Western District of Louisiana

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Rayville man was sentenced Tuesday to 110 months in prison for his role in a vehicle theft ring that stretched from Louisiana to Mississippi.

James Phillips, 63, of Rayville, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James on one count of interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicles. He was also sentenced to serve three years of supervised release and pay $443,500 restitution. According to the May 13, 2015 guilty plea, Phillips was apprehended on August 16, 2013 driving a recently stolen vehicle. After further investigation, Phillips was identified as a leader of an organization involving several conspirators who stole and disposed of more than 30 tractors, trailers and other motor vehicles from Louisiana and Mississippi with a value in excess of $850,000.

The two co-defendants were sentenced on August 12, 2015. Otis Frankenll, 61, of Delhi, La., was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release on one count of interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicles. Gary Hunter, 54, of Greenville, Miss., was sentenced to five years of probation on one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. They were also ordered to pay $120,100 restitution.

The charges were the result of a joint investigation between the FBI and the West Carroll Parish Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph G. Jarzabek prosecuted the case.

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Pitkin man pleaded guilty to stealing more than $13,000 from the Fort Polk Post Exchange.

Darian Chad Pottmeyer, 40, of Pitkin, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi to one count of theft of government money. According to the guilty plea, Pottmeyer, who was a cashier at the Post Exchange store on the Fort Polk military base, stole more than $13,000 from January 2014 to November 2014. An investigation using surveillance video at the store showed Pottmeyer placing money into his register without logging the sale.  Pottmeyer would then, at opportune times, steal the money from the register.  After being confronted about the thefts, Pottmeyer admitted to stealing at least $60 per day during the scheme.

Pottmeyer faces up to 10 years in prison, three years supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. A sentencing date of December 10, 2015 was set.

The U.S. Army Criminal Command investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph is prosecuting the case.

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Ferriday woman pleaded guilty to stealing more than $100,000 of her deceased aunt’s Veterans Affairs benefits.

Linda Sue Bourgeois, 45, of Ferriday, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell to one count of theft of government property or funds. According to the guilty plea, even though Bourgeois’ aunt died in July of 2007, Bourgeois did not inform Veterans Affairs of the death and took the benefits from a shared bank account until March 2015 when the payments terminated. Bourgeois stole $107,452.33 during the scheme.

Bourgeois faces up to 10 years in prison, three years supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. A sentencing date of December 17, 2015 was set.

Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney F. Michael O’Mara is prosecuting the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – It is with profound sadness that U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announces that Civil Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Broadwell passed away today after a long battle with cancer.

AUSA Broadwell had more than 30 years of experience practicing law, with the majority of those years at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Shreveport Division.  Mr. Broadwell received his undergraduate degree from the University of New Orleans in 1979 and his law degree from Loyola University in New Orleans in 1983.  That same year, he married his way to Shreveport and joined a small firm that engaged primarily in civil litigation. Not long after that, he joined the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office where he initially handled appeals and later handled misdemeanors and felonies as a litigating Assistant District Attorney.  In January of 1987, Mr. Broadwell joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office and handled appeals to the Fifth Circuit for approximately three years before joining the Civil Division.  He served 13 years as the Deputy and Civil Chief of the Civil Division from April 1989 to February 2002 and later served as litigator handling a wide variety of civil matters.  AUSA Broadwell served the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice with distinction under five Presidents.

“John was a special kind of leader in our office. I was fortunate to know him for many years and have shared numerous conversations on a variety of topics, but the lasting lesson that will stay with me is his example of how to walk gracefully when confronted with mortality.  I have never seen someone more courageous, caring and at peace with life and death.  John wanted everyone else, despite the heaviness of his diagnosis, to be okay.  He served this District admirably, with great pride and distinction,” Finley stated. “His wit, experience, and commitment to the Western District of Louisiana and the Department of Justice will be sorely missed by all. The value of his service cannot be measured.  We ask for prayers and support for his family during this time of grief.”

In the 2014 August/September Edition of the Louisiana Bar Journal, John Broadwell said his goodbyes to his Louisiana colleagues in the legal profession in an open letter to the Louisiana Bar Journal.  The letter can be viewed online on page 170 at http://files.lsba.org/documents/publications/BarJournal/Journal-Aug-Sept-2014.pdf.

John is survived by his wife, Diane Davis Broadwell, two children, Christopher Moore Broadwell and Heather Diane Broadwell, granddaughter, Hattie Broadwell, mother, Laura Jean Broadwell, and brothers, Dr. Larry K. Broadwell and Terry D. Broadwell. Plans for a memorial service are pending.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Shreveport man was sentenced Monday to 86 months in prison for possessing an assault rifle and ammunition after being convicted of multiple felonies.

Cori Yarborough, 41, of Shreveport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.  According to the September 25, 2014 guilty plea, Shreveport Police responded to a complaint on May 3, 2014 that someone was driving in a van with an assault rifle.  Police stopped Yarborough’s vehicle and found a Colt rifle, model M4, .223 caliber, and ammunition.  After examining the rifle, police found that it had been reported stolen.  Yarborough has multiple felonies including simple robbery in 1992, aggravated battery in 1997, and attempted burglary of an inhabited dwelling in 2012.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a Department of Justice initiative designed to reduce firearm crimes by removing dangerous and persistent felons from the community and promote firearm safety.

The ATF and Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney James G. Cowles Jr. prosecuted the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Lafayette woman pleaded guilty Monday to defrauding investors out of more than $1.27 million.

Catherine Doucet Romero, 52, of Lafayette, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. According to the guilty plea, from March 2007 to July 2009, Romero tricked investors into believing that their money was going to be used to purchase a manufacturing facility and tannery for exotic skin products, to include alligator and stingray. Instead, Romero used the money to pay personal bills and expenses of an unrelated business. The amount stolen in the scheme is $1,271,000.

“Ms. Romero conned individuals into believing that they were investing in a unique Louisiana business, knowing full well that she was going to divert their investment to her personal use,” Finley stated. “This case further demonstrates our ongoing commitment to deter investor fraud in Louisiana.”

Romero faces 20 years in prison and five years of supervised release for the wire fraud count and 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release for the money laundering count. She also faces a $250,000 fine, restitution and forfeiture. A sentencing date was not set.

The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker is prosecuting the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by U.S. Courts in Lafayette and Shreveport, donated 45 bags last week as part of the “Duffle Bag Drive” for children in foster care hosted by the Department of Children and Family Services and Townsquare Media.

The duffle bags, sports bags, backpacks and suitcases collected during the drive will give foster children something to carry their belongings in when moving from one home to another. There are more than 400 children in foster care in our area. Of the 45 bags donated, four were suitcases, 20 were duffle bags, 10 were backpacks and 11 were other assorted bags. The bags were delivered to the Department of Children and Family Services office in Lafayette last week.

“I’m grateful to the members of our staff and members of the U.S. Courts who participated in this drive,” Finley stated. “This donation will make a foster child’s life a little easier when transitioning to a new home, which also assists the Department of Children and Family Services with their mission.”

According to the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, Foster care is a protective service intended to provide temporary care for children who must live apart from their parents because of child abuse, neglect or special family circumstances requiring the need for out-of-home care. The first goal of foster care is to reunite the child with his or her biological family; however, adoption of the child may be the outcome. To find out more about becoming a foster parent, visit www.dcfs.la.gov/foster or call 1-888-524-3578.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is active with community outreach, to include educating youth in middle schools and high schools on social media and cyberbullying, mentoring high school and college students during back-to-school and career day events, supporting law enforcement during National Night Out events, serving meals during Thanksgiving at St. Joseph Diner, participating in events such as the Alzheimers’ Walk and Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and hosting annual drives for Coats for Kids, Dress for Success and Feds Feed Families.

Finley is the first female U.S. Attorney to serve in Louisiana. She was selected by President Barack Obama in January of 2010, after being recommended by U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in June of 2010. United States Attorney Finley was sworn into office on June 2, 2010, to serve as the Western District of Louisiana’s chief law enforcement officer for 42 of the 64 parishes in the state. In addition to her duties as the U.S. Attorney, Finley is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force and currently serves as Co-Chair of the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Management and Budget Committee.

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a federal jury found a Texas man guilty late Friday of attempting to use a child to make a sexually explicit video and of persuading and convincing the mother to allow sexual exploitation of the child.

The jury found Mark Anthony Thompson, 49, of Richmond, Texas, guilty of one count of attempting to use a child to produce a visual depiction or production of child pornography and one count of attempting to entice a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. United States District Judge Patricia Minaldi presided over the trial, which started Monday, August 24th, and ended late Friday, August 28th; the jury deliberated for approximately one hour. Evidence admitted at trial revealed that Thompson persuaded a Louisiana mother to use her child to unknowingly produce a sexually explicit video and tried to further sexually exploit the child. In December of 2013, the victim and her father found disturbing messages, pictures and a video from the defendant on his wife’s phone, and the father reported the matter to the DeRidder Police Department.

“It took courage for any victim to come forward under these circumstances,” Finley stated. “This young girl and her father are to be commended for assisting law enforcement in stopping this abuser. I want to encourage all victims of sexual abuse to speak up and know that there is help. You are not alone, and you are not at fault. I want to thank the prosecutors and the state, local and federal law enforcement officers who worked diligently to ensure that justice was served in this case. ”

“Child sexual abuse is one of the most heinous crimes HSI investigates as it steals the innocence of children and leaves lasting scars on victims,” said Raymond R. Parmer Jr., special agent in charge of HSI New Orleans. “Criminals who prey on children will continue to be one of the agency’s highest priorities in order to protect the innocent from these terrible crimes.”

Homeland Security Investigations, the DeRidder Police Department, Louisiana State Police and the Louisiana Department of Social Services conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Myers P. Namie and John Luke Walker are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations/Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) encourage the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423.  Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls.  Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp. Tips may be reported anonymously.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Shreveport man pleaded guilty to possessing three firearms and ammunition after being convicted of multiple felonies.

Jonathan Shane Roberts, 41, of Shreveport, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. to one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. According to the guilty plea, Roberts swapped an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) for a 9 mm pistol, a .308 caliber rifle, a .223 caliber rifle and ammunition on November 19, 2014.  Roberts later filed a police report claiming the ATV was stolen. After further investigation, a Shreveport Police Department detective found that Roberts had at least three felony convictions before obtaining the firearms.  Roberts was convicted in March of 1993 of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, in December of 2001 of simple robbery, and in August of 2007 of felony theft of more than $500.  All convictions were in the First Judicial District Court in Caddo Parish.

Roberts faces up to 10 years in prison, one to three years supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date of December 16, 2015 was set.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a Department of Justice initiative designed to reduce firearm crimes by removing dangerous and persistent felons from the community and to promote firearm safety.

The Shreveport office of the ATF and Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Gillespie Jr is prosecuting the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Mexican national pleaded guilty to charges that he reentered the United States multiple times illegally.

Hugo Campuzano Cuellar, 37, of Mexico, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik to one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien. According to the guilty plea, immigration officers encountered Cuellar in the St. Mary Parish jail on April 8, 2015. He admitted that he was a citizen of Mexico. He was previously removed from the United States on May 23, 2002, May 16, 2005 and May 7, 2009.

Cuellar faces 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date was not set.

Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominic A. Rossetti is prosecuting the case.

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a former Concordia Parish couple pleaded guilty Friday to their roles in a scheme to steal Veterans Affairs benefits over a 10-year period.

Alfred Lewis Jr., 67, of Ferriday, La., and Rose M. Lewis, 63, of Natchez, Miss., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell. Alfred Lewis pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property or funds, and Rose Lewis pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit theft of government property or funds. According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, from July of 2003 until November of 2013, the defendants conspired to steal $197,784 in Veterans Affairs benefits. Alfred Lewis served in the U.S. Air Force and applied for veterans benefits in July of 2003. He and Rose Lewis did not disclose to Veterans Affairs that Rose Lewis had been working while living with Alfred Lewis during the 10-year period he received benefits. In written statements of their income sent to Veterans Affairs, they denied they were working when in fact Rose Lewis was earning more than $50,000 a year in Mississippi.

Alfred Lewis faces up to 10 years in prison for the theft count, Rose Lewis faces up to five years in prison for the conspiracy count. They also face three years supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. A sentencing date of November 23, 2015 was set.

Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cytheria D. Jernigan is prosecuting the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a New Iberia woman pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing from a Chitimacha tribal business.

Rebecca Bacas, 40, of New Iberia, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik to one count of theft from an Indian tribal organization. According to the guilty plea, Bacas conducted a scheme from December 30, 2011 to January 12, 2012 to steal $1,630.50 from the Chitimacha Trading Post in Charenton, La., by cashing what appeared to be three payroll checks that turned out to be worthless. Bacas stole two checks bearing the unauthorized digital signature of the account owner and made them payable to herself in amounts that exceeded the balance of the small business account on which the checks were drawn. She also cashed a third check that also purported to be a payroll check drawn on a business account closed within two weeks because it had been overdrawn.

Bacas faces up to five years in prison, three years supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. A sentencing date was not set.

Jurisdiction in Indian Country is based upon the unique sovereign relationship between the federal government and Indian tribes.  Congress has extended the territorial jurisdiction of the United States to major crimes committed against Native Americans that take place in Indian Country, which includes all property that the government holds in trust or use by officially recognized Native American tribes.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes all major crimes and misdemeanor cases arising in Indian Country that are within the jurisdiction of this office.

The FBI and the Chitimacha Tribal Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph T. Mickel is prosecuting the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – This year the U.S. Attorney’s Office participated in a back-to-school backpack drive at Sunset Middle School. Staff members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Lafayette and Shreveport and federal courthouse employees in Lafayette collected school supplies and 20 backpacks for this school year that included spiral notebooks, loose leaf paper, construction paper, journals, pens, pencils, glue sticks, colored pencils, erasers, scissors, markers, pencil pouches and hand sanitizer.

The school is led by Principal Marquet Rideau, who along with staff members, accepted the backpacks on Monday and will distribute them among the students. The school’s mission statement is “Teacher, Parents and Community Working Together to Ensure That All Students Will Learn.” Sunset Middle School has been recognized by the Louisiana Department of Education as being a Top Gains School.

“This is just a little something to show support for a school, like so many others, that has young people who are eager and excited to learn,” Finley stated. “Sunset Middle School is working to keep children on track for academic success. A special thank you to everyone in the federal courthouse who participated in this project, and thank you to the staff at Sunset Middle for all of your hard work throughout the year. Our wish is that all schools across the nation and within the Western District of Louisiana will have a successful and rewarding school year.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is active with community outreach, to include educating youth in middle schools and high schools on social media and cyberbullying, mentoring high school and college students during back-to-school and career day events, supporting law enforcement during National Night Out events, serving meals during Thanksgiving at St. Joseph Diner, participating in events such as the Alzheimers’ Walk and Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and hosting annual drives for Coats for Kids, Dress for Success and Feds Feed Families.

Finley is the first female U.S. Attorney to serve in Louisiana. She was selected by President Barack Obama in January of 2010, after being recommended by U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in June of 2010. United States Attorney Finley was sworn into office on June 2, 2010, to serve as the Western District of Louisiana’s chief law enforcement officer for 42 of the 64 parishes in the state. In addition to her duties as the U.S. Attorney, Finley is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force and currently serves as Co-Chair of the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Management and Budget Committee.

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Tallulah man was sentenced Monday to 120 months in prison for selling methamphetamine.

Marvin Brown, 45, of Tallulah, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James on one count of distribution of methamphetamine. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.  According to evidence presented at the May 1, 2015 guilty plea hearing, law enforcement agents recorded Brown selling 109.1 grams of methamphetamine on July 9, 2014 for $6,000 in cash in Tallulah. As agents approached to arrest him, Brown fled. He was later captured after abandoning his vehicle and fleeing on foot.

The DEA conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney F. Michael O’Mara prosecuted the case.

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Monroe grocery store owner was sentenced Monday to 46 months in prison for a conspiracy to provide cash and ineligible items to SNAP and WIC recipients in exchange for their benefits.

Allen Woods, 60, of Monroe, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James on one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of theft of government property. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $5,048,305.60 restitution. According to evidence presented at the April 2, 2015 guilty plea, Woods operated two businesses illegally at the same location on Old Sterlington Road in Monroe from December 2010 until March 2014. After his other business, Big Al’s grocery store located on Sherrouse Street in Monroe, was permanently disqualified from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in March of 2010, he opened Honey’s Grocery Store with another Monroe resident in 2010. The store was approved to participate in the SNAP program in December of 2010.  As the owner of Honey’s, Woods and others permitted SNAP and WIC recipients to exchange their benefits for cash and other ineligible items.

After Honey’s closed its operations in August 2012, Woods and Marshall Brown opened Brown’s Grocery Store in the same location in September of 2012. Brown’s name was used to qualify the business as a SNAP retailer.  Woods, Brown and others allowed SNAP benefits to be used to purchase ineligible items such as alcohol and tobacco from September 2012 until March 2014.  Woods, Brown and others also exchanged cash for SNAP benefits and fraudulently acquired at least $5 million from illegally trafficking SNAP and WIC benefits while operating Honey’s and Brown’s grocery stores.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the USDA are actively working on behalf of American taxpayers to protect the federal investment in the SNAP programs to make sure the program is targeted towards those families who need it most,” Finley stated.  “We will aggressively act to control SNAP fraud by using purchase data to identify suspicious transaction patterns, conducting undercover investigations, collaborating with other investigative agencies and prosecuting offenders.”

Brown was sentenced on July 7, 2015 to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release on the conspiracy count. He was also ordered to pay $876,501.40 in restitution.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Earl M. Campbell prosecuted the case.

 

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Colombian national was sentenced Monday to 36 months in prison for re-entering the country after having been previously deported.

Luis Mesa-Quinones, 39, of Colombia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik on one count of illegal re-entry after being deported. According to evidence presented at the March 25, 2015 guilty plea, the defendant was arrested on April 7, 2014 in Iberia Parish for driving while intoxicated, failure to yield, driving without a license and vehicular negligent injury. After further investigation, he was found to have been previously deported in May of 1998 after being arrested in Harris County Texas for delivering between 4 and 200 grams of cocaine.

United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Moore prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Shreveport man pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition after being convicted of a felony.

Daranski M. Wynder, 33, of Shreveport, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. to one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, Shreveport police responded to calls on January 6, 2015 reporting that there was a man standing outside his residence with a rifle. Wynder was found at this residence with rifle bullets in his pocket.  Police also found a 7.62 by 39 mm rifle and ammunition in his residence. Wynder was convicted in the 26th Judicial District Court in Webster Parish for monetary instrument abuse in 2011. He was also convicted in First Judicial District Court in Caddo Parish for attempted felon in possession of a firearm in 2005 and for simple burglary in 2001.

Wynder faces up to 10 years in prison, one to three years supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and forfeiture of the rifle and ammunition. A sentencing date of December 3, 2015 was set.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a Department of Justice initiative designed to reduce firearm crimes by removing dangerous and persistent felons from the community and promote firearm safety.

The ATF and the Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Gillespie Jr is prosecuting the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Carencro Police officer was sentenced to 18 months in prison for receiving cash payments from James Panos, former owner and manager of Desperado’s Cabaret, while the officer was in charge of regulating exotic dancer permits for the Carencro Police Department, and during a time Desperado’s operated as an illegal enterprise.

Timothy Prejean, 42, of Carencro, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik on one count of interference with commerce by extortion under color of official right. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to evidence presented at the March 25, 2015 guilty plea, Prejean accepted cash payments from James Panos during the years Prejean processed and delivered exotic dancer licenses for Desperado’s employees.  Additionally, Prejean failed to investigate reported illegal activity at Desperado’s from 2007 to December 5, 2012.  The illegal activity involved prostitution in the VIP room and drug distribution/use inside the business. During this time, Prejean was assigned as the liaison officer between the Carencro Police Department and Desperado’s for the purpose of enforcing local ordinances pertaining to exotic dancer licensing and related regulations.

Prejean improperly received a total of $10,000 in cash and other benefits from club owners James and Jennifer Panos while in performance of his regulatory duties.  Other benefits included no cover charge to enter, free access to the VIP rooms, and free drinks.

James Panos, Jennifer Panos, and eight other defendants were charged in a 10-count indictment on May 15, 2013, alleging racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy, and firearms charges.  The charges are the result of an investigation of drug trafficking, drug distribution, prostitution and other illegal activity that took place at Desperado’s Cabaret in Carencro located on Northeast Evangeline Thruway.

“Timothy Prejean took cash payment from a corrupt business, and in the process let down the police department and the community that he took an oath to serve,” Finley stated. “The people of Carencro deserve and expect more from their law enforcement officers. My office will continue to investigate all allegations of public corruption.”

James Panos, Jennifer Panos and the remaining defendants were sentenced on August 7, 2014.  As part of the plea agreement, the owners agreed to forfeit illegal proceeds already seized, return proceeds illegally earned, and they agreed to forfeit the Desperado’s property to include the building and land.

The DEA, FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana State Police, and Lafayette Metro Narcotics investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Myers P. Namie and Daniel J. McCoy prosecuted the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Lafayette man was sentenced to 120 months in prison for making a bomb threat and attempting to rob a bank.

Devin Haywood, 31, of Lafayette, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik on one count of using a facility in interstate commerce to willfully make a threat or maliciously convey false information, and one count of attempted bank robbery. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to the indictment, Haywood used a cell phone to make a bomb threat at 5:30 a.m. on July 16, 2014, to a local television station that there was a bomb at Girard Park in Lafayette and on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus. While law enforcement agents were investigating the bomb threats, Haywood attempted to rob a bank on Moss Street in Lafayette. Haywood approached two of the bank employees after they had arrived for work at the bank. He appeared to be carrying a gun. The two bank employees fled back to their vehicles and left the scene.

“Mr. Haywood used a fictitious bomb threat to divert law enforcement and other first responders to facilitate his attempt to rob a bank,” Finley stated. “He will spend the next 10 years in prison for his dangerous and disruptive actions. I want to thank the men and women from all of the area law enforcement agencies who responded professionally and promptly to this incident.”

The FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, Louisiana State Police, Lafayette Police Department, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a woman from Elm Grove pleaded guilty to stealing more than $36,000 worth of her deceased mother’s Worker’s Compensation benefits.

Rose M. Young, 60, of Elm Grove, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark L. Hornsby to one count of theft of government funds. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter. According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, after Young’s mother died, Young continued to receive and spend her mother’s Worker’s Compensation benefits without notifying the U.S. Department of Labor that her mother had died. Young received a total of $36,716.76.

Young faces up to 10 years in prison, one to three years supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. A sentencing date of November 19, 2015 was set.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Gillespie Jr. is prosecuting the case.

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Bastrop man pleaded guilty to not updating his sex offender registration.

Solomon Lewis Devoil, 50, of Bastrop, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen L. Hayes to one count of failure to register as a sex offender. His plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James. According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, Devoil knowingly failed to register as a sex offender in Louisiana and traveled in and out of the Western District of Louisiana without registering as a sex offender in the State of Louisiana. In December 1997, Devoil pleaded guilty in San Bernadino Superior Court in California to lewd act upon a child. The victim was 14, and Devoil was 32. He is required to register as a sex offender for life. Bastrop Police arrested him for failure to appear in court in January 2014 and in February of 2014 for simple burglary. On May 12 and 14 of 2015, Devoil failed to appear in court for hearings related to the simple burglary charge, and a warrant for his arrest was issued. Devoil was arrested on June 15, 2016 at an Elementary School in Oklahoma where he was working.

Devoil faces up to 10 years in prison, three years supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date of December 1, 2015 was set.

The U.S. Marshals Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney F. Michael O’Mara is prosecuting the case.

SHREVEPORT/MONROE/ALEXANDRIA/LAKE CHARLES/LAFAYETTE, La.:  Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act by President Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th President of the United States.

voting_rights_act.pdf (101.4 KB)The U.S. Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, held an open media call to mark the momentous occasion.

United States Attorney Stephanie Finley stated, “The Voting Rights Act along with the Civil Rights Act was pivotal legislation for all Americans. The goal - to ensure that every person, regardless of race, nationality or status in life, could exercise one of the most important rights of citizenship in this country, the right to vote.  It is hard to believe, and we often forget, that just 50 years ago there were Americans who desired to exercise their voice through the ballot, but were denied, solely based on race. They were met with many restrictions, often intimidated and limited in other ways, sometimes by force. Voting is the bedrock of our democracy. It ensures that this great nation continues to be a government ‘of the people, by the people and for the people.’ This office is committed to enforcing the provisions of the act to the fullest extent of the law in order to protect that precious right.”

Following the Civil War to the 1960s, the freedoms provided in the 15th Amendment of 1870, guaranteeing the freedom of former slaves and people of color were muted. Some states, including Louisiana, enacted laws to bar these groups from voting and participating in other forms of civic involvement. In addition to laws, poll taxes, education tests, threats, intimidation and violence were used to further push minority groups farther from the ballot box. Change came slowly and real legislation was seen in 1964 with the enactment of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 to further expand upon the rights of the disenfranchised and specifically to bring fairness to the voting and the redistricting process. For more history of the Voting Rights Act visit www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b.php. See President Johnson’s March 15, 1965 speech to Congress concerning the voting rights online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g.

If members of the public have any information on potential violations, contact the Justice Department or the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The public may contact the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931 or Voting.Section@usdoj.gov for general information concerning the Section’s activities or to make a complaint concerning a voting matter. The U.S. Attorney’s offices are in frequent contact with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Criminal Division, and can direct calls to the appropriate office.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Shreveport resident was sentenced to 33 months in prison for failing to register his correct address for his sex offender identification.

Joseph Kelly Parson, 31, of Shreveport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on one count of failure to update his sex offender registration.  He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release. According to evidence presented at the April 6, 2015 guilty plea, Parson did not update his sex offender registration when living at a Shreveport address from October 8, 2013 until November 12, 2014. Parson originally pleaded guilty to two counts of statutory rape in Liberty County, Ga., in 2004.  Upon release from prison, he was informed that he was required to register as a sex offender.  He was later found living in Texas in 2010 and served a term of imprisonment for failure to register as a sex offender in Texas.  After his release, Parson later moved to Shreveport but did not register in Louisiana as a sex offender.

The U.S. Marshals Service and Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown prosecuted the case.

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a man from Mississippi was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for assaulting his ex-wife and striking a man in the head with a baseball bat on the Fort Polk military installation.

Justin Corey Thurston, 23, of McLain, Miss., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi on one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to evidence presented at the April 30, 2015, guilty plea, Thurston visited the home of his estranged wife on September 6, 2014 at the Fort Polk military base to collect his personal belongings. While there, he and his wife engaged in an altercation leading to Thurston’s assault of his wife after she refused to give him her cellular telephone. He then exited the house, and the caller, who had heard the altercation on the phone, confronted Thurston.  During the course of the confrontation, Thurston struck the caller in the head with a baseball bat, thereby causing him bodily injury.

The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command and the FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David C. Joseph and Joseph T. Mickel prosecuted the case.

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a DeQuincy man was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for making $100 counterfeit bills at a casino hotel.

Deldrick Shykil Fowler, 22, of DeQuincy, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi on one count of counterfeiting obligations to the United States. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to evidence presented at the April 30, 2015 guilty plea, surveillance equipment was used to observe Fowler on August 12, 2014 at the Isle of Capri Casino in Lake Charles producing counterfeit $100 bills in a hotel room. Agents seized two counterfeit $100 bills, 16 uncut sheets of $100 bills, and 10 uncut sheets of $100 bills printed on only one side.

The U.S. Secret Service conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert C. Abendroth and Howard C. Parker prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Bossier City man was sentenced to 10 months in prison for concealing his business assets during bankruptcy proceedings.

John M. Santoro, 43, of Bossier City, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of concealment of assets in a bankruptcy proceeding. He was also sentenced to one year of supervised release. According to evidence presented at the April 7, 2015 guilty plea, Santoro filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection on May 20, 2011, as the owner and for Santoro’s Catering Inc.  After filing, Santoro had a third party sell a 2007 Dodge Ram 3500, which belonged to Santoro’s Catering Inc., and also sold some of the company’s catering equipment.  Santoro failed to disclose the existence of the truck and the catering equipment to the bankruptcy trustee or list it on his bankruptcy petition.  In bankruptcy proceedings, debtors are required to fully disclose all assets and liabilities.

The FBI conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon B. Brown and Cytheria D. Jernigan prosecuted the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a New Iberia man was sentenced to 360 months in prison for videoing boys over the internet engaging in sexual activity.

Raymond F. Doyle III, 41, of New Iberia, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik on one count of producing child pornography. He was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release and ordered to pay $735.95 restitution. According to evidence presented at the April 16, 2015 guilty plea, Doyle began communicating with numerous boys in the summer of 2011 using the internet and the video streaming internet service Skype. Doyle caused one of the boys to engage in sex acts while being videoed using Skype. A search of Doyle’s home computer revealed evidence that Doyle had contact with more than 60 boys. In most cases, Doyle pretended to be a female in order to encourage the boys to communicate with him.

“This case shows that exploitation of children has severe consequences for those who engage in these depraved activities,” Finley stated. “This sentence will help keep this defendant from harming more children. I also want to thank the prosecutor and law enforcement agencies for their help in securing this prosecution. Protecting children from predators requires cooperation among law enforcement agencies.”

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Shreveport woman was sentenced Thursday to 12 months and one day in prison for stealing more than $39,000 in Social Security benefit payments.

Stephanie D. Lynn, 46, of Shreveport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on one count of theft of government funds. She was also sentenced to serve three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $39,435 in restitution. According to evidence presented at the January 15, 2015 guilty plea, Lynn cashed and used her deceased son’s Social Security benefit checks from May 2009 to December 2013. She also did not inform the Social Security Administration that her son had died and submitted paperwork stating that he was alive in order to continue receiving the checks. The total amount taken was $39,435.

The Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Reeg prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Bossier City woman was sentenced Tuesday to 21 months in prison for making and filing a false tax return.

Karen Cartagena, 55, of Bossier City, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of making and subscribing a false tax return. Judge Foote also sentenced Cartagena to serve three years of supervised release and pay $84,147 in restitution. According to evidence presented at the March 19, 2015, guilty plea, Cartagena prepared and filed a fraudulent tax return on or about January 24, 2012. In the return, she added education credits (Education and American Opportunity credits) to which she was not entitled.
 

“While most preparers provide excellent service to their clients, some dishonest return preparers file false tax returns and give clients a false sense of security,” Finley stated. “I want to remind dishonest tax preparers that they will be prosecuted. This case should send a strong message to any dishonest tax return preparers who might be thinking of engaging in criminal activity. I also want to thank our law enforcement partners and the prosecutor in this case for their hard work in bringing this defendant to justice.”

“We are pleased with the sentencing of Ms. Cartagena and will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute return preparers who abuse the nation’s tax system,” said Jerome R. McDuffie, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation, New Orleans Field Office. “Tax return preparer fraud is a priority for our agency. Taxpayers should be very selective in choosing a return preparer; and have confidence that their returns are prepared accurately and reflect only the information that they provide. ”

Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Earl M. Campbell prosecuted the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Honduran national pleaded guilty Tuesday to re-entering the country after having been previously deported for committing an aggravated felony.

Timoteo Gonzalez-Leiva, 42, of Honduras, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark L. Hornsby to one count of illegal re-entry after being deported as an aggravated felon. His plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter. According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, Shreveport Police arrested Gonzalez-Levia on October 26, 2014. On October 28, 2014, he was convicted of simple battery and sentenced to prison. On January 7, 2015, at the completion of his jail sentence, the Caddo Parish Sheriff notified U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of his pending release. ICE agents found that the defendant had been deported and then unlawfully returned to the United States multiple times. He was arrested in March of 1998 for first degree robbery in Delaware and sentenced to two years in prison. After serving the prison sentence, he was deported as an aggravated felon to Honduras. He later unlawfully re-entered the United States again, was arrested and removed in April of 2004, and again in February of 2006.

Gonzalez-Leiva faces up to 20 years in prison, one to three years supervised release, a $250,000 fine and deportation after completion of his prison term. A sentencing date of November 2, 2015 was set.

United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement-Immigration Enforcement and the Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Gillespie Jr. is prosecuting the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that the owner of an Opelousas tax preparation business pleaded guilty Wednesday to tax evasion and failing to pay more than $125,000 in taxes.

Lachala Guidry Joseph, 37, of Opelousas, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik to one count of tax evasion. According to the guilty plea, Joseph owned and operated Guidry’s Tax Service, also known as Dee’s Tax Service, in Opelousas from 2007 to 2014.  Joseph deposited business income into accounts held by her sister, mother and aunt in order to disguise the amount she earned. She filed her 2010 federal tax return stating that she only received $13,858 in wages and claiming a $7,695 refund. She also did not file income tax returns for years 2011 to 2013. In total, she did not report more than $510,000 in income, which resulted in a tax loss to the IRS of $125,014.22. Joseph’s business also added false cash income information to its tax returns in amounts high enough to qualify them for the maximum earned income tax credit, which resulted in her clients receiving tax refunds they were not entitled to.

Joseph faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $100,000 fine and restitution. A sentencing date was not set.

The IRS investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys David C. Joseph and Myers P. Namie are prosecuting the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Mexican national was sentenced to 64 months in prison for possessing heroin with intent to distribute.

Uriel Coria-Coria, 22, of Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin.  According to evidence presented at the March 25, 2015 guilty plea, Coria was riding with co-defendants Jose Segovia-Ayala, 40, of El Salvador, and Israel Gabriel-Miranda, 45, of Guatemala, July 1, 2014 on I-20 in Bossier Parish. A Louisiana State Trooper conducted a traffic stop, and they were questioned. Upon further investigation, the vehicle was searched and three bags of heroin were discovered in the rear quarter panels accessed inside of the vehicle.

Segovia-Ayala was sentenced on June 25, 2015 to 64 months in prison on one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin. Gabriel-Miranda was sentenced on March 11, 2015 to six months in prison on one count of being an alien having reentered the United States after being removed.

Homeland Security Investigations, DEA and Louisiana State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cytheria D. Jernigan prosecuted the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Lafayette business owner pleaded guilty Thursday to selling counterfeit clothes, phone cases and other items.

Tawfic Ahmed Saleh, 32, of Lafayette, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik to one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods. According to the guilty plea, law enforcement agents searched AA Discount Plus LLC doing business as “Urban Buzz,” a clothing and variety store in Lafayette on November 18, 2014.  During the search, agents found and seized numerous suspected counterfeit items including: 258 articles of clothing and 20 watches labeled “Ralph Lauren Polo”; 42 phone cases labeled “Otterbox”; 25 women’s purses, four watches and 25 wallets labeled “Michael Kors”; 45 watches labeled “Casio”; 15 belts labeled “Guicci”; and eight belts labeled “Louis Vuitton.” Saleh was later questioned and admitted to selling counterfeit items. Saleh operated the business from 2005 to 2007 and reopened it in 2009.

Saleh faces up to 10 years in prison, three years supervised release and a $2 million fine. A sentencing date was not set.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph and John Luke Walker are prosecuting the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Lafayette man pleaded guilty Thursday to using telephone masking technology to harass his ex-wife.

Arthur Craig Wagley, 55, of Lafayette, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik to one count of telecommunication harassment. According to the guilty plea, Wagley made hundreds of harassing phone calls to his ex-wife from July 4, 2011 to October 7, 2013. Wagley used a telephone spoofing service to call his ex-wife anonymously. He could also set up calls to appear to be family or friends’ numbers and could even disguise his voice using the service. Wagley used these tactics on October 12, 2011, to make 12 phone calls throughout the day, appeared to be someone else and used offensive language. Wagley has been divorced from his ex-wife since 2008. Wagley pleaded no contest and was convicted on September 16, 2010 in the 27th Judicial District Court of Louisiana in St. Landry Parish to felony stalking of his ex-wife. A protective order was issued in 2010 and expired on March 12, 2012.

Wagley faces up to two years in prison, one year supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date was not set.

The FBI and the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Myers P. Namie is prosecuting the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Bossier City woman pleaded guilty to taking more than $90,000 paid to her deceased mother.

Gloria Lynn Perry, 65, of Bossier City, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. to one count of theft of government property.  According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, Perry stole $90,006 of her mother’s Veteran’s Affairs Dependency and Indemnity Compensation benefits from April 1, 2008 until July 1, 2014. Her mother died in 2008. In addition, Perry filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2014, but she did not report the existence of the bank account where her mother’s benefits were deposited nor the income she received as a result.

Perry faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. A sentencing date of November 12, 2015 was set.

The Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cytheria D. Jernigan is prosecuting the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced a clarification related to an oilfield production company employee’s guilty plea and sentencing for dumping polluted water into West Cote Blanche Bay.

Brian Osborn, 43, of Lafayette, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick Hanna to one count of negligent discharge of pollutants. Last Wednesday, he was sentenced to one day in prison and one year of supervised release, and he was also ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. The evidence presented at the guilty plea showed that Gulfport Energy discharged produced water into West Cote Blanche Bay from June 2011 until March 2012. Finley clarified that according to the guilty plea, Osborn, who was Gulfport Energy Corporation’s operation manager for the platform, should have been aware of the problem. Additionally, Finley clarified that the problem was not timely addressed and the platform continued to illegally discharge the produced water at certain production rates over a 10-month period. Osborn was found to be an officer within Gulfport Energy Corporation who became aware of the defective nature of the platform, and who had the responsibility to fix any deficiency causing illegal discharges.  Produced waters are left over after separating oil from drainage fluids. The pollutants should have been disposed of via barge, injection well or other approved method.

Gulf Port Energy pleaded guilty and was sentenced on one count of negligent discharge of pollutants on October 27, 2014. The company was ordered to pay $1.5 million. Gulfport paid a $1.125 million fine for violating the Clean Water Act. The company also paid $375,000 in community service for a total of $1.5 million. Of the $375,000, $100,000 was paid to the Louisiana State Police Emergency Services Unit; $100,000 was paid to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality; $125,000 was paid to the Public Oyster Seed Ground Development Account within the Conservation Fund administered by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; and $50,000 was paid to Southern Environmental Enforcement Network.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality-Criminal Investigations Division conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Myers P. Namie prosecuted the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a former Iberia Parish Sheriff’s deputy was sentenced to serve one day in prison, one year of supervised release, 200 hours of community service and one year of location monitoring for striking a handcuffed man.

Cody Laperouse, 29, of New Iberia, La., was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick Hanna on one count of violating an individual’s civil rights by use of excessive force.  He was also ordered to take anger management classes and pay a $2,000 fine. According to evidence presented at the March 24, 2015 guilty plea, Laperouse, while acting as a deputy of the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office on September 29, 2013, struck a man who was under arrest and on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back. Laperouse was one of several officers tasked with dispersing a large crowd around 1:40 a.m. that had gathered after the close of the Sugar Cane Festival in New Iberia. The crowd was asked to disperse, and the victim was arrested during this time. The victim was instructed to lie flat on the ground in a face-down position, but instead remained on his side and did not comply with the instructions. Laperouse struck the victim twice, using excessive force.

The FBI and Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office Internal Affairs Division conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph T. Mickel and Jamilla A. Bynog prosecuted the case.

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Lake Charles woman pleaded guilty Thursday to mail fraud for a scheme to use a seafood restaurant’s employee records to file false Deepwater Horizon settlement claims.

Yvette Kocik, 43, of Lake Charles, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi to one count of mail fraud. According to the guilty plea, Kocik approached current and former employees of Steamboat Bill’s seafood restaurant of Lake Charles asking them to use their employee documents so she could file claims on their behalf as part of the Deepwater Horizon BP spill of April 20, 2010. Kocik’s mother owns Steamboat Bill’s, and Kocik performs bookkeeping services for the company. She used the employee documents to fill out forms mailed to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility stating they lost earnings and work hours because of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill when they had not. She kept a portion of the proceeds awarded to the employees. The employees received $104,655 for more than 10 claims filed in the course of the scheme, which took place beginning in 2010 to December of 2013.

Kocik faces up to 20 years in prison, one to three years supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. A sentencing date of October 22, 2015 was set.

The FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly P. Uebinger and Robert F. Moore are prosecuting the case.

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Lake Charles man pleaded guilty Thursday to wire fraud in connection with a Ponzi scheme used to defraud investors out of more than $5.8 million.

John Steven Blount, 54, of Lake Charles, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi to one count of wire fraud. According to the guilty plea, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) barred Blount from working as an investment advisor in December of 2003. In spite of this prohibition, Blount resumed work illegally as an investment adviser and securities broker from June of 2007 to December of 2014. During that time, he used his company, Professional Consultants LLC, to operate a Ponzi scheme that defrauded at least 73 investors out of approximately $5.8 million. Blount would offer investments in fictitious companies, bonds and IRAs that promised to pay a high rate of return on those investments.  Instead of investing the money, Blount transferred the payments into his own bank accounts for his personal use and to support his other business interests.

In order to avoid detection and continue defrauding investors, Blount emailed investors false account statements that purported to show the value of their investments. As necessary, Blount would also provide his victims with monetary payments, which Blount falsely represented to be interest payments or principal withdrawals from the investments. In fact, these “lulling payments” were actually investments Blount received from other victims of the Ponzi scheme.  Over the course of the scheme, Blount paid $1,743,198.84 “lulling payments” to investors.

The victims of Blount’s scheme were primarily retirees residing along the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast who invested large portions of their retirement savings in Blount’s scheme. Blount recruited his victims through his website, through his own personal and family relationships, and through his involvement in various Lake Charles area charities, including his role as a board member of Moss Bluff Buddy Ball Sports – a 501(c)(3) organization that provides disabled children the opportunity to play sports at no cost to their families.

“Mr. Blount targeted some of the most vulnerable members of our society,” Finley stated. “He has admitted to convincing dozens of retired Gulf Coast residents to invest their life savings or retirement in his Ponzi scheme. He perpetrated his get-rich-quick schemes to circumvent the law and defraud retired residents of their hard-earned money.”

Blount faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $8,390,283.48 fine and restitution. A sentencing date of October 22, 2015 was set.

The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigations investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph is prosecuting the case.

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a DeRidder woman was sentenced Thursday to 51 months in prison for stealing more than $1.3 million from her former employer.

Lisa H. Ernst, 52, of DeRidder, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi on one count of wire fraud. She was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $1,351,259.86 in restitution. According to evidence presented at the March 31, 2015 guilty plea, Ernst stole $1,351,259.86 from a company located in Deridder where she worked from May 13, 2003 to March 4, 2014 in various capacities in the accounting department, including as an assistant manager. She made approximately 142 direct interbank transfers from the company’s bank account to her personal bank accounts. In addition to taking the money, she made false representations to her subordinates and supervisors in order to secure approval for the bank transfers, and then after transferring the money, she fabricated documents to conceal fraudulent transactions.

“Ms. Ernst abused the position of trust that was given to her by her employer, a company that made significant contributions to our community,” Finley stated. “Now she will spend the better part of the next five years in prison paying for her crime. This sentence should serve as a deterrent to others tempted to make easy money through corporate theft.”

The FBI and the DeRidder Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph T. Mickel and David C. Joseph prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – The computer hacking forum known as “Darkode” was dismantled, and criminal charges have been filed in the Western District of Louisiana, the Western District of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere against 12 individuals associated with the forum, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Deputy Director Mark F. Giuliano of the FBI.

Working with local, national and international partners, law enforcement were able to arrest an Opelousas man for his role in the forum. Rory Stephen Guidry, aka k@exploit.im, of Opelousas, La., is charged with computer fraud. He is accused of selling botnets on Darkode.

“Hackers and those who profit from stolen information use underground Internet forums to evade law enforcement and target innocent people around the world,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell.  “This operation is a great example of what international law enforcement can accomplish when we work closely together to neutralize a global cybercrime marketplace.”

“Cybercrime is a serious threat facing our country and has enormous implications for citizens,” U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley stated. “As the cyber threat in this nation and around the world continues to grow, our response to this type of criminal activity will be swift and aggressive. Clever computer criminals will not be able to hide or maintain their anonymity even as they cross national boundaries. Through the coordinated response and international cooperation of our law enforcement partners, individuals such as these who are involved in computer hacking forums will see their organizations dismantled, and they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“This is a milestone in our efforts to shut down criminals’ ability to buy, sell, and trade malware, botnets and personally identifiable information used to steal from U.S. citizens and individuals around the world,” said Deputy Director Giuliano.  “Cyber criminals should not have a safe haven to shop for the tools of their trade and Operation Shrouded Horizon shows we will do all we can to disrupt their unlawful activities.”

As alleged in the charging documents, Darkode was an online, password-protected forum in which hackers and other cyber-criminals convened to buy, sell, trade and share information, ideas, and tools to facilitate unlawful intrusions on others’ computers and electronic devices.  Before becoming a member of Darkode, prospective members were allegedly vetted through a process in which an existing member invited a prospective member to the forum for the purpose of presenting the skills or products that he or she could bring to the group.  Darkode members allegedly used each other’s skills and products to infect computers and electronic devices of victims around the world with malware and, thereby gain access to, and control over, those devices. 

The takedown of the forum and the charges announced today are the result of the FBI’s infiltration, as part of Operation Shrouded Horizon, of the Darkode’s membership.  The investigation of the Darkode forum is ongoing, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Pennsylvania is taking a leadership role in conjunction with the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS).

The charges announced today are part of a coordinated effort by a coalition of law enforcement authorities from 20 nations to charge, arrest or search 70 Darkode members and associates around the world.  The nations comprising the coalition include Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, Latvia, Macedonia, Nigeria, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.  Today’s actions represent the largest coordinated international law enforcement effort ever directed at an online cyber-criminal forum.

The following defendants face charges in the Western District of Pennsylvania:

• Johan Anders Gudmunds, aka Mafi aka Crim aka Synthet!c, 27, of Sollebrunn, Sweden, is charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.  He is accused of serving as the administrator of Darkode, and creating and selling malware that allowed hackers to create botnets.  Gudmunds also allegedly operated his own botnet, which at times consisted of more than 50,000 computers, and used his botnet to steal data from the users of those computers on approximately 200,000,000 occasions.

• Morgan C. Culbertson, aka Android, 20, of Pittsburgh, is charged by criminal information with conspiring to send malicious code.  He is accused of designing Dendroid, a coded malware intended to remotely access, control, and steal data from Google Android cellphones.  The malware was allegedly offered for sale on Darkode.

• Eric L. Crocker, aka Phastman, 39, of Binghamton, New York, is charged by criminal information with sending spam.  He is accused of being involved in a scheme involving the use of a Facebook Spreader which infected Facebook users’ computers, turning them into bots which Crocker controlled through the use of command and control servers.  Crocker sold the use of this botnet to others for the purpose of sending out massive amounts of spam.

• Naveed Ahmed, aka Nav aka semaph0re, 27, of Tampa, Florida; Phillip R. Fleitz, aka Strife, 31, of Indianapolis; and Dewayne Watts, aka m3t4lh34d aka metal, 28, of Hernando, Florida, are each charged by criminal information with conspiring to send spam.  They are accused of participating in a sophisticated scheme to maintain a spam botnet that utilized bulletproof servers in China to exploit vulnerable routers in third world countries, and that sent millions of electronic mail messages designed to defeat the spam filters of cellular phone providers.

• Murtaza Saifuddin, aka rzor, 29, of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, is charged in an indictment with identity theft.  Saifuddin is accused of attempting to transfer credit card numbers to others on Darkode.

The following defendant faces charges in the Eastern District of Wisconsin:

• Daniel Placek, aka Nocen aka Loki aka Juggernaut aka M1rr0r, 27, of Glendale, Wisconsin, is charged by criminal information with conspiracy to commit computer fraud.  He is accused of creating the Darkode forum, and selling malware on Darkode designed to surreptitiously intercept and collect email addresses and passwords from network communications.

The following defendants face charges in the District of Columbia:

• Matjaz Skorjanc, aka iserdo aka serdo, 28, of Maribor, Slovenia; Florencio Carro Ruiz, aka NeTK aka Netkairo, 36, of Vizcaya, Spain; and Mentor Leniqi, aka Iceman, 34, of Gurisnica, Slovenia, are each charged in a criminal complaint with racketeering conspiracy; conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud; conspiracy to commit computer fraud, access device fraud and extortion; and substantive computer fraud.  Skorjanc also is accused of conspiring to organize the Darkode forum and of selling malware known as the ButterFly bot.

The following defendant faces charges in the Western District of Louisiana:

• Rory Stephen Guidry, aka k@exploit.im, of Opelousas, Louisiana, is charged with computer fraud.  He is accused of selling botnets on Darkode.

            The charges and allegations are merely accusations.  A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

            This investigation, Operation Shrouded Horizon, is being conducted by the FBI with assistance from Europol and their European Cyber Crime Center (EC3).  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James T. Kitchen and Charles A. Eberle of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorneys Gavin A. Corn, Marie-Flore Johnson and Harold Chun of CCIPS, Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica O’Neil of the Eastern District of Wisconsin and Assistant U.S. Attorney Myers Namie of the Western District of Louisiana.  The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.

*****

In a related case, Aleksandr Andreevich Panin, aka Gribodemon, 26, of Tver, Russia; and Hamza Bendelladj, aka Bx1, 27, of Tizi Ouzou, Algeria, pleaded guilty on Jan. 28, 2014, and June 26, 2015, respectively, in the Northern District of Georgia in connection with developing, distributing and controlling SpyEye, a malicious banking trojan designed to steal unsuspecting victims’ financial and personally identifiable information.  Bendelladj and Panin advertised SpyEye to other members on Darkode.  One of the servers used by Bendelladj to control SpyEye contained evidence of malware that was designed to steal information from approximately 253 unique financial institutions around the world.  Panin and Bendelladj will be sentenced at a later date.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Grimberg and Kamal Ghali of the Northern District of Georgia.  All press inquiries relating to this case should be directed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a federal jury found a Ville Platte man guilty Tuesday of possessing and receiving thousands of images of child pornography using an internet file sharing program.

Bradley Smith, 60, of Ville Platte, La., was found guilty of two counts of possession of child pornography and three counts of receiving child pornography.  United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote presided over the trial. The defendant’s trial started Monday and ended Tuesday with the jury returning the guilty verdict after deliberating for 40 minutes.  Evidence admitted at trial revealed that in September of 2012 law enforcement detected Smith using an internet file sharing program to download child pornography. The software is used to trade files on the internet among its members. Law enforcement searched Smith’s residence on September 24, 2012 and seized his computer and computer hard drives. After a forensic examination of the hardware was conducted, a total of 40 movies and 1,100 images of child pornography were found. Some of the material included very young children engaged in sexually explicit activities.

Smith faces up to 10 years in prison for the possession of child pornography counts and five to 20 years in prison for the receiving child pornography counts. He also faces five years to life of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.  Sentencing has been set for September 24, 2015.

The FBI and Louisiana State Police conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Luke Walker and Robert C. Abendroth are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Those concerned may also leave tips with the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. Tips may be submitted anonymously.  The Lafayette FBI office number is (337) 232-2164.

SHREVEPORT/MONROE/ALEXANDRIA/LAKE CHARLES/LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorneys Stephanie A. Finley of the Western District of Louisiana, Walt Green of the Middle District of Louisiana and Kenneth Polite of the Eastern District of Louisiana jointly announced today that the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded almost $29 million to the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement (LCLC), which is approximately three times the amount of the previous year’s awards.

LCLE is a state agency whose mission is to promote public safety by providing progressive leadership and coordination within the criminal justice community and to continue to improve the operations of the criminal justice community. U.S. Department of Justice awards, such as those being announced today, advance the LCLE’s mission by supporting the development, coordination, and implementation of broad system-wide programs, and by assisting in the improvement of the state’s criminal justice community through the funding of innovative, essential and needed initiatives at the state and local level.

U.S. Attorney Finley stated: “This increase in funding to the LCLE shows the Justice Department’s commitment to this program. We are eager to continue working with the LCLE and look forward to an increased partnership in the coming year. These funds will allow the LCLE to provide training and technical assistance to law enforcement statewide and to implement programs that will further its mission to improve the criminal justice system. I think that this is a major step in support of law enforcement that will benefit our communities statewide.”

U.S. Attorney Green stated: “We are extremely pleased to announce our increased support and partnership with LCLE, one of our most important statewide law enforcement partners. Chairman Sid Gautreaux and the other LCLE members have worked seamlessly with my office and other components of the U.S. Department of Justice in the pursuit of justice and security for everyone in this state. Today’s announcement reflects our deep commitment to assist, support, and enhance state and local law enforcement efforts in Louisiana through the LCLE. These awards strengthen our unity and our collective efforts against crime.”

U.S. Attorney Polite stated: “These vital awards will help fight crime and build safer communities across our state. We look forward to our continued work with LCLE in pursuing justice for all Louisiana residents.”

East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux, who serves as the LCLE Chairman, stated: “I am extremely proud that we have been able to secure this additional funding that will enhance and strengthen what is already a strong partnership focused on making our community safer. With the increased grant money we will be able to commit more personnel and resources through our local, state and federal partners in order to continue to combat drugs, illegal weapons and overall crime. Since taking office I have been committed to a level of unprecedented collaboration with our partners that only gets better with each year.”

To find out more about the LCLE visit www.cole.state.la.us.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Lafayette man was sentenced to 240 months in prison for distributing child pornography to a 16-year-old.

Thomas Dessoye, 54, of Lafayette, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of distribution of child pornography. He was also sentenced to serve 10 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $5,095 in restitution. According to evidence presented at the March 11, 2015 guilty plea, Dessoye began communicating via the internet with a 16-year-old who lived in Minnesota.  On October 20, 2012, Dessoye sent the 16-year-old a link to Dessoye’s Dropbox account.  Dropbox is an internet site that allows account holders to store images and videos as well as other digital files.  The Dropbox account holder can send others a link so they can view material the account holder has stored on the Dropbox account.  When Dessoye shared his Dropbox account with the 16-year-old, Dessoye had uploaded videos of child pornography to the Dropbox account.  These videos depicted children engaging in sex acts with other children as well as videos depicting adults engaging in sexual acts with children.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, after distributing child pornography to the 16-year-old, Dessoye traveled from Louisiana to Minnesota without the knowledge or consent of the minor’s parents. He picked up the 16-year-old and transported him back to Louisiana.  Shortly after that, the parents of the 16-year-old reported their child missing.  The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota working with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office used information provided by a cell phone provider to locate the missing child at Dessoye’s residence in Lafayette.  The child was then returned to the parents.

“Combating abuse of children is a top priority of this office,” Finley stated. “My office, along with our law enforcement partners, will use every tool available to prosecute these cases to the fullest extent of the law and put child predators behind bars. Our goal is to keep children safe.”

The FBI, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office of Elk River, Minn., investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert C. Abendroth prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Those concerned may also leave tips with the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. Tips may be submitted anonymously.  The Lafayette FBI office number is (337) 232-2164.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that five defendants were sentenced for their roles in a pay-for-plea scheme that garnered favorable treatment for defendants charged with various state crimes.

Barna D. Haynes, 61; Greg Williams, 46; and Sandra Degeyter, 63, all of Lafayette were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Denease Curry, 49, of Broussard, and Elaine Crump, 61 of Lafayette, were also sentenced by Foote on one count of misprision of a felony for failure to report bribes offered and received by employees of the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Hanyes, Williams and Curry were former employees District Attorney’s Office. Degeyter and Crump were former employees of Acadiana Outreach. For sentencing details see the graphic below:

Defendants Prison Term Supervised Release Probation Fine Community Service Home Confinement Table containing sentencing information for Barna Hanyes and other defendants Haynes 18 months 1 year   $5,000     Williams     2 years     6 months Degeyter     2 years     6 months Curry     2 years   200 hours   Crump     2 years   200 hours  

According to the guilty pleas, the defendants conspired with Lafayette private investigator Robert Williamson, 64, who is not licensed to practice law, to move cases through the legal system. From March 2008 to February 2012, Williamson solicited thousands of dollars from individuals with pending criminal charges in the 15th Judicial District and promised them favorable resolutions to pending felony and misdemeanor cases, the majority of which were OWI cases. The favorable resolutions were obtained by improperly manipulating the procedures set forth in Louisiana Criminal Code of Louisiana Procedure Article 894.

Article 894 provides a process by which a person can initially plead guilty to a crime with the understanding that the conviction will be set aside if the person successfully completes certain requirements imposed during a probationary period. The District Attorney’s Office had previously established a process by which select defendants could receive what was referred to as “immediate 894 pleas” on OWI cases.  In order to qualify for the immediate 894 plea, the charged individuals were required to provide certifications at the time of the plea stating that they had completed all legal prerequisites, including community service, a substance abuse program and a driver safety program. If the District Attorney authorized the immediate 894 plea, the case was not placed on any docket, and the defendant was allowed to plead at a time and place different than the normal OWI docket.  Following the entry of the immediate 894 plea, the judge would grant the 894 motion, dismissing the conviction, which served as an acquittal, thereby enabling those OWI defendants to immediately reinstate their driving privileges with no record.

Defendant Williamson charged individuals as much as $5,000 to participate in the Article 894 process. He also paid bribes in cash and other things of value to employees of the 15th Judicial District Attorney=s Office, who included Haynes, who at the time worked as the administrative assistant to the district attorney; Williams, who was an assistant district attorney; and Curry, who was Williams’ secretary and assisted Haynes with the Williamson cases.  Williamson also paid bribes in cash and other things of value to employees of other organizations associated with the OWI program, including Acadiana Outreach, where Crump and Degeyter were formerly employed. Williamson obtained false and fraudulent certifications from Acadiana Outreach, which certified that his clients completed court-ordered community service when in fact the individuals had not.

Beginning in 2008, Haynes began transferring Williamson’s “clients” from city court to district court. Specifically, if one of Williamson’s clients was scheduled to appear in city court, Haynes transferred the case to district court and scheduled the case to be resolved during one of the “immediate 894 sessions.” Haynes also prepared the expungement paperwork associated with Williamson’s clients and was paid $500 for each case. During the course of the conspiracy, Haynes received at least $55,000 from Williamson.

Williams, Assistant District Attorney for the 15th Judicial District, handled immediate 894 pleas and received bribes for his role in the scheme. Beginning in 2010, he was aware of Haynes and Williamson’s arrangement to place cases into district court to be heard as part of the 894 sessions and that Williamson was not an attorney. Williamson gave Williams payments to include $500 cash, an autographed New Orleans Saints hat, bicycles for Williams and his family members, and clothing for Williams.

Sometime beginning in 2010, Curry became aware that Haynes and Williamson were using the immediate 894 pleas for favorable disposition of certain cases, mostly OWIs. Curry began helping to coordinate the immediate 894 sessions and would contact the judge’s chambers to set up the sessions. Curry also prepared Williams’ files for the sessions. After Haynes took an extended medical leave in 2010, Williamson paid Curry $200 for each case for a total of $1,600.

Beginning in 2008, Degeyter, agreed to provide false and fraudulent Acadiana Outreach community service certificates to Williamson in exchange for money.  The fraudulent certificates falsely confirmed that Williamson’s clients completed court-ordered community service.  Williamson paid Degeyter $100 per certificate. Degeyter admitted producing more than 50 false certificates between the spring of 2008 and October 2009. She received between $5,000 and $10,000 in bribes.

Crump, who was also employed as a case manager at Acadiana Outreach, was asked by Degeyter to assist with continuing the scheme.  The two agreed that Degeyter would continue to create fraudulent Acadiana Outreach community service certificates, and in exchange for cash payments, Crump would permit Degeyter to sign Crump’s name on the fraudulent certificates. Degeyter began providing cash payments to Crump, from $25 to $100, which was a portion of what Degeyter received from Williamson. Shortly after Crump was laid off from Acadiana Outreach in September 2011, Degeyter and Crump agreed that Degeyter would continue creating additional certificates and sign Crump’s name on them backdating the documents to dates within Crump’s employment at Acadiana Outreach. She received between $1,000 and $2,000 in bribes.

“These public servants and employees decided that money mattered more than justice, safety and their duty to serve the public,” said Finley. “I hope these convictions send a message that the facilitation of schemes like this are not worth it. I want to thank all of the prosecutors, agents and law enforcement who worked diligently on this case. Their hard work is to be commended for assisting in putting an end to this OWI scheme.”

Williamson pleaded guilty June 8, 2015, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, 10 years in prison for one count of bribery, and five years in prison for one count of Social Security fraud. He also faces a $250,000 fine or both with up to three years of supervised release for each count. Sentencing date is September 25, 2015.

The FBI and the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Luke Walker and Robert C. Abendroth are prosecuting the case.

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that two men were sentenced for their roles in a cocaine and methamphetamine distribution ring operating in Caddo and Bossier parishes.

Eugene O’Neal Cross, 40, of Marshall, Texas, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for one count of distribution of methamphetamine; and Anthony D. Jackson, 25, of Vivian, La., was sentenced to 60 months in prison for one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter.  According to evidence presented at the March 31, 2015, guilty plea, from February 21, 2014, until July 26, 2014, Jackson conspired to possess and distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine.  Cross admitted to distributing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine on January 21, 2014.  Using surveillance and controlled buys, agents recorded the defendants at various times possessing and distributing drugs in Caddo and Bossier parishes.

The defendants were arrested as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation Cross the Line.  The DEA and the Caddo-Shreveport Narcotics Task Force investigated the case.  The OCDETF program is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations,  coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources, and disrupting and dismantling of major drug trafficking organizations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison D. Bushnell prosecuted the case.

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Scott resident pleaded guilty to failing to register his correct address for his sex offender identification.

Charles Edward Shinn, 44, of Scott, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik to one count of failure to update his sex offender registration.  According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, U.S. Marshals learned in January of 2015 that Shinn was living in Louisiana even though he was registered as a sex offender in Mississippi. Upon further investigation, Shinn was found to be living in Scott and working in Lake Charles, La. Shinn was arrested on February 6, 2015. Law enforcement found multiple receipts from local stores in Louisiana dating back to September of 2014, and the owner of the home in Mississippi where Shinn said he lived reported that Shinn had never lived there.

Shinn was convicted in March of 1996 of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile in St. Tammany Parish in the 22nd Judicial District of Louisiana. The offense occurred in December of 1993 and involved a 13-year-old. Shinn received four years of probation and was required to register as a sex offender. He never complied with sex offender registration requirements, removed himself from Louisiana Probation and Parole supervision in 1999, and remained a fugitive for the next 10 years. Shinn was arrested in August of 2010 and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama for failure to register as a sex offender. In August of 2011, he received a 10-month federal prison sentence, revocation for the State of Louisiana probation violation, and five years of federal supervised release. After completing his revocation prison term in June of 2014, Shinn was released from the Louisiana Department of Corrections, but never reported to U.S. Probation concerning his federal supervised release. He registered as a sex offender in St. Martin Parish on June 9, 2014, and reported on July 1, 2014, that he had moved to a Mississippi address.

Shinn faces up to 10 years in prison, five years to life supervised release and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date was not set.

The U.S. Marshals Service conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Moore is prosecuting the case.

MONROE La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a West Monroe man and a New Jersey man were sentenced Monday for their roles in importing and selling anabolic steroids.

David Ray Dean, 47, of West Monroe, La., and Justin R. Kull, 28, of Turnersville, N.J., were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James to 15 months in prison and 12 months in prison respectively for one count of conspiracy to distribute Schedule III controlled substances. Dean was ordered to pay a $4,000 fine, and Kull was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and surrender his nursing license. They were also sentenced to four years of supervised release. According to evidence presented at the guilty pleas, Dean and Kull in addition to Gary Lynn Ward, 47, of Monroe, conspired to possess with intent to distribute anabolic steroids starting sometime in 2013 until August 27, 2013. Kull was a nurse from New Jersey who supplied quantities of steroids to Ward and Dean. Ward and Dean would also import the drugs from overseas and other domestic sources. They would then process the drugs in a makeshift lab in the Monroe area and distribute them.

Ward was sentenced to 46 months in prison and four years of supervised release on June 29, 2015 for the conspiracy count. This is Dean and Ward’s second prosecution for steroid distribution. They previously pleaded guilty on June 21, 2007 to conspiracy to distribute steroids and were sentenced on October 15, 2007 to one year in prison and three years of supervised release.

United States Customs and Border Patrol-Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Louisiana State Police participated in the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown prosecuted the case.

MONROE La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Monroe man was sentenced Monday to 72 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in relation to drug trafficking.

Edward A. Jordan, 49, of Monroe, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James on one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and one count of possession of a firearm in relation to drug trafficking.  He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.  According to evidence presented at the March 27, 2015 guilty plea, law enforcement searched Jordan’s residence on May 20, 2013 after receiving tips that distribution of marijuana and prescription pills were taking place. The search yielded a sizeable amount of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, prescription pills, a loaded Hi-Point 9mm carbine, 27 rounds of live ammunition and $1,102.

The ATF and the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office Special Crimes Apprehension Team conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown prosecuted the case.

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Monroe grocery store owner and workers were sentenced Monday for their roles in a $7 million scheme to exchange SNAP and WIC benefits to customers for cash and ineligible items.

Kimberlia Harris, 46, of Monroe, was sentenced to 51 months in prison and three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $7 million in restitution; Angela Woods, 28, of Monroe, was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $848,633 in restitution; and Willie Mae Woods-Jackson, 43, of Dallas, was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $337,220.76 restitution for one count of criminal conspiracy by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James. Juanita Woods, 38, of Monroe, was also sentenced by Judge James to five years of probation and ordered to pay $209,878 restitution for one count of theft of government money. According to evidence presented at the guilty pleas, the defendants conspired to provide customers cash and ineligible items for their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and Women Infant and Children (WIC) program benefits from August 2008 to early 2014 at Dee’s Grocery Store in Monroe where Harris was the owner, Angela Woods was a manager and cashier, Woods-Jackson was a cashier, and Juanita Woods was a cashier. During the time the scheme took place, they acquired approximately $7 million.

“This benefit program was set up to help those most in need in our communities and not as a cash grab for people seeking to make a quick buck,” Finley stated. “Business owners have a responsibility to administer these federal programs honestly and fairly. Not doing so will result in prosecution.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Earl M. Campbell prosecuted the case.