Northern District of Georgia

ATLANTA – Annually, January 9th is observed and commemorated as Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and is observed across the country.  Today we honor the unwavering dedication of our law enforcement officers who selflessly serve our communities, often risking the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

“We thank law enforcement officers in the Northern District of Georgia who faithfully risk their lives to protect our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “These brave men and women put on a badge each day, knowing that they may face dangerous situations while carrying out their duties and are frequently the target of violence and abuse. Despite these challenges, they continue to serve with the utmost dedication and commitment and are unfaltering in working tirelessly to protect and serve the public.”

We also solemnly take time on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day to honor officers in our district who recently paid the ultimate price in the line of duty:

• Officer Kenya Galloway, Atlanta Police Department - Jan. 4, 2024

• Sgt. Marc McIntyre, Spalding County Sheriff's Office - Dec. 29, 2023

• Deputy Sheriff Eric Minix, Coweta County Sheriff's Office - Jan. 4, 2024

“We acknowledge and thank you for your sacrifice and hope to encourage support and respect for everything that you do to keep our communities safe.  Your courage, commitment, and willingness to safeguard others inspire us all,” said U.S. Attorney Buchanan.

Law Enforcement Appreciation Day began when multiple organizations joined efforts to express gratitude for law enforcement officers throughout the United States. Their purpose was to provide the public opportunities to gain greater insights into the integral role that these individuals play in our society while also strengthening the social bonds between law enforcement officials and the communities that they serve.

“Thank you for your service, sacrifice, and commitment to protecting and serving. Your efforts are deeply appreciated,” said Buchanan.

For inquiries, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga. 

The Justice Department today filed a statement of interest in a lawsuit brought in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia challenging the denial of treatment sought for gender dysphoria in a correctional setting. The statement explains that gender dysphoria falls within the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)’s definition of “disability” and affirms that correctional institutions cannot deny medically appropriate care for people with gender dysphoria, no matter their particular circumstances, consistent with the Eighth Amendment.

“People with gender dysphoria should be able to seek the full protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act, just like other people with disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We are committed to ensuring constitutional conditions inside our jails and prisons so that those detained inside these facilities, including people with gender dysphoria can live safely and receive needed medical care. The U.S. Constitution requires that people incarcerated in jails and prisons receive necessary medical care, treatment and services to address serious medical conditions.”

Doe, an incarcerated transgender woman, alleges that the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) has violated her rights under the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act and the U.S. Constitution by denying necessary medical care to treat her gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is a serious medical condition that arises when a person experiences significant distress or impairment because of an incongruence between their gender identity and assigned sex. Left untreated, individuals with gender dysphoria can experience significant adverse mental health outcomes. Doe alleges that the GDC has denied her adequate medical treatment for her gender dysphoria, including gender-affirming surgery that has been recommended by four clinicians and consistent hormone therapy. Because of the inadequate care and exacerbation of her gender dysphoria, Doe has engaged in repeated self-harm, including attempts at suicide and self-castration. Doe seeks a preliminary injunction that would grant her access to medically necessary treatment for her gender dysphoria. 

“The protections of the U.S. Constitution and the Americans with Disabilities Act do not stop at the doorsteps of our jails and prisons,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “Our office remains committed to ensuring that all people with disabilities, including those with gender dysphoria, continue to receive access to such medically necessary treatments, even while they are in custody.”

The department’s statement of interest clarifies that gender dysphoria can be a covered disability under the ADA and does not fall within the ADA’s exclusion of gender identity disorders. The department’s statement also explains that prison officials violate the Eighth Amendment when they categorically refuse to provide medically necessary gender-affirming surgery to incarcerated individuals with gender dysphoria, no matter a person’s particular circumstances.

The Justice Department plays a central role in advancing the ADA’s goals of equal opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (TTY 1-833-610-1264) or visit www.ada.gov.

Additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s work regarding correctional facilities is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt/rights-persons-confined-jails-and-prisons.

For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s work to uphold and protect the civil and constitutional rights of LGBTQI+ individuals is available online at www.justice.gov/crt/lgbtqi-working-group. Complaints about discriminatory practices may be reported to the Civil Rights Division through its internet reporting portal at civilrights.justice.gov.

doe_v_gdc_statement_of_interest_2024.01.08.pdf

ATLANTA - Michael Adeola Akhiero has been sentenced for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft concerning his use of victims’ personal and bank account information to create and deposit counterfeit checks totaling more than $250,000. Akhiero committed the offenses after having previously been convicted of bank fraud and while serving a term of supervised release.

“Akhiero chose to reoffend rather than rehabilitate,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “His actions caused substantial financial losses to numerous victims and banks.  His fraud and greed has resulted in the loss of his freedom and hopefully sends a powerful message of deterrence to others.”

“Clearly, Akhiero has not learned the lesson, that crime doesn’t pay, so he will continue to face justice for his repeated fraudulent actions,” said Acting Special Agent in charge Travis Pickard who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI will continue to aggressively investigate those criminals who attempt to defraud our nation’s financial infrastructure.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: Shortly after Akhiero’s release from federal prison for a prior bank fraud conviction, he engaged in a fraudulent check scheme and deposited numerous counterfeit checks purportedly issued from corporate and individual victims’ bank accounts. Between October 2019 and May 2022, Akhiero used stolen identity and bank account information to create these counterfeit checks. He then deposited the fake checks into his personal and business bank accounts resulting in the withdrawal of over $250,000 from multiple victims’ accounts.

Michael Adeola Akhiero, 30, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to four years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $77,200. Akhiero was convicted on these charges on August 1, 2023, after he pleaded guilty.

The Court also found that Akhiero violated the terms of his supervised release from his prior bank fraud case when he committed new criminal conduct, in addition to other violations. The Court revoked his supervised release term and sentenced him to one year in prison, to run concurrently with his four-year prison term for bank fraud and identity theft.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly K. Connors prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Gino Lassiter has been sentenced to prison for embezzling approximately $700,000 from the Georgia Bankers Association (“GBA”) and Georgia Bankers Association Trust (“GBA Trust”) between 2014 and 2021.

“Professionals, like Lassiter, who exploit their positions of trust to steal from their employers cause financial harm as well as institutional damage to the organizations they commit to serve,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “It is regrettable that Lassiter’s previous conviction for fraud did not deter him from engaging in further criminal conduct. But thanks to an investigation by the Department of Labor he has been held accountable and will return to prison.”

“The extent of this fraudulent scheme represents the lengths to which these individuals went to harm hard-working employees who depend on benefits they have rightfully earned,” explained Employee Benefits Security Administration Acting Regional Director Crystal Coleman in Atlanta. “This type of fraud creates great public mistrust, hurts participants who depend on their essential benefits and the employers who provide their coverage, and increases healthcare costs for all of us.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: The GBA is a trade and professional organization headquartered in Atlanta that represents the interests of banks and thrift organizations in Georgia. The GBA’s membership includes virtually every FDIC-insured institution doing business in the state. The GBA Trust is an ERISA-covered multiple employer welfare arrangement (or “MEWA”). As a MEWA, the GBA Trust offered a variety of insurance plans for the employees of the GBA’s members.

Lassiter, who had been previously convicted for federal bank fraud in the mid-1990s, served as the GBA’s accountant from May 1998 to March 2021. For approximately seven years, Lassiter embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the GBA and GBA Trust by using a GBA-issued credit card to make improper and unauthorized purchases. As the GBA’s accountant, Lassiter was able to conceal his embezzlement in a variety of ways, including by making fictious entries, misrepresenting the nature of payments, and overstating the number of payments in the GBA’s general ledger.

For example, Lassiter would record in the ledger overinflated payments that supposedly reflected other employees’ legitimate credit card expenditures. In actuality, the amount would be the exact same amount that Lassiter embezzled over a given period. Lassiter was also able to conceal his scheme by overinflating invoices that GBA issued to the GBA Trust. This was possible because the GBA was responsible for paying off the credit card expenses of the GBA Trust’s employees. The GBA Trust would in turn reimburse the GBA for these expenses. Lassiter inflated these invoices by the amount of his fraudulent credit card purchases.

Gino Lassiter, 58, of St. Petersburg, Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor M. Ross to two years in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $450,148.10. On July 12, 2023, Lassiter pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement from an employee benefit plan.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex R. Sistla prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced additional commitments as part of the Department of Justice’s Comprehensive Strategy to disrupt violent crime. Instituted by U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in May 2021, Project Safe Neighborhoods was strengthened by four new strategies that now serve as the pillars of the program: Community Engagement; Prevention and Intervention; Focused and Strategic Enforcement; and Accountability.

Through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) FY20-22, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is pleased to announce that $227,676 in funding from the Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance has been earmarked for state and local law enforcement violence-reduction projects.

“Achieving safe and thriving communities requires ongoing, creative, and deliberative collaborations between law enforcement agencies and community stakeholders,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “Microgrants under Project Safe Neighborhoods play a crucial role in furthering this goal by providing funding to local initiatives aimed at preventing crime and violence. These grants empower law enforcement agencies to implement strategies such as youth programs, community engagement activities, and intervention efforts to address the root causes of crime.  By supporting these localized initiatives, microgrants can help build stronger, safer neighborhoods by fostering law enforcement and community partnerships to strengthen violent-crime prevention efforts.” 

The following local law enforcement agencies will receive subawards to combat violent crime and maintain public safety: the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office; the Police Departments of Atlanta, Brookhaven, Calhoun, Clayton County, DeKalb County, East Point, Ellijay, Floyd County, Griffin, Kennesaw, Kennesaw State University, Norcross, Rome, Roswell, Smyrna, and Villa Rica; and the Sheriff’s Offices of Carroll and Douglas Counties.

The PSN microgrant funds are intended to comprehensively augment ongoing public safety efforts, including by: fostering trust and increasing legitimacy in communities; implementing and enhancing community engagement and policing strategies through the development and testing of innovative strategies; strengthening knowledge about effective practices and outcomes; supporting new, creative approaches to prevent crime and promote safer communities; addressing violent gun crime and gang violence; and bolstering improved policing strategies – all throughout our district.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

A federal jury in the Northern District of Georgia convicted a Georgia attorney and former City of Atlanta police officer yesterday of fraudulently obtaining over $7 million in loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Shelitha Robertson, 62, of Atlanta, conspired to submit PPP loan applications on behalf of four businesses she owned. The loan applications falsely inflated the number of employees and average monthly payroll for each of the four businesses, inducing larger PPP loans than Robertson could legitimately obtain. Robertson and a co-conspirator also caused the submission of false tax documents to support the false statements in each loan application. Robertson used the loan proceeds to purchase luxury items, including a 10-carat diamond ring, and to transfer funds to family members and her co-conspirator.

The jury convicted Robertson of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering. She is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Robertson is the second defendant to be convicted as part of the Justice Department’s prosecution of an approximately $15 million PPP fraud conspiracy. Robertson’s co-conspirator pleaded guilty prior to trial. 

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia, Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Acting Inspector General Tyler Smith of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), and Acting Inspector General Heather Hill of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) made the announcement.

The SBA-OIG, FDIC-OIG, and TIGTA investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Ariel Glasner of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bernita Malloy for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the PPP. Since the inception of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 200 defendants in more than 130 criminal cases and has seized over $78 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/ppp-fraud.

In May 2021 the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Justice Department in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

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

ATLANTA – U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis hosted a Safe Housing Summit on December 14, 2023, to promote health and safety for tenants living in HUD-assisted housing.

“Our office is determined to address inequities in our district that exist in underserved communities who must heavily rely on HUD’s housing assistance programs,” said U.S. Attorney Buchanan.  “These citizens deserve to live and raise families in residential areas that are safe and thriving. Our partnership with HUD-OIG, and with other federal agencies and community members, will afford us the necessary resources to support at-risk communities in a more coordinated and impactful way. This Summit is just the beginning of our expanded effort.”

“Everyone deserves to live in a healthy and safe environment without fear of being exposed to environmental hazards or being sexually harassed or assaulted by their housing provider,” said Housing and Urban Development’s Inspector General Oliver Davis. “We are working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to spread the word about ways to help victims who currently are experiencing such violations of their rights or who have been impacted in the past. Outreach summits like the one we cohosted are an important way to increase awareness, share information, and build strong partnerships in the community to help call out and eliminate these problems together.”

The Summit took place at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta, and focused on eliminating environmental hazards, as well as combatting sexual misconduct, in HUD-assisted housing. The topics included safe housing strategies, environmental justice concepts, and how to recognize and report sexual misconduct in HUD-assisted housing.

Participants included representatives from organizations who routinely work with vulnerable populations most likely to be impacted by environmental injustice or sexual harassment in housing by their landlords, property managers, maintenance staff, and other housing personnel in positions of authority.

“Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination prohibited by the Fair Housing Act, and no one should be forced to endure illegal harassment in exchange for housing,” added U.S. Attorney Buchanan.  “We will continue to devote resources to enforce the Fair Housing Act by investigating and prosecuting discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status.”

A variety of organizations and local law enforcement agencies also attended the Summit, including fair housing organizations and organizations which provide pro bono legal services. Participants were encouraged to build partnerships and share concerns during a networking session. 

If you or someone you know has information about environmental hazards and unsafe unit conditions in HUD-assisted housing or has been a victim of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or sexual exploitation—even if the events occurred years ago—report it to the HUD Office of Inspector General Hotline at 1-800-347-3735 or visit the website at www.hudoig.gov/hotline.

You may also contact the U.S. Department of Justice at 1-844-380-6178 or visit www.civilrights.justice.gov. Individuals who believe they may have been victims of environmental injustices or housing discrimination may also contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at USAGAN.CivilRights@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-4626.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Tavion Lashawn Williams and Justin Andrew Sams have been indicted in connection with armed robberies of postal workers in metro-Atlanta.

“Our communities rely on a safe and secure mail system made possible by the dedication of U.S. Postal Service employees and letter carriers who labor tirelessly for our benefit,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “Our office is committed to collaborating closely with our federal and local partners to identify and prosecute those who threaten violence against members of the Postal Service.”

“The safety and security of Postal Service employees and customers is core to the mission of the Postal Inspection Service,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Atlanta Division. “We are grateful to continue to work in close partnership with our local law enforcement partners as we investigate individuals involved in violent criminal activity against our employees.”

“The Atlanta Police Department is committed to getting criminals off our streets and out of our neighborhoods,” said Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum. “Letter carriers provide a vital service, and no one should feel unsafe when they are carrying out the duties of their job. The APD is proud to have played a role in the arrest of two criminals who impacted the well-being of the Postal Service employees who were simply doing their job.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the indictment, and other information presented in court: Tavion Lashawn Williams allegedly demanded the keys of a U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) letter carrier while the employee was delivering mail in Clayton County, Georgia, on March 1, 2023.  Williams allegedly pointed a gun at the letter carrier when the carrier hesitated. After seizing the carrier’s key, Williams fled but was soon arrested.

Approximately seven months later, on September 30, 2023, Justin Andrew Sams allegedly assaulted a USPS letter carrier in southwest Atlanta.  While brandishing a firearm, Sams allegedly ordered the letter carrier to hand over his postal uniform, keys, cellular telephone, and wallet.  Sams also allegedly stole the letter carrier’s government-issued credit card used to purchase fuel for the letter carrier’s mail truck. 

The Atlanta Police Department responded to the scene, succeeded in identifying Sams, and ultimately recovered the letter carrier’s telephone, wallet, fuel card, and uniform. Investigators also discovered a semiautomatic pistol during a search of Sams’s residence. 

On December 6, 2023, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Tavion Lashawn Williams, 21, of Jonesboro, Georgia with theft of a Postal Service key, armed postal robbery, and brandishing a firearm.

On December 12, 2023, another federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Justin Andrew Sams, 34, of Atlanta, Georgia with armed postal robbery, brandishing a firearm, and theft of government property.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictments only contain charges.  The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

These cases are being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Clayton County Police Department, and Atlanta Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie E. Gabay-Smith and Theodore S. Hertzberg are prosecuting the cases.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Austin Martin Siampwizi, who laundered money procured from fraudulent unemployment claims filed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, has pleaded guilty to a charge of money laundering conspiracy.

“Criminals used the COVID-19 pandemic to financially benefit while millions of Americans were suffering,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Money launderers, like Siampwizi, assisted others in committing underlying offenses in reaping the benefits of these crimes. Our office is devoted to bringing such individuals to justice.”

“Austin Martin Siampwizi engaged in a scheme with his co-conspirators to purchase and subsequently cash hundreds of money orders that were funded with fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. The UI benefits were from fraudulent online claims submitted to the Washington Employment Security Department using the identities of identity theft victims. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to safeguard the UI system from those who exploit these benefit programs,” said Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent-in-Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

“This successful effort represents the U.S. Secret Service commitment to protect citizens and businesses from fraud and identity theft,” said Steven R. Baisel, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service Atlanta Field Office. “We, along with our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners will continue to investigate, arrest, and support the successful prosecution of the criminals who choose to launder illicit proceeds or commit fraud in Georgia and across the nation.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act created a temporary federal program that provided up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits for those unemployed as a result of the pandemic and included a provision to provide temporary benefits to individuals who had exhausted their entitlement to regular benefits or were otherwise not eligible. That temporary federal program was administered by state employment agencies.

Siampwizi laundered money procured from fraudulent unemployment claims submitted to the Employment Security Department of Washington State (“ESD”). These claims were filed using stolen personally identifiable information of more than 50 individuals. Siampwizi also admitted to submitting fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster loan and Paycheck Protection Program loan applications for his two businesses, Global Car Rental, LLC, and Global Group Development & Construction, LLC.

Sentencing for Austin Martin Siampwizi, 46, of Atlanta, Georgia, is scheduled for March 26, 2024, before U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Klapman is prosecuting the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus

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

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Abdul Jamal Ali, Norian Anderson, Kasman Cox, Mark Antonio Goines, Alonzo Heard, Michael Mack, Tremaine Malcom, Hassan Pope, Roger Solario, Joseph Strickland, and Renardo Thomas have been sentenced for their roles as members of a drug trafficking organization in the metro-Atlanta area that was successfully disrupted following a federal, state, and local law enforcement investigation.

“The distribution of narcotics throughout our communities continues to pose a public safety and health threat that we must steadfastly confront,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Through our partnership with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, we have successfully disrupted this organization’s supply chain, prosecuted the distributors and suppliers of these dangerous drugs, and sent a strong message to others involved in polluting our communities with these illegal substances.”

“Justice will always prevail as the most powerful force to remove these individuals off of the streets and out of our communities,” said Thomas E. Brown, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Georgia.

“Through hard work, this criminal enterprise has been dismantled,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “These violent drug traffickers had no regard for the potential impact of their actions.”

"Drug trafficking organizations are an imminent threat to our communities,” said Dan R. Salter, Executive Director, Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AC HIDTA) Task Force. “Federal, state and local law enforcement officers that make up this task force are committed to ridding our communities of these drug trafficking organizations spreading poison and violence in our neighborhoods.” 

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: In 2020, Drug Enforcement Administration special agents, and Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force officers, identified a prolific drug trafficker in Atlanta, Hassan Pope.  Federal investigators learned that Pope was coordinating multiple narcotics transactions around his residence in College Park and maintaining a drug stash apartment in east Atlanta. Over the course of the investigation, agents identified many of Pope’s associates and obtained evidence of ongoing trafficking of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.

Agents also identified Alonzo Heard and Tremaine Malcom as assisting Pope in his distribution and Abdul Jamal Ali, Norian Anderson, Kasman Cox, Mark Antonio Goines, Michael Mack, Roger Solario, Joseph Strickland, and Renardo Thomas as drug distributors working with or connected to Pope. Federal, state, and local law enforcement investigators obtained and executed multiple search warrants at locations utilized by the group’s drug trafficking organization and seized distribution quantities of drugs, hundreds of thousands of dollars of drug proceeds, firearms, vehicles, and other property used in the commission, or purchased with the proceeds, of the offenses.

Each of the following defendants pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and/or firearms offenses and received the following sentences imposed by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross:

• Abdul Jamal Ali, 41, of Decatur, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of nine years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release;

• Norian Anderson, a/k/a “Knot,” 50, of Jonesboro, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of four years, eight months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release;

• Kasman Cox, a/k/a “Cat” and “Tamario Davis,” 44, of Fayetteville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and received a sentence of 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release;

• Mark Antonio Goines, a/k/a “Luckie,” 43, of Hampton, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of five years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release;

• Alonzo Heard, a/k/a “Pee-Wee,” 51, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of eight years, three months in prison, to be followed by eight years of supervised release;

• Michael Mack, a/k/a “Stank,” 49, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of one year and one day in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release;

• Tremaine Malcom, a/k/a “Twin,” 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of four years, 10 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release;

• Hassan Pope, a/k/a “Ali,” “Hot,” and “Tyrone Dunn,” 46, of College Park, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and received a sentence of 15 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release;

• Roger Solario, 29, of Marietta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of five years, three months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release;

• Joseph Strickland, a/k/a “Joe,” 45, of Decatur, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of eight years, four months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release; and

• Renardo Thomas, a/k/a “Donald Garwood,” 44, of Fairburn, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of six years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Marshals Service, with valuable assistance provided by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Corrections, Marietta Police Department, and South Fulton Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary S. Howard and Teresa M. Stolze prosecuted the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Angela Brady has been sentenced for filing false tax returns in connection with her IT consulting business. Brady falsely claimed she incurred millions of dollars in contract labor expenses, and despite making millions of dollars in income, sought and received refunds during tax season.

“Brady’s criminal greed coupled with business savvy allowed her to skirt her tax obligations for years,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of such greed-based offenses and should serve as a reminder that we all have an obligation to be truthful in tax filings.”

“As people prepare for the 2024 tax season, this sentencing serves as an important reminder that willfully filing false tax returns is defrauding the U.S. government,” said Lisa Fontanette, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS-Criminal Investigation in partnership with the US Attorney’s Office is ensuring those who do defraud the government are held accountable.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Brady operated a profitable IT software consulting business, AB Williams & Associates. While she had no full-time employees, she often contracted her work out to contractors in India, who she paid via PayPal. Between 2013 and 2018, Brady claimed that she incurred millions of dollars more than she actually incurred paying these contractors via PayPal. As a result, she was able to reduce her taxable income by her claimed business expenses, and in some years, obtained a tax refund from the IRS despite earning more than $1 million in income.

Brady accomplished this fraud by providing false spreadsheets to her tax preparer and later provided a similar false spreadsheet to IRS agents. Brady’s fraud resulted in a loss of close to $1.1 million in unpaid taxes.

Angela Brady, also known as “Angela Brady-Williams,” 51, of Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced to two years, nine months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release, and she was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,080,606.44. Brady was convicted on these charges on June 12, 2023, after she pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Dillingham and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Krepp prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Barbara Furlow-Smiles, a former global diversity executive at Facebook, has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $4 million from the company utilizing an elaborate scheme involving fraudulent vendors, fictitious charges, and cash kickbacks.

“This defendant abused a position of a trust as a global diversity executive for Facebook to defraud the company of millions of dollars, ignoring the insidious consequences of undermining the importance of her DEI mission,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Motivated by greed, she used her time to orchestrate an elaborate criminal scheme in which fraudulent vendors paid her kickbacks in cash. She even involved relatives, friends, and other associates in her crimes, all to fund a lavish lifestyle through fraud rather than hard and honest work.”

“Furlow-Smiles used lies and deceit to defraud both vendors and Facebook employees,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI works hard to make sure greed like this doesn’t pay off and those who commit fraud are held accountable.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Barbara Furlow-Smiles served as Lead Strategist, Global Head of Employee Resource Groups and Diversity Engagement at Facebook, Inc., now known as Meta Platforms, Inc., doing business as Meta. From about January 2017 to September 2021, she led Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs at Facebook and was responsible for developing and executing DEI initiatives, operations, and engagement programs. In her position, Furlow-Smiles had access to company credit cards. She also maintained authority to submit purchase requisitions and approve invoices for authorized vendors of Facebook.

Furlow-Smiles used her position at Facebook to cheat and defraud the company. She caused Facebook to pay numerous individuals for goods and services never provided to the company. Those individuals then paid kickbacks to Furlow-Smiles, often in cash. Her scheme operated in two ways.

First, Furlow-Smiles linked PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App accounts to her Facebook credit cards and used those accounts to pay friends, relatives, and other associates for goods and services purportedly provided to Facebook. But these individuals did not provide goods or services to the company. Most of them did not know that the payments came from Facebook. To conceal the bogus charges on her Facebook credit cards, Furlow-Smiles submitted fraudulent expense reports, falsely claiming that her associates or their businesses performed work on programs and events for Facebook, such as providing swag or marketing services when, in fact, they had not done so.

After these associates received payments from Facebook, they returned most of the money to Furlow-Smiles. They paid these kickbacks in cash and through transfers to accounts held in her husband’s and others’ names. Associates paid cash kickbacks in person and by Federal Express or mail, sometimes wrapping the cash in other items, such as T-shirts. To further conceal her actions, Furlow-Smiles also directed associates to pay one another, or others who she owed money.

Second, Furlow-Smiles caused Facebook to onboard several vendors that were owned and operated by friends and associates who also paid her kickbacks. After Facebook approved contracts for these vendors, Furlow-Smiles approved purchase requisitions for these purported vendors to work for Facebook. Furlow-Smiles then approved fraudulent and inflated invoices to pay the vendors. After Facebook paid the invoices, Furlow-Smiles directed the vendors to return a portion of the money to her.

Furlow-Smiles recruited numerous individuals to receive money and pay kickbacks as part of the scheme. These individuals included friends, relatives, former interns from a prior job, nannies and babysitters, a hair stylist, and her university tutor. She also caused Facebook to make payments for her benefit to others who did not pay kickbacks. For example, Furlow-Smiles caused Facebook to pay nearly $10,000 to an artist for specialty portraits and more than $18,000 to a preschool for tuition.

In total, Furlow-Smiles stole more than $4 million from Facebook based on fictitious charges and fraudulent invoices for which goods and services were never provided to the company. She used the money to live a luxury lifestyle in California and Georgia.

Sentencing for Barbara Furlow-Smiles, also known as “Barbara Furlow,” 38, of Atlanta, Georgia, is scheduled for March 19, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Meta provided valuable assistance and cooperation during the investigation. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen H. McClain and Bernita B. Malloy are prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

This release has been edited to correct the defendant's former position title.

A motel manager in Georgia was sentenced to 57 months in prison for trafficking a victim with respect to peonage, slavery, involuntary servitude or forced labor and ordered to pay $42,648 in restitution to seven individuals.

According to court documents, Shreesh Tiwari, 71, an Indian national and legal U.S. permanent resident, began managing the Budgetel Motel in Cartersville, Georgia, in 2020. Shortly thereafter, Tiwari hired the victim to work as a maid at the motel and provided her with a room where she could live. Tiwari knew that, prior to arriving at the motel, the victim had experienced homelessness, struggled with a heroin addiction and lost custody of her young child. Tiwari promised the victim that he would help her regain custody of her child by providing her with pay, an apartment and an attorney.

Instead of following through with his promises, Tiwari monitored the victim’s interactions with motel guests and employees and forbade her from speaking to them. He also discouraged the victim from communicating with her family and friends, falsely claiming that they did not care about her. Tiwari began making numerous sexual overtures to the victim. When Tiwari became angry at the victim, he threatened to evict her from the room he provided her at the motel, knowing that she would become homeless as a result. In addition, Tiwari threatened to report the victim’s drug use to law enforcement or child welfare agencies whenever he was angry at the victim. Eventually, Tiwari began to regularly “evict” the victim from her motel room, and even locked her out of her room at night without warning. Tiwari even threatened to call animal control to remove the victim’s dog despite permitting the victim’s dog to live with the victim in her motel room at first. Ultimately, Tiwari required the victim to perform sex acts with him to stay at the motel. If she did not, Tiwari removed her from the property, causing her to be homeless.

“Human trafficking can occur anywhere since traffickers are adept at identifying someone’s vulnerabilities and often fraudulently extend hope to someone looking for an opportunity to improve their dire circumstances,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This sentence and the restitution secured for the survivors of this heinous labor trafficking scheme make clear that the Justice Department is committed to prosecuting anyone who flagrantly exploits their position of power. We will tirelessly seek restitution on behalf of the victims that traffickers callously exploit.”

“Tiwari used his position of power to ruthlessly abuse a victim he knew had already suffered immeasurably,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “The level of this defendant’s callousness is shocking. But we are thankful that our community is now safer, and other potential victims spared, due to the excellent investigative work of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners who made Tiwari’s conviction possible. Our office also intends for Tiwari’s prosecution and sentence to provide a stark warning to other traffickers that these crimes carry especially serious penalties on account of the lasting harm done to victims and their families.”

“Tiwari preyed upon the victim’s difficult past and fear of homelessness to control and extort her, subjecting her to unspeakable horrors,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Atlanta. “HSI Atlanta and our law enforcement partners will continue our efforts to ensure that predators like Mr. Tiwari will be held accountable for their actions.”

The HSI Dalton Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leanne Marek and Annalise Peters for the Northern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Kate Hill of the Justice Department’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit prosecuted the case.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Ronald House, who applied for unemployment insurance in his name and the names of others in multiple states during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, has pleaded guilty to a wire fraud charge.

“House ran a multi-state scam stealing benefits allotted for those in need,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “COVID-19 pandemic funds provided vital aid for citizens who qualified for them.  Congress did not intend for individuals to illegally profit from the CARES Act program. House compounded his fraudulent conduct by stealing the identities of others to perpetrate his scheme.”

“During the COVID-19 pandemic when so many Americans desperately needed unemployment assistance, Ronald House submitted numerous fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims to multiple state workforce agencies in his own name, as well as in the names of his relatives, including a deceased family member. As a result, House collected over $170,000 in fraudulent UI payments; benefits which were intended for individuals adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.” said Mathew Broadhurst, Special-Agent- in-Charge, Southeast Region, US. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “We will continue to work with our federal and state law enforcement partners to safeguard unemployment benefits programs for those who need them.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act provided emergency assistance and health care response for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act created a new temporary federal program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance that provided up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits and funding to states for administration of the program. An individual receiving these benefits might also have received a $600 weekly benefit in federal funds under the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program if he or she was eligible for such compensation for the week claimed.

To take advantage of the additional weekly federal benefit, House applied online for fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits using his personal identifying information in California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington State. He also applied for fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits using the personal identifying information of others in several states, including Georgia and Michigan. He fraudulently obtained more than $150,000 in benefits.

Sentencing for House, 66, of Gainesville, Georgia, is scheduled for March 8, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Klapman is prosecuting the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus

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

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Ronald S. Zieve, the owner of Hair Restoration Specialists, Inc. (“HRS”), and Marshall Boyd, the co-director of HRS, have each pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return. Since 2018, Zieve deliberately failed to report approximately $3.2 million in income, and Boyd deliberately failed to report approximately $790,000 in income.

“These defendants behaved as if our tax laws did not apply to them,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “People who cheat on their taxes, file false returns, or fail to pay taxes owed are subject to investigation and prosecution.”

“Filing false tax return documents to hide income is stealing from the U.S. government,” said Demetrius Hardeman, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “On behalf of the honest, law-abiding taxpayers, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Department of Justice and other law enforcement agencies will continue investigating and holding individuals accountable who willfully shirk their tax responsibilities to honestly report their income.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: Ronald Zieve failed to properly report income he earned from HRS for tax years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.  In March 2021, for example, Zieve filed an IRS-1040 form for tax year 2020 that falsely reported his “other income” as $107,070 when, in fact, Zieve knew he had earned more than $1 million in other income.

An investigation of the defendants, including through the execution of a search warrant at HRS’s office, and a review of relevant business, bank, and tax records, revealed that Zieve deliberately concealed his actual income from the IRS in a variety of ways. Zieve, for instance, improperly classified personal expenses as business expenses and hid his income by directing it into bank accounts of other businesses that he controlled, but which did not actually engage in any business activities. As a result of Zieve’s failure to report approximately $3.2 million in income, he caused a tax loss to the United States of approximately $1 million.

Investigators also learned that since 2016, Zieve had been paying Boyd hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash commissions that Boyd never reported to the IRS. In February 2021, for example, Boyd filed an IRS-1040 form for the tax year 2020 that falsely reported “other income” of “$0” when, in fact, Boyd knew that he had earned approximately $191,000 in other income. As a result of Boyd failing to report approximately $790,000 in income, he caused a tax loss to the United States of approximately $266,000.

Ronald S. Zieve, 75, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Marshall Boyd, 50, of Douglasville, GA, Georgia, each pleaded guilty to one count of filing a fraudulent tax return. Sentencing is scheduled for March 5, 2024, beginning at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr.

This case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex R. Sistla is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – The Georgia Institute of Technology (“Georgia Tech”) and Georgia Tech Research Corporation (“GTRC”) have agreed to pay $90,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by failing to exercise proper oversight sufficient to allow them to detect the submission of false claims to the National Science Foundation (“NSF”). 

“Federal grants and awards come with known ‘rules of the road,’” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “Organizations that receive federal funds—especially schools and universities that are pillars of our community—must take steps to ensure that their employees are following the rules.  This settlement represents our office’s commitment to ensuring accountability for institutions that fail to live up to these obligations.”

The government’s investigation concerned an NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (“IUCRC”) grant.  The IUCRC program fosters pre-competitive research through multi-member collaborations among industry, academic, and government partners.  The award at issue was made to a project entitled the “Center for Health Organization Transformation.” 

“The IUCRC program is a valuable tool in advancing NSF’s mission to promote the progress of science by developing long-term partnerships among industry, academia, and government,” said Allison Lerner, NSF’s Inspector General. “The NSF Office of Inspector General is committed to vigorously pursuing oversight of taxpayer funds and protecting the integrity of this important program. We are pleased that Georgia Tech changed its practices to better safeguard IUCRC funds, and I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its strong support in this effort.”

The settlement amount is in addition to $105,000 that Georgia Tech has already returned to the NSF in connection with this award.  As part of the settlement, Georgia Tech and GTRC agreed to implement training requirements for employees that handle IUCRC grants and a procedure for employees to report material instances of noncompliance with NSF award requirements. 

The settlement resolves allegations that from April 2014 to March 2019, Georgia Tech and GTRC failed to engage in proper oversight of the grant program, which led to Georgia Tech and GTRC’s failure to detect and prevent the submission of false claims to NSF concerning the number of industry members participating in the Center for Health Transformation and the amount of membership fees paid or received on membership certifications for the award.  Industry participation is a core component of the IUCRC model.  Although NSF awards act as seed money for centers, the program requires industry members to provide the primary base of financial support.

The investigation of this matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Akash Desai and Austin M. Hall.  The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. 

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmail@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Sonya Hesenius, a former office manager and executive assistant for an Alpharetta company, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after embezzling over $3.5 million between 2015 and 2020.

“Hesenius stole millions of dollars from her employer to fund a lavish lifestyle,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Those entrusted with a fiduciary role for a company accept great responsibility. The defendant’s actions demonstrate that she cared far more about personal gain and much less about the faith and trust that her employer placed in her.”

“Hesenius worked in a position of trust for a company that expected her to honor that trust,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Instead, she chose to abuse it and her personal greed not only hurt the company, but everyone who worked for them. This plea should send the message that the FBI takes wire fraud extremely seriously and will work to hold offenders accountable.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Between 2015 and 2020, while employed as an office manager and executive assistant at an Alpharetta, Georgia company providing yard care services, Sonya Hesenius made fraudulent charges on corporate credit cards and caused the company to reimburse her personal credit card for personal expenses. To conceal her scheme, she coded and approved all the charges herself, withheld supporting documentation from the company, and disguised the unauthorized expenditures in the company’s system as legitimate expenses – such as newspaper advertisements. Hesenius also disseminated the expenditures among different job sites to further conceal the fraud.

Hesenius used the embezzled funds to pay for a variety of personal expenses, including, among other things, her daughter’s wedding at the Barnsley Resort; cash transfers through PayPal, Venmo, and Square; Luis Vuitton and Chanel handbags; plane flights for Hesenius and more than 20 of her family members and friends; season tickets for University of Tennessee football and basketball teams; a recreational vehicle; hotels; furniture; cruises; and clothing items. In total, Hesenius embezzled more than $3,500,000.

Sonya Hesenius, 59, of Suwanee, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for March 6, 2024, at 10:00 am before U.S. District Judge Victoria M. Calvert.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. O'Neal is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Jason Arias, Daniel Newton, Anthony Blair, David Barros, Shondra Vernon, and Madison Rene Kelleher have been sentenced for their participation in a conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States from the Dominican Republic in the checked baggage of airline travelers.

“These defendants exploited our country’s airline carriers to carry out a large-scale drug trafficking operation,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “For several years, the defendants imported a great deal of cocaine into the United States but eventually were arrested and prosecuted thanks to the diligent work of our federal and local law enforcement partners.”

“Anthony Blair orchestrated a drug trafficking conspiracy to distribute cocaine in the United States, destroying communities and putting countless lives at risk,” said Acting Special Agent in charge Travis Pickard who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “This sentence is the culmination of a great investigation executed by HSI and its partners and its success is directly related to their hard work and professionalism. We will continue to exhaust all resources and use all of our available assets to pursue those criminals and organizations involved in bringing poison into our communities.”

“Customs and Border Protection officers work side by side with our law enforcement partners to keep dangerous drugs from reaching our communities,” said Zachary Thomas, CBP Area Port Director Atlanta. “Narcotics interdiction remains an enforcement priority for CBP, and it is one of the many ways CBP helps protect our citizens and the public.”

Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division stated, “Through hard work, this illegal drug distribution and money laundering network has been removed from our streets. This criminal enterprise had no regard for the potential impact of their actions.” 

“Anytime law enforcement agencies work together to stop illegal activities, it is a win for communities locally, nationally, and internationally,” said Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum.   “The conviction of this group proves the effectiveness of our law enforcement partnerships, the dedication of the members of the various agencies that protect the world’s busiest airport, and our commitment to bringing criminals to justice.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: From approximately 2015 through June of 2018, these defendants and members of their conspiracy obtained cocaine in Costa Rica, concealed the drugs in sealed cans labeled as food, and smuggled the contraband into the United States in checked luggage. Jason Arias obtained and packaged the cocaine in Costa Rica. Anthony Blair then recruited over 60 travelers in Atlanta to agree to an “all-expenses paid” vacation to Costa Rica to assist with the transport of the drugs into the United States.

As a part of the scheme, the recruited travelers, when ready to depart Costa Rica, met with Arias who arranged for the travelers to bring purported souvenirs to Blair and others in the United States. In fact, the souvenirs included sealed cans containing kilograms of cocaine. After the cocaine was sold, profits were reinvested in the enterprise, smuggled back to Costa Rica, and spent to support the defendants’ extravagant lifestyles, including the rental of a $14,000 per month Atlanta-area apartment.

In total, the organization imported more than 150 kilograms of cocaine into the United States. The conspiracy unraveled when U.S. Customs and Border Protection special agents located cocaine in the luggage of two travelers and arrested Blair when he arrived to meet the travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. 

The following defendants have been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May for their respective roles in the drug trafficking conspiracy:

• Anthony Blair, 44, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 20 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $434,195 in drug profits to the United States.  Blair was convicted of multiple narcotics and money laundering offenses following a jury trial on May 23, 2023.

• David Barros, 37, of Taunton, Massachusetts, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.  Barros was convicted of multiple narcotics and money laundering offenses following a jury trial on May 23, 2023.

• Jason Arias, 39, of Charlotte, North Carolina, has been sentenced to four years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.  Arias was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine and money laundering on August 10, 2020, after he pleaded guilty.

• Daniel Newton a/k/a “Russia,” 34, of Charlotte, North Carolina, has been sentenced to one year and one month in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Newton was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine and money laundering on September 12, 2019, after he pleaded guilty.

• Shondra Vernon a/k/a “Frenchie,” 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced to three years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release.  Vernon was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine on November 9, 2021, after she pleaded guilty.

• Madison Rene Kelleher, 32, of Fall River, Massachusetts, has been sentenced to three years of probation.  Kelleher was convicted of money laundering conspiracy on November 19, 2019, after she pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Atlanta Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler A. Mann and Calvin A. Leipold III prosecuted the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

A Texas man was sentenced today to two years in prison for posting a message online threatening several Georgia public officials following the 2020 election.

“Threats of violence against those who administer our elections are dangerous for people’s personal safety, and they are dangerous for our democracy,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This sentence should serve as warning — illegal threats against the public servants who make our democracy work will be met with the full force of the Justice Department.”

According to court documents, on or about Jan. 5, 2021, Chad Christopher Stark, 55, of Leander, posted a message to Craigslist entitled, “Georgia Patriots it’s time to kill [Official A] the Chinese agent - $10,000.” The message stated the following:

“Georgia Patriots it’s time for us to take back our state from these Lawless treasonous traitors. It’s time to invoke our Second Amendment right it’s time to put a bullet in the treasonous Chinese [Official A]. Then we work our way down to [Official B] the local and federal corrupt judges. It’s our duty as American Patriots to put an end to the lives of these traitors and take back our country by force we can no longer wait on the corrupt law enforcement in the corrupt courts. If we want our country back we have to exterminate these people. One good loyal Patriot deer hunter in camo and a rifle can send a very clear message to these corrupt governors.. milita up Georgia it’s time to spill blood….  we need to pay a visit to [Official C] and her family as well and put a bullet her behind the ears. Let’s be very clear to our local law enforcement who have stood down and watch BLM antifa destroy our country and kill our citizens yet you’ll step up to stop Patriot supporters you’ll enforce face mask and you’ll close American businesses??? Remember one thing local law enforcement the key word being local…..  we will find you oathbreakers and we’re going to pay your family to visit your mom your dad your brothers and sisters your children your wife…  we’re going to make examples of traitors to our country…  death to you and all you communist friends.”

“It’s simple: protecting America’s democracy means protecting the public servants and officials who ensure the electoral process is fair and free,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Christopher Stark threatened the lives of multiple election workers in an attempt to prevent them from doing their job. Today’s sentencing demonstrates the FBI’s resolute commitment to securing American elections from any attempts to undermine their integrity.”

“The conviction and sentencing of this defendant should send a clear message: the intimidation of those sworn to oversee and facilitate free and fair elections in this country is a serious offense that carries significant criminal penalties,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “Stark threatened Georgia statewide elected officials and a volunteer county election worker. Those threats were equally harmful, and his conduct put our democracy in jeopardy.”

“Sending death threats and urging others to act is not protected speech — it is a crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley of the FBI Atlanta Field Office. “The sentencing of Stark is a warning to all that those who attempt to undermine American democracy will be held criminally accountable.”

The FBI Atlanta Field Office investigated the case. 

Election Community Liaison Aaron Jennen and former Election Crimes Branch Director of Enforcement and Litigation Sean F. Mulryne of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Senior Litigation Counsel Brent A. Gray for the Northern District of Georgia prosecuted this case.

This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco in June 2021, the task force has led the department’s efforts to address threats of violence against election workers, and to ensure that all election workers — whether elected, appointed, or volunteer — are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation. The task force engages with the election community and state and local law enforcement to assess allegations and reports of threats against election workers, and has investigated and prosecuted these matters where appropriate, in partnership with FBI Field Offices and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. The task force is continuing this work and supporting the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and FBI Field Offices nationwide.

Under the leadership of Deputy Attorney General Monaco, the task force is led by the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and includes several other entities within the Justice Department, including the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Criminal Division, the Civil Rights Division, the National Security Division, and the FBI, as well as key interagency partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat threats against election workers, read the Deputy Attorney General’s memo.

To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact your local FBI office and request to speak with the Election Crimes Coordinator. Contact information for every FBI field office may be found at www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/. You may also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at www.tips.fbi.gov. Complaints submitted will be reviewed by the task force and referred for investigation or response accordingly. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.

ATLANTA – A German company, KingKong-Tools GmbH & Co KG, and its American subsidiary, King Kong Tools, LLC (collectively “King Kong”), will pay $1.9 million to settle allegations of customs fraud under the False Claims Act. The government alleged that King Kong was falsely labelling its tools as “made in Germany” when, in fact, the tools were made in China. By misrepresenting the origin of the tools, King Kong avoided paying higher tariffs. 

“Companies cannot avoid paying tariffs by misrepresenting product manufacturing information,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “The Department of Justice will work diligently to uncover these schemes, and those companies involved in such misconduct will be compelled to pay tariffs owed, as well as penalties.”

“Stopping businesses from cheating the customs system not only prevents them from defrauding our government, but also prevents unfair competitive advantages that harm the labor market,” said Acting Special Agent in charge Travis Pickard who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “Hopefully, the result of this case sends a clear message that HSI and its partners are watching and will hold you accountable for your actions.”

“Customs fraud in international trade of manufacturing goods result in an unfair advantage of legitimate businesses,” said Gregory Alvarez, Customs and Border Protection’s Director of Field Operations, Atlanta. “This enforcement action is another example of how CBPs trade specialists safeguard the economic security of the United States.”

This case began when a competitor of King Kong filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that King Kong was manufacturing cutting tools in a Chinese factory. The tools were then shipped to Germany, where some additional processing was performed on some (but not all) of the tools. The tools were then shipped to the United States and declared to be “German” products. If the products had been correctly described as Chinese products, King Kong would have been required to pay a 25% tariff on Chinese goods. By falsely describing the tools as “German,” King Kong improperly avoided paying these tariffs.

This civil settlement resolves a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia under the False Claims Act, U.S. ex rel. China Pacificarbide, Inc. v. King Kong Tools, LLC, et al.

The False Claims Act is a federal law that imposes civil liability on any person who submits false claims to the federal government or its contractors. The law imposes treble damages and civil penalties on those who submit false claims. Under the law, whistleblowers (also called “relators”) who bring fraud to the government’s attention share in any recovery obtained by the government. Here, the relator will receive $286,861 from the settlement in this matter, plus attorney’s fees.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations.

The civil settlement was reached by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony DeCinque and Akash Desai. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Quintilis Davenport has been sentenced for his role in a drug trafficking operation involving large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl that were intended for distribution in and around the Atlanta area.  Davenport possessed three firearms, multi-kilogram quantities of methamphetamine, and nearly an entire kilogram of fentanyl at the time of his arrest.

“This sentence is a reflection of the seriousness of this conduct and the necessity to deter others from engaging in such dangerous drug trafficking activities,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “We are proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners to keep our community safer, especially from life-threatening narcotics like fentanyl.”

“This violent drug trafficker can no longer distribute dangerous drugs, such as methamphetamine and fentanyl, as he now faces the consequences for his poor choices,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: On August 24, 2022, Davenport planned to sell a kilogram of methamphetamine and 1,000 fentanyl pills to a DEA special agent acting in an undercover capacity.  Davenport fled and tossed a firearm into a pond when law enforcement attempted to arrest him.  

After eventually taking Davenport into custody, law enforcement searched his apartment in Union City and recovered 14 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1,500 fentanyl pills, nearly half a kilogram of fentanyl powder, and three firearms.  According to the DEA, the amount of fentanyl was enough to kill thousands of people.  One of the firearms was reported stolen and contained a 50-round drum magazine.  Investigators also seized seven additional magazines and a large amount of ammunition from Davenport’s apartment.

Quintilis Davenport, 33, of Union City, Georgia, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.  Davenport was convicted on these charges on August 22, 2023, after he pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Cobb County Police Department, South Fulton Police Department, and Union City Police Department also assisted with the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bethany L. Rupert and Richard Beaulieu prosecuted the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following websites: www.justthinktwice.gov; www.operationprevention.com/; www.dea.gov/onepill

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Mohamed Hersi has been sentenced to federal prison for filing false tax returns. Hersi, who owned a tax preparation business, filed false returns on behalf of unwitting clients, collected more than $1 million in preparer fees, and then failed to disclose his own income to the IRS.

“The community trusted Hersi to provide sound tax advice to comply with our tax laws,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “But Hersi betrayed his clients’ trust, pocketed their fees, and then lied on his own returns.”

“Tax return preparer fraud is a serious breach of responsibilities for themselves and on behalf of their clients, leading to degrading trust and confidence of our tax system,” said Demetrius Hardeman, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS special agents and our law enforcement partners remain vigilant in upholding the integrity of the tax system and holding individuals accountable for their actions.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Hersi owned and operated Map Wireless Inc., d/b/a “1st Tax Center,” “Metro Tax Center,” and “Investment Financial Services” in Clarkston, Georgia. Between 2016 and 2020, Hersi prepared and filed false income tax returns for his clients that claimed false Schedule C items, withholdings, education credits, expenses, and itemized deductions to obtain inflated refunds to which his clients were not entitled.

On some occasions, Hersi provided one version of the return he planned to file to his clients, then filed a different version with the IRS which included both falsely claimed items and different direct deposit information.  During the scheme, Hersi collected over $1.2 million in fees from his clients, but never disclosed that income to the IRS, resulting in a loss of more than $400,000.

Mohamed Hersi, 40, of Decatur, Georgia, was sentenced to two years in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release, and he was ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and to pay restitution in the amount of $439,543. Hersi’s sentence also includes a prohibition on his preparing taxes for others in the future.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Dillingham prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Jeremy Graves has been sentenced for theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft for stealing identities to file fraudulent Unemployment Insurance (“UI”) claims during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Congress enacted the CARES Act to provide federal funds to assist unemployed workers during a national emergency,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Graves defrauded this critical program and stole the identities of others to perpetrate the crime.  Our office will continue to partner closely with federal, state, and local investigators to prosecute individuals who commit benefits fraud at the expense of citizens for whom this support is essential.”

“Jeremy Graves defrauded multiple state unemployment insurance (UI) systems by using the personally identifying information (PII) of identity theft victims, including the PII of deceased individuals, to submit fraudulent UI claims. DOL-OIG will continue to work with our federal and state partners to protect the integrity of UI benefit programs,” said Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent-in-Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. 

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: During the period from about July 2020 until October 2020, Graves filed approximately 39 UI applications, using 37 different stolen identities, in the states of Georgia, Arizona, California, Maryland, and Nevada.  He directed payment of the benefits to designated debit cards.  To conceal his identity, he directed the debit cards to be sent to various addresses around the Atlanta area, all near or close by his residence.  He then fraudulently received more than $200,000 in UI benefits from the states of Georgia and California.

Graves’s scheme unraveled when the Department of Labor, the agency who oversees the UI program, determined that multiple applications in multiple states had been filed from Graves’s residence.  Graves had contacted a bank about multiple UI debit cards issued to multiple individuals.  A search of Graves’s cell phone revealed a search history for “unemployment fraud,” “California unemployment,” and several of the addresses where he directed the debit cards be sent. 

Jeremy Graves, 39, of Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Geraghty to three years, eleven months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $209,214 in restitution; $193,179 to Georgia Department of Labor and $16,035 to California EDD.  Graves was convicted on the charges on August 23, 2023, after he pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane C.  Schulman prosecuted the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus

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

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Grevaughn Sanchez Goodman, Shavonte Justin Summers, Tranquilo G. Goodman, and Demetrius Lamont Randolph, Jr., have been arraigned on federal charges of conspiracy to deal in firearms without a license. Additionally, Grevaughn Goodman was arraigned on a charge of firearms trafficking conspiracy in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 933(a)(3), a new statute passed by Congress in June 2022. A fifth defendant, Dexter Wellington Roberts, III, is not yet in federal custody.  He is charged with conspiracy to deal in firearms without a license, firearms trafficking conspiracy, and smuggling.

“Illegally purchasing firearms on behalf of others is a serious crime that frequently places guns in the hands of individuals prohibited from possessing a firearm,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “Many of the firearms allegedly traced to the defendants in this case were recovered from criminals in Canada.”

“Among ATF’s top priorities is ensuring that firearms traffickers are aggressively investigated and swiftly brought to justice. This is an excellent example of such an investigation that was worked cooperatively by multiple partner agencies with outstanding results,” said Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Raymond Connor.

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: Beginning in mid-December 2022, Dexter Roberts allegedly began conspiring with a Canadian citizen and other individuals to obtain large numbers of firearms in the southeastern United States and to resell them to others, including in Canada and Mexico.

From December 2022 through February 2023, Roberts personally made retail purchases of at least 49 firearms. In January 2023, Grevaughn Goodman allegedly began purchasing firearms for the conspiracy, buying more than 50 guns from January through April 2023. Tranquilo Goodman, Grevaughn’s brother, allegedly joined the conspiracy by March 2023 and bought at least 11 firearms that month. Shavonte Summers allegedly joined the conspiracy by May 2023, and bought over 50 firearms in May and June 2023. Demetrius Randolph allegedly joined the conspiracy in June 2023, and bought at least 10 guns over two days from five different licensed firearms dealers.

During the investigation of the conspiracy, law enforcement officers completed four bulk seizures of firearms, totaling over 120 weapons in all, and including a load of 47 firearms seized from Roberts in Henry County, Georgia. Additionally, numerous other weapons allegedly purchased by defendants in this case have been seized by law enforcement throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Grevaughn Sanchez Goodman, a/k/a “The General,” 23, of Homestead, Florida, Shavonte Justin Summers, 22, of Homestead, Florida, Tranquilo G. Goodman, 24, of Miramar, Florida, and Demetrius Lamont Randolph, Jr., 23, of Homestead, Florida, were all arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda T. Walker. 

Dexter Wellington Roberts, III, a/k/a “Science,” 43, of Austell, Georgia, is not yet in federal custody.  Roberts was arrested in mid-October in the Bahamas on another weapons charge. He is charged with conspiracy to deal in firearms without a license, dealing in firearms without a license, firearms trafficking conspiracy and smuggling. Roberts, Goodman, Summers, Goodman and Randolph were indicted by a federal grand jury on October 24, 2023.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges.  The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alana R. Black is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – A Texas man and owner of two durable medical equipment companies has pleaded guilty to conspiracy for his role in a scheme to pay illegal kickbacks, resulting in more than $20 million submitted in claims to, and $11 million in payment from, Medicare.

“Medicare is a vital program that exists to assist our most vulnerable citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Our office will continue to prosecute those who exploit this institutional safety net for personal profit at the expense of patients and taxpayers.”

“When health care companies try to boost their profits through kickbacks arrangements, they compromise the medical system and increase health care costs for everyone,” says Sean Burke, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.” The FBI is committed to preventing illegal financial relationships that undermine the integrity of our public healthcare programs.”

“Kickbacks impose hidden costs on the health care system and can compromise medical decision-making,” said Tamala Miles, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General. “Working tirelessly with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG will continue to combat the waste of valuable taxpayer dollars and protect the integrity of federal health care programs.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Between at least in or about June 2016 and February 2019, Simon Orobor owned and operated Devotion Medical Supply, Inc (“Devotion”) and Durable Medical Supply, Inc. (“Durable”), which provided durable medical equipment such as knee, back, shoulder, and wrist braces. Orobor, through another entity called Digital Interventions, LLC, obtained access to thousands of Medicare beneficiaries by paying, on a weekly basis, kickbacks to Individual 1 and Company 1 in exchanged for signed doctors’ orders for braces. Orobor and Individual 1 disguised the nature and source of these kickbacks by designating the payments as marketing expenses, entering into sham contracts, and generating or causing the generation of fraudulent invoices.

In total, Orobor, through Devotion and Durable, used the doctors’ orders obtained through kickbacks to submit claims to Medicare in the approximate amount of $20,555,772 and received Medicare reimbursement in the approximate amount of $11,447,961.

Simon Orobor, 60, of Houston, Texas pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks. Sentencing is scheduled for February 15, 2024 before U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. O'Neal is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

A 12-count indictment was unsealed in the Northern District of Georgia charging 23 defendants – all alleged Sex Money Murder (SMM) gang members and associates – with crimes including racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking, and firearms violations.

According to court documents, SMM is a subset of The Bloods gang, which originated in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. The SMM subset has spread from the Bronx and New York to areas across the East Coast, including Georgia, where it operates inside and outside prisons and jails. The indictment alleges an extensive criminal enterprise in which SMM members, including inmates within the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDOC), orchestrated numerous crimes, including murders, attempted murders, attempted arson, drug trafficking within and outside of GDOC facilities, and wire and bank fraud. Eleven of the defendants were in prison when they allegedly committed or ordered the charged crimes. 

“The defendants and their criminal associates are alleged to have committed murder, engaged in stabbings and attempted murder, and distributed thousands of dollars’ worth of illicit drugs inside and outside the Georgia prison system, all to enhance the power and prestige of their gang, the Sex Money Murder set of The Bloods,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “With this RICO indictment, the Criminal Division, along with our federal, state, and local partners, again shows its commitment to hold accountable and bring to justice violent gang members who terrorize our communities and attempt to control our country’s prison systems.”

“Gang activity poses a grave risk of harm to our communities as well as to many of our institutions,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “The defendants charged in this case allegedly perpetrated numerous violent and other criminal offenses, including multiple murders, brutal assaults, and drug trafficking crimes, on behalf of the gang Sex Money Murder. For more than a decade, these gang members and their associates allegedly orchestrated a criminal enterprise within and outside of multiple prisons to earn money for, boost their status in, and impose discipline required by the gang. This indictment is the culmination of a lengthy and carefully coordinated federal and state law enforcement investigation aimed at dismantling this violent group.”

“The FBI and its partners will not stand by as members of an elaborate criminal enterprise engage in acts that endanger our communities,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “There are consequences for partaking in illegal activity, and this does not change when some of the bad actors are already behind bars. We will continue to ensure that members of the Sex Money Murder gang face justice for their alleged misconduct, which includes drug trafficking, firearms violations, and egregious violence.”

“It’s alarming to think that these criminals were brazen enough to distribute dangerous drugs and commit heinous crimes while behind bars,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Murphy of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Division. “They must now face the consequences.”

The indictment alleges that the defendants or other SMM members committed multiple acts of violence in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy, including storming a home and shooting multiple rounds of ammunition into a bathroom, killing a 9-month-old boy; on multiple occasions, incarcerated SMM members murdering, stabbing, or beating other inmates for disrespecting SMM leadership or violating SMM rules; and shooting and killing another SMM member on belief that the member had cooperated with law enforcement.

The following defendants have been charged in the indictment for conduct related to their alleged roles in the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) conspiracy and related crimes: 

• Ryan Brandt, aka Street Life and Robert Kraft, 44, of Hays State Prison in Trion, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiring, aiding, and abetting, and possessing a controlled substance and a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;
• Kyle Oree, aka Nasty Nu, 52, of Washington State Prison in Davisboro, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute and a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;
• Chase Pinckney, aka Chase Pickney, Three Shots, Noriega, and Sinatra, 38, of Ware State Prison in Waycross, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
• Elton Jackson, aka 2gz and John Madden, 41, of Telfair State Prison in Helena, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
• Sean Carr, aka Nut and Nutkase, 51, of FCI Talladega in Talladega, Alabama, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
• Lavorsia Jones, aka Shitbag, 23, of Dacula, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring, attempting, and possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute and possessing a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;
• Danielle Ford, 49, of Ellenwood, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiring to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possessing a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;
• Charlton King, aka Hell’s Militant Camp, 23, of Valdosta, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy;
• Demarco Draughn, aka Shoota B, 28, of Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy;
• Richard Smith, aka Alleyway and Brett Favre, 36, of Ware State Prison in Waycross, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
• Rontavious Fowler, aka Lil Hot, 26, of Hancock State Prison in Sparta, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy;
• Shavon Thomas, aka Shavon Edwards, 55, of Decatur, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
• Lionel Edwards, aka Tony, Tyson, and Python, 41, of USP Florence in Florence, Colorado, is charged with RICO conspiracy;
• Anthony Jernigan, aka Hell Raiser, 36, of Hays State Prison in Trion, is charged with RICO conspiracy;
• Cedric Pierre, aka Flip, 23, of Robert A. Deyton Correctional Facility in Lovejoy, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
• Ricardo Sanchez, 40, of Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
• Troy McCraine, 57, of Tennessee, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
• Qawwee Mitchell, 36, of Gainesville, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime;
• Sherri Gandy-Torres, 56, of Lakeland, Florida, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
• Nyla Blacknell, 43, of Duluth, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime;
• Tracey Wise, 46, of Milledgeville, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
• Shounnette Wooten, 50, of Gray, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute; and
• Kierra Williams, 31, of Milledgeville, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance and possessing a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute.

If convicted, the defendants face penalties including up to life in prison for the racketeering conspiracy, 10 years to life in prison for the narcotics conspiracy and drug trafficking charges, and five years to life in prison for the firearms offenses.

The FBI, the Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program, the DEA, and the Georgia Department of Corrections are investigating the case, with valuable assistance from the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, the Georgia State Patrol, the Brookhaven Police Department, the Butts County Sheriff’s Office, the DeKalb County Police Department, the Douglasville Police Department, the East Point Police Department, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, the Gwinnett County Police Department, the Marietta Police Department, the Riverdale Police Department, the Sandy Springs Police Department, and the South Fulton Police Department.

Trial Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VICAR) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case, and former VICAR Trial Attorney Rebecca R. Dunnan previously prosecuted the case.

The indictment is a result of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigations. The OCDETF mission is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States, using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency task force approach. OCDETF synchronizes and incentivizes prosecutors and agents to lead smart, creative investigations targeting the command-and-control networks of organized criminal groups and the illicit financiers that support them. Additional information about the OCDETF Program may be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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

A North Carolina man was sentenced today to 12 months in prison for his role in conspiring to defraud the United States in a syndicated conservation easement tax shelter scheme – involving inflated charitable contribution deductions – that claimed more than $1.3 billion in fraudulent tax deductions.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2008 to 2019, Walter “Terry” Douglas Roberts II, of Flat Rock, North Carolina, conspired with others to fraudulently inflate the value of the conservation easements upon which the tax deductions were based.

At the trial of his co-conspirators, Jack Fisher and James Sinnott, Roberts testified that he became a licensed appraiser in 2007 and began providing appraisals of conservation easements that same year. From 2008 through 2019, as part of the scheme, Roberts said that he fraudulently inflated the values of at least 18 conservation easements by, among other things, not following normal appraisal methods, making false statements and either personally manipulating or relying on knowingly manipulated data to reach a targeted appraisal value – communicated to him by co-conspirators – that would result in the desired tax deduction amount.  Roberts admitted that he inflated some of his appraisals by at least 600%. The 18 conservation easements Roberts fraudulently appraised as part of the scheme claimed approximately $466,961,000 in tax deductions, resulting in a tax loss to the IRS exceeding $129,000,000.

Fisher and Sinnott were convicted at trial and are presently awaiting sentencing for their crimes. To date, at least five additional defendants have pleaded guilty to criminal conduct related to Fisher’s syndicated conservation easement tax shelters, including Stein and Corey Agee, Ralph Anderson, James Benkoil and Randall Lenz.

In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten for the Northern District of Georgia ordered Roberts to serve three years of supervised release, perform 120 hours of community service and pay $129,210,760 in restitution to the United States.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia and Chief James C. Lee of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement.

IRS-CI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Richard M. Rolwing, Grace Albinson, Parker Tobin, Jessica Kraft and Nicholas J. Schilling Jr. of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Huber, Deputy Chief of the Complex Frauds Section for the Northern District of Georgia prosecuted the case,

ATLANTA – A 12-count indictment was unsealed last week in the Northern District of Georgia, charging 23 defendants, all alleged Sex Money Murder (SMM) gang members and associates, with racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking, and firearms violations.

“Gang activity poses a grave risk of harm to our communities as well as to many of our institutions,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “The defendants charged in this case allegedly perpetrated numerous violent and other criminal offenses, including multiple murders, brutal assaults, and drug trafficking crimes, on behalf of the gang Sex Money Murder. For more than a decade, these gang members and their associates allegedly orchestrated a criminal enterprise within and outside of multiple prisons to earn money for, boost their status in, and impose discipline required by, the gang. This indictment is the culmination of a lengthy and carefully coordinated federal and state law enforcement investigation aimed at dismantling this violent group.”

“The defendants and their criminal associates are alleged to have committed murder, engaged in stabbings and attempted murder, and distributed thousands of dollars’ worth of illicit drugs inside and outside the Georgia prison system, all to enhance the power and prestige of their gang, the Sex Money Murder set of The Bloods,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “With this RICO indictment, the Criminal Division, along with our federal, state, and local partners, again shows its commitment to hold accountable and bring to justice violent gang members who terrorize our communities and attempt to control our country’s prison systems.”

“For too long, criminal gangs have wreaked havoc on our streets, destroying families, neighborhoods, and communities. Georgia residents deserve to exist without fear and intimidation inflicted by violent gangs,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “To alleged gang members and others infecting our streets—the FBI and our law enforcement partners will find and prosecute you no matter how long it takes or where you are living.”

“This extremely labor-intensive investigation would not have been possible without the hard work and commitment demonstrated by the investigating Agents, Task Force Officers, and Prosecutors.  These indictments are a culmination of the collaborative efforts by all agencies involved; our communities are safer because of this investigation,” said Dan Salter, the Director of the Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. 

“It’s alarming to think that these criminals were brazen enough to distribute dangerous drugs and commit heinous crimes while behind bars,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “They must now face the consequences.”

“Gang activity inside correctional facilities throughout our state continues to be a challenge, and we are using every resource at our disposal to combat this issue,” said Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Tyrone Oliver. “As one of Governor Kemp’s initiatives is to fight gang activity, our agents work non-stop with our law enforcement partners statewide, and this is yet another example of that vital collaboration,” continued Oliver. “We appreciate the support of our local, state, and federal partners in ensuring that justice is served on these individuals.”

“With the creation of Georgia’s first statewide Gang Prosecution Unit, we’re working with all levels of law enforcement to investigate and prosecute criminal gang activity wherever it occurs,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. “Alongside our partners at the Georgia Department of Corrections, we will continue to hold accountable those who use a contraband cellphone to direct further violence from behind bars. Our top priority is to protect our fellow Georgians, and that’s exactly what we’re fighting to do each day.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: SMM is a national gang and subset of The Bloods gang, which originated in the early 1970s in Los Angeles, California. The SMM subset spread from the Bronx, New York area across the East Coast, including Georgia, where it operates inside and outside prisons and jails.

The indictment alleges an extensive criminal enterprise in which inmates within the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDOC), often using contraband cellphones, orchestrated numerous crimes, including murders, attempted murders, attempted arson, drug trafficking – within and outside the GDOC, and fraud. Eleven of the defendants were in prison when they allegedly committed or ordered the charged offenses. 

The indictment alleges that SMM is organized into subgroups, called “sets” or “lines,” which are responsible for carrying out the affairs of the gang within their individual territories. Typically, each set or line is responsible for representing SMM through the commission of criminal activities, the generation of financial proceeds, the resolution of internal and external conflicts, and the enforcement of strict adherence to SMM rules and protocols. Each set or line has its own “line-up,” or hierarchy of ranked gang members from each territory. A set or line and its leaders fall under higher-ranking national leaders, including the “Royal Flush,” and are ultimately subject to the overall command of “Royal Flush” members.

Certain SMM members hold a specific rank within the gang or within a specific set or line. Specific duties and responsibilities are associated with each rank. The SMM rank structure often includes a delineation between incarcerated members (“behind the wall”) and non-incarcerated members (“on the streets”). In many instances, leadership “behind the wall” also exerts control over membership “on the streets.”

The indictment alleges that the defendants committed multiple acts of violence in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy, including that:

• On or about May 10, 2014, following the directive of an SMM leader, four SMM members and associates stormed a home in DeKalb County, Georgia and shot multiple rounds of ammunition into a bathroom, killing a nine-month-old boy.
• On or about March 13, 2017, at Autry State Prison in Pelham, Georgia, defendant Cedric Pierre and another SMM member repeatedly stabbed another inmate on orders from defendant Chase Pinckney.
• On or about October 11, 2017, defendant Demarco Draughn murdered an inmate at Hancock State Prison on orders from defendant Anthony Jernigan because the inmate had allegedly violated one of SMM’s rules.
• On or about March 20, 2019, defendant Rontavious Fowler murdered an inmate at Smith State Prison in Glennville, Georgia.
• On or about May 10, 2020, at Hancock State Prison in Sparta, Georgia, SMM members isolated another SMM member in a prison cell, tied him up, and repeatedly stabbed him on suspicion that the SMM member had allegedly violated one of the gang’s rules.
• On or about May 11, 2020, at GDOC’s Special Management Unit, defendants Demarco Draughn and Rontavious Fowler repeatedly stabbed another inmate, as directed by SMM leadership.
• On or about November 5, 2020, defendant Chase Pinckney authorized the beating of an inmate at Ware State Prison in Waycross, Georgia on suspicion that the inmate had allegedly violated one of SMM’s rules.
• On or about December 9, 2020, an SMM member shot and killed another gang member in Griffin, Georgia, on belief that the member had cooperated with law enforcement.
• Between on or about January 31 through on or about February 4, 2021, defendant Cedric Pierre directed SMM members to set fire to a drug customer’s home in Colbert, Georgia.

The following defendants have been charged in the indictment for conduct related to their alleged roles in the RICO conspiracy and related crimes:

• Ryan Brandt, a/k/a Street Life and Robert Kraft, 44, of Hays State Prison in Trion, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiring, aiding and abetting, and possessing a controlled substance and a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;

• Kyle Oree, a/k/a Nasty Nu, 52, of Washington State Prison in Davisboro, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance and a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;

• Chase Pinckney, a/k/a Chase Pickney, Three Shots, Noriega, and Sinatra, 38, of Ware State Prison in Waycross, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Elton Jackson, a/k/a 2gz and John Madden, 41, of Telfair State Prison in Helena, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Sean Carr, a/k/a Nut and Nutkase, 51, of FCI Talladega in Talladega, Alabama, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Lavorsia Jones, a/k/a Shitbag, 23, of Dacula, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiring, attempting, and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, and possessing a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;

• Danielle Ford, 49, of Ellenwood, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, and possessing a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;

• Charlton King, a/k/a Hell’s Militant Camp, 23 of Valdosta, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy;

• Demarco Draughn, a/k/a Shoota B, 28, of Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy;

• Richard Smith, a/k/a Alleyway and Brett Favre, 36, of Ware State Prison in Waycross, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Rontavious Fowler, a/k/a Lil Hot, 26, of Hancock State Prison in Sparta, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy;

• Shavon Thomas, a/k/a Shavon Edwards, 55, of Decatur, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Lionel Edwards, a/k/a Tony, Tyson, and Python, 41, of USP Florence in Florence, Colorado, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Anthony Jernigan, a/k/a Hell Raiser, 36, of Hays State Prison in Trion, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy;

• Cedric Pierre, a/k/a Flip, 23, of Robert A. Deyton Correctional Facility in Lovejoy, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Ricardo Sanchez, 40, of Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Troy McCraine, 57, of Tennessee, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Qawwee Mitchell, 36, of Gainesville, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime;

• Sherri Gandy-Torres, 56, of Lakeland, Florida, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Nyla Blacknell, 43, of Duluth, state, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and carrying a firearm during and in relation to of a drug trafficking crime;

• Tracey Wise, 46, Milledgeville, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Shounnette Wooten, 50, of Gray, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute; and

• Kierra Williams, 31, of Haddock, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and possessing a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute.

Nine of the defendants were arrested on November 8, 2023 and appeared in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, Georgia and Albany, Georgia the same day.  Eight additional defendants were arraigned in Atlanta on November 9, 2023.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program and Drug Enforcement Administration, and Georgia Department of Corrections, with valuable assistance from the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Marshals Service, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Georgia State Patrol, Brookhaven Police Department, Butts County Sheriff’s Office, DeKalb County Police Department, Douglasville Police Department, East Point Police Department, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Gwinnett County Police Department, Marietta Police Department, Riverdale Police Department, Sandy Springs Police Department, and South Fulton Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg of the Northern District of Georgia, and Trial Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering (VICAR) Section are prosecuting the case, and former VICAR Trial Attorney Rebecca R. Dunnan previously prosecuted the case.

The indictment is a result of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigations. The OCDETF mission is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States, using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency task force approach. OCDETF synchronizes and incentivizes prosecutors and agents to lead smart, creative investigations targeting the command-and-control networks of organized criminal groups and the illicit financiers that support them. Additional information about the OCDETF Program may be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Brett Weiner and Valerie Desalvo have pled guilty to federal conspiracy charges for their role in buying and selling fake doctors’ orders used to obtain over $1.5 million in fraudulent payments from Medicare.

“Durable Medical Equipment fraud schemes involve much more than simply bilking the Medicare system,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “These schemes exploit our most vulnerable citizens in the name of personal greed, and our office is committed to finding and prosecuting those involved.”

“Health care fraud is all about the money,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hopefully this case and the work of our special agents with their financial expertise will be a deterrent to anyone thinking about abusing federal healthcare programs to line their own pockets.”

“Kickbacks can corrupt medical decision-making, resulting in medically unnecessary durable medical equipment and services. Such schemes can affect the availability of medically needed services and drive up the cost of health care for everyone,” stated Special Agent in Charge Tamala Miles with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “Individuals and entities that participate in the federal health care system are required to obey the laws meant to preserve the integrity of program funds and the provision of appropriate, quality services to patients.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Brett Weiner and Valerie Desalvo owned and operated Laboratory Marketing Services, LLC (“LMS”), a business in Boca Raton, Florida. LMS was in the business of, among other things, receiving kickback payments in exchange for patient “leads,” consisting of billable Medicare beneficiaries’ personal identifying information. Defendants Weiner and Desalvo received bribes from DME companies such as Medihealth Medical Solutions, LLC, located in Amory, Mississippi, and Liberty Medical DME, LLC, in Atlanta, Georgia, in exchange for the leads. These “leads” included, among other information, each Medicare beneficiary’s name, Medicare number, diagnoses, pain level, and primary care physician.

Through LMS, Weiner and Desalvo also bought and sold signed doctors’ orders from Nagaindra Srivastav and his company B2B Apps Solutions, LLC in Tampa, Florida, which they sold to DME companies. A substantial portion of the doctors’ orders that Weiner and Desalvo purchased from Srivastav and B2B contained forged signatures or purported approvals of physicians or other health care providers whose names and professional identifying information were used without their authorization or knowledge.

In total, Weiner and Desalvo, through LMS, caused the submission of more than $.15 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, which generated approximately $715,000 in payments, for braces that were procured through the payment of illegal kickbacks and bribes and were ineligible for Medicare reimbursement.

Brett Weiner, 61, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Valerie Desalvo, 58, of Boca Raton, Florida, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks. Sentencing is scheduled for February 8, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. O'Neal is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Sean Patrick Cirillo has been charged with transmitting interstate threats to injure Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and her staff on November 8, 2023. Cirillo made his initial appearance in federal court today.

“Cirillo’s alleged threats to harm the Congresswoman and her staff are intended to sow fear in our public servants,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Any individual who threatens or seeks to intimidate government officials should expect to be swiftly charged and vigorously prosecuted.”

“Unlawful threats against our elected officials are an assault against our democracy,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “No one should fear violence because of who they are or what they believe. The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to seek justice in these cases.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: On November 8, 2023, Sean Patrick Cirillo called Congresswoman Greene’s District of Columbia office twice and threatened violence against her, her staff, and their families. 

During one of the calls, Cirillo said: “Yeah, I got a bead on her. Like, a sniper rifle. A sniper rifle. And I’m gonna kill her next week. I’m gonna murder her. I’m gonna shoot her in the [expletive] head, okay? Tell the FBI, okay? I’m gonna kill this [expletive]. Tell her. I’ll kill you too if you want.” Cirillo went on to shout, “You don’t think you’re gonna get payback? You’re gonna die! Your family is gonna die! [Expletive!] You don’t think it’s gonna happen when you’re out of power?”

Sean Patrick Cirillo, 34, of DeKalb County, Georgia, was charged by criminal complaint on November 9, 2023.  Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint only contains charges.  The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bret R. Hobson and Brent Alan Gray are prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Amos Christolin is the last defendant to be sentenced for his role in a scheme to smuggle dozens of kilograms of cocaine hidden in tubs of butter from Haiti and distribute the drugs within the United States, including through the Atlanta area.

“Dangerous drugs smuggled from overseas threaten our communities and risk serious disruption to our international carriers,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “We are grateful for the excellent coordination of our federal, state, and local law enforcement, and international, partners who made this successful investigation and prosecution possible.”

“Together, we were able to prevent a substantial amount of drugs from reaching the streets. I’m proud to stand alongside our partner agencies as we work to stop these criminal enterprises that pollute our neighborhoods with their poison,” said Acting Special Agent in charge Travis Pickard who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI will continue to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle these drug trafficking organizations and prevent them from flooding our communities with illicit drugs.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: On August 24, 2017, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Miami, Florida conducted a border search of a shipment bound for the Atlanta, Georgia area. The shipment entered the United States from Haiti. The search revealed 28 packages of white powder hidden within tubs of Haitian butter. The packages tested positive for cocaine and weighed approximately 28 kilograms.

Homeland Security Investigations Special Agents in Atlanta made a controlled delivery of the drugs to the shipment’s intended destination, a business in Austell, Georgia. Vital Joseph arrived to pick up the shipment.

Further investigation revealed that the source of supply for these drugs, Jean Yves-Durogel, had shipped at least four previous loads of cocaine hidden in butter from Haiti to Joseph in the United States. Joseph then distributed these drugs to individuals in the Miami, Florida, area previously identified to him by Durogel. One of these individuals was Amos Christolin. In all, agents determined that more than 100 kilograms of cocaine had been shipped from Haiti to the United States. The wholesale price for these drugs would have exceeded $3 million.

Amos Christolin, also known as “Patizan,” 52, of Miami, Florida, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.  A jury convicted Christolin of the charges on August 4, 2023.

U.S. District Judges Amy Totenberg and Steve C. Jones, respectively, previously sentenced the co-defendants as follows:

• Jean Yves Durogel, 48, of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, received a sentence of six years, eight months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release; and
• Vital Joseph, 47, of Douglasville, Georgia, received a sentence of six years, six months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with valuable assistance provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol, and the Republic of Haiti.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas N. Joy and C. Brock Brockington prosecuted the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.                                                 

ATLANTA – Saima Syed, M.D. (“Dr. Syed”), Atlanta Medical and Aesthetic Center, Inc. d/b/a AIM Medical Center (“Syed Practice Group”), and Rehan Syed have agreed to pay $225,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by, among other things, billing the government for office visits that were not medically necessary, were not provided as claimed, and were not supported by patient medical records.

“Physicians who attempt to unlawfully obtain funds from government healthcare programs by padding their bills siphon scarce resources from vital programs,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “This settlement represents our office’s commitment to ensure accountability for physicians who place their greed over following the rules established by Medicare and Medicaid.”

“Physicians who put their own profits above their professional responsibilities to their patients and to honestly billing federal health programs put both patient well-being and taxpayer funding at risk,” said Tamala E. Miles, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our agency, working closely with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate health care fraud schemes to protect these safety net programs and the enrollees relying on them.”

“Our office works diligently to protect the integrity of Georgia’s Medicaid program,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. “Through enforcement actions like this settlement, we’re able to retrieve taxpayer dollars that have been unlawfully diverted and return them to the public good they’re intended to serve.”

This settlement resolves allegations that from January 2, 2018, to February 12, 2021, Saima Syed knowingly submitted false claims to federal healthcare programs for office visits that were not as complex or lengthy as Saima Syed purported. This is a practice commonly known as “upcoding.”  The government also alleged that Saima Syed submitted claims of certain office visits to federal healthcare programs as though she had personally provided the service, even though she was travelling out of the country at the time these services were allegedly performed.

The settlement also resolves allegations in a lawsuit filed by Herretta Pickens and Tahirah McCloud, both of whom are former Syed Practice Group employees, under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act.  The False Claims Act authorizes private parties to sue for false claims on behalf of the United States and share in the recovery.  The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of Georgia and is captioned United States ex rel. Pickens and McCloud v. Atlanta Medical and Aesthetic Center, Inc. d/b/a AIM Medical Center et al., No. 1:20-CV-4556-JPB.

The investigation of this matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Austin M. Hall, Assistant Attorney General Sara Vann, and Assistant Attorney General Mary Bryan.  The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.   

The Georgia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $4,871,744 for Federal FY 2024. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,623,912 for FY 2024, is funded by the State of Georgia.
 

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmail@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
 

ATLANTA - Joshua Herrera, who attempted to arrange to meet a minor girl for sex online, has been sentenced to federal prison for enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

“Online predators, like Herrera, mistakenly believe that they can anonymously exploit social media and apps to sexually abuse young children,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “But the tireless efforts of federal, state, and local investigators make it possible to hold these perpetrators accountable. We strongly encourage parents to remain vigilant in monitoring their children’s use of electronic devices and to immediately report suspicious activity to law enforcement.”

“The severity of this sentence clearly reflects the threat Herrera posed to the community and is the greatest message the FBI can send to anyone who would think about harming a child in this way,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.  “This is case shows the lengths the FBI will go to thwart child predators and we are thankful for the hard work of our team that connected with Herrera before he could get to an innocent child.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court:  On November 19, 2019, Joshua Herrera communicated online with an undercover special agent and expressed interest in performing sex acts on a minor girl, requested photographs of the child, and arranged to meet the girl. On January 16, 2020, Herrera drove from Athens, Georgia, to a pre-arranged location in metro-Atlanta where he believed he would meet the child. FBI special agents arrested him upon his arrival.

Joshua Herrera, 29, of Kennesaw, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg to 19 and a half years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. He is also required to register as a sex offender. Herrera was convicted of the offense on March 30, 2023, after a four-day jury trial.  

The FBI investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Gabay-Smith and Jesika W. French prosecuted the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood.  In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Andy Steven Johnson, a correctional officer and member of the Special Investigative Services team at the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta, pleaded guilty to stealing money from an inmate’s CashApp account and also using a business that did not exist to fraudulently apply for a Paycheck Protection Program loan.

“Johnson exploited his position at the prison to victimize inmates and steal from them,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “He also tried to steal pandemic disaster relief funds by defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program, all while being responsible for seizing contraband and investigating misconduct at the prison. The Department of Justice will prosecute corrupt insiders and seek to hold them accountable for their misconduct.”

“Johnson committed brazen acts of theft and fraud. Rather than conducting himself with integrity, he sought to personally gain, stealing from an inmate and attempting to fraudulently obtain pandemic relief funds meant to help those with legitimate hardships. The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General will aggressively pursue justice for victims of these kinds of shameless acts,” said Sandra D. Barnes, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for the Investigations Division at the DOJ OIG.”

“Lying to gain access to economic stimulus funds will be met with justice,” said SBA OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “SBA OIG will aggressively pursue evidence of fraud against SBA’s programs aimed at assisting the nation’s small businesses struggling with the pandemic challenges. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: Since January 2015, Johnson worked as a correctional officer at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta. Starting in December 2018, he was assigned to the Special Investigative Services (“SIS”) team, where he was responsible for conducting investigations into inmate misconduct, including smuggling and possession of contraband. As part of his SIS duties, he searched inmates and seized various types of contraband, including drugs, tobacco, and cell phones. In that role, on January 13, 2021, Johnson seized a contraband mobile phone from an inmate. Instead of processing the phone pursuant to policy, he opened CashApp on the phone and transferred $300 to his own CashApp account. He later transferred those funds into his personal checking account.

Johnson also defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), which was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act – a federal law enacted in March 2020 that was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized an initial $349 billion in loans to small businesses for payroll, mortgage interest, rent/lease, and utilities through the PPP program. Congress subsequently increased the amount of funding. PPP loans did not have to be paid back if certain conditions were met.

On March 4, 2021, Johnson submitted an online application for a PPP loan for a business named Performance Customs. Johnson claimed on the application that the business had operated since January 1, 2020; produced an annual revenue of $76,000 and paid an average monthly payroll of $6,333; and would use the PPP loan proceeds to pay wages, rent or mortgage interest, and utilities for the business. Based on that application, Johnson was approved for a forgivable loan of $15,832. In reality, Performance Customs did not exist and Johnson had completely fabricated the information on the application.

Andy Steven Johnson, 42, of Peachtree City, Georgia, pleaded guilty to theft by an employee of the United States and wire fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for February 7, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett L. Bradford, Chief of the Public Integrity and Civil Rights Section, is prosecuting the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus

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

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - James G. Maloney, who served as the Chief Scientist for the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), has been sentenced to federal prison for conspiring to defraud Georgia Tech and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Maloney’s co-conspirators, James J. Acree and James D. Fraley, III—both of whom pleaded guilty in 2016 and cooperated with the government—were also sentenced.

“Maloney, who was trusted to work on classified contracts for the U.S. government, took advantage of his high position at GTRI to line his own pockets at the public’s expense,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “In addition to losing his job and his top-secret security clearance, Maloney is now facing a prison sentence and will be required to pay more than $1.9 million in restitution.”

“Maloney’s sentence should send a clear message to anyone seeking to abuse their positions for personal gain, the FBI will find you and hold you accountable”, said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Thanks to our extraordinary partnership with Georgia Tech, even with Maloney’s defense tactics he was unable to avoid the consequences of his crimes. He will now be held accountable with his coconspirators, closing out this lengthy case.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court:  From early 2007 through late 2013, Maloney, Acree, and Fraley engaged in a scheme to defraud Georgia Tech and the CIA. The men are experts in electromagnetic analysis and measurements and were assigned to GTRI’s Advanced Concepts Laboratory (ACL), where they worked on projects funded by the United States Department of Defense, various intelligence agencies, and private industry.

PCard Fraud

As part of his duties and responsibilities at GTRI, Fraley had access to a Georgia Tech credit card known as a “PCard.” Fraley was only authorized to use his PCard to purchase materials and supplies for official Georgia Tech business. Neither Fraley nor anyone else was allowed to charge personal expenses on a PCard.

Maloney, Acree, and Fraley falsely led GTRI to believe that all of their PCard charges were for official business. In fact, they charged approximately $200,000 in frivolous personal expenses on Fraley’s PCard. Maloney and Fraley also used Fraley’s PCard to pay for remodeling and maintenance expenses related to six rental properties that they owned together in the name of a Georgia corporation called J’s Services, Inc.

Some of the fraudulent PCard charges and some of the remodeling and maintenance expenses for Maloney and Fraley’s rental properties were fraudulently charged to a classified GTRI contract funded by the CIA.

Fraudulent Consulting Activity

In February 2007, Maloney and Acree were reprimanded by GTRI for engaging in outside consulting activity that violated Georgia Tech’s conflict-of-interest policy. Maloney and Acree sent a letter to their supervisor at GTRI, acknowledging that they had used facilities and equipment owned by Georgia Tech for their personal gain and benefit and promising that they would never do so again. But Maloney and Acree continued to engage in outside consulting activity that harmed Georgia Tech, and they were soon joined by Fraley.

Tec-Masters Inc.

From December 2007 through March 2013, while they were employed full-time by Georgia Tech, Maloney, Acree, and Fraley received approximately $500,000 from Picatinny Arsenal, SRA International, and the U.S. Air Force. They obtained those consulting contracts by using Acree’s former employer, Tec-Masters, Inc., as a billing pass-through. Tec-Masters, a defense contractor located in Huntsville, Alabama, performed no labor on any of the projects but merely facilitated the transfer of money from the customers to Maloney, Acree, and Fraley. Maloney, Acree, and Fraley falsely led those customers to believe that the work would be done by GTRI. They fostered this false impression by using their official GTRI telephone numbers and GTRI email addresses in their communications with customers. In addition, they met with customers at GTRI’s headquarters on the Georgia Tech campus and gave customers tours of GTRI’s labs and other facilities. Maloney called this conduct “hiding in plain sight.”

Spectra Research, Inc.

From December 2010 through July 2013, Maloney and Fraley also moonlighted as consultants for Spectra Research, Inc., a defense contractor located in Dayton, Ohio. Spectra paid J’s Services $196,000 for this work. Maloney and Fraley directed Georgia Tech employees under their supervision at GTRI to help perform this consulting work for Spectra. Maloney and Fraley also directed those Georgia Tech employees to bill time for Spectra work to a classified CIA contract, even though that contract had nothing to do with Spectra.

In their outside consulting work, Maloney, Acree, and Fraley violated Georgia Tech’s conflict-of-interest policy and code of business conduct; diverted customers and revenue away from Georgia Tech for their personal gain; and used Georgia Tech facilities and equipment for their personal benefit.

Cover-up

During a routine audit in early 2013, Georgia Tech discovered problematic charges on Fraley’s PCard and scheduled a meeting with him. Maloney suggested to Acree and Fraley that they meet to get their “story straight.” Fraley, fearing that Maloney would seek to shift all the blame to him, recorded the cover-up meetings and provided those recordings to the FBI.

In their cover-up meetings, Maloney asked Acree and Fraley to help him create a fictitious story to mislead Georgia Tech auditors. Maloney also suggested that they try to force Georgia Tech to shut down the audit by telling the auditors that the items charged to Fraley’s PCard were purchased for use on a classified CIA contract, and that the auditors did not need to know further details. That false narrative foreshadowed Maloney’s planned defense in the criminal case.

James G. Maloney, 58, of Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced to five years, ten months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $1,972,543.61. Maloney was convicted on these charges on May 22, 2023, after he pleaded guilty.

James J. Acree, 58, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to serve three years on probation, with the first 12 months to be served on home confinement, and ordered to pay restitution of $604,692.56. Acree was convicted on these charges on August 15, 2016, after he pleaded guilty.

James D. Fraley, III, 45, of Canton, Georgia, was sentenced to serve three years on probation, with the first eight months to be served on home confinement, and ordered to pay restitution of $476,960.95. Fraley was convicted on these charges on September 2, 2016, after he pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Russell Phillips and Stephen H. McClain and Trial Attorney Emma D. Ellenrieder of the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Five individuals have been sentenced for their involvement in a sex trafficking scheme that occurred throughout the Northern District of Georgia. The conduct came to light after a minor victim was reported missing in Miami, Florida when her parents realized she failed to board a flight to Honduras. The minor had been transported by two defendants to Georgia and forced to commit commercial sex acts and participate in “sex parties.” 

“Sex trafficking exploits and traumatizes some of the most vulnerable members of our society,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “Sex trafficking victims from immigrant communities can be especially fearful of reporting these crimes. So, our office is grateful for the diligence of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners who remained steadfast in achieving the trust of the victims in this case and helping to secure justice for these young girls and their families.”

“These criminals were more concerned with their own selfishness and greed than the terrible circumstances they exposed minors to,” said Brian Ozden, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “These crimes are among the most depraved on the books. With a victim-centered approach, the FBI will continue working with our law enforcement partners to hold those who choose to prey on our most vulnerable citizens accountable.”

“The investigators and U.S. Attorney’s office did a great job prosecuting this case.  I am pleased that the Dalton Police Department was able to play a role in getting these individuals off the streets,” said Dalton Police Chief Cliff Cason.

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Brian Hernandez Acosta, along with co-defendants Nilageo Alvarez Acosta, Jaime Adam Riano, Anthony Joseph Lawhon, and Brandi Rice Stumpe, conspired to traffic minor girls for commercial sex throughout North Georgia.  Beginning in or around November 2015, and continuing until December 2016, the defendants caused at least six girls between 16 and 17 years old to engage in prostitution, including by using force, fraud, and coercion.

Hernandez Acosta, after pursuing some of the girls on Facebook and Snapchat, posted provocative photographs of them in the adult entertainment and escort sections of Backpage.com, a classified advertisement website seized by the Department of Justice.   Hernandez Acosta used these ads to solicit men to engage in sex with the minors for money. The advertisements used fake names for the minors and falsely listed the girls’ ages as between 19 through 21 years old. 

Hernandez Acosta and his brother, Alvarez Acosta, forced one 16-year-old girl to engage in sex with men after driving her from Florida to Georgia after falsely claiming they would provide the girl a place to live. The defendants required the young girls to engage in sex acts with multiple men each night and kept a large portion of the money they earned. Riano acted as the co-defendants’ driver and transported the minors to hotel locations throughout the district, where the girls were forced to engage in commercial sex acts.

Between July 2016 and December 2016, co-defendants Anthony Joseph Lawhon and Brandi Rice Stumpe hosted numerous sex parties at their residence in Canton, Georgia, where they engaged in sex acts with minor girls and young women, while plying them with alcohol and cocaine. Investigators recovered images of some of this conduct on Hernandez Acosta’s cellphone. Lawhon paid Hernandez Acosta thousands of dollars in exchange for commercial sex and cocaine.

Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. sentenced the defendants for their respective roles in the criminal scheme as follows:

• Jaime Adam Riano, 34, of East Ridge, Tennessee, was sentenced to seven years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Riano pleaded guilty on November 17, 2017, to two counts of sex trafficking children under 18 years old.

• Nilageo Alvarez-Acosta, 37, of Camaguey, Cuba, was sentenced to 23 years in prison to be followed by 20 years of supervised release. Alvarez-Acosta pleaded guilty on April 11, 2019, to the offense of sex trafficking of a minor, transportation of a minor for prostitution, and two counts of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor.

• Hernandez Acosta, 32 of Havana, Cuba, was sentenced to 30 years in prison to be followed by 20 years of supervised release.  Acosta was sentenced after pleading guilty on July 1, 2019, to conducting a child exploitation enterprise, sex trafficking minors by force, fraud, or coercion, sex trafficking of children under 18 years old, transporting a minor in interstate commerce for prostitution, producing child pornography, and distributing cocaine to a person under 21 years old.

• Brandi Rice Stumpe, 40, of Powder Springs, Georgia, was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, including 100 hours of community service. Stumpe pleaded guilty on August 5, 2020, to the offense of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor.

• Anthony Joseph Lawhon, 44, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 10 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release after pleading guilty on April 14, 2022, to the offense of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dalton Police Department.  The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Murray County Sheriff’s Office also provided assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dash A. Cooper and Phyllis Clerk, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzette Smikle, prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Arthur Ray Hanson, II, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta on charges of transmitting interstate threats to injure Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat because of their connections to the Fulton County, Georgia, investigation of former President Donald Trump.  Hanson made his initial appearance in federal court in Huntsville and will be formally arraigned in Atlanta on November 13, 2023.

“Sending interstate threats to physically harm prosecutors and law enforcement officers is a vile act intended to interfere with the administration of justice and intimidate individuals who accept a solemn duty to protect and safeguard the rights of citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “When someone threatens to harm public servants for doing their jobs to enforce our criminal laws, it potentially weakens the very foundation of our society. Our office will labor tirelessly with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to help ensure that law enforcement officials are free to serve our communities without the threat of physical attack.”

“Threats against public servants are not only illegal, but also a threat against our democratic process,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.  “The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. We take this responsibility very seriously and seek to punish those who engage in this type of criminal behavior, and to send the message that such conduct will not be tolerated.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the indictment, and other information presented in court: On August 6, 2023, Arthur Ray Hanson called the Fulton County Government customer services line twice and left two voicemails—the first for Sheriff Labat and the second for District Attorney Willis.  During both calls, Hanson threatened violence against the officials. 

In his message for the Sheriff, Hanson made statements that included: “if you think you gonna take a mugshot of my President Donald Trump and it’s gonna be ok, you gonna find out that after you take that mugshot, some bad [expletive]’s probably gonna happen to you;” “if you take a mugshot of the President and you’re the reason it happened, some bad [expletive]’s gonna happen to you;” “I’m warning you right now before you [expletive] up your life and get hurt real bad;” “whether you got a [expletive] badge or not ain’t gonna help you none;” and “you gonna get [expletive]ed up you keep [expletive]ing with my President.” 

In Hanson’s message for the District Attorney, he made statements that included: “watch it when you’re going to the car at night, when you’re going into your house, watch everywhere that you’re going;” “I would be very afraid if I were you because you can’t be around people all the time that are going to protect you;” “there’s gonna be moments when you’re gonna be vulnerable;” “when you charge Trump on that fourth indictment, anytime you’re alone, be looking over your shoulder;” and “what you put out there, [expletive], comes back at you ten times harder, and don’t ever forget it.”

Arthur Ray Hanson, II, 59, of Huntsville, Alabama, was indicted October 25, 2023.  Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges.  The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bret R. Hobson and Brent Alan Gray are prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Mehboobhusain Malik, who performed thousands of fraudulent emissions tests, has pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act.

“The Georgia emissions program exists to protect our community’s air quality,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “With his guilty plea, Malik admits that he essentially sold his position as a licensed emissions inspector by issuing fake emissions certificates for cars that should have failed the test.”                       

“This case demonstrates how local, state, and federal agencies work together to uphold and enforce laws designed to protect human health and the air that we breathe,” said Sara Lips, Director of Communications and Community Engagement for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.  “It further underscores EPD’s emphasis on compliance and enforcement in the Enhanced Inspection and Maintenance Program to ensure Georgia and Metro Atlanta continues to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Under the Clean Air Act (the “Act”), states with areas that exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standards must implement a vehicle inspection and maintenance program. In Georgia, implementation of the Act requires motor vehicle emissions testing in multiple counties, including Fulton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett. To perform the tests, a licensed emissions inspector logs into the Georgia Analyzer System (“GAS”) using biometric technology, inputs the Vehicle Identification Number and license plate number, and conducts the emissions inspection. Once the test is complete, the GAS uploads the test record to allow the vehicle to be registered if the test is passed, or blocked if the test is failed.

Since May 1, 2002, Georgia has been testing 1996 and newer vehicles by using their On Board Diagnostic (“OBD”) systems to check for emissions compliance. The OBD II is accessed through a 16-pin data connector, generally located beneath the vehicle’s dashboard. Simulators have been developed to allow auto manufacturers to simulate different conditions when they design new engines and/or vehicles. Because the simulators are designed to work with vehicle diagnostic tools, these simulators have the same 16-pin data connection as a vehicle’s actual OBD II system and can be used fraudulently to perform an emissions test.

Mehboobhusain Malik was an emissions inspector for Georgia who used his biometric login to initiate emissions tests.  For vehicles that could not pass the emissions test, Malik and his confederates programmed a simulator with the vehicle information of the non-passing vehicle.  The emissions test was run while the system was attached to the simulator in order to pass the test.  That way, Malik falsely attributed the passing test to the vehicle that was programed into the simulator, allowing the vehicle to be improperly registered.

Malik performed thousands of these fraudulent emissions tests at multiple testing locations in the Atlanta metro area.

Mehboobhusain Malik, 72, of Lilburn, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Clean Air Act.  Sentencing is scheduled for January 18, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-Criminal Investigation Division and the Georgia State Environmental Protection Division.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Huber is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Billy Calhoun has been sentenced for producing child pornography. Calhoun convinced multiple minor girls he met online to send him sexually explicit videos and images by pretending he was a teenage boy.

“Calhoun took advantage of the anonymity the Internet provides to target and victimize young girls,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “While social media can provide a forum for young people to safely connect with family and friends, this case should serve as a reminder to parents that vigilance of their children’s online activity is critical.”

“This sentence ensures Billy Calhoun will not harm children in our community for a long time. We hope his victims will be able to recover from the emotional scars left by his actions,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley. “The FBI will continue to work to ensure justice is served on those who commit these terrible crimes.”

“Our detectives work tirelessly to make sure the most vulnerable are given a voice and those who would do them harm are brought to justice,” said Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer.  “We are proud of our working relationship with our local and federal partners to ensure the full weight of the justice system is brought to bear on those who would victimize our communities’ children.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: Calhoun came to the attention of law enforcement in February 2020 after the Cobb County Police Department (“CCPD”) received a call from a local middle school regarding the alleged exploitation of one of its teenage students. CCPD was advised that an older male—later identified as Calhoun—brought lunch to a 14-year-old girl. The girl told school administrators that the older male was her boyfriend’s uncle and explained to them that she had a 16-year-old boyfriend, “Zack,” who she met on Instagram several months earlier. Investigators learned that the girl had never actually met or seen “Zack” but that she had sent him nude photos using a cell phone. They also learned that “Zack” bought her gifts, including a cell phone and two laptops. Several weeks after initially speaking with the 14-year-old girl, CCPD learned that Calhoun had attempted to pick her up at school without her mother’s permission. CCPD subsequently arrested Calhoun on state charges.

During a post-arrest interview with CCPD detectives, Calhoun admitted that he was “Zack” and pretended to be a 16-year-old when he learned the girl was 14 years old. Calhoun also admitted to receiving sexually explicit videos from her. CCPD later executed several search warrants on Calhoun’s cellular phones and residence. As a result, the FBI later identified at least three other minor girls Calhoun met online who sent him sexually explicit videos and/or photos. Investigators also discovered at least hundreds of other images and videos of child pornography.

Billy Calhoun, 32, of Acworth, Georgia, was sentenced by Judge William H. Ray, II to 20 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Calhoun will also have to register as a sex offender. Calhoun pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography on March 17, 2023.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cobb County Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex R. Sistla and Katie Terry prosecuted the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Latonja Goodrum, a former Social Security employee who used her position to steal benefits from disabled Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries, has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of theft of government funds.

“Disabled and low-income citizens rely on the safety net afforded by the Social Security Administration,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “Goodrum abused her position at the agency to unlawfully access and use sensitive and personal information to steal thousands of dollars from individuals in critical need of these funds.”

“Former SSA employee, Goodrum, admitted to inappropriately using information in SSA records to steal money from SSI recipients, seemingly without regard for their needs. Her actions were selfish and criminal,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration.  “She misused her position of public trust with SSA and knowingly took money from individuals who rely on SSA employees for assistance in critical times. My office will continue to investigate those who violate SSA programs and operations.  I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane C. Schulman for prosecuting this case.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: From approximately June through August 2022, Goodrum, a claims specialist at the Social Security Administration’s field office in Decatur, Georgia, illegally accessed the records of six SSI beneficiaries. Goodrum then used the personal identifying information of these individuals to divert one-time lump sum payments they were due to her own PayPal account.  Once the funds were deposited into her PayPal account, Goodrum transferred the money to a personal bank account. 

To conceal her scheme, Goodrum, once the deposits arrived in her PayPal account, re-accessed the beneficiaries’ Social Security records to restore their true direct deposit banking information.  Goodrum stole more than $15,000 in this way. A supervisor eventually detected the fraud and contacted the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General, which launched an investigation.  Goodrum admitted her crime when confronted by law enforcement and has since been terminated from her position. 

Sentencing for Goodrum, 55, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, is scheduled for January 22, 2024, at 10:00 am before U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg.

This case is being investigated by the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane C. Schulman is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Jess Kinmont and John P. Wenz, Jr. have been sentenced for operating a timeshare resale scam business that affected more than 8,000 victims nationwide, many of them elderly. The victims lost more than $18 million based on the defendants’ false promises that they could help timeshare owners sell or rent their timeshare properties. 

“The defendants monetized their clients’ trust to commit a multi-state fraud scheme that enabled them to steal millions of dollars from more than 8,000 victims, including many seniors who were particularly misled by the defendants’ false promises,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Kinmont and Wenz solicited hefty up-front fees based on fraudulent representations that they would sell and rent the victims’ timeshare properties. Their sentences demonstrate that federal law enforcement will not cease to prosecute those who commit fraud of this type.”

“For years, Kinmont and Wentz ran the scam without once selling a timeshare interest, only a series of lies,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Exploitation like this has a crippling effect on victims. The FBI and our partners will continue to pursue financial fraudsters who exploit anyone for personal and financial gain.”

“Kinmont and Wenz deserve their time in federal prison for deceiving elderly Americans trying to get out of timeshares” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Kinmont and Wenz lined their pockets by scamming thousands of victims, and we’ll continue to target fraudsters who prey on the American public with the help of our law enforcement partners.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Between January 2012 through December 2016, Kinmont and Wenz operated Pro Timeshare Resales, a timeshare resale business. The defendants hired callers and developed scripts for those callers to use in targeting timeshare property owners to defraud.

Using the scripts, the defendants and others acting at their direction called timeshare owners and falsely claimed that Pro Timeshare Resales had a buyer or renter ready and willing to buy or rent their properties for a specific price. The defendants also falsely promised to sell the timeshares quickly, sometimes within a specific time period.  But Kinmont and Wenz’s representations and promises were false. In reality, they never sold a single timeshare interest during the five years of the scheme’s operation.

Kinmont and Wenz charged timeshare property owners up to $2,500 in advance while lying and failing to deliver on their promises. Even after the timeshare owners paid the advance fee, Kinmont and Wenz strung some timeshare owners along with additional false claims. For instance, the defendants assured owners that they would soon receive the proceeds from a sale or rental, and often convinced the owners to pay additional purported closing costs or other fees as a part of these fake transactions. Consumers’ requests for refunds were typically denied or ignored. Together, Kinmont and Wenz defrauded at least 8,000 victims of more than $18 million. The district court judge noted at sentencing that the defendants’ fraud scheme was “breathtaking” in scope.

On October 12, 2023, Jess Kinmont, 57, of Port Orange, Florida, was sentenced by Chief Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. to seven years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $11,699,376.60. The sentence was imposed following Kinmont’s guilty plea to wire fraud conspiracy on April 5, 2023.

On October 12, 2023, John P. Wenz Jr., 43, of Palm Coast, Florida, was sentenced by Chief Judge Timothy C. Batten to three years, 10 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $4,845,425.88. The sentence was imposed following Wenz’s guilty plea to wire fraud conspiracy on April 1, 2021.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with valuable assistance from the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC previously prosecuted a civil fraud case against the defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bernita B. Malloy and Jesika W. French prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Matthew Allen Dickason, who was the owner of an Atlanta law firm, has pleaded guilty to federal charges arising from a scheme to defraud the firm’s clients.

“It is shameful for an attorney to abuse the trust placed in him by his clients, but that is exactly what Dickason did,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “He misappropriated millions of dollars belonging to his clients for his personal benefit with no regard for how his clients would be affected.”

“Wire fraud is an offense that the FBI takes very seriously, especially when innocent victims are being defrauded. In this case, it is especially troubling that the crime was orchestrated by a lawyer who swore an oath to uphold the law and represent his clients with integrity,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Dickason was in debt through his own fault and chose to steal from his clients and firm to pay back that debt and finance his business. Now he will pay back his debt to society in prison.”

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate those who threaten HUD programs,” said HUD OIG Special Agent in Charge Jerome Winkle. “The criminal actions by this former attorney violated his clients trust and his oath to uphold the law. His actions put many taxpayer-insured FHA mortgages at risk of default through his scheme.”

“FHFA-OIG aggressively investigates mortgage fraud schemes, and this one was especially egregious,” said Edwin Bonano, Special Agent in Charge of FHFA-OIG’s Southeast District. “The victims lost millions as a result of the scheme perpetrated by someone—an attorney, no less—who should have followed all the tenets of the law.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court:  Matthew Allen Dickason was an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Georgia and was the owner of Matthew A. Dickason, P.C., a law firm located in Atlanta, Georgia. The firm specialized in real estate law and was responsible for overseeing hundreds of real estate sales transactions totaling tens of millions of dollars.

Dickason accepted funds on behalf of clients seeking to purchase real estate. He was not permitted to use his clients’ money to pay his own debts and expenses. Nevertheless, Dickason misappropriated millions of dollars belonging to his clients. The majority of the misappropriated funds were used to pay his law firm’s operating expenses. After misappropriating client funds, he used new client funds to complete prior real estate transactions.

To hide his fraud, Dickason caused fabricated information to be uploaded into his law firm’s accounting system to make it appear the firm was paying off a seller’s mortgage when, in fact, Dickason was misappropriating client funds for his own use.

Dickason continued to misappropriate client funds until it became impossible to continue. By that point, victims had suffered millions of dollars in losses.

Matthew Allen Dickason, 47, formerly of Atlanta, Georgia, and now living in Wellington, Ohio, pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for January 17, 2024 before U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency-Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Phillips is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA –James Wan, M.D., has pleaded guilty to paying a hitman he found on the dark web to murder his girlfriend.

“Wan used the dark web to conceal his deadly plan,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Fortunately, his plot was discovered before anyone was killed or injured.”

"Despite his cowardly concealment on the dark web, Wan’s cold hearted murderous plot was averted due to the exceptional work of our team. He will now face the full consequences of the criminal justice system,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This case shows that the FBI will not tolerate heinous acts of violence and will go to great lengths to protect our citizens.” 

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: On April 18, 2022, while in the Northern District of Georgia, Wan accessed a dark web marketplace from his cellular telephone and submitted an order to have a hitman murder his girlfriend. The order included the victim’s name, address, Facebook account, license plate, and car description. In the order, Wan stated: “Can take wallet phone and car. Shoot and go. Or take car.” Wan then electronically transferred a 50% downpayment of approximately $8,000 worth of Bitcoin to the dark web marketplace.

Two days later, Wan messaged the marketplace’s administrator, stating that the transferred Bitcoin did not show up in his escrow account on the site. The next day, the marketplace administrator asked Wan for the Bitcoin address to which Wan had sent the payment. In response, Wan identified the Bitcoin wallet address and provided a screenshot of the transaction. When the administrator said that the address Wan provided was not in their system, Wan replied, “Damn. I guess I lost $8k. I’m sending $8k to escrow now.” Wan then electronically transferred an additional Bitcoin payment worth approximately $8,000 to the marketplace. The administrator confirmed the new address was correct and that the Bitcoin had arrived in the escrow account. The administrator stated that they were proceeding with Wan’s order for a hit and asked whether Wan wanted it done as an “accident or normal shooting.” Wan responded, “accident is better.”

About a week later, on April 29, 2022, Wan electronically transferred another payment of approximately $8,000 worth of Bitcoin to the dark web marketplace to ensure his escrow account contained the total required to complete the order.  Shortly thereafter, Wan posted the following in a forum on the dark web marketplace: “How soon should work be done?  I have submitted an Order and curious how quickly it should be carried out?  Is there a way I can find out any progress?  If there is anyone in my location?” 

On May 10, 2022, after the value of Bitcoin dropped, Wan electronically transferred another payment of approximately $1,200 worth of Bitcoin to the marketplace to ensure his escrow account still contained the total required to complete the order.

After learning about the threat to the victim’s life, FBI agents notified the victim, provided her protection, and questioned Wan. Wan admitted that he had placed the order, made the payments, and checked the status of the order daily on the dark web marketplace. Records from Wan’s cellular telephone and his Bitcoin wallet corroborated Wan’s confession. After speaking with FBI agents, Wan canceled the order on the dark web marketplace.

James Wan, 54, of Duluth, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of using a facility of interstate commerce in the commission of murder-for-hire.  The sentencing is scheduled for January 18, 2024, before U.S. District Court Judge Leigh Martin May.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bret R. Hobson is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Paul Kwak has been sentenced for a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme related to a COVID relief program. Three co-conspirators were previously sentenced to prison as well.

“When the government stepped in to help the millions of Americans suffering economically during the pandemic, some sought an opportunity to exploit the system and enrich themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “Kwak not only submitted his own fraudulent applications, but he recruited others to his scheme, resulting in millions of dollars of fraudulent applications to the SBA’s relief program.”

“Profiteering off federal government relief programs intended to support American small businesses is inexcusable,” said SBA OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “This sentencing is further evidence that greed has no place in SBA programs. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment to seeing justice served.”

“Not only did Kwak defraud the government by applying for relief funds for companies that did not exist, but he also recruited and taught others how to do the same,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Let this sentence be a message that the FBI will continue to hold accountable anyone who abuses taxpayer dollars and diverts them from people that actually need them.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Paul Kwak conspired with others to submit millions of dollars of fraudulent EIDL applications in the names of shell companies that had no employees and conducted no business activities.

The EIDL program is an emergency relief program run by the Small Business Administration (SBA) that provided millions of Americans with much needed economic relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. An EIDL application must provide, among other information, the amount of revenue the business generated in the 12 months prior to the application and the number of employees. The applicant must certify that the information is correct and that he or she is legally eligible to apply for an EIDL.

Kwak filed fraudulent EIDL applications and recruited and taught others to file fraudulent applications, totaling over $2 million. Kwak posted related videos on his YouTube channel, where he provided financial and investment advice before the pandemic. In a May 2020 video titled “EIDL, disaster assistance you don’t have to pay back,” Kwak explained, in Korean, that applicants could receive tens of thousands of dollars in assistance without collateral or a co-signor, using only the applicant’s electronic signature.  One of his clients, according to Kwak, had recently received $150,000 in EIDL proceeds.

Kwak conspired with others, including Joosoo Choi-Bang, Jon Sun Hun, and Sook Hee Kim, each of whom previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced. Ultimately, the SBA paid over $1 million as a result of the fraudulent applications. Kwak has agreed to forfeit three homes and a Mercedes GLS 580 purchased with fraud proceeds. He has also agreed to forfeit over $1.6 million from multiple bank accounts associated with the fraud.

Paul Kwak, 65, of Braselton, Georgia, was sentenced to three years, four months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,198,300. Kwak was convicted of these charges on June 20, 2023, after he pleaded guilty.

Choi-Bang was sentenced to one year, six months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release. Huh and Kim were sentenced to two years in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Huber prosecuted the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus

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

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ROME, Ga. – A federal district judge has ordered Charles Adams M.D. and his medical practice to pay more than $27 million for violating the False Claims Act (FCA). In June 2023, a federal jury in Rome found that the defendants violated the FCA by submitting false claims to Medicare for chelation therapy reimbursements. Chelation therapy involves the use of drugs to remove heavy metals from the body. The jury found that Medicare reimbursed the defendants more than $1.1 million for these unnecessary treatments. In a post-trial ruling, the federal district judge added penalties to the jury’s verdict, bringing the total amount owed to more than $27 million.

“The Court’s judgment emphasizes the serious consequences that face healthcare providers who submit false claims to Medicare,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “On behalf of those healthcare providers who faithfully bill for medical procedures, and for their patients who rely on the safety net of Medicare, our office will continue to work vigorously with our federal agencies and law enforcement partners to pursue providers who engage in misconduct.”

“Physicians who fraudulently submit unreasonable, medically unnecessary claims put their personal profits over their obligations to both federal health programs and their patients,” said Tamala E. Miles, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “With our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG is committed to investigating potentially fraudulent billing that can compromise the integrity of our federal health care programs and the well-being of beneficiaries.”

“Providers who undermine the integrity of the health care system will be held accountable for their actions,” said Sean Burke, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. "Actions like this impact every tax paying citizen, in particular, those who rely on federally funded programs for their health care needs.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the civil complaint, the court’s final order, and other information presented in court: Adams operated a medical practice in Ringgold, Georgia, known as Full Circle Medical Center. As a part of his internal medicine specialty, Adams administered the drug edetate calcium disodium (“EDTA”) to address a wide range of conditions, including atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, headaches, GI ailments, fatigue, and other generalized symptoms. But these symptoms are not recognized as being treatable using EDTA. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, EDTA is recognized as a treatment only for lead poisoning and lead encephalopathy. Because Dr. Adams’ patients did not have lead poisoning or lead encephalopathy, Medicare would not reimburse his use of EDTA. To receive reimbursement for the EDTA, Dr. Adams falsely claimed to Medicare that his patients suffered from heavy metal poisoning.

In August 2018, the Government filed a civil complaint alleging that between November 2008 and September 2015, Adams and Full Circle knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary and “alternative” chelation therapy that Adams administered using EDTA. The complaint also alleged that in connection with this scheme, Adams and Full Circle unlawfully received approximately $1.1 million in Medicare reimbursements.

The case proceeded to a jury trial in Rome, Georgia, in June 2023, before presiding U.S. District Judge William M. Ray, II. The jury found Adams and Full Circle liable for submitting more than 4,400 false claims to Medicare. The jury awarded more than $1.1 million in damages. Under the FCA, Judge Ray was required to treble the jury’s award and to add penalties based on the number of false claims submitted. Judge Ray issued his final decision on August 25, 2023, ordering the defendants to pay a total of $27,567,729 in damages and penalties.

The FCA is the primary authority used by the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to redress fraud, waste, and abuse within federal programs, including Medicare.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case is being litigated by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony DeCinque and Akash Desai. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Paris Wynn also worked the case before his departure.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.                                         

ATLANTA - The U.S. Attorney's Office, the U.S. District Court, the Federal Defender Program, Inc., and the U.S. Probation Office honored the first graduate of the Accountability, Treatment, and Leadership Court (ATL Court) program for the Northern District of Georgia.

“We are proud to work with our fellow stakeholders in the criminal justice system to offer the ATL Court as an alternative to incarceration program for our district,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “Through intense supervision and treatment resources, the ATL Court enhances safety in our district by addressing the root causes of the participants’ previous criminal behavior and places them onto a path of crime-free, productive lives.”

“This program is the result of creative, resourceful, and justice-oriented lawyers and other officials. Our Court is grateful to all of them for their outstanding work,” said Timothy C. Batten, Sr., Chief U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia.

“The ATL Court’s first graduate faced a lengthy prison sentence and, in one year, she has turned her life completely around and earned a sentence of probation,” said Stephanie A. Kearns, Executive Director, Federal Defender Program, Inc. of the Northern District of Georgia.  “This shows exactly why the ATL Court is so effective and valuable to all of us, and why it should continue long into the future.”

“History has been made in the Northern District of Georgia,” said Donna M. High, Chief U.S. Probation Officer for the Northern District of Georgia.  “The ATL Court is a collaborative effort between several agencies, that requires a lot of time and commitment. The beauty of our collaboration is that it allows us to know more than we can know by ourselves, and when we do it correctly, everyone wins.” 

U.S. Attorney Buchanan delivered an address to the program's first graduate and the current class of participants in the program. U.S. Magistrate Judge Catherine M. Salinas delivered remarks and presented the graduate with a diploma, recognizing her graduation from the program. Representatives of the Federal Defender Program, Inc. and the U.S. Probation Office also addressed the program participants.

Through treatment to address the substance use disorder, mental health condition, or other identified need driving participants' criminal conduct, through incentives to reinforce positive behavior, and through sanction alternatives, the ATL Court program provides an alternative to incarceration for federal defendants.

Participants in the program attend bi-monthly court sessions with members of the ATL Court team. The program provides a high level of supervision for its participants which lasts from 12 to 24 months. Successful completion of the program results in a non-custodial sentence, or a reduction of felony charges to a misdemeanor, or dismissal of the federal case.

Launched in 2022, the ATL Court program was created through a collaborative partnership of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the Federal Defender Program, Inc., the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, and the U.S. Probation Office. Further description of the program is available at https://www.gand.uscourts.gov/accountability-treatment-and-leadership-court-“atl-court”.  

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – A previously deported undocumented alien with a violent criminal history, and a former school paraprofessional who fatally abandoned a dog in a hot car while straw purchasing firearms, have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in trafficking guns later used in shootings.

“Firearms traffickers fuel gun violence in our communities placing citizens at risk of injury and death,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Our office is committed to partnering with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to pursue and prosecute criminals whose disregard for life contributes to the illegal flow of guns onto our streets.”

“Although we are very pleased with the success of this operation, unfortunately this operation highlights the persistence of illegal firearms trafficking and demonstrates that this type of crime is real, extant, and must be continuously battled,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones.  “ATF will continue to work alongside our federal, state and local partners in furtherance of reducing gun crime.” 

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: Between February 2022 and June 2022, DeAndre Cannon purchased nearly four dozen firearms on behalf of Conroy Samuels, a convicted felon and undocumented alien, who was living under the assumed identity of “Justin Sheffield.”  Samuels used this alias after he served a prison term and was deported from the United States following a conviction for attempted murder. 

Cannon, to perpetrate the firearms trafficking scheme with Samuels, falsely represented to federally licensed firearms dealers in the metro-Atlanta area that he was the actual purchaser of the firearms even though he was buying the guns for Samuels and with Samuels’s money.  In this way, Cannon sometimes illegally purchased up to 17 firearms in a week.  After he received the guns from Cannon, Samuels would distribute them to others.  At least two of the firearms that passed from Cannon to Samuels were recovered in Connecticut and linked to multiple shooting incidents in that state.

Cannon and Samuels’s crime spree ended on June 15, 2022, after ATF special agents saw Cannon receive money from Samuels and enter and exit a Jonesboro, Georgia, pawn shop.  Although the temperature that day exceeded 95 degrees, Cannon left a dog inside his car for approximately an hour and a half while he straw purchased guns at the pawn shop.  When agents encountered Cannon later, they saw that Cannon’s pet was suffering from extreme heat stress.  The dog later died despite receiving emergency treatment from Clayton County animal control officers.

On August 2, 2023, Conroy Samuels, also known as “Justin Sheffield,” 50, of Kingston, Jamaica, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross to four years, nine months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.  Samuels was convicted of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, conspiracy to make false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer, and reentry after deportation after he pleaded guilty on April 20, 2023.

On September 20, 2023, DeAndre Cannon, 34, of Woodstock, Georgia, was sentenced by Judge Ross to four years, two months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.  Cannon was convicted of conspiracy to make false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer after he pleaded guilty on June 1, 2023.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Clayton County Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leanne M. Marek and Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case.

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

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Abdurrahim Jalal has been indicted for blowing up a bank automated teller machine and for possession of illegal explosive devices.

“The unlawful use and possession of explosives creates a grave danger to our citizens and first responders who must risk their lives to respond to these violent crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “This indictment is the culmination of investigative work conducted by a team of federal and local law enforcement agencies who recovered bombing materials from Jalal’s home and may have prevented additional explosions.”

“The alleged actions of this individual could have led to innocent people being seriously hurt or killed,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This investigation is proof of the strength and tenacity of the FBI and its law enforcement partners in eliminating acts of violence which threaten the communities we serve.”

“ATF will continue to dedicate federal resources in conjunction with crucial Federal and local law enforcement partners to the pursuit of eradicating and forestalling criminal activity in communities we serve,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones.

“This indictment comes as a result of the strong partnerships that exist between local, state, and federal agencies.  Working together we can continue to keep our streets safe,” said DeKalb Police Chief Mirtha V. Ramos.

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: At approximately 3:11 a.m. on March 29, 2023, Jalal blew up an ATM at the Bank of America branch located at the North DeKalb Mall in Decatur, Georgia. Jalal took approximately $88,000 from the vault of the machine after the explosion. Investigators identified Jalal and obtained a warrant to search his home. They found additional destructive devices during that search.

Abdurrahim Jalal, 53, of DeKalb County, Georgia, was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 12, 2023, and had his initial appearance on September 27, 2023. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only charges.  The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, DeKalb County Police Department and the DeKalb County Fire Rescue.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dash A. Cooper prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In keeping with the Attorney General’s mission to reduce violent crime, the Northern District of Georgia’s PSN program focuses on prosecuting those individuals who most significantly drive violence in our communities, and supports and fosters partnerships between law enforcement and schools, the faith community, and local community leaders to prevent and deter future criminal conduct.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov.

ATLANTA – Former Fulton County Detention Officer Monique Clark has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of using excessive force against a pretrial detainee at the Fulton County Jail. 

“We recognize that detention officers have a particularly challenging job as they work to maintain order and protect detainees in our district’s jails and prisons,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “However, this detention officer allegedly abused a handcuffed Fulton County detainee by strangling her and must be held accountable for such outrageous conduct.”

“While those behind bars may have lost their freedom, they retain their humanity — and their civil rights,” said Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley of FBI Atlanta. “This case serves as an example that the FBI is committed to identifying and investigating those law enforcement officers who choose to abandon their oath and violate the public’s civil rights.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, information presented in court and other public information: At the time of the alleged misconduct, Monique Clark was employed as a detention officer at Fulton County Jail. On June 5, 2023, while Clark was working at the North Jail Annex in Alpharetta, Clark allegedly strangled a pretrial detainee without any legal justification. The detainee lost consciousness and suffered bodily injury as a result of the assault.

Monique Clark, 32, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, has been indicted on charges of using excessive force against a pretrial detainee.  Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only charges.  The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bret R. Hobson and Brent Alan Gray and DOJ Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Alec C. Ward are prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

A federal jury sitting in Atlanta convicted Jack Fisher and James Sinnott today of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aiding and assisting the filing of false tax returns and subscribing to false tax returns. Fisher was also convicted of money laundering.

The convictions stem from Fisher and Sinnott’s fraudulent tax shelter scheme involving syndicated conservation easements dating back nearly two decades. A co-defendant, Clay Weibel, was acquitted. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Timothy Batten for the Northern District of Georgia remanded Fisher and Sinnott into custody pending their sentencing.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Fisher and Sinnott designed, marketed and sold to high-income clients abusive syndicated conservation easement tax shelters based on fraudulently inflated charitable contribution tax deductions, promising them deductions 4.5 times the amount the taxpayer clients paid.

The evidence proved that Fisher and Sinnott used the funds raised from their taxpayer clients to buy land and property holding companies and then had the tax shelters cause the companies to donate the land or a conservation easement over the land – often within days or weeks of purchase. To reach the inflated fair market value of the donations, Fisher and Sinnott primarily used appraisals of the conservation easements and fee simple land donations at valuations often more than 10 times higher than what Fisher and Sinnott actually paid to acquire the property.

The evidence further showed that Fisher and Sinnott backdated or instructed others to backdate false documents to present to the IRS, including subscription agreements, payment documents, engagement letters and other records. Fisher’s accountant, who testified at trial and previously pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme, prepared tax returns claiming charitable contribution tax deductions in the fraudulently inflated amounts reported in the false appraisals, resulting in fraudulent tax deductions flowing to the clients who purchased units in the abusive and illegal tax shelters. The evidence demonstrated that Fisher, Sinnott and others received more than $41 million in payments that were backdated or late for false and inflated tax deductions.

In total, the defendants sold over $1.3 billion in fraudulent tax deductions through this scheme.

The government proved that Fisher and Sinnott made millions from their scheme. Fisher used the illegal proceeds to purchase a Mercedes Benz automobile, a private jet and an RV and trailer. Fisher also used proceeds of the scheme to purchase homes in the United States and on the Caribbean island of Bonaire, which the jury found to be forfeitable.

Fisher and Sinnott face a maximum penalty ranging between three and twenty years in prison for each count of conviction. The government is also seeking the forfeiture of monetary proceeds and real properties purchased by Fisher and Sinnott in connection with their fraud scheme. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia and IRS-Criminal Investigation Chief Jim Lee made the announcement, also thanking U.S. Attorney Dena J. King for the Western District of North Carolina for her office’s assistance.

IRS-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Richard M. Rolwing, Parker Tobin, Jessica Kraft, Grace Albinson and Nicholas J. Schilling Jr. of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Huber, who also serves as Deputy Chief of the Complex Frauds Section, for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.