District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – An Illinois man was indicted today in federal court in Boston in connection with submitting false insurance information for a high-priced cholesterol drug in 2014 and 2015.

Mark Moffett, 45, of Springfield, Ill., was indicted on one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Moffett was arrested on a criminal complaint in June and is currently on release on conditions. He is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on Aug. 28, 2018.

As alleged in the indictment, Moffett, who was a sales representative in central Illinois, conspired with others at his former employer to defraud insurance companies by providing false information concerning patients for whom doctors had prescribed his employer’s cholesterol drug. Moffett also falsified medical records purportedly signed by a doctor and then submitted them to insurance companies in order to convince patients’ health plans to cover the drug, which cost over $27,000 per month.

The conspiracy and fraud charges provide for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or the amount of the financial loss to the victims of the fraud. The charge of aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year sentence that must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Phillip Coyne Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; and Carol S. Hamilton, Acting Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Boston Regional Office made the announcement today.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil of Lelling’s Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Boston man was arrested today and charged in federal court in Boston with money laundering.

Juan Peguero, 28, was charged in an indictment with two counts of money laundering.

According to the indictment unsealed today, on two occasions in 2015, Peguero transferred almost $500,000 worth of drug proceeds - over $398,000 in April and $90,000 in June.

The charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the laundered funds. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Division; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren A. Graber of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case. 

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Springfield man was arrested today and charged in federal court in Springfield with two counts of distribution of crack cocaine.

Alonzo Williams Jr., 30, was charged in an indictment with two counts of distribution of crack cocaine. Williams appeared in federal court in Springfield today and was detained pending a detention hearing.

The indictment alleges that in October 2017, Williams distributed cocaine base on two occasions.

Williams faces no greater than 30 years in prison, a minimum of six years of supervised release, and a fine of $2 million.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri; and Holyoke Police Chief James Neiswanger made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by the Hampden and Berkshire County Sheriff’s Departments, and the West Springfield and Chicopee Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON - A Salvadoran national was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after being deported.  

Wilfredo Carmona-Ponce, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 15 months in prison and two years of supervised release. Carmona-Ponce will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence.  

On March 23, 2016, law enforcement officers in Stoneham encountered Carmona-Ponce and determined him to be illegally present in the United States. Carmona-Ponce was previously deported on March 19, 2014.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Rebecca Adducci, Interim Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Callahan of Lelling’s Criminal Division prosecute the case.

BOSTON – A Leominster woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to stealing Social Security and Veterans Affairs benefits.   

Joyce Progin, 71, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of public funds. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Nov. 2, 2018. Progin was arrested and charged in January 2018.

In November 2009, Progin’s former father-in-law passed away. At the time of his death, the father-in-law was receiving monthly retirement benefits from Social Security and monthly benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Neither agency was advised of his death and continued to deposit his benefit payments into a bank account he held jointly with Progin, who was his caregiver. Although she admitted knowing that she was not entitled to the money, from November 2009 through March 2017, Progin received approximately $55,267 in Social Security benefits, and from November 2009 through November 2017, she received approximately $269,978 in benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, in total, stealing over $300,000 in public funds.

The charge of theft of public funds provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; and Sean Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office, made the announcement today. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Burzycki of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Haverhill man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his role in an opioid trafficking conspiracy involving the distribution of fentanyl, heroin, and oxycodone across Massachusetts and Florida.

Jesus Gonzalez, 23, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 100 months in prison and four years of supervised release. In April 2018, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute over 100 grams of heroin and/or 40 grams of fentanyl, one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone, and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

Gonzalez was arrested in June 2016 for his role in a widespread conspiracy involving heroin, fentanyl, and opioid pill trafficking, as well as money laundering offenses in Massachusetts and Florida. From at least 2014, Gonzalez obtained heroin and fentanyl from sources in Massachusetts and conspired with others to distribute the narcotics, including approximately 230 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl in November 2015. Gonzalez also participated in a conspiracy to obtain oxycodone pills from Florida, have them shipped to Massachusetts, and then distributed. Finally, Gonzalez participated in a conspiracy to launder and conceal the proceeds of the sale of narcotics by using funnel bank accounts to send money to Florida.     

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; Delany De-Leon Colon, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; and Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Biddeford (Maine), Framingham, Haverhill, Lawrence, Manchester (N.H.), Methuen, Millis, Natick, Stoughton, and Waltham Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nadine Pellegrini and Craig Estes of Lelling’s Office prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Webster man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to possession of child pornography.

William Shenette, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Nov. 1, 2018.

On Dec. 1, 2017, federal and state law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Shenette's residence in Webster. Shennette admitted that he had received two videos of “kiddy porn” the previous evening. During their search, Shenette’s tablet was seized and an on-scene forensic exam was conducted, which revealed two videos, one of a prepubescent girl being anally penetrated by an adult male and another of a female child being orally penetrated by an adult male.

In addition, Kik Messenger chats between Shenette and another person regarding the videos were found. During those chats, Shenette stated that he “wants to (expletive) a little girl” aged “6 to 12.” In response, the third party sent the aforementioned videos.

The charge provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent; and Chief Timothy Bent, Webster Police Department, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Dineen Jerrett of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to 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.

BOSTON – A Heath Street gang member who was previously convicted of a felony pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to drug trafficking and illegal possession of a firearm.

Kendrick Tate, a/k/a “K-Roc,” 25, of Chelsea, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of cocaine base and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Oct. 25, 2018. Tate has been serving a state sentence for unrelated drug and gun convictions.

On subsequent days in April 2017, Tate sold a cooperating witness crack cocaine and a firearm with a partially obliterated serial number. Although Tate has been identified by law enforcement as a member of the Heath Street Gang, he was living in Chelsea at the time of these sales.

According to court documents, Tate was convicted in state court in November 2017 of unrelated drug and firearm charges and is presently serving a 3 ½ - 4-year sentence. Tate was also previously convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon on two occasions, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, resisting arrest, assault and battery on a police officer, and possession to distribute a Class B substance on two occasions.

Following a two-year investigation, Tate and eight co-defendants were charged in January 2018 in connection with illegal drug distribution and firearm possession within and near the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments, formerly known as the Bromley Heath Housing Development. The investigation and arrests sought to reduce violence and improve the quality of life for residents in and around the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments by removing individuals who trafficked drugs and who were actively involved in violence and gang disputes.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans made the announcement today. Assistance was also provided by the Boston Housing Authority’s Department of Police and Public Safety.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations.  The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.       

BOSTON – A Dominican national was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after being deported.  

Eddy Espinal-Diaz, 33, a Dominican national formerly residing in Lawrence, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to one year and one day in prison, to be served concurrent with any future sentence that may be imposed on a pending state drug case, and three years of supervised release. Espinal-Diaz will be subject to deportation proceedings. In May 2018, Espinal-Diaz pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.

Law enforcement in Middleton encountered Espinal-Diaz on Nov. 9, 2017, and determined him to be illegally present in the United States. Espinal-Diaz was previously deported on Aug. 18, 2015.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Rebecca Adducci, Interim Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON - A Dominican national was charged today in federal court in Boston with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.  

Jesus Leonardo Castillo-Martinez, 45, was indicted on one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers in Billerica encountered Castillo-Martinez on June 23, 2018, and determined him to be illegally present in the United States. Castillo-Martinez was previously deported on Nov. 1, 2016.

Castillo-Martinez faces a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Rebecca Adducci, Interim Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON - A Charlestown man was charged today in federal court in Boston with bank robbery.

Robert H. Brady, 40, was indicted on one count of bank robbery. Brady is currently in state custody.

According to court documents, on June 28, 2018, Brady robbed a branch of the Cambridge Savings Bank in Charlestown, stealing approximately $912.00.

Brady faces a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and restitution in the amount of $912.00. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON - A Brazilian national was charged today in federal court in Boston with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.  

Antonio Ferreira, 56, was indicted on one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers in Framingham encountered Ferreira on June 26, 2018, and determined him to be illegally present in the United States. Ferreira was previously deported on April 5, 2007.

Ferreira faces a sentence of no greater than two years in prison, one year of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Rebecca Adducci, Interim Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Vietnamese national was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his role in an international scheme to use stolen payment card data and personally identifiable information to purchase and re-sell hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of consumer goods. 

Tuan Dinh Nguyen, 30, a Vietnamese national previously living in Melbourne, Australia, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to 42 months in prison and ordered to pay forfeiture of $500,000. In May 2018, Nguyen pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of money laundering conspiracy, 13 counts of money laundering - aiding and abetting, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Nguyen was indicted in federal court in Boston in August 2015, arrested in Australia in June 2017, and extradited to the United States on Oct. 5, 2017.

Between December 2007 and December 2013, Nguyen and at least three others conspired to use stolen payment card data and personally identifiable information to purchase consumer goods online and to re-sell those items on auction websites, including Amazon, eBay, and Buy.com; they then wired the proceeds overseas. 

Nguyen and his co-conspirators created fraudulent accounts on multiple auction websites, or used stolen usernames and passwords to take over subscribers’ legitimate accounts. They then posted popular goods for sale at a discounted price, including Apple merchandise, electronics, personal care items and books. However, Nguyen and his co-conspirators did not own or otherwise have these goods to sell. Instead, when customers of the auction websites purchased and paid for these items, Nguyen and his co-conspirators used stolen payment card and personally identifiable information to buy the items from Walmart.com or other e-commerce websites, and then shipped the items to the auction website customers, who never knew that the items they received had been purchased with stolen credit cards and re-sold to them at discounted prices. 

To obtain the proceeds of the scheme, Nguyen and his co-conspirators recruited U.S. residents to withdraw and wire overseas the money that the unwitting customers had paid through the auction websites. In total, Nguyen and his co-conspirators stole and re-sold approximately $500,000 in consumer goods.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and U.S. Marshal John Gibbons for the District of Massachusetts made the announcement today. Australia’s Attorney-General’s Department, the Australian Federal Police, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance in securing Nguyen’s extradition to the United States. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Kosto of Lelling’s Cybercrime Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Somerville man was convicted today by a federal jury of orchestrating disruptive computer attacks on Boston Children’s Hospital and Wayside Youth and Family Support Network.

Martin Gottesfeld, 32, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to damage protected computers and one count of damaging protected computers. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton scheduled sentencing for Nov. 14, 2018. Gottesfeld was charged in February 2016. 

On March 25, 2014, Gottesfeld conducted a distributed denial of service – or DDOS – attack against Wayside Youth and Family Support Network, a nonprofit, Framingham-based residential treatment facility that provides a range of mental health counseling and family support services to children, young adults, and families in Massachusetts. The attack crippled Wayside’s network for more than a week and caused the facility to spend $18,000 on response and mitigation efforts.

Following the attack on Wayside’s computer network, Gottesfeld launched a massive DDOS attack against the computer network of the Boston Children’s Hospital. He customized malicious software that he installed on 40,000 network routers that he was then able to control from his home computer. After spending more than a week preparing his methods, on April 19, 2014, he unleashed a DDOS attack that directed so much hostile traffic at the Children’s Hospital computer network that he not only knocked Boston Children’s Hospital off the internet, but knocked several other hospitals in the Longwood Medical Area off the internet as well. 

Gottesfeld identified himself as a member of the hacking group Anonymous, and launched the attacks on behalf of Anonymous, demanding change in the way the Boston Children’s Hospital was handling a teenage patient (discharged months earlier), who was the subject of a custody battle between her parents and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The attack flooded 65,000 IP addresses used by Boston Children’s Hospital and several other area hospitals with junk data intended to make those computers unavailable for legitimate communications. The attack disrupted the Children’s Hospital network for at least two weeks, interrupting access to internet services used by Boston Children’s Hospital staff to treat patients. The attack disrupted the hospital’s day-to-day operations, as well as its research capabilities. The attack cost the hospital more than $300,000 and caused an additional estimated $300,000 loss in donations, as the attack disabled the hospital’s fundraising portal.

In October 2014, federal law enforcement searched Gottesfeld’s home and recovered a number of computers, servers, and hard drives. Gottesfeld, however, was not formally charged with a crime at the time the search warrant was executed.

In February 2016, local police conducted a wellness check at Gottesfeld’s apartment after relatives and his employer grew concerned about his whereabouts. When police arrived at his home, no one was there.

On Feb. 16, 2016, Gottesfeld and his wife made a distress call from a small boat off the coast of Cuba. A nearby Disney Cruise Ship responded and rescued the couple. The ship returned to Miami and Gottesfeld was arrested.

The charge of conspiracy provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 and restitution. The charge of damaging protected computers provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Harold Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. D’Addio and Seth Kosto of Lelling’s Cybercrime Unit are prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Boston man affiliated with the Vine/Forest Street and Orchard Park gangs was charged today in federal court in Boston with illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.

Quantae Elmore, 21, was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Elmore was arrested on July 6, 2018, and charged; he has been in custody since his arrest.

According to court documents, around 9:40pm on May 4, 2018, multiple people were shot inside the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments, formerly known as the Bromley Heath Housing Development, in Jamaica Plain. A small white car was seen speeding away. Approximately 20 minutes later, aware of an ongoing feud between the Heath Street gang and the Orchard Park gang, police officers went to the Orchard Gardens Development to investigate possible links between the Jamaica Plain shooting and Orchard Gardens. There, on Ziegler Street, officers encountered Elmore standing outside a white car with other Vine/Forest Street and Orchard Park gang affiliates. 

It is alleged that Elmore grew alarmed upon seeing the officers, grabbed the front of his waistband with both hands, and began walking away from the officers. Officers followed Elmore, who ultimately stopped, still grabbing his waistband. Officers saw a bulge at the front of Elmore’s waist, consistent with a firearm, and pat-frisked him. They found inside his waistband a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber handgun loaded with five rounds of .38 caliber ammunition.   

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New England Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans made the announcement today.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

BOSTON – A Watertown man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with his role in a long-running interstate prostitution ring. 

Jineok Kim, 38, of Watertown, Mass., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce individuals to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution and one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering. Co-defendant Susan Bashir, a/k/a “Susan Redmon,” 41 of Stone Mountain, Ga. pleaded guilty on July 25, 2018 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 8, 2018. Co-defendant Kyung Song, 52, of Lexington, Mass. is scheduled to plead guilty on Aug. 13, 2018. Co-defendants Yoon I. Kim, 36, of Haymarket, Va. and Taehee Kim, a/k/a “Hyunsook Kim,” 46, of Haymarket, Va., have pleaded not guilty.

According to court documents, Kim participated in the prostitution network, which had multiple brothels in high-end apartments in Cambridge, Mass.; Atlanta, Ga.; and eastern Virginia, from spring 2016 to December 2017. The prostitution network advertised appointments with Asian women primarily on three websites: www.bostonasiandolls.com, www.exoticasiansatlanta.com, and www.redhotflowers69.com. The women advertised on the websites were moved from city to city within the network, working as prostitutes for the organization.

Jineok Kim transported women working as prostitutes and supplies, including bulk orders of condoms, to and from brothel locations in Cambridge. Jineok Kim retrieved cash proceeds from each of the Cambridge brothel locations and laundered the proceeds according to Taehee Kim’s instructions, which included depositing the money into accounts belonging to Taehee Kim and a consulting business set up by Yoon Kim, or purchasing postal money orders.

The charge of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce women to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain/loss, whichever is greater. The charge of conspiracy to engage in money laundering  provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the laundered funds. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Andrew E. Lelling; Peter C. Fitzhugh Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Delany De Leon-Colon, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Cambridge Police Commissioner Branville G. Bard Jr. made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. D’Addio and Amy Harman Burkart of Lelling’s Civil Rights Enforcement Team are prosecuting the case. 

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

BOSTON – A Boston gang member was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for distributing crack cocaine in a Jamaica Plain housing development.

Jarrod Simmons, a/k/a “Rizz,” 21, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to one year and one day in prison and six years of supervised release. In April 2018, Simmons pleaded guilty to distribution of controlled substances within 1,000 feet of a public housing facility.

Following a two-year investigation, Simmons and eight co-defendants were charged in January 2018 in connection with illegal drug distribution and firearm possession within and near the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments in Jamaica Plain, formerly known as the Bromley Heath Housing Development. Simmons, who was identified as a member of the Heath Street Gang during the investigation, sold cocaine base, also known as crack cocaine, to a cooperating witness inside the development on Sept. 18, 2016. According to court documents, Simmons was on pretrial release for state drug and firearm offenses when he conducted the drug sale.  

The investigation and arrests sought to reduce violence and improve the quality of life in and around the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments for residents by removing individuals who trafficked drugs and who were involved in gang activity in and around the development.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans made the announcement today. Assistance was also provided by the Boston Housing Authority’s Department of Police and Public Safety.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.       

BOSTON – A father and son from Revere were sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for trafficking oxycodone.

Mario Scata, 71, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. to three years in prison and two years of supervised release. His son, Manuele Scata, 45, was sentenced by Judge O’Toole to eight years and six months in prison and three years of supervised release. In December 2017, Mario Scata pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute oxycodone and one count of possession with intent to distribute oxycodone. In February 2018, Manuele Scata pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, possession with intent to distribute oxycodone, and use of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense.

In 2014 and 2015, agents observed foot and vehicle traffic consistent with street-level drug sales coming and going from the Scata home and from Manuele Scata’s business, D & M Auto Doctor, on Bennington Street in East Boston. While investigating the Scatas’ oxycodone trafficking, Scatas’ pill supplier, Bregu, was identified through surveillance and phone analysis. After obtaining a search warrant to track the precise location of Bregu’s phone, it was determined that every two-to-three weeks, Bregu drove his vehicle from Staten Island to Revere or East Boston, met with one or both of the Scatas, and then returned to Staten Island.

On July 16, 2015, a series of search warrants were executed after tracking Bregu’s phone from Staten Island to East Boston and then watching as Bregu met with Mario and Manuele Scata at D & M Auto Doctor. During the searches, a sophisticated hidden compartment was discovered in Bregu’s vehicle, which contained $37,800. In addition, approximately 1,900 oxycodone pills, a loaded firearm, and a machete were recovered from Manuele Scata’s vehicle and additional oxycodone pills, a hand-written drug ledger, and nearly $12,000 were recovered from the Scatas’ home.

On June 8, 2018, Bregu was sentenced to six years in prison and three years of supervised release after being convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute oxycodone.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Revere Police Chief James Guido; Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan; and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A dual citizen of Iran and Canada pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to international money laundering.

Omid Mashinchi, 35, pleaded guilty to five counts of international money laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Nov. 13, 2018. Mashinchi was charged in a sealed indictment in January 2018 and arrested in April 2018, when he flew into the United States; he has been in federal custody since.

On five occasions in 2017, Mashinchi transferred funds from a bank in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to a bank in Boston knowing that the money was derived from unlawful activity. On Jan. 28, Mashinchi transferred $37,794; on July 28 he made two transfers, one for $49,915 and another for $49,445; and on Aug. 3, he made two more transfers, one for $49,930 and another in the amount of $49,645.

The charge of international money laundering provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and up to a $500,000 fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Winkler of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case. 

BOSTON – A Heath Street gang member was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for distributing drugs in and around the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments in Jamaica Plain.

Kevin Smith, a/k/a “Works,” 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to 18 months in prison and six years of supervised release. In May 2018, Smith pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and to distributing cocaine base within 1000 feet of a public housing facility.

Following a two-year investigation, Smith and eight co-defendants were charged in January 2018 in connection with illegal drug distribution and firearm possession within and near the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments, formerly known as the Bromley Heath Housing Development.

On March 24, 2017, Smith arranged a drug sale for co-defendant Javonte Robinson, 21, who sold crack cocaine to a cooperating witness near the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments. In sum, Smith and Robinson also accepted responsibility for two additional sales that were not charged in the indictment. All of the sales took place either inside or within a 1000 feet of the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments.

According to court documents, Smith served 18 months in jail after he was convicted of carrying a firearm and resisting arrest. Although Smith was on Boston Housing Authority’s No Trespass List at one time, records show that he was arrested in the hallways and courtyards of the housing development at least seven times.

The investigation and arrests sought to reduce violence and improve the quality of life for residents in and around the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments by removing individuals who trafficked drugs and who were actively involved in violence and gang disputes.

On July 19, 2018, Robinson was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and six years of supervised release.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans made the announcement today. Assistance was also provided by the Boston Housing Authority’s Department of Police and Public Safety.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations.  The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.       

BOSTON – The owner of a Hyde Park auto body shop was charged today in federal court in Boston in connection with preparing false tax returns for his company, Automotive Specialties Inc. 

Richard Poillucci, 62, of Easton, was charged by Information and has agreed to plead guilty to three counts of aiding the preparation of false tax returns. 

According to the charging documents, Poillucci was the owner of Automotive Specialties Inc. (ASI), an auto body shop specializing in repairing high-end vehicles.  Between Sept. 30, 2012 and Sept. 30, 2015, Poillucci cashed millions of dollars of checks from the business at check cashing establishments in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and willfully failed to report that income, or expenses that he paid for in cash with the proceeds from those checks, on ASI’s tax returns. As a result, Poillucci failed to report approximately $569,367 to the IRS, thereby avoiding the payment of approximately $215,552 in federal income taxes. 

Each of the counts of aiding the preparation of false tax returns provides for a sentence of no greater than three years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom of Lelling’s Economic Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Chelsea man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Cesar Alicea, 22, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for Nov. 7, 2018.

In December 2017, Alicea was indicted along with Andres Perez, of Chelsea, who was charged with possessing cocaine base and heroin with intent to distribute. It is alleged that Alicea and Perez are members of the East Side Money Gang.

On Oct. 31, 2017, Alicea was in a car that was stopped by law enforcement officers. As Alicea ran from the police, he was observed throwing an item. Shortly thereafter, Alicea was apprehended by police and arrested. The item was recovered and determined to be a .25 caliber Raven Arms pistol.

The charge of being felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Revere Police Chief James Guido; and Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy E.  Moran and Michael Crowley of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations.  The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – 25 individuals were charged today in federal court in Boston as a result of a federal sweep targeting offenders of document and benefit fraud. Many of the defendants have prior criminal histories, including a convicted murderer who escaped from prison in Puerto Rico in 1994 while serving a 40-year sentence. 21 of the alleged defendants are unlawfully present in the United States.

Dubbed “Double Trouble,” the investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), comprised of various local, state and federal agencies with expertise in detecting, deterring and disrupting organizations and individuals involved in various types of document, identity and benefit fraud schemes. 

The DBFTF is currently investigating suspected aliens, predominately from the Dominican Republic, who are believed to have obtained stolen identities of United States citizens living in Puerto Rico and who have used those identities to obtain documents and public benefits that they would not otherwise be eligible to receive, such as Registry of Motor Vehicles identity documents, Social Security numbers, Medicaid, unemployment and public housing subsidies. Among other things, a comparison of public benefits records revealed the identities of numerous individuals who received public benefits in Puerto Rico and Massachusetts on or about the same date. 

Twenty-five individuals have been charged with various federal crimes. With the exception of four, all of the defendants are unlawfully present in the United States. 

1. Alejandra Eulalia Baez Arias, 40, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
2. Saddan Rafael Bautista Diaz, 27, a Dominican national residing in Dorchester, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
3. Kelvin Bautista Valdez, 31, Dominican national residing in Lynn, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
4. Robert Crisologo Bobadilla Baez, 43, a Dominican national formerly residing in Mattapan, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number. Bobadilla Baez is already in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
5. Fernando Cedeno Carpio, 34, a Dominican national residing in Houston, Texas, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
6. Fausto Feliz Feliz, 39, a Dominican national residing in Malden, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
7. Luis Alberto Fernandez Fernandez, 27, a Dominican national residing in Salem with legal permanent resident status, was charged with one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
8. Domingo Garcia Suero, 54, a Dominican national formerly residing in Haverhill, was indicted in May 2018 on five counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm; two counts of false representation of a Social Security number; and one count of aggravated identity theft. Garcia Suero is already in federal custody.
9. Santo Jesus Gonzalez Villar, 48, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
10. Ramon Lara Martinez, 45, a Dominican national residing in Hyde Park, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
11. Jose Lopez Rosado, 53, formerly residing in Worcester County, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.  According to court documents, the defendant escaped from prison in Puerto Rico in 1994 while serving a 40-year sentence for second degree murder. He is currently in state custody on unrelated charges.  His true identity was not known until now.
12. Viterbo Enrique Minaya Melo, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number. Minaya Melo is currently in state custody.
13. Ulises Francisco Mota Carmona, 35, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
14. Yhoan Alexis Nivar Rodriguez, 29, a Dominican national residing in Mattapan with legal permanent resident status, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
15. James Alfred Pena Guerrero, 30, a Dominican national residing in Dorchester, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
16. Ramona Maribel Perez Peguero, 38, a Dominican national residing in Lawrence, was charged with one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
17. Fiumen Alexis Pimentel, 47, a Dominican national residing in Hyde Park, was charged with identity fraud.
18. Jose Mercedes Polanco Guerrero, 47, a Dominican national residing in Dorchester, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
19. Joaquin Ruiz Mota, 47, a Dominican national residing in Dorchester, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of misuse of a Social Security number.
20. Carmen Sanchez Garcia De Martinez, 64, a Dominican and/or Venezuelan national residing in Springfield, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
21. Wanyer Manuel Soto Pimentel, 27, a Dominican national residing in Roslindale, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
22. Edward Elias Villar Ortiz, 42, a Dominican national residing in Brockton, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
23. John Doe, an individual residing in Roxbury whose true identity remains unknown, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft; one count of false representation of a Social Security number; and one count of theft of government funds.
24. John Doe, an individual residing in Lynn whose true identity remains unknown, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
25. John Doe, an individual residing in Revere whose true identity remains unknown, was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of making a false statement in an application and use of a U.S. passport.

The charge of aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year sentence that must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. False representation of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of identity theft provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of theft of public funds provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions; United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Phillip Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General; Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; Christina Scaringi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Regional Office; Michael Mikulka, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; Delany De Leon-Colon, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Massachusetts State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service Puerto Rico Violent Offender Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen Burzycki, Christine Wichers, Patrick Callahan, and Rachel Hemani of Lelling’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the cases.

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

BOSTON – A Georgia woman pleaded guilty today in connection with her role in a long-running interstate prostitution ring. 

Susan Bashir, a/k/a “Susan Redmon,” a/k/a “Susan Redmond,” 41, of Stone Mountain, Ga., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce individuals to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution and one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Nov. 8, 2018. On March 15, 2018, Bashir was charged and arrested along with Jineok Kim, 38, of Watertown, Mass; Yoon I. Kim, 36, of Haymarket, Va.; Taehee Kim, a/k/a “Hyunsook Kim,” 46, of Haymarket, Va.; and Kyung Song, 52, of Lexington, Mass.

According to court documents, Bashir worked for the prostitution network from at least 2013 until March 2018. The prostitution network had multiple brothels in high-end apartments in Cambridge, Mass.; Atlanta, Ga.; and eastern Virginia. They advertised appointments with Asian women primarily on three websites: www.bostonasiandolls.com, www.exoticasiansatlanta.com, and www.redhotflowers69.com. The women advertised on the websites were moved from city to city within the network, working as prostitutes for the organization.

Bashir’s role in the scheme involved screening potential clients that called to book an appointment and then arranging logistics for the client to meet with one the advertised women. Bashir also updated the prostitution websites and calculated the payments for each prostitute based on the number of clients she had met with. In addition, Bashir collected the cash earnings from the women working at the Georgia brothels and made bulk deposits at ATMs, funneling the money into accounts allegedly controlled by Taehee Kim and Yoon Kim.

The charge of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce women to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain/loss, whichever is greater. The charge of conspiracy to engage in money laundering  provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the laundered funds. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Andrew E. Lelling; Peter C. Fitzhugh Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Delany De Leon-Colon, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Cambridge Police Commissioner Branville G. Bard Jr. made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. D’Addio and Amy Harman Burkart of Lelling’s Civil Rights Enforcement Team are prosecuting the case. 

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

BOSTON – A retired Massachusetts State Police Trooper was arrested and charged today in connection with the ongoing investigation of overtime abuse at the Massachusetts State Police (MSP).

Daren DeJong, 57, of Uxbridge, was charged with embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds. DeJong will appear in U.S. District Court in Boston at 3:15 p.m. today.

“Mr. DeJong, who was sworn to uphold the law, betrayed the public trust by embezzling funds from the Massachusetts State Police,” said Andrew E. Lelling, United State Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. “Today’s arrest is another step in our ongoing effort to root out fraud and ensure that public funds are appropriately used.” 

“As alleged, Mr. DeJong abused his position and betrayed the public's trust by stealing thousands of dollars from overtime shifts he did not work. Instead of enforcing the rules of the road and cracking down on aggressive drivers, he selfishly lined his pockets with paychecks from bogus shifts at the expense of hard-working taxpayers. The FBI would like to thank the Massachusetts State Police for their cooperation, support, and professionalism during the course of this investigation,” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Boston Division.

According to court documents, DeJong, who is currently retired, was a MSP Trooper assigned to Troop E, which is responsible for enforcing criminal and traffic regulations along the Massachusetts Turnpike, Interstate I-90.  DeJong allegedly received overtime pay for hours that he either did not actually work at all, or shifts in which he departed one to seven hours early.   

The alleged conduct involves overtime pay for selective enforcement initiatives, including the Accident and Injury Reduction Effort program (AIRE) and the “X-Team” initiative. Both initiatives are intended to reduce accidents, crashes, and injuries on I-90 through an enhanced presence of MSP Troopers and targeting vehicles traveling at excessive speeds.  DeJong was required to work the entire duration of the shifts – either four or eight hours – and truthfully report the date, time and sector of deployment on the citations issued during the shift. As alleged, DeJong concealed the fraud by submitting citations that were issued prior to the overtime shift, altered the citations to create the appearance that citations were issued during the overtime shift, and/or submitted citations that were never issued and never took place. 

Trooper DeJong earned $179,000 in 2016, which included approximately $63,000 in overtime, of which $14,062 was attributable to AIRE and X-Team shifts that DeJong either left early or did not show up for.

In 2015 and 2016, MSP received annual benefits from the U.S. Department of Transportation in excess of $10,000, which were funded pursuant to numerous federal grants. 

On June 27, 2018, former Lieutenant David Wilson, 57, of Charlton; Trooper Gary Herman, 45, of Chester; and former Trooper Paul Cesan, 50, of Southwick, were arrested and charged with the same crime. On July 2, 2018, former Trooper Gregory Raftery, 47, of Westwood pleaded guilty.

The charge of theft of government funds provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Lelling; FBI SAC Shaw; and Douglas Shoemaker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin Chao and Mark Grady of Lelling’s Public Corruption Unit and Neil Gallagher of Lelling’s Economic Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Harwich man was convicted today by a federal jury in Boston of firearms and drug offenses.

Timothy Fletcher, 36, was convicted of one count of possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute, one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition - a Tisas, Model Regent .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, 58 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition and 60 rounds of 9mm ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for Oct. 23, 2018. Fletcher was arrested and charged in December 2015 and has been detained since.

On April 3, 2015, police executed a search warrant at a storage unit in Hyannis where they recovered, among other items, firearms, 124 rounds of ammunition, crack cocaine, powder cocaine, $1420 in cash, drug paraphernalia, two digital scales, boxes of plastic sandwich baggies, approximately 223 pairs of sneakers, and various documents containing Fletcher’s name. The firearms, firearm magazines, some of the drugs and the cash were hidden inside various sneakers and sneaker boxes. Fletcher’s fingerprints were recovered from a magazine found inside a sneaker box with the .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol.

The night before the warrant was executed, Fletcher was stopped by the police and found to be in possession of the key to the storage facility and unit.

The charge of being a felon in possession provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to a lifetime in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Each drug charge provides for a sentence of no greater than 30 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $2 million.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Barnstable Police Chief Matthew Sonnabend; and Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Roxbury man identified as John Doe was arrested today and arraigned in federal court in Boston.

According to the indictment unsealed today, Doe repeatedly used a Social Security number that was not his, including to obtain a U.S. passport, which he then used to enter the U.S., and in support of a claim for Massachusetts unemployment insurance benefits. The indictment also charges that Doe obtained public housing benefits worth over $65,000 by using a Social Security number that was not his. The defendant’s true identity remains unknown.

The charging statute for aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison, to be served consecutive with any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of theft of public funds and using a passport obtained through false statements each provide for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of misuse of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; Michael Mikulka, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Labor Racketeering and Fraud; and Christina Scaringi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Regional Office, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Boston man was charged yesterday in federal court in Boston with unlawfully possessing a loaded handgun. 

Jermaine Fenton, 40, was indicted on one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. 

On June 2, 2018, law enforcement officers responded to a call reporting a person with a gun in Dorchester. Fenton had been involved in a dispute with his girlfriend when his girlfriend’s uncle went to check on the situation. When the uncle arrived, he witnessed Fenton hit his niece. When the uncle attempted to separate Fenton from his niece, Fenton threatened the uncle and then went to reach for an object under his bed. Fenton was held back and the uncle was able to retrieve the object, a Glock model 36, .45 caliber pistol with rounds of .45 ammunition. Fenton then fled the home.

About an hour after the initial 9-1-1 call, police were called back to the residence because Fenton was spotted hiding in the back yard. When police arrived, Fenton was hiding in the grass in the back of the house where he was arrested; he is currently in state custody.

In 2010, Fenton was convicted in federal court in Boston of being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to 57 months in prison. 

Fenton faces a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New England Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – An Abington man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to robbing three Greater Boston-area banks.

John Soule, 53, pleaded guilty to three counts of bank robbery. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Oct. 19, 2018. Soule was arrested and charged in September 2017 and has been detained since.

On July 12, 2017, Soule entered a branch of the Eastern Bank in Cambridge, where he jumped over the teller’s counter, stated that he had a knife, and demanded the bank’s money. The tellers gave Soule money from their drawers, and Soule exited the bank with $12,940.

On Aug. 9, 2017, Soule entered a branch of the Webster Bank on Franklin Street in Boston and announced a robbery. He jumped over the tellers’ counter and demanded the bank’s money. The tellers gave Soule money from their drawers, and he exited the bank with $3,137.

One month later, on Sep. 8, 2017, Soule entered a branch of the Rockland Trust on Quincy Street in Quincy, where he approached a teller demanding money and then jumped over the counter and entered the bank’s vault. A post-robbery audit determined that Soule stole $42,747 during the robbery.

Video surveillance cameras outside of all three banks captured images of Soule moments before the robberies and following the robberies on a mountain bike.

Throughout their investigation, law enforcement received various tips and information that Soule was the person responsible. On Sept. 29, 2017, law enforcement located and arrested Soule, who, at the time of his arrest, was in possession of over $8,000. Soule was later interviewed and admitted his involvement in the robberies, providing law enforcement with specific details.

Each charge of bank robbery provides for a sentence of no greater 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting this case.

BOSTON – A Texas man involved in a Lawrence-based narcotics trafficking operation was sentenced today in federal court in Boston.

Joel Jahamal Rougeau, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris to 135 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In November 2017, Rougeau pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine. On Aug. 12, 2015, Rougeau and three co-defendants, Jerri Martinez-Tejeda and Yoelly Carmenatty, both of Lawrence, and Lily Solis, of Texas, were indicted.

In March 2014, an investigation into a drug trafficking organization operating in Massachusetts, California and elsewhere led law enforcement to Martinez-Tejeda. In late May or early June 2015, Martinez-Tejeda hired Rougeau to pick up nine kilograms of narcotics in California and transport them to the Northeast. Solis, who was romantically involved with Rougeau, accompanied Rougeau to translate Spanish to English for him.

On June 4, 2015, law enforcement in Oklahoma intercepted Rougeau and Solis transporting the nine kilograms of fentanyl to Martinez-Tejeda and his partner, Carmenatty, in Lawrence for distribution. After the shipment was seized, Martinez-Tejeda and Carmenatty believed that Rougeau and Solis had faked the encounter with law enforcement in order to steal the fentanyl from them. They hired an “enforcer” from Mexico to go to Oklahoma and kidnap and torture Rougeau and Solis. Their plan was thwarted when Rougeau fled and Solis was taken into custody. Approximately 18 months later, Rougeau was captured in Mexico and turned over to U.S. authorities.

In June 2016, Solis was sentenced to 33 months in prison; in October 2016, Martinez-Tejeda was sentenced to 292 months in prison; and in January 2017, Carmenatty was sentenced to six years in prison. One additional defendant, Michael Bate, was charged in a superseding indictment for his role as a money courier for the drug trafficking organization. Bate was sentenced to three years in prison in November 2016. 

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Kanwit prosecuted the case.

“Supervised injection facilities” would violate federal laws prohibiting the use of illicit drugs and the operation of sites where illicit drugs are used and distributed. Employees and users of such a site would be exposed to federal criminal charges regardless of any state law or study.  

I cannot envision any scenario in which sites that normalize intravenous use of heroin and fentanyl would be off limits to federal law enforcement efforts.   

Heroin use fuels a deadly drug trade that is ravaging our state and the region, and my office is keenly focused on curbing the opioid and heroin epidemic. Providing a sanctuary to accommodate risky and lethal illegal drug use undermines all of the hard work of treatment providers and law enforcement across the Commonwealth. 

The opioid epidemic requires that we remain laser-focused on prevention, treatment, and enforcement – not the normalization of intravenous use of heroin and fentanyl.

BOSTON – A Dominican national, wanted on murder charges in the Dominican Republic, appeared in federal court in Boston today. 

An arrest warrant charging Daniel Emilio Frias Segura with the 2010 murder of his wife was issued on April 9, 2010, by a Judge in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. U.S. Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler issued a warrant for the arrest of Frias Segura yesterday, and he was arrested today in Lynn by U.S. Marshals with the assistance of the Massachusetts State Police and Lynn Police Department. He appeared in federal court in Boston and was ordered detained pending extradition. Today’s hearing involved the extradition of Frias Segura back to the Dominican Republic to face the charges.

According to Dominican authorities, on April 1, 2010, an individual sailing on the Haina River in the Dominican Republic observed the torso of a female floating in the river. The individual informed Dominican law enforcement, and on April 2, 2010, the female’s decapitated head was found inside two black plastic bags. On April 3, 2010, the female’s legs and left arm were found along the Haina River. On April 3, 2010, an autopsy report concluded that the female had been strangled to death and was subsequently decapitated and dismembered.

According to the Dominican investigation, on the late afternoon of March 31, 2010, a merchant and his employee were driving along a freeway when a young woman jumped out of a vehicle stopped in front of them. The woman ran toward the merchant’s vehicle, screaming that someone wanted to kill her. She sought refuge in the back seat of the merchant’s vehicle, but a man came out of the vehicle the woman had been in and violently removed her from the merchant’s vehicle. The man waived a gun and threatened the merchant and his employee. He told them the woman was his wife and they should not get involved. The merchant and employee each identified Frias Segura as the person claiming to be the victim’s husband. The next day, the torso of Frias Segura’s wife was spotted in the river.

Frias Segura left the Dominican Republic for Puerto Rico the day after his wife’s torso had been spotted in the river. A law enforcement investigation revealed that Frias Segura had been living in Lynn.  

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal of the District of Massachusetts; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor Wild of Lelling’s Criminal Division is handling the matter.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.   

BOSTON – A Heath Street gang member was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for distributing drugs in and around the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments in Jamaica Plain.

Javonte Robinson, a/k/a “Biggie,” and “Big Dog,” 21, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to one year and one day in prison and six years of supervised release. In May 2018, Robinson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and to distributing cocaine base within 1000 feet of a public housing facility.

Following a two-year investigation, Robinson and eight co-defendants were charged in January 2018 in connection with illegal drug distribution and firearm possession within and near the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments, formerly known as the Bromley Heath Housing Development.

On March 24, 2017, co-defendant Kevin Smith arranged a drug sale for Robinson, who sold crack cocaine to a cooperating witness near the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments. In sum, Smith and Robinson also accepted responsibility for five additional sales that were not charged in the indictment. All of the sales took place either inside or within a 1000 feet of the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments.

The investigation and arrests sought to reduce violence and improve the quality of life for residents in and around the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments by removing individuals who trafficked drugs and who were actively involved in violence and gang disputes.

Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on July 27, 2018.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans made the announcement today. Assistance was also provided by the Boston Housing Authority’s Department of Police and Public Safety.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations.  The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.       

BOSTON – A Maine man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in an opioid trafficking conspiracy involving the distribution of oxycodone from Florida to Massachusetts and Maine.

Gorky Gonzalez, 26, of Biddeford, Maine, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In April 2018, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone.

Gonzalez was arrested in March 2017 along with numerous co-defendants for their roles in a widespread conspiracy involving opioid trafficking and money laundering offenses in Massachusetts and Florida. Their arrests were the result of a three-year federal investigation into opioid-trafficking in New England.

Between September 2016 and November 2016, Gonzalez obtained sizeable quantities of oxycodone intended for distribution that were shipped from Miami, Fla., to Massachusetts and then transported to Maine. Payment for the oxycodone pills was then delivered to co-conspirators in Massachusetts, who then forwarded the money to the source of supply in Florida.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; Delany De Leon-Colon, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; and Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Biddeford (Maine), Framingham, Haverhill, Lawrence, Manchester (N.H.), Methuen, Millis, Natick, Stoughton, and Waltham Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nadine Pellegrini and Craig Estes of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the cases.

BOSTON – The leader of the MS-13 East Coast Program was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for racketeering conspiracy.

Jose Adan Martinez Castro, a/k/a “Chucky,” 29, a Salvadoran national formerly residing in Richmond, Va., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 235 months in prison, the top of the sentencing range recommended by the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. Castro will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. In November 2017, Castro pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO or racketeering conspiracy.  

After a multi-year investigation, Castro was one of dozens of leaders, members, and associates of MS-13 named in a superseding indictment unsealed in January 2016 that targeted MS-13’s criminal activities in Massachusetts. According to court documents, MS-13 members engaged in a variety of racketeering acts and crimes of violence, including six different murders committed by MS-13 members in Massachusetts between October 2014 and January 2016. 

Castro was one of 49 defendants to be convicted as part of this case. All nine defendants who went to trial were convicted and 40 others pleaded guilty.

MS-13 is a transnational criminal organization run by leaders in El Salvador, with thousands of members across the United States. In Massachusetts, as in other states, MS-13 is organized in the form of “cliques” or local branches. Groups of cliques are organized into “programs” that act under the larger mantle of MS-13. This creates a hierarchy that expedites communication and orders passed down from the leadership in El Salvador to the gang members on streets in the United States. 

During the investigation, Castro was identified as the leader of MS-13’s East Coast Program. Most of the cliques in Massachusetts fall under the East Coast Program, which also has cliques in Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, and Ohio. 

On Dec. 13, 2015, using a cooperating witness, law enforcement recorded a meeting of the East Coast Program leadership at Castro’s home in Richmond. The recorded meeting provided evidence about the organizational structure, leadership structure, and recruitment system of MS-13 as well as the means, methods, objectives, and operating principles of the gang.  Leaders of the East Coast Program cliques from Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia attended the meeting.

During the meeting, Castro and others discussed how there was enough space in the East Coast Program for the all of the assembled MS-13 cliques to work cooperatively. Castro and others also discussed the need for the cliques to be better at planning and coordinating hits (i.e., murders) and Castro confirmed that murders generally had to be approved by MS-13 leaders before the local members could carry them out. The group also discussed sending money to El Salvador to support MS-13, the need to work together to increase the gang’s strength and control, and the need to kill anyone who provided information against the gang. An El Salvadoran-based leader of MS-13 also participated in the meeting via the phone and provided direction to the assembled leaders.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Commissioner Thomas Turco of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger; Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Thompkins; Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley; Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett; Boston Police Commissioner William Evans; Chelsea Police Chief Brian A. Kyes; Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie; Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary; Revere Police Chief James Guido; Somerville Police Chief David Fallon; and Wes Adams, State’s Attorney, Anne Arundel County (Maryland), Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office, made the announcement today.

BOSTON – A former pharmacy buyer at a Boston hospital was charged today in federal court in Boston for making false statements to federal agents in connection with receiving $355,000 from the now defunct New England Compounding Center (NECC) and Ameridose. 

Claudio T. Pontoriero, 40, of Everett, was charged in an information with one count of making false statements.

As alleged in court documents, from at least December 2006 to October 2012, Pontoriero was a pharmacy technician at a Boston hospital and was responsible for purchasing drugs from suppliers for use on hospital patients. During that period, Pontoriero received $5,000 per month from NECC and Ameridose, a drug repackager formerly located in Westboro. In October 2015, during an interview with federal agents, Pontoriero falsely claimed that the $5,000 monthly payments were for consulting services, and not in exchange for Pontoriero’s influence in selecting NECC and Ameridose drugs for purchase by the hospital. 

The charge of making false statements provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Derek Roy, Resident Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, Metro Washington Field Office; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Sean J. Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office; Leigh-Alistair Barzey, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office; and Delany De Leon-Colon, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda P.M. Strachan and George P. Varghese of Lelling’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.  

BOSTON – The former owner of Pinky’s Famous Pizza in Medford was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with filing tax returns which failed to disclose the cash payroll payments he paid to employees. 

Nikita Yanakopulos, 40, of Medford, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to one year and one day in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $5,500. In February 2018, Yanakopulos pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and assisting in filing false Forms 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return, which are used to report income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes withheld from employees’ paychecks.

Yanakopulos owned and operated Pinky’s from approximately 2000 to 2017. During that period, Yanakopulos paid several employees by check and cash and other employees entirely in cash. Yanakopulos caused his payroll service to file Forms 941 that only included the payroll paid by check. During those years, Yanakopulos made cash payroll payments to his employees totaling approximately $675,000, but failed to report those payments to his payroll service or pay the required withholding amounts to the IRS. He thereby avoided paying FICA, Medicare, and withholding taxes totaling approximately $172,000.    

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Balthazard of Lelling’s Economic Crimes Unit prosecuted the case. 

BOSTON - A Salvadoran national was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after being deported. 

Jose Antonio Reyes-Ramos, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to time served (approximately 81 days) and one year of supervised release. Reyes-Ramos will be subject to deportation proceedings. On June 28, 2018, Reyes-Ramos pleaded guilty to one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien.

Reyes-Ramos was deported from the United States to El Salvador in 2011 and then again in 2012. In 2017, after Reyes-Ramos had illegally returned to the United States, he was arrested on Cape Cod for sexual conduct for a fee. On April 19, 2018, Reyes-Ramos was taken into immigration custody.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Rebecca J. Adducci, Interim Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – The leader of a violent MS-13 clique was sentenced today to life in prison. 

Noe Salvador Perez Vasquez, a/k/a “Crazy,” 27, a Salvadoran national, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to life in prison and five years of supervised release. In April 2018, Perez was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy, and of committing or knowingly participating in two murders. Perez also was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute marijuana.

Co-defendants Luis Solis Vasquez, a/k/a “Brujo,” 27, a Salvadoran national, and Hector Enamorado, a/k/a “Vida Loca,” 39, a Honduran national, were also convicted of RICO conspiracy and of committing or knowingly participating in murder. Solis is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 11, 2018, and Enamorado is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2, 2018.

MS-13 is a violent transnational criminal organization whose branches, or “cliques,” operate throughout the United States, including in Massachusetts. In furtherance of its mission, MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence, specifically against rival gang members; kill informants; and support and defend fellow MS-13 members in attacks. MS-13 rewards members who commit acts of violence with promotions within the gang and punishes members who break gang rules.

At trial, Perez was identified as a leader of the Everett Locos Salvatrucha (ELS) clique, which was one of the largest, most active, and most violent MS-13 cliques in Massachusetts. Perez was furthermore considered to be a strict leader, demanding that clique members hunt down rival gang members and frequently subjecting younger clique members to harsh punishments.

On Dec. 14, 2014, Perez, Solis, and Enamorado worked together to murder a 29-year-old male victim at an apartment in Chelsea. According to testimony and exhibits introduced at trial, Solis was a full member, or homeboy, with the Eastside Locos Salvatrucha (ESLS) clique and Enamorado was a homeboy with the Chelsea Locos Salvatrucha (CHS) clique. Enamorado and the victim had engaged in a gang-related fight the night before the murder, and when Enamorado encountered the victim again, Enamorado called Perez to ask him for a gun. Perez delivered the murder weapon, a .380 caliber pistol, to Enamorado in Chelsea. Solis armed himself with a gun and went with Enamorado into the apartment to provide backup and necessary support for the attack. Enamorado used Perez’s gun to fatally shoot the victim three times. Enamorado also shot and wounded a second victim who was inside the apartment at the time of the murder. Following the murder, Perez arranged for Enamorado to flee to New Jersey. Federal agents, however, intercepted the car and arrested Enamorado before he could leave Massachusetts.

On July 5, 2015, a 16-year-old mid-level member of the ELS clique was stabbed to death in a park in Lawrence, Mass. by two members of his clique. Perez and other MS-13 members targeted the 16-year-old for murder because they believed, incorrectly, that he was cooperating with law enforcement. Perez planned and encouraged the murder. After the two ELS clique members stabbed the 16-year-old to death, Perez promised to promote them to homeboy status.

Perez was one of 49 defendants to be convicted as part of this case. All nine defendants who went to trial were convicted and 40 others pleaded guilty. In all, 16 defendants, including Perez, were found to have committed or knowingly participated in murders.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Commissioner Thomas Turco of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger; Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Thompkins; Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley; Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett; Boston Police Commissioner William Evans; Chelsea Police Chief Brian A. Kyes; Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie; Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary; Revere Police Chief James Guido; Somerville Police Chief David Fallon; and Wes Adams, State’s Attorney, Anne Arundel County (Maryland), Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office, made the announcement today.

BOSTON – The former Secretary-Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 26 was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for embezzling over $170,000 from the organization.

Henry Clay Green Sr., 61, of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris to six months in prison and one year of supervised release. Restitution and forfeiture will be determined at a hearing scheduled for Sept. 26, 2018. In December 2017, Green pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement from a labor union.

From May 19, 2011, to July 14, 2016, Green was Secretary-Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 26, a labor union representing the hospitality industries in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In that capacity, Green exercised control over various aspects of Local 26’s financial operations and used his position to embezzle $171,455 from the organization for his own use. When confronted by union officials, Green confessed.  

“Henry Green, Sr. used his position as the long-time treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 26 to embezzle over $170,000 of the union’s funds. The Office of Inspector General will continue to investigate union officials who abuse their positions to exploit unions for their own benefit,” stated Michael C. Mikulka, Special Agent in Charge, New York Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

“We thank our colleagues the Office of Labor-Management Standards and Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. We will continue to work with them to ensure the protection of employee benefit plan participants and that fiduciaries of those plans carry out their duties in compliance with the law,” said Carol S. Hamilton, Acting Regional Director, Employee Benefits Security Administration.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; DOL OIG SAC Mikulka; DOL EBSA Acting Regional Director Hamilton; and Jonathan Russo, District Director of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor Management Standards, Boston District Office, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura J. Kaplan of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – An MS-13 member pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to RICO conspiracy and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by an illegal alien.  

Manuel Landaverde, a/k/a “Scooby,” 26, a Salvadoran national, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO or racketeering conspiracy, and being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for Oct. 11, 2018.

The investigation revealed that Landaverde was a member of MS-13 and conspired with other MS-13 members to commit acts of violence, including murder and attempted murder, in Massachusetts. Landaverde, who was unlawfully present in the United States, also possessed and sold a firearm and ammunition knowing it would be used in connection with the racketeering conspiracy.     

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Commissioner Thomas Turco of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger; Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Thompkins; Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley; Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett; Boston Police Commissioner William Evans; Chelsea Police Chief Brian A. Kyes; Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie; Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary; Revere Police Chief James Guido; and Somerville Police Chief David Fallon made the announcement.

BOSTON – A Captain with the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office was convicted today by a federal jury in connection with helping Carlos Rafael, known as the Codfather in the fishing industry, and the owner of one of the largest commercial fishing businesses in the U.S., smuggle the profits of his illegal overfishing scheme to Portugal.

Jamie Melo, 46, of North Dartmouth, Mass., was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States and one count of structuring the export of monetary instruments. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Oct. 24, 2018.  The jury acquitted the defendant of one count of bulk cash smuggling.

During the trial, evidence showed that while at Logan International Airport Melo asked his friends and travel companions to carry envelopes of cash for Rafael on a flight to the Azores in Portugal. At the time, Melo was an Administrative Captain with the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office and was traveling to the Azores with Rafael for a charity event sponsored by the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office. Prior to the flight, Melo asked three of travel companions to follow him into the men’s bathroom at Logan Airport before going through the TSA Security Checkpoint and distributed four envelopes of cash, taking one for himself. Two days after arriving in Portugal, bank records demonstrate that Rafael deposited $76,000 in U.S. currency into his Portuguese bank account.

The charge of conspiracy provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of structuring the export of monetary instruments provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Mark Tasky, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Philadelphia Field Office; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Gallagher and Justin O’Connell of Lelling’s Economic Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Boston woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to bank fraud in connection with the embezzlement of over $229,000 from a small business that employed her.

Kelly A. Lynch, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Oct. 9, 2018. In February 2018, Lynch was arrested and charged by criminal complaint and subsequently released on conditions.

Lynch was hired in April 2017 as the controller of a small company in a Boston suburb. Her duties included managing incoming invoices, paying bills by check and wire transfer, bookkeeping and financial account maintenance. As a result, Lynch had access to the company’s checkbook, bookkeeping/accounting software (QuickBooks), and online bank accounts.

From April 2017 until her termination in January 2018, Lynch stole funds from the business for her personal use. Specifically, Lynch wrote unauthorized checks to herself using the company checkbook. Some of the checks were pre-signed, blank checks that one of the founders had signed with the intention that Lynch would later use them for business purposes. After she used those checks, Lynch began signing the company checks herself, forging the founder’s signature. At times, Lynch also added an entry to the memo line to indicate that the funds were for “Consulting Fees,” but as a salaried employee, Lynch was not entitled to consulting fees. Lynch then endorsed the checks she wrote to herself and – without authorization and for no business purpose – deposited them in her personal bank account. In total, Lynch stole approximately $141,845 from the company’s bank account in this manner.

During approximately the same time period, Lynch repeatedly logged onto the company’s online bank account and directed that payments be made via transfer to her personal credit cards. As a result, Lynch stole another $87,243 from the company’s bank account. 

The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of no greater than 30 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $1 million, restitution and forfeiture. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Harman Burkart, Chief of Lelling’s Cybercrimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Brockton man who was previously convicted of firearms charges was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston on a federal firearms charge.

Dennis Afonso, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Senior Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in April 2018 to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

On May 3, 2017, law enforcement officers in Brockton found Afonso, a previously convicted felon, illegally in possession of a Cobra .380 caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number and three rounds of .380 caliber ammunition. Afonso was convicted in 2009 of distribution of cocaine base. He was sentenced to 60 months in prison and had recently completed his period of supervised release when he was found in possession of a firearm on May 3, 2017.

The 2009 conviction was the result of a federal investigation into drug trafficking and related gang activity in the Green Street area of Brockton. According to court documents, Afonso was a member of the Green Street gang, which operates on the north side of Brockton and rivals gangs from the south side of the city. During the course of the investigation, an undercover officer made dozens of controlled purchases of cocaine base from dealers, including Afonso.  During that time, Green Street gang members made a verified threat to kill police officers in retaliation for the shooting and death of John Parks by Brockton Police Officers in November 2008. 

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Brockton Police Chief John Crowley made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenn A. MacKinlay, Chief of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Malden man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to his role in a wide-ranging conspiracy to defraud his employer, a large facilities services company with offices in the Greater Boston area.

Vence Pires, 58, pleaded guilty one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. U.S. District Court Senior Judge Rya W. Zobel scheduled sentencing for Sept. 25, 2018. Co-defendant Lou Amaral, 52, also of Malden, pleaded guilty on July 9, 2018, to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of tax evasion. U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock scheduled sentencing for Oct. 9, 2018.

Amaral and Pires worked for the same facilities services company in the Greater Boston area. Amaral was the supervisor of the Special Services Department, and as such, he had the ability to hire employees and to contract with third-parties to provide temporary labor. Pires was an account manager who worked for Amaral in Special Services. Amaral first began taking bribes from a temporary labor company in order to steer contracts to that company. In 2014, Amaral opened up his own temporary labor company and, with the help of Pires, awarded himself the temporary labor contracts. Through this scheme, Amaral made approximately $10 million in revenue over a three-year period, resulting in harm to his employer of more than $4 million. 

Pires faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; and Delany De Leon-Colon, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement today.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen of Lelling’s Economic Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A former bank employee was indicted today in federal court in Worcester in connection with embezzling money from client accounts held by the bank by which she was employed.

Jessica Vargas, 34, of Athol, was indicted on one count of bank fraud and two counts of bank embezzlement. Vargas was charged by criminal complaint and arrested in March 2018.

According to the charging documents, Vargas was an employee of a federally-insured bank when she embezzled approximately $108,000 by making unauthorized cash withdrawals from customer accounts. Bank documentation showed that Vargas made unauthorized withdrawals from the accounts of various customers, including more than $53,000 from the account of an 84-year-old bank customer and almost $13,000 from the account of an 88-year-old customer.

For each count, Vargas faces a sentence of no greater than 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Abely of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON - A Dominican national was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after being deported.  

Yoel Elieser Romero, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr. to 12 months and one day in prison and three years of supervised release. On April 10, 2018, Romero pleaded guilty to one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien.

On Oct. 13, 2017, federal law enforcement officers encountered Romero at the Middlesex County House of Correction, where he was held after having been arrested for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and determined him to be unlawfully present in the United States. Romero was previously deported on June 2, 2015.  

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Rebecca J. Adducci, Interim Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON - A Dominican national was charged today in federal court in Boston with illegally reentering the United States after being deported. 

Rafael Pascal, 54, was indicted on one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien. Pascal was charged by criminal complaint and arrested in June 2018 and has been in custody since his arrest.

According to court documents, on May 6, 2018, law enforcement in Wakefield arrested Pascal and charged him with possession to distribute a Class B controlled substance; Pascal was subsequently determined to be unlawfully present in the United States, having previously been deported on Jan. 5, 2002, and on June 20, 2013. 

Pascal faces a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Rebecca J. Adducci, Interim Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Arnold of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

Boston – A Dominican national, who recently resided in Mattapan, was indicted today in federal court in Boston on charges including identity theft.

Maissel Avalo-Mejia, 29, was indicted on one count of misuse of a Social Security number and one count of aggravated identity theft. Avalo-Mejia was arrested last month and charged by criminal complaint.

According to court documents, Avalo-Mejia used the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of a Puerto Rican man, who is presently a Specialist in the U.S. Army, to obtain several Massachusetts driver’s licenses, the most recent issued on April 10, 2014. Avalo-Mejia was identified, among other things, from a fingerprint match with a Dominican Republic identification document issued to him and bearing his photo. It is alleged that Avalo-Mejia admitted that he was born in the Dominican Republic.

The charging statute for misuse of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.  The charging statute for aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra S. Bower of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Brazilian national was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for unlawful reentry of a deported alien.  

Willian Lacerda, 32, a Brazilian national formerly residing in Framingham, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to time-served and one year of supervised release. In May 2018, Lacerda pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.

On Feb. 20, 2018, Lacerda was encountered by law enforcement and determined to be illegally present in the United States. Lacerda was previously deported on Dec. 16, 2009.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Rebecca Adducci, Interim Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.