 for his release. The family member reported the contact to law enforcement, which led to an overnight, multi-agency effort to locate the boy and identify his kidnappers.

By morning, agents with the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force - with support from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office - had identified a residence in Escondido where they suspected the boy was being held. With assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI agents obtained and executed a federal search warrant for the residence.

Upon entering the home, agents located Nicolas Pablo-Francisco and the boy, along with the Ecuadorians who agents learned were also being held for ransom. All three migrant hostages entered the United States illegally in the days leading up to their rescue. Virves Pablo-Francisco, who was not present at the Escondido house on the day of the raid, was arrested later pursuant to a warrant.

“These victims are safe because a family member was brave enough to seek help from law enforcement officials,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Always report crime. We are standing by to hold those accountable who commit crimes, and to support victims and their families. Also, I urge anyone who is considering a dangerous journey into the United States: Please don’t risk your life by trusting smugglers. It could be a very costly mistake.”

“These guilty pleas demonstrate the FBI’s commitment to bringing kidnapping victims home safely,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge John Kim. “Criminals involved in alien smuggling may think they will get away with taking migrants hostage because of the unique vulnerability of their victims. They are wrong.”

Nicolas Pablo-Francisco is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Cynthia A. Bashant. Virves Pablo-Francisco’s sentencing hearing is scheduled to take place on July 15, 2024.  

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert J. Miller, Jordan Arakawa, and David Eugene Fawcett.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 23cr01355-BAS                                            

Virves Pablo-Francisco                                  Age: 22                                   Guatemala/Escondido, CA

Nicolas Pablo-Francisco                                 Age: 20                                   Guatemala/Escondido, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Hostage Taking – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1203(a)

Maximum penalty: Life in prison and $250,000 fine

Harboring Aliens – Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii)

Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCY

Federal Bureau of Investigation