District of Connecticut

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ADOLFO VARGAS, 43, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty today to theft of public funds related to his illegal receipt of Social Security benefits.  

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna F. Martinez occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Vargas’ father lawfully received Social Security Administration (“SSA”) monthly Retirement and Survivor Insurance benefit payments.  When Vargas’ father became ill, he gave Vargas access to his bank accounts so Vargas could make purchases on his behalf and take care of his affairs after his death.  Vargas’ father died in 2006, but the SSA was never informed of his death.  Between 2006 and 2019, the SSA deposited approximately $111,000 into Vargas’ father’s account.  During that time, Vargas used the account to make numerous ATM cash withdrawals, personal debit transactions and personal online purchases.

Vargas is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on June 23, 2021, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.  Vargas also has agreed to pay $93,092 in restitution.

Vargas is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.

This matter is being investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Keefe.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that STANDFORD SMITH, also known as “Pops,” 32, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson to 55 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for his role in a gun trafficking ring and for distributing crack cocaine.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.

This matter stems from an investigation headed by the ATF and East Hartford Police Department into drug trafficking and related acts of violence by a group of individuals operating out of the Mayberry Village housing complex in East Hartford.

According to court documents and statements made in court, sometime in or before 2014, Daniel Vazquez, of East Hartford, and others were robbed at gunpoint while they were attempting to purchase marijuana that they intended to redistribute.  On July 6, 2016, Vazquez saw the person who had robbed him driving a car at the intersection of Tolland Street and Moore Avenue in East Hartford and shot at him.  Vazquez was arrested on that date, and a search of his residence revealed a Ruger LC93 9mm handgun, which he had used in the shooting, and a Taurus 9mm handgun.  The two firearms were traced to Minot, North Dakota.

The investigation revealed that after a member of the drug trafficking organization, Courtney Johnson, had moved from East Hartford to North Dakota in 2015, Lawrence Christie, of East Hartford, and others traveled to North Dakota to sell narcotics and to obtain firearms.  In June 2016, Smith drove to North Dakota with Christie and other associates.  On June 26, 2016, Smith and his associates forcibly stole a firearm from an individual in Minot.  Smith and his associates also used counterfeit currency to purchase firearms from sellers who had advertised the guns for sale on a website.  Smith and an associate then drove back to Connecticut with three of the firearms they had illegally obtained.

Christie contacted Vazquez and asked him to drive from Connecticut to North Dakota to assist him in their criminal activity.  Christie and Vazquez then transported five firearms they had illegally acquired in North Dakota to Connecticut.  Two of these five guns were found in Vazquez’s residence on July 6, 2016.

In late 2016, Smith again traveled to North Dakota and acquired another handgun.

To date, investigators have traced at least nine firearms that were obtained in North Dakota and transported to Connecticut.  Some of the guns have been used in shootings in the Hartford area.

Smith was arrested on June 21, 2018, and was subsequently released on bond.  On July 5, 2018, he was again arrested after he was found in possession of crack cocaine that he intended to distribute.

Smith has been detained since July 5, 2018.  On October 30, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully transport firearms in interstate commerce, and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”) while on pre-trial release.

Vazquez, Christie and Johnson pleaded guilty to related charges.  On March 5, 2019, Vazquez was sentenced to 84 months of imprisonment, and on March 12, 2020, Christie was sentenced to 100 months of imprisonment.  Johnson awaits sentencing.

This investigation has been conducted by the ATF and East Hartford Police Department, with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Correction and the Minot (N.D.) Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that VASHUN LEWIS, also known as “V-Love,” 45, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall to 90 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for firearm possession offenses.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and the evidence presented during Lewis’ trial last year, in 2017, the New Haven Police Department received information that Lewis was engaged in an illegal cigarette trafficking operation, was selling marijuana and heroin, and was known to possess a handgun.  Prior to 2017, Lewis had been convicted of state robbery, assault, drug, weapon and racketeering offenses.  Lewis was arrested on June 1, 2017, after a court-authorized search of his residence revealed a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, more than 100 grams of marijuana, approximately 13 grams of heroin packaged for distribution, items used to process and package drugs for street sale, and more than 50 cartons of cigarettes.  Investigators also seized approximately 500 grams of cocaine from a car connected to Lewis that was parked outside of his residence.

On March 5, 2020, the jury found Lewis guilty of one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Lewis has been detained since November 2017. 

This investigation was conducted by the New Haven Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret M. Donovan and Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis.

This prosecution has been brought through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DESI WILLIAMS, 40, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 42 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm while on federal supervised release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in the afternoon of January 28, 2019, Waterbury Police officers attempted to stop a car Williams was driving at the intersection of Brass Mill Drive and Union Street for motor vehicle violations.  When an officer approached the car on foot, Williams accelerated and fled from the scene.  During a subsequent pursuit, Williams rammed three police vehicles before crashing his car into a utility pole on Walnut Street.  Williams ran from the car, jumped over a fence and was eventually apprehended on Ives Street.  A search of Williams’s car revealed a loaded Smith & Wesson .22 caliber revolver.

In 2016, Williams was convicted in federal court of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and he was on federal supervised release in January 2019.  Prior to 2016, Williams was convicted in state court of felony robbery, burglary and failure to appear offenses.

Williams has been detained since January 28, 2019.  On June 11, 2020, he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Judge Hall sentenced Williams to 30 months of imprisonment for the new firearm offense, and a consecutive 12 months and one day of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Waterbury Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis and Peter D. Markle.

This prosecution has been brought through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced the unsealing of a 13-count superseding indictment that charges four men with federal offenses related to their alleged theft of millions of dollars in vehicles, phones, ATMs and other merchandise from numerous locations in Connecticut, New York and elsewhere.

The superseding indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury in Hartford on February 16 and unsealed yesterday, charges JOSEPHER Y. CARTAGENA, 25, of the Bronx, N.Y.; ALEXANDER J. SANTIAGO, 26, of the Bronx; DOUGLAS NOBLE, 27, of the Bronx, and JUSTIN J. HERRERA, 21, formerly of Levittown, N.Y.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, Cartagena, Santiago, Noble and Herrera are members of a theft ring that burglarized car dealerships, mobile phone stores, and check cashing businesses in Connecticut and elsewhere, often burglarizing multiple locations in one night.  From dealerships, they stole vehicle key fobs and vehicles; from mobile phone stores, they stole cell phones, electronics and other merchandise; from check cashing businesses, they stole ATMs.  They then transported the stolen property back to New York, often escaping from police by engaging the police in high-speed chases, which the police must terminate for safety reasons.

Members of the theft ring are suspected to have committed more than 130 burglaries and stolen millions of dollars in property.

The indictment charges each of the defendants with one count of conspiracy to possess and transport stolen vehicles and property, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.  The defendants are also charged with various counts of transportation of a stolen vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, transportation of stolen property and possession of stolen property.  These offenses carry a maximum term of 10 years on each count.

On December 23, 2020, when law enforcement first attempted to arrest Cartagena on a federal arrest warrant, Cartagena dropped a firearm and was able to escape by ramming multiple FBI vehicles with his vehicle, which was stolen.  Investigators apprehended Cartagena late that night after an all-day search.  A court-authorized search of Cartagena’s residence revealed hundreds of thousands of dollars of suspected stolen merchandise, more than 30 vehicle key fobs, various license plates, 9mm ammunition, and approximately $89,000 in cash.

On January 15, 2021, when investigators sought to conduct a court-authorized search of Santiago’s residence, Santiago’s pit bull attacked an FBI agent and badly wounded his arm.  Santiago was arrested, and a search of the residence revealed approximately 20 new cell phones in boxes, approximately 40 vehicle key fobs, a police radio, a glass-punch device, two firearms and a substantial amount of ammunition.

Herrera was arrested in Florida, where he had recently moved, on March 10, 2021.

Noble surrendered to law enforcement yesterday.

Cartagena and Santiago are detained, and Herrera and Noble are released on bond.

Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Connecticut State Police, with the assistance of numerous local police departments.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Ruff and Michael S. McGarry.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ORTHOPAEDIC SPECIALTY GROUP, P.C., and DR. LAWRENCE KIRSCHENBAUM entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal government and have agreed to pay a total of $80,000 to resolve allegations that they violated civil provisions of the Controlled Substances Act.

Orthopaedic Specialty Group, P.C. (“OSG”) is an orthopedic practice with locations in Bridgeport, Fairfield, Milford and Shelton.  Kirschenbaum practices out of OSG’s Fairfield location, and specializes in interventional pain management.  The allegations against OSG and Kirschenbaum involve the claim that on 40 separate occasions between April 2017 and January 2019, Kirschenbaum’s patients received “early fills” of their prescriptions for controlled substances.  When a prescription is filled early, it is filled before the supply provided pursuant to an earlier prescription is or should be exhausted.  The government alleges that these 40 “early fills” violated the Controlled Substances Act and its implementing regulations.

Congress, with the passage of the Controlled Substances Act, took steps to create “a closed system” of distribution for controlled substances in which every facet of the handling of the substances – from their manufacture to their consumption by the ultimate user – was to be subject to intense governmental regulation.  This mission was taken against the backdrop of trying to prevent the diversion and abuse of legitimate controlled substances, while still ensuring that an adequate supply of those substances meet the medical and scientific needs of the United States.

As part of the settlement agreement, OSG and Kirschenbaum have agreed to stop dispensing Schedule II controlled substances from OSG’s offices.  Instead, OSG patients will fill their prescriptions for these opioids at pharmacies.  OSG has agreed to incorporate this change in protocol into a written policy, and will disseminate the written policy to all of OSG’s staff and physicians.

This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Office of Diversion Control, and the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Drug Control Division.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Kaczmarek.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that RANDY TEXIDOR, 31, of Berlin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for fentanyl distribution and gun possession offenses.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2017, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and Hartford Police Department received information that Texidor was distributing significant quantities of heroin.  Between October and December 2017, investigators made eight controlled purchases of escalating quantities of heroin and/or fentanyl from Texidor.  The investigation revealed that Texidor and an associate used an apartment on Wadsworth Street in Hartford to process, package and store heroin.  On February 13, 2018, a court-authorized search of the apartment revealed approximately 92 grams of fentanyl, 23 grams of heroin, 500 dose bags of suspected heroin/fentanyl, items used to process and package narcotics, a .380 caliber pistol, and $5,981 in cash.

Texidor has been detained since his arrest on February 13, 2018.  On October 30, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ADRIAN FLEMMING, also known as “Gordo,” 25, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 14, 2020, Waterbury Police attempted to stop Flemming’s car after they received information that he planned to conduct a large narcotics transaction in Waterbury.  Flemming fled on foot for a short distance before being apprehended.  A search of Flemming’s person and car revealed 2,190 dose bags containing a mixture of fentanyl and heroin, a quantity of marijuana, and nearly $2,000 in cash.

On October 26, 2020, Flemming pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

Flemming, who is released on a $50,000 bond, is required to report to prison on April 26, 2021.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Waterbury Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Michael J. Gustafson.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RAYSHON FRAZIER, 30, of Meriden, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 27 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in July and August 2019, the DEA New Haven Task made multiple controlled purchases of distribution quantities of crack cocaine from Frazier’s associate in Middletown.  After Frazier’s associate was incarcerated on a state probation violation in early September 2019, Frazier took over his associate’s drug distribution activity.  Between September and November 2019, investigators made three controlled purchases of crack, totaling approximately 40 grams, from Frazier in Waterbury, where Frazier formerly resided.

Frazier was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on November 27, 2019.  On December 22, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine base (“crack”).

Frazier, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on May 19, 2021.

This investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Task Force and the Middletown Police Department.  The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut State Police and the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, East Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, Derby, Middletown, Naugatuck and Waterbury Police Departments.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda S. Oakes and Sarala V. Nagala.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that MICHAEL C. MONROE, 48, of Norwalk, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill to one count of tax evasion.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Monroe operates a construction business known as Monroe Construction.  From 2008 through 2013, Monroe owed substantial unpaid income taxes and penalties to the IRS.  In 2014, the IRS levied the business bank account used by Monroe as the operating account for his construction company.  Monroe subsequently closed his business bank account and, between approximately November 2014 and November 2017, evaded payment to the IRS of his preexisting tax obligations by using a check cashing service to cash approximately $1.5 million in customer checks paid to his business.  For the 2014 and 2015 tax years, Monroe failed to report to the IRS a total of more than $700,000 that his business generated in gross revenues.  In addition to evading payment to the IRS of more than $107,000, he understated the federal income taxes he owed in 2014 and 2015 by approximately $34,000.

Monroe has agreed to pay total back taxes of $141,041.17, plus interest and penalties.

Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for June 15, 2021, at which time Monroe faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.  Monroe is released pending sentencing.

This investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LESTER B. JOY, 40, formerly of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for failing to register as a sex offender.

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”) provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States and seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs.  In part, SORNA requires registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 25, 2002, Joy was convicted in the State of New Jersey of sexual assault in the second degree, endangering the welfare of a child in the third degree and theft in the third degree.  For these offenses, he was sentenced to three years of imprisonment, lifetime community supervision and was subject to lifetime registration as a sex offender.  On January 4, 2006, Joy was convicted in Suffolk County, New York, of three counts of rape in the third degree, two counts of criminal sexual acts in the third degree and two counts of disseminating indecent material to a minor.  For these offenses, he was sentenced to a period of 42 to 84 months of incarceration and lifetime probation.

On November 30, 2013, Joy was released from the Morris County, New Jersey jail following service of a sentence for violation of his lifetime term of community supervision in New Jersey.  However, he did not register as a sex offender in either New Jersey or New York, and moved to Connecticut.  He failed to notify New Jersey, New York and Connecticut officials of his move to Connecticut, as required.  On February 23, 2015, Joy pleaded guilty in the District of Connecticut to failing to register as a sex offender.  On May 18, 2015, he was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 27 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for that offense.

In January 2017, after he was released from federal prison, Joy failed to report to parole in New Jersey and failed to seek permission to change his address or advise New Jersey of his new address Connecticut.  He also failed to comply with treatment requirements of his federal supervised release.  In April 2017, Joy was sentenced to an additional seven months of federal imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release.  He was released from federal custody in August 2017.

On February 17, 2019, Joy’s girlfriend, who did not have physical or legal custody of her three minor children, participated in a Department of Children and Families’ supervised visit with the children at a restaurant in Waterbury.  During the visit, Joy’s girlfriend was given permission to take the children to the restroom.  Instead, Joy’s girlfriend took her children out the back door of the restaurant into a waiting vehicle determined to have been used by Joy in the past.

On March 7, 2019, Joy, his girlfriend and her three children were located by Mexican law enforcement authorities in Mazatlán, Mexico, and Joy and his girlfriend were arrested.  Joy had failed to provide information to the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry, as required by SORNA, about his travel to Mexico.

Joy has been detained since his arrest.  On October 29, 2020, Joy pleaded guilty in Waterbury Superior Court to three counts of risk of injury, and was sentenced to three years of incarceration followed by seven years of special parole.

On November 3, 2020, he pleaded guilty in federal court to failing to register as a sex offender.

Judge Underhill ordered Joy’s 48-month federal sentence to run concurrently with his state sentence.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Waterbury Police Department, with the assistance of Mexican law enforcement authorities.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Slater and Nancy V. Gifford.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JIMMIE WILLIAMSON, also known as “James Land,” 38, of Durham, North Carolina, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for drug and firearm offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 22, 2019, New Haven Police responded to a report of a suspected gunshot in the vicinity of Winchester Avenue and encountered Williamson behaving erratically outside of a residence.  A search of a vehicle that was parked in the driveway of the residence revealed a loaded Glock 9mm pistol, 69 pills containing methamphetamine, and a quantity of packaged marijuana.  Williamson was arrested on that date.

Forensic analysis of the firearm revealed the presence of Williamson’s DNA.

Williamson’s criminal history includes felony convictions in North Carolina state court for drug and firearm offenses, and a 2005 federal conviction in the Middle District of North Carolina for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Williamson has been detained since his arrest.  On February 24, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

This matter was investigated by the New Haven Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret M. Donovan.

This prosecution has been brought through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that EDWARD GALPIN, 39, of Stratford, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to offenses related to the sexual exploitation of multiple children.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Galpin was an administrator of a private Kik messaging app chat group that provided a forum for members to discuss their sexual interest in young children and exchange images and videos of child sexual abuse.  As a group administrator, Galpin distributed child pornography, requested it from other group members, and removed from the group certain members who did not share child pornography.  Galpin possessed and shared a significant amount of child pornography, including images and videos of prepubescent minors and content portraying sadistic and masochistic conduct and the sexual abuse of toddlers.

The investigation also revealed that Galpin used Instagram to identify young girls for the purpose of soliciting or producing child pornography.  In one instance, Galpin arranged to meet with a 17-year-old girl, picked her up at her house, and engaged in sexually explicit conduct with her.  Galpin recorded the sexual encounter and then shared images and videos on Kik.  In another instance, Galpin identified a 15-year-old girl via Instagram and enticed her to send him sexually explicit images of herself.  The victim did so using Instagram’s “self-destruct” feature, which automatically deletes an image after a short time.  However, Galpin recorded video of his conversation with the victim so he could retain the images he received.  In a third instance, Galpin contacted an eighth-grade girl via Instagram direct message and subsequently received from her a video and other images of her engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Galpin also used spy cameras to record videos of women and girls while they were undressing.  Galpin then distributed the videos, including video of a minor girl, via Kik.

In June 2020, Galpin contacted a Kik account operated by an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 14-year-old girl.  Galpin asked the “girl” when her “mom” would be away from home and arranged to meet the “girl” at a coffee shop in Connecticut.  On June 25, 2020, after Galpin arrived at the scheduled time and place, law enforcement approached him and seized his iPhone.  He was arrested later that day and has been detained since his arrest.

Galpin was originally charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.  The case was then transferred to the District of Connecticut.

Galpin pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years on each count, and two counts of distribution of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count.

Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for June 2, 2021.

This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New Haven and Washington, D.C., and the Metropolitan Police (D.C.) Department’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Ruff and Sarala V. Nagala in the District of Connecticut, and Assistant U.S. Attorney April Russo in the District of Columbia.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WALI MUHAMMAD, 45, of Branford, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today to one count of health care fraud.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2010 to 2019 Muhammad owned and operated Happy Family Clinical Services LLC (“Happy Family”), a mental health and social services agency.  At various times, Happy Family’s office was located in East Haven and Branford, before moving to New Haven in 2014. 

From 2013 through 2019, Muhammad engaged in a scheme to defraud the Connecticut Medicaid Program by submitting fraudulent claims for psychotherapy services that were purportedly provided to Medicaid clients.  The claims were for occasions and dates of service when no psychotherapy services of any kind had been provided to the Medicaid clients identified in the claims.  The claims also were submitted using the names and identities of licensed clinical social workers and other licensed health care providers who purportedly worked for Happy Family, and represented that the psychotherapy services were personally rendered by the licensed providers, when, in fact, the licensed providers had not personally rendered the services, had not supervised the services that were billed, and were unaware that Muhammad was billing or causing the services to be billed as if the providers had personally rendered the services.  When services were provided, they were usually rendered by unlicensed individuals and billed as licensed psychotherapy.

Muhammad is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on June 23, 2021, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.  As part of his plea, Muhammad agreed to pay $574,034 in restitution to Medicaid.

This case has been investigated by Special Agents of the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG), and Police Inspectors from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) of the Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office.  Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle also thanked the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office, the Connecticut Department of Social Services, and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services for their assistance in the investigation.

The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon and Auditor Susan Spiegel.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, and Attorney General’s Office meet regularly as part of The Medicaid Fraud Working Group.  The Working Group also includes representatives from the Connecticut Department of Social Services; the Connecticut Department of Public Health; the Drug Control Division of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection; the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The Working Group reviews pending issues and cases, identifies trends that might indicate fraudulent activity, and coordinates efforts for maximum results.

People who suspect health care fraud are encouraged to report it by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ANTHONY PATTERSON, also known as “AP” and “Antonio,” 42, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for attempting to traffic narcotics while he was on supervised release after a prior federal conviction.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 14, 2014, Judge Underhill sentenced Patterson to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  Patterson’s criminal history also includes a conviction for conspiracy to commit murder for his role in the death of a 32-year-old man in Norwalk in 2001.

In 2018, while he was serving his 60-month federal sentence, Patterson approached a fellow inmate to find a person who could help him import narcotics from Mexico into the U.S.  In 2019, after his release from prison and while on supervised release, Patterson travelled to Texas with another convicted felon and negotiated the purchase of five kilograms of cocaine with an undercover DEA agent and a confidential informant.  Patterson was arrested on November 13, 2019, after he met with the undercover agent at a hotel in Connecticut to pick up a kilogram of cocaine.

Patterson has been detained since his arrest.  On November 19, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, cocaine.

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rahul Kale and Karen L. Peck.

Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DOMENICO SANDALO, 46, of Norwalk, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by eight years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine and other drugs.  Judge Bryant also ordered Sandalo to pay a $5,000 fine.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Sandalo was previously convicted of federal narcotics trafficking offenses in 2011 and 2013.  In June 2019, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, Stamford Police Department and Norwalk Police Department received information that Sandalo was in possession of a large quantity of cocaine, oxycodone pills and marijuana.  On June 7, 2019, Sandalo was arrested after investigators conducted a court-authorized search of his residence and seized approximately 600 grams of cocaine, six kilograms of marijuana, 77 oxycodone pills, 46 fentanyl pills, 771 THC vape cartridges, and $53,943 in cash.

On December 11, 2020, Sandalo pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

Sandalo, who is released on a $1.5 million bond, is required to report to prison on August 4, 2021.

The DEA’s Bridgeport HIDTA Task Force, includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford and Danbury Police Departments.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria del Pilar Gonzalez.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RAKEEM GRANT, 32, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 27 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, and while he was on supervised release following a prior federal conviction for the same offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in April 2017, Grant was convicted in state court of possession of a pistol without a permit.  On April 23, 2018, Hartford Police arrested Grant after he was found in possession of a loaded .40 caliber handgun outside of nightclub that has been a hotspot for shootings and violence on Main Street in Hartford.  He subsequently pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and, on March 28, 2019, was sentenced to six months of imprisonment, with credit for time served, and three years of supervised release.  Grant was released from federal prison approximately one month later.

On August 28, 2020, Hartford Police arrested Grant after they found him in possession of a loaded Taurus G2S .40 caliber handgun.  He was on federal supervised release at the time of his arrest.

Grant has been detained since his arrest.   On November 24, 2020, he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

Judge Meyer sentenced Grant to 21 months of imprisonment for possessing the firearm, and an additional six months of imprisonment for violating his conditions of supervised release.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department.  The Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ELKIE CRUMP, also known as “40,” 39, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall to 51 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for fentanyl and crack cocaine distribution offenses.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in December 2019, the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and Bristol Police Department began an investigation into Crump after receiving information that Crump, who formerly resided on Davis Drive in Bristol, was distributing fentanyl.  On three occasions in January and February 2020, investigators made controlled purchases of fentanyl from Crump.

On March 3, 2020, Crump was arrested in West Hartford where he was residing as a condition of his state parole.  At the time of his arrest, Crump possessed approximately 14 grams of crack cocaine, and an additional quantity of fentanyl.  On that date, a related search of a Davis Drive residence revealed a 9mm handgun that Crump had possessed.

Crump has been detained since his arrest.  On September 10, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl, and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”). 

Crump’s criminal history includes five state convictions for drug-related offenses.

The DEA Tactical Diversion Squad includes officers from the Bristol, Hamden, Meriden, New Britain, West Haven and Watertown Police Departments.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Conor M. Reardon.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached settlement agreements with the owners and operators of two separate Connecticut medical practices to resolve allegations that the facilities did not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”).

The settlement agreements resolve ADA complaints filed by individuals with disabilities alleging that Family & Internal Medicine of Dixwell Avenue located at 2543 Dixwell Avenue in Hamden, and a medical practice located at 666 George Street in New Haven, were not fully accessible for individuals with physical disabilities.

The owners and operators of 2543 Dixwell Avenue and the owner of operator of 666 George Street are in the process of making changes required by the settlement agreements, which include improving the accessibility of the locations’ entrances and access routes, adding accessible features to examination rooms and restrooms, and reducing barriers for patients to access check-in and check-out areas.

Under federal law, professional offices of health care providers and their landlords are considered “public accommodations” and are prohibited from discriminating based on disability.  The ADA authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate complaints and undertake periodic reviews of compliance of covered entities.  The Justice Department is also authorized to commence a civil lawsuit in federal court in any case that involves a pattern or practice of discrimination or that raises issues of general public importance, and to seek injunctive relief, monetary damages, and civil penalties.

Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle noted that the owners of 2543 Dixwell Avenue and the owner of 666 George Street have worked cooperatively and collaboratively with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to expeditiously address the ADA issues without litigation and to make comprehensive changes to each facility to improve accessibility.

These matters were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ndidi N. Moses of the District of Connecticut.

Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities or does not permit service animals may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-821-3700.

Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov, or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383 (TTY).  More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DANIEL SCOTT, 32, of Norwich, pleaded guilty today to one count of making interstate threats.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 2, 2020, law enforcement received information from a woman in the Bronx, New York, that Scott had made threatening calls and sent threatening texts to her after she had communicated to Scott that she was not interested in having a romantic relationship with him.  Texts and voicemails reviewed by investigators contained specific threats to harm the victim.  One text included a promise by Scott that, on March 2, he would travel to the gym where she was employed and “…shoot tha whole gym up an end all of us….”

On the afternoon of March 2, Scott appeared at the victim’s workplace in the Bronx.  The victim called 9-1-1 and Scott was arrested by the New York Police Department on domestic violence charges.  He has been detained since his arrest.

Scott has two prior federal convictions for narcotics distribution offenses and he was on federal supervised release when he threatened the victim.

At sentencing, Scott faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, and additional penalties if he is found to have violated the conditions of his supervised release.

This investigation has been conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with the assistance of the New York Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GARY W. BORNMAN, 59, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny to 78 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for committing two bank robberies while on federal supervised release. 

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 29, 2019, Bornman drove a female accomplice to the Citizens Bank located at 430 Foxon Boulevard in East Haven.  While Bornman waited outside, his accomplice entered the bank wearing a disguise and a red wig, approached a teller and demanded money.  The teller handed over approximately $1,003.

On January 27, 2020, Bornman drove a male accomplice to the People’s United Bank located at 20 Main Street in Windsor Locks.  While Bornman waited outside, his accomplice entered the bank, approached a teller and showed a note demanding money.  The teller handed over approximately $1,056.  Bornman’s car was captured on surveillance video from a nearby business.

In June 2001, Bornman was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 235 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for bank robbery and firearm possession offenses.  He was released from prison in October 2018 and was on supervised release when he committed the East Haven and Windsor Locks bank robberies.

Bornman has been detained since February 12, 2020.  On July 31, he pleaded guilty to two counts of bank robbery.

Judge Chatigny sentenced Bornman to 60 months of imprisonment for the bank robbery offenses, and a consecutive 18 months of imprisonment for violating his conditions of supervised release.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service, East Haven Police Department and Windsor Locks Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anastasia E. King.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached a settlement agreement with Danbury Hospital, which owns and operates Morganti Wound Care Center (“MWCC”), to resolve allegations that MWCC was not operating in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”).

The settlement agreement resolves an ADA complaint filed by a patient who uses a wheelchair, who alleged that he was denied full and equal access to the services provided by MWCC based on his disability, when he attempted to receive medical treatment.  Specifically, he alleged that he was told he must reschedule his appointment because MWCC did not have the equipment or training necessary to transfer him from his wheelchair to the examination table.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Danbury Hospital will adopt a nondiscrimination policy that outlines its obligations pursuant to Title III of the ADA.  MWCC will also ensure that individuals with mobility disabilities are afforded equal access to its facilities and services, by training all staff who interact with patients on the requirements of Title III of the ADA as they apply to healthcare facilities and on techniques for safely assisting individuals with mobility disabilities to transfer to examination tables.

Danbury Hospital is also taking steps to ensure that each of its outpatient facilities has and will maintain access to a Hoyer lift, and has implemented other practices to transfer a patient onto examination tables, or other equipment, safely.  Danbury Hospital has also agreed to compensate the complainant in the amount of $10,000.

Under federal law, private entities that own or operate places of “public accommodation,” including professional offices of healthcare providers, hospitals, and other service establishments are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of disability.  The ADA authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate complaints and undertake periodic reviews of compliance of covered entities.  The Justice Department is also authorized to commence a civil lawsuit in federal court in any case that involves a pattern or practice of discrimination or that raises issues of general public importance, and to seek injunctive relief, monetary damages, and civil penalties.

Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle noted that Danbury Hospital was cooperative with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and is committed to addressing the issues raised by the ADA investigation without litigation.

Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-821-3700.

Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov, or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383 (TTY).  More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned a four-count indictment charging DARRYL SMALL, 33, of Hamden, with fentanyl distribution offenses.

The indictment was returned on March 2.  Small has been detained since February 24 when he was arrested on a criminal complaint.

As alleged in court documents, the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force began investigating Small after receiving information that he was distributing heroin and fentanyl in and around New Haven.  In late 2020 and early 2021, investigators conducted multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl from Small.

The indictment charges Small with three counts of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count.

The indictment also charges Small with one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, an offense that typically carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.  The indictment alleges that Small is eligible for an enhanced penalty on this charge because of a prior conviction for a serious violent felony, increasing the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment to 10 years and the maximum term of imprisonment of life.

Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The FBI Safe Streets Task Force includes officers from the New Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, Hamden Police Department, East Haven Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Conor M. Reardon.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Veteran Affairs, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Field Office, today announced that PHILLIANN BARNETT, 42, a Jamaican citizen residing in New Britain, was arrested on March 2 on a criminal complaint charging her with bank fraud stemming from her alleged theft of money from a disabled client for whom she worked as a home health aide.

As alleged in the criminal complaint, in 2003, Barnett sustained a federal conviction, in the Eastern District of New York, for defrauding an individual who suffered from cerebral palsy.  In that case, she opened credit cards in the victim’s name and used the cards for her personal expenses.  She was subsequently convicted in Connecticut superior court of larceny and identity theft offenses for defrauding an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.  On approximately August 31, 2020, after serving approximately five years of incarceration, Barnett was released from state custody.  Shortly after her release from prison, and while she was on probation, Barnett, using the alias “Philliann Burke,” applied to be a home health aide for a company that serviced disabled veterans receiving benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Barnett, who did not disclose her criminal history to the company, began working for the company on September 11, 2020.

It is further alleged that, in November 2020, while caring for a disabled veteran, Barnett forged the veteran’s signature on a check and deposited the check into her account.  In February 2021, law enforcement investigating Barnett learned of a separate complaint from a resident of an assisted living facility in the Waterbury area where Barnett purportedly worked.  The complainant alleged that Barnett stole money from the complainant’s checking account and deposited it into her own account using the “Cash App” cell phone application.

After her arrest, Barnett was released on a $75,000 bond into home incarceration.  She is subject to GPS monitoring and was ordered to surrender her passport.  She was also ordered to comply with her state probation conditions, which include a prohibition from working as a home health aide.

Bank fraud carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years.

Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret M. Donovan.

It is alleged that Barnett has a history of using other aliases, including “Phillianne Barnett,” “Susie Barnett,” “Nikki Daley,” and “Susie Susie.”  Individuals who believe they have been victimized by Barnett are encouraged to contact Special Agent Abraham Raymond with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General, at 781-687-3417.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JONATHAN TORRES, also known as “U-Haul” and “Fats,” 30, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson to 88 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for fentanyl distribution and gun possession offenses, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in March 2017, Torres was released from federal prison after serving a 70-month sentence for distributing heroin in Hartford.  While Torres was on federal supervised release, he was arrested by West Hartford Police on September 13, 2017, for being in possession of a stolen motor vehicle; was arrested by Hartford Police on July 1, 2019, for possessing crack cocaine after he arrived at Hartford Hospital with a gunshot wound to his foot; and distributed fentanyl on six occasions to an individual working with law enforcement in December 2019 and January 2020.

On February 7, 2020, Torres was arrested by Hartford Police after he was found in a possession of a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, drugs and drug paraphernalia.

On February 21, 2020, as part of his federal supervised release violation proceedings, Torres was ordered into home detention and placed on location monitoring.

In March 2020, Torres conducted a fentanyl sale, and, in April 2020, he attempted to conduct another fentanyl sale.

Torres has been detained since his federal arrest on April 16, 2020.  On November 10, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Judge Thompson sentenced Torres to 70 months of imprisonment for the fentanyl distribution and gun possession offenses, and a consecutive 18 months of imprisonment for violating his supervised release conditions.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department.  The task force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.

This prosecution has been brought through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JUSTIN WILLIAMS, 42, of Rocky Hill, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny to 21 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in an auto loan fraud scheme.  Judge Chatigny ordered Williams to serve the first three months of his supervised release in home confinement, and to perform 200 hours of community service.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Williams worked as a salesman and de facto general manager at a used car dealership located at 1075 Newfield Street in Middletown, known variously as Car Nation, LLC, Car Nation CT, LLC, and Middletown Motorcars, which was owned and operated by George Hajati.  In connection with automobile loan applications for multiple borrowers, Williams, Hajati and others submitted documents and statements to victim lenders that falsely represented the borrower’s employment, salary, sources of income, and amount of a down payment.  The false documents included fictitious or altered borrower pay stubs and income verification letters purportedly from the Social Security Administration.  Williams submitted loan applications indicating that borrowers made salaries they did not make, worked at jobs they did not work, received income from the Social Security Administration they did not receive, and made down payments they did not make.  In some instances, the borrower was not aware of, and did not authorize, Williams’ use of his or her personal identifying information to obtain automobile loans in these ways.

Between approximately November 2015 and June 2016, Williams defrauded lenders of $264,345.54 through this scheme.  He was ordered to pay $251,267.08 in restitution.

Williams was previously convicted of federal fraud charges related to a Hartford-area scheme to defraud mortgage lenders, and he was on federal supervised release as the time of his participation in this auto loan fraud scheme.

Williams was arrested on a criminal complaint on January 16, 2020.  On November 19, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.  

Williams, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on July 5, 2021.

Hajati pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud stemming from this scheme.  He also was previously convicted of federal fraud charges related to the Hartford-area mortgage fraud scheme and was serving a term of supervised release.  In June 2020, he was sentenced to 27 months of imprisonment and ordered to pay $654,952.56 in restitution for his role in the auto loan fraud scheme, and was sentenced to an additional 21 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Conor M. Reardon and David T. Huang.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JENNIFER FARRELL, 38, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today to a narcotics distribution offense related to her illegally writing numerous prescriptions for oxycodone while she was a doctor in New Haven.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Farrell was a medical resident at Yale New Haven Health (“YNHH”) in its Emergency Department from July 2017 until June 2019.  From March 2018 to March 2019, Farrell wrote more than 50 prescriptions for oxycodone for non-legitimate medical purposes outside the scope of her professional practice in the name of at least five individuals.  Farrell did not see any of the other individuals for any medical purpose at any YNHH facility during the entire period of her residency.  In total, she wrote illegal prescriptions for nearly 4,000 oxycodone tablets during that approximately one-year period.

Farrell pleaded guilty to distribution of controlled substances outside the scope of her professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.

Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for May 26, 2021, at which time Farrell faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

Farrell was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on July 31, 2019.  She is released on a $200,000 bond pending sentencing.

This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration, Diversion Control Group.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Cherry.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that GRAEBER’S PHARMACY, INC., of Meriden, and its owner, ROGER DeZINNO (collectively, “Graeber’s Pharmacy”), entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal government to resolve allegations that it violated civil provisions of the Controlled Substances Act.

In 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted an audit of Graeber’s Pharmacy, located at 172 West Main Street in Meriden, and discovered a shortage of more than 2,000 tablets of various controlled substances.  It is alleged that the pharmacy failed to keep complete and accurate records regarding the receipt and dispensing of controlled substances, and failed to maintain effective controls to guard against the diversion of controlled substances.  It is further alleged that Graeber’s Pharmacy failed to timely report a theft or loss of controlled substances to the DEA within one business day of discovery, failed to maintain a complete and accurate biennial inventory, failed to properly complete DEA 222 Order Forms, dispensed seven prescriptions for controlled substances under a different physician name and/or DEA registration number than written on the prescription, and dispensed one prescription for a controlled substance without the prescribing physician’s DEA registration number.

As part of a civil settlement agreement with the government, Graeber’s Pharmacy has agreed to pay penalties of $16,800, plus interest.  Graeber’s Pharmacy has also entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the DEA that requires the pharmacy to hire an independent third-party pharmacy consultant.

Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) to combat the illegal distribution and abuse of controlled substances, including prescription medications.  Under the CSA, entities registered with the DEA who purchase, distribute, dispense, transfer or sell controlled substances must comply with strict inventory and documentation requirements. Regulations promulgated under the CSA require that each DEA registrant, including pharmacies, maintain complete and accurate records of each substance manufactured, received, sold, delivered, dispensed or otherwise disposed of by the registrant for two years.  These requirements play a vital role in ensuring the appropriate handling, accounting and distribution of controlled substances.

This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Office of Diversion Control and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Gruber.

Acting United States Attorney Leonard C Boyle, Waterbury State’s Attorney Maureen Platt, Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo today announced that 17 individuals have been charged with federal offenses related to the distribution of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in and around Waterbury.

According to statements made in court, for approximately 10 months, the DEA New Haven Task Force and Waterbury Police Department have been investigating a drug trafficking organization that has been distributing large amounts of heroin, cocaine and crack in the Waterbury area.  The investigation has included court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones used by alleged members of the organization, physical surveillance, controlled purchases of narcotics, and motor vehicle stops that resulted in the seizure of drugs.

On March 1, 2021, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging the following individuals with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, heroin, cocaine and cocaine base (“crack”): 

ZACHARY LEE FOSTER, a.k.a. “Lee,” 54, Waterbury
JASON METZ, a.k.a. “Jay,” 51, Naugatuck
JAMES GRANT, a.k.a. “Bobo,” “Bo,” and “Jimbo,” 56, Waterbury
DEREK METZ, 31, Waterbury
JESUS NIEVES, a.k.a. “Pop,” 37, Waterbury
ALGENYS PAULINO, a.k.a. “Chico” and “Lying Queen,” 32, Bronx, New York
EDDIE SMALLS, a.k.a. “Pooch,” 47, Waterbury
SHERMAN PETERS, a.k.a. “Red,” 36, Waterbury
LATASHA SLAUGHTER, a.k.a. “Tasha,” 42, Waterbury
LAWRENCE JACKSON, 24, Waterbury
ADAM MINES, a.k.a. “White Boy,” 37, Waterbury
HECTOR DIAZ, 23, Waterbury
LECHARD SANTOS, 31, Waterbury
KEON COUNCIL, 43, Waterbury
RONDELL MAURICE WRIGHT, a.k.a. “Reese,” 52, Waterbury
ISAAC WILSON, a.k.a. “Ike,” 24, Waterbury
CHASCITY PEREZ, 25, Waterbury

Fifteen defendants were arrested today.  Grant has been in state custody since January 21 and Peters is still being sought.

In association with today’s arrests, law enforcement executed seven search warrants and seized approximately 40,000 bags of suspected heroin, 350 grams of cocaine and 50 grams of crack cocaine.  Investigators also seized nine firearms, including an AK-47-style rifle.

If convicted of the charge in the indictment, based on the type and quantities of narcotics attributable to each defendant, Foster, Jason Metz, Grant, Derek Metz, Nieves, Paulino and Smalls face a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life; Peters, Slaughter and Jackson face a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years; and Mines, Diaz, Santos, Council, Wright, Wilson and Perez face a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

“More Connecticut residents lost their lives to overdoses in 2020 than in any year previously and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to using the full force of federal law to investigate and prosecute those responsible for trafficking these deadly drugs,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle.  “I commend the DEA Task Force members and Waterbury Police for their excellent work during this investigation, and their success in apprehending every charged defendant and seizing a large quantity of narcotics.  I also thank the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s office for its continued partnership in these efforts.  All involved have made the community safer and saved lives.”

“This joint investigation is an example of how things are supposed to be done, and the results speak for themselves,” said Waterbury State’s Attorney Platt.  “The Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office will continue to work closely with federal prosecutors on this case, and others.” 

“Illegal drug distribution ravages the very foundations of our families and communities here in Waterbury,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Boyle.  “Let these arrests and seizures serve as an example to those who distribute poisons like heroin, crack-cocaine and cocaine, that DEA will aggressively pursue and hold you accountable.  This investigation demonstrates the strength and continued commitment of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners here in Connecticut and our solid relationship with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

“We are very appreciative for the support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and for our partnership with the DEA to attack drug trafficking in our community,” said Chief Spagnolo.  “This is the second long-term wiretap investigation the Waterbury Police Department has participated in over the last three years, and we expect to continue to work with federal authorities on these kinds of cases going forward.”

Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department.  The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut State Police and the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, East Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, Derby, Middletown, Naugatuck and Waterbury Police Departments.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick F. Caruso and Brendan Keefe through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Michael C. Mikulka, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, and Galen Blanton, Regional Administrator of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Criminal Investigations Team, Region 1, announced that LUIS F. ESTRADA, 47, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to making false statements and submitting false documents to OSHA while the agency conducted an investigation into a job site he controlled.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Estrada is the owner of L.L.E. Construction, LLC.  In February 2018, Estrada and L.L.E. Construction entered into a written contract to perform roof repairs and other construction services at a property located on Main Street in Bridgeport.  In February and March 2018, Estrada was provided with three checks totaling $11,000 for performing the work.  On March 1, 2018, a compliance officer with OSHA visited the property and observed what he believed to be various safety infractions by construction workers who were making the roof repairs.  The officer then initiated an on-site inspection into the suspected infractions.  Estrada was not present at the Main Street property at the time, but spoke to the compliance officer by mobile phone.

On May 22, 2018, OSHA compliance officers served Estrada with a subpoena that demanded documents and records related to L.L.E. Construction’s work at the Main Street property in February and March 2018.  On July 30, 2018, Estrada hand-delivered a written response stating that he “did not do any work for the ‘LLE Roofing Project,’” that “[t]here is no payroll because [he] did not work on the ‘LLE Roofing Project,’” and that he “do[es] not have any contract or any documents regarding the ‘LLE Roofing Project.’”

In pleading guilty to one count of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Labor, Estrada admitted that he lied in his written statements on July 30, 2018, and that he later lied in a deposition convened as part of the OSHA investigation into the suspected safety violations at the site.

At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Estrada faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.  Estrada is released on a $75,000 bond pending sentencing.

This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, and the OSHA Criminal Investigations Team, Region 1.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret M. Donovan.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced DONNA MONTICONE, 49, of Oxford, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall to one count of tampering with a consumer product.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Monticone was a nurse employed by the Yale Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility clinic (“Yale REI clinic”) in Orange.  As part of her responsibilities at the Yale REI, Monticone ordered and inventoried a variety of narcotics used by the clinic, including fentanyl, which is a component of a cohort of drugs used by Yale physicians during outpatient surgical procedures to anesthetize patients and protect them from feeling pain.

In June 2020, Monticone began stealing fentanyl for her own use.  She accessed secure storage areas and took vials of fentanyl, used a syringe to withdraw the narcotics from the vials, and reinjected saline into vials so that it would appear as if none of the narcotics were missing.  The investigation revealed that approximately 75 percent of the fentanyl given to patients at the Yale REI clinic from June to October 2020 was adulterated with saline.  Some of the vials contained diluted fentanyl, while others contained no drug at all and contained just saline. 

In pleading guilty, Monticone admitted that knew that the adulterated vials of fentanyl she replaced at the Yale REI clinic would be used in surgical procedures, and that the absence of an anesthetic during an outpatient procedure may cause serious bodily injury to the patient.  Monticone further admitted that she initially injected herself with the fentanyl while working at the Yale REI clinic and eventually began taking the vials home.  She would refill the vials with sterile saline at home, bring them back to the clinic, and reintroduce them into the stock of fentanyl available for use during surgical procedures.  On approximately November 1, 2020, Monticone brought approximately 175 vials of fentanyl that she had taken from the Yale REI clinic and discarded them in waste containers at the clinic.

Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for May 25, 2021, at which time Monticone faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

Monticone is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.  She has surrendered her nursing license.

This matter is being investigated by the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad; and the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Drug Control Division.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that YACOV OCASIO, also known as “C-Low,” 24, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 66 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl while on federal supervised release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in December 2019, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and Hartford Police Department learned that Ocasio was selling fentanyl in Hartford.  Since May 2019, Ocasio has been on federal supervised release following a conviction for possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin/fentanyl.  In that case, Ocasio distributed heroin/fentanyl that caused the overdose death of a 28-year-old Middletown man in August 2016.  In August 28, 2017, Ocasio was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 30 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for that offense.

Between December 2019 and March 2020, investigators conducted seven controlled purchases of fentanyl from Ocasio.

On April 15, 2020, Ocasio was arrested at a hotel in Hartford where he was staying.  Occasion possessed 160 bags of fentanyl at the time of his arrest.

Ocasio has been detained since his arrest.  On November 5, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl.

The FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. 

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that YAMIL DIAZ, 48, formerly of Alabama, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for failing to register as a sex offender. 

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”), which was passed by Congress in 2006 as part of the Adam Walsh Act, provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States and seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs.  In part, SORNA requires registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in May 2019, Diaz was convicted in Alabama of attempted sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years of age.  He received a sentence of 120 months of incarceration, suspended after seven months, and two years of supervised probation.  In July 2019, Diaz registered as a sex offender with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Sex Offender Registration Unit.  Diaz acknowledged in writing that he was required to register as a sex offender in each jurisdiction where he resided.

In August 2019, Diaz traveled from Alabama to Connecticut and, from at least November 2019 to February 24, 2020, he resided and worked as a mechanic in Waterbury.  Diaz failed to register as a sex offender with the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry, as required under SORNA.

In September 2019, a court in Coffee County issued an arrest warrant for Diaz for violating his probation.  On February 24, 2020, the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force located Diaz in Waterbury and arrested him on the outstanding Alabama warrant.  He has been detained since his arrest.

On September 4, 2020, Diaz pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender.

This matter was investigated by the United States Marshal Service.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen. 

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSHUA BESAW, 37, of Thompson, Connecticut, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 240 months of imprisonment, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 31, 2019, Besaw encountered a 12-year-old girl (“minor victim”) at a park in Webster, Massachusetts, and tricked the minor victim into entering his vehicle.  Besaw, who identified himself as “Chuck,” then drove the minor victim to a wooded area in Thompson, Connecticut, where he sexually assaulted her.  After the assault, Besaw drove the minor victim back to Massachusetts, where he released her in a neighborhood that was unfamiliar to her and refused to return her cellphone.  The minor victim then borrowed a phone from a stranger to contact her parents who picked her up and brought her to the police station to report the incident.  Later that day, a sexual assault examination of the victim was conducted at a medical facility.

Besaw was identified as a suspect after an extensive investigation led by Webster Police with support from the Connecticut State Police, which included analysis of surveillance video collected from numerous residences and businesses in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

On July 10, 2019, investigators conducting surveillance of Besaw collected cigarette butts that Besaw had discarded.  The DNA evidence collected from the discarded cigarette butts matched DNA evidence collected from the minor victim on May 31, 2019.

Besaw was arrested on July 17, 2019.  He pleaded guilty on March 13, 2020.

Besaw has been detained since his arrest.

This matter was investigated by the Webster Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford.

Acting U.S. Boyle thanked the Windham State’s Attorney’s Office for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

After serving as the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut for more than three years, and as a federal prosecutor in Connecticut for more than 38 years, John H. Durham today announced his resignation from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, effective at midnight on February 28.

“My career has been as fulfilling as I could ever have imagined when I graduated from law school way back in 1975,” said U.S. Attorney Durham.  “Much of that fulfillment has come from all the people with whom I’ve been blessed to share this workplace, and in our partner law enforcement agencies.  My love and respect for this Office and the vitally important work done here have never diminished.  It has been a tremendous honor to serve as U.S. Attorney, and as a career prosecutor before that, and I will sorely miss it.”

Prior to his appointment as an interim U.S. Attorney in November 2017 and subsequently as the presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney in February 2018, Mr. Durham served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in various positions in the District of Connecticut for 35 years, prosecuting complex organized crime, violent crime, public corruption and financial fraud matters.  From 1978 to 1982, he served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, and from 1977 to 1978, he served as a Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonard C Boyle will serve as Acting U.S. Attorney upon Mr. Durham’s departure.

“The Office will be in the extraordinarily capable hands of Len and our superb supervisory team who, together, guarantee that the proper administration of justice will continue uninterrupted in our District.”

Mr. Boyle has served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney since June 2018, when he returned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office after serving as Deputy Chief State’s Attorney in Connecticut for approximately nine years.  He previously served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office from 1986 to 1998, and from 1999 to 2004.

Mr. Boyle is the 53rd U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, an office that was established in 1789. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is charged with enforcing federal criminal laws in Connecticut and representing the federal government in civil litigation.  The Office is composed of approximately 68 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and approximately 54 staff members at offices in New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOEL JAQUEZ, 36, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 192 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in the murder of a Connecticut man in 2014.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 30, 2014, Jesus Silva, 24, of Meriden, was murdered by a gunshot to the head as he sat in his car on Yeaton Street in New Britain.  The investigation revealed that Hector Cardona-Diaz, of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, was a large-scale narcotics trafficker who regularly supplied Silva and others in the Hartford and Springfield area with distribution quantities of cocaine that he concealed in ceramic moldings and shipped in packages using the U.S. Mail.  Silva and others then mailed cash proceeds of the sale of cocaine to Cardona-Diaz in Puerto Rico.  In November 2014, investigators seized two packages containing a total of approximately $40,000 in drug proceeds that had been mailed to Cardona-Diaz.

After Cardona-Diaz learned that Silva had taken a large amount of cash generated from the drug trafficking enterprise, Cardona hired Jesus Sierra, of Springfield, to murder Silva with a promise to pay him $5,000 and supply him with future shipments of cocaine.  Sierra then received a firearm from Jaquez and promised to pay Jaquez a portion of the money Sierra was going to be paid by Cardona-Diaz.

On December 30, 2014, Sierra arranged to meet Silva in Meriden, purportedly to purchase a car from him.  Sierra and Jaquez then traveled to Connecticut to meet Silva.  Sierra and Silva then drove together to New Britain under the ruse that Sierra needed a mechanic in New Britain to examine the car.  Jaquez followed Sierra and Silva in a separate car.  In New Britain, Sierra shot and killed and Silva.

Jaquez has been detained since his arrest in May 2015.  On January 10, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of murder for hire by interstate travel resulting in death. 

Sierra pleaded guilty to the same charge on January 6, 2017.

On September 26, 2017, a jury found Cardona-Diaz guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit murder for hire resulting in death, one count of murder for hire by interstate travel resulting in death, and one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

Sierra and Cardona-Diaz are detained and awaiting sentencing.

This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the New Britain Police Department.  The DEA Task Force includes personnel from the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Dave Vatti and Geoffrey M. Stone.

U.S. Attorney Durham thanked the New Britain State’s Attorney’s Office for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RONALD DANIEL, 51, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley to one count of production of child pornography stemming from his sexual assault of a young girl.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on at least two occasions in 2018, Daniel sexually abused a prepubescent female and took cellphone photos of his sexual abuse.  He also distributed some of these images, as well as other images and videos of child pornography, through the Kik mobile application.  Daniel’s Kik username was “letsgogetluv.”

Daniel has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on June 10, 2019.

Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for May 24, 2021, at which time Daniel faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years.

This matter has been investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Connecticut State Police and the Vernon Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached a settlement agreement with the Brookside Bar and Grill in Haddam to resolve allegations that the restaurant was not operating in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”).

The settlement agreement resolves an ADA complaint filed by an individual with disabilities who relies on a service animal and who was a patron of the restaurant.  The complainant alleged that the restaurant asked her to show identification for the services animal and, on one occasion, asked her to leave the restaurant because of her service animal. 

Under federal law, private entities that own or operate places of “public accommodation,” including restaurants, are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of disability.  The ADA requires that a public accommodation, such as a restaurant, modify its policies, practices, or procedures to permit the use of a service animal by an individual with a disability.

Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.  The ADA requires restaurants and other places of public accommodation to permit individuals with disabilities to be accompanied by their service animals in all areas of the place of public accommodation where members of the public, customers, patrons or invitees are allowed to go.

The settlement agreement requires the Brookside Bar and Grill to permit service animals in all areas of the restaurant that members of the public and other patrons are permitted.  Additionally, the restaurant will post signage indicating “Service Animals Welcome,” will implement a “Service Animal Policy,” and will train its managers and employees regarding the policy. 

The ADA authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate complaints of disability discrimination and to undertake periodic reviews of compliance of covered entities.  The Justice Department is also authorized to commence a civil lawsuit in federal court in any case that involves a pattern or practice of discrimination or that raises issues of general public importance, and to seek injunctive relief, monetary damages, and civil penalties.

U.S. Attorney Durham noted that the owners and operators of the Brookside Bar and Grill have worked cooperatively with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to address the matters raised in the complaint without the need for litigation.

This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ndidi N. Moses of the District of Connecticut.

Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities or does not permit service animals may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-821-3700.

Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov, or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383 (TTY).  More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ELIAS GUZMAN, also known as “Bebo” and “Fat Boy,” 29, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl and crack cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an FBI Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and Hartford Police Department investigation into drug trafficking and related criminal acts committed by members and associates of the Los Solidos and Latin Kings street gangs in Hartford’s South End.  Between November 2019 and March 2020, investigators made six controlled purchases of crack cocaine and/or fentanyl from Guzman, a member of the Latin Kings.  Most of the drug sales occurred at Guzman’s residence on Benton Street.

Guzman has been detained since his arrest on April 8, 2020.  On October 14, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl and cocaine base (“crack”).

Guzman’s criminal history includes four state convictions, the most recent of which was in 2016 and involved his possession of eight firearms, ammunition, gun paraphernalia, and assorted drugs, including crack and heroin/fentanyl.  He was on special parole at the time of his federal arrest in April 2020.

The FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.

Two California residents were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford for defrauding Affordable Care Act programs in at least 12 states of more than $27 million.  JEFFREY WHITE, 63, was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release, and NICHOLAS WHITE, 35, was sentenced to 13 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release.  Both defendants reside in Twin Peaks, California.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencings occurred via videoconference.

U.S. Attorney John H. Durham of the District of Connecticut, Special Agent in Charge Phillip Coyne of the Boston Regional Office of the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, Special Agent in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI’s New Haven Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, and Inspector in Charge Joseph W. Cronin of the Boston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service made the announcement.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Jeffrey White and his son, Nicholas White, conspired to defraud health care plans operating under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA,” commonly referred to as “Obamacare”) in Connecticut and other states by fraudulently enrolling individuals in ACA plans in states where the individuals did not live.  In order to further the conspiracy, the Whites created phony residential leases using fictitious landlords in various states, including locations in Danbury, Farmington, Hartford and Norwalk, Connecticut.  The Whites also used an online application to obtain false cell phone numbers for the individuals with area codes that made it appear that the individuals lived at the fictitious addresses, and provided the false cell phone numbers to the ACA plans.  If anyone at the ACA plan called the false local number, the call would ring through to a phone controlled by the Whites.

In order to enroll the individuals in an ACA plan, the Whites paid the insurance premiums for the individuals, and also paid to have the individuals transported to California where the individuals were placed in expensive residential substance abuse treatment programs.  The treatment programs then billed the ACA plans for thousands of dollars of treatment each week, including claims for expensive laboratory tests such as blood or urine toxicology screenings.

The treatment programs paid the Whites thousands of dollars in kickbacks for each referral, and some programs arranged for the Whites to receive a percentage of the money the treatment programs received from the ACA health insurance plans.  In order to maximize their proceeds from the fraud scheme, the Whites enrolled the individuals in ACA plans in states that paid the highest amount for substance abuse treatment, even though the individuals did not live in those states.

The Whites have admitted that their scheme resulted in more than $27 million in losses to ACA plans across the country, including plans in Connecticut, Arizona, California, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.

Although the Whites personally profited approximately $1 million through this scheme, they were ordered to pay restitution in the approximate amount of $27,617,000.

October 12, 2018, Jeffrey White and Nicolas White each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. 

Jeffrey and Nicholas White, who are released on bond, are required to report to prison on August 24 and May 5, respectively.

U.S. Attorney Durham noted that this case is believed to be the first of its kind involving fraudulent enrollment of individuals in ACA plans on a national scale.

This investigation has been conducted by the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health Human Services, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

U.S. Attorney Durham thanked the Connecticut Affordable Care Act exchange, known as Access Health CT, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for their assistance with the investigation.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon with the assistance of Auditor Susan N. Spiegel.

As part of an ongoing investigation into gang-related drug trafficking and related violence in Bridgeport, a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned a superseding indictment charging eight Bridgeport gang members with conspiring to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, including drug trafficking and multiple attempted murders.

Today’s announcement was made by John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Joseph T. Corradino, State’s Attorney for the Fairfield Judicial District; Bridgeport Acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia; David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England.

The eight-count superseding indictment, which was returned on February 16 and unsealed today, charges

MARQUIS ISREAL, a.k.a. “Garf,” 24
ASANTE GAINES, a.k.a. “Santi,” 24
DESTINE CALDERON, 26
DIOMIE BLACKWELL, a.k.a. “Yamo,” 24
LAHEEM JONES, a.k.a. “Heemie,” 25
TYIESE WARREN, a.k.a. “Loose Screw,” 20
JACQUON BENEJAN, a.k.a. “Blick,” 19
UNDREA KIRKLAND, a.k.a. “Spooda,” 24

Benejan was arrested on February 19.  He appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah A.L. Merriam via videoconference and was ordered detained.  The other defendants were previously charged with federal offenses and are detained pending trial.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address escalating violence in Bridgeport, the FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals, and Bridgeport Police are actively investigating multiple Bridgeport-based groups whose members are involved in narcotics trafficking, murder and other acts of violence.  Gaines, Calderon, Blackwell, Jones, Benejan and Kirkland are members of the “Greene Homes Boyz,” (“GHB/Hotz”), based in the Charles F. Greene Homes Housing Complex in Bridgeport’s North End.  Isreal and Warren are members of the “Original North End” (“O.N.E.”), a Bridgeport gang whose members have been allies with GHB/Hotz members since approximately 2017.  GHB/Hotz and O.N.E. have been aligned against rival groups in Bridgeport, including the East End, East Side and PT Barnum gangs, as well as 150, which is a is a geographic gang based on the West Side of Bridgeport

The indictment alleges that GHB/Hotz members and associates distributed heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana and Percocet pills; committed numerous acts of violence against rival gang members and other individuals, and celebrated their criminal conduct on social media websites such as Facebook and YouTube.  GHB/Hotz members and associates also committed acts of intimidation and made threats to deter potential witnesses to their crimes and to protect gang members and associates from detection and prosecution by law enforcement authorities.

Among the violent acts committed by the defendants, the indictment alleges that:

• On May 22, 2015, Kirkland shot and attempted to kill “KJ,” a member or associate of the 150 gang;
• On February 7, 2018, Benejan and Blackwell shot and attempted to kill “MJ,” a member or associate of the 150 gang;
• On February 27, 2018, Kirkland shot and attempted to kill “TH,” a member or associate of the East End gang;
• On October 4, 2018, Kirkland and Benejan shot and attempted to kill “MS,” a member or associate of the East End gang;
• January 27, 2020, Gaines, Calderon, Blackwell, Jones, Isreal and Warren shot and attempted to kill members and associates of the East End gang.
   

As to the January 27, 2020, shooting, at 12:11 p.m. on that date, Bridgeport Police responded to the area of 172 Golden Hill Street in Bridgeport after a Shot Spotter activation detected approximately 20 shots being fired in front of the state courthouse located there.  Upon arrival, investigators discovered that four victims had been shot while sitting inside a black Chevrolet Impala.  The victims’ vehicle had approximately 23 entry bullet holes in the driver’s side and windshield area.

The indictment charges Gaines, Calderon, Blackwell, Jones, Benejan and Kirkland with one count of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

In addition, Gaines, Calderon, Blackwell, Jones, Isreal and Warren are charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, attempted murder/aiding and abetting in assault with a dangerous weapon, and attempted murder, all in violation of the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (“VCAR”) statute.  The assault offense carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and the attempted offenses carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.  The six defendants are also charged with conspiracy to commit murder/conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon.  The conspiracy to commit murder offense carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and the conspiracy to commit assault offense carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years.

The indictment also charges Isreal with one count of using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least 10 years.  He is also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine base (“crack”) and fentanyl, and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.  Each of the drug offenses carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

Finally, the indictment charges Benejan with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least five years.

U.S. Attorney Durham noted that, in the past year, 22 members of the GHB/Hotz, O.N.E. and East End gangs have been charged with federal offenses as a result of this ongoing investigation.

U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Forces, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Bridgeport Police Department, Connecticut State Police and the Bridgeport State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory and the Waterbury Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rahul Kale, Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis, Peter D. Markle and Karen L. Peck.

This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.

PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities.  Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JON VICTOR BENSON, 62, of New Milford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny to five years of probation and a $5,000 fine for violating federal firearms laws.  Benson owned and operated The Freedom Shoppe, a former federally-licensed firearms manufacturer and dealer located in New Milford.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, The National Firearms Act (“NFA”) provides that it is unlawful for any person or entity to possess any NFA-regulated firearm that is not registered to that person or entity.  In December 2017, ATF Industry Operations Investigators (IOIs) began a firearms compliance inspection of The Freedom Shoppe in New Milford.  At the time, Benson held a firearm manufacturers and dealer’s license and was the “responsible person” with respect to the business.  ATF IOIs determined that Benson and The Freedom Shoppe had manufactured, possessed and transferred several NFA-regulated firearms that were not registered to it in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR) maintained by ATF.  Benson admitted to investigators that he had not kept a record of manufacture for any firearms that had been converted from a pistol or from a frame/receiver, as required for all licensed manufacturers.

The ATF’s inspection confirmed that Benson did not maintain proper Acquisition and Disposition (A&D) records for the firearms he manufactured, and that he did not properly complete Firearms Transaction Records (Form 4473s) for firearms sold to customers. The ATF IOIs reviewed more than 750 Form 4473s and discovered that more than a third of the forms had blank or incomplete information.

On October 27, 2020, Benson pleaded guilty to one count of failure to maintain firearms records.  As part of his guilty plea, Benson agreed not to challenge the administrative revocation of his federal firearms licenses to manufacture firearms and to deal firearms.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that ROBERT MARLIN SELLERS, 60, of Bristol, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with child exploitation offenses related to his attempt to engage in commercial sex with a minor.

Sellers appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson via videoconference.  He has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on February 4, 2021.

As alleged in court documents, law enforcement launched an investigation in late 2020 after receiving information that Sellers was sharing videos of child sex abuse on a website that is focused on incest.  In November 2020, an undercover FBI employee began interacting with Sellers on the social media application Kik.  In the chats, Sellers made statements that he had sexually abused children, and that he had trafficked a child to engage in commercial sex acts.  He also said that he had recently traveled out of state to have sex with another 12-year-old girl.  The undercover investigator told Sellers that he had a 12-year-old daughter (“Doe”).  After Sellers introduced the idea that Doe could be trafficked for sex, and offered suggestions to the undercover investigator about how it could be accomplished, Sellers arranged to have sex with Doe in exchange for $200.

It is further alleged that, in January 2021, Sellers sent the undercover investigator videos of child sex abuse that Sellers maintained on a file sharing website.

On February 4, 2021, Sellers was arrested at a hotel in Southington shortly after he provided the undercover investigator $200, as alleged, to engage in sex with Doe.

The complaint charges Sellers with one count of attempted commercial sex trafficking of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life, and one count of distribution of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

U.S. Attorney Durham thanked the New Britain State’s Attorney’s Office for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

This matter is being investigated by the FBI New Haven Child Exploitation Task Force and the Southington Police Department.  The task force includes members from the Connecticut State Police and the Naugatuck, East Windsor, New London and Southington Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarala V. Nagala.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

“I heartily congratulate Michael Gustafson, Gordon Hall and Ndidi Moses on being nominated by Governor Lamont for judgeships on the Connecticut Superior Court.  These nominations speak to the hard work, superior legal skills and professionalism that these colleagues have displayed over their entire legal careers, and especially during their time as Assistant United States Attorneys.  While the departures of Mike, Gordy and Ndidi will create a big hole in our office’s operations, and their wisdom and guidance will be sorely missed, their elevation to the bench greatly benefits the people of Connecticut and the Rule of Law.”

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JASON FIGUEROA, also known as “Hood” and “Hoodie,” 31, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley to 87 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for crack cocaine distribution and firearm possession offenses.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and Hartford Police Department into the trafficking of narcotics and associated violence in Hartford’s South End by members and associates of the Almighty Latin Kings Nation (“Latin Kings”).  In December 2019, investigators learned that Figueroa, a member of the Latin Kings, was distributing crack cocaine, and that he possessed several firearms at his Franklin Avenue residence.  Between December 2019 and March 2020, law enforcement made six controlled purchases of crack from Figueroa.

On March 23, 2020, Figueroa was the victim of shooting on Bond Street and suffered gunshot injuries to his face.  On April 8, 2020, while Figueroa was hospitalized, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of his residence and seized eight firearms, numerous rounds of ammunition, and assorted gun paraphernalia.  The firearms included a handgun capable of discharging shotgun shells, and a “ghost” gun with a laser sight.  Four of the firearms recovered from the residence were reported stolen.

Figueroa was arrested on April 23, 2020.  While incarcerated, Figueroa was recorded on a prison call discussing retaliation for the shooting on March 23.

Figueroa’s criminal history includes two state felony firearm convictions.

Figueroa has been detained since his arrest.  On November 23, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine base (“crack”), and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.  The Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Division provided valuable assistance to the investigation.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRAYAN GONZALEZ, 26, a citizen of the Dominican Republic last residing in Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant to 46 months of imprisonment for distributing heroin and fentanyl in and around Waterbury.

According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the DEA New Haven Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department revealed that Nestor Sosa-Ortiz operated a Waterbury-based drug trafficking organization that received large quantities of heroin and fentanyl from suppliers in Connecticut and New York and distributed the narcotics throughout New Haven County.  The organization used an apartment located at 330 Bishop Street in Waterbury to store kilogram-quantities of heroin and fentanyl, and to process and package the drugs for street sale.

On May 18, 2019, Sosa-Ortiz was arrested in New York City on a separate federal heroin and fentanyl trafficking charge.  On that date, law enforcement intercepted a planned drug transaction and seized approximately two kilograms of fentanyl and two kilograms of heroin.  Sosa-Ortiz continued to control his drug network while incarcerated by using smuggled cell phones to communicate with various co-conspirators.

During the investigation in Connecticut, Gonzalez was intercepted on calls coordinating the purchase and distribution of heroin and fentanyl.  He sold the drugs to his own customers and other distributors in the greater Waterbury area.

Gonzalez and several co-defendants were arrested on October 29, 2019.  On that date, investigators executed five search warrants and seized approximately six kilograms of suspected heroin/fentanyl, approximately 100,000 bags of suspected heroin/fentanyl packaged for street distribution, approximately 1,000 fentanyl pills disguised as Percocet pills, one firearm and approximately $50,000 in cash.  A search of Gonzalez’s residence alone revealed approximately 117 grams of fentanyl, approximately 100 grams of heroin, numerous blue pills with “M/30” (oxycodone) markings, and items used to process and package narcotics, including a kilogram press.

Gonzalez has been detained since his arrest.  On June 25, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, heroin and fentanyl.

Gonzalez faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term.

Sixteen individuals were charged as a result of this investigation.  Sosa-Ortiz pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

This investigation has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department.  The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, Derby, Middletown, Naugatuck and Waterbury Police Departments.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis and Lauren Clark through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that STEVEN A. FINKLER, also known as Andrew Finkler, 56, last residing in New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill to 96 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for credit card fraud and identity theft offenses.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in August 2017, Finkler stole credit cards from two of his employer’s customers and used the cards to make more than 40 fraudulent charges in Connecticut and New York.  The charges included Finkler’s purchase of jewelry for his girlfriend, Apple products and electronic devices, and other high-end consumer and retail goods for either himself or his friends. The total loss to the victims was $20,867.73.

In September 2018, Finkler, using another individual’s identity, opened a membership at a fitness center with gym locations throughout Connecticut.  Finkler also used the same stolen identity to create accounts with mobile device payment applications.  Between September 2018 and May 2019, Finkler visited multiple gym locations and stole credit cards from lockers and other locations while the victims were located elsewhere in the gym.  Using the stolen credit cards, and the mobile device payment applications, he made approximately $144,000 in fictitious charges to bank accounts that he created and controlled.  He then returned the credit cards to the victims’ wallets before the victims returned to the locker room.  Approximately 50 individuals were victimized through this scheme.

Judge Underhill ordered Finkler to pay restitution of $145,657.06.

Finkler has been detained since his arrest on August 15, 2019.  On January 15, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of access device fraud (credit card fraud), one count of wire fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

Finkler has a criminal history that spans nearly 40 years and includes numerous convictions, including five prior federal convictions stemming from various fraud schemes.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force, and the Wallingford, Avon, North Haven, Madison, Glastonbury and Branford Police Departments.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarala Nagala and Margaret Donovan.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment today charging JHANANNIE SINGH, also known as “Jasmine” and “Sharmala Persaud,” 51, and GLEN CAMPBELL, also known as “Nick,” 39, both citizens of Guyana residing in Queens, New York, with offenses relating to the theft of numerous U.S. Savings Bonds from an elderly woman who had purchased the bonds for her grandchildren and other family members.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, Singh stole numerous U.S. Savings Bonds from an elderly woman for whom she provided home health services.  The victim had purchased the bonds for her grandchildren and other relatives.  After the victim died, Singh contacted Campbell, who enlisted the help of another individual to redeem the stolen bonds at a financial institution and provide Singh and Campbell with a portion of the proceeds.  Between October 2020 and January 2021, as part of an undercover investigation, law enforcement coordinated the purchase of more than 100 savings bonds, with face values ranging from $50 to $1,000, from Singh and Campbell.  Campbell traveled to Connecticut to complete the transactions.

Singh and Campbell were arrested on criminal complaints on January 29, 2021.  They are released on bonds in the amount of $250,000 and $100,000, respectively.

The indictment charges Singh and Campbell with one count of conspiracy, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years; three counts of exchanging, receiving, or concealing stolen U.S. Saving Bonds, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each count, and one count of transportation of stolen property, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens and Michael S. McGarry.

The Justice Department has established a National Elder Fraud Hotline to provide services to seniors who may be victims of financial fraud.  The Hotline is staffed by experienced case managers who can provide personalized support to callers.  Case managers assist callers with reporting the suspected fraud to relevant agencies and by providing resources and referrals to other appropriate services as needed.  When applicable, case managers will complete a complaint form with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) for Internet-facilitated crimes and submit a consumer complaint to the Federal Trade Commission on behalf of the caller.  The Hotline’s toll-free number is 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311).

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that two men have been charged for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping and murder of a Massachusetts man whose body was found in a burning vehicle in Hartford on December 26.  BRANDON BATISTE, also known as “B,” 33, of Springfield, Massachusetts, and CALVIN ROBERSON, also known as “Cutty,” 38, of Waterbury, were arrested yesterday on federal criminal complaints charging each with kidnapping resulting in death, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm.

Batiste was arrested in Athens, Georgia, and Roberson was arrested in Waterbury.  Both are detained.

Shortly before 9 p.m. on December 26, 2020, Hartford police and fire personnel responded to Shultas Place in Hartford where a black 2010 Acura was engulfed in flames.  After the fire was extinguished, investigators discovered a male body in the rear of the vehicle.  The victim was subsequently identified as Francisco Roman, Jr., 28, of Chicopee, Massachusetts.  He had suffered several gunshot wounds, which the State of Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined as his cause of death.

It is alleged that Batiste and Roberson kidnapped Roman in Massachusetts on December 24, 2020, killed Roman, and attempted to dispose of his body in Hartford.

If convicted of the charges, the defendants face a maximum term of imprisonment of life, or death if the government seeks the death penalty in this matter.

U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, FBI’s Springfield Gang Task Force, Massachusetts State Police, Hampden County (Mass.) District Attorney’s Office, Hartford Police Department’s Major Crimes Division, Chicopee Police Department and Springfield Police Department, with the assistance of the Waterbury Police Department and the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Leaming and Angel M. Krull.

U.S. Attorney Durham thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts for their assistance in this matter.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, today announced that PAVEL TEPLY, 45, of Stamford, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill to a federal tax offense.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Teply owned and operated a remodeling and roofing company known as Five Stars Remodeling.  For the 2013 through 2015 tax years, Teply used a tax return preparer for the preparation of his personal income tax returns.  Teply provided his preparer with a schedule that underreported the gross receipts of his business, certain business expenses, and his income.  As a result, Teply’s tax returns for the 2013 through 2015 tax years, which Teply authorized his preparer to file with the IRS, underreported Teply’s income, resulting in a tax loss of $175,812

Teply pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting the filing of a false tax return, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years.   Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for May 6, 2021.

Teply is released pending sentencing.

This investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.