Northern District of Georgia

ATLANTA –Diandra Bankhead, the owner and operator of Elite Homecare (“Elite”), an Atlanta-based home healthcare provider, has been sentenced for defrauding Medicaid out of nearly $1 million. Between September 2015 and April 2018, Bankhead submitted thousands of fraudulent claims for services that were never provided to medically fragile children under the Georgia Pediatric Program (“GAPP”).

“It is outrageous that Bankhead profited off children who suffered from significant physical and cognitive disabilities,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “For years her scheme exploited Medicaid-eligible children and their families by billing for services never performed and for children never seen, diverting critical resources from those who needed them most.”

“Bankhead’s greed-fueled scheme, designed to enrich herself, came at the expense of disabled children and taxpayers.  Instead she faces years of imprisonment – a fate awaiting those stealing Medicaid funds,” said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  “Working closely with our State and Federal law enforcement partners we will bring to justice those who illegally drain this vital program.”

"Bankhead’s lack of concern for the needs of fragile children to profit rather than care for them is very troubling, and now she must pay the price for her greed,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Not only did she deny care to children in need, she also stole taxpayer dollars from a Medicaid program that should have gone to those who need them.”

“Our Medicaid Fraud Division, in cooperation with our state and federal partners, will remain vigilant in maintaining the integrity of public programs and prosecuting those who take advantage of them,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “This case is especially egregious as it involves someone purporting to help serve children in need all the while neglecting their responsibility to devote these funds for those purposes. This behavior is unacceptable.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: GAPP is an in-home nursing program designed to serve Medicaid-eligible children under the age of 21 years of age based on a medical necessity. The program offers in-home skilled nursing services for medically fragile children who require nursing services, and personal care services, including feeding, bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, preparation of meal, and assisting with the mobility and ambulation of members.

Medically fragile children who are eligible for services under GAPP typically suffer from significant physical and cognitive disabilities, including autism, blindness, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, epileptic seizures, and/or paralysis.

Bankhead's scheme began in September 2015 and continued until April 2018. Over that time, Elite Homecare submitted more than 5,400 claims to Georgia Medicaid—the vast majority of which were fraudulent—and for which Elite received $1.2 million in reimbursement. Bankhead defrauded Medicaid in a number of ways, including:

• Submitting fraudulent credentialing information to the State of Georgia Department of Community Health in order to become a certified GAPP provider, including falsely representing that a registered nurse (“RN”) —without her knowledge or authorization—served as Elite’s RN Supervisor.

• Falsely representing to Medicaid that an RN or RN Supervisor had conducted the initial evaluation of putative GAPP members as required by applicable regulations.

• Submitting fraudulent claims for in-home nursing services allegedly provided to families who had not retained Elite to provide any services.

• Submitting fraudulent claims in which Elite employees allegedly provided more than 24 hours of services in a given day.

• Submitting fraudulent claims where Elite employees were impossibly providing services to multiple children simultaneously.

• Submitting fraudulent claims in the names of multiple individuals, including RNs, who did not provide the services in question, and did know that their identities and credentials were being used.

• Submitting fraudulent claims that had been “upcoded” – that is claims which fraudulently increased the amount Medicaid paid Elite – by materially misrepresenting the level of care provided and the level of licensing for the individual allegedly providing the services. For example, Elite submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid purporting that an RN (billed at $40/hour) had rendered the services when in fact an licensed professional nurse (billed at $30/hour) and/or personal care service provider (billed at $20/hour) had actually done so.

• Preparing fraudulent supporting documentation for the in-home nursing services that were never provided, including fraudulent patient care charts.

Among the fraudulent claims that Bankhead submitted to Georgia Medicaid for services that were never performed were for services allegedly provided to an infant girl after she had passed away and three children, all under the age of thirteen, who suffered from cerebral palsy or Downs Syndrome. These children were entirely dependent on others to complete the most basic tasks of life—feeding themselves, clothing themselves, bathing, and even standing up to walk.

In addition to the underlying fraud, Bankhead also failed to truthfully and completely disclose her finances to the United States Probation Office as required by her plea agreement. Rather, the information presented at sentencing established that Bankhead entered into a kickback arrangement with another Atlanta-based home health provider under which she “sold” twenty of Elite’s former clients in exchange for receiving a percentage of the Medicaid billings tied to those clients going forward. Such arrangements are generally unlawful under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.  

Bankhead, 43, of Atlanta, Georgia was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. to five years and three months in federal prison, and three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $999,999, in restitution.  On August 28, 2019, Bankhead pleaded guilty to a criminal information pursuant to a written plea agreement charging her with one count of health care fraud.

This case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services, Georgia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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 - A federal judge sentenced Kuo Pin (“Kenny”) Cheng for illegally smuggling protected turtles from Asia, including at least two endangered species, in violation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Treaty (“CITES”), the Lacey Act, and the Endangered Species Act. 

“Illegal trafficking in fish and wildlife is big business all over the globe,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak, “Laws protecting endangered species were enacted to preserve our treasures in the wild.  We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to protect endangered wildlife.”

“This arrest and conviction show what collaboration can achieve to protect threatened and endangered species,” said Aurelia Skipwith, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “I applaud Service Regional Director Leo Miranda and the office of law enforcement for their collaborative work in leading this effort in conservation of our precious species. We take the business of protecting turtles and other species seriously.”

“This investigation involved inter-agency coordination to uncover an illegal trafficking operation,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “Postal Inspectors are charged with defending the nation’s mail system from illegal use and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure the individuals responsible are brought to justice.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: The United States and approximately 180 other countries are signatories to CITES, a multilateral treaty that provides a mechanism for regulating the international trade of wildlife and plants whose continued survival is considered threatened by trade. The United States has implemented CITES as part of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which makes it unlawful, among other things, for any person to import wildlife contrary to the provisions of CITES.

Between October 2018 and January 2019, Cheng received at least 28 shipments from Hong Kong containing more than 150 live turtles. Among the turtles Cheng received were multiple CITES-protected species, as well as two species of turtles—the Asian Spotted Pond turtle (Geoclemys hamiltonii) and Three-Keeled Asian (Melanochelys tricarinata)—that are classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Cheng attempted to avoid detection by having the shipments labeled as “toys” or “truck” and addressed to fake names. After receiving the turtles, Cheng sold them to other collectors in the United States that he met online. Cheng admitted to earning approximately $40,000 from the sales of the illegally imported turtles.

Kuo Pin (“Kenny”) Cheng, 56, of Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg, to one year of probation and ordered to forfeit $10,000. On August 21, 2019, Cheng pleaded guilty to one count of unlawfully smuggling turtles in violation of federal law.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

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 - A new state-wide, interagency task force focused on combatting unemployment insurance (UI) benefit fraud in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic is supporting investigating agencies and encouraging citizens to report suspected UI fraud.

“Unemployment insurance provides a lifeline to many Americans facing economic hardships and job losses,” said Byung J. “BJay” Pak, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.  “This type of fraud victimizes not only the intended recipients, but also the employers who pay into the program. Through our partnerships, these criminals will be extradited and prosecuted.”

“The sole purpose for unemployment insurance is to support people suffering during this unprecedented time in our nation’s history. It is unconscionable that individuals are corrupting the unemployment insurance system by essentially stealing benefits from our neighbors who are most in need at this time,” said Charlie Peeler, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. “My hope is that this task force will support law enforcement’s ongoing efforts to quickly identify scammers and bring them to justice, while protecting the integrity of the unemployment benefit system.”

“Every dime of taxpayer money diverted into the pockets of scam artists is less money available to help citizens who truly need assistance during difficult times,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “We’re confident that with the vigilance of our law enforcement partners, we will identify and shut down those who would steal from these programs.”

The Georgia Unemployment Insurance (UI) Fraud Task Force’s mission is to combat fraud schemes targeting the UI benefits program, which is funded by both the federal and the state governments and is administered by the Georgia Department of Labor. In response to the devastating negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed into law in March 2020. Among many benefits for citizens and businesses, the CARES Act includes a provision of temporary benefits for individuals who have exhausted their entitlement to regular unemployment compensation, as well as coverage for individuals who are not eligible for regular unemployment compensation, are self-employed or have limited recent work history.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, fraudsters have been perpetrating numerous lucrative UI fraud schemes at a significant rate. State and local law enforcement agencies are at the forefront in uncovering these schemes. The Georgia UI Fraud Task Force supports these agencies by providing assistance with evidence collection, offering guidance investigating complex fraud schemes, and referring cases for federal prosecution, among other needs. Representatives from agencies including the Georgia Department of Labor, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Georgia’s Office of the Attorney General, FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), IRS--Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Social Security Administration--Office of the Inspector General and all three of Georgia’s U.S. Attorney’s Offices serve on Georgia’s UI Fraud Task Force.

“We place a huge emphasis on maintaining the integrity of the unemployment insurance program and welcome the support of law enforcement agencies across the state to assist in identifying and prosecuting those committing fraud,” said Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler. “These criminals are not only harming those they are taking benefits from but are also slowing down the process for the many Georgians depending on payments to make ends meet during this pandemic.”

“At a time when many American citizens have lost their jobs, or are temporarily out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is disheartening to think that anyone would fraudulently take advantage of the government funds they deserve,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We will fight this criminal behavior, along with our many partners in law enforcement, to stop anyone who attempts to profit off the backs of those in need.”

“So many Georgians have suffered hardships due to unemployment since the start of the pandemic. The CARES Act was passed to provide relief; however, fraudsters have used this opportunity to steal from the government. The GBI is a proud member of this Task Force and will work diligently to ensure that those who choose to abuse these benefits are investigated and prosecuted,” said Vic Reynolds, GBI Director.

“The Secret Service is proud to partner with so many agencies who are committed to eliminating these fraud and identity theft schemes,” said Steven R. Baisel, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office. “This task force is particularly important during these unprecedented times when those stolen funds should have been used to help unsuspected victims when they need it most.”

“This taskforce will truly prove that crime doesn’t pay,” said Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI Atlanta and its partners are committed to hunting down these criminals that are stealing the resources and benefits that have been set aside to help people in our communities.”

Georgians are encouraged to be vigilant, as fraudsters often make use of unsuspecting victims’ bank accounts and logins to funnel illegally obtained unemployment payments. The Georgia UI Fraud Task Force advises the public to exercise caution when receiving emails promising “easy money” or unsolicited online requests to open personal bank accounts and share those account numbers online. Elders and prior victims of identity theft or email compromise are especially vulnerable targets of these schemes.

People can report UI abuse with the Georgia Department of Labor by visiting https://www.dol.state.ga.us/public/uiben/fraud/reportType. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report potential scams to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by calling 866-720-5721 or by visiting  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.

Three owners and operators of an Atlanta pharmacy have been sentenced to federal prison for a multi-million dollar fraud scheme that targeted the Georgia Women, Infants, and Children (“WIC”) program. The defendants bought WIC vouchers from low-income recipients at a discount and then fraudulently sought reimbursement from the federal government at a higher dollar amount as if they had actually provided nutritious food to those recipients.

“The defendants abused a program intended to assist those most in need and diverted public funds to satisfy their own greed,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Vendors who buy WIC vouchers abuse the trust placed in them to serve pregnant woman and young children, and they will be shut down and prosecuted.”

“This investigation and prosecution should send a strong zero-tolerance message to those individuals engaged in the practice of defrauding the taxpayer funded WIC program,” said Jason Williams, Special Agent-in-Charge, USDA-Office of Inspector General. “It should also serve as a warning to all stores that participate in the WIC program as vendors that fraud and trafficking (purchasing those benefits for cash) will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted by the USDA-OIG, the U.S. Attorney's Office, and all its federal, state, and local partners that have a stake in ensuring that fraud is eliminated from taxpayer-funded programs.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Pauline Mediko Badiki and Ferdinand Mediko were siblings who owned and operated Poly-Plex Pharmacy, which is located in the Bankhead neighborhood of Atlanta.  Monica Mediko, who was Ferdinand Mediko’s wife, worked there as a pharmacy technician. In 2005, Poly-Plex became an authorized vendor of the WIC program, which is a U.S. Department of Agriculture food grant program administered statewide by the Georgia Department of Public Health. The WIC program provides healthy foods to low-income pregnant women, as well as infants and children up to age five who are nutritionally at risk. WIC recipients receive benefits in the form of paper vouchers, which can be exchanged at authorized vendors only for the healthy foods listed on the vouchers. As part of their participation as authorized vendors, the defendants received training on WIC program rules, including the prohibition on buying vouchers.

From at least 2009 through June 2013, the defendants bought WIC vouchers from low-income mothers for a fraction of their face value instead of providing the infant formula and nutritious food listed on the vouchers. After purchasing the vouchers, the defendants deposited them into their bank accounts as if they had provided recipients with the healthy foods listed on the vouchers and sought reimbursement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

During the time frame of the conspiracy, the defendants deposited tens of thousands of WIC vouchers that resulted in approximately $6.5 million in reimbursements from federal funds, which far surpassed the WIC redemptions from much larger big-box grocery stores located just miles away. More than $4 million of these redemptions were fraudulent and not supported by Poly-Plex’s actual inventory of food and infant milk during the same time period.

Pauline Mediko Badiki, 56, of Atlanta, Georgia and Ferdinand Mediko, 58, of Atlanta, Georgia, were sentenced to four years and six months in prison, and Monica Mediko, 53, of Atlanta, Georgia, to three years in prison by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross.  Each defendant was also sentenced to two years of supervised release and a special assessment of $3700, and they will be ordered to pay restitution in an amount to be determined at a later hearing. The defendants were convicted at trial on December 10, 2019 of wire fraud conspiracy and 12 counts each of wire fraud, theft of government funds, and WIC fraud.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan P. Kitchens, Deputy Chief of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section, and Thomas J. 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 – U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak announced the appointment of sixteen new Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSA) who will immediately employ their talents to support the Northern District of Georgia’s (NDGA) mission to enforce the law and defend the interests of the citizens we serve in this district.

“We are grateful to have such talented and dedicated professionals answer the call to represent the United States in federal court,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “These outstanding Assistant U.S. Attorneys have proven that they are committed to excellence in their service to our country, and the citizens of the Northern District of Georgia.”

          The following AUSAs joined our Criminal Division:

• Radka Nations served as an Attorney with DOJ Criminal Division/ Fraud Section, in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) unit, where she worked on many high profile investigations and received numerous awards, including the DHS 2015 and 2017 Outstanding Financial Investigation Awards.  Radka earned her J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law and her Master of Science in Law from the University of Sofia School of Law in Bulgaria.
   
• Erin Harris served as a SAUSA assigned to us from the HIDTA program.  She was also an AUSA in the General Crimes Unit of the USAO for the Eastern District of Michigan for two years.  Prior to entering government service, Erin was an associate with Morgan Lewis & Brockius in Chicago.  Erin earned her B.A. in political science from the University of Michigan and her law degree from the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C.
   
• Greg Radics served as an Assistant Chief Counsel for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Immigration and Customs Enforcement and served as a SAUSA in our General Crimes Section.  Greg previously served a detail to our office (2010-2012) and HSI (as an embedded attorney) and was a Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Northeastern Judicial Circuit for nine years.  Greg earned his B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Georgia and his law degree from the University of Memphis, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.
   
• Tal Chaiken joins us from Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP, where she was a partner, handling complex civil litigation and white collar criminal matters.  Previously, she was an associate with Schiff Hardin LLP, in Chicago.  Tal received her B.A. in Economics, with honors, from the University of Chicago, where she was on the Dean’s list all four years.  She earned her law degree from the University of Chicago, serving as the Managing Editor of the University of Chicago Legal Forum.

• Sarah Klapman served as a career law clerk for the Hon. Richard Story.  She previously worked as a litigation associate at the Atlanta office of Miller & Martin, where she was a member of the Litigation and White Collar & Corporate Investigations Section, and she has also served as a Staff Attorney for the Federal Defender’s Program in Atlanta.  Sarah earned her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, and she received her B.S., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and M.S., both in chemistry, from Furman University.

• D’Juan Jones served as an associate with Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz in Washington D.C., where he handled pharmaceutical litigation. Previously, he clerked for Hon. LaShann Dearcy Hall, U.S. District Judge for EDNY, and he was an associate at Sidley Austin LLP in New York.  D’Juan received his B.A. from Wake Forest University, where he was a Magnolia Scholar, and he earned his law degree, cum laude, from Howard University, where he was a Staff Editor for the Howard Human & Civil Rights Law Review.
   
• Mary Webb returned to our office after serving as a Vice President of Litigation with Rooms to Go.  Mary was an AUSA in our office from 2013-2018, and before that, an associate at Bondurant Mixson & Elmore LLP in Atlanta.  She has also served as a law clerk for Hon. R. Lanier Anderson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.  Mary received her undergraduate degree in English and Political Science, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Georgia and her law degree from Yale Law School, where she was a Coker Fellow, and an editor of the Yale Journal on Regulation. 

• Nicholas Joy previously served our office as a SAUSA with the HIDTA program.  Prior to that, Nick served for 7 years as a Trial Counsel with the Navy Judge Advocates General Corps (where he continues to serve as a reservist), handling a variety of legal matters and prosecuting criminal cases.  Nick received his B.A., magna cum laude, in History and Classical Studies, from the University of Pennsylvania, and he earned his law degree from Harvard Law School.

• Tyler Mann served as a SAUSA with the HIDTA program.  Prior to this, he was an Assistant District Attorney with the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office for three years, and he worked as an associate at Troutman Sanders LLP for six years.  Tyler also served as the Chief of Staff for State Senator Jason Carter and as legal Counsel for the Georgia Senate Democratic Caucus.  He received his undergraduate degree, in Biomechanical Engineering and Political Science, from Yale University, and he earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

• Michael Qin served as an associate with Kellogg, Hansen Todd, Figel & Frederick PLLC in Washington D.C.  Prior to that, he served as a law clerk to then-Judge Neil M. Gorsuch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, and he was an Honors Program attorney with the Federal Communications Commission.  Michael received a B.S. in Computer Science and another in Applied Mathematics, both with highest honors, from Georgia Tech, and he earned his law degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he was an Executive Editor of the Harvard Law Review.
   
• Lauren Macon served as a Senior Associate in the Securities Litigation Group of Alston & Bird LLP, where she handled both white collar defense and related civil matters.  Lauren received her law degree with Highest Honors, Order of the Coif, from the University of North Carolina, where she also served as the Contributing Editor of the North Carolina Law Review.  She received her B.A. from UNC-CH as well, and she was a Summer Clerk for the Hon. Justice Paul Martin Newby of the Supreme Court of North Carolina.

• Rebeca Ojeda previously served as an associate with King & Spalding-Atlanta, where she handled complex and mass torts litigation.  Additionally, she has been an active volunteer, serving as the chair of K&S’s pro bono subcommittee, the Team leader of K&S’s United Way Campaign, as Vice President of the Georgia Hispanic Bar Association (which awarded her the Rising Star Award), and as Young Lawyers Division Representative to the Hispanic National Bar Association.  Rebecca received her B.A. in Economics and English, cum laude, from Vanderbilt University, and received her law degree, with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, where she was the Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Criminal Law.

• Amy Palumbo served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Queens District Attorney’s Office for five years, where she prosecuted major violent crimes.  Prior to that, she was a litigation associate with Jones Day, in their New York Office.  She earned her law degree from Harvard Law School, where she was a Line Editor for the Environmental Law Review.  She also interned with the USAO in Boston during law school.  Amy earned her B.A., in Political Science, Psychology and History, cum laude, from Tulane University, where she attended on a full scholarship.

            The following AUSA’s joined our Civil Division:

• Tiffany Moore previously served as FLU Coordinator and Asset Forfeiture AUSA in the Western District of North Carolina and as FLU Coordinator and Civil Defensive AUSA in the Southern District of Georgia.  Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she was senior law clerk to the Hon. W. Louis Sands, United States District Court Judge for the Middle District of Georgia and practiced commercial and securities litigation at Eversheds Sutherland.  Tiffany is a graduate of Spelman College and the University of Georgia School of Law.  During her studies, she completed graduate level business and environmental studies coursework with the UGA Terry College of Business in New Zealand and Fiji and an international law curriculum with the ABA/London College of Law.
   

• Aaron Ross served as Chief of the Litigation Strategy Division of the DeKalb County Law Department, where he worked since 2014.  Prior to that, he was a litigation associate at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton for six years.  Aaron received his B.A. from Northwestern University and his law degree from Emory University School of Law, where he was the Notes and Comment Editor of the Emory Law Journal.
   
• Trishanda Treadwell was previously a partner with Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs, LLP.  She also worked as an associate with King & Spalding. Trish received her J.D. cum laude from Georgia State University College of Law, where she was the Student Writing Associate Editor of the Law Review, President of the Student Bar Association, and a member of the Board of Visitors.  She earned her B.A. cum laude from Oglethorpe University.

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 first-of-its-kind indictment was unsealed today against Indian-based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider, E Sampark, and its Director, Gaurav Gupta, who pushed out tens of millions of scam calls to American consumers on behalf of India-based phone scammers.  Pursuant to a consent permanent injunction, a federal court has also ordered a Florida-based server farm to stop providing E Sampark and Gupta with servers used to help perpetuate the fraud scheme. The consent permanent injunction seeks to prevent E Sampark and Gupta from further victimizing U.S. consumers through the use of the servers located in Florida.

“The defendants bombarded American consumers with scam calls, causing emotional and financial devastation, including to vulnerable and elderly individuals,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Those who facilitate fraudulent calls into the United States will be investigated and brought to justice.”

“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration aggressively pursues those who defraud taxpayers by impersonating employees of the Internal Revenue Service,” said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  “I wish to thank the U.S. Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners involved in this first-of-its-kind indictment.  Taxpayers must remain cautious of unsolicited telephone calls from individuals claiming to be Internal Revenue Service employees.  If any taxpayer believes they or someone they know has been a victim of an Internal Revenue Service impersonation scam, they should report it to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at tips.tigta.gov or by calling 1-800-366-4484.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the Indictment, and the Complaint: Defendant Gaurav Gupta directed and operated E Sampark, d/b/a VG-Tech Serve Private Limited, a Voice Over IP (VoIP) company that allegedly sent calls from criminal India-based call centers to victims in the United States, both directly and through VoIP providers located in the United States.  From May 2015 to June 2020, the defendants passed tens of millions of scam calls from India into the United States, leading to reported victim losses of over $20 million.  The callers purported to be legitimate government agencies and businesses and misled victims over the phone.  The callers allegedly used multiple frauds, including Social Security impersonation, IRS impersonation, and loan scams.

As part of a Social Security scam, India-based callers posed as federal agents in order to mislead victims into believing their Social Security number was involved in crimes.  Callers threatened arrest and the loss of the victims’ assets if the victims did not send money.  The callers directed victims to send cash to aliases used by other members of the fraud network, and to transfer funds via gift cards to the callers.  In one instance in November 2019, the callers kept a Marietta, Georgia woman on the phone for over eleven hours while they convinced her that her Social Security number had been compromised, that there was a warrant for her arrest in Texas, and that she should tell no one about the purported investigation.  The callers told the victim that her assets were going to be frozen and that she should purchase gift cards in order to protect her money.  Per the callers’ directions, the victim went around Cobb County to purchase over $35,000 in gift cards, including Target, GameStop, Sephora, and Nordstrom gift cards.  The callers had the victim provide them with the numbers on the back of the cards, which allowed them to steal the funds from her.  E Sampark and Gupta allegedly connected the victim with the fraudsters. 

As part of the IRS impersonation scam, India-based callers posed as IRS or Treasury officials and defrauded the U.S. residents into believing they owed money to the IRS or would be arrested and fined if they did not pay alleged back taxes, fines, and fees immediately.  For example in April 2017, a Georgia resident received numerous calls from an individual who claimed to work for the IRS.  A caller told the victim that he owed $28,000 to the IRS in back taxes and that if he did not pay, he would be arrested.  After the victim explained that he could not pay the full amount, the caller directed him to send two wire transfers for $500 and $1,990 to two aliases in order to resolve the issue.  The victim followed the caller’s instructions, and the funds sent by wire transfer were retrieved by a co-conspirator in South Carolina. Again, E Sampark and Gupta allegedly connected the victim with the fraudsters.

As part of the loan scam, India-based callers misled American consumers into believing that the callers worked for lending institutions and that the victims were eligible for fictitious loans.  The India-based callers directed the victims to pay upfront fees to demonstrate their ability to repay the loan.  At times, the callers directed victims to provide their bank account information and made it appear as though they had deposited funds into the victims’ accounts.  The callers then told the victims to withdraw the funds and transfer them via wire transfer and gift cards.  After the victims sent the funds, the deposits that the callers supposedly made bounced.  The victims received nothing in return.

Defendants Gupta and E Sampark maintained approximately sixty servers in Florida that the company used at times to connect criminal India-based callers with American consumers.  The servers contained over 130,000 recordings of scam calls, including robocall voicemail recordings and conversations between the India-based scammers and U.S.-based victims. 

Northern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney, Jolee Porter, who is currently detailed to the DOJ’s Consumer Protection Branch, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth McBath are prosecuting the criminal case.  Northern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Armen Adzhemyan is handling the civil injunction matter.

The U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Fraud and Schemes Division is investigating the case, with the assistance of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General; Homeland Security Investigations; Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General; the Houston, Texas Police Department; and the Matagorda County, Texas Sheriff’s Office. 

U.S. Attorney Pak thanked TIGTA for its investigation of the case, and the DOJ’s Consumer Protection Branch for their substantial coordination efforts.  He also expressed appreciation to AT&T’s Global Fraud Management Organization for apprising the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the alleged offenses.  

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is part of the Department of Justice Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force. The Strike Force focuses on investigating and prosecuting defendants associated with foreign-based fraud schemes that disproportionately affect American seniors.  These include romance scams, phone scams, mass-mailing fraud schemes, and tech-support fraud schemes.  For further information on these scams, see https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/senior-scam-alert.

The public should exercise caution with any caller who claims to be a government employee. Government agencies will never threaten you with immediate arrest or other legal action if you do not send cash, retail gift cards, wire transfers, or internet currency. They will also never demand secrecy from you in resolving a debt or any other problem. If you need to send a payment to IRS or Social Security, the agency will send a letter with payment options and appeal rights. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). 

The public is reminded that gift cards are for gifts, not for payments.  If a stranger purporting to be a legitimate business or government agency demands payment with a gift card, hang up.  Anyone who demands payment by gift card is a scammer.  Once you buy the gift card, the callers typically demand the number on the back of the gift card. That number lets the caller immediately steal the money loaded onto the card. For more information, visit https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/paying-scammers-gift-cards

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 federal judge has sentenced Tabyron Rashad Smith, the first of two gunmen convicted for robbing nine Asian owned-and-operated businesses in Atlanta, Doraville, Duluth, Roswell, Stone Mountain, and Norcross in October and November 2017, to 27 years in prison. 

“Smith and his fellow gunman, Dravion Sanchez Ware, terrorized, threatened, and injured their innocent victims,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “This lengthy prison sentence hopefully provides some peace to the victims by ensuring Smith cannot terrorize anyone for decades to come.”

“Once again, the FBI would like to thank our many state and local law enforcement partners for helping to bring this month-long terror in the Asian business community to an end,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “To the victims, some of whom were shot and some of whom were pistol-whipped, your emotional scars can never be erased. But we can promise you these two men will not threaten you for a long, long time.”

“The GBI Crime Lab was instrumental in this case. Expert analysis and testimony helped lead to a successful prosecution. The GBI is committed to provide the highest quality forensic services in all cases. For over a month, these gang members targeted and terrorized the Asian business community. This sentence is evidence that this behavior will not be tolerated in the state of Georgia,” said Vic Reynolds, Director, Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

“The fact that Tabyron Smith has been sentenced is a win for the victims, metro-Atlanta, law enforcement and the criminal justice system,” City of Atlanta Interim Chief Rodney Bryant.  “The collaborative efforts from multijurisdictional agencies is a testament to the hard work that goes into arresting, prosecuting and keeping hardened criminals off our streets. Additionally, I look forward to continuing collaborations to make our communities safe.”

“This effort highlights the great cooperation between our local and federal law enforcement partners.  As a result of this combined effort this violent predator will no longer be a threat to the community,” said Chief Chuck Atkinson, Doraville Police Department.

“The successful outcome and sentencing of these cases is a testament of the importance of agencies working together. Unlike police departments, criminals are not bound by jurisdictional boundaries and these cases are proof that great things happen when agencies proactively share information, work together, and compare cases. The State of Georgia is now a safer place thanks to the cooperation between local, state, and federal partners that enabled the removal of these dangerous criminals from our communities,” said Chief Kenneth DeSimone. Sandy Springs Police Department.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: Between October 7 and November 10, 2017, Smith and Ware, both of whom are members of the Bloods, committed multiple armed robberies of Asian-run businesses in Metro-Atlanta. Smith participated in at least nine armed robberies, including robberies of three businesses in Atlanta, two in Doraville, and one business in each of the following cities: Norcross, Duluth, Stone Mountain, and Roswell, Georgia. Ware shot victims in the Doraville robbery and pistol-whipped several other victims in the other robberies.

Smith was captured on November 21, 2017, after the FBI led a multi-jurisdictional investigation that included participation of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Doraville Police Department, the Fulton County Police Department, the Gwinnett County Police Department, the Atlanta Police Department, the Roswell Police Department, and the Sandy Springs Police Department. 

Smith pled guilty on July 23, 2019, to one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robberies and four counts of discharging or brandishing a firearm during several of the robberies.  The shooter, Ware, was convicted by a jury on August 2, 2019, for conspiracy to commit the Hobbs Act robberies, five counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and five counts of discharging or brandishing a firearm during the robberies.

Tabyron Rashad Smith, 25, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr., to serve 27 years in prison followed by five years on supervised release and to pay restitution in the amount of $135,951.81.

Sentencing for Dravion Sanchez Ware, 25, of Atlanta, Georgia is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., January 7, 2021.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bret R. Hobson and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy H. Lee 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 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 – Caduceus USA Medical Pharmacy, LLC (“Caduceus”) has agreed to surrender its DEA registration and pay $250,000 to resolve allegations that it failed to keep proper records of the controlled substances that it purchased, maintained and dispensed in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).  These requirements are designed to prevent the diversion of controlled substances.  Prior to surrendering its registration, Caduceus supplied controlled substances to a chain of occupational medicine clinics operated by an affiliated entity.

“We trust pharmacies to scrupulously follow the CSA’s recordkeeping requirements so that the DEA can carry out its mission to prevent the diversion of controlled substances into illicit channels,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “When pharmacies don’t live up to their obligations, our office will vigorously pursue the violations using a variety of enforcement mechanisms.” 

“This pharmacy spun a web of deception when it failed to keep proper records of controlled substances it purchased, maintained and dispensed,” said the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division Robert J. Murphy. “Such careless behavior allows for substances to be diverted and sold on the black market with no measure of accountability. The surrender of the pharmacy’s DEA registration and monetary fine are proactive steps that DEA Diversion and its law enforcement partners will take to discourage other negligent healthcare providers from engaging in similar unlawful behavior.”  

The government alleges that Caduceus failed to keep accurate records of the controlled substances that it purchased and dispensed, failed to complete the required biennial inventory, failed to maintain records of controlled substances separately from its ordinary business records, and distributed a controlled substance not authorized by its registration. Caduceus has acknowledged that it dispensed and distributed controlled substances in noncompliance with the CSA and its implementing regulations.

The CSA was enacted by Congress to deter the illegal importation, manufacture, distribution, possession, and improper use of controlled substances, including prescription medications, and requires individuals and entities registered with the DEA to maintain complete and accurate records of all controlled substances and security systems so that no controlled substances are lost, stolen, or inappropriately dispensed.  Violations of the recordkeeping requirements subject DEA registrants to civil monetary penalties of up to $14,502 for each violation.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The civil settlement was reached by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Austin Hall and Mellori Lumpkin-Dawson.

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.

A former DeKalb County, Georgia, police officer and member of the Gangster Disciples was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for racketeering conspiracy involving murder, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak of the Northern District of Georgia.

Vancito Gumbs, 28, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, claimed to be a “hitman” for the Gangster Disciples while at the same time serving as a police officer.  Evidence showed that Gumbs relayed sensitive law enforcement information to the gang and provided a firearm to a fellow gang member.

According to the charges and other information presented in court, the Gangster Disciples are a national gang with roots in Chicago dating back to the 1970s.  The gang is highly structured, with a hierarchy of leadership positions known as “Positions of Authority” or “POAs.”  The gang strictly enforces rules for its members, the most important of which is “Silence and Secrecy” – a prohibition on cooperating with law enforcement.  Violations of the rule are punishable by death. 

Evidence at trial showed that the Gangster Disciples were responsible for 24 shootings from 2011 through 2015, including 12 murders.  Gumbs, who had been photographed flashing a hand sign used by the Gangster Disciples, was a self-professed “hitman” for the gang while serving as a police officer.  While he was employed as a DeKalb County police officer, federal agents captured Gumbs on recorded phone calls with the “Chief Enforcer” for the Georgia Gangster Disciples.  Evidence showed that during these calls, Gumbs relayed law enforcement information to the gang and provided a firearm to a fellow gang member. On later calls, the Chief Enforcer noted that he had Gangster Disciples police officers at his disposal.

Among other criminal activity, the Gangster Disciples engaged in the commission of murders.  The jury found that Gumbs joined or remained in the racketeering conspiracy while knowing and agreeing that the gang engaged in murder.

This case was investigated by the FBI, Atlanta Police Department, and DeKalb County Police Department.

Principal Deputy Chief Kim S. Dammers of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS), Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan K. Buchanan, Deputy Chief of the Violent Crime and National Security Section, Erin N. Spritzer of the Northern District of Georgia, and Trial Attorney Conor Mulroe of OCGS prosecuted the case.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

ATLANTA - Vancito Gumbs, a former DeKalb County police officer and member of the Gangster Disciples, has been sentenced for racketeering conspiracy involving murder.

“Vancito Gumbs moonlighted as a member of the Gangster Disciples while serving as a DeKalb County Police Officer,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “His brazen disregard for his sworn duty as a police officer, betrayal of the public’s trust, and disregard for human life warrants the significant sentence he received in this case.”

“It is reprehensible for a law enforcement officer sworn to serve and protect the public to instead serve a ruthless gang that has preyed upon, and threatened the well-being of the good people in his community,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Because of the efforts of the FBI's Safe Streets Gang Task Force and its state and local partners, our community is safer and Gumbs is no longer a part of it.”

“No one is above the law and this sentencing demonstrates that everyone is held accountable for their actions even if they wear a badge,” said DeKalb Police Chief Mirtha V. Ramos.        

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: The Gangster Disciples are a national gang with roots in Chicago dating back to the 1970s.  The gang is highly structured, with a hierarchy of leadership posts known as “Positions of Authority” or “POAs.”  The gang strictly enforces rules for its members, the most important of which is “Silence and Secrecy” – a prohibition on cooperating with law enforcement.  Violations of the rule are punishable by death. Evidence at trial showed that the Gangster Disciples were responsible for twenty-four shootings from 2011 through 2015, including twelve murders.

Gumbs, who had been photographed flashing a hand sign used by the Gangster Disciples, was a self-professed “hitman” for the gang while serving as a police officer. While he was employed as a DeKalb County Police Officer, federal agents captured Gumbs on recorded phone calls with the “Chief Enforcer” for the Georgia Gangster Disciples. Evidence showed that during these calls, Gumbs relayed law enforcement information to the gang and provided a firearm to a fellow gang member. On later calls, the Chief Enforcer noted that he had Gangster Disciples police officers at his disposal.

Vancito Gumbs, 28, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.  Gumbs was convicted on May 16, 2019, of the offense of RICO conspiracy following a jury trial.  

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Atlanta Police Department, and DeKalb County Police Department.

Kim S. Dammers, Principal Deputy Chief of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan K. Buchanan, Deputy Chief of the Violent Crime and National Security Section, and Erin N. Spritzer of the Northern District of Georgia, and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Conor Mulroe of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang 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 - Kadeidra Ra'Shawon White has been arraigned on federal charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices.  

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment benefits have provided a lifeline to many Americans facing economic hardships and job losses,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “This defendant lined her pockets with this money and drained critical resources when they were most needed to combat the financial impact of the pandemic.”

“An important mission of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of fraud related to unemployment insurance benefit programs. We will continue to work with our law enforcement and state workforce agency partners to pursue individuals who seek to undermine the integrity of the unemployment insurance program,” said Rafiq Ahmad, Special Agent-in-Charge, Atlanta Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

“In a time of vulnerability in our country, Postal Inspectors are ever vigilant in bringing to justice individuals who exploit the Covid-19 crisis for their own financial gain,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “An important mission of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is to protect the integrity of the U.S. Mail system and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and hold criminals accountable for their illegal activities.”

“This investigation and subsequent indictment demonstrates the commitment the Secret Service and our law enforcement partners have in aggressively pursuing those who commit access device fraud and identity theft,” said Steven R. Baisel, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office. “These charges prove our continuing resolve to eliminate corruption, particularly when the funds should have been used to help our neediest families.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law. The CARES Act created a temporary federal program that provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits and also instituted a temporary additional unemployment benefit of $600 per week.

From at least June 2020, through October 8, 2020, White is alleged to have filed fraudulent online applications for unemployment benefits with the States of Arizona, Ohio, and Nevada. The online applications were filed in victims’ names without their permission and included the victims’ dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and other personally identifiable information.

As a result of the online applications, unemployment benefits were issued in the victims’ names and transferred onto debit cards. The debit cards were then mailed to addresses within the Atlanta area that were associated with or accessible to the defendant. It is further alleged that on or about October 8, 2020, the defendant possessed at least fifteen unauthorized access devices, including Social Security numbers and debit cards.

Kadeidra Ra'Shawon White, 27, of Clarkston, Georgia, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan J. Baverman, charged with seven counts of wire fraud, seven counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices.  White was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 28, 2020.  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 U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and U.S. Secret Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly K. Connors 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 - Russell Richardson has been sentenced for fraudulently using hospital funds to acquire 93 firearms for profit as well as his personal use.

“Richardson abused his position as the hospital’s Security Director and manipulated the system to acquire firearms for his personal benefit,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “He fraudulently caused the hospital to spend money that should have gone towards the purchase of medical necessities, not to line his pockets.”     

“Mr. Richardson betrayed the trust of his position” said Arthur Peralta, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Atlanta.  “This sentence should send a strong message to anyone who would set aside their values, ethics and common sense in a similar fashion.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: While Richardson was the Director of Security at DeKalb Medical Center, Inc., he received authorization to purchase a few firearms for the Security Department. Between June 2016 and April 2018, Richardson placed additional orders for approximately 93 firearms and falsely represented to the vendor that the firearms were likewise for the department.

The vendor invoiced the hospital for the additional firearms and provided the invoices to Richardson. He then fraudulently caused the hospital to mail payments to the vendor by submitting fake invoices that listed false descriptions of the items purchased. Richardson took possession of all the firearms and sold many them for 100% profit while keeping some for use in gun classes he taught.

Russell Richardson, 44, of Columbia, South Carolina, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr., to one year, six months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $83,275.21. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracia M. King 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 - Gerald D. Harris, a former supervisor in DeKalb County’s Tax Commissioner’s Office, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for accepting bribe payments from customers to unlawfully register vehicles and for attempting to blackmail a bribe payer by threatening to inform on her to the FBI.

“By accepting bribe payments, Harris sold his integrity for money – and, in doing so, betrayed the trust of the citizens of DeKalb County,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Then, in a truly bold display of audacity, Harris tried to blackmail one of the individuals who had previously paid him bribes.”

“Harris' flaunting of the law tarnished every government official and erodes the public's trust in their positions,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Now we must work even harder with our partners in law enforcement to regain that trust and hopefully this sentencing is a step in that direction.”

“Mr. Harris traded his integrity for money and, in doing so, dishonored the hard work and dedication exemplified by the vast majority of DeKalb County employees.  Today, Mr. Harris is being held accountable for his crimes.  The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, along with its law enforcement partners, will continue to seek and root out corruption, restoring the public’s trust in its government,” said DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston.

“I am happy this matter is concluding. Our office will continue to be vigilant in guarding the public trust and serving the citizens of DeKalb County,” said Irvin Johnson, DeKalb Tax Commissioner.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office is an agency of DeKalb County, Georgia responsible for the billing and collection of property taxes, processing of homestead exemptions, and collecting delinquent taxes. In addition, the Motor Vehicle Division of the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office handled all aspects of motor vehicle registrations, including: (a) managing the collection of motor vehicle taxes, (b) issuing vehicle tags and titles, and (c) processing vehicle registration renewals for citizens and businesses located in DeKalb County.

From July 2017 to November 2019, Harris served as the Supervisor of Tax Tag Clerks for the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office. In that position, Harris oversaw the Tax Commissioner - North Office’s clerks who processed motor vehicle registrations and renewals for customers.

From approximately November 2018 to November 2019, Harris accepted bribe payments from customers to unlawfully register vehicles or renew vehicle registrations. For example, Harris accepted bribe payments:

• To register vehicles to individuals who did not have Georgia driver’s licenses or identification cards as required, typically in exchange for $200 per vehicle;

• To register vehicles that did not have the required accompanying documentation (such as: titles or Forms MV-1 title/tag application), typically in exchange for $500 to $1,000 per vehicle; and

• To renew vehicles that had not passed emissions tests by falsely entering that the vehicles had emissions exemptions, typically in exchange for $100 per vehicle.

In total, Harris accepted more than $35,000 in bribe payments.

In addition to accepting bribe payments, Harris also attempted to blackmail one of the individuals who had been paying him bribe money. On November 18, 2019, DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office fired Harris for accepting bribe payments (as fully detailed above). On the same date, Harris admitted to the FBI that he had accepted thousands in bribe payments in exchange for illegally registering/renewing vehicles for several people, including a person identified as Individual-1.

On December 12, 2019, Harris met with Individual-1 at an Atlanta gas station.  During the meeting, Individual-1 (who did not know that Harris had been fired) gave Harris registration documentation so that Harris could register four vehicles. Indvidual-1 gave Harris checks and cash to cover the costs of the required fees and taxes for each vehicle. Given that Harris no longer worked for the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office, Harris obviously could not register the four vehicles for Individual-1. Nevertheless, Harris accepted and kept the money from Individual-1.

Then on December 17, 2019, Individual-1 sent a series of text messages to Harris requesting that Harris return the registration documentation and money. On December 17 and 18, 2019, Harris sent a series of text messages to Individual-1 where Harris stated that: (a) he was under investigation by the FBI, (b) the FBI has a video of Harris and Individual-1 meeting, (c)  “[a]ll of us can be in trouble,” (d) Harris needed to know “how much” money will he be paid not to give information to the FBI, and (e) Harris is  “not going to prison empty handed. It’s that simple.”

On July 14, 2020, Gerald D. Harris, 51, of Fulton County, Georgia, pleaded guilty to federal program bribery and blackmail. Based on that conduct, the Court sentenced Harris to two years in prison, and three years of supervised release.  

The FBI, DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, Georgia Department of Revenue, and DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey W. Davis, Chief of the Public Integrity and Special Matters Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Hartigan 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.

ROME, Ga. – Former correctional officer Michael L. Jones pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to provide prison inmates with methamphetamine, marijuana, and tobacco, all of which were destined to be smuggled into Floyd County Correctional Institution (“FCCI”) in Rome, Georgia.

“Correctional officers across the state serve our citizens by faithfully executing their duties with integrity,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Jones, however, violated both the oath of his office and the law when he provided drugs to prison inmates. As a result, Jones must now account for his betrayal of trust.”

“Jones jeopardized the safety of staff and inmates by smuggling drugs into the Floyd County Correctional Institution and his actions also fostered criminal activity inside and outside the facility,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “By violating his sworn oath he betrayed every honest, hardworking corrections officer.”

“The GDC maintains a zero-tolerance policy for individuals who choose to disregard their oath and jeopardize our non-negotiable mission of public safety. We appreciate the support of our federal partners to see that justice is served on this former officer.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: the Floyd County Correctional Institution (“FCCI”) in Rome, Georgia is a medium-security prison that houses state and county offenders. FCCI also provides a general labor force that supports Floyd County Government, including employing inmates to work at the Rome/Floyd Recycling Center.

From approximately June 20, 2017 to September 26, 2019, Jones served as a Floyd County Corrections Officer. During his service, Jones supervised inmates detailed to work at the recycling center.

From that position, from approximately April to September 2019, Jones executed a conspiracy in which he collected contraband packages from the friends and families of prison inmates.  For a price (usually $200 per package), Jones delivered the packages to inmates who were detailed to work at the Floyd County Recycling Center. Thereafter, the inmate/s smuggled the methamphetamine, marijuana, and tobacco contained in the packages into FCCI.  Typically, the inmates or their associates paid Jones via Cash App, a mobile payment service based in San Francisco, California.

For example, on September 26, 2019, Jones was assigned to oversee a group of inmates who had been detailed to work at the Rome/Floyd Recycling Center. On that date, Jones intended to deliver several contraband packages to an inmate on the work detail; however, law enforcement thwarted Jones’s plan.  In particular, law enforcement officers caught Jones with: (a) several packages containing marijuana and tobacco in his boots, and (b) three packages containing marijuana and more than 13 grams of methamphetamine in his truck.  All of the contraband packages were tightly wrapped with black electrical tape. Based on that conduct, Jones was arrested.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Michael L. Jones, 31, of Chattooga County, Georgia, with conspiratorial drug trafficking and extortion under the color of official right.  Jones pleaded guilty to both charges.  

Federal Bureau of Investigation and Georgia Department of Corrections are investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey W.  Davis, Chief of the Public Integrity and Special Matters Section, is prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney DeLana Jones previously prosecuted the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.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 – Local business owner Dauda Saibu has pleaded guilty to attempting to pay over $15,000 in bribe money to an IRS Revenue Agent to reduce his federal taxes.

“Rather than pay his taxes like every other law-abiding American, Saibu attempted to bribe an IRS Revenue Agent,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Thanks to the prompt reporting of the agent, Saibu was exposed and his scheme ended with him now facing time in prison.”

“The act of bribery is an attempt to corrupt the administration of the Internal Revenue laws,” said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  “Any such attempt will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted to preserve the integrity of the American tax system.”        

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: As a result of an audit of Saibu's 2014 tax return, the IRS calculated that Saibu owed approximately $187,000 in back taxes.  On October 11, 2019, Saibu met with a Revenue Agent to discuss his 2014 tax return.  At the end of the meeting, Saibu attempted to give the Revenue Agent a cash bribe. 

The Revenue Agent properly reported Saibu’s bribe offer and subsequently agreed work with federal law enforcement authorities.  On October 22, 2019, Saibu had two meetings with the Revenue Agent to discuss the results of the IRS’s audit. During these audio and video recorded meetings, Saibu proposed that if the Revenue Agent reduced his tax liability to 20% of the actual amount owed, Saibu would pay the Revenue Agent a $10,000 cash bribe. To memorialize the deal, Saibu wrote: (a) “$10,000” on a piece of paper and gave it the Revenue Agent; and (b) “20% of total amount I owed $187,000” on another piece of paper.  After a brief negotiation, Saibu offered to pay the Revenue Agent an additional $5,000, for a total of $15,000.

On October 23, 2019, Saibu again met with the Revenue Agent. During the audio and video recorded meeting, Saibu paid the Revenue Agent $10,000 in cash in exchange for the Revenue Agent reducing the amount Saibu owed in back taxes from approximately $187,000 to $47,485.33.  Saibu also confirmed that he would pay the Revenue Agent an additional $5,000 at a later date.

On February 28, 2020, Dauda Saibu, 63 of Atlanta, Georgia, was charged via criminal information with bribing a federal official and pleaded guilty to that charge today.  Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W. Davis, Public Integrity and Special Matters section chief, and David A. O'Neal 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 – A pair of Union City, Georgia, brothers have been sentenced after pleading guilty to numerous federal firearms offenses. Antonio Turrentine, a convicted felon, was sentenced for dealing firearms without a license and possessing firearms after having been convicted of a felony offense. His older brother, Dominique Turrentine, was sentenced for unlicensed firearms dealing.

“The Turrentine brothers sought to trade in firearms and illegal drugs; conduct that often fuels violence and death in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Smart and proactive work by federal law enforcement ensured that the Turrentines will pay for their crimes rather than profit from them.”

“Placing guns in the hands of criminals is a particularly insidious offense,” said Arthur Peralta, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Atlanta.  “Turrentine, and others like him, circumvent the gun laws that are designed to protect communities and supply guns that are sometimes used to victimize innocent people and terrorize our communities.” 

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: between August 2019 and January 2019, Antonio Turrentine sold a total of 32 firearms, including assault rifles, shotguns, and semi-automatic pistols loaded with large capacity magazines, to an informant participating in an ATF-sting operation. Turrentine sold several stolen guns, including one that had been used in a murder. Turrentine knew which of the guns had been reported stolen, and he advised the informant to “ship” those particular weapons out-of-state.

During some of the gun deals, Turrentine was accompanied and assisted by his older brother, Dominique Turrentine. Along with the guns, the Turrentine brothers occasionally sold illegal drugs, specifically marijuana and methamphetamine, to the informant while armed. At no time was either brother licensed by ATF to engage in the business of selling firearms. Additionally, Antonio Turrentine was specifically prohibited from possessing firearms because he had been convicted of a drug trafficking offense in 2016. At the time of their federal crimes, both men were on probation for having trafficked drugs in Oklahoma.

The Turrentine brothers were arrested on February 27, 2020, after arriving at an agreed-upon location where they expected to sell guns and a pound of marijuana. At the time of their arrests, both men were carrying loaded semi-automatic pistols. The marijuana was concealed inside a Girl Scouts cookies box.

Antonio Turrentine, 29, of Union City, Georgia, was sentenced on July 29, 2020, by U.S. District Judge J. P. Boulee to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

Dominique Turrentine, 30, also of Union City, Georgia, was sentenced on November 5, 2020, by U.S. District Judge J. P. Boulee to three years, six months in prison.  His sentence will be followed by two years of supervised release.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Georgia Department of Community Supervision.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as 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.

This case was also brought as part of Project Guardian, a national Department of Justice initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws, including those related to firearms trafficking. More information about Project Guardian can be found at https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.

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 and the Department of Justice (”DOJ”) announced plans for voting rights monitoring in Fulton and Gwinnett Counties for the Nov. 3, 2020 general election. The DOJ historically has monitored in jurisdictions in the field on election day, and is again doing so this year. The department will also take complaints from the public nationwide regarding possible violations of the federal voting rights laws through its call center. 

“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “On Election Day, Civil Division staff from my office will be monitoring voting procedures at polling places throughout Fulton and Gwinnett Counties.  Free and fair elections are critical to our democracy, and my office will continue to devote resources to protect this fundamental right.”

“Federal law entrusts the Civil Rights Division with protecting the right to vote for all Americans,” said Eric S. Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “Our federal laws protect the right of all American citizens to vote without suffering discrimination, intimidation, and harassment. The work of the Civil Rights Division around each federal general election is a continuation of its historical mission to ensure that all of our citizens can freely exercise this most fundamental American right.”

The Civil Rights Division enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot. Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the division has regularly monitored in a variety of elections around the country throughout every year to protect the rights of all voters, and not just in federal general elections. 

On Nov. 3, the United States Attorney’s Office and the Civil Rights Division plan to send personnel to two jurisdictions in the Northern District of Georgia to monitor for compliance with the federal voting rights laws. 

As in past years, monitors will focus on compliance with the Voting Rights Act, and the other federal voting rights laws enforced by the division. Monitors will include civil rights personnel from the Civil Rights Division and civil personnel from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Civil Rights Division personnel and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will maintain contact with state and local election officials.

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights Acts. The division’s Disability Rights Section enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure that persons with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote. The division’s Criminal Section enforces federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and voter suppression based on race, color, national origin or religion. 

On Election Day, Civil Rights Division personnel will be available all day to receive complaints from the public related to possible violations of the federal voting rights laws by a complaint form on the department’s website https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by telephone toll-free at 800-253-3931.

Individuals with questions or complaints related to the ADA may call the department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD), or submit a complaint through a link on the department’s ADA website, at https://www.ada.gov/.

Complaints related to disruption at a polling place should always be reported immediately to local election officials (including officials in the polling place). Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police authorities by calling 911. These complaints should also be reported to the department after local authorities have been contacted.

Last week, the Justice Department announced its overall plans for the general election to protect the right to vote and secure the integrity of the voting process through the work of the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Division, National Security Division, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices.

More information about the federal civil rights laws is available on the Civil Rights Division’s website at https://www.justice.gov/crt.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, DC by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by email to voting.section@usdoj.gov or by complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php.

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 - Gennady Podolsky, a dual Ukrainian and American citizen, and managing partner of Vega International Travel Services, Inc., has pleaded guilty to trafficking in computer passwords.

“Companies or individuals who use travel agents trust them to work in their best interests,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Podolsky violated that trust when he trafficked in passwords associated with Delta Air Lines SkyBonus accounts without authorization, fraudulently accruing Delta SkyBonus points for the purchase of eCert tickets.  Corrupt individuals who engage in fraudulent activity will be caught and prosecuted.”

“There are victims when someone fraudulently accumulates frequent flyer miles in the travel industry. Large corporations, like Delta Air Lines, lose significant profits,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This case is an example of how the FBI will do everything in its power to protect companies and arrest anyone who conducts such corrupt behavior.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Vega International Travel Services, Inc. (“Vega Travel”) was a small, full service travel agency located in Chicago, Illinois. Vega Travel's services included booking air travel for its clients, many of whom were living abroad. Podolsky was Vega Travel’s managing partner and lead travel agent. 

Delta Air Lines is a major United States airline headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Delta utilizes computer servers for electronic ticket management and email messaging. Delta also operates a frequent-flyer program for individuals called SkyMiles, and a similar program for businesses called SkyBonus, that allows individuals and businesses to earn points for free travel and other valuable perks. 

Enrolled businesses can earn points under the SkyBonus program at the same time traveling passengers earn points under the SkyMiles program. Enrolled businesses receive a unique user ID and password, and can redeem accrued Sky Bonus points for flight reward certificates, ticket upgrades, and other benefits. The reward certificates for free air travel are requested through the SkyBonus website. Delta issues the certificates, known as “Delta eCerts,” via email to the recipient's email address. To redeem an eCert for free travel, the reward recipient enters an eCert number during the booking process and selects an eligible flight.

Podolsky created a bogus account under the name of "RGI International" in order to fraudulently accrue SkyBonus points. Podolsky also caused others to use aliases in their communications with Delta. Podolsky further transferred the password for RGI International’s bogus SkyBonus account to a Vega International Travel Service, Inc. employee, in order for the employee to unlawfully access Delta's SkyBonus computer system and book Vega's customers for air travel on Delta.

In so doing, Podolsky caused the Sky Bonus account number for "RGI International" to be associated with those customers' tickets, even though those customers were not employees of any entity called RGI International. By unlawfully transferring the password to RGI International's bogus account, Podolsy ensured the account fraudulently accrued Delta SkyBonus points for the purchase of eCert tickets.

Sentencing for Gennady Podolsky, 44, of Chicago, Illinois is scheduled for January 27, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones.  As part of the plea agreement, Podolsky has agreed to pay $1,000,000 as restitution to Delta Air Lines prior to sentencing and has further agreed not to engage in any business with Delta Air Lines or any company associated with Delta Air Lines at any time in the future.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bernita Malloy, John S. Ghose and Glenn D. Baker 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 – The United States has seized “Aletejahtv.com” and “kataibhezbollah.com,” two websites that were unlawfully utilized by Kata’ib Hizballah, a Specially Designated National and a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

“We will be steadfast in protecting our electronic infrastructure and commerce system from use by terrorist groups,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak of the Northern District of Georgia.  “This seizure shows that we will continue to leverage our national reach to stop these groups from using U.S.-based resources to further their terrorist agenda.”

“Seizures like these are critical to preventing designated entities and terrorist organizations from using U.S. websites to recruit new members and promote their twisted world views,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.   “While this case is a reminder that terrorists don’t need to step foot in our country to further their aims, today’s actions show that the Department will do what it takes to stop them. 

“The internet is continuously updating with new threats to our nation’s safety, but we will continue to rise and meet this challenge,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The success of this seizure should serve as a message to others that would threaten the safety of our communities: We will continue to fight terror groups and their propaganda no matter the domain.”

“The Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement will continue to aggressively disrupt Iranian backed terrorist organizations such as Kata’ib Hizballah from utilizing U.S. based online networks and services in violation of U.S. law,” said P. Lee Smith, Performing the Non-exclusive Functions and Duties of the Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the Department of Commerce.  “The Bureau of Industry and Security is committed to protecting our war fighters and Allied Forces from terrorist acts of violence inspired and directed via online networks.”

On July 2, 2009, the U.S. Secretary of Treasury designated Kata’ib Hizballah, an Iran-backed terrorist group active in Iraq, as a Specially Designated National for committing, directing, supporting, and posing a significant risk of committing acts of violence against Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces. On the same day, the U.S. Department of State designated Kata’ib Hizballah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization for committing or posing a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism.

On August 31, 2020, pursuant to a seizure warrant in the District of Arizona, the United States seized “Aletejahtv.com” and “Aletejahtv.org.” “Aletejahtv.com” and “Aletejahtv.org,” acted as Kata’ib Hizballah’s media arm and published internet communications such as videos, articles, and photographs. These communications included numerous articles designed to further Kata’ib Hizballah’s agenda, particularly destabilizing Iraq and recruiting others to join their cause.  They also functioned as a live online television broadcast channel, “Al-etejah TV.” Portions of the communications expressly noted that they were published by Kata’ib Hizballah.

Within weeks, federal agents located the content from “Aletejahtv.com” and “Aletejahtv.org” on “Aletejahtv.com” and “kataibhezbollah.com,” including the Kata’ib Hizballah flag and the words “Islamic Resistance, Kataib Hizbollah.” The content even included false information about COVID-19 designed to damage perception of the United States in the minds of Iraqi citizens and to destabilize the region to the benefit of Iran.

Federal law prohibits designated entities like Kata’ib Hizballah from obtaining or utilizing goods or services, including website and domain services, in the United States without a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control. “Aletejahtv.com” and “kataibhezbollah.com” are domain names that are owned and operated by a United States company based in Reston, Virginia. Kata’ib Hizballah did not obtain a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control prior to utilizing the domain names.

On October 14, 2020, pursuant to a seizure warrant issued in the Eastern District of Virginia, the United States seized “Aletejahtv.com” and “kataibhezbollah.com.”

This seizure was investigated by the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Atlanta Resident Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Northern District of Georgia, Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Eastern District of Virginia, and trial lawyers from the Department of Justice National Security Division prosecuted the seizure.

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.

The United States has seized “Aletejahtv.com” and “kataibhezbollah.com,” two websites that were unlawfully utilized by Kata’ib Hizballah, a Specially Designated National and a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

“Seizures like these are critical to preventing designated entities and terrorist organizations from using U.S. websites to recruit new members and promote their twisted world views,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.   “While this case is a reminder that terrorists don’t need to step foot in our country to further their aims, today’s actions show that the Department will do what it takes to stop them.”

“We will be steadfast in protecting our electronic infrastructure and commerce system from use by terrorist groups,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak of the Northern District of Georgia.  “This seizure shows that we will continue to leverage our national reach to stop these groups from using U.S.-based resources to further their terrorist agenda.”

“The internet is continuously updating with new threats to our nation’s safety, but we will continue to rise and meet this challenge,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The success of this seizure should serve as a message to others that would threaten the safety of our communities: We will continue to fight terror groups and their propaganda no matter the domain.”

“The Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement will continue to aggressively disrupt Iranian backed terrorist organizations such as Kata’ib Hizballah from utilizing U.S. based online networks and services in violation of U.S. law,” said P. Lee Smith, Performing the Non-exclusive Functions and Duties of the Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the Department of Commerce.  “The Bureau of Industry and Security is committed to protecting our war fighters and Allied Forces from terrorist acts of violence inspired and directed via online networks.”

On July 2, 2009, the U.S. Secretary of Treasury designated Kata’ib Hizballah, an Iran-backed terrorist group active in Iraq, as a Specially Designated National for committing, directing, supporting, and posing a significant risk of committing acts of violence against Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces. On the same day, the U.S. Department of State designated Kata’ib Hizballah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization for committing or posing a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism.

On Aug. 31, 2020, pursuant to a seizure warrant in the District of Arizona, the United States seized “Aletejahtv.com” and “Aletejahtv.org.” “Aletejahtv.com” and “Aletejahtv.org,” acted as Kata’ib Hizballah’s media arm and published internet communications such as videos, articles, and photographs. These communications included numerous articles designed to further Kata’ib Hizballah’s agenda, particularly destabilizing Iraq and recruiting others to join their cause.  They also functioned as a live online television broadcast channel, “Al-etejah TV.” Portions of the communications expressly noted that they were published by Kata’ib Hizballah.

Within weeks, federal agents located the content from “Aletejahtv.com” and “Aletejahtv.org” on “Aletejahtv.com” and “kataibhezbollah.com,” including the Kata’ib Hizballah flag and the words “Islamic Resistance, Kataib Hizbollah.” The content even included false information about COVID-19 designed to damage perception of the United States in the minds of Iraqi citizens and to destabilize the region to the benefit of Iran.

Federal law prohibits designated entities like Kata’ib Hizballah from obtaining or utilizing goods or services, including website and domain services, in the United States without a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control. “Aletejahtv.com” and “kataibhezbollah.com” are domain names that are owned and operated by a United States company based in Reston, Virginia. Kata’ib Hizballah did not obtain a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control prior to utilizing the domain names.

On Oct. 14, 2020, pursuant to a seizure warrant issued in the Eastern District of Virginia, the United States seized “Aletejahtv.com” and “kataibhezbollah.com.” Visitors to the site received the following message:

This seizure was investigated by the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Northern District of Georgia, Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Eastern District of Virginia, and trial lawyers from the Department of Justice National Security Division prosecuted the seizure.

ATLANTA – U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak announced that Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Brent Gray will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3, 2020, general election.  AUSA Gray has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Northern District of Georgia and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

“Every American citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination.  And as they cast their votes, Americans need to feel confident that their votes will be counted without any threat of being fraudulently stolen,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “It is imperative that anyone who has specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.  The Department of Justice will always act appropriately to protect the integrity of the election process.”

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur.  The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open through election day.

Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.  It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them.  For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law.  Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).

The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy.  We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.  In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights concerns during the voting period that ends on November 3, 2020, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, U.S. Attorney Pak stated that AUSA/DEO Gray will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.  He can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: (404) 581-6001.

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day.  The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (770) 216-3000.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.

Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities.  State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

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 has reached a settlement agreement with Henderson & Sons Funeral Home (Henderson), a funeral service operator in Rome, Georgia, to resolve an investigation into allegations that it violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to ensure effective communication with individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing.

“Funeral homes have an obligation under the ADA to ensure that people who are deaf and hard of hearing receive the same benefits of their service as those without disabilities,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Anyone who has lost a loved one understands the value of the services provided by funeral homes, and a failure to provide effective communication to family members who are deaf or hard of hearing robs them of that experience.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office initiated an investigation after receiving a complaint alleging that Henderson failed to provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services when necessary to ensure effective communication. The complainant, who is deaf and relies on American Sign Language as her primary means of communication, alleged she requested a sign language interpreter for her family member's funeral, but no interpreter or other auxiliary aid or service was provided. As a result, the complainant attended her loved one’s funeral without the ability to understand what was being said during the service. And while several friends and family members spoke affectionately about their memories of the deceased, the complainant was forced to grieve without the benefit of sharing in those memories. 

Under the settlement agreement, Henderson agreed to ensure effective communication to its customers who are deaf or hard of hearing, including providing qualified interpreters at no cost. Among other things, Henderson has agreed to develop an effective communication policy, provide training to all of its personnel on effective communication and relay calls, and provide a report to the U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding its compliance with the settlement agreement. A copy of the settlement agreement can be found

here.

The ADA prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities by funeral homes. Under the ADA, funeral homes are required to provide effective communication to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Depending on the needs of the customer and the sensitivity of the information needed to be conveyed, a qualified sign language interpreter may be required to ensure effective communication with the person who is deaf or hard of hearing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Johnson represented the United States in this matter.

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 - Christopher Dobbins has been sentenced to federal prison for hacking his former employer and sabotaging their electronic shipping records, causing more than $200,000 in damage and delaying the shipment of personal protective equipment (“PPE”) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As businesses worked to get PPE into the hands of those most in need of it, Dobbins chose to hack his former employer and maliciously interrupt that process,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “His actions caused delays in the delivery of desperately needed equipment in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.”

“During the height of a world-wide pandemic this defendant disrupted the distribution of critical medical supplies to health care workers on the front lines of the battle,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This swift and efficient result sends a message that anyone who puts the lives of American citizens at risk will be pursued and punished for their egregious behavior.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: In early March 2020, Dobbins was terminated from his employment at a medical device packaging company.  While employed at the company, Dobbins had administrator access to the computer systems containing the company’s shipping information. When his employment was terminated, he also lost his access to the company’s computer systems.

On March 26, Dobbins received his final paycheck from the company. Three days later, on March 29, 2020, he used a fake user account that he had previously created while still employed at the company to log into the company’s computer systems.  He then conducted a computer intrusion that disrupted and delayed the medical device packaging company’s shipments of PPEs.

While logged in through the fake user account, Dobbins created a second fake user account and then used that second account to edit approximately 115,581 records and delete approximately 2,371 records. After taking these actions, Dobbins deactivated both fake user accounts and logged out of the system. The edits and deletions to the company’s records disrupted the company’s shipping processes, causing delays in the delivery of much-needed PPEs to healthcare providers.

Christopher Dobbins, 41, of Duluth, Georgia, has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $221,200.  Dobbins was convicted on these charges on July 10, 2020, after he pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Georgia’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Fraud Task Force, aimed at better protecting the citizens of Georgia from criminal fraud arising from the pandemic. Formed by Georgia’s leading state and federal prosecutors, the task force serves to open channels of communication between partner agencies and more rapidly share information about COVID-19 fraud, while ensuring each fraud complaint is reported to the appropriate prosecuting agency. The task force member agencies include the Office of the Governor of Georgia, the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia and the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia (PAC). Georgia’s three U.S. Attorneys, the Attorney General of Georgia, the Executive Counsel for the Governor’s Office and the PAC Executive Director serve on the task force. If you think you are a victim of a scam or attempted fraud involving COVID-19, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via email at www.justice.gov/DisasterComplaintForm.

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 –  Since 2019, when Attorney General William P. Barr created the Department of Justice’s first ever-Domestic Violence Working Group—galvanizing national efforts to bring federal firearms laws to bear against armed domestic abusers—federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Georgia have taken a multi-faceted approach uniquely tailored to the issues in Georgia. 

“Keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous criminal offenders is one of the Department of Justice’s top priorities,” said Attorney General Barr. “This is especially important when it comes to individuals with prior domestic violence convictions. The statistics are clear that when domestic violence offenders have access to guns, their partners and their families are at much greater risk of falling victim to gun violence. In fact, in some communities across America, roughly half of the homicides are related to domestic violence. The Department of Justice is committed to keeping guns out of the hands of those who are prohibited from having them, and we will continue investigating and prosecuting all domestic violence firearms related crimes.”

“Georgia is one of only a handful of states in which it is not unlawful, under state law, to possess a firearm after a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Similarly, Georgia law does not prohibit firearm possession after the entry of a domestic violence protection order. Federal law, however, makes it a felony to possess a firearm under both circumstances. Federal prosecution of armed offenders with a track record of domestic violence provides an opportunity to prevent additional violence before it occurs.”  

“According to the CDC, data suggests that about one in six homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner,” said ATF Acting Director Regina Lombardo. “Nearly half of female homicide victims in the U.S. are killed by a current or former male intimate partner. ATF is committed to aggressively pursuing prohibited possession of firearms due to domestic violence convictions and certain protective orders. It is another way we prevent violent gun crime within our communities.”

The situation in Georgia is particularly grave. Firearms were the cause of death in 73 percent of domestic violence fatalities. Tragically, the problem is not a new one.  According to the Georgia Commission on Family Violence, from 2010–2017, at least 758 Georgians died from a firearm in domestic violence-related incidents. 

In addition to serving on the national working group and overseeing federal prosecutions in the Northern District of Georgia, U.S. Attorney Pak has endorsed a broad-based effort prioritizing training for local partners and promoting community awareness, which included a virtual community forum on Firearms and Domestic Violence on October 14, 2020.

U.S. Attorney Pak presented the forum moderated by CBS46 anchor Karyn Greer, which included discussions with DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston; Janet Paulsen, a survivor of domestic violence; Dr. Lauren Hudak, a doctor of Emergency Room medicine at Grady Memorial Hospital; Sharla Jackson, statewide domestic violence training coordinator for the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia; and Brian Johnston, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Georgia Bureau of Investigation.  To listen to the archived forum, please visit our website found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/project-guardian.  Additional information about federal firearms prohibition related to domestic violence is also provided via the above link. 

If you or someone you know is being abused, there are community and statewide resources available to you. Call the toll-free, 24-hour hotline for a confidential place to get help and find resources. 1-800-33-HAVEN (1-800-334-2836).

The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s efforts concerning firearms and domestic violence are part of two national Department of Justice programs concerning firearms violations and violent crime:  Project Guardian and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). 

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

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 Department of Justice announced it has charged more than 14,200 defendants with firearms-related crimes during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, despite the challenges of COVID 19 and its impact on the criminal justice process. These cases have been a Department priority since November 2019 when Attorney General William P. Barr announced his commitment to investigating, prosecuting, and combatting gun crimes as a critical part of the Department’s anti-violent crime strategy. These firearms-related charges are the result of the critical law enforcement partnership between United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“The number one priority of government is to keep its citizens safe,” said Attorney General Barr. “By preventing firearms from falling into the hands of individuals who are prohibited from having them, we can stop violent crime before it happens. Violating federal firearms laws is a serious crime and offenders face serious consequences.  The Department of Justice is committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals, who illegally buy, sell, use, or possess firearms. Reducing gun violence requires a coordinated effort, and we could not have charged more than 14,000 individuals with firearms-related crimes without the hard work of the dedicated law enforcement professionals at the ATF, our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country, and especially all of our state and local law enforcement partners.”

“Our office is committed to combating gun crimes by leveraging federal, state, local law enforcement and community partnerships to comprehensively target these offenses,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “In the Northern District of Georgia, we are especially focused on efforts to address domestic violence offenses involving firearms, given the alarming increase in domestic violence since the pandemic began.”

“Protecting the public from violent crime involving firearms is at the core of ATF’s mission,” commented ATF Acting Director Regina Lombardo.  “Every day the men and women of ATF pursue and investigate those who use firearms to commit violent crimes in our communities, many of whom are prohibited from possessing firearms from previous convictions.  ATF, in collaboration with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the nation, is committed to bringing these offenders to justice for their egregious and violent criminal acts.”

Of the more than 14,200 cases charged, 336 cases have been brought by the Northern District of Georgia, announced U.S. Attorney Pak.

Under federal law, it is illegal to possess a firearm if you fall into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon, illegal alien, or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime.  It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to illegally purchase - firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, is also a federal offense. 

The Department is committed to prosecuting these firearms offenses as well as using all modern technologies available to law enforcement such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, known as NIBIN, to promote gun crime intelligence. Keeping illegal firearms out of the hands of violent criminals will continue to be a priority of the Department of Justice and we will use all appropriate, available means to keep the law abiding people of this country safe from gun crime. 

For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.

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 – Husband and wife Mehulkumar Manubhai Patel and Chaitali Dave have pleaded guilty to laundering over $500,000 on behalf of India-based phone scammers. 

“Dave and Patel helped criminal India-based call centers prey on and steal from vulnerable members of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “While posing as federal agents or tech support, the call centers instructed victims to mail packages of cash that Patel and Dave retrieved using fake identifications.  This case exists as an example of our commitment to investigating and prosecuting those who facilitate foreign-based scams.”

“These guilty pleas demonstrate the value of a coordinated, multi-agency approach to combating overseas telephone scams by targeting their facilitators in the United States,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for Social Security. “We will continue to work with the Department of Justice and our investigative partners to pursue these unscrupulous individuals, who continue to deceive and harm American consumers.”

“It is important to remind family and friends to never provide money or personal information to unknown callers when they receive a suspicious call,” said Andrew Saul, Commissioner of Social Security.  “People should just hang up and then go online to oig.ssa.gov to report these scams to Social Security.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: Criminal India-based call centers defraud U.S. residents, including the elderly, by misleading victims over the telephone utilizing scams such as Social Security and tech support scams.

As part of their Social Security scam, India-based callers pose as federal agents in order to mislead victims into believing their Social Security numbers were involved in crimes.  Callers threatened arrest and the loss of the victims’ assets if the victims did not send money.  The callers directed victims to mail cash to aliases used by other members of the fraud network, including Patel and Dave.

As part of the tech support scam, callers allegedly induced victims to send money in exchange for supposed technical support for their computers.  The callers then provided nothing in return.  At times, callers misled the victims into providing remote access to their computers and the callers would access the victims’ bank accounts.  The callers routinely misled the victims by making it appear as though the caller added money to the victims’ bank accounts.  The callers then instructed the victims to mail cash to aliases used by other members of the fraud network, including Patel and Dave.

Based on misrepresentations made during the calls, the victims, including Georgia residents, mailed money to a network of individuals that laundered funds on behalf of the overseas fraud network.  From on or about May 2019, to on or about January 2020, Patel and Dave laundered over $500,000 sent by dozens of scam victims.

Mehulkumar Manubhai Patel, 36, and Chaitali Dave, 36, of Lexington, South Carolina, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg on September 1, 2020 and on October 6, 2020 respectively. 

The Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General is investigating the case with the assistance of the U.S. Secret Service, El Dorado Task Force (New York), Aiken Department of Public Safety (South Carolina), Naperville Police Department (Illinois), Lexington County Sheriff’s Department (South Carolina), Rocky River Police Department (Ohio), Polk County Sheriff’s Office (Florida) and Henrico County Police Division (Virginia).  

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Schulman is prosecuting the case.  Former Northern District of Georgia Elder Justice Coordinator and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolee Porter previously prosecuted the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is part of the Department of Justice Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force. The Strike Force focuses on investigating and prosecuting defendants associated with foreign-based fraud schemes that disproportionately affect American seniors.  These include romance scams, phone scams, mass-mailing fraud schemes, and tech-support fraud schemes.  For further information on these scams, see https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/senior-scam-alert.

The public should exercise caution with any caller who claims to be a government employee. Government agencies will never threaten you with immediate arrest or other legal action if you do not send cash, retail gift cards, wire transfers, or internet currency. They will also never demand secrecy from you in resolving a debt or any other problem. If you need to send a payment to Social Security, SSA will send a letter with payment options and appeal rights. If you suspect you have received a Social Security scam call, report it at https://oig.ssa.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 - Mani Chulpayev, having been arrested in Ukraine and extradited to Atlanta, has been arraigned on federal charges of bank fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering.

“Chulpayev allegedly profited from years of fraud and by catering to drug traffickers looking for flashy cars and a way to launder their ill-gotten cash,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “His arrest and extradition show that we will pursue fraudsters and money launderers no matter where they hide.”

“DEA and its law enforcement partners will continue to target drug traffickers and those who support them with criminal acts such as money laundering and wide-scale fraud, as was the case in this investigation,” said the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division Robert J. Murphy. “The spirited level of law enforcement cooperation made this investigation a success.”

“The arrest of this defendant should serve as an example to individuals that distance does not insulate them from the reach of our investigations and our resolve in the pursuit of justice,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “Postal Inspectors will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to dissect and financially disrupt complex money laundering schemes.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: Chulpayev, along with Lyle Livesay, Kimberly Reiss, and others, allegedly operated an enterprise from at least May 2012 to July 2016 in which they obtained luxury cars through fraudulent means, and then leased them out to drug traffickers who paid for the leases using cash from their drug sales.

To build up an inventory of cars, Chulpayev and his associates allegedly recruited straw purchasers – people who would buy luxury cars in their names, but had no intention of actually driving the cars themselves.  The straw purchasers would give the cars to Chulpayev to be leased to others, including to drug traffickers who used drug proceeds to pay Chulpayev for the pricey leases. The straw purchasers bought the cars using bank loans, and would finance several luxury vehicles in a short period of time before the new loans showed up on their credit reports. Chulpayev and his associates gave the straw purchasers falsified documents, including fake paychecks, to use for loan applications. Some of the straw purchasers also obtained loans for cars that were not actually for sale so that Chulpayev and his co-conspirators would receive a cash boon from the financing bank to further their scheme.

Chulpayev and his associates would initially make some of the loan payments for the straw purchasers, but then stop, leaving the straw purchasers responsible for making payments. When the straw purchasers inevitably defaulted on the loans, Chulpayev left the banks to try to repossess the cars from the drug traffickers or locate cars that had been moved to other states, stolen, or exported to foreign countries.

A federal grand jury indicted Mani Chulpayev, 43, together with Lyle Stephen Livesay, 33, and Kimberly Ann Reiss, 35, on November 15, 2018, on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and mail fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Livesay pleaded guilty to the charges on September 14, 2020, before U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross. Reiss is scheduled for a change of plea hearing on October 22, 2020.  Chulpayev was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Regina D. Cannon.

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 Drug Enforcement Administration and United States Postal Inspection Service, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Marshals Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Garrett L. Bradford, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Section, and Irina K. Dutcher are prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, and other priority transnational criminal organizations that threaten the citizens of the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence driven, multi-agency approach to combat transnational organized crime.  The OCDETF program facilitates complex, joint operations by focusing its partner agencies on priority targets, by managing and coordinating multi-agency efforts, and by leveraging intelligence across multiple investigative platforms.

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.

GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Terence Dewayne Dixon has been sentenced for running an online chat group that he named “House of 1000 Littles.” The chat group was dedicated to sharing child pornography and discussing child molestation. At the time, Dixon had already been convicted in 2001 of the aggravated sexual assault of a nine-year-old child.

“Dixon disseminated horrific images of child pornography to members of his online chat group,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “He also encouraged others to share child pornography that fueled a demand for the violent exploitation of children.  This lengthy prison sentence serves as some recompense for the irreparable harm he caused to so many children and their families.”

“The monsters that visited this site and found pleasure in exploiting innocent children now have one less place to sow their evil seeds and one less organizer to help them do it. Dixon’s sentencing is warning to those who revel in and peddle this filth,“ said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI Atlanta and its state and local partners are hunting down these criminals that look to steal the innocence of our youth.”

“For this defendant to take the images of innocent children and pass them around in order to exploit them and use them to arouse in a sexual nature is absolutely despicable. The GBI is committed to working with our partners to stop this criminal behavior and protect our young ones,” said Vic Reynolds, Director, Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: As early as November 2017, Terence Dixon created an online chat group and named it “House of 1000 Littles.” Members of Dixon’s group discussed how they were sexually aroused by children and sent one another links to child pornography files on a daily basis until October 2018.

On a single day in January 2018, for example, Dixon shared 21 links containing child pornography with the group. On another date, in February 2018, he bragged that his shared link contained 5,000 videos of child pornography. Investigators identified the majority of his chat group living all across the United States, including in the states of California, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Tennessee.

Terence Dewayne Dixon, also known as “Devilman Crybaby”, 38, of Houston, Texas, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution. He must also register as a sex offender upon release. Dixon was convicted of conspiracy to advertise child pornography on July 23, 2020, after he pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Keen prosecuted the case.

This case was 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 - Wesley Joshua Smith has been sentenced to serve five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting a separately charged accomplice who illegally obtained more than two dozen handguns that Smith trafficked domestically and internationally.

“Straw purchasing firearms is not a victimless crime,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Straw purchasers and the gunrunners who direct them help to fuel the illicit gun trade in Georgia and beyond – often with the firearms turning up only after another crime has been committed.”

“Mr. Smith put guns in the hands of criminals,” said Arthur Peralta, Special Agent in Charge of ATF in Atlanta.  “Buying guns for people you don’t know, or for people who cannot buy them legally, is a federal crime and we will continue to investigate and arrest those individuals who are engaged in this activity.”  

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Between December 2019 and February 2020, Smith paid an accomplice to purchase 28 pistols—always two or three at a time—from various licensed firearms dealers in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Smith was unable to purchase those firearms himself as a result of a 2013 conviction for an unrelated firearms offense in the state of Maryland, where he had previously resided.

At the time of each purchase, Smith’s accomplice completed paperwork in which he falsely claimed to be the actual buyer of the firearms when he knew that he was buying the guns for Smith, at Smith’s direction, and with Smith’s money. Within days and weeks of the firearm purchases by Smith and his accomplice, local police officers in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Canada recovered nearly a half-dozen of these weapons from crime scenes.

On February 10, 2020, special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives saw Smith accept a delivery of four, 9mm semiautomatic pistols and four, large capacity 30-round ammunition magazines. Agents arrested Smith after he tried to avoid apprehension by physically resisting an agent and attempting to flee.

Wesley Joshua Smith, a/k/a “Menace,” 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced on September 21, 2020, to five years of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as 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.

This case was also brought as part of Project Guardian, a national Department of Justice initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws, including those related to firearms trafficking. More information about Project Guardian can be found at https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.

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 - Jacques Mathieu has pleaded guilty to attempting to export 12 firearms and approximately 36,000 rounds of ammunition to Haiti by concealing the contraband in a car he intended to ship to the island.

“Firearms traffickers help fuel violence on our streets and outside the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Alert agents found the weapons and ammunition and stopped the shipment before it reached its intended destination.”

“Firearms trafficking poses a very serious threat to the safety of our communities in the U.S. and abroad,” said Arthur Peralta, Special Agent in Charge of ATF in Atlanta.  “Jacques Mathieu’s attempts to illegally export firearms is a significant concern for the people of Haiti and we will do everything we can do to stop these illegal firearms from falling into the wrong hands.”

“Special Agents of the Office of Export Enforcement are committed to combating the illicit smuggling of firearms and ammunition internationally,” said P. Lee Smith, Performing the Non-exclusive Functions and Duties of the Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement (OEE) at the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry of Security.  “Firearms and ammunition illegally exported from the United States often end up in the hands of violent criminals and harm the most vulnerable communities, in this case in the Republic of Haiti. OEE is committed to aggressively investigating international firearms smuggling networks and working with our law enforcement partners to bring violators to justice.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: In September 2019, Mathieu, a Haitian national, attempted to ship a 2007 Suzuki Grand Vitara to Haiti via the Port of Palm Beach, Florida. He reported on export shipping documents that the car contained 12 boxes of used clothing. However, Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) and Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement agents searched the car and discovered 12 firearms and approximately 36,000 rounds of ammunition concealed in the boxes.

Jacques Mathieu, 51, of Tucker, Georgia pleaded guilty to the offense of attempting to export firearms and ammunition to the Republic of Haiti. Sentencing is scheduled for January 8, 2021, at 10:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry of Security.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Keen is prosecuting the case.

This case is being brought as 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.

This case was also brought as part of Project Guardian, a national Department of Justice initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws, including those related to firearms trafficking.  More information about Project Guardian can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.

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 - Hayat Choudhary, CEO of Atlanta Airport Shuttle Services, Inc., d/b/a Meskerem Restaurant, has been sentenced to federal prison for paying $20,000 in cash to a City of Atlanta Department of Procurement official to secure a contract at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. 

“The public expects that government contracts are awarded solely based on merit,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “As the defendant learned, there are serious consequences for those who believe they can bribe their way into a contract.  We will continue to vigorously investigate pay-to-play schemes at all levels of government.”

“Choudhary’s actions erode the public’s trust in a process that is meant to be fair to all contract applicants,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hopefully this sentencing will help restore some of that trust, or at least send a message that the FBI is determined to pursue anyone who would undermine the integrity of how contracts are awarded.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (“Atlanta’s airport”) is the principal airport for Georgia and the southeastern United States.  In 2017, Atlanta’s airport – the busiest passenger airport in the world at the time – generated more than $500 million in revenue for the City of Atlanta, including approximately $8.8 million in fees and charges from private ground transportation companies (such as taxicabs, limousines, ridesharing, and hotel and parking lot shuttles).  One such company was Atlanta Airport Shuttle Services, Inc., d/b/a Meskerem Restaurant, owned and operated by the defendant, Hayat Choudhary.

The City of Atlanta’s Department of Procurement was responsible for acquiring all services for Atlanta’s airport.  The Department of Procurement’s “Guiding Principles” commit its personnel to “award contracts that are consistent with the policy, regulations, rules, and laws,” and “without regard for personal gain.”  

On or about May 2, 2017, the Department of Procurement announced that the City of Atlanta sought to enter a contract for a vendor to establish and operate a kitchen/restaurant at the Ground Transportation Building at Atlanta’s airport.  The kitchen/restaurant would serve the large and growing number of taxi, limousine, and rideshare drivers that provided transportation services to passengers traveling to and from Atlanta’s airport. 

The Department of Procurement projected that the kitchen/restaurant at the Ground Transportation Building would generate annual revenue of $200,000, and generate rent payments to the City of Atlanta of $13,000 per year.  The City of Atlanta offered a ten-year term for the kitchen/restaurant contract, with a three-year renewal option.  Choudhary’s company, Atlanta Airport Shuttle Services, Inc., d/b/a Meskerem Restaurant, was one of the bidders for the contract. 

“Official-1” was the Department of Procurement officer responsible for overseeing the bidding process and, thus, influenced the awarding of the kitchen/restaurant contract.  After the contract was announced, Choudhary paid a $10,000 bribe to Official-1 to obtain the contract.  After the first bribe payment, Official-1 instructed Choudhary that he had to pay another $10,000 to receive the contract.  Choudhary paid the second $10,000 bribe.  Following Choudhary’s payment of $20,000 to Official-1, the City of Atlanta awarded the contract to Choudhary’s company.

Choudhary, 58, of Lilburn, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones to one years, ten months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years’ supervised release. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor C. Wilmot 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.

ROME, GA– Irfanali Momin and Shiba I. Momin a/k/a Saguftabanu Momin, husband and wife, have each pleaded guilty to naturalization fraud, and conspiring to illegally import misbranded drug products from China, receive misbranded drugs that had moved in interstate commerce, and to trafficking of counterfeit goods.

“These defendants profited by taking a shortcut—one that could have had devastating consequences for individuals who purchased these products,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “By illegally importing and distributing products containing drugs that can only be obtained in the United States with a prescription written by a licensed, medical professional, the Momins put profit over public safety.”

“The health and safety of American consumers are placed at risk when they are unknowingly exposed to undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients in misbranded drugs that are falsely labeled as dietary supplements,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin C. Fielder, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Miami Field Office. “FDA remains committed to pursuing those who endanger the U.S. public health by importing and distributing fraudulent and potentially dangerous products.”   

“Whether it is lying to illegally gain citizenship or illegally importing and selling misbranded pharmaceuticals, Homeland Security Investigations will aggressively pursue those that seek to profit from those fraudulent and dangerous activities,”   said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama.  “The Momins will now face the consequences for their actions thanks to the diligent efforts of all our partners on the Atlanta Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force.”

“The arrest of this couple essentially stopped the flow of illegal products throughout the Southeast that were sold to hundreds of stores and ultimately customers whose health was threatened by using them,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is committed to working with our federal partners to make sure our citizens are protected from those who would choose to do them harm.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Between August 2014 and November 2018, the Momins ordered and sold male enhancement products from China marketed under names such as “Black Ant King,” “Bull,” “Rhino 7,” “Super Hard,” “Jack Rabbit,” “Zhen Gongfu,” “Stree Overlord,” “Pro Power Max,” “Libigrow,” “Red Mamba,” “Rhino 69,” “Krazzy Rhino,” “Rhino 25,” Hard Steel,” and “Black Mamba.” These products contained sildenafil, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Viagra, and/or tadalafil, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Cialis. Both Viagra and Cialis can be obtained in the U.S. only with a prescription from a doctor.

In order to evade import restrictions, the Momins’ China-based suppliers mislabeled the boxes containing the illegal pills to make it appear that the boxes contained items that can be legally imported into the U.S., such as beauty products, health products, and health supplies. The Momins admitted to selling between $550,000 and $1.5 million in illegal drug products over the course of the conspiracy. They also sold various counterfeit goods from their warehouse in Dalton, Georgia, including counterfeit designer watches, headphones, e-cigarette devices, and tobacco rolling papers.

Earlier, in October 2013, the Momins both applied to become naturalized U.S. citizens. On his application form, Irfanali Momin falsely stated that he had never been married before and did not disclose that he had in fact been married to two women at the same time. During an interview with USCIS in June 2014, Irfanali Momin made the same false declarations. Based upon his false statements, Irfanali Momin became a naturalized U.S. citizen on August 16, 2014. On her application form, Shiba I. Momin a/k/a Saguftabanu Momin, falsely stated that she did not go by any other names when in fact she knew that her actual name was Shiba I. Momin, but she was only passing as Saguftabanu Momin. The investigation had revealed that Shiba I. Momin had originally obtained a Georgia’s driver’s license in her real name only to later obtain a fraudulent license in the name Saguftabanu Momin—the name she used to apply for and fraudulently receive U.S. citizenship on August 1, 2014. If USCIS had been aware of these facts, it would have denied her citizenship.

Irfanali Momin, 48, and Shiba I. Momin a/k/a Saguftabanu Momin, 42, both of Dahlonega, Georgia, were convicted on September 23, 2020 after pleading guilty to a criminal information. Sentencing for the Momins is scheduled for January 7, 2021, at 11:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones. The Momins were originally arrested on January 8, 2020 after a grand jury returned a multi-count Indictment against them. As a consequence of their guilty pleas to naturalization fraud, Judge Jones will sign an order following sentencing that revokes their U.S. citizenship.

This case is being investigated by the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of 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 - Benjamin Jenkins has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of producing and distributing child pornography that he coerced more than 100 young girls to create.

“Jenkins exploited as many as 150 girls for his perverse satisfaction, causing unbelievable trauma to these children and their families,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “The sheer degradation and depravity that Jenkins forced his victims to endure is unimaginable. This sentence will hopefully help these courageous victims and their families heal.”

“No sentence will ever bring back the innocence that this monster stole from hundreds of girls,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “These victims were trapped in a vicious cycle from which they could not escape.  We will continue to go after these predators while educating our youth about the dangers of sextortion.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Beginning in 2015, Jenkins allegedly used different identities to contact girls between the ages of 13 and 16 years. To lure the girls, he would use different aliases and profiles where he would persuade them to send a sexually suggestive photo of themselves. After a girl sent him a photo, Jenkins would threaten her into sending him more photos and videos by claiming that he would post their photos online or send them to their family and friends. Jenkins instructed the girls on what body parts to show, what poses to make, and what objects to insert into their genitals and anus. If a girl did not provide him with a photo or video quickly enough, he would start a countdown clock: the girl had a certain amount of time to provide him with an image before he started posting her other images online. Jenkins further humiliated his victims by forcing them to send him videos showing them drinking their own urine or licking toilets. He also humiliated many of his victims by making them watch him masturbate.

Once a girl blocked Jenkins online, he would send her explicit photos to her parents and friends with demands that the girl resume communications with him.  Jenkins also posted his victim’s nude photos and contact information online with messages for men to contact the girls directly for more photos or for sex. In total, Jenkins sextorted as many as 150 girls or more.

Benjamin Jenkins, 25, of Mableton, Georgia, was sentenced to 40 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender upon release.  Jenkins was charged with nine counts of producing child pornography and three counts of distributing child pornography. He was convicted of all of these charges by a federal jury on January 16, 2020.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance from the Highland (Illinois) Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul R. Jones and L. Skye Davis, Deputy Chief of the Violent Crime & National Security Section, 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 – Twelve defendants have been charged in a mortgage fraud scheme allegedly spanning more than four years and resulting in the approval of more than 100 mortgages based on fabricated documents and false information.  Many of the loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) resulting in claims being paid for mortgages that have gone through loan modification.

“These defendants allegedly used their knowledge of the real estate lending process to manipulate the system for their own benefit,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Mortgage fraudsters threaten the soundness of the real estate market in our community.  We will investigate and charge anyone who takes advantage of our mortgage lending system for their own personal gain.”

“These charges represent the government's commitment toward combating such alleged criminal activity,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We will steadfastly protect American citizens and the real estate market from predators who drag down our economy by deceit to line their own pockets.”

"What we have here is a group of mortgage industry professionals that have allegedly perpetrated a sophisticated mortgage fraud for profit scheme that was designed to enrich themselves at the expense of a federal housing program,” said Wyatt Achord, Special Agent in Charge, Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “The efforts that brought forward these charges demonstrate that when law enforcement is made aware of such schemes, we will commit the necessary resources to make sure that fraudsters are brought to justice.”  

“As charged, the defendants engaged in a multiyear scheme to defraud Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  The Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG) will investigate and hold accountable those who seek to victimize these Government Sponsored Entities supervised and regulated by FHFA”, said FHFA-OIG Special Agent in-Charge Edwin Bonano.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the indictment, and other information presented in court: The defendants participated in a scheme in which homebuyers and real estate agents submitted fraudulent loan applications to induce mortgage lenders to fund mortgages.  Listing agents Eric Hill and Robert Kelske represented a major nationwide homebuilder, and helped more than 100 homebuyers who were looking to buy a home, but who were unqualified to obtain a mortgage, commit fraud.  The agents instructed the homebuyers as to what type of assets they needed to claim to have in the bank, and what type of employment and income they needed to submit in their mortgage applications.

Hill and Kelske then coordinated with multiple document fabricators, including defendants Fawziyyah Connor and Stephanie Hogan, who altered the homebuyers’ bank statements to inflate the their assets and to create bank entries reflecting false direct deposits from an employer selected by the real estate agent.  The document fabricators also generated fake earnings statements that matched the direct deposit entries to make it appear that the homebuyer was employed, and earning income, from a fake employer.  Other participants in the scheme then acted as employment verifiers and responded to phone calls or emails from lenders to falsely verify the homebuyers’ employment.  Defendants Jerod Little, Renee Little, Maurice Lawson, Todd Taylor, Paige McDaniel and Donald Fontenot acted as employment verifiers.  Hill and Kelske coordinated the creation and submission of the false information so that the lies to the lenders were consistent. 

In another aspect of the scheme, real estate agents Anthony Richard and Cephus Chapman falsely claimed to represent homebuyers as their selling agents in order to receive commissions from the home sales.  In reality, these real estate agents had never even met the homebuyers they claimed to represent.  To avoid detection, the agents often notified closing attorneys that they would not be available for the home closing, and sent wire instructions for the receipt of their commissions.  When these purported selling agents received their unearned commissions, they kicked back the majority of the commissions to Hill or Kelske for enabling them to be added to the deal, keeping a small share for their role in the scheme.

The following defendants have been charged as part of these conspiracies:

•         Eric Hill, 50, of Tyrone, Georgia (charged by Information)

•         Robert Kelske, 52, of Smyrna, Georgia

•         Fawziyyah Connor, 41, of Tyrone, Georgia

•         Stephanie Hogan, 57, of Norcross, Georgia

•         Jerod Little, 42, of McDonough, Georgia

•         Renee Little, 33, of McDonough, Georgia

•         Maurice Lawson, 36, of Powder Springs, Georgia

•         Todd Taylor, 54, of Fairburn, Georgia

•         Paige McDaniel, 49, of Stockbridge, Georgia

•         Donald Fontenot, 52, of Locust Grove, Georgia (charged by Information)

•         Anthony Richard, 44, of Locust Grove, Georgia

•         Cephus Chapman, 49, of Warner Robins, Georgia

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment and informations 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.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Prout 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.

ROME, GA– Daniel Strickland, who molested two minors in his care and produced child pornography of them, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

“Strickland’s crimes will haunt his victims and their families for years,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Instead of safeguarding the children in his care, he sexually exploited them. Thankfully, one of his victims came forward and reported him to law enforcement. Her courage prevented Strickland from traumatizing other children.”

“Strickland will spend the next 25 years of his life in prison, which should send a strong message to anyone who even contemplates harming a vulnerable and defenseless child,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Along with our state and local law enforcement partners, the FBI is committed to working collectively to prosecute child predators.”

“It is the mission of the Murray County Sheriff’s Office to serve its citizens with dignity and honor. The safety of our children is the utmost importance and dearest to our heart.  We are thankful that a victim in this case was brave enough to come forward and bring this matter to our attention so that justice could be served to Strickland,” said Jimmy Davenport, Chief Deputy, Murray County Sheriff’s Office.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Strickland molested and took sexually explicit photos of two minor girls who had been in his care. Strickland first came to the attention of law enforcement in February 2019 when one of the victims contacted the Murray County Sheriff’s Office (“MCSO”) to report his actions. This victim had been staying at his home when Strickland molested and photographed her.

A subsequent investigation by the FBI and MCSO revealed that Strickland took sexually explicit photos of this girl and another minor girl, who he had babysat several years earlier in 2015. Both girls were approximately 13 years old when Strickland victimized them, and in both cases Strickland abused and photographed them when they were asleep (or appeared to be asleep). In July 2019, he pleaded guilty to two counts of child molestation arising from these incidents in Murray County Superior Court.

Daniel Strickland, 46, of Chatsworth, Georgia, was sentenced to 25 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. He will be required to register as a sex offender upon release. Strickland pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child pornography on June 18, 2020.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Murray County (GA) Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex R. Sistla and Nicholas Hartigan 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 - Edward “Eddie” Okenica, who exploited dozens of girls online for his own sexual gratification, has been sentenced to 28 years of imprisonment after pleading guilty to multiple counts of producing child pornography.

“Okenica victimized dozens of girls as young as 12 years old from his home,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “He is a sexual predator who exploited the vulnerability and fragility of his victims by relying on the relative anonymity of social media platforms. This case is a reminder that sextortion remains a huge threat to our youth and to their families and parents need to remain vigilant to guard against it by monitoring their children’s social media activities.”  

“The Internet can be used for education, entertainment, collaboration, or it can be a place where criminals and predators lurk waiting to pounce on unsuspecting users. That’s how Okenica used it. He spread his filth, victimizing countless innocent children, all the while thinking he was safe,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “Cases like this show these predators that there is no hiding from justice and HSI and its partners will work tirelessly to find and prosecute them.”

“The High Technology Crime Unit at the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office is comprised of dedicated professionals who work diligently to build strong cases against criminals like Okenica who seek to target our children.  I am happy that the FCSO could help build a case that the U.S. Attorney’s Office could prosecute federally.  We will spare no expense or effort to identify and arrest anyone intent on preying on our most vulnerable,” said Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: For at least two years prior to his arrest in August 2019, Okenica used Snapchat and Instagram to solicit sexually explicit photographs and videos from dozens and dozens of young girls. Okenica convinced many of these girls to send him sexually explicit photos and videos by offering them “bribes” in the form of gift certificates or other token forms of payment. He also frequently demanded that these girls perform sexually humiliating acts, including placing various household objects in their bodies. In many instances, the girls would grow uncomfortable and beg Okenica to stop. But Okenica was indifferent to their pleas, even when the girls cried or harmed themselves.

If the girls expressed an unwillingness to keep producing more photos or videos, Okenica bullied, threatened, and extorted the girls to force them to continue. He threatened to share their videos online with the girls’ friends and/or family, and in multiple cases did in fact carry out his threats. If a girl blocked Okenica on Snapchat or Instagram, he frequently established new accounts to find the child and demand that she send him more sexually explicit photographs and videos. 

Investigators positively identified approximately 36 victims in the United States and overseas. But investigators estimate that Okenica coerced as many as 100 minor victims to send him child pornography.  

Edward “Eddie” Okenica, 24, of Cumming, Georgia, was sentenced to 28 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. He will be required to register as a sex offender upon release. Okenica pleaded guilty to eleven counts of producing child pornography on March 5, 2020.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex R. Sistla and Erin Sanders 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 – The City of Atlanta’s former Chief Financial Officer, Jimmie “Jim” A. Beard, has been charged in an eight-count federal indictment with wire fraud, theft from the government, possession of machine guns, making a false statement, and obstructing federal tax laws.

“Jim Beard allegedly abused his position as one of the most powerful executives in the City of Atlanta to commit federal crimes for his own gain, including stealing tens of thousands of dollars of the public’s money, possessing machine guns that members of the public cannot have, and obstructing an IRS audit,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Those in government leadership positions have an obligation to set the organization’s culture for ethical conduct.  As alleged by the Grand Jury, Beard fundamentally betrayed that obligation.”     

“This alleged fraud was not only a violation of the oath taken by this pubic official, but a theft of the public's trust,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Public corruption is one of the FBI's top priorities and we continue to work with our local and federal partners to protect citizens against officials who abuse that trust.”

“Jimmie A. Beard systematically defrauded the City of Atlanta and impeded the IRS from assessing his true tax liability,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge James E. Dorsey. “His desire for money, along with the power and luxuries it buys, drove him to allegedly perpetrate crimes violating his position and public trust. Thanks to the financial expertise of IRS-CI special agents, who worked side-by-side with our federal partners to uncover these schemes, Beard will now face the consequences of his actions.”

“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 the Atlanta area,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, ATF Atlanta Field Division.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: From approximately November 2011 to May 2018, Beard served as the Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) of the City of Atlanta. As CFO, Beard directed and managed the Department of Finance.  In that capacity, Beard listed his “primary responsibility” as “the oversight and management of the City’s financial condition.” 

In June 2012, the City of Atlanta issued Beard a credit card for official City of Atlanta business-related purchases.  Before receiving the credit card, Beard signed a user agreement acknowledging the terms and conditions of its use, including agreeing that the credit card “shall be used for business purposes only,” and that “personal charges” were “prohibited.”  Further, in 2014, the Department of Finance – which Beard oversaw – issued the City of Atlanta Credit Card Program Policy that imposed terms and conditions on the use of its credit cards, including that “credit card users should use good judgment when using a City credit card.”

Based on his position as CFO and director of the Department of Finance, the City of Atlanta required Beard to complete annually a Financial Disclosure Statement under penalty of perjury.  In March 2014, Beard filed a Financial Disclosure Statement, on which Beard attested that in 2013, he was not “self-employed or employed by any corporation, partnership, proprietorship, [or] other business entity besides the City of Atlanta.” 

According to the City of Atlanta’s Code of Ethics, City of Atlanta employees may be reimbursed for “travel, meals, and lodging, provided to an official or employee in connection with speaking engagements, participation on professional or civic panels, teaching, or attendance at conferences in an official capacity;” – but the officials or employees “[w]ithin 30 days of receipt of reimbursements … must report such reimbursements on a form [known as a Travel Disclosure Report].” From 2013 to 2018, Beard filed no Travel Disclosure Reports for any of the travel reimbursements that he received. 

Between August 2013 and March 2018, Beard devised and executed a scheme to defraud to obtain money and property from the City of Atlanta for private use, including using City of Atlanta funds: (1) to pay for personal travel expenses for himself, his family, and his travel companions; (2) to buy items for personal use, including two machine guns; (3) to pay for travel to conferences or meetings for which the conference or meeting host reimbursed Beard, but Beard kept the money and did not give the reimbursement funds to the City of Atlanta; and (4) to pay for travel that Beard subsequently claimed to the IRS were travel expenses related to his sole proprietorship consulting work that Beard never disclosed to the City of Atlanta on any Financial Disclosure Statement.

In total, Beard allegedly defrauded the City of Atlanta out of tens of thousands of dollars.  By way of example only:

•         Beard’s City of Atlanta credit card was used to pay more than $3,800 for hotel rooms at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Chicago for use by Beard’s step-daughter while attending the Lollapalooza Music Festival in 2015 and 2016, though Beard was not even in Chicago.

•         Beard’s City of Atlanta credit card was used to pay more than $1,350 for a hotel room at the St. Regis Hotel in Atlanta, including $200 per night for an upgraded room, $70 for private dining, and $80 for rose-petal turndown service, even though: Beard lived in Atlanta; Beard’s wife flew from Florida to stay at the hotel with him; and Beard's work calendar listed the notation “Do Not Schedule – PTO,” (a common initialism for “Paid Time Off”) during one of the days that Beard and his wife stayed at the hotel. 

•         Beard kept thousands of dollars paid by third parties to reimburse Beard for travel related expenses to attend conferences and meetings, even though the City of Atlanta paid for Beard’s travel, and Beard never filed Travel Disclosure Reports to notify the City of Atlanta that the reimbursements had been paid.

•         Beard ordered two custom-built machine guns that he caused to be delivered to Atlanta City Hall, after which Beard illegally took possession of the machine guns for his personal use – even though it was illegal for the machine guns to be possessed by anyone other than law enforcement and military personnel.  Beard then had the City of Atlanta issue a $2,641.90 check to pay for the machine guns.  In connection with the purchase, Beard completed and submitted a U.S. Department of the Treasury tax exemption form, in which he falsely certified that the machine guns were for the exclusive use of the Atlanta Police Department.

In 2013, Beard earned a salary of approximately $221,108 for his position as CFO for the City of Atlanta.  In a Financial Disclosure Statement that Beard filed in March 2014, he stated under penalty of perjury that in 2013 he was not “self-employed or employed by any corporation, partnership, proprietorship, [or] other business entity besides the City of Atlanta.”  Yet, Beard submitted to the IRS under penalty of perjury a Form 1040 Individual Income Tax Return for tax year 2013, in which Beard claimed that he owned a personal consulting business, and which incurred more than $33,500 in alleged business losses in 2013, including $12,000 for travel expenses and $7,115 for deducible meals and entertainment expenses.

In July 2015, the IRS advised Beard that it was auditing his 2013 tax return, and requested that Beard provide documentation to support his purported personal consulting business expenses.  In his submissions to the IRS, Beard falsely claimed that he incurred airfare, hotel, and meal expenses related to his personal consulting business – when in fact Beard’s submissions to the IRS included: (1) receipts for airfare and hotels that Beard paid for using his City of Atlanta credit card (and that Beard had previously told the City of Atlanta were related to his job as CFO); (2) expense reports for personal meals with his wife and personal companions; and (3) altered receipts that hid from the IRS the fact that the charges were incurred in connection with Beard’s work for the City of Atlanta.  Based on Beard’s acts and submissions, the IRS allowed Beard to deduct $12,000 in business travel expenses.

On September 15, 2020, a grand jury returned an indictment against Jimmie “Jim” A. Beard, 56, of Atlanta, Georgia, on eight federal charges, including wire fraud, federal program theft, possession of machine guns, making a false entry on a U.S. Government application, and obstructing the internal revenue laws.  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 United States’ burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations are investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W. Davis, Chief of the Public Integrity Section, and Trevor C. Wilmot 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 former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent and his wife pleaded guilty Monday to all charges in a 19-count indictment unsealed against them on Feb. 21, 2020.  U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Wilson accepted the guilty pleas in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.  

Jose Ismael Irizarry, 46, and his wife, Nathalia Gomez-Irizarry, 36, admitted to participating in a seven-year scheme to divert over $9 million in drug proceeds from undercover money laundering investigations into bank accounts that they and co-conspirators controlled.  Irizarry and Gomez-Irizarry are scheduled to be sentenced at a later date.

“In a shocking breach of the public’s trust, former DEA Special Agent Jose Irizarry, together with his wife, Nathalia Gomez-Irizarry, abused his position by illegally diverting millions of dollars in drug proceeds from undercover operations to personally benefit themselves,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “Sworn law enforcement agents are entrusted with great responsibility, and the department will hold accountable those who exploit their positions to profit from public corruption.”

“Irizarry joined forces with the same criminal drug organizations he promised to investigate and prosecute, “said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak for the Northern District of Georgia.  “He and his wife now stand as convicted felons, potentially facing years in federal prison with little to show for the betrayal of his oath to uphold the law.”

“This former federal agent turned his back on the people he swore to protect and caved to greed and deceit,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael F. McPherson of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office.  “The FBI will not tolerate those who abuse the public trust and will persist in safeguarding the American people from public corruption.”  

“HSI is committed to maintaining the public’s confidence in our law enforcement community by rooting out those corrupt individuals and criminal organizations who abuse the U.S. financial system for their own personal gain,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Kevin Sibley of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa Field Office.  “By working in partnership with federal, state, local and international partners, this investigation is a prime example of law enforcement agencies working collaboratively in pursuit of justice.”  

“Rather than upholding his oath to stop drug trafficking and money laundering, Irizarry actively participated in these schemes and collected millions of dollars for himself and his associates,” said Special Agent in Charge James F. Boyersmith of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Miami Field Office.  “Irizarry’s conduct enabled criminals, endangered the public, and jeopardized public trust in law enforcement.”

“DEA worked with the FBI, the U.S. Attorney, and others in law enforcement to investigate and bring Irizarry to justice,” said DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea.  “Law enforcement, at any level, is based upon integrity and public trust.  DEA employees work tirelessly every day to keep our communities safe from drug-related crime, and former DEA Special Agent Jose Irizarry’s criminal actions do not reflect the high standards of conduct we demand of our employees and our agents.  Corruption and betrayal of the American people - the very people we stand to protect – have no place at DEA, and neither does Mr. Irizarry.”

“It’s never pleasant to employ our unique financial investigative skills against a member of the law enforcement community, but no one dislikes a bad cop more than a good cop,” said Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Tampa Field Office.  “Thankfully, the vast majority of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers vigilantly honor the badge, and we take great pride in teaming up with them.  Together with our federal partners, we worked tirelessly to uncover the disgrace this particular agent attempted to bring on our profession.”

Irizarry filed for personal bankruptcy protection in December of 2010.  As part of his plea, he admitted that soon after his bankruptcy was filed he began to exploit his position of public trust as a special agent to divert funds from undercover DEA money laundering investigations to himself and to co-conspirators.  Diverted funds were then used to purchase jewelry, luxury cars, and a home.  The scheme lasted throughout Irizarry’s assignments to the DEA’s Miami Field Division and to its office in Cartagena, Colombia.  Irizarry resigned from the DEA in January of 2018. 

Irizarry further admitted that he and his criminal associates opened a bank account with a stolen identity and then utilized the account to secretly send and receive drug proceeds from active DEA investigations.  Gomez-Irizarry admitted that she allowed her bank accounts and a Florida corporation in her name to be used in the scheme.  By his own admission, Irizarry was in personal bankruptcy proceedings for nearly the duration of his criminal conduct and failed to disclose any of his illicit income to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Irizarry pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, honest services wire fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit identity theft, and aggravated identity theft.  Gomez-Irizarry pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

Trial Attorneys Joseph Palazzo and Mark A. Irish of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Erskine of the Northern District of Georgia, are prosecuting the case.

The FBI, HSI, Justice Department’s OIG, DEA, and IRS-CI investigated the case with significant contributions from former Assistant U.S. Attorney James Mandolfo and investigators William Campbell and Paul Serletti.  The U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Judicial Attaché’s Office in Bogota, Colombia, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of Puerto Rico, Southern District of New York, and the Eastern District of Texas, the Colombian Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalia General de la Nacion), the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, and the South Florida Money Laundering Strike Force at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office provided valuable assistance.

ATLANTA - Ryan Felton has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges arising out of two different cryptocurrency-based investment schemes.

“Initial coin offerings can be used to fund innovative and exciting projects that might not otherwise be able to come to life through traditional funding sources,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “The defendant promised investors a stake in innovative ventures and allegedly spent investor funds lavishly on personal expenses.”

"This suspect misled investors to believe their money would fund two innovative ventures, but instead, every penny went to support the suspects lavish personal life style,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “It is a sad reminder to investors to be very careful where they entrust their money, but also a reminder to anyone motivated by greed that the FBI and our federal partners are committed to holding them accountable for their actions.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the indictment, and other information presented in court: In 2017 and 2018, Felton promoted initial coin offerings (ICO) for two new entities—FLiK and CoinSpark.  ICOs are fundraising events during which the issuers of a unique “token” or “coin” set an amount they want to raise, offer it to the public in a crowdsale, and receive cryptocurrency from investors in exchange. 

Felton marketed FLiK as an entertainment streaming platform, and he founded CoinSpark as a new cryptocurrency trading exchange.  In order to increase, or pump, the price of the coins, Felton made numerous false representations and material omissions before, during and after the ICOs. For example, Felton claimed that all investor funds would go towards the development, launch, and support of the platforms and that private investors made significant investments in the entities.  Felton also posed as a potential investor, using fake names, on various internet forums and social media sites in order to further promote false information and build up excitement in CoinSpark.  After the ICOs ended, Felton secretly sold thousands of coins on secondary cryptocurrency markets to take advantage of the artificially inflated coin prices based on his misrepresentations and eventually transferred the vast majority of investor funds into his personal financial accounts.

Felton used the vast majority of the investor proceeds to fund his extravagant lifestyle, including an all-cash purchase of a $1.5 million residence and an all-cash purchase of a $180,000 red 2007 Ferrari 599 GTB Fioran Coupe.  The government is seeking to forfeit the proceeds of his schemes and previously filed a civil forfeiture action, which is stayed pending the resolution of the criminal prosecution.

Ryan Felton, 46, of Atlanta, Georgia, was indicted on September 9, 2020.  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. 

The Securities and Exchange Commission Washington, D.C. Office and the SEC New York Regional Office provided valuable contributions in this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan P. Kitchens, Deputy Chief, Cyber and Intellectual Property Section, and Sekret T. Sneed, Deputy Chief, Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, 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 – The United States has seized “Aletejahtv.com” and “Aletejahtv.org,” two websites which were unlawfully utilized by Kata’ib Hizballah, a Specially Designated National and a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

“Our system of commerce and our infrastructure, whether physical or electronic, is to be used by lawfully,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “We will not allow groups that have been rightfully prohibited from obtaining goods and services in the United States to use our internet services – especially to further their terrorist agenda. This seizure underscores national collaboration and a commitment to protecting our commerce and infrastructure.”

“Once again we see designated foreign terrorist organizations turning to the internet to push their message and recruit followers for their violent causes,” said John Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.  “We will continue to fight terror recruitment and propaganda efforts in the digital world, as we do elsewhere.”

“The District of Arizona is home to many successful technology companies whose goods and services are capable of being used by individuals across the world,” said United States Attorney Michael Bailey. “We will not allow members of terrorist organizations to illegally use those goods and services to further their propaganda and agenda.”

“The National Security of the United States is, and will always be, the top priority for the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement.  Attempts to surreptitiously utilize U.S. based online networks and services to promote Iran backed terrorist propaganda will immediately be disrupted, disabled, and seized,” said P. Lee Smith, Performing the Non-exclusive Functions and Duties of the Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement.   “The Bureau of Industry and Security is committed to ensuring the stability of the Iraqi government and protecting our troops and Allied Forces against terrorist acts of violence”

On July 2, 2009, the U.S. Secretary of Treasury designated Kata’ib Hizballah, an Iran-backed terrorist group active in Iraq, as a Specially Designated National for committing, directing, supporting, and posing a significant risk of committing acts of violence against Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces. On the same day, the U.S. Department of State designated Kata’ib Hizballah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization for committing or posing a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism.

“Aletejahtv.com” and “Aletejahtv.org,” acted as Kata’ib Hizballah’s media arm

and published internet communications such as videos, articles, and photographs. These communications included numerous articles designed to further Kata’ib Hizballah’s agenda, particularly destabilizing Iraq and recruiting others to join their cause.  They also functioned as a live online television broadcast channel, “Al-etejah TV.” Portions of the communications expressly noted that they were published by Kata’ib Hizballah.

Federal law prohibits designated entities like Kata’ib Hizballah from obtaining or utilizing goods or services, including website and domain services, in the United States without a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control. “Aletejahtv.com” and “Aletejahtv.org” are domain names that are owned and operated by a United States company based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Kata’ib Hizballah did not obtain a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control prior to utilizing the domain names.

On August 31, 2020, pursuant to a seizure warrant, the United States seized “Aletejahtv.com” and “Aletejahtv.org.” Visitors to the site received the following message:  THIS WEBSITE HAS BEEN SEIZED.  The domains for Aletejahtv.com and Aletejahtv.org have been seized by the United States Government.

This seizure was investigated by the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Northern District of Georgia, Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the District of Arizona, and trial lawyers from the Department of Justice National Security Division prosecuted the seizure.

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 – Roberto Garza-Mendez, Shadarrian Grimes, Euklides Gonzalez-Hernandez, and Johnathan Pena have been sentenced for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.  Garza-Mendez and Grimes confessed to having trafficked 200 kilograms of cocaine together during a ten-year span.

“Thanks to the diligent efforts of our law enforcement partners, these defendants’ days of distributing cocaine in the Atlanta community have ended,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Also, by seizing these defendants’ drug-related assets, we hope to send a clear message that drug traffickers will not be permitted to profit from the poison they distribute.”

“The sentencings for these criminals slams the door on a major conspiracy to peddle poison (cocaine) in our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division Robert J. Murphy. “DEA, its multi-level law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, are committed to tracking down and bringing to justice those who pollute our neighborhoods with illegal drugs.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Following a multi-month federal investigation, DEA agents learned the date and time that Garza-Mendez intended to sell several kilograms of cocaine to Grimes.  DEA agents and Georgia State Patrol Officers followed Garza-Mendez from his home, stopped his car, and seized the cocaine, as well as a loaded firearm. 

Agents then executed a search warrant at Garza-Mendez’s home and seized additional kilograms of cocaine, $18,000 in cash, and a loaded rifle.   They also executed a search warrant at Grimes’ home and seized $36,000 in cash that Grimes intended to use to purchase the cocaine from Garza-Mendez.  Drug trafficking paraphernalia and a loaded pistol were also present in Grimes’ home. 

Garza-Mendez – an illegal alien twice removed from the United States – and Grimes confessed that they had trafficked 200 kilograms of cocaine with each other for more than a decade.  Grimes further confessed that he purchased his Suwanee, Georgia, home and other assets, such as diamond watches and a luxury vehicle, with proceeds from the sale of cocaine he obtained from Garza-Mendez.

The DEA investigation also uncovered that Gonzalez-Hernandez and Pena were more recent additions to the Garza-Mendez/Grimes network.  Shortly after the arrests of Garza-Mendez and Grimes, agents executed a search warrant at the Conyers, Georgia, residence of Gonzalez-Hernandez, an illegal alien, who agents identified as the operator of a cocaine stash house.  Agents seized approximately seven kilograms of cocaine hidden in an air compressor tank in Gonzalez-Hernandez’s apartment.  Agents also learned that Pena had been a courier for Garza-Mendez, transporting cocaine and money among the defendants.  He was arrested without incident outside his Stone Mountain, Georgia, residence.

The defendants were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr., as follows:

• Roberto Garza-Mendez, 34, of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced to sixteen years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. 
• Shadarrian Grimes, 49, of Suwanee, Georgia, was sentenced to twelve years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. 
• Euklides Gonzalez-Hernandez, 41, of Conyers, Georgia, was sentenced to five years, three months in prison. 
• Johnathan Pena, 27, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, was sentenced to two years, four months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

All four defendants previously pleaded guilty.  As part of their sentences, the Court ordered the defendants’ illegally-acquired assets to be forfeited to the United States.  Garza-Mendez and Gonzalez-Hernandez will be deported to Mexico following their terms of imprisonment.

The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor C. Wilmot prosecuted the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.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.

ROME, Ga. - Michael Sean Conner has been sentenced for a violent carjacking he attempted in Adairsville, Georgia, during which he shot a young man asleep in his truck. Conner will serve this sentence consecutively to a seven-year sentence for a previous carjacking conviction in Tennessee, for a total sentence of 35 years of confinement. 

“Conner’s senseless and depraved act left a young man paralyzed from the chest down,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “His callous disregard for the lives of others justifies the very lengthy prison sentence he received in this case. Our office is grateful for the careful coordination of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners whose collaboration ensured the success of this prosecution.”

“Mr. Conner’s sentence can never fully account for the suffering he inflicted on his victims,” said Arthur Peralta, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Atlanta.  “In this case, the combined efforts of the Adairsville Police Department, the GBI, the ATF, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office worked to ensure that Mr. Conner will not have an opportunity to hurt anyone else for a very long time.”

“This sentence is the result of an effective partnership between our local and federal agencies. The GBI is dedicated to thoroughly investigating violent offenses leading to successful prosecutions to keep the streets safe from offenders such as Conner,” said Vic Reynolds, Director, Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

“It is unfortunate that this heinous act occurred in the city of Adairsville. As the Chief, I am thankful for the resources provided to us by the GBI, ATF, and U.S. Attorney’s Office to assist in the investigation and prosecute this case to ensure justice was served for the victim,” said Adairsville Chief of Police Mike Jones.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: On May 7, 2018, the victim in this case, a young man unknown to Conner, was driving home to Florida after attending a wedding in Tennessee. He had stopped to nap at a gas station in Adairsville.  Conner and two women, Kristy Lynn Davis and Destany Schubert, pulled beside the victim in a second vehicle. Conner tapped on the window of the victim’s truck, pointed a gun at the young man, and demanded that he give up his truck. Conner then shot the victim in the chest as he tried to roll up his window and back away from Conner, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down.

Conner and his female passengers were charged for the crime following Conner’s arrest for committing another armed carjacking in Tennessee within hours of the offense in Georgia.

Michael Sean Conner, 28, of Hixon, Tennessee, was sentenced to 28 years of confinement to be followed by three years of supervised release. The federal sentence will run consecutively to the seven years he is serving in Tennessee for another carjacking.  Conner had previously pleaded guilty to the carjacking offense in Tennessee and received a sentence of seven years of confinement. The Georgia sentence will run consecutive to his Tennessee sentence, resulting in a total custodial sentence of 35 years of confinement. 

Kristy Lynn Davis, 38, of Summerville, Georgia, who pleaded guilty to acting as Conner’s accessory, was sentenced to on August 13, 2020, to three years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

Destany Schubert, 22, of Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, who also pleaded guilty to acting as Conner’s accessory, received a sentence on June 19, 2020, of one year, six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Adairsville Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine M. Hoffer 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 – Antonio DaShawn Daniels has been indicted on federal charges related to possession with the intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. 

“The quantity of drugs, money, and firearms allegedly controlled by Daniels highlights the scale of heroin and cocaine trafficked into this community by local drug dealers with high-level ties to international drug trafficking organizations,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Daniels allegedly used these ties to flood this district with drugs and reap the financial benefits. We will not tolerate the destruction of lives through the scourge of the drug trade.”

“The arrest of Daniels, along with the seizure of hundreds of kilograms of drugs, dozens of guns, and more than a million dollars in cash, represents a significant victory for DEA, our law enforcement partners, and – most of all – for the people of Atlanta,” said Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea. “This case illustrates the devastating impact that violence fueled by drug trafficking can have on our communities.  Drug traffickers, and the organizations they work with, use fear and violence to enrich themselves with little regard for the communities they destroy in the process. The DEA stands resolute with our law enforcement partners to protect the health, safety, and security of the American people.”

“Our community and our citizens are safer today because of the removal of a massive amount of drugs, weapons and cash that were destined to destroy lives,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI values our partnerships with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. These results would not be possible without them.”

“This poly-drug trafficker brazenly continued his drug trafficking activities despite having served time in federal prison for drug distribution. His arrest removes yet another dangerous criminal from our streets and sends a clear message to others who may choose to follow the same perilous path. DEA, its law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will relentlessly pursue and ultimately prosecute criminals like Daniels,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: In October 2019, federal agents uncovered ledgers from a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization showing that Daniels received just over 1,000 kilograms of cocaine between August 2018 and October 2019. The ledgers reflected that Daniels returned more than $31 million in drug proceeds to the organization that were eventually transported to Mexico.

During the investigation, federal agents identified multiple apartments and homes in the metro-Atlanta area that Daniels allegedly used to prepare and distribute drugs. On July 27, 2020, agents executed federal search warrants at those locations, which resulted in Daniels’ arrest and the seizure of a large amount of drugs, money, and weapons.

• Inside a studio apartment in Atlanta, agents found approximately 28 kilograms of heroin, six kilograms of cocaine, eight kilograms of marijuana, and more than $1 million in cash. There were 41 firearms stashed throughout the apartment, along with kilo-presses, scales, strainers with white powder residue, and a money counter.

• Inside a home in Atlanta, agents found 142 kilograms of heroin and four kilograms of cocaine.

In total, agents seized approximately 170 kilograms of heroin, 10 kilograms of cocaine, eight kilograms of marijuana, more than $1 million in cash, and 41 firearms.

Antonio DaShawn Daniels, a/k/a Freckleface Shawn, 46, of Atlanta, Georgia was indicted on August 11, 2020.  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 Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Doraville Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Hartigan is prosecuting the case.

This case is presented as a part of Operation SCOPE (Strategically Combatting Opioids through Prosecution and Enforcement), which is an initiative launched by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to partner with federal and local law enforcement to fight the devastating effects that illegally-prescribed painkillers, heroin, and synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl have on our neighborhoods.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.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 - U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak announced that Wellspring Living, in the Northern District of Georgia received $500,000 from the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs and its component, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), to provide safe, stable housing and appropriate services to victims of human trafficking.

“Human trafficking is a barbaric criminal enterprise that subjects its victims to unspeakable cruelty and deprives them of the most basic of human needs, none more essential than a safe place to live,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Throughout this Administration, the Department of Justice has fought aggressively to bring human traffickers to justice and to deliver critical aid to trafficking survivors. These new resources, announced today, expand on our efforts to offer those who have suffered the shelter and support they need to begin a new and better life.”

“A core mission of this office is the targeting and dismantling of human trafficking organizations operating in this district. The support our anti-trafficking prosecutors and investigators receive from victim advocates and non-governmental organizations, like Wellspring Living, is absolutely critical to our office’s success in combatting these horrific crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Pak. “This grant will provide essential resources to sex trafficking victims who are especially vulnerable due to ongoing fear of reprisal to themselves and their families, a wish to avoid embarrassment and public shame, and a simple desire to move on with their lives.”

“Human traffickers dangle the threat of homelessness over those they have entrapped, playing a ruthless game of psychological manipulation that victims are never in a position to win,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kathrine T. Sullivan. “These grants will empower survivors on their path to independence and a life of self-sufficiency and hope.”

“Wellspring Living is grateful for this investment in survivors of Human Trafficking through the recent OVC award,” said Wellspring Living Executive Director Mary Frances Bowley. “We are honored to work alongside incredible partners like the Justice Department, specifically the U.S. Attorney, to provide a safe and restorative environment for survivors to recover from the complex trauma of trafficking.  As our survivors recover, the ability to work cooperatively with prosecutors provides vital progress to end trafficking.”

The grant, awarded to Wellspring Living, will provide six to 24 months of transitional or short-term housing assistance for trafficking victims, including rental, utilities or related expenses, such as security deposits and relocation costs. The grant will also provide funding for support needed to help victims locate permanent housing, secure employment, as well as occupational training and counseling. Wellspring Living is among 73 organizations receiving more than $35 million in OVC grants to support housing services for human trafficking survivors.

Human trafficking offenses are among the most difficult crimes to identify, and the scope of human trafficking victimization may be much greater than the limited data reflects. A new report issued by the National Institute of Justice, another component of the Office of Justice Programs, found that the number of human trafficking cases captured in police reports may represent only a fraction of all such cases. Expanding housing and other services to trafficking victims remains a top Justice Department priority.

The Office for Victims of Crime, for example, hosted listening sessions and roundtable discussions with stakeholders in the field in 2018 and launched the Human Trafficking Capacity Building Center. From July 2018 through June 2019, 118 OVC human trafficking grantees reported serving 8,375 total clients including confirmed trafficking victims and individuals showing strong indicators of trafficking victimization.

For a complete list of individual award amounts and jurisdictions that will receive funding, visit: https://www.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh241/files/media/document/htvictimsfactheet.pdf.

The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

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 - Alfonzo Jamal Lewis has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for trafficking five kilograms of cocaine in 2015.

“Illegal drugs destined to poison communities in southwest Georgia were stopped by our federal and state law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Their outstanding work resulted in the seizure of a half-million dollars’ worth of cocaine and a lengthy term of imprisonment for a career drug dealer.”

“This investigation is indicative of cooperative federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts to rid our communities of this poison,” said Dan Salter, Executive Director, Atlanta-Carolinas HIDTA.

“This is another example of how partnerships benefit citizens by removing illegal drugs from our streets.  It is critical that we continue to collaborate to keep dangerous drugs away from children and families.  Fulton County Sheriff’s deputies are dedicated to this important duty and we are grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its unwavering commitment to this cause,” said Fulton County Sheriff Theodore “Ted” Jackson.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: On multiple occasions in late 2015, Lewis traveled from southwest Georgia to the Atlanta metro area and purchased bulk amounts of cocaine.  He then took the cocaine back to the Albany, Georgia area to sell.  On August 20, 2015, HIDTA agents observed Lewis entering and exiting a drug stash house in Decatur, Georgia, but did not attempt an arrest.

Four months later, on December 14, 2015, agents observed Lewis entering and exiting a drug stash house in East Point, Georgia.  The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol stopped Lewis’s vehicle for speeding while Lewis was traveling back to Albany from East Point.  A deputy sheriff recovered five kilograms of highly-pure cocaine from the backseat and arrested Lewis.

A federal grand jury charged Lewis with conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.  After a three-day trial, Lewis was convicted on February 5, 2020 of both charges.

Alfonzo Jamal Lewis, a/k/a Pookie, 35, of Albany, Georgia, was sentenced on August 4, 2020, to 30 years in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release. 

The Atlanta-Carolinas HIDTA and Fulton County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.  The Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Monroe Police Department, Albany Police Department, and U.S. Marshals Service provided valuable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg and former Emory Law School Extern Joseph N. Lenoff prosecuted the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.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 - Milton Ayimadu has been arraigned on federal charges of hoarding and price gouging in violation of the Defense Production Act of 1950 (DPA).  Ayimadu was charged by a criminal information.

“Ayimadu allegedly saw the unprecedented COVID-19 global pandemic as an opportunity to make a profit,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Desperate to find personal protective equipment during the pandemic, thousands of customers unfortunately paid his inflated prices.”    

“It is disheartening that anyone is alleged to have taken advantage of consumers who are desperate to acquire protective equipment that could save theirs, and other people’s lives,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Using the resources of all of our federal partners, we are making every effort to pursue anyone who tries to take advantage of citizens during this global pandemic.”

“The Postal Inspection Service is committed to investigating individuals and companies that intentionally hoard critical protective supplies or sell those items above market prices during the COVID-19 global pandemic,” said Inspector in Charge Tommy D. Coke.  “Postal Inspectors will continue to coordinate with our law enforcement partners to ensure these violators are brought to justice.”

“IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to defend our citizens against those exploiting the COVID-19 global pandemic for personal benefit,”, said James E. Dorsey, Special Agent in Charge IRS-Criminal Investigations. “Today’s charges show IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to utilizing our financial expertise wherever we are needed in coordination with other agencies.”

“When the nation needed facemasks the most, Ayimadu decided to turn our fears into dollars,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI and its partners are working diligently to investigate and arrest those criminals that have decided to use illegal business practices to increase their profits during this global pandemic.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: from early March 2020 to May 2020, during the COVID-19 global pandemic, Ayimadu engaged in hoarding and price gouging of more than 200,000 face masks in violation of the DPA. 

On March 18, 2020, as COVID-19 spread across the country, the President of the United States invoked the powers of the DPA, which prohibits hoarding and price gouging–that is, selling in excess of prevailing market prices–certain materials that are designated as scarce materials.  Because of the rapidly dwindling stock of personal protective equipment needed to care for seriously ill patients and prevent further spread of COVID-19, on March 25, 2020, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with authority delegated by the President, designated certain health medical resources as scarce materials under the DPA.  Among the materials designated were face masks that cover the user’s nose and mouth. 

Ayimadu allegedly purchased more than 200,000 face masks from a foreign country for approximately $2.50 each and then re-sold them to American consumers, through his website, BabyPuuPu.com, for approximately $5.00 each—a markup of approximately 100 percent.  During the two months in which Ayimadu sold face masks, he engaged in over 22,000 financial transactions.  While Ayimadu priced his masks in excess of prevailing market prices to maximize his profits to the detriment of consumers desperate for personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturers of authentic N95 masks continued selling face masks for the pre-pandemic price of under $2.00 per mask.      

Milton Ayimadu, a/k/a Don Milton, 22, of Stockbridge, Georgia, was arraigned on August 6, 2020, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard.  Members of the public are reminded that the criminal information 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tal C. Chaiken and Russell Phillips are prosecuting the case.  Attorney General William P. Barr created the COVID-19 Hoarding and Price Gouging Task Force, led by Craig Carpenito, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, who is coordinating efforts with the Antitrust Division and U.S. Attorneys across the country wherever illegal activity involving protective personal equipment occurs. 

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 small business owners have been indicted in connection with a fraudulent scheme to obtain nearly $4.1 million in loan funding under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).  

“The PPP was enacted to provide emergency financial assistance to business owners who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “The defendants allegedly took advantage of this critical financial assistance to fraudulently obtain funds that other small businesses desperately needed to keep their employees on the payroll.  We will continue investigating and prosecuting those who seek to line their own pockets.”

“The allegations against these defendants are disturbing,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Trying to defraud a federal program that provides financial assistance to companies trying to keep their heads above water during a pandemic is something we are very serious about and making every effort to stop.”

“The Paycheck Protection Program is essential to survival for many small businesses during these unprecedented times,” said Small Business Administration Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware.  “Our Office will continue to combat fraud schemes that involve using PPP funds for personal gain and greed.  I want to thank the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners for their pursuit of justice.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the indictment, and other information presented in court: In April and May 2020, Darrell Thomas, Andre Lee Gaines, Kahlil Gibran Green, Sr., and Bern Benoit allegedly submitted, or assisted in the submission of, PPP loan applications on behalf of five businesses – Bellator Phront Group Inc. (owned by Thomas), Gaines Reservation and Travel LLC (owned by Gaines), Impact Creations LLC (owned by Green), Transportation Management Services, Inc. (owned by Benoit), and another business – seeking a loan of approximately $800,000 for each company. 

In the loan applications, the defendants certified that each applicant business was in operation on February 15, 2020 and had employees for whom it paid salaries and payroll taxes or paid independent contractors; that the funds would be used to retain workers and maintain payroll or make mortgage interest payments, lease payments, and utility payments; and that the information provided in the application and in all supporting documents and forms was true and accurate in all material respects.

In its PPP loan application, each business allegedly reported that it had between 63 and 69 employees, and approximately $319,000 to $332,000 in average monthly payroll expenses.  To support these payroll figures, each business’s loan application was accompanied by an Internal Revenue Service Form 941, which employers use to report payroll taxes, for each quarter of 2019.  With the exception of one company’s reporting for one quarter, the five businesses reported an identical number of employees and an identical amount of payroll expenses for each quarter of 2019.  In reality, however, none of the businesses had filed a Form 941 for any quarter in 2019 or for the first quarter of 2020.  Four of the businesses also submitted with their applications fake bank statements that significantly inflated the funds in the businesses’ bank accounts.  Indeed, two of the businesses did not open their bank accounts until after the time period reported on the fake bank statements. 

After the PPP loan proceeds were deposited into the businesses’ accounts, Thomas, Gaines, Green, and Benoit transferred more than $2,000,000 into two of Thomas’s businesses: Bellator Phront Group, Inc. and Elite Executive Services, Inc.  These transfers were purportedly for payroll services and rental payments, but none of the four businesses that sent money to Thomas’s companies had any legitimate business transaction with either of those companies.  In addition, Gaines, through Gaines Reservation and Travel LLC, transferred approximately $335,000 to Carla Jackson’s company, Management Resource Services, Inc.  Those payments were purportedly for a project that Management Resource Services, Inc. would perform for Gaines Reservation and Travel LLC, but the investigation revealed that no such project existed.

Based on the investigation, none of the companies allegedly engaged in any business-related transactions or used the PPP loan proceeds for any authorized purposes.  In fact, Thomas used some of the funds transferred to Bellator Phront Group Inc. to purchase two luxury vehicles for more than $125,000 each: a Mercedes-Benz S-Class S65AMG and a Land Rover Range Rover.  Jackson, meanwhile, used funds that she had received from Gaines Reservation and Travel LLC to make payments on two automobile loans.  The other defendants likewise used the funds they received for various personal expenses and withdrawals.  During the investigation, federal agents seized nearly $3.1 million dollars in PPP proceeds from ten bank accounts before the Defendants could further deplete these funds, and also seized Thomas’s Land Rover Range Rover.       

Darrell Thomas, 34, of Duluth, Georgia, Andre Lee Gaines, 66, of Dallas, Georgia, Kahlil Gibran Green, Sr., 46, of Cleveland, Ohio, and Bern Benoit, 44, of Burbank, California, are charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, making false statements to a federally insured financial institution, and money laundering.  Carla Jackson, 52, of Tucker, Georgia, is charged with money laundering. The defendants were indicted on August 4, 2020.  Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. 

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the Small Business Administration-Office of the Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tal Chaiken and Nathan Kitchens and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Siji Moore are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Georgia’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Fraud Task Force, aimed at better protecting the citizens of Georgia from criminal fraud arising from the pandemic.  Formed by Georgia’s leading state and federal prosecutors, the task force serves to open channels of communication between partner agencies and more rapidly share information about COVID-19 fraud, while ensuring each fraud complaint is reported to the appropriate prosecuting agency.  The task force member agencies include the Office of the Governor of Georgia, the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.  Georgia’s three U.S. Attorneys, the Attorney General of Georgia, and the Executive Counsel for the Governor’s Office serve on the task force.  If you think you are a victim of a scam or attempted fraud involving COVID-19, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or online at www.justice.gov/DisasterComplaintForm.

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.

Five individuals were charged in an indictment with fraudulently obtaining more than $4 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and using those funds, in part, to purchase luxury vehicles.  Authorities have seized a Range Rover worth approximately $125,000, jewelry, over $120,000 in cash, and over $3 million from 10 bank accounts at the time of arrest.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak of the Northern District of Georgia; Special Agent in Charge Chris Hacker of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Kevin Kupperbusch of the Small Business Association Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG) Eastern Region made the announcement.

Darrell Thomas, 34 of Johns Creek, Georgia, Andre Lee Gaines 66 of Dallas, Georgia, Kahlil Gibran Green Sr., 46, of Cleveland, Ohio, and Bern Benoit, 44, of Burbank, California, were charged in an indictment filed in the Northern District of Georgia with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, false statements to a financial institution and money laundering.  Additionally, Carla Jackson, 52, of Tucker, Georgia was charged with money laundering.  Thomas, Gaines, and Jackson were arrested this morning and appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard of the Northern District of Georgia. 

The indictment alleges that Thomas, Gaines, Green, and Benoit submitted, or assisted in the submission of, PPP loan applications on behalf of five businesses – Bellator Phront Group Inc. (owned by Thomas), Gaines Reservation and Travel LLC (owned by Gaines), Impact Creations LLC (owned by Green), Transportation Management Services, Inc. (owned by Benoit), and Lee Operations LLC – seeking loans of approximately $800,000 for each company.  Thomas, Gaines, Green, and Benoit caused to be submitted fraudulent loan applications that made numerous false and misleading statements about the companies’ number of employees and payroll expenses.  The financial institutions approved and funded over $4 million in loans.

The indictment further alleges that shortly after receiving the PPP funds, Thomas, Gaines, Green, and Benoit transferred the money to secondary bank accounts, including an account controlled by Jackson.  After Jackson received the PPP funds, she further distributed the funds.  Additionally, Thomas purchased a 2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class S65AMG and a 2018 Land Rover Range Rover.  In the days and weeks following the disbursement of PPP funds, the indictment alleges that Thomas, Gaines, Green, and Benoit did not make payroll payments as they claimed they would on their loan applications.   

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted March 29, 2020.  It is designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.  One source of relief provided by the CARES Act is the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP.  In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding.

The PPP allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of one percent.  Businesses must use PPP loan proceeds for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities.  The PPP allows the interest and principal to be forgiven if businesses spend the proceeds on these expenses within a set time period and use at least a certain percentage of the loan towards payroll expenses.

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

This case was investigated by the FBI and the SBA OIG.  Trial Attorney Siji Moore of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tal Chaiken and Nathan Kitchens of the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.

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 Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

ATLANTA – Atlanta City Councilman Antonio Brown has been indicted on multiple fraud charges in connection with Brown’s attempts to defraud several financial institutions by taking out loans and making credit card purchases – and then falsely claiming that he was the victim of identity theft and was not responsible for the charges or repaying the loans.

"For years, Antonio Brown allegedly sought to defraud a number of banks and credit card companies by falsely claiming that he was the victim of identity theft," said U.S. Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak. "Brown’s scheme was eventually brought to light, resulting in his indictment by the grand jury."       

"This investigation is another example of the power of partnerships in combating financial fraud and identity theft," said Tommy D. Coke, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “Postal Inspectors are dedicated to pursuing individuals who seek to defraud for their own financial gain.”

"We are committed to working with our Federal law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who falsely claim their identity was stolen in an attempt to defraud financial institutions," said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General of Social Security.  "I thank the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and IRS Criminal Investigation for their efforts in this case, and the United States Attorney’s Office for bringing these charges."

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: Beginning in 2012, Antonio Brown opened a number of credit cards, which he then used to make thousands of dollars’ worth of purchases for his own personal benefit.  Brown also obtained over $60,000 in automobile loans to finance the purchases of a Mercedes C300 and a Range Rover.  Despite opening and using these credit cards and despite taking the money for the two automobile loans, Brown allegedly falsely claimed that his identity had been stolen and that someone else had made the credit card purchases or had taken out these loans. 

The indictment further alleges that Brown provided false information to Signature Bank when applying for a $75,000 loan in August 2017.  During the loan application process, Brown provided a personal financial statement falsely claiming that he earned $325,000 per year and had $200,000 in available cash or assets.  Brown allegedly knew this information was false because he had recently submitted other loan applications reporting far less income and available cash or assets.  For instance, in a July 2017 loan application to another bank, Brown submitted a 2016 federal income tax return reporting that he earned $125,000 per year (which was $200,000 less than what he represented that his income was to Signature Bank). Further, in an August 2017 loan application to yet another bank, Brown claimed he had an annual salary of $175,000 (which was $150,000 less than what he told Signature Bank), and only had $25,000 in available cash and assets (which was $175,000 less than what he told Signature Bank).

U.S. Attorney Pak noted that the charges in the indictment all relate to conduct that occurred before Brown was elected to the Atlanta City Council.

On July 29, 2020, the Grand Jury charged Antonio Brown, 35, of Atlanta, Georgia, with wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, and making false statements on a bank loan application. 

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.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division are investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas J. Krepp and Jeffrey W. Davis, Chief of the Public Corruption and Special Matters Section, 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 - Hasher Jallal Taheb has been sentenced for attempting an attack upon the White House. Taheb also planned attacks on the Statue of Liberty, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and a synagogue.

“Taheb painstakingly planned an attack on the White House that potentially jeopardized the lives of White House employees and visitors,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “We are thankful to members of our community and our federal and state law enforcement partners who identified Taheb’s scheme and worked cooperatively to bring him to justice.”

“Taheb planned to conduct a terrorist attack on the White House as part of what he claimed was his obligation to engage in jihad,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.  “And that was just one of the iconic American landmarks he wanted to target.  Thanks to a tip from a member of the community and the work of the agents, analysts, and prosecutors responsible for this case, the threat posed by the defendant was neutralized and the defendant has now been sentenced for his planned terrorist attack.”

“Because of a tip from the public, the FBI Atlanta Joint Terrorism Task Force and our law enforcement partners began a year-long investigation that resulted in Taheb's arrest and potentially saved many lives,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The phrase 'If you see something, say something' may seem trite, but our citizens are our eyes and ears in our communities, one of our most important weapons in fighting terrorism, and this case exemplifies that.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: In March 2018, a member of the Atlanta community reported concerns about Taheb to a local law enforcement agency, which then contacted the FBI.  The community member reported that Taheb had become radicalized and was making plans to travel abroad. During an undercover operation conducted by the FBI, federal investigators learned that Taheb, in fact, applied for a passport and planned to travel overseas. At the same time, Taheb had begun planning domestic attacks in the United States. His targets initially included the White House and the Statue of Liberty. In December 2018, Taheb broadened his prospective targets in the Washington, D.C. area, to include the Washington Monument, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, and a synagogue.

During undercover meetings with Taheb in January 2019, Taheb provided sketches of the White House and described the types of weapons and explosives he intended to use in the attacks, including semi-automatic weapons, improvised explosive devices, an anti-tank weapon, and hand grenades. FBI special agents arrested Taheb on January 16, 2019, after Taheb arrived at a pre-arranged location where he expected to obtain semi-automatic assault rifles, explosive devices, and an anti-tank weapon.

Federal investigators searched Taheb’s computer following his arrest and found a video that he made. In the video, Taheb addressed “. . . America, its allies, its president, and its people.” He recounted his grievances with American policy and proclaimed that America would not see peace unless it changed its foreign policy, as he was a man who loved death more than Americans love life. He also encouraged other Muslims to fight. After entering his guilty plea, Taheb said that he intended “to carry out a martyrdom operation as a tactic of jihad against America.”

Hasher Jallal Taheb, 23, of Cumming, Georgia, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen to 15 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.  Taheb pleaded guilty to these charges on April 1, 2020.

This case was investigated by the FBI Atlanta Joint Terrorism Task Force. Investigators included the U.S. Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Army, Cobb County Police Department, Gwinnett County Police Department, and the FBI. The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office also provided assistance.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan K. Buchanan, Deputy Chief of the Violent Crime and National Security Section, and Matthew Carrico, Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime and Gangs Section, and Trial Attorneys Danielle Rosborough and B. Celeste Corlett of the Department of Justice National Security Division.

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.