District of Maine

PORTLAND, Maine: A Florida man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to soliciting child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, on May 9, 2020, while in Florida, Cameron Eagle, 35, used Cash App, a direct peer-to-peer payment system for mobile devices, to pay a female child in Maine to engage in sexually explicit conduct while he watched via livestream over the chat website Omegle. The child, who resided in Cumberland County, was 14 years old at the time. Financial records reflected that Eagle made several payments to the child on that date, and that he made other similar payments in small denominations to other Cash App accounts on the same day, as well as on other dates in May and June 2020.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, the Martin County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, with assistance from the Fort Pierce office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

BANGOR, Maine— A Presque Isle man was sentenced today in federal court in two separate cases for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Tyler Neece, 29, to 165 months in prison and a total of five years of supervised release. Neece pleaded guilty in February 2021.

According to court records, between approximately January 2017 and August 2018, Neece and his co-conspirators obtained methamphetamine from an out-of-state source and distributed the drugs in northern Maine. 

Also according to court records, between approximately July 2018 and May 2019, members of a separate conspiracy obtained methamphetamine in western and southern states from sources in Mexico. Neece and his co-conspirators distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated these cases with the assistance of multiple state and local law enforcement agencies. 

These prosecutions are part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Bangor man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for possessing images of child sexual exploitation and violating the terms of his supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Robert Goguen, 46, to a total of 16 years in prison—14 years for possessing images of child sexual exploitation, and two years for violating the conditions of supervised release. Judge Woodcock also sentenced Goguen to 20 years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment. Goguen pleaded guilty and admitted the supervised release violation on September 15, 2017.

According to court records, on November 10, 2015, U.S. probation officers went to Goguen’s apartment in Bangor and seized a laptop computer. A forensic search of the computer revealed images and videos of child sexual exploitation that Goguen had downloaded and saved. At the time, Goguen was on federal supervised release following a 2012 conviction for failing to register as a sex offender.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Bangor Police Department investigated 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 the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

PORTLAND, Maine: The Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) has awarded $428,498 to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to assist victims of sexual assault, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

Nationwide, OVW is making 56 awards totaling $28.2 million through the Fiscal Year 2021 Sexual Assault Services Formula Program.

The SAS Formula Program directs grant dollars to states and territories to assist them in supporting rape crisis centers (including governmental rape crisis centers not in territories and tribal governmental programs) and nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations that provide core services, direct intervention, and related assistance to victims of sexual assault, regardless of age. Funds provided through the SAS Formula Program are designed to supplement other funding sources directed at addressing sexual assault on the state and territorial levels. Rape crisis centers and other nonprofit organizations, such as dual programs providing both domestic violence and sexual assault intervention services, play a vital role in assisting sexual assault victims through the healing process, as well as assisting victims through the medical, criminal justice, and other social support systems.

For more information about the SAS Formula Program, please visit this fact sheet.

OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.

PORTLAND, Maine: The Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) has awarded over $1 million to the Maine Department of Public Safety to combat violent crimes against women, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

Nationwide, OVW is making 56 awards totaling $153.1 million through the Fiscal Year 2021 STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program.

The STOP Formula Grant Program encourages partnerships between law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and victim services organizations to enhance victim safety and hold offenders accountable in cases of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The goal of the grant program is to develop and strengthen law enforcement, prosecution, and court strategies to combat violent crimes against women and to develop and strengthen victim services, including community-based, culturally specific services, in cases involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.  For more information about the STOP Formula Grant Program, please visit this fact sheet.

OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.

BANGOR, Maine: A Greenbush man pleaded guilty today in federal court to possessing an unregistered firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, on November 10, 2019, Lawrence Shirland, 52, was involved in an altercation at his home in Greenbush, during which he fired a warning shot from a sawed-off shotgun. The shot hit a truck windshield. When police arrived, Shirland admitted that he had fired the shotgun and provided it to officers. He explained that he had modified the shotgun himself. Specifically, he cut the barrel with a hack saw, and cut and sanded the stock and wrapped it in tape.

Shirland’s shotgun was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). Federal law prohibits the possession of a weapon made from a shotgun, if the modified weapon has a barrel less than 18 inches in length or an overall length of less than 26 inches, unless that weapon is registered to the possessor in the NFRTR.

Shirland faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative.

PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.

PORTLAND, Maine: The Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) has awarded over $433,000 to the Penobscot Indian Nation to support the tribe in exercising jurisdiction over individuals who commit crimes of domestic violence or dating violence or violate certain protection orders on tribal land, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

“The awards we are making this year will touch the lives of millions of survivors of violence and help our nation end these devastating crimes,” said Allison Randall, OVW Acting Director. “OVW is proud to be the leading federal voice in the country’s fight against sexual and domestic violence.”  

OVW’s Grants to Tribal Governments to Exercise Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction (Tribal Jurisdiction Program) provides support and technical assistance to Indian tribes for planning and implementing changes in their criminal justice systems necessary to exercise “special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction” (SDVCJ) and funds to exercise the jurisdiction.

Prior to the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA 2013), if a victim was Indian and the perpetrator was non-Indian, the crime could be prosecuted only by the United States or, in some circumstances, by the state in which the tribe’s Indian Country is located. VAWA 2013 included a provision recognizing the authority of participating tribes to exercise SDVCJ over certain defendants, regardless of their Indian or non-Indian status, who commit crimes of domestic violence or dating violence or violate certain protection orders in Indian Country. The Tribal Jurisdiction Program is designed to enhance tribes’ ability to implement and exercise SDVCJ.

“I congratulate the Penobscot Nation on securing funds that will enable tribal leaders to more effectively combat domestic violence on tribal lands,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clark. “The Department of Justice is committed to working with our tribal partners to hold perpetrators of these crimes accountable and support victims.”

OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.

PORTLAND, Maine—A New Hampshire woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for conspiring to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby sentenced Corina Fall, 47, to 90 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Fall pleaded guilty on June 3, 2021. 

According to court records, between March 2018 and February 2019, Fall conspired with her husband and others to distribute methamphetamine in New Hampshire and Maine. During the conspiracy, Fall and her husband were stopped by the Illinois State Police while bringing methamphetamine back to New England from California. Law enforcement officers seized nearly a kilogram of methamphetamine from their vehicle as part of that traffic stop. Investigators later made multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Fall and her co-conspirators. Fall was living in Rumford, Maine at the time.

  The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Rumford Police Department, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the New Hampshire State Police, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Drug Task Force, the Carroll County (New Hampshire) Sheriff’s Office and the Illinois State Police investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine: A Connecticut man was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court in Bangor for possessing controlled substances with the intent to distribute and using a communication facility to facilitate a felony drug offense, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Damian Perry, aka “Primo,” 39, to 137 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Perry pleaded guilty on August 19, 2019.

According to court records, on September 1, 2017, Perry and another person were found in possession of 94 grams of cocaine base and 34 grams of heroin at a Brewer hotel. Perry and the other person had been selling the drugs from the hotel. On August 21, 2017, Perry had used a telephone to have a conversation with another individual to make plans to come to Maine to sell the drugs.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Brewer Police Department investigated the case.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Biddeford man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for his role in committing and conspiring to commit a federal hate crime, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Dusty Leo, 30, to three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution to his victims. Leo pleaded guilty on February 25, 2020.

Following a three-day trial in March 2020, a jury convicted Leo’s co-conspirator and uncle, Maurice Diggins, of conspiring to commit and committing a series of racially motivated assaults against Black men in Maine. For his convictions, Diggins was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.  

“The defendant violently attacked a Black man for no reason other than his race,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This sentencing marks the final chapter in the long road to justice for the victims of these violent, racially-motivated crimes. The Department of Justice will continue to use the Mathew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and every tool at our disposal, to vindicate the rights of victims of hate crimes, and will continue to investigate and prosecute these acts wherever they occur.”

“The crimes committed by Mr. Leo and his co-conspirator injured and traumatized their victims, and also traumatized the communities in which they occurred,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark for the District of Maine. “No one should be targeted for violence because of the color of their skin or their ethnicity. Crimes like this tear at the very fabric of our society. This prosecution makes clear that individuals who commit hate-motivated crimes will be made to pay for their actions. I am proud of the investigators and prosecutors who tirelessly pursued this case, and so appreciative of the victims, who courageously confronted Mr. Leo’s co-defendant at trial.”

“Today’s sentence should make it crystal clear that those who traffic in hate, targeting people in our community because of their skin color, will be held accountable for their horrific, violent crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta of the FBI Boston Field Office. “No one should be afraid to walk down the street and be targeted by an act of violence based on how they look, where they are from, or any part of their identity. The FBI would like to thank the brave victims in this case for their courage in coming forward to ensure that Dusty Leo, and his uncle did not escape justice, and we’d like to encourage other victims of hate crimes to do the same. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community, and everyone deserves a voice.”

According to Leo’s guilty plea and evidence presented at Diggins’s trial, on April 15, 2018, Diggins attacked a Sudanese man without provocation outside of a bar in Portland, Maine. The assault, which broke the victim’s jaw, was immediately followed by an attack on another Black man who was standing on the street nearby.

In a second incident, which occurred approximately an hour later and approximately 20 miles away in Biddeford, co-conspirators Diggins and Leo drove in Leo’s truck into a parking lot of a convenience store, where Diggins got out of the truck and approached a Black man who was walking toward the store’s entrance. Diggins directed a racial slur at the man and distracted him while Leo got out of the truck and sucker-punched the victim in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. The unprovoked attack broke the victim’s jaw in several places. 

The Biddeford Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheila Sawyer and Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Tim Visser prosecuted the case.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Woolwich man pleaded guilty today in federal court to possessing images of child exploitation, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, on June 18, 2020, investigators with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at the residence of Clifton Given, 32. In an interview with investigators, Given admitted to using his cell phone to view images of children engaged in sex.  Investigators later found several images and videos on his cell phone depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. 

Given faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

HSI and the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office investigated 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 the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Windham woman was sentenced today in federal court for two counts of wire fraud stemming from her scheme to defraud Taiwanese exchange students studying in Maine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Ni Ni Chang, 51, to five years of probation. She was also ordered to pay $65,524.94 in restitution to the victims. She waived indictment and pleaded guilty on January 14, 2021.

According to court records, between September 2016 and December 2019, Chang hosted two Taiwanese exchange students seeking to study abroad in Maine at the University of Southern Maine and Windham Christian Academy. Prior to and after their arrival, Chang falsely represented the cost of tuition and other educational expenses to the families of these students and pocketed the difference between the actual costs and the wrongfully inflated costs. At sentencing, she acknowledged that her actions had been driven by greed.

Both victims attended the sentencing proceeding remotely from Taiwan, and one of the victims addressed the Court during the Zoom proceeding, expressing her gratitude to the American judicial system for helping her family obtain justice.

Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service investigated the case.

PORTLAND, Maine—Four Maine nonprofit organizations will receive a total of over $2.3 million from the Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Program of the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced. Nationally, the LAV Program is awarding nearly $36 million in victim legal assistance funding to organizations across the country.

Caring Unlimited Corporation in Sanford will receive $593,653; the Family Violence Project in Augusta will receive $596,527; the Next Step Domestic Violence Project in Ellsworth will receive $600,000; and Partners for Peace in Bangor will receive $552,131.

“Providing assistance to crime victims is one of the fundamental responsibilities of the justice system,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clark. “I am pleased that these four organizations will receive significant funding to enhance the crucial services they provide to Maine crime victims.”

The LAV Program is intended to increase the availability of civil and criminal legal assistance needed to effectively aid adult and youth victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking by providing funds for comprehensive direct legal services to victims in legal matters relating to or arising out of that abuse or violence. Comprehensive legal services extend beyond representation in emergency and non-emergency protection order hearings to address the broad spectrum of legal issues that victims encounter, including family matters such as divorce, child custody or child support, immigration, administrative agency proceedings, and consumer or housing matters.

The Office on Violence Against Women provides federal leadership in developing the national capacity to reduce violence against women and administer justice for and strengthen services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Brunswick man was sentenced yesterday in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

Chief U.S. District Judge John D. Levy sentenced James Prescott III, 28, to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Prescott pleaded guilty on April 27, 2021.

According to court records, on September 22, 2020, the Brunswick Police Department received a call from an individual who reported that his vehicle had been burglarized and his firearm was taken from it. This individual described a male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants, and a blue hospital mask, whom he saw in the parking lot approximately 15 feet away from his vehicle.

A short time later, officers with the Topsham Police Department encountered a male matching the description provided by the burglary victim. During the contact, officers identified the male as Prescott and recovered the stolen firearm from him. He was prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law because in 2015 he had been convicted of Theft by Receiving Stolen Property, a crime that was punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Brunswick and Topsham police departments investigated this case as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative.

PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.

BANGOR, Maine: A Monmouth woman pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to making false statements to a firearms dealer during the purchase of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, in April 2019, Laura Love, 43, purchased a 9 mm pistol from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Windsor. When completing the sale, Love filled out a Firearms Transaction Record form in which she falsely reported that she was the actual purchaser of the firearm. She was actually purchasing the firearm for someone else.

Love faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Augusta Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative.

PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Lewiston man pleaded guilty today in federal court to possessing child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, in August 2019, investigators with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed search warrants for the residence and person of Rodney Crowley, 33. HSI had obtained information from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) regarding child pornography activity involving users of an internet messaging application. In an interview with investigators, Crowley admitted being a member of chat groups in which child pornography images were exchanged. Investigators later found several images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on a memory card in Crowley’s cell phone.

Crowley faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

HSI and the RCMP investigated 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 the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

PORTLAND, Maine—A Connecticut woman was sentenced today in federal court for theft from a health care benefit program, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Melissa Tansey, 51, to one year and one day in prison and three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $162,135.08 in restitution to the victim. She pleaded guilty on March 31, 2021.

According to court records, beginning in March 2013, Tansey was employed as the sole administrative assistant and bookkeeper with a health care provider based in Falmouth. Beginning in November 2013, she began making unauthorized charges on the provider’s credit cards. In December 2013, she began writing unauthorized checks to herself. She would create fraudulent entries in the provider’s accounting software to make it appear that the payments were for legitimate expenses. This theft continued until January 2018, when the provider learned of her activity.

The FBI investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine: A Penobscot County woman was sentenced today in federal court for the theft and conversion of money orders, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Mellony Hafford, 37, to three years of probation. Hafford was also ordered to pay $4,177 in restitution to the U.S. Postal Service. She pleaded guilty in April 2021.

According to court records, between approximately May 2016 and April 2018, Hafford stole multiple money order forms while working as an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. She falsified several of the money order forms to conceal other fraudulent money orders she made out to herself, and to conceal her theft of cash that had been received in sales at the post office. 

The U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General and the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) investigated this case. TIGTA’s involvement in the investigation was supervised by William Kalb, Special Agent in Charge, North East Field Division.

BANGOR, Maine: A Caribou man was sentenced today in federal court for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Nathan Corbin, 30, to four years in prison and three years of supervised release. The sentence was adjusted down to four years to account for approximately 27 months Corbin has served in prison for a related state-court case. Corbin pleaded guilty in federal court in March 2021. 

According to court records, between approximately July 2018 and May 2019, members of the conspiracy obtained methamphetamine in western and southern states from sources in Mexico.  Corbin and his co-conspirators then distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case with the assistance of multiple state and local law enforcement agencies. 

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. 

BANGOR, Maine: A Presque Isle woman pleaded guilty today in federal court to passing counterfeit money, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, on July 23, 2018, Jessica Jones, 32, used a counterfeit $20 bill at both a Domino’s restaurant and a McDonald’s restaurant in Presque Isle. Jones later stated that she had received the counterfeit money from an individual who was trading counterfeit bills for drugs.

Jones faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Presque Isle Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine: A Jay man was sentenced today in federal court for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Brian Holmes, 42, to 200 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release. Holmes pleaded guilty in February 2020.

According to court records, between January 2017 and August 2018, Holmes and other members of the conspiracy distributed large quantities of methamphetamine in northern Maine. Holmes recruited and directed others to distribute the drugs. Holmes and other members obtained the drugs from out-of-state sources in Colorado and Arizona. The organization sent thousands of dollars in cash to those sources to supply its drug trafficking enterprise.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case. 

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

BANGOR, Maine: A Presque Isle woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, between approximately July 2018 and May 2019, members of the conspiracy obtained methamphetamine in western and southern states from sources in Mexico.  Crystal Greenlaw, 31, and her co-conspirators then distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine. Greenlaw made at least two trips to obtain methamphetamine and transport it back to Maine.

Greenlaw faces between 10 years and life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. She also faces between five years and a lifetime of supervised release. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case with the assistance of multiple state and local law enforcement agencies. 

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

BANGOR, Maine: A Presque Isle man was sentenced in federal court today for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Joel Strother, a/k/a “Jody,” 42, to 27 years in prison and five years of supervised release. Strother pleaded guilty in January 2021.

According to court records, between approximately July 2018 and May 2019, Strother and other members of the conspiracy obtained methamphetamine in western and southern states from sources in Mexico. Strother personally made trips to Georgia, Arizona, California and Mexico and obtained methamphetamine. He also recruited and directed others to participate in similar trips.  Once Strother and his co-conspirators transported the methamphetamine back to Maine, they distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine. Strother also recruited and directed others to distribute the drugs.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case with the assistance of multiple state and local law enforcement agencies. 

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

PORTLAND, Maine: A New Hampshire man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for conspiring to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby sentenced Joseph Fall, 40, to 78 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Fall pleaded guilty on March 29, 2021. 

According to court records, between March 2018 and February 2019, Fall conspired with his wife and others to distribute methamphetamine in New Hampshire and Maine. During the conspiracy, Fall and his wife were stopped by the Illinois State Police while bringing methamphetamine back to New England from California. Law enforcement officers seized nearly a kilogram of methamphetamine from their vehicle as part of that traffic stop. Investigators later made multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Fall and his co-conspirators. Fall was living in Rumford, Maine at the time.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Rumford Police Department, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the New Hampshire State Police, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Drug Task Force, the Carroll County (New Hampshire) Sheriff’s Office and the Illinois State Police investigated the case.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Sanford man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to providing false information to firearms dealers while purchasing firearms, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, in October and November 2018, Allen Sinclair Bowman, 26, purchased 10 firearms from three different federal firearm licensees in Cumberland and York counties. While purchasing the firearms, Bowman responded “Yes” to a question on an ATF form which asked him if he was purchasing the firearms for himself. In truth, he was purchasing the firearms for a drug dealer in Massachusetts to settle a drug debt. It is against federal law to provide false information to federal firearm licensees when purchasing firearms from them.

Bowman faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the three counts to which he pleaded guilty. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sanford Police Department investigated the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative.

PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Woburn, Massachusetts man pleaded guilty today in federal court to being an unlawful user of controlled substances in possession of firearms, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, between March 6, 2020, and November 16, 2020, Sauma Brata Deb, 27, was arrested on five separate occasions in either New Hampshire or Massachusetts. During each of these arrests, drugs or drug-use paraphernalia (or both) were recovered from him. On January 29, 2021, he attempted to sell a firearm to the Kittery Trading Post. When he was arrested, two firearms were recovered from him and additional items of drug-use paraphernalia were recovered from his car. It is against federal law for unlawful users of drugs to possess firearms. 

Deb faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Maine and New Hampshire offices of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kittery Police Department investigated the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative.

PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.

BANGOR, Maine:  A Mars Hill man pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, between approximately July 2018 and May 2019, members of the conspiracy obtained methamphetamine in western and southern states from sources in Mexico.  Josh Cook, 26, and his co-conspirators then distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine.

Cook faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. He also faces between 3 years and a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case with the assistance of multiple state and local law enforcement agencies. 

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

BANGOR, Maine:  A federal district court judge convicted a Northeast Harbor man today of failing to register as a sex offender following a half-day bench trial, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

The evidence at trial revealed that in 2016, Jack Palmer, 70, was convicted in federal court in Bangor of possessing child pornography. As a result of that conviction, Palmer was required to register as a sex offender in Maine and to update that registration within three days if he changed residences. In November 2020, he moved from Portland to Northeast Harbor and failed to notify the Maine Sex Offender Registry. He lived at this residence until his arrest in April 2021.

Palmer faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The United States Marshals Service and the Bar Harbor/Mount Desert Police Department investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine: An Aroostook County man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, between approximately July 2018 and May 2019, members of the conspiracy obtained methamphetamine in western and southern states from sources in Mexico.  Zane Willhide, 24, and his co-conspirators then distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine.

Willhide faces between 10 years and life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. He also faces between five years and a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case with the assistance of multiple state and local law enforcement agencies. 

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

BANGOR, Maine: A Winslow man was sentenced today in federal court for Social Security fraud, health care fraud and theft of government money, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Robert Curtis, 63, to three years of probation, including six months of home confinement. He was also ordered to pay $92,071.90 to the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) and $25,307.35 to the Maine Department of Health & Human Services (“ME/DHHS”) in restitution. Curtis pleaded guilty on March 31, 2021.

According to court records, Curtis was a recipient of Social Security Disability Insurance (“SSDI”) benefit payments beginning in February 2011. SSDI benefits are paid to people who are blind or disabled. He also was a recipient of MaineCare coverage beginning in April 2010 and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit payments beginning in February 2011. These programs have reporting requirements for work activity and income, which can affect eligibility for benefits.

During the time he was receiving benefits under these programs, Curtis worked as a medication deliverer. He also served as the lead plaintiff in a civil suit for lost wages, alleging that he should have been classified as an employee instead of an independent contractor, for which he was awarded $21,472.42. He failed to inform SSA or ME/DHHS of his work activity and income, despite periodic reminders that he was required to report it. He also denied any such activity to SSA in a continuing disability review in 2013, and to ME/DHHS in annual reviews in 2011 through 2017, because he knew it could affect his eligibility for benefits. As a result, he improperly received over $92,000 in SSDI benefits, almost $12,000 in SNAP benefits, and over $13,000 in MaineCare benefits.

SSA’s Office of the Inspector General and ME/DHHS investigated this case.

BANGOR, Maine—A Lebanon, Maine man was sentenced today in federal court for distributing fentanyl, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Angel Valle, 55, to 10 years in prison and four years of supervised release. Valle pleaded guilty in February 2020.

According to court records, an FBI investigation revealed that Valle distributed fentanyl in the Lebanon area. During the investigation, Valle and two associates sold fentanyl to a confidential informant on two occasions in May 2019. In total, Valle and his associates distributed approximately 500 grams of fentanyl to the informant.   

The FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force of New Hampshire investigated the case, with the assistance of the Maine State Police. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge, a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids.

BANGOR, Maine—An Eddington man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing firearms after being convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Amilio Christopher Samaroo, 56, to 10 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Samaroo pleaded guilty on May 11, 2021.

According to court records, in April 2020, law enforcement officers were called to Samaroo’s home. He and his wife had been arguing earlier in the day. When the police arrived at the house, Samaroo refused to leave and engaged in a standoff. Officers obtained a warrant for Samaroo’s arrest and a search warrant for the home. During the search, officers found multiple weapons that Samaroo had placed throughout the house, including a loaded J.C. Higgins bolt-action 20-gauge shotgun. Officers later found a handgun in the ceiling of the home and two boxes of ammunition. Samaroo was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition after a 2003 Wisconsin conviction for domestic abuse.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Maine State Police investigated the case.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man pleaded guilty today in federal court to possessing child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, on April 29 of this year, investigators with the FBI executed search warrants for the residence and person of Andrew Hazelton, 28. Investigators encountered Hazelton just outside the residence and informed him of the warrants. He had a Samsung smartphone in his pants pocket that he provided to investigators and later unlocked. An analysis of the phone revealed a folder containing dozens of video files depicting minors, some of them prepubescent, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Hazelton faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated 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 the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

PORTLAND, Maine—A New Hampshire man was sentenced today in federal court for stalking and traveling interstate to violate a protection order, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Lawrence Keenan IV, 31, to 33 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Keenan entered a guilty plea on February 10, 2021.

According to court documents, beginning on June 3, 2020, Keenan began sending a recently former girlfriend and her family harassing text messages in an effort to reconcile. When the victim, who resided in South Berwick, Maine at the time, refused to respond, Keenan also sent threatening messages to the victim and her former husband, which caused them both emotional distress. The victim then obtained a temporary protection order from the Maine District Court in York on June 4, 2020. The order, among other restrictions, prohibited Keenan from contacting the victim or entering the premises of her residence, which Keenan later did on June 14, 2020, resulting in his arrest. The temporary order was made final by the Maine District Court on June 17, 2020. Keenan was released on bail on June 24, 2020, with a new condition that he not return to South Berwick.

Between June 28-29, 2020, Keenan left approximately 23 harassing and threatening voicemails for the victim in violation of the final protection order and state bail conditions. In the last message, Keenan warned the victim that he was on his way to her South Berwick residence. Keenan drove from New Hampshire to Maine with the intent to violate the protective order. In the early morning of June 29, 2020, the South Berwick police responded to a 911 call and located Keenan inside the porch of the victim’s residence. She was not home at the time.

The South Berwick and Somersworth, New Hampshire police departments; the York County District Attorney’s Office; and the FBI investigated the case. The prosecution was 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.

BANGOR, Maine—A Houlton man pleaded guilty in federal court today to two counts of distributing methamphetamine, one count of distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and one count of possessing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, Derek Fitzpatrick, 30, sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant on two occasions in August 2018. In September 2018, Fitzpatrick sold more than 50 grams of methamphetamine to the informant. On September 28, 2018, law enforcement officers executed search warrants at Fitzpatrick’s residence in Houlton and his garage in Littleton. Agents seized almost 2,000 grams of methamphetamine from the residence. 

On each of the two counts of distributing methamphetamine, Fitzpatrick faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and between three years and a lifetime of supervised release. For distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, he faces between five years and 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and between four years and a lifetime of supervised release. For possessing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, he faces between 10 years and life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, and between five years and a lifetime of supervised release.

Fitzpatrick will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case, with the assistance of the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office, the Houlton Police Department and the Maine State Police.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

PORTLAND, Maine: A former Falmouth resident pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to accessing child pornography with intent to view, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, in March 2015, agents with Homeland Security Investigations were investigating the sharing of child pornography using Ares, a peer-to-peer file-sharing program. They downloaded a child pornography video from an internet protocol address that was determined to be assigned to a residence in Falmouth. Agents obtained a search warrant for the residence and executed it in May 2015. They found a laptop computer in the bedroom of Aaron Cassidy, 48, that was later found to contain evidence of the Ares file-sharing program, as well as images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Cassidy faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated 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 the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

PORTLAND, Maine— Two Lewiston men were sentenced today in U.S District Court in Portland for health care fraud, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Abdirashid Ahmed, 41, to two years in prison and three years of supervised release, and Garat Osman, 35, to three years of probation. Judge Levy also ordered Ahmed to pay $1,863,264.83 and Osman to pay $544,097.78 in restitution to MaineCare. Both men pleaded guilty in May 2019.

According to court records, Ahmed and Osman were interpreters who conspired with several Lewiston/Auburn mental health counseling services to defraud MaineCare. One of the counselors was Nancy Ludwig, who was the owner of Facing Change, a mental health and substance abuse counseling agency in Lewiston. From about November 2015 until May 2018, Ludwig and Ahmed led a conspiracy to commit health care fraud by submitting claims to MaineCare for services that were not rendered as billed.

Beginning in February 2015, Ludwig agreed to pay Ahmed a kickback in return for Ahmed bringing MaineCare beneficiaries to Facing Change. Ludwig, Ahmed and other employees at Facing Change then caused false and fraudulent claims to be submitted to MaineCare for both counseling and interpreter services. The false claims included claims for visits that never occurred and claims that inflated the level of service provided. In 2016, in response to a MaineCare regulatory change, Ludwig and Ahmed conspired to change the diagnosis of many of Ahmed’s clients to schizophrenia so they could remain eligible to receive MaineCare reimbursement for the services at Facing Change.

In the fall of 2016, auditors with the MaineCare Program Integrity Unit audited Facing Change. Ludwig and many of her employees conspired to manufacture false and fraudulent records in an attempt to deceive the auditor. Osman joined the fraud scheme in December 2016 and established an interpreter company that received all the fraudulent payments from that time until early May 2019. In May 2019, agents with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the FBI and the Maine Attorney General’s Office executed search warrants at Facing Change and Ahmed’s business. Investigators eventually determined that MaineCare was defrauded of $1,863,264.83 in this fraud scheme.

“Healthcare fraud depletes funds intended to provide care for our most vulnerable citizens,” said Phillip M. Coyne, Special Agent in Charge for HHS-OIG. “Today’s sentencing is a strong reminder that we will spare no resources to bring to justice those that undermine the integrity of our federal health care system and those served by it. I appreciate the continued partnership with the Maine U.S Attorney’s Office to protect public funds.”

“Federal and state investigators did tremendous work in uncovering this fraud scheme,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clark. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office was proud to be part of the team that brought these defendants to justice. We will always aggressively pursue those who attempt to defraud the public in this fashion.”

People who suspect health care fraud are encouraged to report it by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS.

This prosecution was the result of a three-year collaborative investigation by HHS-OIG, the FBI and the Maine Attorney General’s HealthCare Crimes Unit. The investigation started because of the auditing work done by the MaineCare Program Integrity Unit.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Biddeford man was arrested and charged by criminal complaint today with possession of child pornography and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court documents, in April 2021, Jesse Kiesel, 48, engaged in an internet chat with an undercover member of law enforcement posing as a 13-year-old girl. During the chat, Kiesel steered the conversation towards the topics of sex and sexual contact, and ultimately transmitted images of his erect penis to the undercover officer. Following the execution of a search warrant at Kiesel’s residence, numerous images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct were recovered from his computer.

Also according to court documents, Kiesel is an employee of Biddeford Middle School with the job title of Ed Tech II.

If convicted, Kiesel faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kiesel will make an initial appearance via videoconference on July 12 at 2:00 p.m.

Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case, with assistance from the Biddeford Police Department, the Newbury, Massachusetts Police Department and the United States Marshals Service.

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

PORTLAND, Maine—A Wells man pleaded guilty today in federal court to providing false information to firearms dealers while purchasing firearms, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, in April 2019, Christopher Thomas Proach, 24, purchased seven firearms from three different federal firearm licensees in Cumberland and York counties. While purchasing the firearms, Proach responded “Yes” to a question on an ATF form that asked him if he was purchasing the firearms for himself. In truth, he was purchasing the firearms for a Connecticut resident. He gave all seven firearms to the Connecticut resident immediately after the sales. It is against federal law to provide false information to federal firearm licensees when purchasing firearms from them.

Proach faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the three counts to which he pleaded guilty. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Wells Police Department investigated the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative.

PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.

PORTLAND, Maine: Two Massachusetts men were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for interfering with commerce through acts of violence, conspiring to do so, and discharging a firearm during the acts of violence, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Eric Mercado, 33, of Lowell, Massachusetts, to 16 years in prison and four years of supervised release. Judge Levy sentenced Steven Hardy, 33, of Maynard, Massachusetts, to 15 ½ years in prison and four years of supervised release. Both men were also ordered to pay $3,740 in restitution to the victim.

According to court records, on May 11, 2019, Mercado, Hardy and other persons travelled from Lowell, Massachusetts to the York, Maine residence of a medical marijuana caregiver with a plan to rob the caregiver of money and marijuana. Some of the members of the conspiracy posed as friends of the caregiver to gain entry into the house and socialized with the caregiver. While the caregiver and these persons were socializing, Mercado and Hardy entered the house through a door that had been unlocked by a member of the conspiracy. They were wearing masks, Mercado was armed with a 12-gauge shotgun and Hardy was armed with a 9 mm pistol. Mercado and Hardy ordered the victim onto the ground and demanded money and marijuana, but the victim refused.  The victim fled to another part of the house pursued by Mercado and Hardy. Both Mercado and Hardy fired their guns but missed the victim. The victim eventually escaped the house while being chased by Mercado and Hardy. While running down the driveway, Hardy shot at the victim but missed. Mercado and Hardy then returned to the house, stole the victim’s truck and fled the scene. They crashed the vehicle a short time later and fled on foot into the nearby woods. They were later picked up by the driver who had driven them to the house before the robbery.

The York Police Department received an emergency E-911 call. A York officer observed a vehicle in the vicinity of the robbery and recorded that vehicle’s license plate number. Further investigation of the vehicle revealed that it had been rented by the person whom Mercado had recruited to drive him and Hardy to the victim’s house.

FBI was called to assist in the investigation.  In September 2019, acting on information that Mercado had thrown the shotgun away while running through the woods, FBI investigators conducted an evidence recovery search of the area and recovered the shotgun submerged in mud.

The FBI, the York Police Department and the York County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine: A Caribou man pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, between approximately July 2018 and May 2019, members of the conspiracy obtained methamphetamine in western and southern states from sources in Mexico.  Greg Libby, 43, and his co-conspirators then distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine.

Libby faces between 10 years and life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. He also faces between five years and a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case with the assistance of multiple state and local law enforcement agencies. 

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

BANGOR, Maine: An Old Town man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Bangor to possessing an unregistered firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, on September 8, 2020, Stephen Warren, 37, was pulled over by the Old Town Police. He was issued a summons for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and served with a protection order. Warren was told not to operate his car due to his suspended license. He ignored this order, however, and drove away from the area. Officers attempted to stop him again, but he failed to stop and a brief pursuit occurred before he was eventually stopped and arrested.

A subsequent inventory search of Warren’s car revealed a short-barreled shotgun without a serial number that was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). Federal law prohibits the possession of a weapon made from a shotgun, if the modified weapon has a barrel less than 18 inches in length or an overall length of less than 26 inches, unless that weapon is registered to the possessor in the NFRTR.

Warren faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Old Town Police Department investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine: A Greenbush man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Bangor to being a felon in possession of ammunition, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, on multiple dates at the end of January 2021, David Phillips, 30, was seen on video purchasing ammunition at a gun and ammunition store in Maine. These purchases were confirmed on Phillips’ debit card. The ammunition he purchased was not manufactured in the state of Maine. He was prohibited from possessing ammunition under federal law because he had previously been convicted in Connecticut state court of Violation of a Protective Order, a crime that was punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.

Phillips faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI; the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office; the Maine State Police; and the Bangor Police Department investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine: A Bangor man pleaded guilty today in federal court to possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute, possessing a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, on November 12, 2020, agents with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency executed a search warrant on a motel room in Bangor where Nikolas J. Raines, 29, was staying. Upon searching Raines’ motel room, agents found 310 grams of fentanyl, along with a digital scale, a blender and other drug paraphernalia. They also found a loaded .22 caliber revolver close to the fentanyl. Raines was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because of prior Maine felony convictions.

On the drug trafficking charge, Raines faces a minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and a supervised release term of between five years and life. On the charge of possessing a firearm in relation to drug trafficking, he faces a minimum of five years and up to life in prison, in addition to the sentence of imprisonment on the drug trafficking charge. On the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, he also faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine: A Houlton man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Bangor to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, between approximately May 2018 and July 2018, Hayden Fogg, 34, was part of a drug distribution operation based out of Florida and operating in northern Maine. A co-conspirator obtained large quantities of methamphetamine from Florida and had it transported to Maine. Fogg sold the drug in the Houlton area while other members of the conspiracy sold it in Bangor and Howland.

Fogg faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Gorham man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for receiving and possessing child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Carl Loomis, 65, to 17 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release. Loomis pleaded guilty on November 30, 2020.

According to court records, in May 2018, investigators with the Gorham Police Department executed a search warrant at Loomis’s residence in Gorham. He admitted to investigators that he had child pornography images on his phone and that he had sent images to others using chat sites. Investigators seized several electronic devices from the residence. On one of them, they found chats using a messaging application in which Loomis received child pornography images and videos and discussed his sexual interest in children.

The Gorham Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated 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 the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

BANGOR, Maine: An Augusta resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for a series of robberies in 2019, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Barry Grant, Jr., 39, to 57 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Grant was also ordered to pay $1,878 in restitution. He pleaded guilty on October 28, 2019.

According to court records, on February 25, 2019, and on July 17, 20 and 23, 2019, Grant robbed four different Augusta businesses at knifepoint. On each occasion he fled the scene with cash from the register. Grant was arrested by Augusta Police while fleeing the July 23, 2019 robbery.

“Knifepoint robberies are serious crimes that have ripple effects throughout the community, affecting clerks who are physically threatened, store owners who lose revenue, and near-by residents who feel less safe in their neighborhoods,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clark. “The Project Safe Neighborhoods partnership between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies is effective and the investigation of this case by the Augusta Police Department and the FBI is an excellent example of that effective partnership.”

The Augusta Police Department and the FBI investigated the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative.

PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

PORTLAND, Maine: A South Carolina man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to interstate stalking, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, during the days leading up to July 25, 2019, Dustin Beach, 27, drove a woman in his truck from South Carolina to Maine. During the drive to Maine, Beach threatened the woman and injured her by physically assaulting her with his hands and other objects, including a hammer and metal chain. These assaults resulted in the woman being placed in fear of serious bodily injury and substantial emotional distress.

Beach faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI and the Lewiston Police Department investigated the case.

PORTLAND, Maine—A Dover, New Hampshire man pleaded guilty today in federal court to one count of tampering with a consumer product, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, Nicholas Mitchell, 39, was an employee of a Maine company that manufactured pizza doughs that were sold to consumers through a supermarket chain in Maine and other states. In approximately June 2020, Mitchell’s employment was terminated.

On October 5, 2020, Mitchell entered a Saco supermarket that sold the pizza doughs. He proceeded directly to the pizza dough display case where he inserted razor blades in several of the pizza doughs and then returned the doughs to the display case. Three patrons purchased the tampered pizza doughs later that day. When the patrons subsequently opened the pizza doughs, they discovered the razor blades secreted inside the doughs. 

When the store learned of the tainted product, store personnel removed the remaining pizza doughs from the display case. During this process, a store employee discovered another dough with a razor blade in it.

Mitchell faces a period of imprisonment of up to 10 years, followed by a period of supervised release of up to 3 years, and a fine of up to $250,000. He will also be required to pay restitution to the victims of the offenses. He will be sentenced following the preparation of a presentence report by the United States Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Saco Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the North Berwick and Dover, New Hampshire police departments.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Bath man pleaded guilty today in federal court to one count of wire fraud, seven counts of money laundering, one count of transferring property to prevent seizure, and one count of aggravated identity theft, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, between February 2019 and September 2020, David Altenburg, 46, used his access to his employer’s financial accounts to make approximately 106 wire transfers and other withdrawals. To execute his scheme, he fraudulently used the name and email address of a firm director to purportedly authorize certain transfers.

In total, Altenburg diverted more than $2.7 million to accounts under his control. He used the diverted funds to fund travel; pay down his mortgage; and purchase luxury vehicles, jewelry, clothing and other items. After learning he was under investigation, he transferred title of his residence to a trust managed by his wife in an effort to prevent its seizure.

Altenburg faces a period of imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000 on the wire fraud count, up to 20 years and a fine of up to $500,000 on three of the money laundering counts, up to 10 years and a fine of $250,000 on four of the money laundering counts, up to five years and a fine of $250,000 on the transferring property to prevent seizure count, and a consecutive mandatory minimum sentence of two years and a fine of up to $250,000 on the aggravated identify theft count. He will also be required to pay restitution to the victims of the offenses. He will be sentenced following the preparation of a presentence report by the United States Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Bath Police Department.