Southern District of Iowa

DAVENPORT, IA – On August 30, 2017, Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey sentenced William Boom to two years of probation, a $5,000 fine, 80 hours of community service, and a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund for making false statements to a federal grand jury, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Boom’s probation terms include, but are not limited to, refraining from illegal possession and/or use of a controlled substance and participation in a substance abuse testing and/or treatment program.

On April 18, 2017, Boom pleaded guilty to the offense. During his plea, Boom admitted in July of 2016, he was placed under oath and testified before a federal grand jury in Davenport. During his testimony, Boom was advised by an Assistant United States Attorney of his oath to testify truthfully and potential criminal penalties for providing false testimony. Boom made the following declarations to the Assistant United States Attorney’s questions during his testimony:

 

Q: Prior to April 6th of 2016, were you aware that G.W. used methamphetamine?

 

A: I wasn’t aware that he used methamphetamines. There was a time when I found a syringe in his room, but he told me that that was from one of his friends that had diabetes. But every time that I suspected something, I would give him holy hell.

 

Q: So prior to April 6th of 2016, were you aware that G.W. used ice methamphetamine?

 

A: No.

 

Q: Have you ever given the person depicted in Exhibit 1 any money? 

 

A: No. The only person I ever gave money to was G.W., or his relatives, but never to this gentleman.

 

The person depicted in Grand Jury Exhibit 1 was Joseph Allen Terry, also known as Lump and/or Lumpy. At the time, Boom knowingly made these false declarations. Prior to April 6, 2016, Boom knew G.W. used methamphetamine and Boom had given money to Terry, who has since pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and will be sentenced on September 21, 2017. These questions and answers were material to an investigation into the distribution of methamphetamine in the Southeastern Iowa.

 

The Scott County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

DAVENPORT, IA - On August 30, 2017, Romance Desuave Armstrong, 29, of Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 84 months in prison for felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Armstrong will serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment and pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund. 

 

On April 20, 2017, Armstrong pleaded guilty to the offense and admitted that on October 16, 2016, he possessed a Ruger P95 9mm semi-automatic handgun while inside his vehicle in his Davenport driveway. Armstrong was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to multiple felony convictions from Scott County, Iowa. The charge resulted from an investigation initiated when Davenport Police responded to a call of Armstrong suffering a gunshot wound at his residence and to a call of a walk-in patient suffering a gunshot wound at Genesis Medical Center.

 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Davenport Police Department conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

DAVENPORT, IA – On August 30, 2017, Eugene Williams, Jr., 22, of Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 70 months in prison for felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Williams will serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment. The firearm involved in the offense was forfeited.

 

In July and August of 2016, Davenport police officers received information that Williams, a felon, was in possession of guns and was selling drugs. On August 30, 2016, officers obtained a search warrant for his apartment and vehicle. Officers contacted Williams at the state probation office, searched the vehicle Williams was driving, and found a 9 mm Hi-Point gun along with a box of 9 mm ammunition, and small amounts of heroin and marijuana.

 

After his arrest, Williams threatened to shoot the officers after serving his time.

 

The Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Davenport Police Department conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

DAVENPORT, IA - On August 29, 2017, Leroy Lynell Grandberry, 30, of Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 36 months in prison for felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Grandberry was ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment and to pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.  

 

On April 24, 2017, Grandberry pleaded guilty to the offense and admitted on August 27, 2016, he possessed a Bersa Thunder .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun while a passenger in a vehicle in Davenport. Grandberry was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a 2005 felony conviction from Scott County, Iowa.

 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Davenport Police Department conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

DAVENPORT, IA – On August 30, 2017, Paris Hollingshed, 37, of Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 120 months in prison for felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Hollingshed will serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment. Hollingshed was found guilty of this charge after a three-day jury trial on March 3, 2017.

 

In August of 2015, officers received information that Hollingshed, a felon, was in possession of guns and selling drugs. Officers executed a search warrant at Hollingshed’s residence and found a loaded Taurus 38 caliber handgun, along with evidence of drug trafficking, on August 20, 2015.

 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Davenport Police Department conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

DAVENPORT, IA – On August 30, 2017, Daniel James Lusk, 26, formerly of Burlington, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey to 60 months in prison for felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Lusk will serve three years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund. 

 

On October 24, 2016, Lusk was arrested in Burlington in possession of two handguns. Lusk was arrested after burglarizing a private residence.

 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Burlington Police Department, and Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On August 23, 2017, Jeffrey W. Porterheather Jean Reekr, 41, and Gregory T. McCoy, 62, both from Council Bluffs, Iowa, were sentenced individually by Senior United States District Court Judge James E. Gritzner for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Porter was sentenced to 120 months in prison and five years of supervised release following his imprisonment. McCoy was sentenced to 57 months in prison and to three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

This case resulted from a large-scale law enforcement investigation of methamphetamine trafficking occurring in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area for approximately one year. Beginning at least as early as November of 2014, and continuing through September of 2015, these defendants conspired with other individuals who, as a group, distributed nearly 40 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Southern District of Iowa and elsewhere.

 

Last year, on June 27, 2016, a jury convicted co-defendants Jose Luis Tizoc and Manuel Espinoza at trial, finding them guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and prohibited persons in possession of a firearm. Senior United States District Court Judge James E. Gritzner sentenced Jose Luis Tizoc to 300 months of in prison and five years of supervised release and Manuel Espinoza to 240 months of in prison and five years of supervised release.

 

Other defendants who pleaded guilty for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and have been sentenced by Senior United States District Court Judge James E. Gritzner included the following:

 

• Richard Hull, Jr., 150 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release;

• Salvador Nunez Trejo, 120 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release;

• Jessica Moreno, 35 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release;

• Jaime Castillo Gomez, 168 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release;

• Kristopher Hatch, 151 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release;

• Jane Song, 60 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release;

• Grant M. Carman, 120 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release;

• Greg M. Price, 120 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release; and,

• Amelia J. Lesemann, 120 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.

 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Greater Omaha Safe Streets Task Force and Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On August 23, 2017, Gina K. Malloy, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, pleaded guilty to the unlawful use of an identification document, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Malloy will be sentenced by Senior United States District Court Judge James E. Gritzner on January 24, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. at the Council Bluffs Federal Courthouse.

 

According to the plea agreement, in 2014, Malloy applied for a $30,000 loan from Windset Capital Corporation. The loan application was made in the name of Habitat for Humanity of Council Bluffs, where Malloy was the Executive Director. The promissory note required a second signature from a Habitat for Humanity member. Malloy signed the name of an unknowing victim, used the victim’s name, social security number, and attached the victim’s driver’s license’s copy to the promissory note. The application was then sent to Windset Capital Corporation via an electronic transfer service.

 

Malloy also admitted she applied for a U.S. Bank business Visa credit card for Habitat for Humanity on or about January 13, 2015. The application was sent to the U.S. Bank by Malloy, and contained the same victim’s personal data. Malloy has agreed to pay at least $13,490 to Habitat for Humanity of Council Bluffs and $12,100 to U.S. Bank in restitution.

 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. This case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On August 23, 2017, Ivan Wade Diaz-Rodrigues, 26, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was sentenced by Senior United States District Court Judge James E. Gritzner to 70 months in prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Diaz-Rodrigues will serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

Diaz-Rodrigues pleaded guilty to these charges on April 3, 2017, and admitted he offered to sell methamphetamine to a confidential source in Council Bluffs in February of 2017. Diaz-Rodrigues was apprehended by authorities after arranging the methamphetamine sale, and was found in possession of methamphetamine and a loaded .40 caliber handgun.

 

The case resulted from an investigation by Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, which consists of the Council Bluffs Police Department, Mills County Sheriff’s Office, Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa Department of Public Safety Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted with the firearm investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

DAVENPORT, IA – On August 22, 2017, Dr. Paul Matthew Bolger, 45, of Bettendorf, Iowa, pleaded guilty to 18 counts of false statements relating to health care matters and five counts of introduction of misbranded drugs. He also pleaded guilty to one count of false statements relating to health care matters for conduct occurring in California and transferred from the Central District of California to the Southern District of Iowa, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Bolger will be sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey on January 9, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. at the Davenport Federal Courthouse.

 

Bolger knowingly and willfully made false statements by signing multiple prescription forms authorizing prescription drugs and indicating prescriptions were medically necessary. Bolger signed and attested to the validity of each prescription based only on an intake form recorded by non-medical staff (generated by call centers outside of the United States), and an accompanying prescription form. Bolger signed each of the prescription forms without talking to the patient, conducting a physical examination, or reviewing medical records. These signed prescription forms were then faxed to DCRX, a Florida pharmacy; or Haoeyou, a California pharmacy; the pharmacies filled the prescriptions, mailed them to the patients, and billed Tricare. Tricare is a federal health care benefit program providing medical care for U.S. military members and their dependents. Tricare reimbursed the pharmacies for the fraudulent compounded medication prescriptions.

 

Bolger authorized a total of 1,375 prescriptions for compounded medications from March through April of 2015. Based on 284 patients and 763 prescriptions Bolger authorized and filled by DCRX, Tricare paid approximately $2,920,354. Based on 32 patients and 112 similar prescriptions filled by Haoeyou (or its designee), Tricare paid approximately $566,836.

 

Bolger additionally wrote prescriptions for patients in 16 states where he was not licensed and misbranded those prescriptions. Bolger issued misbranded prescriptions for 11 Alabama patients, costing Tricare $268,000. Approximately 105 patients, located in states where he was licensed, received prescriptions authorized by Bolger, costing Tricare approximately $681,000.

 

The maximum penalty for counts related to false statements is five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a special assessment of $100 per count. The maximum penalty for misbranding charges is one year in prison, a $100,000 fine, one year of supervised release, and a special assessment of $25 per count. Bolger agreed to pay at least $10,000 in restitution to Tricare.

 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Defense conducted the investigation. This case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa and the Central District of California.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

DES MOINES, IA - On August 18, 2017, Derek Duane Mullennaxheather Jean Reekr, 46, of Prairie City, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 60 months in prison for distribution of methamphetamine and 120 months in prison for discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Mullennax will serve a total sentence of 180 months in prison.

 

On January 11, 2017, Mullennax pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine between February and March of 2016 and discharging a firearm during his flight from law enforcement officers. The distribution charge stemmed from controlled purchases made from Mullennax in February of 2016. When law enforcement officers attempted to arrest Mullennax, he fled in his vehicle, leading officers on a chase through the Pleasant Hill and Colfax areas. Mullennax fired a Taurus 9mm pistol out the roof of his vehicle at an Iowa State Trooper during the chase. No injuries occurred during the chase.

 

The investigation was conducted by Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Iowa State Patrol, Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, Pleasant Hill Police Department, Prairie City Police Department, and other federal, state, and local agencies also provided significant assistance with the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

 

 

DAVENPORT, IA – On August 17, 2017, John Allen Abbott, 50, of Clinton, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 240 months in prison for conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of actual methamphetamine and 500 grams and more of mixtures containing methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Abbott was ordered to serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment and pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

 

On May 25, 2016, Abbott was arrested after he and others arranged to have approximately two pounds of highly pure “ice” methamphetamine transported to Iowa from Nevada. On October 26, 2016, Abbott pleaded guilty and admitted that he and others traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, on multiple occasions to obtain highly pure “ice” methamphetamine for distribution.

 

The case was investigated by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement with assistance from Clinton Police Department, Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office, and Camanche (Iowa) Police Department. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On August 11, 2017, Colton James Klein, 22, from Harlan, Iowa, was sentenced heather Jean Reekrby United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 120 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release for receipt of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel.

 

Klein pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography on March 16, 2017, based on information developed by a multi-jurisdiction law enforcement investigation beginning in August of 2015. The investigation showed that Klein was using several Facebook accounts, along with other social media sites, to obtain sexually explicit images of minor females. After obtaining the images, Klein distributed some of the images to others linked to his social media networks.

 

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Red Oak Iowa Police Department, La Vista Nebraska Police Department, Olathe Kansas Police Department, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On August 11, 2017, Shawn Sidney Beu, 38, from Council Bluffs, Iowa, was sentenced heather Jean Reekrby United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 240 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel.

 

Beu pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on April 4, 2017. The guilty plea resulted from an investigation that began with a tip received by the Department of Homeland Security from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a cloud storage facility used by Beu contained child pornography. A search warrant served on Beu’s residence located numerous computer devices that contained images of child pornography; some of these images were determined to have been created by Beu in his residence. In addition to federal charges, Beu was convicted in Pottawattamie County District Court of several counts of sexual exploitation of a minor as a result of this investigation.

 

The Council Bluffs Police Department and Department of Homeland Security conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

DAVENPORT, IA – On August 11, 2017, Dennis A. Bjorklund, 52, a former attorney from Coralville, Iowa, was sentenced by United States Senior District Court Judge Robert Pratt to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to 11 counts of mail fraud, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Bjorklund was ordered to serve three years of supervised release, pay $10,000 in restitution, and pay $1,100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund. Bjorklund was originally indicted in April of 2010, and has remained in custody after being arrested in Colorado on April 16, 2015.

Bjorklund was an attorney with a law office in Coralville, Iowa. The Iowa Supreme Court revoked his law license in December of 2005. As part of his former legal practice, Bjorklund provided legal representation to multiple clients on state Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) charges. Bjorklund met with OWI clients, discussed costs and provided legal advice from August of 2005 to January of 2006. As part of both written and verbal OWI discussions, Bjorklund would direct and counsel clients that in order to obtain a more favorable resolution of pending OWI charges, the clients should make a voluntary contribution to a charity named “Re-Adapt.” 

Re-Adapt was an alleged substance abuse charity created by Bjorklund. Bjorklund created a scheme to defraud these OWI clients to make charitable donations under the false expectation of receiving a more favorable disposition on their criminal charges. Bjorklund irected another person to open a post office box under the name of Re-Adapt, file articles of incorporation, and opened a bank account in Wisconsin to deposit the charitable donations. 

Bjorklund would then solicit charitable donations by his false and fraudulent representations to these clients that a more favorable sentence would result from a charitable contribution to Re-Adapt. These donations were then mailed to the post office box and deposited in the Wisconsin bank account. Bjorklund concealed the material fact that Re-Adapt was in fact, Bjorklund. 

As a result, from August of 2005 to January of 2006, multiple victims agreed to have Bjorklund represent them on OWI charges, and as part of the agreement, donated between $100 to $500 to Re-Adapt. In August of 2006, Bjorklund caused checks written and drawn on the Wisconsin Re-Adapt bank account to be paid to McKinley Building LLC and Bjorklund Law LLC, effectively withdrawing the paid charitable donations to entities owned and controlled by Bjorklund.   

The Federal Bureau of Investigations, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division, and Coralville Police Department conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

  

 

DES MOINES, IA – On August 10, 2017, Lacey M. Nicolino, 34, of Des Moines, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to five months in federal prison for embezzlement by a bank employee, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Nicolino will serve five years of supervised release following her imprisonment, including five months of home confinement, pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund, and pay $69,996 in restitution to Bankers Trust.

 

Nicolino pleaded guilty to this charge on March 30, 2017. According to the plea agreement, Nicolino was a cash vault teller employed by Bankers Trust in Des Moines. Nicolino’s teller duty was to accurately count and report deposits made by various commercial depositors with Bankers Trust. Nicolino was responsible for the nearly daily cash deposits to the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) account.

 

Beginning on or about December 15, 2015, and continuing through on or about June 16, 2016, Nicolino frequently underreported cash actually present in DART deposits. Nicolino then removed the excess, unreported funds from the vault, and used it for personal expenses. Nicolino under credited DART’s deposit account by $34,600.

 

Nicolino also took other funds belonging to Bankers Trust from the vault during this same time. These funds had already been accurately processed into the bank computer system, and, therefore did not impact the accounts of any depositors.

 

Upon discovery of Nicolino’s conduct, Bankers Trust notified DART and fully compensated their account. Accordingly, Nicolino’s conduct resulted in a monetary loss to Bankers Trust of $69,996. In committing this crime, Nicolino manipulated a deposit process unique to the DART account. Bankers Trust subsequently changed the process to prevent similar crimes from occurring in the future.

 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

 

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On August 9, 2017, Ronald Lance Hulme, 55, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 110 months in prison for distribution of methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Hulme will serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

On April 3, 2017, Hulme pleaded guilty to this charge and admitted he distributed methamphetamine in the Southern District of Iowa during the summer of 2016. The charge resulted from a drug trafficking investigation by law enforcement in Council Bluffs.

 

Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, Council Bluffs Police Department and United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On July 28, 2017, United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger sentenced Jeffrey B. Lackas, Stanley Szeto, and Daniel Cruz-Bonilla for conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Lackas, Szeto, and Cruz-Bonilla were members of a drug trafficking organization responsible for the distribution of anabolic steroids and human-growth hormones throughout the country. Between July of 2011, and March of 2015, the organization operated under the internet name of “Brinkkmann Pharma,” and the defendants distributed anabolic steroids and human growth hormones obtained from a source in China.

 

Lackas, 31, from Bettendorf, Iowa, was sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Szeto, 39, from Iowa City, Iowa, was sentenced to 25 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a $6,000 fine. Cruz-Bonilla, 30, from Fontana, California, was sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Each defendant was ordered to pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

The Omaha Police Department in Nebraska, Douglas County Nebraska Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Narcotic Enforcement, Nebraska State Patrol, Iowa City Police Department, United States Border Patrol, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On July 28, 2017heather Jean Reekr, Hubert Theodore Carter, III, 35, from Council Bluffs, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 27 months in prison for bank robbery, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Carter was ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

On January 27, 2017, Carter entered the U.P. Connection Federal Credit Union and handed a teller a handwritten note stating he had a firearm, and instructed the teller to fill a bag with money. Carter left the credit union with approximately $3,500 and was quickly apprehended with the stolen money by the Council Bluffs Police Department.

 

The Council Bluffs Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On July 28, 2017, Francisco Javier Ledesma Santa Cruz, 27, from Council Bluffs, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 42 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Ledesma Santa Cruz will serve one year of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

On February 24, 2017, Ledesma Santa Cruz pleaded guilty and admitted he aided and abetted the possession of over one kilogram of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in Council Bluffs during August of 2016. Co-defendant Ramon Cisneros Aguilera was sentenced to 135 months imprisonment in April of 2017. The charge was the result of a drug trafficking investigation conducted by law enforcement in both Sioux City and Council Bluffs.

 

The Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, Sioux City Police Department, Council Bluffs Police Department, Omaha Police Department in Nebraska, Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, and United States Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On July 27, 2017, Keith Wayne Page, 28, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 16 months in prison for escape, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Page will be required to serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

On January 19, 2017, Page pleaded guilty to the charge. Page admitted he failed to return to CH, Inc., a residential reentry center in Council Bluffs in early September of 2016, after being granted a job-seeking pass. In December of 2016, Page was apprehended in Omaha on a federal arrest warrant.

 

The United States Marshals Service and the Metro Fugitive Task Force conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

DES MOINES, IA – A Des Moines area tax preparer was convicted of preparing and presenting false tax returns, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft following a three-day jury trial, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. On July 26, 2017, a jury found Lony Tap Gatwas, 48, of Ames, Iowa, guilty of four counts of wire fraud, seven counts of aggravated identity theft, and seven counts of preparing and presenting false tax returns. Sentencing has been scheduled for December 1, 2017, at 9 a.m., before United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger.

 

Gatwas was charged with engaging in a scheme to defraud the Internal Revenue Service by preparing and filing personal income tax returns listing false dependents. During trial, the government presented evidence Gatwas placed his own children, as well as other children, on his clients’ personal income tax returns as dependents, when these children had no relationship to the taxpayers, did not live with the taxpayers, and the taxpayers provided no financial support for the children.

 

Gatwas falsely inflated his clients’ refunds by thousands of dollars by placing false dependents on his clients’ tax returns. Clients’ testimony established Gatwas charged them an average of $1,500 for each false dependent he put on their return. When his clients were audited, Gatwas instructed at least two of the clients to lie to IRS Revenue Agents about their relationship with the false dependents.

 

Preparing and presenting a false tax return is punishable by a maximum of three years imprisonment and a maximum $100,000 fine. The crime of wire fraud has a maximum prison term of 20 years and up to a $250,000 fine. Gatwas faces a minimum prison term of two years and up to a $250,000 fine for the crime of aggravated identity theft.

 

The Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. This case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

DAVENPORT, IA - On July 24, 2017, United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose sentenced Aron Gaytan, 22, to 216 months in prison and Patrick Jay Plank, 51, to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. On July 25, 2017, Judge Rose sentenced Robert Owen Knapp, 25, to 80 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Each man was ordered to serve five years of supervised release following their imprisonment and to pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

 

On February 13, 2017, Knapp pleaded guilty and was found responsible for distributing in excess of 300 grams of ice methamphetamine. Plank pleaded guilty on February 17, 2017, and was found responsible for distributing in excess of one kilogram of ice methamphetamine. On February 22, 2017, Gaytan pleaded guilty and was found responsible for distributing eight kilograms of ice methamphetamine.

 

The charges resulted from an investigation and the execution of multiple search warrants in Muscatine and Johnson Counties. Law enforcement seized approximately 1.5 kilograms of ice methamphetamine, approximately 2.5 kilograms of marijuana, approximately 27 grams of cocaine, 28 firearms, and $5,184 during the searches.

 

The Muscatine County Drug Task Force, Johnson County Drug Task Force, Muscatine Police Department and Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

DAVENPORT, IA- On July 20, 2017, Devonte Darnell Holston, 22, of Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 180 months in prison for a Felon in Possession of a Firearm charge, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Holston was ordered to serve a five-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment and to pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

On June 26, 2016, Davenport Police Officers seized two firearms from a vehicle occupied by Holston. On March 7, 2017, Holston pleaded guilty and admitted he knowingly possessed the firearms seized from the vehicle.

This matter was investigated by the Davenport Police Department’s Tactical Operations Bureau, Davenport Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

DAVENPORT, IA- On July 20, 2017, Casey John Blain, age 36, of Muscatine, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 240 months in prison on the charge of Possession of Child Pornography and 240 months in prison on each of two counts of Distribution of Child Pornography announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. The three sentences will run concurrently. Blain was ordered to serve seven years of supervised release following his imprisonment and to pay $12,500 in restitution. Blain was also ordered to comply with the sex offender registry upon his release from prison.

On March 20, 2017, Blain pleaded guilty to the three offenses. He admitted to possessing at least 369 images and at least 267 videos of child pornography. He further admitted to distributing and sharing the images and/or videos with others via electronic applications utilizing the internet. The charges were the result of an investigation that began with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

This investigation was conducted by the Muscatine Police Department, United States Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

DES MOINES, IA - On July 19, 2017, Cynthia Ann Mitteness, age 49, of Minnesota, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 27 years imprisonment for conspiring to transport a minor child with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel.

On March 7, 2017, Mitteness pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted that, between April 2016 and July 8, 2016, she conspired with another person to transport a minor child from Minnesota to Polk County, Iowa, with the intent to engage the minor in unlawful sexual activity. The charges were the result of an investigation by law enforcement in Polk County, Iowa, and Carver County, Minnesota.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Carver County Sheriff’s Office, and United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

DES MOINES, IA – On July, 19, 2017, Shawn Michael Kerby, 38, of Des Moines, Iowa, pleaded guilty in United States District Court to one count of obtaining hydrocodone by misrepresentation and one count of being a user and addict of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Kerby faces a maximum of four years and ten years in prison, respectively, on each charge. Sentencing is scheduled for November 17, 2017, at 9:30 a.m. before Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey.

According to the plea agreement, Kerby practiced dentistry in the Southern District of Iowa at two dental clinics, Kerby Family Dentistry and Bright Smiles Family Dental. Kerby admitted he was addicted to opiates, including hydrocodone. Through his dental practices, Kerby prescribed hydrocodone to patients, even though there was no medical need. He then arranged for these patients to provide the hydrocodone pills back to him after the patient filled the prescription at a local pharmacy.

On December 1, 2015, law enforcement executed search warrants at Kerby’s residence and practices. Kerby was found in possession of a Beretta handgun, a Heckler & Koch handgun, a Smith & Wesson snub-nose 38, a Browning Arms shotgun, two Benelli shotguns, and a Herington/Richardson shotgun. Kerby had been abusing hydrocodone, to which he was addicted, up through the preceding day.

This investigation was conducted by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

DES MOINES, IA – On June 19, 2017, Nicole Lynn Sanders, age 33, formerly of South Carolina, appeared before United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose and was sentenced to five years probation for failure to pay child support, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Sanders was sentenced to five years of probation for each of two charges of failure to pay child support, to be served concurrently. Sanders was ordered to serve six months of her probation in a halfway house, and six months in home confinement with GPS monitoring. Sanders was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of the unpaid child support.

On March 17, 2017, Sanders pleaded guilty to two counts of failure to pay child support. Sanders admitted while she was living outside of Iowa, she failed to pay child support for two children for over two years. Sanders’ child support obligation for one of her children was over $10,000. Between June 2010 and January 2017, when she was arrested for these offenses, Sanders had made no child support payments for either child.

This investigation was conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

On Wednesday, July 19, 2017, federal search warrants were executed at the following locations in Iowa, Colorado, Oregon, and Nevada:

• 2 locations on the 600 block of 15th Street, Davenport, Iowa

• 4800 block of West Locust Street, Davenport, Iowa

• 5300 block of Park Place, Asbury, Iowa

• 6500 block of Silverwind Circle, Colorado Springs, Colorado

• 7700 block of Barraport Drive, Colorado Springs, Colorado

• 5200 block of Tomah Drive, Colorado Springs, Colorado

• 400 block of Draper Valley Road, Selma, Oregon

• 12000 block of Southeast Market Street, Portland, Oregon

• 200 block of Union Avenue, Grants Pass, Oregon

• 2 locations on the 1700 block of Clear River Falls, Nevada

The searches at these locations were official law enforcement actions involving officers, agents, and investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group (QCMEG); Davenport Police Department (DPD); Dubuque Drug Task Force (DDTF); Division of Narcotics Enforcement (DNE); Scott County Sheriff’s Department (SCSD); Asbury (Iowa) Police Department (APD); Iowa Division of Intelligence (DOI); El Paso County (Colorado) Sheriff’s Office (EPCSHO); Oregon State Patrol (OSP); Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD); Henderson (Nevada) Police Department (HPD); and the Little Rock (Arkansas) Drug Task Force.

Presently, the following individuals have been charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana and money laundering:

• Jennifer Hoang, 25, of Davenport, Iowa

• Douglas Tran, 57, of Henderson, Nevada

• Randy Wardrip, 23, of Davenport, Iowa

No other information or comments will be released until documents have been filed with the court as part of the public record. The public is reminded that a charge is merely an accusation and individuals are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa is prosecuting this case.

Five Individuals Arrested on Opioid Charges in Southern District of Iowa

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price, M.D., announced today the largest ever health care fraud enforcement action by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, involving 412 charged defendants across 41 federal districts. Of those charged, over 120 defendants were charged for their roles in prescribing and distributing opioids and other dangerous narcotics.

Today’s enforcement actions were led and coordinated by the Criminal Division, Fraud Section’s Health Care Fraud Unit in conjunction with its Medicare Fraud Strike Force (MFSF) partners, a partnership between the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the FBI and HHS-OIG. In addition, the operation includes the participation of the DEA, DCIS, and State Medicaid Fraud Control Units.

Nationally, the defendants announced today are charged with various health care fraud-related crimes, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, violations of the anti-kickback statutes and money laundering, as well as crimes involving the illegal prescribing and distribution of opioids and other dangerous narcotics. The charges announced today aggressively target schemes billing Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE (a health insurance program for members and veterans of the armed forces and their families) for medically unnecessary prescription drugs and compounded medications that often were never even purchased and/or distributed to beneficiaries. The charges also involve individuals contributing to the opioid epidemic. According to the CDC, approximately 91 Americans die every day of an opioid related overdose.

Five individuals were indicted in the Southern District of Iowa in two schemes involving the distribution of opioids, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Shawne Marie Widener, age 47, of Hamburg, Iowa, was charged with multiple counts of possession with intent to distribute hydrocodone and oxycodone. Mark Edward May, age 31; Chiann May Jones, age 32; Clara Ann Milks, age 37; and Jeremiah D. Jones, age 40; all of Missouri Valley, Iowa, were charged with conspiracy and distribution of hydrocodone and oxycodone. The public is reminded that an indictment is merely an allegation, and all individuals are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

These Iowa matters were investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Iowa Department of Public Safety - Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Iowa Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. These cases are being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa

DES MOINES, IA - On July 7, 2017, Michael Lee Williamsheather Jean Reekr, age 51, of Runnels, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to life imprisonment for conspiring to transport a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and a consecutive, ten-year term of imprisonment for commission of a felony offense involving a minor by a registered sex offender, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel.

 

On February 28, 2017, Williams pleaded guilty to the charges and admitted that, between April 2016 and July 8, 2016, he conspired to transport a minor from Minnesota to Polk County, Iowa, with the intent to engage in unlawful sexual activity, and that, at the time he committed the offense, he was a registered sex offender. The charges were the result of an investigation by law enforcement in Polk County, Iowa, and Carver County, Minnesota.

 

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Carver County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On July 7, 2017, Robert William Simet, 64, of Omaha, Nebraska, was arrested for making threats against United States Senator Joni Ernst. A charge is merely an accusation and Simet is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating this matter.

 

No other information or comments will be released until documents have been filed with the court as part of the public record.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

DES MOINES, IA - On July 6, 2017, Jonathan Leroy Homedewheather Jean Reekr, age 43, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 360 months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Homedew will be required to serve a ten-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

On February 22, 2017, a jury found Homedew guilty of the drug trafficking charge following a trial before Chief Judge Jarvey.

 

On September 8, 2016, law enforcement arrested Homedew after he arrived at the Des Moines International Airport. Police seized several U.S. Postal Service shipping receipts from Homedew that indicated eight parcels had been shipped from Southern California and were to arrive in the Des Moines area on September 9. The eight parcels were located at Des Moines area postal facilities and searched pursuant to warrants; the parcels contained over 10 kilograms of ice methamphetamine.

 

At trial, testimony and supporting evidence showed that Homedew had been traveling between Iowa and California repeatedly during the summer of 2016 to buy multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine in California that Homedew then shipped to the Des Moines area. Homedew coordinated the further distribution of the methamphetamine to customers in Iowa.

 

Homedew’s three co-defendants each pleaded guilty to methamphetamine trafficking charges: Michael Patrick Carr was sentenced to 190 months in prison, Sonya Rae Tucker received 90 months in prison, and Amber Marie Shipp is awaiting sentencing.

 

The United States Postal Inspection Service, Des Moines Police Department – Narcotics Control Section, and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

DES MOINES, IA - On Wednesday, June 28, 2017, federal search warrants were executed at the following locations in Iowa:

• 5600 block of Douglas Avenue, Des Moines

• 1800 block of Frazier Avenue, Des Moines

• 1000 block of East Walnut Street, Des Moines

• 3900 block of Southeast 25th Street, Des Moines

• 600 block of 22nd Street, West Des Moines

• 2000 block of 7th Street, Des Moines

• 1000 block of East 7th Street, Des Moines

• 2300 block of Morton Avenue, Des Moines

• 2200 block of East Grand Avenue, Des Moines

• 1900 block of East 22nd Street, Des Moines

• 500 block of Northeast Jacob Street, Grimes

• 3700 block of East Sheridan Avenue, Des Moines

• 4300 block of Parkridge Avenue, Pleasant Hill

• 800 block of East 6th Street North, Newton

• 2900 block of Indianapolis Avenue, Des Moines

• 1200 block of East Emma Avenue, Des Moines

• 3600 block of Southeast 11th Street, Des Moines

• 1800 block of East Army Post Road, Des Moines

• 3300 block of 1st Street, Des Moines

• 2900 block of East 22nd Court, Des Moines

• 11000 block of Northeast 166th Avenue, Maxwell

The searches at these locations were an official law enforcement action involving officers, agents, and investigators from the Des Moines Police Department (DMPD); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement (DNE); Iowa State Patrol (ISP); Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force – East (MINE – East); and Central Iowa Drug Task Force (CIDTF).

 

The following individuals were charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine:

• Shannon Lee Paxton, 46, of Des Moines

• Kerry Drew Haegele, 47, of Des Moines

• Fidel Rios, Jr., 34, of Pasco, Washington

• Kira Fallis, 26, of Elkhart

• John Archer, 52, of Des Moines

• Charles Astley, 63, of Des Moines

 

The public is reminded that a charge is merely an accusation, and individuals are innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. No other information or comments will be released until documents have been filed with the court as part of the public record.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

DAVENPORT, IA - On June 26, 2017, James Richard Robbinsheather Jean Reekr, age 53, of Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 33 months in prison for failing to comply with the sex offender registry requirements, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Robbins will serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

On February 21, 2017, Robbins pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the sex offender registry. Robbins admitted he was required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act due to a prior third degree sexual abuse conviction in 1998. On or about October 2015, and continuing until September 21, 2016, Robbins moved from Illinois to Iowa and failed to register his address as required.

 

The Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Iowa Human Services, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation - the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Muscatine Police Department, and United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

DAVENPORT, IA - On June 26, 2017, James Richard Robbinsheather Jean Reekr, age 53, of Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 33 months in prison for failing to comply with the sex offender registry requirements, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Robbins will serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

On February 21, 2017, Robbins pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the sex offender registry. Robbins admitted he was required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act due to a prior third degree sexual abuse conviction in 1998. On or about October 2015, and continuing until September 21, 2016, Robbins moved from Illinois to Iowa and failed to register his address as required.

 

The Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Iowa Human Services, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation - the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Muscatine Police Department, and United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

 

DAVENPORT, IA - On June 23, 2017, Brian Ronald Coatesheather Jean Reekr, age 39, of Lost Nation, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to five years probation for theft of government property and making false statements, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Coates was ordered to pay restitution of $14,235.55 to the United States Railroad Retirement Board and pay a $200 special assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

 

On February 13, 2017, Coates pleaded guilty to theft of government property and false statements. The Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations (OIG/OI), United States Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), initiated an investigation of Brian Coates on June 11, 2015. The RRB is an independent agency in the executive branch of the United States government responsible for administering retirement benefits to railroad workers. The investigation revealed Coates was earning wages in Iowa while collecting Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits.

 

Coates had been employed at the Canadian Pacific Railroad, as a trainmaster, in Maquoketa, Iowa. He was discharged from employment on March 28, 2014. Coates’ railroad service enabled him to be eligible to collect railroad unemployment insurance after he was discharged. Coates worked at Pattison Sand Company on days he reported to the RRB he was unemployed. From May 24, 2014, through March 28, 2015, Coates submitted 23 false claims to the government to hide this employment, resulting in a theft of $14,235.55 in benefits.

 

The investigation was conducted by the Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, and the United States Railroad Retirement Board. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

DES MOINES, IA – On June 20, 2017, Victoria Lovan, age 67, of Des Moines, Iowa, appeared before Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey and was sentenced to 16 months in prison for charges related to a Nigerian email scam, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Lovan was sentenced to 16 months of imprisonment for three counts of wire fraud, and was ordered to pay restitution to the victims.

 

On January 25, 2017, Lovan pleaded guilty. Lovan admitted between November of 2012 and October of 2014, she communicated with individuals over the Internet who persuaded her to accept money wires from victims across the country, and send the money wires to Nigeria. These individuals contacted persons across the country and overseas, and told them false stories to induce them to send money. Lovan kept a portion of the funds she received before sending the remainder to her associates in Nigeria.

 

At least 89 victims sent Lovan money because of these fictional stories of hardship and promises of financial gain. Lovan continued to engage in fraudulent financial transactions despite being told by law enforcement to cease her activity. In 2016, Lovan deposited two fraudulent checks at two different credit unions, again at the direction of individuals located abroad.

 

The investigation was conducted by the Des Moines Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

-END-

 

 

Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

DES MOINES, IA - On June 19, 2017, Luke Martin, Jr., age 57, heather Jean Reekrof Des Moines, Iowa, appeared before Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey and was sentenced 151 months in prison for drug charges related to a string of armed robberies in 2016 of Git-N-Go, Kum & Go, Hy-Vee, and U.S. Bank, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Martin pleaded guilty in January of 2017, to conspiracy to distribute hydromorphone (Dilaudid). Martin was sentenced to three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

Martin distributed hydromorphone to co-defendant Alexander Hamilton, who distributed it to Sarah Coe, Shelly Avery, and Chris Avery. Dilaudid use was a contributing factor to the commission of 17 robberies in March and April of 2016. Sentencings of co-defendants Alexander Hamilton, Sarah Coe, Shelly Avery, and Chris Avery are pending.

 

The investigation was conducted by the Des Moines Police Department, Ames Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

-END-

 

 

Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

DES MOINES, IA - On June 7, 2017, Jacinto Loza Gil a/k/a Sergio Alfaro Rojasheather Jean Reekr, 46, of Urbandale, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 242 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and 50 months in prison for illegal reentry into the United States, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. A total sentence of 292 months in prison was ordered.

 

On February 8, 2017, Loza Gil pleaded guilty to these charges, admitting he was engaged in the distribution of methamphetamine between June and September 2016, and had unlawfully reentered the United States following his deportation in March 2014. The conspiracy charges stemmed from a several-month investigation of Loza Gil, in which numerous controlled purchases of methamphetamine were made from him and others operating at his direction. A search warrant at Loza Gil’s residence in September of 2016 yielded approximately five pounds of methamphetamine.

 

This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, with significant assistance of other federal, state, and local agencies. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

DAVENPORT, IA – On June 6, 2017, Nicholas William Rotter, 33, of Iowa City, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 70 months in prison for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Rotter was ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment and pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

 

Rotter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine on January 3, 2017. Between July 2015 and May 2016, Rotter used the “one-pot” method to manufacture methamphetamine on hundreds of occasions in and around the Iowa City area. Rotter would manufacture methamphetamine on bike trials, near railroad tracks, in alleyways, and in vehicles. Rotter carried the ingredients and supplies needed to manufacture methamphetamine with him in a backpack.

 

Rotter had numerous people purchase pseudoephedrine pills, a common ingredient in methamphetamine, for him. In exchange, Rotter would give them methamphetamine. Rotter also sold methamphetamine on over 100 occasions to numerous individuals in the Iowa City area. During the aforementioned time period, was observed brandishing a firearm.

 

The Johnson County Drug Task Force, Iowa City Police Department, North Liberty Police Department, and Division of Narcotics Enforcement conducted the investigation. The Iowa State Patrol and Johnson County Ambulance assisted in executing the search warrants. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

-END-

 

 

Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

Davenport, IA - On June 6, 2017, Michael Joseph Wilsonheather Jean Reekr, 34, of Clinton, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 235 months in prison for possession and distribution of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Wilson will be required to serve eight years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

On January 17, 2017, Wilson pleaded guilty to the charges and admitted he knowingly possessed and distributed child pornography in the Southern District of Iowa between January 2014 and May 20, 2014. The charge was the result of a cyber-tip by Google to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A search warrant was conducted at Wilson’s residence and multiple electronic devices were seized. An exam of the devices uncovered a total of 197 images and 387 videos containing child pornography. The ages of the children ranged from infants up to approximately 15 years old. Wilson communicated with and distributed child pornography to others in exchange for more child pornography.

 

This investigation was conducted by the Clinton Police Department, Davenport Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

-END-

 

Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

DAVENPORT, IA - On May 23, 2017, Jason Michael Mowerheather Jean Reekr, age 43, of Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 80 months in prison for receipt of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Mower will be required to serve eight years of supervised release following his release from prison.

 

In early 2015, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began a nationwide investigation into an online child pornography website. The investigation showed Mower was a member of the site and had accessed it multiple times, viewing over 60 images of child pornography. A search warrant was conducted at Mower’s Davenport residence, where multiple electronic devices were seized. A forensic evaluation of those devices revealed Mower had accessed additional child pornography websites from October 2013 through February 2015, and had downloaded images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

 

This matter was investigated by the FBI, and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On May 19, 2017, Christopher Alan Durrett, age 24, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 130 months in prison for possession of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Durrett will be required to serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

On January 4, 2017, Durrett pleaded guilty to these charges and admitted on October 24, 2016, he possessed over 38 grams of methamphetamine that he intended to distribute. Durrett admitted he was also in possession of a 9mm handgun with ammunition. Durrett had previously been convicted of misdemeanor domestic abuse assault, and, as a result, was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

 

The Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, the Council Bluffs Police Department and the Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

-END-

 

Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On May 19, 2017, Mitchell Eugene Obrechtheather Jean Reekr, a 41 year-old resident of Carter Lake, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 97 months in prison for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Obrecht will be required to serve 10 years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

On January 30, 2017, Obrecht pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with possession of child pornography on or about September 18, 2015. The charge resulted from an investigation into the posting of a video and an image, each depicting child pornography, on a social networking site. Law enforcement followed up with a search warrant of Obrecht’s residence and located two computers that contained over 1,000 of images of child pornography.

 

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Carter Lake Iowa Police Department, and Douglas County Nebraska Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On May 17, 2017heather Jean Reekr, Kevin Timothy Morrissey, a 60 year-old resident of Oakland, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 180 months in prison following his convictions on receipt and possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Morrissey was ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release following his imprisonment and to pay a $15,000 fine.

 

A jury convicted Morrissey on December 21, 2016, finding him guilty of both counts of receipt and possession of child pornography. In January of 2016, law enforcement discovered, during a routine home visit, Morrissey was accessing the internet in violation of his parole supervision conditions. Subsequent examination of electronic devices seized from Morrissey’s Oakland residence revealed numerous images and one video of child pornography.

 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation Task Force, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation - Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Iowa Probation and Parole Office for the 4th Judicial District, and Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On May 15, 2017, Juan Beteme Amezquita, age 42, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was sentenced by Senior United States District Court Judge James E. Gritzner to 120 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute over 67 pounds of methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Beteme will be required to serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

The charge resulted from an investigation stemming from a traffic stop that occurred in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Methamphetamine was found in a trailer pulled by Beteme, and concealed in a newly purchased freezer and wrapped in plastic. Beteme admitted to picking up the methamphetamine in Los Angeles, California, and intended on delivering the methamphetamine to Minnesota.

 

The Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On May 17, 2017, Trudy E. Thomsenheather Jean Reekr, a 32 year-old resident of Missouri Valley, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 190 months in prison for transporting a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity, announced United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, Kevin E. VanderSchel. Thomsen will be required to serve 10 years of supervised release following her imprisonment. Thomsen pleaded guilty to the charge on September 1, 2016.

 

The guilty plea and sentencing resulted from an investigation into the transport of minor females from Arkansas to Missouri Valley, Iowa, to engage the minors in sexual acts. According to the plea agreement, Thomsen met a 14-year-old female while working at a group home in Arkansas. After leaving her group home job, Thomsen and her co-defendant, John Thomsen, used social media to keep in contact with a minor female and convince her, and another female minor, to come live with them in Missouri Valley, Iowa. The Thomsens traveled to Arkansas and drove the females to Missouri Valley, Iowa, where the Thomsens engaged in various sexual acts with one of the girls.

 

Co-defendant John Thomsen was sentenced to 235 months in prison on January 25, 2017.

 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Task Force, Arkansas State Police, Missouri Valley Police Department, Council Bluffs Police Department, Omaha Police Department, La Vista Police Department, and the Harrison County Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On May 12, 2017, Frank Moises Torres, age 31, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was sentenced by Senior United States District Court Judge Robert W. Pratt to 120 months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Torres will also be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

On January 4, 2017, Torres pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the Southern District of Iowa beginning as early as October of 2016. A drug trafficking law enforcement investigation led to the charge in Omaha, Nebraska, Council Bluffs and southwest Iowa.

 

The Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.

 

 

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On May 11, 2017, Brandon Wayne Moore, age 40, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was sentenced by Senior United States District Court Judge Robert W. Pratt to 120 months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Moore will also be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

On January 4, 2017, Moore pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the Southern District of Iowa beginning as early as August of 2016. A drug trafficking law enforcement investigation led to the charge in Council Bluffs and southwest Iowa.

 

The Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, the Council Bluffs Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

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Learn more about this release by calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov.