District of Maine

BANGOR, Maine: A Hancock man pleaded guilty today in federal court to theft of mail by a postal employee, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, Daniel Hindes, 35, worked as a rural carrier associate out of the Bar Harbor Post Office. From November 2019 through March 2020, he opened mail addressed to customers on his route and stole cash and gift cards. He then discarded the opened mail into the garbage rather than delivering the items. When interviewed by federal investigators, he admitted to opening 20 to 30 letters and taking cash and gift cards inside them.

Hindes faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case. 

PORTLAND, Maine:  A Holbrook, Massachusetts man pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to steal checks from the mail in Maine and to cash counterfeit versions of those checks at banks in Massachusetts, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, in September 2016, two business checks were stolen from the mail in Scarborough, Maine. The intended recipients of the checks were both businesses located in an industrial park in Scarborough. About two weeks later, Christopher Farnham, 35, and his co-defendant Nicholas Veelenturf cashed or attempted to cash counterfeit versions of the two checks at several TD Bank branch locations in Massachusetts. The routing and account numbers for each business had been printed on different check stock, the check amounts had been increased significantly, and the names of the payees had been altered to either Farnham’s or Veelenturf’s name. The total amount of the checks cashed was almost $16,000.

Farnham faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He also faces 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.

Nicholas Veelenturf was sentenced in October 2018 to two years in prison and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the full amount of the two checks.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.

PORTLAND, Maine:  A Portland man was sentenced in federal court yesterday for possessing cocaine base with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal sentenced Alexander Burnham, 22, to 70 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Burnham pleaded guilty in October 2020.

According to court records, on April 7, 2020, Burnham accidently shot himself in the leg with a Smith & Wesson 9 mm semi-automatic pistol. While being driven to the hospital for the injury, he threw the loaded firearm and crack cocaine out the window of the vehicle. He was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his prior felony convictions. 

The FBI Safe Streets Task Force and the Westbrook Police Department investigated the case. 

BANGOR, Maine:  A Caribou 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 a conspiracy obtained methamphetamine in western and southern states from sources in Mexico. Nathan Corbin, 29, and his co-conspirators then distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine.

Corbin faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. He also faces between three 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.

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. 

The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.

BANGOR, Maine: A Mexican national with an immigration history of prior removals and felony convictions pleaded guilty today in federal court to illegally reentering the U.S., Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, on October 2, 2020, Galdino Velasco-Santiago, aka Galdino Chavez-Santiago, 40, was arrested on state criminal charges after a car he was operating went off the road in Augusta and was damaged. He had been removed from the U.S. to Mexico four times previously. Immigration authorities determined that he had also been prosecuted in federal courts in Arizona, Florida, and California for prior illegal reentry felony offenses.

Velasco-Santiago faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement and the Augusta Police Department investigated the case.

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

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Angela Doody, 46, to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. Doody pleaded guilty in February 2021.

According to court records, between January 2017 and August 2018, a drug trafficking organization distributed large quantities of methamphetamine in northern Maine. The organization obtained the drugs from sources in Colorado and Arizona. Doody aided the organization by distributing methamphetamine and collecting proceeds from the sale of methamphetamine.

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

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

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Stephanie Pelletier, 29, to 32 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Pelletier pleaded guilty in October 2020.

According to court records, between September 1, 2018, and March 3, 2019, Pelletier participated in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base. She obtained the narcotics from out-of-state suppliers and distributed them for sale in central Maine.

The Waterville Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.

PORTLAND, Maine: Donald E. Clark became Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine on March 1, 2021, by virtue of the resignation of U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank and the Vacancies Reform Act. Acting U.S. Attorney Clark is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in Maine.

Clark grew up in Somerville, New Jersey and Lisbon, Maine. Prior to becoming Acting U.S. Attorney, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) for nearly 29 years, prosecuting federal crimes and forfeiture actions. He started his career as an AUSA in 1992 in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Since 1995, he has served as an AUSA in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Portland. He became First Assistant U.S. Attorney in September 2019. He has also served as Senior Litigation Counsel, Public Information Officer and an Asset Forfeiture Attorney. He is a 1987 graduate of Syracuse Law School, J.D., summa cum laude; a 1983 graduate of Harvard College, B.A., in English; and a 1979 graduate of Lisbon High School in Lisbon Falls. He started his legal career in 1987 with the law firm Latham & Watkins in New York City.

Acting U.S. Attorney Clark will serve in the position until a successor is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

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

According to court records, William Meier, 56, possessed electronic devices containing child exploitation material. The electronics, including a cell phone and a computer and associated drives, were seized from his home on June 13, 2020. Some of the material Meier possessed on these devices depicted children under the age of 12.  

Meier faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. 

Homeland Security Investigations, the Bucksport Police Department and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit investigated this case. The 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. 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: United States Attorney Halsey Frank announced that he has submitted his resignation to the President, to be effective at 11:59 p.m. on February 28, 2021. The announcement follows a request by Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson for almost all politically appointed U.S. Attorneys to resign to make way for President Joe Biden to appoint new U.S. Attorneys.

“Serving the people of Maine as U.S. Attorney has been the honor and privilege of my professional life,” Frank said. “I hope that my leadership has been positive for Maine and for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

U.S. Attorney Frank is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the District of Maine. He was proposed by Senator Susan Collins, nominated by President Donald Trump on July 27, 2017, and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 4, 2017. He was sworn in as U.S. Attorney on October 10, 2017.

Prior to becoming U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) in the District of Maine where, from 1999 to 2017, he prosecuted federal crimes and defended the United States in civil actions in federal district court. From 1990 to 1999, he served as an AUSA in the District of Columbia, where he prosecuted crimes in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia and in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and defended the United States in civil actions in the district court.

As the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine, Mr. Frank:

• Led an office of 56 people through the longest federal government shutdown in American history, unprecedented civil unrest, and a global pandemic;

• Led federal efforts to combat Maine’s opioid crisis, to combat violent crime, and to prevent elder fraud;

• Supervised the revival of Project Safe Neighborhoods – a national initiative bringing together federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems and to develop comprehensive solutions;

• Established a liaison program to improve collaboration between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District Attorneys’ Offices, and state law enforcement agencies;

• Implemented the Disruption and Early Engagement Program – a national initiative designed to leverage relationships with law enforcement, community groups, and health professionals to identify threats of violence and mitigate them;

• Implemented Project Guardian – a national initiative promoting collaborative approach to decreasing gun violence by those dealing with mental health issues and domestic abusers. As part of this effort, he organized the Project Guardian working group that included Acadia Hospital, Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, Maine Department of Education, Muskie School of Public Service, National Alliance on Mental Illness, and Maine State Forensic Service;

• Created and chaired a working group of law enforcement and educators to study school violence and authored a policy paper advocating adoption of a multi-disciplinary, threat assessment team approach;

• Expanded the U.S. Attorney’s Office public information operation, hired the first full-time public information officer, produced public service announcements, and wrote op-eds on a variety of topics;

• Created a program, Teaching Respect and Understanding Through Simulation Training, to improve high school students’ understanding of law enforcement; and

• Developed a program to promote high school students’ understanding of the source and meaning of the national value of religious tolerance.

In addition, on a national level, Mr. Frank:

• Served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC), a select group of federal prosecutors advising the Attorney General on policy and operational issues;

• Chaired the AGAC’s Victim and Community Issues Workgroup; collaborated on revisions to the Attorney General’s Guidelines for the Victim Witness Program and drafted standards to increase the program’s systemization and professionalism;

• Wrote a Guide to Crisis Management for U.S. Attorneys; and

• Created an online resource of best practices for U.S. Attorneys, covering topics ranging from office management to case development to conduct of investigations.

 

Members of Maine’s Congressional delegation have empaneled a group of Maine citizens from the public and private sectors to recommend a new U.S. Attorney. The candidate who emerges as the nominee will require confirmation by the U.S. Senate. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark, who has served nearly 29 years with the Department of Justice, will serve as acting U.S. Attorney in the interim.

 

BANGOR, Maine:  A Lincoln man pleaded guilty today in federal court to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, between approximately May 2018 and July 2018, Brandon Tolman, 32, 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. Tolman sold the drug in the Lincoln area while other members of the conspiracy sold it in Bangor, Howland and Houlton.

Tolman faces up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and at least three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

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

BANGOR, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Earl R. Torrence, 43, of Bangor, pled guilty in federal court to bank robbery.

According to court records, on June 30, 2020, the defendant entered the Acadia Federal Credit Union in Bangor wearing a surgical mask.  He approached a teller, told the teller he had a gun, and demanded money.  The defendant obtained the money and departed the credit union.  After reviewing security footage taken outside the credit union just prior to the robbery, law enforcement was able to identify the defendant.  A short while later, the defendant was apprehended in his home with money from the credit union.

The charge carries up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Bangor Police Department.

BANGOR, Maine:  A Presque Isle man pleaded guilty in two separate cases in federal court today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, between approximately January 2017 and August 2018, Tyler Neece, 29, and his co-conspirators obtained methamphetamine from an out-of-state source and distributed the drugs in northern Maine. In this case, Neece faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. He also faces between three years and a lifetime of supervised release.

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. In this case, Neece 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.

Neece will be sentenced in both cases after the completion of presentence investigation reports by the U.S. Probation Office.

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

The prosecutions are a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Somersworth, New Hampshire man pleaded guilty today in federal court to stalking and traveling interstate to violate a protection order, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court documents, in June 2020, Lawrence Keenan IV, 30, began sending harassing text messages to a former girlfriend and her family 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. The order prohibited Keenan from contacting the victim or entering her residence, which Keenan later did, resulting in his arrest. The temporary order was later made final by the Maine District Court. Keenan was released on bail with a new condition that he not return to South Berwick.

In late June 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 residence. Keenan drove from New Hampshire to Maine with the intent to violate the protection order. In the early morning of June 29, 2020, the South Berwick Police responded to a 911 call and found Keenan inside the porch of the victim’s residence. She was not home at the time.

Keenan faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each charge. He also faces 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.

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

This case 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. The Department of Justice 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.

Halsey Frank, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine, appeared on WGME TV to discuss the growing danger of money mules. The story can be seen here. 

A money mule is someone who transfers illegally acquired money at the direction of another. Criminals recruit consumers as recipients of money to physically or electronically move through their own bank accounts, or to assist the movement of money in other ways. 

Some of the schemes include instructions to wire the money into a third party bank account, “cash out” the money via several cashier’s checks, convert the money into a virtual currency or prepaid debit card, send the money via a money service business, or conduct a combination of these actions.

Money mules are frequently recruited through online job or dating websites, social networking sites, online classifieds, email spam, and dark web forums.  A frequent tactic involves befriending people online, often even establishing online romances, with the parties never meeting one another in person. 

The “money mule” scam has escalated in Maine since the beginning of the pandemic. More than 300 Maine residents have become “money mules” during the pandemic.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Biddeford woman was sentenced today in federal court on methamphetamine trafficking charges, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby sentenced Kailey Prejean, 25, to two years in prison and three years of supervised release. Prejean pleaded guilty on October 14, 2020, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and two counts of distribution of a controlled substance.

According to court records, on July 12, 2019, Prejean sold $250 worth of methamphetamine to an undercover officer in a parking lot in Biddeford. On July 17, 2019, Prejean sold a half-ounce of methamphetamine to the same undercover officer in the same parking lot. On July 24, 2019, the undercover officer arranged to buy one ounce of methamphetamine from Prejean at the same location. On that date, she was accompanied by her co-defendant, Antonio Morrissey. When the two were arrested, Morrissey was found to be armed with a loaded firearm and had approximately one ounce of methamphetamine on his person.

Morrissey pleaded guilty on November 12, 2020, and is awaiting sentencing.

The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; the Biddeford Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the FBI investigated the case.

PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank is cautioning the public to be extremely skeptical of unsolicited offers to purchase COVID-19 vaccines.

Federal, state and local agencies have received complaints about scammers capitalizing on demand for the vaccine to access individuals’ personally identifiable information such as Social Security numbers, and money, using various schemes.

Among the tactics the scammers use are advertisements that promise early access to COVID-19 vaccines in exchange for a deposit or fee as well as offers to be put on a vaccine waiting list, again in exchange for money.

“These scammers are ruthless and relentless, and everyone needs to have their guard up,” said U.S. Attorney Frank. “People here in Maine, particularly the elderly, are desperate to get vaccinated as quickly as possible, and the con artists are exploiting that desperation to get access to their money and personal information.”

The FBI recommends checking your state’s health department website for accurate information on vaccine availability. The Maine CDC website has up-to-date information on COVID-19 vaccine availability.

For more information on COVID-19 scams, visit fbi.gov/coronavirus. If you are the victim of a scam or attempted fraud involving COVID-19, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at 866-720-5721, or online at justice.gov/DisasterComplaintForm.

 

PORTLAND, Maine: A Kennebec County woman pleaded guilty today in federal court to bankruptcy fraud and Social Security fraud, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, between September and December 2019, Carol Bilodeau, 69, of Wayne, initiated two fraudulent Chapter 13 bankruptcy proceedings and submitted filings to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Portland containing numerous false statements. In her bankruptcy filings, Bilodeau falsely represented another person’s name, Social Security number and employment information as her own. She also used a fake email address she had created to further the bankruptcy fraud.

Bilodeau faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on both charges, and up to three years of supervised release. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The FBI and the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General investigated the case. 

PORTLAND, Maine: A Waldoboro man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to Social Security fraud, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, from about February 2000 through May 2018, Wayne Flaherty, 53, a recipient of Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”), concealed his receipt of money from another individual to maintain his eligibility to receive benefit payments. SSI benefits are paid to people with limited income who are blind, disabled or elderly. Flaherty was reportedly receiving at least $1,500 per month from this individual at the time he applied for benefits, but the amounts increased over the years, with Flaherty receiving a total of at least $846,615.18 from February 2012 through July 2017. The individual also provided Flaherty with a home in February 2012.

Flaherty did not notify the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) that he was receiving these payments at any point during the time he was receiving SSI payments, despite knowing he was required to report them. At an interview with law enforcement agents, he admitted to concealing this information from SSA because he was afraid his benefits would have stopped.

Flaherty faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, 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.

SSA’s Office of the Inspector General, the Maine Department of Health & Human Services, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine: A Presque Isle man pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank 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.  Conspirators distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine. Michael Deveau, 35, traveled with co-conspirators on one such trip to Georgia to obtain methamphetamine and transport it back to Maine.

Deveau faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. He also faces between three 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.

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. 

The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.

BANGOR, Maine:  A Presque Isle man pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank 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. Kaleb Dahlgren, 32, and his co-conspirators distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine. Dahlgren traveled with co-conspirators on at least one such trip to Mexico and Arizona to obtain methamphetamine and transport it back to Maine.

Dahlgren faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. He also faces between three 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.

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. 

The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.

 

PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank today announced the launch of a video public service announcement aimed at protecting Maine’s seniors from fraud.

Every day, thousands of older Americans fall victim to financial fraud. Scammers, both here in the U.S. and abroad, target our seniors. Their tactics include deception, demands, and in some cases, outright threats. They use phony lottery and sweepstakes scams. Among the other methods used are posing as government officials demanding back taxes that are not actually owed, unsolicited tech support, and other scams. The fraudsters steal an estimated $3 billion from American seniors every year.

“Increasingly, these scammers are becoming very sophisticated in their tactics,” said U.S. Attorney Frank. “That is why it is important for seniors and their caretakers to always be suspicious of any unsolicited requests for money and offers that sound too good to be true. If you didn’t play the lottery, you didn’t ‘win’ the lottery.

Never, under any circumstances, give your Social Security number, banking information, or any other sensitive information to anyone you don’t recognize.”

The video will appear as online ads, and eventually on social media platforms. The ad can also be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRWKSMG8AvI

The YouTube channel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office contains public service announcements on several topics in addition to elder fraud, including human trafficking, the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative and money mules. The channel can be accessed at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtSYDXolTp8Y2fDnIUsh4FQ/videos

Anyone who has been contacted by a suspected scammer or is the victim of one should call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

PORTLAND, Maine:  A Windham woman waived indictment and pleaded guilty today in federal court to two counts of wire fraud stemming from her scheme to defraud Taiwanese exchange students studying in Maine, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, between September 2016 and December 2019, Ni Ni Chang, 50, hosted two Taiwanese exchange students seeking to study abroad in Maine at the University of Southern Maine and Windham Christian Academy. Prior to 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.

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

BANGOR, Maine: A Clinton woman was sentenced today in federal court for Social Security fraud and making false statements, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Katherine Prosper, 62, to four years of probation, with a condition of home confinement not to exceed six months. She was also ordered to pay $89,864.00 in restitution to the Social Security Administration (“SSA”). Prosper pleaded guilty on January 10, 2020.

According to court records, from about August 2006 through March 2019, Prosper, a recipient of Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”), concealed the presence of her husband in her household in order to maintain her eligibility to receive benefit payments. SSI benefits are paid to people with limited income who are blind, disabled or elderly. Prosper’s husband had sufficient income to render her ineligible for the benefits she received during that period. In multiple reviews of her eligibility for benefits, she falsely represented to SSA that she was living alone and not receiving help or money from any other person during this time. During an interview with law enforcement agents, she admitted to concealing her living situation from SSA because she knew it would make her ineligible to receive SSI.

SSA’s Office of the Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine:  A Houlton man pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank 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.  Dylan Begin, 26, and his co-conspirators then distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine.

Begin faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. He also faces between three 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.

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. 

The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.

 

BANGOR, Maine:  A Presque Isle man pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, between July 2018 and May 2019, Joel Strother, a/k/a “Jody,” 41, 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 to obtain methamphetamine, and also recruited and directed others to participate in similar trips. Once they transported the methamphetamine back to Maine, Strother and his co-conspirators distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine. Strother also recruited and directed others to distribute the drugs.

Strother 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.

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. 

The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.

BANGOR, Maine: An Aroostook County man pleaded guilty today in federal court to importing methamphetamine into the United States from Canada, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, on November 19, 2019, Lance Labreck, 25, of Hamlin, drove a snowmobile from the U.S. across the international border into Canada. Later that evening, he returned to the U.S. via snowmobile, carrying with him approximately 55 grams of methamphetamine he had obtained in Canada. When stopped by Border Patrol Agents, he admitted to possessing the methamphetamine and bringing it back over the international border into the U.S.

Labreck faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison. He also faces a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Border Patrol and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.

 

"Dear Maine Law Enforcement Partners:

I write in honor of Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Now more than ever, it is important to acknowledge those who wear a uniform, preserve the peace, and maintain law and order. Your doing so enables us to enjoy the liberties we cherish, and that the rest of the world envies. All too often, rather than thanks for providing these services, law enforcement is met with suspicion and distrust, and subjected to second-guessing and criticism.

Every day, Maine police officers, sheriff's deputies, state troopers and other law enforcement officers leave their homes and their loved ones to protect the rest of us. They don't know what dangers they may encounter. There is no guarantee that they will return home safely. These days, we ask even more. In addition to your law enforcement duties, you and your colleagues are required to perform the roles of drug treatment provider, paramedic, mental health professional, crisis interventionist, and domestic violence counselor.

So, thank you and your brothers and sisters in uniform, for all you do.

Sincerely,

Halsey B. Frank

U.S. Attorney"

U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank Statement on Violence at U.S. Capital

"Our democratic republic is designed to resolve contentious disagreements in a peaceful and orderly fashion. It accommodates differences of opinion, political speechmaking, and peaceful protest. It does not tolerate mob violence. Such violence is antithetical to our values and is a crime. If the District of Maine has jurisdiction over any of the criminal activity that took place at the U.S. Capitol yesterday, we will prosecute it."

PORTLAND, Maine: A Westbrook man was sentenced today in federal court for distributing images of child sexual exploitation, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Tyler Garnett, 23, to 78 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release. Judge Woodcock also ordered Garnett to pay a total of $12,000 in restitution to four victims depicted in images Garnett possessed. Garnett pleaded guilty on February 25, 2020.

According to court records, in July 2018, Garnett used the social media application Kik Messenger to chat over the internet with another Kik user. During the chat, Garnett sent several images that depicted minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Later in 2018, the Westbrook Police Department investigated a CyberTip provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding child pornography that had been uploaded to another social networking service. The IP address used to upload the child pornography was assigned to Garnett’s residence in Westbrook. Detectives interviewed Garnett in December 2018. He admitted uploading the images that were the subject of the CyberTip and using Kik Messenger to find child pornography. He consented to a search of his mobile telephone, which contained numerous images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The phone also contained evidence of Kik chats in which Garnett distributed child pornography images. 

The Westbrook Police Department, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit and the FBI investigated this case. The 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. 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:  A Benton man pleaded guilty today in federal court to distribution of cocaine and marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of firearms by an unlawful user of controlled substances, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, on January 29, 2020, Daniel Hall, 32, distributed cocaine and marijuana to a confidential informant at Green Thumb Organics (GTO), Hall’s Waterville medical marijuana store. The informant did not have a medical marijuana patient card.

On February 19, 2020, investigators executed federal search warrants at GTO and Hall’s residence in Benton. At GTO, agents seized approximately three pounds of processed marijuana and “edible” marijuana items that in total weighed less than 50 kilograms. Agents also seized records, approximately $16,000 in cash proceeds, a video surveillance system and items of paraphernalia. At Hall’s residence, agents seized personal use quantities of drugs, drug paraphernalia, a handgun, two shotguns and ammunition.

Hall faces up to 20 years in prison, between three years and life on supervised release and a $1 million fine on the drug distribution charge. He faces up to five years imprisonment, two years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine on the drug possession charge. He faces up to 10 years imprisonment, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine on the firearms charge. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Waterville Police Department and the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Parsonsfield man was sentenced today in federal court for distributing fentanyl and possessing it with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Kenneth Billings, 54, to 60 months imprisonment and four years of supervised release. Billings pleaded guilty on October 17, 2019.

According to court records, a confidential informant purchased fentanyl from Billings in Sebago on two occasions in January 2019. MDEA agents obtained a state arrest warrant for Billings and arrested him in February 2019, outside a Scarborough hotel where he had been staying. Agents searched him and recovered multiple packages containing over 40 grams of fentanyl, which he intended to distribute.

The FBI and the MDEA investigated the case. 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: A Hancock man was sentenced today in federal court in Bangor for possessing with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a substance containing fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced William Smeal, 34, to 54 months in prison and four years of supervised release. Smeal pleaded guilty on January 21, 2020.

According to court records, on February 13, 2019, law enforcement officers encountered Smeal in Ellsworth, Maine. A bag containing over 100 grams of a substance containing fentanyl was seized from his car. Smeal admitted to purchasing drugs in Massachusetts that day. A search of Smeal’s home and an additional search of his car resulted in the seizure of more than 100 additional grams of a substance containing fentanyl. 

The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the FBI investigated the case. 

The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.  

BANGOR, Maine:  A Dedham man pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank 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. Brian Saunders, 38, and his co-conspirators then distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine.

Saunders faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000. He also faces between three 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.

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. 

The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.

BANGOR, Maine:  A Mattawamkeag man was sentenced today in federal court for mail fraud and copyright infringement stemming from his online sales of counterfeit DVDs, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Douglas Gordon, 53, to five years in prison and two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution to victims defrauded in the scheme. A jury found Gordon guilty on October 29, 2019, after a seven-day trial.

According to evidence presented at trial, Gordon, the former owner of a chain of video rental stores in eastern Maine, operated three websites from which he made more than $638,000 in sales of over 48,000 counterfeit copies of copyright-protected motion pictures. Representatives of MGM, CBS, Disney, Mercury Pictures and other copyright owners testified that Gordon did not have permission to reproduce and distribute the movies. A senior investigator employed by the Motion Picture Association identified the DVDs as counterfeit.

Based on undercover purchases made from the three websites, execution of search warrants and forensic analysis of computers, investigators from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) identified Gordon as the operator of the online businesses. A series of customers testified at trial that they expected based on website advertisements to receive authorized DVD movies with cover art and a plastic case, but instead received a paper envelope with nothing more than a burned disc with a laser-etched movie title. Several of Gordon’s former video store employees also provided evidence of his unlawful reproduction.

In imposing sentence, Judge Woodcock said he considered the “thousands of victims hoodwinked” when they made the online sales, as well as the scores of copyright holders harmed in the scheme.

HSI investigated the case, with assistance from the Maine Attorney General’s Office, the Brewer Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Better Business Bureau.

BANGOR, Maine:  A Palmyra man pleaded guilty today in federal court to one count of accessing child pornography with intent to view, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, from an unknown date until about April 3, 2019, Isaac Bissell, 29, accessed with intent to view multiple images of children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. In December 2018, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip that an internet user was uploading child pornography images to an internet search engine. These uploads were traced to Bissell’s home in Palmyra. During the execution of a search warrant at Bissell’s home, he admitted he had used the internet to search for and download child pornography images. A subsequent forensic review of his electronic devices revealed numerous such images.

Bissell faces a minimum of 10 years and maximum of 20 years in prison. He will also be subject to a fine of up to $250,000. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit investigated the case.

PORTLAND, Maine:  U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine collected more than $3.9 million in criminal, civil and asset forfeiture actions in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020.

The office collected $2,510,154.90 in criminal and civil actions in FY 2020. Of this amount, $1,266,454.39 was collected in criminal actions and $1,243,700.51 was collected in civil actions.

Working with partner agencies and divisions, the office also collected $1,402,885.75 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2020. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office works for the taxpayers,” said U.S. Attorney Frank. “So it is always gratifying to learn that our team’s efforts have led to the successful collection of funds on their behalf. We will continue to seek justice for crime victims and to ensure that criminals do not profit from their illegal behavior.”

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

As a whole, the Justice Department collected more than $15.9 billion in civil and criminal actions in FY 2020. This amount represents more than five times the approximately $3.2 billion appropriated budget for the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and the main litigating divisions of the Justice Department combined in that same period. The total includes all monies collected through Justice Department-led enforcement actions and negotiated civil settlements. It includes more than $13.5 billion in payments made directly to the Justice Department, and more than $2.4 billion in indirect payments made to other federal agencies, states and other designated recipients.

BANGOR, Maine: A Skowhegan man pleaded guilty today in federal court to a 41-count indictment charging a series of child sexual exploitation offenses, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, between about January 2018 and October 2019, Christopher Raiche, 29, produced sexually explicit photographs of multiple children under the age of nine. He also possessed child pornography on his phone and in an online account. He used this online account to solicit and trade child pornography with others on the internet. Part of this activity included sending “links” to an online storage account containing part of his collection of child pornographic material.

Raiche faces up to 30 years in prison on each of four counts of sexual exploitation of children, and up to 20 years in prison on each of the remaining 37 counts alleging receipt, transportation, possession, solicitation and advertising of child pornography. He will also be subject to a fine of up to $250,000 for each count. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. 

Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit investigated this case. The 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. 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 Brooklyn, New York man was sentenced today in federal court for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base and heroin, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Edward Canty III, aka “Demo,” 32, to 66 months in prison and three years of supervised release. A jury found Canty guilty on October 24, 2019, following a four-day trial.

According to trial evidence, between September 2016 and December 2016, Canty and others conspired to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine base and heroin transported from outside Maine for distribution in Portland.

At the time of his participation in the conspiracy in Maine, Canty was on federal supervised release for a federal drug trafficking conspiracy charge out of New York. He and another conspirator, Akeem Cruz, 31, of Brooklyn, New York, assaulted another individual during the drug conspiracy. In commenting on Canty’s engagement in violence, Chief Judge Levy noted the assault and then added, “Selling heroin to heroin addicts requires a certain level of callousness.”

Another conspirator who was also found guilty at trial, Melquan Jordan, 31, also of Brooklyn, New York, has yet to be sentenced.

The Portland and South Portland Police Departments; the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the FBI investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine: A Waterville man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to three drug-related offenses, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, Rodney Lacroix, 32, distributed fentanyl in Kennebec County between May 2017 and October 2018. He obtained fentanyl from out-of-state sources and used a network of distributors to sell in excess of 400 grams of the drug.

Lacroix faces at least 15 years in prison and up to life. He also faces a $20 million fine and at least ten years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case with assistance provided by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Waterville Police Department and the Maine State Police. 

PORTLAND, Maine:  A Sanford woman was sentenced today in federal court for conspiring to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal sentenced Jennifer Golden, 47, to 41 months in prison and four years of supervised release. Golden pleaded guilty on February 5, 2020. 

According to court records, Golden conspired with others to distribute fentanyl and cocaine in southern Maine between October 2018 and September 2019. During the course of the conspiracy, one of Golden’s co-conspirators was arrested in Massachusetts while making a run to purchase drugs for her. Police officers seized over 40 grams of cocaine and 100 grams of fentanyl incident to that arrest. On September 26, 2019, members of the FBI’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force and other officers executed search and arrest warrants at Golden’s residence in Sanford. During the search, agents seized cocaine base, cocaine powder, fentanyl, psilocybin mushrooms, cutting agents and a digital scale with drug residue. 

The FBI and the Sanford Police Department investigated the case.

PORTLAND, Maine: An Old Orchard Beach man was sentenced today in federal court for conspiring to distribute fentanyl and crack cocaine, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Aboubacar Congo, 32, to 78 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release. Congo pleaded guilty in October 2019.

According to court records, between September and November 2018, Congo conspired with several other individuals to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and crack cocaine. Congo served as the leader of a group that obtained the drugs from out-of-state suppliers and distributed them to customers in the Old Orchard Beach area. Congo maintained an apartment in Old Orchard Beach where he and other conspirators lived. When agents executed a search warrant at the apartment in November 2018, they found fentanyl and crack cocaine inside.

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

PORTLAND, Maine:  A Boston man was sentenced today in federal court for conspiring to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, as well as bank fraud and aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby sentenced Rahshjeem Benson, 38, to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $123,292.11 in restitution. Benson pleaded guilty on October 31, 2019. 

According to court records, beginning in about December of 2018, Benson participated in a scheme to defraud banks and credit unions throughout New England. Members of the conspiracy obtained the names and personal identifying information of individuals with good credit scores. They then applied for unsecured personal loans in the names of victims with no intention of repaying. In connection with those loan applications, members of the conspiracy presented fictitious identification documents (such as driver’s licenses) bearing the names of individuals whose identities had been stolen, and a photograph of the co-conspirator who was posing as the victim. Members of the conspiracy also created bogus paystubs and purported residential lease agreements in the names of the victims to support the fraudulent loan applications.

As part of the conspiracy, Benson and his co-conspirators fraudulently obtained loans from financial institutions in Buxton and Kittery in January 2019. The scheme ended when a loan officer became suspicious and alerted local law enforcement. Kittery police officers arrested Benson while he was attempting to obtain $20,000 in loan proceeds from one of the financial institutions.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Kittery Police Department investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine:  An Augusta man was sentenced today in federal court for two counts of making false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Keegan Hale, 23, to time served and three years of supervised release. Hale entered custody when he pleaded guilty on March 10, 2020.

According to court records, Hale purchased firearms for another individual on two occasions in September and October 2018. On each occasion, he completed and signed a form certifying he was the actual purchaser of the firearm, when he was actually purchasing the guns for anther individual.

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

This case 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. The Department of Justice 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.

 

BANGOR, Maine:  A New York man pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to possessing cocaine base and fentanyl with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, on November 15, 2019, law enforcement officers encountered Terrence Robinson, aka “Trevor Scott,” 27, in Bangor. Robinson had active warrants for his arrest. Officers searched Robinson and located packages of drugs concealed in his pants. Officers seized a package containing 66.9 grams of a mixture containing cocaine base and a package containing 68.9 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine.

Robinson faces between five and 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million. He also faces between four 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.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine State Police and the Bangor Police Department investigated the case. 

BANGOR, Maine: A Newport woman pleaded guilty today in federal court to wire fraud and federal government program theft, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.         

According to court records, from June 2015 through April 2019, Sheri G. Walsh, 56, embezzled more than $250,000 from two nonprofit organizations where she worked. Walsh carried out the scheme by fraudulently transferring funds from one organization to another, then converting the funds to her own use. During the relevant period, one of the nonprofits received federal grant monies from both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Walsh faces up to 20 years in prison on the mail fraud charge and up to 10 years in prison on the theft charge. She also faces up to three years of supervised release and a fine. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The Ellsworth Police Department, the FBI, the EPA Office of Inspector General and the USDA Office of Inspector General investigated the case. 

BANGOR, Maine:  A Princeton, Maine man was sentenced today in federal court in Bangor for distributing cocaine base, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Robert McKenna, 50, to 135 months in prison and three years of supervised release. McKenna pleaded guilty on January 21, 2020.

According to court records, on April 25, 2019, McKenna sold crack to an undercover agent from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency at a residence in Indian Township. 

The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the FBI investigated the case.

The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.  The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Bowie, Maryland man pleaded guilty today in federal court to using counterfeit credit cards, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

According to court records, in December 2018, Charles Harris, 37, and his co-defendant, Bryan Boley, used counterfeit credit cards at Maine retail outlets. The credit card numbers were purchased online.

Harris faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He also faces 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. Harris’s co-defendant Boley was sentenced on November 15, 2019, to 22 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

The U.S. Secret Service; the Maine State Police; and the Auburn, Brunswick, Cape Elizabeth and Yarmouth Police Departments investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine:  A former Brewer resident was sentenced today in federal court for possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Joseph L. Messier, 55, to 220 months in prison and 15 years of supervised release. Messier pleaded guilty on October 17, 2019. 

According to court records, Messier possessed videos of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct, which he had purposefully sought out and received through the internet in early 2018. These videos depicted the sexual exploitation of prepubescent children under the age of 12. Messier faced an enhanced sentence of 10–20 years in prison because of a prior sex offense conviction.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit investigated this case. The 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. 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 Fairhaven, Massachusetts man was sentenced today in federal court for distributing a fatal dose of fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Cameron Soto, 28, to 19 years in prison and six years of supervised release. Soto was also ordered to pay $4,420 in restitution. He pleaded guilty on June 13, 2019, to two counts of distributing fentanyl.

According to court records, on March 14, 2017, Soto distributed fentanyl to a resident of St. George, Maine. The recipient of the drugs died as a result. The following day, after learning of the overdose, Soto distributed additional fentanyl to a confidential informant.

The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.