Northern District of Georgia

Today Hasher Jallal Taheb, 23, of Cumming, Georgia, has pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to destroy, by fire or an explosive, a building owned by or leased to the United States. Taleb had planned an attack on the White House using weapons and explosives.  As part of the plea agreement, the defendant and the government agreed that the defendant should receive a 15-year sentence of imprisonment.

“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 admitted his guilt and will now be held accountable for his crime.”

“Taheb hatched a dangerous plan that would have resulted in unimaginable injury,” said Byung J. “BJay” Pak, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.  “We are grateful to community members who noticed his dangerous evolution and alerted law enforcement.  Along with our federal, state and local partners, we will remain vigilant in order to disrupt these types of attacks before they happen.”

“This plea is the result of a more than year-long intensive investigation by FBI Atlanta’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which was because of a tip from the community,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.  “Our citizens are our most important weapons in fighting terrorism, our eyes and ears in our communities, and why we say to please contact law enforcement if you see or hear something suspicious.”

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 specifically alerted law enforcement that Taheb had become radicalized and was making plans to travel abroad.

During an undercover operation conducted by the FBI, federal investigators learned in October 2018 that Taheb planned to travel overseas and that he had applied for a United States passport in July 2018.  The FBI also learned that Taheb had begun planning domestic attacks in the United States as part of his desire to engage in “jihad.”  His targets initially included the White House and the Statue of Liberty.  Later, 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, he produced sketches of the White House and described the types of weapons and explosives he wished to use in the attack, including semi-automatic weapons, improvised explosive devices, an anti-tank weapon, and hand grenades.  FBI special agents arrested Taheb on Jan. 16, 2019, after he arrived at a pre-arranged location where he expected to obtain semi-automatic assault rifles, explosive devices, and an anti-tank weapon. 

Sentencing for Taheb is scheduled for June 23, 2020, at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the U.S. Secret Service, investigated this case.  The Forsyth County Sheriff Office and Gwinnett County Police Department also provided assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan K. Buchanan and Matthew Carrico and Trial Attorneys Danielle Rosborough and B. Celeste Corlett of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

ATLANTA - Jaiswinkumar Jagdishbhai Patel, who submitted fraudulent travel reimbursement vouchers to his employer over a period of several years, has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

“Patel was a trusted employee who used the frequent travel required for his job as an opportunity to steal from his employer,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Eventually, he was caught by his employer and now faces the potential of significant prison time.”

“Patel violated the trust placed in him by the company that hired him and now he will find out what price he will have to pay for his actions,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI will continue to work hard to protect companies against anyone who would attempt to profit from false claims.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Patel was employed by Accenture PLC as a business consultant who frequently traveled as a part of his employment.  To receive reimbursement for his travel related expenses, Patel was directed to submit his travel receipts for expenses like hotels, rental cars, and plane tickets to the company.  However, in March 2012, he began submitting fraudulent vouchers for reimbursement for his travel. 

Rather than submitting the true invoices for his expenses, Patel would modify and create receipts to show additional or higher travel, lodging, and food expenses than he had actually incurred.  After modifying the true invoices and creating forged receipts, Patel would submit these fraudulent business expenses, often times from his home in the Atlanta, Georgia area, via email and the postal mail, to travel voucher reviewers that were located in other states.  Accenture would then make reimbursement payments to Patel, relying on the falsified documentation.  Patel submitted approximately 347 fraudulent expense transactions to Accenture throughout the course of his employment, resulting in a theft of over $112,000 until he was caught and fired by Accenture on January 17, 2017.

Sentencing for Jaiswinkumar Jagdishbhai Patel, 42, of Hampton, Georgia, is scheduled for June 24, 2020, at 9:30 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Miguel R. Acosta 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 - U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak is urging the public to report suspected fraud schemes related to COVID-19 (the Coronavirus) by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) hotline (1-866-720-5721) or to the NCDF e-mail address disaster@leo.gov.

In coordination with the Department of Justice, Attorney General William Barr has directed U.S. Attorneys to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of Coronavirus fraud schemes.

“The Department of Justice will take swift action to shut down fraud schemes related to COVID-19,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “We will use every resource at our disposal to detect these schemes and prosecute those who use this pandemic to perpetrate fraud.”

Some examples of these schemes include:

• Individuals and businesses selling fake cures for COVID-19 online and engaging in other forms of fraud.
• Phishing emails from entities posing as the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Malicious websites and apps that appear to share Coronavirus-related information to gain and lock access to your devices until payment is received.
• Seeking donations fraudulently for illegitimate or non-existent charitable organizations.
• Medical providers obtaining patient information for COVID-19 testing and then using that information to fraudulently bill for other tests and procedures.     

In a memorandum to U.S. Attorneys issued March 19, 2020, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen also directed each U.S. Attorney to appoint a Coronavirus Fraud Coordinator to serve as the legal counsel for the federal judicial district on matters relating to the Coronavirus, direct the prosecution of Coronavirus-related crimes, and to conduct outreach and awareness activities.   Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Phillips was named the Northern District of Georgia Coronavirus Fraud Coordinator.

The NCDF can receive and enter complaints into a centralized system that can be accessed by all U.S. Attorneys, as well as Justice Department litigating and law enforcement components to identify, investigate and prosecute fraud schemes.  The NCDF coordinates complaints with 16 additional federal law enforcement agencies, as well as state Attorneys General and local authorities.

To find more about Department of Justice resources and information, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

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 - Christian William Kight, a/k/a Drillo, has been sentenced for extortion, computer fraud, and wire fraud for hacking into an Atlanta-based computer analytics company and attempting to extort money from the company in exchange for the return of their intellectual property. 

“This defendant hid behind his computer to extort companies in this district and elsewhere,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “As a result of the exemplary work of law enforcement and the cooperation of the victim, he is headed to federal prison.  This case highlights the positive outcomes that are possible for businesses and the community when the private sector works with law enforcement to bring cyber criminals to justice.”

“Kight’s scheme against this company is unfortunately all too common and highlights the ever-growing need to remain vigilant in cybersecurity efforts”, said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hopefully this sentence sends a message to the thieves hiding behind their computers, if you violate our laws, the FBI will make sure you pay the price.”

“Computer hacking is a serious crime, and the theft of intellectual property threatens the fabric of our economy.  The partnership between the Georgia Attorney General’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is just one example of law enforcement working together to keep Georgia citizens, individual and corporate, safe,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Kight gained unauthorized access to the computer networks and servers of multiple companies and organizations, including a computer analytics company in the Northern District of Georgia.  Once on the victim’s network, Kight concealed his identity, exfiltrated data files, and deleted data and log files.  He then sent a series of emails to the victim demanding money in exchange for the release of their data. 

When the company announced their intention to contact law enforcement, Kight further threatened to send reputation-harming letters to the company’s clients and disseminate the data he had stolen.  The victim nonetheless contacted the FBI and reported the hack and extortion demands.  Once identified through the FBI investigation, a search of Kight’s computer equipment and encrypted email account revealed evidence of this crime as well as his scheme to extort multiple victims. 

Christian William Kight, a/k/a Drillo, 29, of San Clemente, California, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr., to seven years, eight months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, a $900 fine, and $42,001.00, in restitution.  Kight was convicted on these charges on December 3, 2019, after he pleaded guilty.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Pfister 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 - Tamika Anderson, a Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (“DFCS”) employee, has pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft after she stole more than 100 identities while employed at Georgia DFCS.

“DFCS provides critical services to some of Georgia's neediest and most vulnerable residents,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “These citizens depend on DFCS and its employees to do the right thing. For a state employee to exploit these people by stealing their identities is reprehensible.”

“This case is an unfortunate example of an individual who violated her position of trust to illegally enrich herself,” said Steven R. Baisel, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office. “The Secret Service will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to target and arrest individuals who commit these types of crimes.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: in September 2018, Anderson and a co-conspirator, Cassandra Clayton, agreed to sell people's identities, including their names and Social Security numbers, to a third-party for $4,000, with Anderson keeping $3,600. Anderson obtained the identities while working at Georgia DFCS from unsuspecting clients and sent them to Clayton by text message. Clayton did not work for Georgia DFCS, but was responsible for completing the sale to the third-party at a restaurant in McDonough, Georgia. Unbeknownst to Anderson and Clayton, the “buyer” was an undercover agent. Anderson and Clayton knew, however, that the identities were supposed to be used for other fraudulent conduct. In total, Anderson stole over 100 identities over just a couple of weeks.

Cassandra Clayton, 44, of Jonesboro, Georgia, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud. On January 23, 2020, Clayton was sentenced to three years’ probation.

Sentencing for Tamika Anderson, 29, of Jonesboro, Georgia, is scheduled for June 10, 2020, before U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross.

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating this case.

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 – Federal agents have arrested twenty-four individuals for their involvement in a large-scale fraud and money laundering operation that targeted citizens, corporations, and financial institutions throughout the United States. Business email compromise schemes, romance fraud scams, and retirement account scams, among other frauds, duped numerous victims into losing more than $30 million.

“Fraud schemes, like the ones perpetrated and facilitated by these defendants, inflict considerable losses on citizens, companies, and the financial system,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Some of these schemes target the elderly and often deplete the victims’ entire life savings. These arrests affirm the Department of Justice’s commitment to prosecuting those who prey on our most vulnerable citizens.”

“The FBI would like to thank our numerous federal, state and local law enforcement partners who helped make these arrests possible,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “There is no way we can make the victims of these schemes, many who have lost their life savings, whole again. Hopefully the arrests and pending prosecutions will at least give them solace that someone is being held accountable for their losses.”

“An important mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of fraud relating to employee benefit plans. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate these types of allegations,” stated Rafiq Ahmad, Special Agent-in-Charge, Atlanta Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

“This investigation and subsequent arrests is due to the level of cooperation and information sharing by all law enforcement partners involved,” said Steven R. Baisel, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office. “The Secret Service will continue to collaborate with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners to safeguard the nation’s critical financial infrastructure and the people in our communities.”  

“No one deserves to have their hard-earned money stolen from them, so identifying and arresting these defendants makes everyone in the community safer,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “Foreign nationals arrested in this scheme will be placed into removal proceedings upon completion of their criminal sentence.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the indictment, and other information presented in court: The defendants served as money launderers for other individuals throughout the world who conducted cyber-enabled fraud, including business email compromise schemes, romance scams, and retirement account scams, targeted at companies and individuals across the United States. 

A “business email compromise” (BEC) is a type of computer intrusion that occurs when an employee of a company is tricked into interacting with an email message that appears to be, but is not, legitimate.  The fraudulent email instructs the victim to wire money to a bank account controlled by conspirators.

A “romance scam” is a type of online fraud that occurs when an individual user of an internet dating website is targeted for fraud by an imposter posing as a potential paramour.  The scammer creates a fake online dating profile that depicts photographs of an attractive man or woman alongside descriptions of the fictitious person.  The scammer then uses this fake person to express romantic interest in the victim in order to trick him or her into sending money to the scammer.  The scammer frequently targets vulnerable individuals who possess significant financial assets, such as retired widows or widowers. 

A “retirement account scam” is a type of online fraud that occurs when a third party administrator (TPA) for retirement investment accounts is tricked into authorizing a money distribution to an imposter posing as the true accountholder. The imposter often starts the scam by calling the TPA, identifying himself or herself as an actual accountholder, and requesting a withdrawal distribution form.  Once the imposter receives the withdrawal distribution form, the imposter returns the completed form to the TPA.  The form is completed with the accountholder’s real personal identifying information (PII)—often stolen via BEC schemes, data breaches, and other hacking offenses—and bank account information for an account controlled by the imposter or the imposter’s conspirators.  After the TPA processes the fraudulent request, the request is forwarded to the investment firm responsible for managing the accountholder’s investments, and the funds—often the accountholder’s life savings—are then directed to the imposter’s designated bank account.

The defendants and co-conspirators facilitated BEC schemes, romance scams, and retirement account scams by receiving and distributing fraudulent funds throughout the United States and the world.  Over the course of the conspiracy, the defendants and their co-conspirators laundered over $30 million in fraud proceeds. The defendants created multiple sham companies that did not have physical premises, earn legitimate income, or pay wages to employees. In turn, the defendants opened business bank accounts at multiple financial institutions to facilitate receipt of the fraudulent money. The defendants also opened personal bank accounts to receive fraudulent funds, often using false identities and victims’ identities. After funds were deposited into the defendants’ bank accounts, the money was quickly withdrawn from the accounts and circulated among the defendants.

The following individuals have been charged with money laundering conspiracy:

• Darius Sowah Okang, a/k/a Michael J. Casey, a/k/a Richard Resser, a/k/a Thomas Vaden, a/k/a Michael Lawson, a/k/a Matthew Reddington, a/k/a Michael Little, 29, of Stone Mountain, Georgia;
• Dominique Raquel Golden, a/k/a Desire Tamakloe, a/k/a Mellissa Moore, a/k/a Nicole Nolay, a/k/a Raquel Roberts, a/k/a Maria Henderson, a/k/a Raquel Golden, 29, of Houston, Texas;
• Blessing Oluwatimilehin Ojo, a/k/a “Timmy,” 34, of Nigeria;
• George Kodjo Edem Adatsi, 36, of Atlanta, Georgia;
• Desire Elorm Tamakloe, a/k/a “Chubby,” 25, of Smyrna, Georgia;
• Solomon Agyapong, a/k/a “Gumpe,” 31, of Marietta, Georgia;
• Afeez Olaide Adeniran, a/k/a “Ola,” 31, of Atlanta, Georgia;
• Francesco Benjamin, a/k/a “B-More,” 30, of Atlanta, Georgia;
• Jonathan Kojo Agbemafle, a/k/a “Skinny,” 26, of Kansas City, Missouri;
• Joshua Roberts, a/k/a “Onyx,” 28, of Houston, Texas;
• Hamza Abdallah, a/k/a Reggie Lewis, 30, of McDonough, Georgia;
• Prince Sheriff Okai, 26, of Mableton, Georgia;
• Kelvin Prince Boateng, 24, of Atlanta, Georgia;
• Monique Wheeler, 29, of Atlanta, Georgia;
• Matthan Bolaji Ibidapo, a/k/a “B.J.,” 27, of Colorado Springs, Colorado;
• Stephen Abbu Jenkins, a/k/a “Face,” a/k/a Steven Abbu Jenkins, Steven Jenkins, Steve Jenkins, 53, of Atlanta, Georgia;
• Kahlia Andrea Siddiqui, 28, of Chamblee, Georgia;
• Alexus Ciera Johnson, 26, of Mableton, Georgia;
• Abubakar Sadik Ibrahim, 26, of Mableton, Georgia;
• Emanuela Joe Joseph, 34, of Lawrenceville, Georgia;
• Obinna Nwosu, 26, of Douglasville, Georgia;
• Ojebe Obewu Ojebe, 27, of Atlanta, Georgia; and
• Gregory Thomas Hudson, 38, of Powder Springs, Georgia.

 
Darius Sowah Okang is also charged with one count of bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.  The indictment alleges that Okang created a bank account in a retirement scam victim’s name, which was then used to deposit approximately $288,000 in funds fraudulently withdrawn from the victim’s retirement account.
 
Afeez Olaide Adeniran and Blessing Ojo are also charged with wire fraud. The indictment alleges that Adeniran defrauded a homebuyer of $40,000 intended for a real estate transaction. The indictment alleges that due to a computer intrusion and false invoicing scam, Ojo caused a media company in California to send payments totaling $89,140 to a bank account controlled by one of the defendants. In total, the victim sent $646,840, as a result of the fraud.
 
In addition, two related cases charging additional defendants with various counts of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, and conspiracies to commit these offenses are currently pending in federal court in Atlanta. These defendants include:

• Benjamin Ibukunoluwa Oye, 26, of Sandy Springs, Georgia;
• Tyler Keon Roussell, 25, of Atlanta, Georgia;
• Christopher Akinwande Awonuga, 27, of Fayetteville, Georgia;
• Casey Broderick Williams, 26, of Covington, Georgia;
• Macario Lee Nelson, a/k/a “Mac,” 24, of Atlanta, Georgia;
• Chadrick Jamal Rhodes, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia;
• Chadwick Osbourne Stewart, 40, of Atlanta, Georgia;
• Oumar Bouyo Mbodj, 28, of Kennesaw, Georgia;
• Seth Appiah Kubi, 60, of Dacula, Georgia;
• Ahamefule Aso Odus, 27, of Atlanta, Georgia;
• Paul Chinonso Anyanwu, 27, of Hampton, Georgia;
• Egale Veonzell Woods, Jr., 41, of East Point, Georgia;
• Chineda Obilom Nwakadu, 25, of McDonough, Georgia;
• Chukwukadibia Ikechukwu Nnadozie, a/k/a “Chuka,” a/k/a Michael McCord, 27, of Fayetteville, Georgia;
• Uchechi Chidimma Odus, a/k/a “Uche,” 23, of Atlanta, Georgia;
• John Ifeoluwa Onimole, 27, of Powder Springs, Georgia; and
• Oluwafunmilade Onamuti, a/k/a Mathew Kelvin, 26, of Duluth, Georgia.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictments only contain charges.  The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove each defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
 
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Secret Service, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations are investigating this case.
 
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly K. Connors, Russell Phillips, and John Ghose are prosecuting the case.
         
The investigating agencies received considerable support from numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities, to include: Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the State of Georgia, Office of Inspector General.  Also the Atlanta Police Department, Smyrna Police Department, Henry County Police Department,  Gwinnett County Police Department, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, Chamblee Police Department, Dunwoody Police Department, Cobb County Police Department, McDonough Police Department, Carrollton Police Department, and the Sandy Springs Police Department, all in Georgia.  Additional agencies are the New York City Police Department; Houston Police Department; Kent and Bellevue Police Departments in Washington; Newport Beach Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, San Francisco Police Department, and Upland Police Departments in California; Radnor Township Pennsylvania Police Department; York County South Carolina Sheriff’s Department; Bloomington Indiana Police Department; Arlington County Virginia Police Department; Wells Maine Police Department; Schaumburg Illinois Police Department; Salt Lake City Utah Unified Police District; and the Charlotte County Florida Sheriff’s Office.

This investigation is being conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program—the keystone drug, money laundering, and transnational organized crime enforcement program of the Department of Justice.

We engage in community outreach to educate local law enforcement and residents about how they can assist in the fight against, and protect themselves from, fraud schemes that target elder Americans.  For further information on these scams, see https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/senior-scam-alert. 

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 - Florencio Rodriguez, a member of the Sureños 13 gang and multi-convicted felon, has been sentenced to consecutive, maximum terms of imprisonment for unlawfully possessing firearms, including a sawed-off shotgun with an obliterated serial number.

“Gang members are relentless in their attempts to prey upon vulnerable communities in this district, including in North Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “We will continue to work with our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners to target gang members and other violent criminals who endanger the public.”

“It appears the only way to stop Rodriguez from terrorizing our communities is to keep him off the streets, and this sentence will do that for a long time,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to dismantling these violent criminal enterprises to make our communities safer places to live.”

“The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is committed to the reduction of violent crime in our communities,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Arthur Peralta.  “Our law enforcement partnerships allow us to focus investigative resources on those individuals who pose the most danger.  As a result, violent criminals receive the maximum sentence.”    

"I am very pleased to see that the efforts of Dalton Police Department and our federal law enforcement partners has resulted in the successful prosecution of a local member of the Sur 13 street gang. Our community will be safer without this repeat offender being on the streets. This case is a great example of what can be accomplished when local, state, and federal law enforcement work together to target gang members and violent offenders,” said Dalton Police Chief Cliff Cason.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: On July 11, 2019, police officers in Dalton, Georgia, approached Rodriguez, a member of the Sureños 13 gang, to arrest him on a pending probation warrant.  Rodriguez ran from the officers when they ordered him to stop. Officers apprehended him when he fell during the chase. The officers found a .22 caliber pistol underneath Rodriguez and recovered approximately one ounce of methamphetamine from him. 

At the time of his arrest, Rodriguez wore a blue bandana around his ankle, an article of clothing that gang members use to demonstrate their affiliation with the Sureños 13 gang. He also had been convicted of numerous felonies in North Georgia, including attempted robbery, street gang activity, and terroristic threats.  Following his arrest, investigators seized a sawed-off shotgun and shotgun shells from a bedroom that Rodriguez shared with his girlfriend.  The serial number on the sawed-off shotgun had been removed. 

Florencio Rodriguez, also known as “Cheeto,” 29, of Dalton, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg to 15 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Dalton Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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.

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 - Terry Foster has been sentenced to pay a $1,000 fine for one count of violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (“FIFRA”) by lacing deer carcasses with a restricted, highly poisonous pesticide in order to bait and kill coyotes.

“Foster’s conduct threatened Georgia’s wildlife and environment for his own personal benefit,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “But for the speedy response by federal and state law enforcement, Foster’s actions could have had much graver consequences.”

“The defendant knowingly misused an acutely toxic pesticide to poison wildlife,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Charles Carfagno of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division in Atlanta.  “This case shows that EPA and its law enforcement partners are committed to enforcing pesticide laws to protect public health and the environment.”

“Georgia is fortunate to have a robust and unique set of natural resources that Georgians enjoy every day from the mountains to the coast. This case and outcome are a testament to the universal commitment by all federal, state, and local parties involved to protect our natural resources. DNR is proud to have strong, working relationships with these partners, which help to serve as a constant deterrent to those who wish to act outside the rule of law,” said Mark Williams, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: In December 2018, a private citizen contacted the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (“GA-DNR”) about a possible wildlife poisoning on a property in Cherokee County. Upon arriving, GA-DNR found two deer carcasses, which had been cut open and laced with a blue, granular substance, and several dead (and dying) animals lying nearby, including an opossum and two red tailed hawks. GA-DNR then immediately requested the assistance of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (“USFWS”) to collect and analyze the dead animals. GA-DNR subsequently learned that Foster hunted on the property where the dead animals were found, and obtained a state search warrant for his truck, from which they recovered several hunting knives, a bucket containing the blue poison, blood swaths, and deer hair. Foster was also interviewed by law enforcement, and admitted that he had recently been on the property where the deer carcasses were found, wanted nothing more than to kill coyotes, and knew the blue substance lining the deer carcasses was a poison used to bait the coyotes.

USFWS thereafter completed a toxicology analysis and DNA-matching of the animals and items recovered from Foster's truck. According to the DNA analysis, the deer hair found in Foster’s truck matched one of the deer found on the property, and the blood swabs as well as DNA from one of the knives recovered from Foster’s truck matched the other deer. The toxicology analysis confirmed that the blue substance found in the two deer carcasses, one of the red-tail hawks, and Foster’s truck was a poison, methomyl, a common fly bait that is sold under the trade name “Golden Malrin.”

The EPA-approved labels for Golden Malrin Fly Killer state that it is “for use around the outside of food processing areas.” In particular, the labeling warns that: “It is illegal to use this product with the intention to kill raccoons, skunks, opossums, coyotes, wolves, dogs, cats, or any other non-target species.”

Foster admitted during his guilty plea that he had laced the deer carcasses with Golden Malrin for the purpose of killing coyotes. As a result, an opossum and two red-tailed hawks died after ingesting methomyl-laced deer.

Terry Foster, 54, of Blairsville, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher C. Bly to pay a $1,000 fine. Foster pleaded guilty to the FIFRA violation on February 20, 2020, and was sentenced that same day.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investigated this case.

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 – Matthew Harrell has been sentenced for his role in organizing and managing a health care fraud scheme that stole millions in Medicaid funds in Georgia, Louisiana, and Florida.

“Harrell stole over $2 million dollars from the Medicaid program,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “He stole those funds from several states and continued his fraud schemes even after he was released on bond.  Our office will continue to prosecute those who believe they can steal from programs designed to help citizens in need.”

“The FBI makes it a priority to work with our federal and state partners to stop people from abusing government funded programs like Medicaid,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Abuse of these programs drives up their cost, hurting every single taxpayer in this country, but most importantly the low-income and elderly citizens who are entitled to the benefits they provide.”          

“Harrell’s abhorrent actions are detrimental to the Medicaid program and the vulnerable beneficiaries it serves,” said Derrick Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  “We will continue working closely with State and Federal law enforcement to protect these vital government healthcare programs.”

“This sentence is the result of the dedicated efforts by state and federal investigators and prosecutors from Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana who collaborated to protect the integrity of our government programs and bring down the ringleader of a multi-million dollar fraudulent scheme to steal from the taxpayers,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. “We’re proud to have worked together to obtain this outcome.”  

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Exploiting children’s personal information to steal public resources is not only reprehensible, it is illegal. This criminal even directed his employees to conceal his scheme by creating fake documents to support his fraudulent billing—of millions of dollars—to Medicaid. This man will now serve an extended sentence in prison.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: Harrell and co-conspirators owned or worked with companies that purportedly provided mental health counseling and treatment to children and adults. These companies included Revive Athletics, Inc., R.A. Florida, Inc., Jode Counseling Treatment and Training Services, LLC, 118 Management and Consulting, Inc. and A Brighter Day, LLC.  These companies billed over $3.5 million in Medicaid claims, and received approximately $2.5 million based on fraudulent billing.  

According to the indictment, Harrell and co-conspirators fraudulently used the Medicaid provider numbers of mental health service providers, including a psychologist and licensed clinical social workers, located in Georgia and Florida. Harrell’s companies and related entities then used these identities to submit fraudulent Medicaid claims seeking payment for mental health services that were never provided. Harrell and his co-conspirators obtained Medicaid members numbers by stealing them from children’s summer and football camp registrations, from children placed in foster care, and from stolen government a document containing the numbers of 13,000 Louisiana Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (“TANF”) recipients.

Harrell attempted to conceal the fraud scheme by directing employees and contractors to create fraudulent documentation and forge provider signatures to support the fraudulent billing.  Harrell initially started the fraudulent billing scheme in Georgia and replicated the scheme in Florida and then Louisiana before his arrest. While on pretrial release in this case, Harrell opened a new company in Louisiana and continued to fraudulently bill Louisiana Medicaid until his bond was revoked and he was detained pending trial.

Harrell, 44, of Atlanta, Georgia was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Steve C. Jones to 11 years in federal prison, and three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,543,629.98, in restitution.  On December 19, 2019, Harrell pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Co-defendant Nikki Richardson, 44, of Fairburn, Georgia, was sentenced on January 29, 2020, to three years, and eleven months, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $1,719,189.00 in restitution.  Co-defendant Tomeka Howard, 44, of Decatur, Georgia pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud and aggravated identity charges and was sentenced to three years’ probation, with 18 months of home confinement, and ordered to pay $732,189.00 in restitution.  

The case was investigated by the Georgia State Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Medicaid Fraud Control Units for Florida and Louisiana.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Brown, Deputy Chief of the Complex Frauds Section, prosecuted the case.  Georgia Assistant Attorney Generals Elizabeth Grofic and John Van Why also assisted with the prosecution.

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 home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Ivan Van Beverhoudt has been arraigned on federal charges relating to importation of cocaine, possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. 

“This officer allegedly abused his office to engage in criminal conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Federal law enforcement officers take an oath to uphold the law.  When an officer violates that oath, he or she will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“A badge and a gun should be used for protecting the public, not for bypassing security to enable criminal activity,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Inspection (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “Corruption in law enforcement undermines the public’s trust and makes all of our jobs harder.”

“CBP officers take an Oath of Office, a solemn pledge that conveys great responsibility and one that should be carried out at all times with the utmost professionalism,” stated Todd Bellew, Area Port Director in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.  “Inappropriate behavior or misconduct is not tolerated, and does not reflect our values of vigilance, integrity and professionalism.”

“Van Beverhoudt allegedly abused his position as U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer to smuggle drugs through the world’s busiest airport,” said DHS OIG’s Acting Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Tippett.  “The public deserves better – they deserve officers who obey the laws that they are entrusted to enforce.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: In January 2020, Ivan Van Beverhoudt was a sworn officer with the Department of Homeland Security Customs & Border Protection (“CBP”), stationed in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Part of Van Beverhoudt’s duties was the inspection of flights to prevent the importation of controlled substances on airplanes. 

On January 10, 2020, Van Beverhoudt traveled on a flight from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, through Atlanta, on his way to Baltimore, Maryland.  At the time, Van Beverhoudt was carrying his U.S. Government-issued weapon that allowed him to bypass normal airport screening because he was a law enforcement officer “flying while armed.”  When the flight arrived in Atlanta, Atlanta-based CPB officers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport inspected the passengers on the flight with a K-9 handler and dog.  As Van Beverhoudt passed by the K-9 handler and the dog, the dog alerted to his two carry-on bags. 

CBP officers escorted Van Beverhoudt to an interview room where Van Beverhoudt claimed to be coming through Atlanta to see a doctor in Baltimore, although he could not identify the doctor or explain how the doctor would see him on the weekend and without a medical appointment.  After the drug dog again alerted to his bags, CBP officers opened both bags and discovered 14 packages in one bag, and two additional packages in the other bag, containing a substance that field-tested positive for cocaine and weighed a total of 17.8 kilograms.

Ivan Van Beverhoudt, 40, of Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Regina D. Cannon.  Van Beverhoudt was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 4, 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.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General are jointly investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel R. Boatright is prosecuting 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 – Kevin Perry has pleaded guilty to defrauding investors in a foreign currency trading scam that began when he was a teenager.

“Clients that invested with Perry’s company were assured they were secure from loss,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak.  “Actually, Perry was enriching himself and paying off other investors.  We encourage citizens to be cautious with investments, and to remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

“This guilty plea will be little solace to the victims who lost their savings because of Perry’s personal greed,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is determined to root out and prosecute anyone who undermines investor confidence at the expense of innocent victims.” 

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: Perry led investors to believe that his investment company, Lucrative Pips, was successfully earning substantial profits by investing in the foreign currency (or “forex”) market.  Perry induced investors into sending money by signing agreements that claimed the investors’ initial investments were secure from loss.  In actuality, Lucrative Pips was never registered as a commodity pool operator with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. 

Also, Perry had never generated the historical returns represented to investors, and he was using investor money to enrich himself or to pay off other investors, with the goal of enticing others to invest with him.  Even after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed a civil complaint against Perry, he continued to make fraudulent investment pitches to potential investors, which included falsely promising an undercover agent that an investment of $10,000 would return a profit of $19,000 to $25,000 per month.

Kevin Perry, 22, of Cartersville, Georgia pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William M. Ray, II. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Krepp and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan P. Kitchens, Deputy Chief of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crime Section, are prosecuting the case.  The Commodities and Futures Trading Commission provided invaluable assistance throughout the course of the investigation. 

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 - Aviation maintenance student Frank A. Jalion Amaro has been charged with bribing a Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) Designated Mechanic Examiner in exchange for receiving a passing score on the FAA’s Airframe and Powerplant examination.

“The integrity of America’s civil aviation system is of paramount importance,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “By allegedly trying to bribe his way into obtaining an FAA certification to repair aircrafts, Amaro put his personal ambitions ahead of the safety of others.”

“Blatant actions that seek to circumvent FAA certification requirements will not be tolerated,” said Todd A. Damiani, Regional Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. “Together with our prosecutorial partners, we are committed to identifying and preventing those individuals willing to compromise the safety of the National Airspace System and the traveling public.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: The FAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation that is responsible for the regulation and oversight of civil aviation in the United States, including the operation and development of the National Airspace System and the management of commercial space transportation. The FAA’s primary mission is to ensure the safety of civil aviation.

As part of its responsibility to protect the integrity and safety of the American civil aviation system, the FAA requires mechanics and repairmen to obtain an Airframe and Powerplant Certificate to perform maintenance on aircraft and approve equipment for returns to service. To receive an Airframe and Powerplant Certificate, the FAA requires mechanics to complete 1,900 hours of classroom and practical training and to pass several tests covering 43 technical subjects.

Amaro was a student at an aviation maintenance school in Las Vegas, Nevada. In late 2019, Amaro was preparing to take the examination to obtain an FAA Airframe and Powerplant Certificate. On November 19, 2019, Amaro contacted an FAA Designated Mechanic Examiner (“FAA Examiner”) in the Atlanta-metropolitan area. As a Designated Mechanic Examiner, the FAA authorized the FAA Examiner to perform activities on its behalf, including administering the Airframe and Powerplant examination.

Beginning on November 19, 2019, Amaro (using an alias and spoofed phone number) contacted the FAA Examiner and offered to pay the FAA Examiner a bribe payment in exchange for receiving a passing score on the Airframe and Powerplant examination. The FAA Examiner immediately reported Amaro’s bribe solicitation and, thereafter, agreed to work with federal law enforcement authorities. 

Over the next several weeks, Amaro and the FAA Examiner agreed that Amaro would take the Airframe and Powerplant examination in Duluth, Georgia, on December 16, 2019.  As part of the agreement, Amaro offered to pay the FAA Examiner $500 upfront and $2,000 on the day of the test, in exchange for receiving a passing score on the Airframe and Powerplant examination.

On December 9, 2019, Amaro sent the FAA Examiner $500 via a mobile payment service. On December 16, 2019, Amaro met the FAA Examiner in Duluth and paid the FAA Examiner $2,000 in cash for a passing score on the Airframe and Powerplant examination.

Based on the conduct set forth above, the U.S. Attorney charged Frank A. Jalion Amaro, 21, of Las Vegas, Nevada, in a criminal information with bribery. Notably, defendants who are charged via a criminal information, typically plead guilty shortly after being arraigned. 

The Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General is investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey W. Davis, Chief of the Public Integrity and Special Matters Section, 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 – U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak joined Attorney General William P. Barr, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, and Chief Postal Inspector Gary R. Barksdale to announce the largest coordinated sweep of elder fraud cases in history.  This year, prosecutors charged more than 400 defendants, far surpassing the 260 defendants charged in cases as part of last year’s sweep.  In each case, offenders allegedly engaged in financial schemes that targeted or largely affected seniors.  In total, the charged elder fraud schemes caused alleged losses of over a billion dollars. 

“Americans are fed up with the constant barrage of scams that maliciously target the elderly and other vulnerable citizens,” said Attorney General William P. Barr.  “This year, the Department of Justice prosecuted more than 400 defendants, whose schemes totaled more than a billion dollars.  I want to thank the men and women of the department’s Consumer Protection Branch, which coordinated this effort, and all those in the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and Criminal Division who worked tirelessly to bring these cases.  The department is committed to stopping the full range of criminal activities that exploit America’s seniors.”

“Combating fraud perpetrated upon elderly Americans is a top priority of my office and the Department of Justice,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Would-be criminals who prey upon elder U.S. residents and engage in such abhorrent conduct will be subject to criminal prosecution.”

Over the past year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia has prosecuted numerous defendants who scammed thousands of Americans, including elder victims, out of over $12 million.

This interactive map provides state by state information on the elder fraud cases and education and prevention community outreach efforts highlighted by the sweep announcement.

Elder Fraud Hotline

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

Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force

This office is one of six districts on the Department of Justice Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force. The Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force prosecuted more than one quarter of the defendants charged as part of the announced sweep.  Established in June 2019, the Strike Force is composed of the Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and six U.S. Attorneys’ Offices (Central District of California, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, Eastern District of New York, Southern District of Texas), along with FBI special agents, Postal Inspectors, and numerous other law enforcement personnel.  Prosecutors in Strike Force districts brought cases against more than 140 sweep defendants.  FBI and the Postal Inspection Service served as lead agencies in the Strike Force and committed substantial investigative resources to pursuing elder fraud cases as part of Strike Force efforts. The Strike Force has held dozens of meetings with industry, victim groups, and law enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels to identify the most harmful schemes victimizing American seniors and to bolster preventive measures against further losses.  

For the second year, the Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners also took comprehensive action against the money mule network that facilitates foreign-based elder fraud. Generally, perpetrators use a “money mule” to transfer fraud proceeds from a victim to ringleaders of fraud schemes who often reside in other countries. Some of these money mules act unwittingly, and intervention can effectively end their involvement in the fraud. The FBI and the Postal Inspection Service took action against over 600 alleged money mules nationwide by conducting interviews, issuing warning letters, and bringing civil and criminal cases. Agents and prosecutors in more than 85 federal district participated in this effort to halt the money flow from victim to fraudster. These actions against money mules were in addition to the criminal and civil cases announced as part of this year’s elder fraud sweep.

These outreach efforts have helped to prevent seniors from falling prey to scams and have frustrated offenders’ efforts to obtain even more money from vulnerable elders.

Northern District of Georgia Elder Fraud Cases

Elder fraud prosecutions in this district over the past year included romance, retirement, impersonating the Internal Revenue Service, grandparent, timeshare, and investment fraud.

In 2019, our office prosecuted individuals involved in romance and retirement scams that target the elderly.  Romance scams are a type of online fraud in which victims are targeted by individuals posing as potential paramours. The fraudsters create fake online dating profiles (often with photographs of attractive men or women) and use these fake personas to express a romantic interest in the victims in order to trick them into sending money to them or their co-conspirators under false pretenses. Romance scams frequently target vulnerable individuals who possess significant financial assets, such as retired widows or widowers. 

• In United States v. Alonge, et al., two defendants pled guilty based upon their involvement in a Nigeria-based romance scam that tricked victims into sending over $1.8 million.  Both defendants were sentenced to ten years in prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,835,279.00. 

• In United States v. Adara, et al., one defendant pleaded guilty based upon his involvement in a Nigeria-based romance scam. 
   
• In United States v. Oye, et al., three defendants pled guilty for their involvement in a West African organized crime group that laundered millions of dollars on behalf of various sophisticated fraud schemes, including romance and retirement fraud schemes.  One defendant was sentenced to two years, three months in prison in January 2020. 

• In United States v. Odus, et al., two defendants pled guilty and one was sentenced to 18 months incarceration for laundering funds on behalf of a West African group engaging in romance and retirement fund fraud. 
   
• In United States v. MgBodile, the defendant was indicted for his alleged involvement in a romance scam that defrauded a Virginia woman out of more than $6.5 million.

We also prosecuted a number of cases in 2019 involving India-based centers that scammed U.S. residents, including the elderly.  Criminal India-based call centers seek to profit by exploiting U.S. residents through various phone scams, including the impersonation of government officials. The call center operators threaten potential victims with arrest, imprisonment, or fines if they do not pay supposed taxes, penalties, or fees.  If the victims agree to pay, the call centers then turn to a network of U.S.-based co-conspirators to liquidate and launder the extorted funds. 

• In United States v. Excellent Solutions BPO, et al., eight defendants pled guilty and were subsequently sentenced in January 2020 to up to four years and nine months for their involvement in an India-based IRS impersonation scam that victimized thousands of United States residents and resulted in over $3.7 million in losses. 

• In United States v. Charania, the defendant was sentenced to one year and four months imprisonment based on his involvement in an India-based call center scam that victimized over 340 people in the U.S., resulting in over $200,000 in losses. 

• In United States v. Patel, the defendant was indicted for allegedly using fake identifications to retrieve over $150,000 from over 160 victims of India-based tele-fraud.  He pleaded guilty to wire fraud on March 4, 2020.
   
• In United States v. Thakur, the defendant was indicted for his alleged involvement in an India-based call center scam that victimized approximately 288 people across the U.S., resulting in over $330,000 in losses.

In 2019, Cecilio Nemencio Rodriguez-Rivas was prosecuted for a wire fraud conspiracy in which he and others engaged in a grandparent scam.  As part of the scam, co-conspirators of Rodriguez-Rivas made fraudulent telephone calls to elder victims purporting to be the victim’s grandchild.  The callers pretended that they were in need of emergency funds, which Rodriguez-Rivas received in Georgia.  Rodriguez-Rivas pled guilty and was sentenced to one year and one month in prison. 

Also in 2019, our office indicted James Torchia, the CEO of a Georgia company named Credit Nation.  Torchia allegedly ran a fraud scheme that caused investors, many of whom were elderly, to spend over $40 million on his company’s promissory notes.  Torchia allegedly stole investors’ money by misrepresenting the security of their investments, and how he would use their money.

Katherine Craig was indicted in 2020 on federal charges of mail fraud.  Craig allegedly embezzled over $1.7 million dollars from a company she was managing and defrauded over 1000 timeshare owners, most of whom were elderly retirees.  Craig operated the timeshare resort where she worked without casualty insurance, even though the Lease Agreements required the resort to maintain casualty insurance. Over the years, the buildings at the resort deteriorated through storm damage and neglect and by early 2016, the resort was in such bad shape that Craig was not allowing any timeshare owners to vacation there anymore.

In addition to prosecuting cases involving elder victims, our office holds quarterly meetings for the Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force.  These quarterly meetings bring together federal, state, and local partners to discuss the latest scams targeting elder Americans, share investigative techniques, and coordinate in the investigation and prosecution of these transnational scams. 

The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

We engage in community outreach to educate local law enforcement and residents about how they can assist in the fight against, and protect themselves from, fraud schemes that target elder Americans.  For further information on these scams, see https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/senior-scam-alert.

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 - Nicholas Hernandez-Gonzalez has been sentenced for possessing with intent to distribute multiple kilograms of fentanyl and other opioids on May 16, 2019 when agents with Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) and Georgia State Patrol (“GSP”) seized one kilogram of fentanyl during a traffic stop and more than ten kilograms of heroin, fentanyl, and carfentanil from his apartment in Duluth, Georgia.

“Hernandez-Gonzalez endangered countless people with the quantity of extremely dangerous drugs he was mixing and storing in his apartment,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “This case highlights the risks for drug users and their families – you do not know what is in the drugs sold on the street. Fortunately, our law enforcement partners work tirelessly to remove these dangerous products from our streets.”

“The reckless manner in which Hernandez-Gonzalez mixed and sold his illegal drugs placed the entire community at risk. Powerful opioids like fentanyl have the potential to kill just by contact.  I’m relieved that this defendant’s days of poisoning our community are over,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in Georgia and Alabama. “Combatting the importation of fentanyl into the country and its distribution remains a top priority for HSI and its partners across Georgia.”  

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: In April 2019, HSI agents identified Hernandez-Gonzalez as a drug dealer selling what he claimed was simply heroin, but which actually contained a mixture of significantly more potent synthetic opioids - fentanyl and carfentanil. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin, and carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl.

On May 16, 2019, a GSP trooper stopped Hernandez-Gonzalez shortly after he left his apartment, and seized a cellophane-wrapped bundle that contained one kilogram of fentanyl from the backseat of his car. Hernandez-Gonzalez claimed the bundle contained heroin that he was delivering to a customer. Later that day, HSI agents searched Hernandez-Gonzalez's apartment and found nearly 10.5 kilograms of heroin, fentanyl, and carfentanil, a gun, and evidence that Hernandez-Gonzalez had been mixing various substances in the sparsely-furnished apartment. Specifically, one large plastic box in the master bedroom contained three kilograms of heroin and another box contained nearly four kilograms of a mixture of fentanyl and carfentanil. Agents also found ten bundles of powder containing methamphetamine and another kilogram of mixtures of fentanyl and carfentanil hidden inside a hole that had been cut into the master bedroom closet.

According to immigration records, Hernandez-Gonzalez had previously been deported to Mexico on two occasions in 2013.

Nicholas Hernandez-Gonzalez, 36, of Duluth, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Orinda D. Evans to 17 years, six months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Hernandez-Gonzalez was convicted on these charges on August 29, 2019, after he pleaded guilty. Hernandez-Gonzalez will be deported to Mexico following his sentence of imprisonment.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Hartigan prosecuted 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 - STG Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. (“STG Healthcare”) and two of its senior executives, Paschal “Pat” Gilley and Mathew Gilley, have agreed to pay $1.75 million to resolve allegations that STG Healthcare, operating as Interim Healthcare of Atlanta, submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for patients who were not eligible for the hospice benefit and that resulted from STG Healthcare’s provision of unlawful payments to a referring physician in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statutes.

“Hospice is not a blank check for unscrupulous medical providers willing to admit patients who are not terminally ill,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “It is reserved for those who truly need it.  We will also continue to prioritize cases where it appears that a medical decision, especially the decision to forego curative treatment, has been influenced by a kickback.”

“When healthcare providers put their financial interests above the needs of patients the federal funds are diverted from where they are truly needed, putting our most vulnerable citizens at risk,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The message is clear; the FBI will not tolerate companies who file false claims to generate more corporate revenue and take advantage of programs like Medicare & Medicaid.”

“As more Americans choose hospice care, more government funding is being provided to this critical service. Unfortunately, scammers are seizing an opportunity to steal precious funding by enrolling ineligible patients in hospice care,” said Derrick Jackson, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  “With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to protect patients and the programs on which they depend.”

“The hospice benefit provided by Medicaid is especially reserved for terminally ill Georgians at a critical time of transition in their care,” said Attorney General Chris Carr.  “Our office is proud to have worked alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia in this effort, and we will continue to ensure the hospice benefit is not exploited and abused by health care providers to the detriment of Georgia taxpayers.”  

The Medicare and Medicaid hospice benefit is available for patients who elect palliative treatment (medical care focused on providing patients with relief from pain, symptoms, or stress) for terminal illness and who have a life expectancy of six months or less if their illness runs its normal course.  Before billing government healthcare programs, a hospice provider must comply with Medicare and Medicaid’s requirements and ensure that patients who are foregoing curative care are in need of end-of-life care.

The government alleges that, between 2013 and 2017, STG Healthcare submitted claims for patients who were not terminally ill.  Specifically, the government contends that STG Healthcare’s business practices—setting aggressive goals for enrolling patients and failing to supervise properly the admission practices of its staff and medical directors—resulted in the submission of claims for ineligible patients.  The government also alleges that STG Healthcare submitted or caused the submission of claims to Medicare and Medicaid for services provided to individuals referred by a physician who STG Healthcare paid to be a “back up” medical director, but who did not serve as a legitimate hospice physician.

The settlement resolves allegations filed by Serita Samuel and Miranda Eskridge, former STG Healthcare employees, under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which authorizes private parties to sue for false claims on behalf of the United States and share in the recovery.  The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of Georgia and is captioned United States and State of Georgia ex rel. Eskridge v. STG Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. et al., No. 1:16-cv-0688-LMM (N.D. Ga.).  Ms. Samuel and Ms. Eskridge will receive a share of the settlement.

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

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Georgia State Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division investigated this case.

The civil settlement was reached by Assistant U.S. Attorney Austin Hall and Georgia State Assistant Attorneys General Sara Vann and Rick Tangum.

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, allegedly accepted bribe payments from customers to register unlawfully vehicles and then tried to blackmail a bribe payer by threatening to inform on her to the FBI.

“Harris traded his integrity for money and betrayed the trust of the citizens of DeKalb County by allegedly accepting bribe payments,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Then, in an audacious display of bravado, Harris attempted to blackmail one of those bribe payers.”

“The FBI stands firm with its partners in law enforcement to expose public officials who choose their own financial interest over the taxpayers they serve,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The crimes Harris is charged with erode the public’s trust in government and we will continue to vigorously pursue any public official who chooses to violate that trust.”

“Gerald Harris not only abused his position of public trust for his own gain, but also attempted to extort another involved in the scheme. Such actions by a public official will not be tolerated.  The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office will continue to support its law enforcement partners, as well as the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office, in ensuring Harris is held fully accountable for these crimes,” said DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston.

“Taking bribes to illegally register vehicles is an egregious crime that compromises the public’s trust of public servants throughout all levels of government,” stated Department of Revenue Commissioner David Curry. “Bad actors such as Mr. Harris have no place in public service.”

“I am pleased to see that charges have been brought in this case. Since our staff uncovered this illegal activity, we’ve continued to work closely with the authorities for months to assist in the investigation of Mr. Harris. Protecting the integrity of our operation and the interest of DeKalb taxpayers is our top priority. We remain committed to reviewing our procedures and training our staff to detect fraudulent activity and improper behavior. On behalf of DeKalb taxpayers, we thank law enforcement for working quickly and collaboratively to bring this case to justice,” said DeKalb County Tax Commissioner Irvin J. Johnson.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: The DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office was 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’s North Office’s clerks who processed motor vehicle registrations and renewals for customers.

From approximately mid-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 at least $30,000 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 more than $30,000 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, Georgia, 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.”

Based on the conduct set forth above, the U.S. Attorney charged Gerald D. Harris, 51, of Fulton County, Georgia, in a criminal information with one count each of federal program bribery and blackmail. Notably, defendants who are charged via a criminal information, typically plead guilty shortly after being arraigned. 

The FBI, DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, Georgia Department of Revenue, and DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office are investigating 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 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 – Brian J. Wilson, an inmate at the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta (“USP Atlanta”) has been sentenced to an additional three months in prison for using a contraband cell phone to post photographs and videos onto Facebook from his cell at the prison.

“Contraband cell phones are pervasive in prisons and dangerous in the hands of inmates in any prison facility,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Cell phones can, and often do, become a tool used by inmates to run illicit schemes, intimidate people outside of the facility, or as in this case, simply flaunt that they have one.  The federal government will continue to combat their use through vigorous prosecutions and the imposition of consecutive prison sentences.”

“By continuing to break the law while incarcerated, Wilson has not learned from his past transgressions,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is using every resource possible to stop the proliferation of contraband cell phones in our prisons and hopefully this additional sentence will send a clear message that their use will not be tolerated.” 

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court; USP Atlanta is a medium-security federal prison for male inmates operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The Cell Phone Contraband Act of 2010 made it a crime for federal inmates to possess or use cell phones while incarcerated.

On March 24, 2015, Wilson was sentenced to ten years in prison after sustaining a conviction for possession of a stolen firearm. Since approximately May 3, 2018, Wilson has been an inmate at USP Atlanta. 

As an inmate, Wilson possessed a cell phone in USP Atlanta. Between late-May and July 2019, Wilson used his cell phone to post images to and to live stream content onto the social media platform Facebook from his prison cell. In fact, Wilson posted a “selfie” photograph onto his Facebook account of himself holding a cell phone while in his prison cell.  Ironically, in a live stream video, Wilson warned people that federal cases have significant prison sentences, lamenting that “federal law ain’t playing” because “the United States will lock you … up” if you are convicted of a federal crime.   

Prior to his guilty plea, Wilson was scheduled to be released from custody in the fall of 2022.  Under federal law, however, inmates convicted of possessing contraband in prison must receive consecutive (or additional) prison time after their original sentence is completed.

On November 21, 2019, Brian J. Wilson, 32, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to possessing a contraband cell phone in prison. Based on the plea, the Court sentenced Wilson to an additional three months in prison.

The FBI and the Bureau of Prisons investigated this case.

Jeffrey W. Davis, Chief of the Public Integrity and Special Matters Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Cain Burch 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 today that the Northern District of Georgia was directly and jointly responsible for over $169 million in criminal and civil collections for Fiscal Year 2019.  Included in this amount were funds paid directly to the Northern District of Georgia of $23,963,457.52. Of this amount, $9,510,094.82 was collected in criminal actions and $14,453,362.70 was collected in civil actions. Additionally, the Northern District of Georgia was credited with recovery of an additional $145,287,404.95 for joint investigations worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice.

“Collecting restitution owed to victims of crime and recovering funds stolen from the federal government are among our highest priorities,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “We understand that deterring crime and fraudulent conduct requires that we create disincentives through aggressive collection efforts. Here in the Northern District of Georgia, crime doesn’t pay but persons who violate our laws do.” 

The largest collection of over $108 million in criminal penalties and civil settlements was the result of a joint investigation by criminal prosecutors and civil attorneys from Northern District of Georgia, along with attorneys at the Department of Justice and the Northern District of Ohio, and law enforcement partners at the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and other federal agencies. Working together, these federal agencies held accountable Avanir Pharmaceuticals, a California-based company. Avanir was alleged to have violated the Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act by, among other things, paying doctors to become high prescribers of Nuedexta, a drug treating pseudobulbar affect (PBA), to beneficiaries of federal healthcare programs. The government alleged that Avanir implemented a strategy to market Nuedexta in long-term care (LTC) facilities for uses other than PBA that had not been approved by the FDA and were not medically accepted indications as defined by the statutes and regulations governing the Federal health care programs. Under a deferred prosecution agreement, Avanir agreed to pay a monetary penalty in the amount of $7,800,000, and a forfeiture in the amount of $5,074,895. It also agreed to pay $95,972,017 to the United States to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act related to its marketing of Nuedexta.

In another affirmative civil enforcement action, the Northern District of Georgia recovered $750,000 for violations of the False Claims Act from DeKalb County and Worksource DeKalb. This settlement resolved allegations that they failed to ensure federal grant funds were used to benefit those who qualified for the Department of Labor's On-the-Job Training (OJT) Programs and not used to subsidize the wages of County employees who were ineligible for the OJT Programs. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are also responsible for enforcing and collecting criminal debts owed to federal crime victims.  The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss.  While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs. Highlights among the thousands of criminal collections on behalf of victims recovered in 2019 are a full pre-sentence payment of approximately $191,088 in the case of U.S. v. Morgan, an insurance fraud case, and a collection of $116,249 in U.S. v. Howle, a tax fraud case.

Additionally, the Northern District of Georgia, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $10,603,801.00 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2019.  Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

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 - Valencia D.  Williams has pleaded guilty to Social Security fraud.  Williams received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from the Social Security Administration because she claimed that she was so disabled by anxiety and depression that she spent most of her time in her room and could not work.  In fact, she was working as an exotic dancer at a local adult entertainment club under the name “Chrissy the Doll.”  SSI is a needs-based disability benefits program. Individuals who are over a certain income threshold or are not disabled cannot collect SSI.

“The Social Security Administration's SSI program is intended for individuals whose income is below the federal poverty guidelines, who are truly disabled, and cannot engage in work activity,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Williams was able to work and therefore she was not disabled.  Moreover, the income she received by working would have likely rendered her ineligible for SSI.  By getting SSI, when she did not qualify, she stole money from the most needy members of our communities: the poor and the disabled.”

“This plea serves as a warning to anyone who would conceal earnings or medical improvement from the Social Security Administration so they can continue receiving payments,” Special Agent in Charge Rodregas Owens, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Atlanta Field Division. “My office is committed to ensuring the integrity of Social Security’s benefit programs, which are a lifeline for so many truly disabled people in this country.”

“When individuals are approved for certain Social Security benefits, they automatically become entitled to Medicare and Medicaid,” said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General in Atlanta.  “This case represents how federal agencies can leverage precious resources to protect vital taxpayer-funded programs.” 

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: In or about July 2010, Williams applied for and began receiving SSI benefits based on her assertion that she was disabled by major depressive disorder and panic disorder.  When she began receiving SSI, she was informed that she had to report any work activity to the SSA.  As early as September 2014, she began working as an exotic dancer, using the stage name “Chrissy the Doll,” at Stoker's Adult Entertainment Club in DeKalb County.  In fact, she obtained adult entertainer permits from DeKalb County in 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018. 

In 2018, as part of a review to determine if Williams continued to be disabled, Defendant told the SSA that she stayed in her room 99 percent of the time and swore that she had not worked in years. Later, in March 2019, she reported to the SSA that she was bedridden and only went outside three times per week.  In fact, none of this was true.  She regularly danced at Stroker's, during the night shift, often until 4:00 am.  Williams received over $60,000 in federal funds that she was not entitled to receive.

Sentencing for Valencia D.  Williams, 31, of Lithonia, Georgia, is scheduled for May 26, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., before U.S. District Court Judge Timothy C. Batten

The Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General investigated this case.

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

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

ATLANTA - Gevorg Kevliyan has been sentenced for stealing 900 ACER Chromebook laptops from a tractor-trailer.

“The defendant’s cargo theft highlights how much these crimes financially impact local economies,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “These crimes also affect potential customers who buy these products, as well as employees and communities where these companies operate.”

“This conviction demonstrates the great work of law enforcement at all levels to investigate and prosecute major cargo theft affecting Georgia and our surrounding states.  The GBI remains committed to working with our local and federal partners to address these types of crimes,” said Vic Reynolds, Director, Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: On June 21, 2017, Acer Incorporated contracted with a trucking company to deliver 15 pallets of 900 Acer Chromebook laptops valued at $245,000 from a packaging facility in California to a Costco distribution center in College Park, Georgia. Due to problems with the purchase order paperwork, Costco rejected the shipment once it arrived. Gevorg Kevliyan was then hired to drive the tractor-trailer containing the laptops back to California. Once Kevilyan took control of the truck, however, he reported it to be empty. He later claimed to have traveled to Chicago, Illinois, to pick up another load of cargo before returning to California.

Contrary to Kevilyan’s statement, GBI agents obtained records from a weigh-station in Ringgold, Georgia, where Kevliyan stopped on his way to Chicago. The records indicated that Kevliyan’s truck weighed several thousand pounds more than would be expected for an empty tractor-trailer, consistent with a load of 900 laptops.

GBI agents traveled to Chicago, where they used GPS information from the truck to locate surveillance footage from a Chicago warehouse. The video showed a tractor trailer matching Kevliyan’s arriving on the evening of July 5, 2017. Approximately 15 pallets were then unloaded by the on-site janitor and several other unknown men. The pallets matched the appearance of the Acer laptops. When later located and interviewed, the janitor described being contacted by the owner of a nearby business to unload the truck for $250. On July 18, 2017, he later loaded the same pallets onto another truck with a different driver for an additional $250.

Agents also obtained gambling records from the Virgin River Hotel and Casino in Mesquite, Nevada, which showed that Kevliyan gambled with over $11,000 in cash after arriving at the casino from Chicago.

Gevorg Kevliyan, 51, of Decatur, Alabama, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee, to one year in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $245,000.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Major Theft Unit investigated this case, with assistance from the Chicago Police Department, the National Information Crime Bureau (NICB), CargoNet.com, and the Southeast Transportation Security Coalition (SETSC). 

The Major Theft Unit is responsible for investigating instances of cargo theft throughout the State of Georgia and is a collaboration between the GBI and the Georgia Department of Public Safety’s Motor Carrier Compliance Division.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott McAfee 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 – Former Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Deputy Antione Riggins has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison following his guilty plea to drug trafficking and making a false statement to cover up his drug crimes.  Riggins committed these crimes while employed as a federal and local law enforcement officer.

“Riggins put dangerous drugs back on the street after they had been seized by law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “He violated the most basic oath of officers to protect the public.  His conviction and sentence is a victory for the rule of law, and it shows that there are severe consequences for abusing the public’s trust.” 

“Instead of enforcing the laws he swore to uphold, Riggins abused his position by stealing drugs and falsifying evidence reports,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This case is a reminder that no officer is above the law.  The FBI would like to thank our state and local law enforcement partners, as well as the US Attorney’s Office, for bringing this corrupt officer to justice.”

“Riggins’ crimes extend beyond his lies and the drugs he stole, he also stole the public’s trust when he betrayed his oath to enforce the law,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in Georgia and Alabama. “Removing this corrupt officer from our midst helps restore public confidence in our strong law enforcement team. HSI Atlanta will continue to work with our great local, federal and state partners to make our communities safer.”

“This former officer violated his oath of office and the public’s trust. Corruption within the law enforcement ranks will not be tolerated. The GBI is committed to working with local and federal partners to investigate these types of crimes to ensure the public trust of officers is upheld,” said Vic Reynolds, Director, Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: in 2017, Riggins was a federally-deputized task force officer with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), while also employed as a deputy sheriff with the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office (GCSO).  In these roles, Riggins was responsible for investigating drug trafficking cases and transporting seized drugs from HSI crime scenes to the GCSO evidence room.   

On February 23, 2017, HSI seized three kilograms of cocaine following a high-speed car chase and crash on I-285.  HSI identified the suspected owner of the cocaine, even though he fled from the crash and was not apprehended.  HSI agents tasked Riggins with transporting the cocaine to the GCSO evidence vault.  The next day, however, Riggins checked only one kilogram of cocaine into evidence, not three, and he failed to secure a warrant for the arrest of the cocaine trafficker.  Riggins also made a false document to cover up his cocaine theft.  In particular, Riggins created and submitted a falsified evidence form claiming that the identity of the drug trafficker was unknown, and that only one kilogram of cocaine was seized at the scene.

On July 14, 2017, HSI seized approximately six kilograms of methamphetamine from an Atlanta hotel room.  An HSI agent tasked Riggins with transporting the methamphetamine to the GCSO evidence vault; however, none of the methamphetamine was subsequently checked into evidence. 

Three days later, on July 17, 2017, HSI seized approximately four kilograms of heroin and 172 oxycodone pills from a metro-Atlanta stash house.  Once again, Riggins was made responsible for transporting the drugs to the evidence room.  Riggins stole all but 96 grams of the heroin.

Riggins’s role at HSI ended in early 2018, and his employment with the GCSO ended after these alleged actions came to the attention of law enforcement in May 2018.

Antione Riggins, 41, of Loganville, Georgia, has been sentenced to ten years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.  Riggins pleaded guilty to these charges on November 25, 2019.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security - Office of the Inspector General, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, with the assistance of the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office.

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.

ATLANTA - Anne Gronek-Gibbs, a former sales director for the Coca-Cola Company, has been sentenced for embezzling over $750,000 from the company.  The defendant ordered luxury goods, tickets, gift cards, first class travel, and luxury hotel accommodations for personal trips, all paid for by the company. 

"The defendant abused the trust her employer placed in her and stole to finance a lavish lifestyle," said U.S. Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak.  "Gronek-Gibbs believed her invoice-changing scheme would cover her theft.  Instead, she is headed to prison."

"Gronek-Gibbs violated the trust of the company that hired her and elevated her to a position of leadership," said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. "Because of her self-interest and greed she has not only thrown away a lucrative career, but will spend time in prison for her crime."

 According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Anne Gronek-Gibbs was a sales director who used her position to obtain personal goods and services from suppliers of the Coca-Cola Company and have the company pay for those goods and services.  She ordered luxury goods, tickets, and gift cards and also booked first class travel, and had Coca-Cola pay for luxury hotel accommodations for personal trips.  Gronek-Gibbs modified electronic versions of quotes, purchase orders, and invoices from vendors that she then submitted to Coca-Cola for payment.  Ultimately, she purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gift cards, jewelry, handbags, and purses using this system and, all told, embezzled over $750,000.

 Anne Gronek-Gibbs, 42, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Boulee to one year in prison and 25 months of home detention, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $753,551.  Gronek-Gibbs was convicted on these charges on November 19, 2019, after she pleaded guilty.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case, with assistance from the Atlanta Police Department Major Fraud Unit.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Huber, Deputy Chief of the Complex Frauds 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 – Thomas Holmes has been sentenced to federal prison for preparing and filing hundreds of fraudulent federal tax returns for his clients.  Holmes was the owner of TKO Tax Pros, a tax preparation business in Austell, Georgia. 

“Holmes stole $2.6 million by claiming false deductions and credits on his clients’ tax returns over a number of years,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Tax preparers who cheat the IRS and skim off the top of their clients’ tax refunds can look forward to spending tax seasons behind bars.  As this tax season approaches, preparers should be warned that the government diligently finds and prosecutes this kind of fraudulent conduct.”

“With the April 15 tax deadline looming, those who might consider preparing false tax returns should be aware of the extremely negative consequences as evidenced today,” said Andrew M. Thornton, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office.  “This sentencing of Thomas Holmes again emphasizes that the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Attorney’s office will continue their aggressive pursuit of those who would attempt to defraud America's tax system.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Holmes was identified by Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) as potentially filing fraudulent returns through his tax business, TKO Tax Pros.  The investigation revealed that between 2011 and 2019, Holmes prepared and filed thousands of federal income tax returns, and on hundreds of the returns, he listed false information, including false Schedule C business losses and false Schedule A itemized deductions, causing taxpayers to claim millions of dollars in refunds that they were not entitled to.  When the IRS issued those refunds, Holmes frequently kept a portion of the fraudulent refunds for himself and paid the balance to his clients.  During the investigation, the IRS revoked Holmes’ e-filing privileges, but Holmes continued to file fraudulent returns through the mail. 

Thomas Holmes, 41, of Austell, Georgia, has been sentenced to three years, one month in prison, two years of supervised released, and he was ordered to pay $2,601,957 in restitution to the IRS.  Holmes pleaded guilty to these charges on September 6, 2019.

The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Annalise K. Peters 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 grand jury has returned an indictment charging four members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with hacking into the computer systems of the credit reporting agency Equifax and stealing Americans’ personal data and Equifax’s valuable trade secrets.

The nine-count indictment alleges that Wu Zhiyong (吴志勇), Wang Qian (王乾), Xu Ke (许可) and Liu Lei (刘磊) were members of the PLA’s 54th Research Institute, a component of the Chinese military.  They allegedly conspired with each other to hack into Equifax’s computer networks, maintain unauthorized access to those computers, and steal sensitive, personally identifiable information of approximately 145 million American victims.

“This was a deliberate and sweeping intrusion into the private information of the American people,” said Attorney General William Barr, who made the announcement.  “Today, we hold PLA hackers accountable for their criminal actions, and we remind the Chinese government that we have the capability to remove the Internet’s cloak of anonymity and find the hackers that nation repeatedly deploys against us.  Unfortunately, the Equifax hack fits a disturbing and unacceptable pattern of state-sponsored computer intrusions and thefts by China and its citizens that have targeted personally identifiable information, trade secrets, and other confidential information.”

“The indictment exposes the Chinese military’s effort to collect sensitive information of Americans on an unprecedented scale and steal proprietary information for the benefit of the Chinese government. With this announcement, we underscore our resolve to protect our citizens from state-sponsored cyber threats and to unmask those who perpetrate unlawful attacks,” said U.S. Attorney Byung “BJay” Pak of the Northern District of Georgia. “These charges were made possible because Equifax worked closely, and early, with our dedicated law enforcement team to hold the perpetrators accountable. As corporations like Equifax continue to be targeted by cyber attacks, this investigation illustrates the critical importance of public-private collaboration to combat the most sophisticated cyber threats.”

“The FBI is dedicated to working with our federal partners to seek justice for anyone who would threaten the safety, security and confidence of our American citizens,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “These criminal hackers, sponsored by their government, were not able to hide behind the internet curtain thanks to the determination of FBI Atlanta’s cyber squad, FBI Headquarters Cyber Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of Georgia and the Justice Department. This does not end our investigation into one of the biggest threats to our national security today.” 

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: The defendants exploited a vulnerability in the Apache Struts Web Framework software used by Equifax’s online dispute portal.  They used this access to conduct reconnaissance of Equifax’s online dispute portal and to obtain login credentials that could be used to further navigate Equifax’s network.  The defendants spent several weeks running queries to identify Equifax’s database structure and searching for sensitive, personally identifiable information within Equifax’s system. 

Once they accessed files of interest, the conspirators then stored the stolen information in temporary output files, compressed and divided the files, and ultimately were able to download and exfiltrate the data from Equifax’s network to computers outside the United States. In total, the attackers ran approximately 9,000 queries on Equifax’s system, obtaining names, birth dates and social security numbers for nearly half of all American citizens.  

The indictment also charges the defendants with stealing trade secret information, namely Equifax’s data compilations and database designs.  “In short, this was an organized and remarkably brazen criminal heist of sensitive information of nearly half of all Americans, as well as the hard work and intellectual property of an American company, by a unit of the Chinese military,” said Barr.

The defendants took steps to evade detection throughout the intrusion, as alleged in the indictment.  They routed traffic through approximately 34 servers located in nearly 20 countries to obfuscate their true location, used encrypted communication channels within Equifax’s network to blend in with normal network activity, and deleted compressed files and wiped log files on a daily basis in an effort to eliminate records of their activity. 

The defendants are charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, conspiracy to commit economic espionage, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  The defendants are also charged with two counts of unauthorized access and intentional damage to a protected computer, one count of economic espionage, and three counts of wire fraud.  The details contained in the charging document are allegations.  The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the Criminal and National Security Divisions of the Department of Justice, and the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office are investigating the case.  The FBI’s Cyber Division also provided support.  Equifax cooperated fully and provided valuable assistance in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan Kitchens, Samir Kaushal, and Thomas Krepp of the Northern District of Georgia; Senior Counsel Benjamin Fitzpatrick of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section; and Trial Attorney Scott McCulloch of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting this case.  Attorneys with the Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance in obtaining evidence from overseas. 

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

A federal grand jury in Atlanta returned an indictment last week charging four members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with hacking into the computer systems of the credit reporting agency Equifax and stealing Americans’ personal data and Equifax’s valuable trade secrets.

The nine-count indictment alleges that Wu Zhiyong (吴志勇), Wang Qian (王乾), Xu Ke
(许可) and Liu Lei (刘磊) were members of the PLA’s 54th Research Institute, a component of the Chinese military.  They allegedly conspired with each other to hack into Equifax’s computer networks, maintain unauthorized access to those computers, and steal sensitive, personally identifiable information of approximately 145 million American victims.

“This was a deliberate and sweeping intrusion into the private information of the American people,” said Attorney General William P. Barr, who made the announcement. “Today, we hold PLA hackers accountable for their criminal actions, and we remind the Chinese government that we have the capability to remove the Internet’s cloak of anonymity and find the hackers that nation repeatedly deploys against us. Unfortunately, the Equifax hack fits a disturbing and unacceptable pattern of state-sponsored computer intrusions and thefts by China and its citizens that have targeted personally identifiable information, trade secrets, and other confidential information.”

According to the indictment, the defendants exploited a vulnerability in the Apache Struts Web Framework software used by Equifax’s online dispute portal.  They used this access to conduct reconnaissance of Equifax’s online dispute portal and to obtain login credentials that could be used to further navigate Equifax’s network.  The defendants spent several weeks running queries to identify Equifax’s database structure and searching for sensitive, personally identifiable information within Equifax’s system.  Once they accessed files of interest, the conspirators then stored the stolen information in temporary output files, compressed and divided the files, and ultimately were able to download and exfiltrate the data from Equifax’s network to computers outside the United States. In total, the attackers ran approximately 9,000 queries on Equifax’s system, obtaining names, birth dates and social security numbers for nearly half of all American citizens.

The indictment also charges the defendants with stealing trade secret information, namely Equifax’s data compilations and database designs.  “In short, this was an organized and remarkably brazen criminal heist of sensitive information of nearly half of all Americans, as well as the hard work and intellectual property of an American company, by a unit of the Chinese military,” said Barr.

The defendants took steps to evade detection throughout the intrusion, as alleged in the indictment.  They routed traffic through approximately 34 servers located in nearly 20 countries to obfuscate their true location, used encrypted communication channels within Equifax’s network to blend in with normal network activity, and deleted compressed files and wiped log files on a daily basis in an effort to eliminate records of their activity.

“Today’s announcement of these indictments further highlights our commitment to imposing consequences on cybercriminals no matter who they are, where they are, or what country’s uniform they wear,” said FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich.  “The size and scope of this investigation — affecting nearly half of the U.S. population, demonstrates the importance of the FBI’s mission and our enduring partnerships with the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  This is not the end of our investigation; to all who seek to disrupt the safety, security and confidence of the global citizenry in this digitally connected world, this is a day of reckoning.”

The defendants are charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, conspiracy to commit economic espionage, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  The defendants are also charged with two counts of unauthorized access and intentional damage to a protected computer, one count of economic espionage, and three counts of wire fraud. 

The investigation was conducted jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the Criminal and National Security Divisions of the Department of Justice, and the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office.  The FBI’s Cyber Division also provided support.  Equifax cooperated fully and provided valuable assistance in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan Kitchens, Samir Kaushal, and Thomas Krepp of the Northern District of Georgia; Senior Counsel Benjamin Fitzpatrick of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section; and Trial Attorney Scott McCulloch of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting this case.  Attorneys with the Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance in obtaining evidence from overseas.  

The details contained in the charging document are allegations.  The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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 – Alfonzo Jamal Lewis has been convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

“For more than a decade, despite a ceaseless pattern of criminality, Alfonzo Lewis was a beneficiary of probated sentences and dismissed charges in the state system,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “My office and the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s HIDTA program are committed to ensuring that drug dealers and traffickers like Lewis are held to account for their crimes.”

“This successful investigation and prosecution should be a warning to other drug traffickers that the Atlanta-Carolinas HIDTA and our federal, state, local and Tribal partners are committed to keeping our communities safe,” said Director Daniel Salter, Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program.

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 where they observed him place a backpack on the backseat of his vehicle.  While on his way back to Albany from East Point, Lewis’s vehicle was stopped by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol for speeding.  Five kilograms of highly-pure cocaine were recovered from the backseat, and Lewis was arrested.

Immediately following his arrest, Lewis was charged in Fulton County Superior Court with trafficking in cocaine.  Lewis had been released from prison only one year earlier.  Despite having recently served a sentence for several serious state offenses, including aggravated assault, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school, and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, Lewis was granted a bond and released from state custody on the Fulton County charge.  A Superior Court judge later dismissed the trafficking case entirely.  Thereafter, 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.

Sentencing for Alfonzo Jamal Lewis, a/k/a Pookie, 34, of Albany, Georgia, is scheduled for May 12, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge William M. Ray, II.

This case is being investigated by the Atlanta-Carolinas HIDTA and Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.  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 Emory Law School Extern Joseph N. Lenoff are prosecuting 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 - Benjamin Jenkins has been convicted by a jury of multiple counts of producing and distributing child pornography. Jenkins lured numerous young girls into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos, and then retaliated against the girls who refused to send him more.

“Jenkins is a predator who used various social media sites to lure and coerce young girls into sending him child pornography,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “He terrorized his young victims by threatening to post their photographs online if they did not comply, and he frequently made good on these threats. A jury has now held Jenkins accountable for his horrific crimes, and he faces a lengthy prison sentence.”

“Sextortion is a growing threat that traps our youth in a horrific situation they aren’t able to get out of.  The removal of Jenkins from our community makes us all safer,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in Georgia and Alabama. “With studies showing that over half of children over 11 years old have a cellphone, I urge parents to educate themselves and their kids about the dangers that exist on their phones.  Parents need to know and monitor their children’s social media usage and ensure their children are only ‘friending’ people they personally know.   Unfortunately, once the child decides to hit send on a photograph, there is no way to pull it back or remove it from the internet.   HSI Atlanta will continue to prioritize our investigations to protect our youth from these online predators.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Beginning in 2015, Jenkins targeted girls between the ages of 13 and 16 years. To lure the girls, he used different aliases and profiles to trick the girls into sending him sexually suggestive photos of themselves. After a girl sent him a photo, Jenkins coerced the child into sending him more photos and videos by threatening to post the photos online or to send the images to the girl’s family and friends.  Jenkins instructed the girls on what body parts to show, what poses to make, and what objects to insert into their bodies.  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 sent 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 instructing men on how to contact the girls directly for more photos or for sex.

Benjamin Jenkins, a/k/a “Rei,” a/k/a “Reithe8th,” a/k/a “Dani Domo, 25, of Mableton, Georgia, was charged with nine counts of producing child pornography and three counts of distributing child pornography.  Nine of his victims testified at trial.  Jenkins was convicted of all of these charges by a federal jury on January 16, 2020.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 2, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations is investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul R. Jones and L. Skye Davis, Coordinator of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Project Safe Childhood and Anti-Human Trafficking programs, are prosecuting 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 U.S. 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 - Marc Hannon-White, a former Atlanta Regional Commission employee, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for promising to steer federally subsidized students to particular training providers.

“While working at the Atlanta Regional Commission, Hannon-White was supposed to be administering federally funded workforce development programs,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Instead, he solicited and accepted bribes to unjustly enrich himself.”

“Hannon-White bribed workforce training providers to enrich himself. His actions undermined the integrity of federally funded programs intended to aid those with significant barriers to employment find meaningful jobs and careers.   We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate these types of allegations,” said Rafiq Ahmad, Special Agent-in-Charge, Atlanta Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

“The key to public trust is holding public officials accountable for abusing their power for personal gain at the expense of our taxpayers,” said State of Georgia Inspector General Deb Wallace.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), are federal public laws designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy.

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) administers WIOA and WIA funds by serving as the administrative agency for the Atlanta Regional Workforce Development Board for the Georgia counties of Cherokee, Clayton, Douglas, Fayette, Gwinnett, Henry, and Rockdale.  In this role, ARC oversees federally funded workforce development programs for those seven counties. 

Between February 2014 and January 2015, Hannon-White worked for the division of ARC that administered, managed, and staffed those federally funded workforce development programs.  During this time, Hannon-White used his position to solicit and accept payments from training providers that received federal funds for each qualified student they trained.  In all, more than $15,000 in federal funds were at issue.  As detailed in the indictment, Hannon-White arranged some of the bribe payments by text, sending his bank account number to one training provider who then caused money to be deposited into the account in exchange for receiving additional students.

On November 5, 2019, a federal grand jury indicted Marc Hannon-White, 52, of Atlanta, Georgia, for conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit extortion, and extortion.  Hannon-White pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery, and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 11, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., before U.S. District Court Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. 

The U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General investigated this case with the help of the State of Georgia Office of Inspector General.

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

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

ATLANTA - Yuly Cesar Perez-Sale is the last of 31 defendants to be sentenced in connection with four-related indictments alleging marriage fraud and other immigration offenses concerning fraudulent marriages between Cuban nationals and United States citizens, and undocumented aliens from the countries of Honduras, Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela. 

“These defendants attempted to thwart the immigration laws of the United States by operating and participating in a fraudulent marriage factory,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Some of the defendants abused the law that allowed them as Cuban nationals to remain legally in this country. Thanks to the diligence and multi-state investigation of Homeland Security Investigation special agents, these defendants have been successfully prosecuted and, where applicable, deported.”

“Marriage fraud undermines the integrity of this nation’s immigration system”, said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in Georgia and Alabama. “This multi-year investigation, led by HSI Atlanta’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, is a testament to the tenacity of the task force who worked for years to see through the house of lies these “couples” built through fraud and illegal payments.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court:  In November 2013, U.S. States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Atlanta, Georgia, began investigating a marriage fraud scheme involving undocumented aliens entering into fraudulent marriages with Cuban nationals, and U.S. citizens, to illegally gain immigration status in the United States. 

Beginning in February 2001, and continuing through December 2016,  the primary organizers of the scheme, Carolina Chow, Betiluz Suarez, Teodoro Gonzalez-Bonora, Marzuella Hernandez, and Jorge Morales-Amador, recruited and paid Cuban nationals and U.S. citizens to marry the illegal aliens. The illegal aliens then agreed to pay either Chow, Suarez, Gonzalez-Bonora, Marzuella Hernandez, or Morales-Amador as much as $20,000 to find and arrange a marriage with a Cuban national or U.S. citizen.

Once the fraudulent marriage was arranged, these defendants scheduled meetings between the aliens and their purported spouses.  During the meetings, the aliens were informed about the price for the marriage, the date of payment, and how to answer questions posed to them by immigration officials.

In the course of investigating this large-scale criminal operation, the lead HSI case agents traveled all over the U.S., locating targets of the investigation and developing evidence to support these prosecutions. In all, the four indictments returned by a grand jury resulted in guilty pleas by and convictions for the following defendants on the dates below:

Case I – United States v. Carolina Chow et. al. –

• Alfredo Romero-Hernandez, 56, of Atlanta, Georgia, Conspiracy to Defraud the United States.  Convicted April 10, 2019;
• Lidia Pico-Guzman, 47, of Beaumont, Texas., Immigration Document Fraud.  Convicted April 9, 2019;
• Isandra Perez-Batista, 49, of Amarillo, Texas, Immigration Document Fraud.  Convicted October 18, 2018;
• Carolina  Chow, 47, of Atlanta, Georgia, Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and Improper Entry by Alien.  Convicted September 19, 2018;
• Juan Del Toro Peligrino, 51, of Houston, Texas, Alien Harboring and Immigration Document Fraud.  Convicted May 15, 2018.
• Margida  Reyna Ruiz, 59, of Houston, Texas, Conspiracy to Defraud the United States.  Convicted April 24, 2018;
• Yoanka Matos, 34, of  Jacksonville, Florida, Alien Harboring.  Convicted April 24, 2018;
• Josvany Perez-Lopez, 44, of Houston, Texas, Alien harboring and Immigration Document Fraud.  Convicted November 15, 2017;
• Dagnay Rivera Nunez, 42, of Miami, Florida, Harboring Aliens.  Convicted November 13, 2017;
• Nuria Chabeco-Mustelier, 51, of Houston, Texas, Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, Alien Harboring, and Immigration Document Fraud.  Convicted November 13, 2017;
• Francisco Castellano-Arjona, 42, of Miami, Florida, Immigration Document Fraud.  Convicted November 2, 2017;
• Teodoro Gonzalez Bonora, a/k/a Teo, 49, of Atlanta, Georgia, Alien Harboring and Immigration Document Fraud.  Convicted August 9, 2017; and
• Anibal Valdes, 28, of Houston, Texas, Alien Harboring and Immigration Document Fraud.  Convicted June 27, 2017.

 

Case II – United States v. Jorge Morales-Amador et. al. –

• Lourdes Guerra-Mendez, 49, of Atlanta, Georgia, Marriage Fraud.  Convicted April 2, 2018;
• Jorge Morales-Amador, 50, of Ft. Pierce, Florida, Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and Marriage Fraud.  Convicted March 13, 2018;
• Janelle Berry, 25, of Atlanta, Georgia, Marriage Fraud.  Convicted October 24, 2017;
• Lamesha Sheppard, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia, Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and Marriage Fraud.  Convicted September 28, 2017; and
• Susset De La Torres, 40, of Atlanta, Georgia, - Marriage Fraud and Alien Harboring.  Convicted May 3, 2017.

 
Case III – United States v. Betiluz Suarez et. al. –

• Alexander Alayo, 47, of Miami, Florida, Conspiracy to Defraud the United States.  Convicted January 4, 2018;
• Betiluz Suarez, 51, of Atlanta, Georgia, Alien Harboring.  Convicted December 20, 2017; and
• Jose F. Polanco, 40, of Atlanta, Georgia, Alien Harboring.  Convicted December 18, 2017.

 
Case IV: United States v. Maruzella Hernandez et. al. –

• Miriam Martinez-Pol, 53, of Houston, Texas, Conspiracy to Defraud the United States.  Convicted March 21, 2018;
• Lazaro Machin, 54, of San Antonio, Texas, Alien Harboring and Immigration Document Fraud.  Convicted February 20, 2018;
• Ofelia Astiazarain-Cabrera, 55, of Houston, Texas, Alien Harboring.  Convicted February 20, 2018;
• Mercedes Acevedo-Alonso, 35, of Tampa, Florida, Alien Harboring and Immigration Document Fraud.  Convicted February 15, 2018;
• Maruzella Hernandez, 51, of Atlanta, Georgia, Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and Alien Harboring.  Convicted February 14, 2018;
• Yosvany Mendoza-Gonzalez, 49, of Austin, Texas, Alien Harboring.  Convicted November 28, 2017;
• Jose Antonio Polanco-Penalver, 49, of Atlanta, Georgia, Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and Alien Harboring.  Convicted September 27, 2017; and
• Mayelis Hernandez-Almenares, 41, of Atlanta, Georgia, Alien Harboring and Immigration Document Fraud.  Convicted September 6, 2017.

 
Yuly Cesar Perez-Sale, 52, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross.  Perez-Sale pleaded guilty on October 16, 2019, to the offenses of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and Alien Harboring.
 
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated these cases.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Gabay-Smith, Mary Webb, and Richard S. Moultrie, Jr., Chief of the Violent Crime & National Security Section, prosecuted the cases.
 
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA – Seth Weidemann has been sentenced for traveling to Atlanta to engage in sex acts with a person he believed to be an 11-year-old girl.

“Weidemann used the internet with the hope of exploiting a vulnerable child for his sexual gratification,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “This case highlights a recurring problem.  It is all too easy for predators to access children through various means over the internet.  We encourage parents to monitor what their children are doing online and who is in contact with them.”

“The lengths predators like Weidemann are willing to go to take advantage of a young child is frightening,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “But our warning to predators is that the FBI is determined to go to greater lengths to protect our most vulnerable citizens from those who would do them harm.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: On January 16, 2019, Seth Weidemann began communicating online with an undercover agent. Over the next month, Weidemann exchanged multiple messages with the agent in an effort to meet for sex with a person he believed to be an 11-year-old girl. At one point during the conversation, Weidemann believed he was talking directly to the 11-year-old girl.  During the chats, Weidemann described the sex acts he intended to do to the child.  On February 14, 2019, Weidemann traveled to the metro-Atlanta area for a planned meeting with the child.  FBI agents immediately arrested him upon his arrival.

Seth Weidemann, 27, of Thorn Hill, Tennessee, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross to 17 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release.  Weidemann had been convicted on October 16, 2019, after he pleaded guilty to one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.

The FBI investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Keen and Leanne Marek, and Emory Law School Extern Natalie Baber 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 - Licensed firearms dealer Christopher Koninsky, who allowed multiple individuals to buy guns for other people, has been sentenced to federal prison. Those guns were sold at his business, Team 88 Enterprises, and trafficked to several states outside Georgia and into the hands of criminals.

“Licensed gun dealers have the responsibility to follow the laws and regulations that govern the privilege of selling guns,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “That includes preventing straw purchases from occurring and running background checks on the real buyers of the firearms they sell.  Koninsky violated the trust invested in him and placed the community in grave danger when he allowed gun traffickers to acquire guns.”

“The majority of our firearms dealers are good people who are focused on running a business, helping customers and supporting their communities” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Arthur Peralta.  “Mr. Koninsky willfully disregarded regulations that are designed to prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands and as a result, he diverted guns into the criminal market.”    

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: After running a background check on a prospective buyer, and learning that there was something in the would-be purchaser’s background that prohibited them from possessing firearms, Koninsky instead allowed another person to complete the necessary paperwork to acquire the firearms. He then watched the prohibited person walk away with the firearms.

This was not the first time that Koninsky had allowed a person to put his name on paperwork to acquire guns on behalf of another, a practice commonly used by gun traffickers called “straw purchasing.”

Christopher Koninsky, 52, of Mableton, Georgia, has been sentenced to six months in prison, followed by six months of home confinement, and two years of supervised release. Koninsky was convicted on these charges on May 30, 2019, after he pleaded guilty.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Keen and Michael J. Brown 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 – Eight defendants have been sentenced for their roles in an Indian based call center fraud scheme that victimized thousands in the United States resulting in over $3.7 million in losses.  The sentences ranged from six months to four years and nine months in prison.

“IRS and payday loan phone schemes seek to profit by exploiting United States citizens, including the elderly and most vulnerable members of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “As this case shows, we will prosecute companies and individuals in India and in this country who choose to steal from vulnerable victims.”

“Victimizing taxpayers by impersonating Internal Revenue Service employees is a serious crime,” said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  “TIGTA will do everything within its power to ensure that those involved in the impersonation of IRS employees are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  These significant sentences should serve as notice to those who engage in this type of criminal activity that they will be held accountable.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: These defendants were involved in a sophisticated scheme organized by co-conspirators in India, including a network of call centers in Ahmedabad, India.  Using information obtained from data brokers and other sources, call center operators called potential victims while impersonating officials from the Internal Revenue Service or individuals offering fictitious payday loans.

The call center operators would then threaten potential victims with arrest, imprisonment, or fines if they did not pay taxes or penalties to the government.  If the victims agreed to pay, the call centers would immediately turn to a network of U.S.-based co-conspirators to liquidate and launder the extorted funds by purchasing prepaid debit cards or through wire transfers, including through MoneyGram and Western Union, to the attention of fictitious names and U.S.-based defendants and their co-conspirators.   

Eight defendants have been sentenced as part of this case. U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown sentenced the following individuals:

• Mohamed Kazim Momin, 33, of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. The amount of restitution will be determined at a later hearing.
• Rodrigo Leon-Castillo, 46, of Katy, Texas, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $833,938.20 in restitution.
• Mohmed Sozab Momin, 23, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. The amount of restitution will be determined at a later hearing.
• Drue Kyle Riggins, 24, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, was sentenced to one year, one month in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $49,640.36 in restitution.
• Nicholas Alexander Deane, 26, of Tucker, Georgia, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $49,640.36 in restitution.
• Palak Kumar Patel, 30, Clarkston, Georgia, was sentenced to ten months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $19,142.60 in restitution.
• Jantz Parrish Miller, 25, Stone Mountain, Georgia, was sentenced to eight months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $49,640.36 in restitution.
• Devin Bradford Pope, 25, of Chamblee, Georgia, was sentenced to six months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $49,640.36 in restitution.

These eight defendants were charged along with five Indian call centers and seven Indian nationals in a 27-count indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The government is seeking extradition of Indian nationals.

The U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration investigated this case.

Assistant U.S Attorney Jeffrey A. Brown, Deputy Chief of the Complex Frauds Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolee Porter 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.

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 - Hassan Ra El, a/k/a Rasheem Harrson Crockett has pleaded guilty to mail fraud related to a scheme in which he falsely claimed to be a member of the Moroccan Royal Family to defraud business owners around the country to pay an advance fee before obtaining millions in business loans.

“This defendant will be held responsible for his elaborate advance fee loan scheme that took advantage of individuals and businesses that desired to raise capital,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Consumers and business owners are encouraged to conduct due diligence beyond information on websites when they enter business relationships.”

“Those seeking to maximize profits while misleading business owners and investors should expect to pay a heavy price,” said David M. McGinnis, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Charlotte Division.  “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has investigated these kind of deceptive practices for years to protect consumers.  Postal Inspectors work tirelessly to identify and hold accountable any person who uses the U.S. mail to defraud American citizens.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Hassan Ra El operated a scheme to defraud business owners across the country who were seeking loans. El claimed that he was a wealthy investor and a member of the Moroccan Royal Family. El fraudulently claimed that he had access to Moroccan Royal Family funds that would be used to fund business loans. El created fraudulent documentation showing that insurance companies were offering default insurance policies on the loans. El convinced prospective loan applicants that they had to pay default insurance fees, typically 10% of the loan amount, before the loans would fund. When the loans failed to fund, El used fees from later loan applicants to partially refund fees from previous loan applicants.

In furtherance of the scheme, El created fraudulent bank statements purportedly showing that he, or companies that he controlled, had millions in bank accounts. El also created fraudulent email accounts and correspondence purportedly from insurance executives stating that loans had been approved. El used fees from loan applicants to fund his lifestyle, pay his living expenses, and to rent high-end automobiles - including a Ferrari, Range Rover and Lamborghini. El fraudulently induced victims to pay over $10 million dollars in advance fees. Neither El, nor his companies, funded any of the promised loans and loan applicants lost over $5 million dollars in the fraud scheme.

Hassan Ra El, a/k/a Rasheem Harrson Crockett, 45, of Chino Hills, California was previously charged with forgery, theft by conversion, and false statements in Douglas County, Georgia, for defrauding loan clients. After his convictions in Douglas County, El formerly changed his name from Rasheem Harrson Crockett to Hassan Ra El and continued to defraud prospective business owners seeking capital.  

On July 2, 2019, El was indicted on thirteen counts of mail fraud, and five counts of wire fraud.  Sentencing is scheduled for April 22, 2020, at 2:30 p.m., before U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service in investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Brown, Deputy Chief of the Complex Frauds Section, and Erin Sanders 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 - Former Gwinnett County, Georgia, Deputy Sheriff Aaron S. Masters, who was assigned to the Rapid Response Team (RRT) at the Gwinnett County Jail, has been charged with using excessive force against a female inmate in 2018.  Masters was indicted by a federal grand jury for unnecessarily assaulting the inmate and writing a false incident report to justify his use of force.

“We recognize that corrections officers have a difficult job as they maintain order and protect inmates in our district's prisons and county jails,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “However, this deputy sheriff must be held accountable for allegedly abusing his authority by committing a violent and unnecessary assault on an inmate, and then writing a false report to cover up the incident.”

“The vast majority of sworn officers working in our jails and prisons protect the civil rights of inmates no matter the difficult challenges they face,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “It is an insult to those officers when one of their own violates those rights, and that is why Masters must face his peers in court for his alleged actions.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the indictment, and other information presented in court: At the time of the alleged misconduct, Aaron Masters was employed as a deputy sheriff assigned to work on the Gwinnett County Sheriff Office’s RRT inside the Gwinnett County Jail.  The RRT was a specialized unit which resolved high-risk incidents and provided general assistance in maintaining order in the jail.  On August 20, 2018, Masters, without justification, is alleged to have repeatedly struck an inmate in the face with his closed fist, injuring her.  Following the assault, Masters wrote a report about the encounter in which he falsely claimed that the physical force was necessary to gain the inmate’s compliance. 

Aaron S. Masters, 27, of Jefferson, Georgia, was indicted on January 14, 2020, for violating an inmate’s civil rights and for writing a false report.  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 FBI is investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Alan Gray and Department of Justice Civil Rights Trial Attorney Tim Visser 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.

Former Gwinnett County Deputy Sheriff Aaron S. Masters, who was assigned to the Rapid Response Team (RRT) at the Gwinnett County Jail, has been arraigned after a federal grand jury indicted him of acting under color of law to deprive an inmate of her civil rights and of falsifying a report of the incident. The indictment follows an investigation of an allegation that Masters used excessive force against a female inmate in 2018 by repeatedly striking her in the head. The indictment was announced by Eric. Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division; Byung J. (BJay) Pak, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia; and Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.

According to the indictment and other information presented in court, at the time of the alleged misconduct, Masters was employed as a deputy sheriff assigned to work on the Gwinnett County Sheriff Office’s RRT inside the Gwinnett County Jail. The RRT was a specialized unit that resolved high-risk incidents and provided general assistance in maintaining order in the jail. On Aug. 20, 2018, Masters, without legal justification, repeatedly struck an inmate in her face with his closed fist, injuring her. Following the assault, Masters wrote a report about the encounter in which he falsely claimed that the physical force was necessary to gain the inmate’s compliance.

Masters, 27, of Jefferson, Georgia, was indicted on Jan. 14, 2020.

The charge of deprivation of civil rights under color of law resulting in injury provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of falsifying a police report provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

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 FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Alan Gray and Department of Justice Civil Rights Trial Attorney Tim Visser.

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 - Katherine Tice Craig, a/k/a Kathy Tice, has been arraigned on federal charges of mail fraud.  The defendant allegedly embezzled over $1.7 million dollars from a company she was managing.

“Craig’s scheme defrauded over 1,000 timeshare owners who were her employer’s customers,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Most of these victims were elderly.  She allegedly collected and spent the fees owed the company on gambling and trips for herself.”

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service takes great pride in protecting the American public, especially our vulnerable older Americans. Those seeking to defraud and take advantage of our postal customers should know they will not go undetected and will be held accountable,” said USPIS Inspector-in-Charge David M. McGinnis.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: Since 2003, Katherine Tice Craig worked at Caribbean Service Group (“CSG”), a business running a timeshare resort in Freeport, Bahamas called the Woodbourne Estates Resort. CSG operated in Atlanta, Georgia and Zebulon, Georgia. After the original business owners died in 2009 and 2010, the business was held up in probate. During this time, Craig managed CSG with no close supervision. By February 2012, Craig was allegedly embezzling CSG Group funds for her own purposes.

From 2012 through 2018, Craig allegedly embezzled over $1.7 million from CSG, using a variety of techniques. These were funds she took from the business, over and above her salary. Craig took over $650,000 by simply transferring money from CSG’s bank accounts to her own, over $450,000 by negotiating checks made out by CSG to “cash,” and more than $300,000 by writing checks on CSG’s accounts to pay her own personal credit cards. Craig spent much of the embezzled funds on gambling, including many trips to the Beau Rivage casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, and high-volume purchases of Georgia Lottery tickets.  Money that should have been used by CSG to run the resort and fulfill its obligations to timeshare owners was allegedly embezzled by Craig instead.

During an overlapping time period from 2012 to 2019, Craig defrauded and misled over 1,000 timeshare owners – most of them elderly retirees. Craig saved money – unsustainably – by operating the resort without casualty insurance, even though the Lease Agreements required CSG to maintain casualty insurance. Over the years, the buildings at the resort deteriorated through storm damage and neglect, so that fewer were usable. Craig allowed the resort less money to run on as time went on, before cutting off financial support to it entirely in December 2015.

By early 2016, the resort was in such bad shape that Craig wasn’t allowing any timeshare owners to vacation there any more, even though the Lease Agreements entitled them to stay in particular units at particular times.  Craig continued billing timeshare owners for maintenance fees, and threatened many who fell behind with referral to a collection agency. She also approved transfers of some of the timeshare leases to new owners, essentially recruiting new victims even after the resort was no longer viable. Craig never told the timeshare owners that there was no casualty insurance on the resort, or that the main expense being paid for by their maintenance fees was her own alleged pattern of embezzlement.

Katherine Tice Craig, 51, of Zebulon, Georgia, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Justin S. Anand.  Craig was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 7, 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.

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 U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating this case.

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

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

ATLANTA – Today, January 9, 2020 is Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.  U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak is asking citizens to join him in saluting law enforcement officers in the Northern District of Georgia. 

“Law enforcement officers are everyday heroes and part of our community.  Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, and our neighbors,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “They go to work every day with a passion to serve others and to protect us.  Few can truly appreciate the rigors of working in law enforcement.  In addition, many of them serve the communities in which they grew up because they love where they are from, and see it as an honor and duty to give back. They are one of us.  Please join us in thanking them for their dedication, and service.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is also releasing our second “Everyday Heroes are One of Us” Public Service Announcement featuring Lt. Robert Howell of the Henry County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office.  The PSA is posted on our social media platforms and has been submitted to local media outlets. 

The PSA is available on our Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/NDGAnews/

Also on our YouTube Channel at:  https://www.youtube.com/c/usaondga

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 – Titus Jeshua Lamb, a previously convicted felon, has been sentenced for committing three bank robberies in McDonough, Morrow, and Fayetteville, Georgia.

“Lamb was a violent serial robber who terrorized citizens in this district and elsewhere,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Thanks to the coordination between law enforcement agents in Atlanta and Mississippi, he is off the streets and serving a long sentence.”

“For six months Lamb and his accomplice terrorized employees and customers at multiple banks and businesses in Georgia, leaving behind traumatic scars on innocent victims,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Once again, his arrest would not have been possible without a collaborative effort with our law enforcement partners. Those partnerships are invaluable when violent criminals spread terror throughout our communities.”   

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Between December 11, 2014, and June 4, 2015, Lamb robbed banks in Morrow, McDonough, and Fayetteville, Georgia, as well as two convenience stores during a six-month crime spree. 

During one of the bank robberies, Lamb entered the bank with a scarf tied across his face, demanding money. In two of the robberies, Lamb pointed a pistol at bank tellers. One teller especially feared for her life because Lamb held his firearm close to her head as he ordered everyone in the bank to lie face down on the ground.  

In addition to the bank robberies, Lamb also robbed a pharmacy in Riverdale, Georgia, and a department store in Stockbridge, Georgia.  Altogether, Lamb took approximately $34,500 from these two businesses.     

Lamb also traveled to Mississippi, where he committed an additional bank robbery. His crime spree ended when FBI agents in both Mississippi and Atlanta connected Lamb’s get-away vehicle from surveillance video at one of the banks.

Chauncey Williams, Lamb’s accomplice and get-away driver, was also charged and sentenced.  Williams pled guilty to one count of Bank Robbery.

Titus Lamb, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Michael L. Brown to 19 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. On June 21, 2019, a jury found Lamb guilty of three counts of bank robbery, two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and two counts of brandishing a firearm during those robberies. 

This case was investigated by the FBI, the McDonough Police Department, the Morrow Police Department, and the Fayetteville Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dash A. Cooper and Stephanie Gabay-Smith 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.

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

ATLANTA – Larry Scott has been sentenced to federal prison for failing to disclose to the City of Atlanta that while he served as the Director of Contract Compliance, he also secretly worked as the business manager for consulting firm that was hired by businesses who wanted construction contracts in the Atlanta-metropolitan area.  

“Scott’s conviction and sentence close yet another chapter in the disappointing saga of corruption within the City of Atlanta government,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Based on his executive-level positions, Scott was trusted to serve the citizens of Atlanta.  By failing to disclose his own business interests, however, Scott betrayed the program he was charged to protect – and, as a result, tarnished the integrity of Atlanta’s disadvantaged business program.”

“This sentencing is a warning to any public official who would contemplate abusing their power for personal gain,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Anyone who tries to take advantage of a trusted position by illegally profiting from it will be pursued. The FBI will continue its efforts to end public corruption in Atlanta and anywhere in the state of Georgia.”

“The law is clear on the issue of taxable income and who is required to file and pay taxes: there is no gray area on the subject and we hope today’s sentencing sends a message that intentionally filing a false tax return is a prosecutable crime regardless of your position,” said Thomas Holloman, IRS Criminal Investigations, Special Agent in Charge, Atlanta Field Office. “We should not forget that the ultimate victims in this case are the people of Atlanta– those honest taxpayers who diligently file correct tax returns each year and pay their fair share of tax.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: the City of Atlanta - Mayor’s Office of Contract Compliance, advertises that they strive “to mitigate the effects of past and present discrimination against women and minority businesses, [and] to promote full and equal business opportunity for all persons doing business with the City of Atlanta” by “linking small, minority, female and disadvantaged businesses with City of Atlanta, business opportunities.”

From 2002 to 2019, Scott held several positions with the City of Atlanta, including, serving as the: (a) Senior Contract Compliance Manager in the Office of Contract Compliance; (b) Director of Procurement in the Department of Watershed Management, and (c) the Director of the Office of Contract Compliance. In those positions, Scott earned between $57,000 and $98,000 per year.  In total, from 2012 to 2017, Scott earned approximately $530,000 as an employee with the City of Atlanta. 

On February 23, 2011, Scott incorporated Cornerstone U.S. Management Group, LLC (“Cornerstone”) with the Georgia Secretary of State as a for-profit corporation.  Cornerstone is a consulting firm for businesses seeking construction contracts in the Atlanta-metropolitan area and elsewhere. In its Articles of Organization, Cornerstone listed Scott as its organizer and registered agent. From 2012 until November 2017, Scott served as Cornerstone’s business manager. In that role and during that six-year period, Cornerstone paid Scott between approximately $1,000 and $5,000 per month. In total, from 2012 to 2017, Scott earned approximately $220,000 as Cornerstone’s business manager. 

According to the City of Atlanta’s Code of Ethics, certain City of Atlanta officials and employees must disclose all “positions of employment held by the official or employee in any business … for all or any portion of the year, including a description of the type of business and the existence and nature of any business done by the employer entity with the city.” The City of Atlanta’s Code of Ethics further requires that these officials and employees disclose, “[e]ach and every source of income from any business received by such official or employee in excess of $5,000 derived from any single source in the preceding calendar year.”

As the City of Atlanta’s Senior Contract Compliance Manager, Director of Procurement, and Director of Contract Compliance, the City of Atlanta required Scott to complete annually a Financial Disclosure Statement listing any outside employment and sources of income of more than $5,000 per year for calendar years 2012 to 2017.

From 2012 to 2017, Scott electronically filed six false Financial Disclosure Statements, each executed under penalty of perjury. On each Financial Disclosure Statement, Scott knowingly failed to disclose that he had been employed by Cornerstone and that he had received more than $5,000 in annual income from Cornerstone.

From 2012 to 2017, Scott earned approximately $220,000 from Cornerstone while serving as a full-time management or executive level employee with the City of Atlanta.  Scott never disclosed to the City of Atlanta his employment with and income from Cornerstone. Scott knew that if he had disclosed his income from Cornerstone on his annual Financial Disclosure Statements, the City of Atlanta could have terminated Scott.

From 2012 to 2017, Scott also filed six false and fraudulent federal income tax returns – in that Scott failed to report the majority of the income that he earned from Cornerstone on his tax returns. For example, in 2015, Scott earned approximately $156,036 in income – (a) $99,136 as the City of Atlanta’s Director of Contract Compliance; and (b) $56,900 as Cornerstone’s business manager. Yet, on his 2015 federal income tax return, Scott falsely listed his “total income” as only $101,630.

On September 4, 2019, Larry Scott, 55, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with one count each of wire and tax fraud.  Based on those convictions, Scott was sentenced to two years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay approximately $125,000 in restitution.

The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W.  Davis, Chief of the Public Integrity and Special Matters Section, Stephen H. McClain, Chief of the Complex Frauds Section, and Sekret Sneed prosecuted the case.

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

ATLANTA – The last of six defendants who operated a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in north Fulton County has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute, concluding a months-long investigation that led to the seizure of more than a quarter-ton of methamphetamine from several residences in the Atlanta suburbs.

“Mexican cartels push methamphetamine and other drugs in our district without any regard for the lives that they ruin along the way,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “In close coordination with our federal, state, and local partners, we are committed to stopping the flow of drugs across the border, and their distribution in our community.  The discovery and dismantling of a methamphetamine lab of this magnitude is a great win in that battle.”

Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division stated, “Drug Trafficking knows no boundaries and is driven by greed and power. These guilty pleas should serve as a reminder to drug traffickers that DEA and its law enforcement partners will expend the necessary resources to dismantle, disrupt and destroy those who distribute poison throughout our communities. Many thanks to the collaboration of law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Attorney’s Office who made this investigation a success.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the indictment, and other information presented in court: a Mexico-based drug-trafficking and money-laundering organization led locally by Fredrico Pacheco-Romero and Carlos Martinez utilized homes in Milton and Ellenwood, Georgia to convert large quantities of liquid methamphetamine into crystal methamphetamine. Agents learned in early February 2019 that a shipment of liquid methamphetamine was destined for the Atlanta area.

On February 9, 2019, DEA agents obtained warrants to search a half-dozen properties utilized by the organization and the defendants. Those searches revealed an active methamphetamine conversion laboratory, approximately 400 pounds of liquid methamphetamine, approximately 125 pounds of crystalized or partially crystalized methamphetamine, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, and multiple cell phones, drug ledgers, and firearms.

Each of the six defendants pleaded guilty to participating in a drug-trafficking conspiracy.  The defendants will appear before U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May for sentencing as follows:

• Sentencing for Victor Manuel Sanchez, 21, of Mexico is scheduled for January 27, 2020, at 2:00 p.m.
   
• Sentencing for Jorge Mendoza-Perez, 50, of Mexico is scheduled for February 3, 2020, at 2:00 p.m.
   
• Sentencing for Fredrico Pacheco-Romero, 27, of Mexico is scheduled for February 24, 2020, at 10:00 a.m.
   
• Sentencing for Carlos Martinez, 24, of Morrow, Georgia is scheduled for February 25, 2020, at 10:00 a.m.
   
• Sentencing for Eduardo Lopez, 26, of Mexico is scheduled for March 2, 2020, at 10:00 a.m.
   
• Sentencing for Santana Cardenas, 41, of Mexico is scheduled for March 25, 2020, at 9:30 a.m.

 
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office, the Cartersville Police Department, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, and SWAT teams from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, the Henry County Police Department, and the DeKalb County Police Department.
 
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Theodore S. Hertzberg and Tyler A. Mann are prosecuting 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. - Garrett Storm Hickey has been sentenced for a string of unarmed bank robberies in north Georgia and Alabama, which had gone unsolved for three years.

“Diligence by the FBI and our law enforcement partners helped solve these cold case bank robberies,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “This is also an example of the exemplary cooperation by law enforcement across multiple districts to give closure to the victims and employees of the banks involved while bringing this robber to justice.”

“If not for the determination of the FBI and our state and local partners, Hickey would be close to being released from federal prison on a single bank robbery conviction,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “But because of that collaborative effort, three bank robbery cases in Georgia and Alabama that were virtually closed, were re-opened and connected to Hickey. Our partnerships are integral to our mission of protecting the citizens of this country.”     

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: On July 6, 2015, Garrett Storm Hickey robbed a bank in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, using a threatening note that demanded money.  Using a very similar note and always asking for $1,400, he then robbed three more banks.

On April 19, 2016, he robbed a bank in Ringgold, Georgia, and shortly after, on May 4, 2016, he robbed a bank in Priceville, Alabama.  Hickey’s last known robbery was on July 20, 2016, at a bank in Athens, Alabama.

In 2017, Hickey was sentenced to just over three years in federal prison after a fingerprint linked him to the Murfreesboro robbery.   Later, while still serving his initial sentence, a fingerprint identification by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation lab connected him with the Ringgold robbery.  In addition, other evidence, including photos from the bank cameras, linked him to the two Alabama robberies. 

In 2019, Hickey was indicted in the Northern District of Georgia, and with the cooperation of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama, and local district attorneys in the three local venues, he was prosecuted for the one Georgia robbery and two Alabama robberies here and pleaded guilty October 2019.

Garrett Storm Hickey, 29, of Centre, Alabama, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen to five years, four months in prison, with credit for time served, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $4,200.  Hickey was convicted on these charges on October 15, 2019, after he pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Atlanta-Dalton office, Birmingham-Huntsville office, and Memphis-Murfreesboro office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation - Region 1, the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Ringgold Police Department, both in Georgia, as well as the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office, the Athens Police Department, and the Priceville Police Department, all in Alabama.

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 – U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak is asking citizens to join him in saluting law enforcement officers in the Northern District of Georgia. 

“Law enforcement officers are everyday heroes and part of our community.  Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, and our neighbors,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “They go to work every day with a passion to serve others and to protect us.  Few can truly appreciate the rigors of working in law enforcement.  In addition, many of them serve the communities in which they grew up because they love where they are from, and see it as an honor and duty to give back. They are one of us.  Please join us in thanking them for their dedication, and service.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is releasing three Public Service Announcements (“PSA’s”) that will feature the everyday heroes who serve in their hometowns.  The first release will post on our social media platforms on December 16, 2019, and submitted to local media outlets.  It will feature Sgt. Monica Peterson of the LaGrange, Georgia Police Department.  #EveryDayHeroesAreOneOfUs

The PSA’s will be available on our Facebook page at:  https://www.facebook.com/NDGAnews/

Also on our YouTube Channel at:  https://www.youtube.com/c/usaondga

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 - Linda A. Nickolson has been sentenced for stealing over $150,000 in Social Security disability benefits that were intended for her deceased husband.

“The money this defendant stole was intended for disabled people who cannot work,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Nickolson was able-bodied but chose not to work, and instead supported herself by stealing from the government.  Social Security benefit theft is not a victimless crime; it harms everyone who has paid into the Social Security system.” 

“This sentence is a warning to those who may conceal a death from Social Security and continue to use those benefits. This is a Federal crime, one that we will vigorously pursue on behalf of all taxpayers,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration.  “I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for bringing this individual to justice and recovering these funds for Social Security.”  

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Nickolson’s husband died in October 2009.  Rather than report his death to the Social Security Administration (“SSA”), she continued to receive his monthly Social Security disability benefits and spent the money on herself.  Her family members repeatedly told her that she needed to notify the SSA that her husband had died and that she could go to jail if she spent the benefit monies.  Nickolson chose to ignore this advice.  When she was finally confronted by the SSA, she lied and claimed that she thought she was entitled to receive her husband's disability benefits because she was his next of kin.  In total, Nickolson received $159,243 in Social Security money that she was not entitled to receive.

Linda A. Nickolson, 57, of Douglasville, Georgia, has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release, ordered to pay a special assessment of $100, and pay restitution of $159,243.  Nickolson was convicted on these charges on September 4, 2019, after she pleaded guilty.

The Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General investigated this case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane C. Schulman 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 - Carla B. Gaines, an attorney formerly licensed in Georgia, has been arraigned on charges of wire fraud and theft from a local government that receives federal funding.

“Attorneys who allegedly lie and steal abuse the trust owed to their clients and violate the law,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “The indictment alleges that Gaines stole client money that should have been held in escrow, and then lied about the theft in an attempt to lull her victims into a false sense of security.”

“It is very disheartening when a lawyer, sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the jurisdiction they are licensed in, violates that oath,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “When they do, the FBI is committed to protecting the citizens who suffer from their transgression.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court:  Carla B. Gaines was an attorney licensed in Georgia until she was disbarred on November 18, 2019.  From August 2014 through March 2016, she allegedly stole $337,400 that she had received from the Clayton County government to hold in escrow for payment to a Georgia business, Kelete, Inc., located in College Park, Georgia.  After the theft, Gaines allegedly lied to Clayton County and Kelete to convince them that she still had the money and payment was on the way.

In 2014, Clayton County entered into an agreement with Kelete for Kelete to sell a right of way or easement through Kelete’s property to the County, for $712,400.  Gaines was retained to serve as the escrow agent for this real estate transaction.  Clayton County transferred $712,400 to Gaines for her to hold in escrow and complete the transaction.

In November 2015, Clayton County and Kelete closed the real estate deal.  Gaines paid $375,000 to Kelete and its bank at the time of closing.  Under the settlement agreement, Gaines was required to hold the remaining $337,400 in escrow until Kelete removed certain trade fixtures and improvements on the property.  In March 2016, Kelete completed the removal and requested the remaining payment of $337,400.  But Gaines never paid, despite repeated demands.  Instead of holding the $337,400 in escrow as required, Gaines had diverted the funds to pay for personal and law firm expenses.

Beginning in March 2016, when payment was demanded, Gaines repeatedly made false representations to Clayton County and Kelete about whether she had the money and whether payment was on the way.  For example, Gaines falsely claimed that the wire was “pending,” that the wire was “stuck,” that she had a check ready for Kelete, that she was “awaiting a call from the bank,” that “the bank was holding the wire,” that she had “straightened out the issue,” and that the “wire should be processed Monday.”  These representations were false.  No wires were stuck, pending, held, or on their way; and no check was ready.  Gaines had far less than $337,400 in her bank accounts at the time she made these misrepresentations. 

Kelete sued Gaines to recover the $337,400 it was owed.  As part of that civil proceeding, Gaines testified in two depositions, in March 2017 and June 2018, and allegedly lied.  Gaines testified that she had paid a portion of Kelete’s funds to another client, a pastor, in error.  Gaines also testified that she had called the pastor and informed him of the mistake, and that he had promised repeatedly to pay the money back to Gaines.  These representations were false.

Carla B. Gaines, 60, of Mableton, Georgia, was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 10, 2019.  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 Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen H. McClain, Chief of the Complex Frauds Section, 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 – Four men have been charged with attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Rolando Hernandes, Mark Hanna, James Daniel Stinchcomb, and William Sage were arrested separately for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. 

“During the Thanksgiving holiday our federal and local law enforcement partners remained vigilant in an effort to identify individuals targeting minors online for unlawful sex acts,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Those who attempt to prey on children should know that they face arrest and jail when they seek to exploit the youngest members of our community.”

“The FBI will always be vigilant in pursuing those who choose to prey on our most vulnerable citizens, our children,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “I would like to thank our law enforcement partners and their task force officers as part of the FBI’s Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking (MATCH) task force for their commitment to making these arrests.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: between on or about November 19, 2019, through on or about December 6, 2019, the FBI communicated online with several men during undercover operations targeting adults seeking minors for sex. The operation resulted in the arrests of four men: Sage, Hernandes, Hanna, and Stinchcomb.

On November 19, 2019, Sage began communicating online with an undercover agent. Over the next several days, Sage exchanged multiple messages with the agent in an effort to meet for sex with a person he believed to be an 11-year-old girl. During the chats, Sage described the sex acts he intended to do to the child. On November 25, 2019, Sage traveled to Norcross, Georgia, for a planned meeting with the child. FBI agents and Gwinnett County police officers immediately arrested him upon his arrival.

Also on November 19, 2019, Hernandes began communicating online with an undercover agent. Over the next eight days, Hernandes exchanged multiple messages with the agent in an effort to meet for sex with a person he believed to be a 10-year-old girl. Hernandes described the sex acts he intended to do to the child during the chats. On November 27, 2019, Hernandes traveled to Smyrna, Georgia, for a planned meeting with the child. FBI agents and Cobb County police officers immediately arrested him upon his arrival.

On November 22, 2019, Hanna began communicating online with an undercover agent. Over the next several days, Hanna exchanged multiple messages with the agent in an effort to meet for sex with a person he believed to be an 11-year-old girl. Hanna described the sex acts he intended to do to the child during the chats. On December 4, 2019, Hanna traveled to Norcross, Georgia, for a planned meeting with the child. FBI agents and Gwinnett County police officers immediately arrested him upon his arrival.

On November 19, 2019, Stinchcomb began communicating online with an undercover agent. Over the next two-and-a-half weeks, Stinchcomb exchanged dozens of messages with the agent in an effort to meet for sex with a person he believed to be an 11-year-old girl. Stinchcomb followed a similar pattern of describing the sex acts he intended to do to the child during the chats. On December 6, 2019, Stinchcomb, who is a Gwinnett County employee, traveled to Norcross, Georgia, in his county work vehicle for a planned meeting with the child. FBI agents and Gwinnett County police officers immediately arrested him upon his arrival.

Rolando Hernandes, 30, of Mableton, Georgia, was arraigned on December 5, 2019.  Mark Hanna, 29, of Anaheim, California, was arraigned on December 10, 2019.  James Daniel Stinchcomb, 34, of Bethlehem, Georgia will be arraigned later this month.  William Sage, 32, of Sandy Springs, Georgia will be arraigned on December 18, 2019.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating these cases.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laurel Boatright, Theodore S. Hertzberg, and Leanne Marek are prosecuting these cases.

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

These cases are being 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 - Shivang Bharatkumar Thakur has been indicted for his involvement in a transnational criminal organization that victimized approximately 288 people across the United States through a fraudulent India-based call-center scheme that resulted in over $330,000 in losses.

“Thakur allegedly worked with a phone scam ring that tricked unwitting U.S. residents into sending money they couldn’t afford to lose in the hope of receiving a loan in return,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “This case exists as an example of how federal and state law enforcement are partnering to investigate transnational phone scams and hold the scam participants, including those who launder scammed funds, accountable.”

“This indictment demonstrates that TIGTA and its law enforcement partners continue to make significant progress in investigating IRS-related impersonation scams,” said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  “We appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and the Bloomington, Minnesota Police Department.”

“By utilizing our state and federal law enforcement partners, this case that crossed several state and national boundaries, was investigated and resulted in the indictment of Shivang Thakur.  Phone scams all too often target the vulnerable and I am proud of those who worked together to hold Thakur accountable to those he victimized,” said Bloomington, Minnesota Police Chief Jeff Potts.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the indictment, and other information presented in court: the defendant, Shivang Bharatkumar Thakur, is an Indian national who arrived in the United States in August 2017 and allegedly began laundering funds derived from phone scams shortly thereafter.  As part of the fraud, call centers based outside the United States defrauded U.S. residents, including elderly victims, by misleading them over the telephone into sending money utilizing a loan scam.  As part of the scam, callers deceived U.S. residents into believing that they were eligible for fictitious loans.  Callers directed the U.S. residents to pay supposed taxes and fees to prove their ability to repay the loan and verify their bank accounts.  The victims received nothing in return. 

From on or about August 12, 2017, to on or about January 10, 2018, Thakur allegedly retrieved over $330,000 in cash payments of scammed funds from money transmitters using fake identification documents and fraudulent information.  Approximately 288 victims sent the funds in response to the fraud.  Thakur used approximately 71 fake identification cards with numerous aliases to retrieve the scammed funds.

Shivang Bharatkumar Thakur, 26, of India, was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and six counts of money laundering. 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. 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 U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the City of Bloomington, Minnesota Police Department are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolee Porter 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.

GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Carol Michaelson, a formerly licensed real estate agent, pleaded guilty today to defrauding her clients by faking property sales, forging contracts and deeds, and then pocketing her victims’ money.

“This defendant stole her clients’ hard-earned money by pretending to purchase properties for them, while pocketing their funds for her own personal use,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “She then tried to cover her tracks with fake sales agreements and forged deeds.  Michaelson is a repeat offender, having previously lost her real estate license for defrauding clients.”

“This case demonstrates the commitment the Secret Service and our law enforcement partners have in aggressively pursuing those who defraud innocent victims,” said Steven R. Baisel, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office.  “This guilty plea should serve as a reminder to other like-minded individuals that we will protect our economic system and arrest criminals who violate public trust for personal gain.”

“We are grateful to all the involved criminal justice agencies who worked so diligently to help close these cases. It is our continued desire that justice will be served in hopes of deterring these types of crimes,” said Dawson County Sheriff Jeff Johnson.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court:  Carol Michaelson operated a scheme to defraud her clients while acting as a real estate agent.  She pretended to arrange real estate purchases for her clients and received funds from them to complete the purchases, but then diverted the funds to her own personal use.  In furtherance of the scheme, she prepared fraudulent real estate contracts listing false owners, forged signatures on the contracts and other agreements, and filed fraudulent warranty deeds with forged signatures with the county clerk’s office.  Michaelson also sent emails to her victims impersonating closing attorneys, loan officers, and other financial and real estate personnel, to trick the victims into believing that the real estate transactions were legitimate and progressing.

Michaelson defrauded her victims in a variety of ways.  In some cases, she falsely informed victims that certain properties were for sale by their owners, when in fact they were not; and the true owners were unaware of Michaelson’s false representations.  In another instance, after Michaelson deceived a victim into believing that she had purchased properties for the victim, Michaelson created false tenant identities to deceive the victim into further believing that she had arranged for the properties to be rented.  Michaelson then sent rent checks to the victim, pretending to be the false tenants.  The victim did not know that he was not the true owner of the properties.  In yet another instance, after facilitating a real sale to a victim, Michaelson transferred ownership back to the bank, without the victim’s knowledge, and filed a fraudulent warranty deed with forged signatures in the county clerk’s office.

Michaelson stole over $1 million from her victims through her real estate scheme.

Carol Michaelson, 56, of Dawsonville, Georgia, was previously charged with forgery, theft by conversion, and false statements in Dawson County for defrauding real estate clients.  As a result, she lost her real estate license in 2014.  Even after surrendering her license, Michaelson continued to act as an unlicensed real estate agent and engage in fraudulent real estate transactions.  Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. 

The U.S. Secret Service, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Enotah Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office are investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen H. McClain, Chief of the Complex Frauds Section, 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 –Three defendants who own and operate an Atlanta pharmacy have been convicted by a jury of a multi-million dollar fraud scheme that targeted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (“WIC”) program.   Each defendant was convicted of conspiracy and multiple fraud counts for buying WIC vouchers from low-income recipients and then fraudulently seeking reimbursement from the federal government at a higher dollar amount as if they had actually provided nutritious food to those recipients.

“The defendants bought vouchers from low-income recipients and sought refunds from the federal government at a significant profit instead of providing the nutritious foods to infants and children listed on the vouchers,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “The defendants’ scheme lined their pockets at the expense of federal taxpayers and the low-income women and children who stood to benefit from the program.”

“The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program was created to provide food and nutrition to those who truly need this assistance. Those who are involved in fraud and abuse of USDA feeding programs will be investigated by our office to the fullest extent,” stated United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG), Special Agent-in-Charge Jason Williams.  “The USDA-OIG will continue to dedicate investigative resources, working with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, in order to protect the integrity of these programs and bring to justice those who commit fraud.  We would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office as well as the Georgia Department of Public Health for assisting us with this investigation.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Defendants Pauline Mediko Badiki and Ferdinand Mediko were siblings who owned and operated the Poly-Plex Pharmacy, which is located in the Bankhead neighborhood of Atlanta. Defendant 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 5 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 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. Despite the massive amount of WIC redemptions, Poly-Plex Pharmacy had less than $1.3 million in actual expenses for food and infant formula during the same time frame.

Based on defendants’ multi-year scheme, the jury convicted the defendants of wire fraud conspiracy and 12 counts each of wire fraud, theft of government funds, and WIC fraud.

Sentencing for Pauline Mediko Badiki, 55, Ferdinand Mediko, 57, and Monica Mediko, 52, all of Atlanta, Georgia, has not yet been scheduled.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General is investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan P. Kitchens and Thomas J. Krepp 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 – Matthew Harrell has pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud and aggravated identity theft charges related to fraudulent claims filed with the Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana Medicaid programs.

“Harrell exploited the Medicaid system and stole funds to be used for mental health treatment,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “His fraud is particularly egregious because he replicated his fraud scheme in several states and continued stealing funds after he was released on bond.”

“Whenever someone fraudulently steals funding from federal programs like Medicaid they are not only stealing from the people who deserve it, but also from every American taxpayer,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Harrell and his co-conspirators will now have to pay for their own personal greed.”

“Medical identity theft from providers as well as patients in this case cost taxpayers millions of dollars,” said Derrick Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  “We will continue working closely with our State and Federal law enforcement partners to protect our vital government healthcare programs.”  

“This guilty plea is part of a years-long effort to uncover and prosecute a group of criminals who were willing to lie, cheat and steal at the expense our state’s youth and taxpayer dollars in Georgia, Florida and Louisiana,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. “Our Medicaid Fraud Division’s investigators and prosecutors proudly assisted in this effort along with our counterparts in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and in Florida, and we will continued this spirit of collaboration to protect the interests of our citizens.”

“This fraudster deployed a scheme to steal the identities of children to defraud Florida and other states’ Medicaid programs out of millions. As a mother, I am especially outraged that this man targeted children, stealing information from summer and football camp registrations, but I am proud of our investigators working with other state Medicaid fraud units and federal authorities to stop the identity theft, protect our Medicaid program and secure a guilty plea for the architect of this nefarious scheme,” said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

“Medicaid welfare fraud not only steals from taxpayers, it also jeopardizes much-needed services for our most vulnerable citizens. The Louisiana Department of Justice and I will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to uncover, investigate, and arrest criminals who defraud Medicaid,” said Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: Harrell and co-conspirators owned or worked with companies that purportedly provided mental health counseling and treatment to children and adults. These companies included, Revive Athletics, Inc., R.A. Florida, Inc., Jode Counseling Treatment and Training Services, LLC, 118 Management and Consulting, Inc. and A Brighter Day, LLC. These companies billed over $3.7 million in Medicaid claims, and received approximately $2.5 million based on fraudulent billing.  

According to the indictment, Harrell and co-conspirators fraudulently used or stole the Medicaid provider numbers of mental health service providers, including a psychologist and licensed clinical social workers, in Georgia and Florida. Harrell’s companies and related entities then used these identities to submit fraudulent Medicaid claims seeking payment for mental health services that were never provided. The Medicaid member numbers, many of which were assigned to children, were obtained from: summer and football camp registrations; a stolen government document which identified approximately 13,000 Louisiana Temporary Assistance for Needed Families (TANF) recipients; and children who were placed in foster care.

Harrell attempted to conceal the fraud scheme by directing employees and contractors to create fraudulent documentation and forge provider signatures to support the fraudulent billing. Harrell initially started the fraudulent billing scheme in Georgia and replicated the scheme in Florida and then Louisiana before his arrest. While on pretrial release in this case, Harrell opened a new company in Louisiana and continued to fraudulently bill Louisiana Medicaid until his bond was revoked and he was detained pending trial.

Sentencing for Matthew Harrell, 44, of Atlanta, Georgia, Harrell is schedule for March 9, 2020 at 2:30 p.m., before U.S. District Court Judge Steve C. Jones.

Co-defendants Nikki Richardson, 44, of Fairburn, Georgia, and Tomeka Howard, 44, of Decatur, Georgia, pleaded guilty previously to healthcare fraud and aggravated identity charges. On May 30, 2019, Richardson was sentenced to five years and five months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,719,189.00. On the same day, Tomeka Howard was sentenced to three years’ probation, with 18 months of home confinement and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $732,189.00.  

The Georgia State Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Medicaid Fraud Control Units for Florida and Louisiana are investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Brown, Deputy Chief of the Complex Frauds Section, is prosecuting the case. Georgia Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Grofic also assisted with the prosecution.

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 home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ROME, Ga. - Adam Brent Nesbitt has been sentenced for possessing approximately 800 images, and approximately 600 videos, of child pornography, depicting mostly children under 12 years old. Prior to his arrest, Nesbitt was a paraprofessional at an elementary school in Sandy Springs, Georgia, working with special needs children.

“It is disturbing when we learn that a person entrusted to care for our children engages in this type of disgusting behavior,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Tragically, possession of child pornography continues to victimize and abuse the children in the images every time they are disseminated.”

“It is disheartening to see yet another person in a position of public trust, especially someone who works with special needs children, peddle in child pornography,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in Georgia and Alabama. “We as a society expect more from those who care for our children than this and the law enforcement community is ready to vigorously uphold the law to protect the children of our community.”

“It is scary to think that someone like this could get a job this close to our children.  I am very grateful for organizations like (NCMEC) who are able to identify these types of criminals so they can be removed from society,” said Polk County Police Chief Kenny Dodd.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Officials from Dropbox and Facebook notified the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in September 2018, when they discovered suspected child pornography stored in Nesbitt’s accounts. NCMEC then notified law enforcement authorities in Georgia. Eventually, Homeland Security Investigations, and Polk County, Georgia, Police Department investigators searched Nesbitt’s residence and Dropbox account.  They seized approximately 800 images and 600 videos of child pornography on and within Nesbitt’s accounts.

Adam Brent Nesbitt, 41, of Rockmart, Georgia, has been sentenced to two years, nine months in prison, followed by ten years of supervised release.  Nesbitt pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on August 8, 2019.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Polk County Police Department investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Keen 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.