District of Maine

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Justin Woods, 32, of Damariscotta, Maine pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to knowingly and intentionally assaulting four people with a pistol.

According to court records, on August 28, 2017, the defendant, then a U.S. Navy contract employee participating in the training of active duty Navy personnel in Rangeley, Maine, threatened four Navy instructors by pointing a pistol at them following a social gathering.

The defendant faces up to six months in prison, a $5,000 fine and one year of supervised release.  He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Salvador Rodrigues, 21, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was charged by criminal complaint in U.S. District Court with being a felon in possession of firearms. 

According to the criminal complaint, between May 12 and August 23, the defendant illegally possessed five pistols.  He was prohibited from possessing them because on May 4, he was convicted in Rhode Island of felony possession of a pistol without a license and a felony drug offense.

The defendant faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.

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

A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Darrell Newton, a/k/a “Coast,” a/k/a “D-Coast,” 39, of Rochester, New York, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to distribute in excess of a kilogram of heroin, more than 280 grams of cocaine base, commonly known as “crack,” and fentanyl. 

According to court records, between June 2015 and March 2017, Newton ran a drug trafficking organization that obtained, heroin, crack and fentanyl in Rochester and distributed the drugs in Central Maine.   Rochester conspirators were recruited and sent to Central Maine by the defendant to sell the drugs.  Those conspirators stayed with Central Maine residents who, in exchange for crack and heroin, allowed the drugs to be sold from their residences and assisted in distributing, storing and transporting the drugs. 

The defendant faces between 20 years and life in prison, a $20,000,000 fine, and between 10 years and life on supervised release.  He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance provided by the Augusta Police Department, and prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Strategy to Combat the Opioid Epidemic.

Portland, Maine: One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. 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.

Throughout the past year, we have partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

“PSN is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “We know that the most effective strategy to reduce violent crime is based on sound policing policies that have proven effective over many years, which includes being targeted and responsive to community needs.  I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face.  Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.”  

U.S. Attorney Frank said, “Since 2002, PSN Maine has been a highly effective, anti-violence initiative through which my office has fostered significant partnerships with state and local law enforcement and community stakeholders.” As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the revitalization of the PSN program, here are some highlights of our PSN efforts over the past year.

Grant Award 

The Bureau of Justice Assistance recently announced that a grant award of about $126,800 was made to the Maine Department of Public Safety to fund programs within the PSN Maine’s mission. A request for proposals is expected to be made this fall. Selected grantees will receive funding to support two to three year grants.

Community Partnerships

With the reinvigoration of PSN Maine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office formalized a strong partnership with state prosecutors’ offices and local law enforcement through the creation of a liaison program. Each district attorney’s office in Maine has been assigned a federal prosecutor to serve as a liaison for purposes of case referral and collaboration on violent crime reduction strategies.

Enforcement Actions

• On May 16, 2018, Erick Adams, 40 of Taftville, Connecticut was sentenced to 25 years in prison for distributing crack, cocaine and heroin, and being an armed career criminal in possession of firearms.  The investigation was conducted by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the Biddeford Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service.  Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/pr/connecticut-man-sentenced-25-years-drug-conspiracy-and-illegal-possession-firearms

• On April 26, 2018, Michael Gaudette, 36, of Hiram, Maine was sentenced 100 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. On May 10, 2017, the Maine State Police seized from Gaudette three assault rifles, a shotgun and a handgun, three of which were loaded.  Gaudette had prior felony convictions for attempted robbery, burglary, escape, possession of narcotics and conspiring to deliver articles to prisoners. The investigation was conducted by the Maine State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  Read more:  https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/pr/hiram-man-sentenced-more-eight-years-being-felon-possession-firearms

• On January 18, 2018, Jonathan Gardiner, 31, of Glenburn, Maine was sentenced to 100 months in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms.  On November 13, 2014, Penobscot County Sherriff’s Office deputies went to Gardiner’s Glenburn residence in response to the discharge of a firearm.  Gardiner fled from the deputies and disposed of a 9 mm pistol.  Deputies seized a 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun hidden above Gardiner’s bedroom.  Gardiner had prior felony convictions for burglary, aggravated assault, theft by unlawful use of property and drug trafficking. The investigation was conducted by the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, the ATF, and the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory.  Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/pr/glenburn-man-sentenced-100-months-prison-unlawfully-possessing-firearms

Improvements to Community Safety

• The FBI’s official crime data for 2017 reflects that, after two consecutive, historic increases in violent crime, in the first year of the Trump Administration the nationwide violent crime rate began to decline.  The nationwide violent crime rate decreased by about one percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly one and a half percent.

• Preliminary information for 2018 gives reason for optimism. Public data from 60 major cities show that violent crime was down by nearly five percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period a year ago.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Amy Bingaman, 34, of Levant, Maine, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to conspiring to make false statements to a federal firearms licensee and making false statements to a federal law enforcement officer. 

According to court records, in late February 2018, the defendant conspired with two others to lie to a Brewer federal firearms licensee in connection with the purchase of a .380 caliber handgun.  In connection with that purchase, the defendant falsely represented that she was buying the handgun for herself, when, in fact, the actual buyer was another conspirator who was paying her to make the purchase.  The handgun was recovered during the execution of a narcotics trafficking search warrant in Brewer. 

When the defendant was interviewed by federal agents about purchasing firearms for others, she falsely stated that she had not purchased other firearms for anyone else, when, in fact, she had done so several times previously.

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

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Zachary Morneault, 34, of Levant, Maine, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to conspiring to make false statements to a federal firearms licensee. 

According to court records, in late February 2018, the defendant conspired with two others to lie to a Brewer federal firearms licensee in connection with the purchase of a .380 caliber handgun.  In connection with that purchase, the defendant convinced Amy Bingaman to falsely represent that she was buying the handgun for herself, when, in fact, the actual buyer was another conspirator who was paying to make the purchase.  The defendant drove Bingaman and the other conspirator to the firearms dealer and then directed Bingaman to purchase the handgun. The handgun was recovered during the execution of a narcotics trafficking search warrant in Brewer. 

The defendant faces up to five 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.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Heather Downs, 31, of Gardiner, Maine, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine base, commonly known as “crack.” 

According to court records, between June 2015 and March 2017, Downs conspired with others to acquire heroin and crack in Rochester, New York and transport it to Central Maine for distribution. The defendant assisted Rochester dealers in distributing the narcotics in Central Maine. She provided transportation, facilitated drug deals, introduced Rochester conspirators to area distributors, and assisted other conspirators in finding residences from which to sell drugs. She also dropped off drugs and picked up proceeds from various sale points in Central Maine. 

The defendant faces up to 20 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine, and between three years and life on supervised release. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance provided by the Augusta Police Department and prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Strategy to Combat the Opioid Epidemic.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Richard F. Moloney, 42, of Milford, Maine pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to interfering with commerce by robbery and bank robbery.  The charges arose from the robbery of the County Road Market in Milford and a Bangor Savings Bank branch located in Orono in June 2018.

Court records reveal that on June 10, 2018, at about 1:50 p.m., the defendant entered the County Road Market, pointed what appeared to be a dark-colored handgun at a cashier and told her to give him money.  The defendant was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses, and had socks on his hands and a cloth over his face.  A second cashier opened the register and put the cash tray on the counter.  The defendant absconded with the money.

Two days later, the defendant robbed the Bangor Savings Bank branch.  He was wearing a black mask, a grey hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, sunglasses with reflective lenses, jeans, and white socks on his hands.  The defendant walked to the teller counter where a customer was conducting a transaction and displayed a note to the bank teller that read: “Give me all the money fast in a bag. No tracer or dye packs got a gun.”  The teller gave the defendant cash from the drawer and he absconded with it. 

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

The investigation was conducted by the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, the Old Town, Bangor and Orono Police Departments, the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory, the Maine State Police, and the FBI.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Todd Shorey, 54 of Newport, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Senior Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 84 months in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute over a kilogram of heroin.  He was also fined $5,000. Shorey pleaded guilty on April 24, 2017.

According to court records, between May 2015 and January 2016, Shorey conspired with Jamie Akerson and others to obtain large quantities of heroin on a weekly basis from an out-of-state supplier and to have it distributed by others throughout Central Maine. 

In imposing the sentence, Judge Woodcock described Shorey as a “traitor” to his community.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance provided by the Augusta Police Department, and prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Strategy to Combat the Opioid Epidemic.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Brent Hercules, a/k/a “Herc,” 32, of Rochester, New York, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Senior  Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 87 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute heroin and cocaine base, commonly known as “crack.”

According to court records, between June 2015 and March 2017, Hercules conspired with others to acquire heroin, fentanyl and crack in Rochester and transport it to Central Maine for distribution. The defendant served as a courier.  He transported drugs and drug dealers from Rochester to Central Maine and brought drug proceeds back to Rochester. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance provided by the Augusta Maine Police Department and prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Strategy to Combat the Opioid Epidemic.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Christopher A. Hutchinson, 30, of Cushing, Maine pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to two counts of Seaman’s Manslaughter for causing two deaths at sea. 

According to court records, on November 1, 2014, after smoking marijuana and drinking, Hutchinson took his lobster boat, No Limits, out into a predicted storm with two crewmen aboard.  After he had ingested oxycodone, the boat capsized.  The two crewmen were not wearing personal floatation devices or survival suits.  The No Limits’ Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon alerted at about 1:20 p.m.  The Coast Guard rescued Hutchinson at about 4 p.m.  At the time, he was wearing shorts and a t-shirt.  The Coast Guard located the bow of No Limits at about 5 p.m.  The bodies of the crewmen have never been recovered.

The defendant faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine on each count.  He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A plea agreement provides that a sentence of four years in prison and three years of supervised release is appropriate and that the defendant may withdraw his guilty plea if the court rejects that sentence. 

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Nicholas Reynolds, 34 of Bangor, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to six months in prison and three years of supervised release, with six months of home confinement, for making and distributing marijuana.

According to court records, during a period between October 2010 and August 2016, the defendant conspired with others to illegally manufacture and distribute marijuana. The defendant grew marijuana at a large, sophisticated indoor growing facility in Frankfort, Maine which he was told was an illegal medical marijuana grow. In May 2016, law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at the facility and recovered about 400 marijuana plants, 295 marijuana root balls, and paraphernalia used to manufacture and process marijuana.  According to the search warrant affidavit, the defendant and his co-conspirators were not registered as medical marijuana caregivers with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the location of the facility was not reported to DHHS. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Jeremy Duguay, 35 of Bangor was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to two years of probation with six months of home confinement and 240 hours of community service for conspiring to make and distribute marijuana.

According to court records, during a period between October 2010 and August 2016, the defendant conspired with others to illegally manufacture and distribute marijuana. The defendant grew marijuana at a large, sophisticated indoor growing facility in Frankfort, Maine which he was told was an illegal medical marijuana grow. In May 2016, law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at the facility and recovered about 400 marijuana plants, 295 marijuana root balls, and paraphernalia used to manufacture and process marijuana.  According to the search warrant affidavit, the defendant and his co-conspirators were not registered as medical marijuana caregivers with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the location of the facility was not reported to DHHS. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Donald Henderson, 35, of Winthrop, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to making false statements to a federal firearms licensee. 

According to court records, in February and March, 2017, Henderson purchased a firearm from a Kennebec County firearms dealer.  During each transaction, Henderson falsely claimed to be the actual purchaser of the firearm, when, in fact, he was not.  He also claimed that he was not an unlawful user of controlled substances, when, in fact, he was.

The defendant faces up to 10 years in prison, three years supervised release and a $250,000 fine.  He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Denton Worrell, a/k/a “Lil D,” 21, of Rochester, New York, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Senior  Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute heroin, fentanyl and cocaine base, commonly known as “crack.” The defendant pleaded guilty on May 8.

According to court records, between June 2015 and March 2017, Worrell conspired with others to acquire heroin, fentanyl and crack in Rochester and transport it to Central Maine for distribution. The defendant managed the operation and oversaw the distribution of drugs from 12 to 15 “trap houses” in Central Maine.

In imposing the sentence, Judge Woodcock noted that the defendant was a manager of a “very sophisticated” drug distribution operation based in Rochester and operating in Central Maine.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance provided by the Augusta Police Department, and prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Strategy to Combat the Opioid Epidemic.

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that James Robinson, 60, of Concord, New Hampshire, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Senior Judge George Z. Singal to three years of probation for Social Security fraud. Robinson was also ordered to pay $45,473 in restitution to the Social Security Administration (SSA). As a condition of probation, Robinson is required to sell property that he owns in Cornish, Maine, with the proceeds to go toward restitution.  On March 27, Robinson was found guilty following a two-day jury trial.

Evidence at trial revealed that Robinson received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, which are paid to people with limited income who are blind, disabled or elderly. Between 2008 and 2013, Robinson falsely represented to the SSA that he was living alone in Cornish, and was not receiving help or money from any person. In fact, he was living in Concord with his wife who was providing him with financial assistance. Had Robinson been truthful, he would have been ineligible for SSI benefits. In 2015, Robinson also gave false statements to an SSA Special Agent investigating the matter.

The investigation was conducted by the SSA, Office of the Inspector General, and the Maine Department of Health & Human Services, Fraud Investigation & Recovery Unit.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Owen Fickett, 31, of Harrington, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to possession with the intent to distribute heroin and cocaine base, commonly known as “crack.”

According to court records, on March 6, 2018, a Maine State Police Trooper stopped a vehicle in which Fickett was a passenger.  During a roadside investigation, the trooper discovered that Fickett was in possession of heroin, crack and about $1,200.  Fickett later admitted that he had been selling heroin and crack.

The defendant faces up to 20 years in prison, three years supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine.  He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The case was investigated by the Maine State Police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Strategy to Combat the Opioid Epidemic.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Roger Edward Picard, 66, of Garland, Maine was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to 1½ years in prison and five years of supervised release for failing to register as a sex offender.  Picard pled guilty on May 17.

According to court records, in 1983, Picard was convicted in Massachusetts of Rape of a Child, by force and beating.  As a result, he was required to register as a sex offender. He did so in Hawaii on April 2, 2015 and acknowledged that he had to register if he moved to another state.  On or before December 3, 2016, Picard moved to Garland but failed to register as required. He was arrested on March 1, 2018.

Prior to imposing the sentence, Judge Levy noted that the purpose of sex offender registration is to protect the public and children, in particular, from sex offenders and that the defendant’s failure to register frustrated the purpose of the act and deprived those in his community of the fact that he had a history as a sex offender.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that a jury returned a verdict yesterday finding Steve Matisko, Jr., 54, of Raleigh, North Carolina, guilty of willfully failing to pay child support.  The trial was held before Chief United States District Judge Nancy Torresen sitting in Bangor.

Evidence introduced at trial showed that in 1997 the Maine District Court found that Matisko was the legal and biological father of a child and ordered Matisko to pay $56 per week in child support.  The evidence showed that Matisco willfully failed to make child support payments for the next approximately 20 years.  The evidence also showed that Matisko lived in Maine, Alaska, Ohio, Texas and North Carolina during that period of time and worked for cash so as to avoid his support obligations. Matisko’s unpaid child support obligation totaled $58,406.

Chief Judge Torresen will sentence Matisko after the United States Probation Office conducts a presentence investigation. He faces up to two years in prison and one year of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and court-ordered restitution in the amount of $58,406. 

The investigation was conducted by the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the Division of Support Enforcement and Recovery for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced Benigno Godinez-Cortez, 45, of Ahuacuotzingo, Guerrero, Mexico was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to time servied (70 days) in prison for unlawfully re-entering the United States.  He pled guilty on August 14.

According to court records, on July 10, the defendant entered the United States illegally from Canada by crossing a railroad trestle near Calais.  U.S. Border Patrol agents located the defendant shortly after he entered.  He is a citizen of Mexico who had been deported after his arrest in 1994 on immigration charges and did not have immigration documents allowing him to enter.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced Sarah Louise Branch, 37, of New South Wales, Australia was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to 70 days in prison for encouraging and inducing illegal entry of Benigno Godinez-Cortez into the United States on July 10, 2018.  Ms. Branch and M. Godinez-Cortez pled guilty on August 14, 2018 in U.S. District Court to immigration felony offenses.

According to court records, a Mexican passport, male clothing and photographs of Benigno Godinez-Cortez were discovered in the van of Sarah Branch when she sought admission to the United States at a Port of Entry in Calais, Maine.  Upon questioning by Customs and Border Protection Officers, Ms. Branch admitted she knew her boyfriend, a citizen of Mexico, would not be admitted into the United States and that she therefore dropped him off “somewhere” near the border of Canada and the United States.  She then confessed she told Godinez-Cortez she would cross at the nearest port of entry and then would pick him up after he contacted her by cell phone.  

U.S. Attorney Frank stated that the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security are committed to securing the international border and ensuring that each person who seeks to enter our country present himself or herself at a designated crossing point or port of entry. 

The investigation was conducted by Customs and Border Protection, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Steven Talbot, 32, of Wakefield, Massachusetts, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to ten years in prison and eight years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.  He pleaded guilty on March 23, 2018.

Court records reveal that on December 4, 2017, Talbot transported 80 grams of fentanyl from Massachusetts to Maine for distribution to a person working with law enforcement.  Law enforcement agents arrested Talbot and seized the fentanyl upon his arrival at the meeting location. 

Talbot faced an enhanced penalty based upon a prior felony conviction for drug trafficking.   

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Maine State Police, and prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Strategy to Combat the Opioid Epidemic.  

Washington -- United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $113 million in grant awards to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women, and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, including $899,135 to the Aroostook Bank of Micmacs and $899,556 to the Penobscot Nation for their violence against women programs, and $749,774 to the Point Pleasant Passamaquoddy Tribe for its justice and drug and alcohol abuse programs.

Nationwide, grants were awarded to 133 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs. Of the $113 million, just over $53 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs, more than $35 million from the Office on Violence Against Women, and more than $24.7 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

In addition, the Department is in the process of allocating up to $133 million in a first-ever set aside program to serve victims of crime in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.  The awards are intended to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims of crime by providing funding, programming and technical assistance.  Recipients will be announced in the near future. 

“With these awards, we are doubling the amount of grant funding devoted to public safety programs and serving victims of crime in Native American communities,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio, who made the announcement during his remarks at the 26th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  “There is an unacceptable level of violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.  This increase in resources, together with our aggressive investigation and prosecution of crimes, shows how seriously Attorney General Sessions and the entire Department of Justice take these issues.  We are committed to reducing violent crime and improving public safety.”

The Four Corners Conference is facilitated annually by U.S. Attorneys from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah to provide a forum for discussion of justice-related topics with a large number of populous and diverse tribal nations located in the region.

CTAS awards cover nine purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; and tribal youth programs.   CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems’ response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities’ public safety needs.

Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

A listing of today’s announced CTAS awards is available at: www.justice.gov/tribal/page/file/1095161/download.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Victor Yobany Archila-Rojas, 28, of Guatemala, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to time served (53 days) for entering the United States after having been removed and deported.  The defendant pleaded guilty on August 14, 2018. 

Court records reveal that on July 29, 2018, the defendant entered the United States from Canada in Sandy Bay Township, Maine at a location not designated for entry.  U.S. Border Patrol agents located the defendant shortly after he entered.  He is a citizen of Guatemala and was removed from the United States in 2013.  He is subject to deportation.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol. 

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Raymond J. Brenneis, 59, of Rumford, Maine, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to Social Security fraud and theft of public money.

According to court records, since 1995, Brenneis has received Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) benefits which are paid to people with limited income who are blind, disabled, or elderly. Between 2015 and 2017, Brenneis also received Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (“SNAP”) and Maine State SSI Supplement benefits. Brenneis told the federal and state programs administering the benefit programs that he was living alone and not receiving help or money from any other person.  In fact, from 2011 to 2017, Brenneis lived with his wife whose receipt of Social Security Disability Insurance benefits rendered him ineligible for benefits he received. Brenneis told investigators that he concealed his actual living arrangements because he knew his wife’s benefits would make him ineligible to receive the benefits.

Brenneis faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for Social Security fraud, and up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine for theft of public money.  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 investigation was conducted by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General and the Maine Department of Health & Human Service’s Fraud Investigation and Recovery Unit.

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Benjamin Gagnon, 35, of Keene, New Hampshire, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court in Concord, New Hampshire to sexually exploiting a minor.

According to court records, in January 2017, Gagnon, who was in New Hampshire, persuaded a minor female in Texas to create still images and videos depicting the minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The minor transmitted the images and videos to Gagnon over the internet. Gagnon later uploaded the images to an online account, where they were found by investigators in August 2017.

Gagnon faces between 15 and 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and between five years and life on supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by the Derry, Hinsdale and Keene, New Hampshire Police Departments; the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation; and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Patrick Monahan, 52, of Old Town, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to sexual exploitation of children, and distribution and possession of child pornography.

According to court records, the defendant, posing online as a teenager, separately persuaded two minors to send him over the internet videos of themselves engaging in sexual activity.  The defendant subsequently uploaded some of these videos to a pornographic website that could be accessed by the general public.  In addition, the defendant possessed child pornography on his computer. 

The defendant faces between 25 and 50 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the sexual exploitation of children, between 15 and 40 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the distribution charge, and between 10 and 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the possession charge.  He faces an enhanced sentence because he has a prior federal conviction for possession of child pornography. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Old Town, Orono and Bangor Police Departments, the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit.  This 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. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Kenneth McLay, 46, of Old Town, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to distribution and possession of child pornography.

According to court records, the defendant obtained sexually explicit videos of a minor from the internet and uploaded some of these videos to a pornographic website that could be accessed by the general public.  In addition, he possessed child pornography on his computer. 

The defendant faces between 15 and 40 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the distribution charge and between 10 and 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the possession charge.  He faces enhanced sentences because of a prior federal conviction for possession of child pornography.  He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Old Town, Orono, and Bangor Police Departments, the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit.  This 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. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Waddah Siedahmed, 23, of South Portland, Maine, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to commit bank robbery.

According to court records, on November 17, 2017, the defendant and another person agreed to rob a Key Bank branch in Portland.  That afternoon, the other person entered the Key Bank branch wearing a black sweatshirt, black gloves, black glasses, dark colored jeans, and what appeared to be a long black wig. The other person also carried and used what appeared to be a firearm and absconded with $1,721. Following the robbery, the defendant received a share of the stolen money. Within hours of the robbery, police located the defendant and recovered from him some of the stolen money.

The defendant faces up to five years in jail, a $250,000 fine, and restitution.  He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case was investigated by the Portland Police Department and the FBI’s Southern Maine Gang Task Force which is comprised of agents and officers from the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and the Portland, South Portland, and Lewiston Police Departments.

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Carrie Caporino, 46, of Scarborough, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to two years in prison and three years of supervised release for embezzling from two  health care providers and for using the social security number of another person.  She was also ordered to pay $549,468.80 in restitution. She pleaded guilty on April 30, 2018. 

According to court records, between 2014 and November 2016, the defendant worked as the office manager for a southern Maine dental practice and embezzled over $293,000 by using office credit cards for personal expenses, using the office checkbook to pay rent and other personal expenses, and by making internet transfers from an office bank account to pay a personal credit card and her PayPal account.

Between December 2016 and 2017, the defendant was the office manager for a Falmouth physician and embezzled more than $255,000 from his practice by stealing checks mailed to the office by patients and insurance companies and then mobile depositing them to her own bank accounts using her smart phone. 

In January 2014, the defendant fraudulently used the social security number of an individual living in southern Maine on a health insurance application. 

In announcing her sentence, Judge Woodcock told Caporino that it takes a special kind of dishonesty to steal from someone who hired you and paid you to do a job.  In effect, he said, her victims “paid her to steal from them.”  He also found it particularly reprehensible that she victimized a dentist and a doctor.   He stated that the defendant’s actions resulted in a “catastrophic victimization of two fine gentlemen who dedicated their lives to helping others.” 

Both employers are now closed.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General.

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Alejandro Caal, 46, of Tampa, Florida; Adrian Teruel, 26, of Orlando, Florida; and Olga Valido, 52, of Kissimmee, Florida, were sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen for access device fraud and conspiracy to commit access device fraud. Caal was sentenced to 10 months in prison, Teruel was sentenced to 1 year, and Valido was sentenced to nine months. The defendants were also ordered to serve three years of supervised release upon their release from prison. The defendants pleaded guilty on January 3.

Court records show that between October 2016 and March 2017, the defendants used stolen credit and debit card numbers belonging to Maine residents to fraudulently purchase merchandise and gift cards at Maine stores. 

A fourth defendant, Zulairam Ramos, pleaded guilty on January 3 and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 4.

The case was investigated by the Falmouth, Augusta, Scarborough, South Portland and Winthrop Police Departments, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Secret Service

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Jaymi Hutchins, 31, formerly of Gilead, Maine and Rochester, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to maliciously damaging and destroying property used in interstate commerce by fire.

Court records reveal that on October 25, 2016, Hutchins intentionally set a fire inside a vehicle in the parking lot of a vehicle towing, recovery, repair and sales business located in Lebanon, Maine. The fire destroyed three vehicles, including a commercial wrecker.  Hutchins was apprehended following a two-day investigation which revealed, among other evidence, that she had stolen a vehicle from the business which she crashed and abandoned.

The defendant faces between five and 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. 

The investigation was conducted by the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office; the York and Oxford County Sheriff’s Offices; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Eric Malmstrom, 40, of Vinalhaven, Maine, was convicted yesterday following a one-day jury trial in U.S. District Court of transmitting threatening interstate communications.

The evidence at trial revealed that on three occasions in February and March, Malmstrom placed telephone calls to an employee of the Swedish embassy in Washington, D.C., threatening to slit the employee’s throat. Between September 2017 and March 2018, Malmstrom placed hundreds of calls to the embassy and to the employee.

Malmstrom faces up to five 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.

“Threats made against public officials, whether those of the United States or of foreign governments serving their citizens in this country, cannot be taken lightly,” said U.S. Attorney Frank. “People who make such threats should expect to be caught, charged and prosecuted.”

“The Diplomatic Security Service is firmly committed to ensuring the safety and security of foreign diplomats in the United States,” said Bart Brown, director of DSS’s Office of Protective Intelligence Investigations. “This case is the result of a joint DSS investigation with the U.S. Secret Service and the Knox County Sheriff’s Department.”

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Andrew Waite, 29, of Turner, Maine, was charged by indictment in U.S. District Court with illegal possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, illegal possession of a silencer without a serial number that was not registered to him, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

According to a criminal complaint, the charges arose from an investigation into a drug trafficking organization located in Turner that is alleged to have grown and distributed large quantities of marijuana in violation of federal law, and under the cover of, but in violation of, Maine’s Medical Marijuana program.  In February 2018, federal, state and local law enforcement agents executed over 20 search warrants in the Lewiston-Auburn area.  The defendant’s Nezinscott Drive residence was searched.  Agents seized about 100 pounds of marijuana, a loaded 9mm pistol, a 7.62mm x 39 pistol, a drum magazine, ammunition, a silencer and more than $150,000, much of which was stacked in $5,000 increments. Agents also seized a Ferrari pursuant to a seizure warrant on the basis that it was forfeitable as proceeds of drug trafficking, facilitated drug trafficking, or was involved in money laundering offenses.

If convicted, the defendant faces between five years and life and a $250,000 fine on the firearm charge, up to five years and a $250,000 fine on the drug charge, and up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine on the silencer charge.

The defendant was arrested on July 18 in North Carolina and is scheduled to make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Portland today at 3:30 p.m.

The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI; the Maine State Police; and the Lewiston, Auburn, Windham, Biddeford and Scarborough Police Departments.

A criminal complaint and an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Portland, Maine:  Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore and United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank today announced that Maurice Diggins, 34, and Dusty Leo, 27, both of Biddeford, Maine, were indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Maine for conspiracy to violate and for violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, by assaulting an African-American man. 

According to the indictment, on about April 15, Diggins and Leo willfully caused bodily injury to an African-American man in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven convenience store in Biddeford, targeting the victim because of his race. The indictment alleges that the defendants drove a truck into the 7-Eleven parking lot at a high rate of speed as the victim walked across the lot. Diggins got out of the truck, repeatedly called the victim a racial slur, blocked his entry into the store, and circled him, turning the victim’s back to the truck. According to the indictment, Leo got out of the truck, walked up behind the victim, and struck him forcefully in the head. It is alleged that as the victim ran away, the defendants followed him in the truck, continuing to shout racial epithets.

If convicted, Diggins and Leo face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the hate crime charge, and five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the conspiracy charge.

Diggins and Leo were arrested on Friday and made their initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Portland today.

The case was investigated by the Biddeford Police Department and the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sheila W. Sawyer of the District of Maine and Trial Attorney Timothy Visser of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. 

An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Richard R. Hemingway, 22, of Ludlow, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to providing false information to a federal firearms licensee (“FFL”) and filling out a false Firearms Transaction Record during the purchase of two firearms.  Hemingway was indicted in June 2018.

According to court records, on October 4, 2017, Hemingway purchased a Windham Weaponry ‘WW-15’ .300BLK caliber AR-15 style rifle and a Sig Sauer ‘MCX’ .300BLK caliber AR-15 style rifle from an FFL.  In doing so, he completed a Firearms Transaction Record form in which he falsely reported that he was the actual purchaser of the firearms.  In fact, Hemingway was buying the firearms for another individual. 

Hemingway faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for making false statements to an FFL and up to five years in prison and a $250,000 on the false record charge.  He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.  In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that the Department of Justice and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have proposed a reduction for controlled substances that may be manufactured in the U.S. next year. Consistent with President Trump’s “Safe Prescribing Plan” that seeks to “cut nationwide opioid prescription fills by one-third within three years,” the proposal decreases manufacturing quotas for the most six frequently misused opioids for 2019 by an average ten percent as compared to the 2018 amount. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) marks the third straight year of proposed reductions, which help reduce the amount of drugs potentially diverted for trafficking and used to facilitate addiction.

On July 11, 2018, the Justice Department announced that DEA was issuing a final rule amending its regulations to improve the agency’s ability consider the likelihood of whether a drug can be diverted for abuse when it sets annual opioid production limits. The final rule also promotes greater involvement from state attorneys general, and today’s proposed reduction will be sent to those offices.

In setting the aggregate production quote (APQ), DEA considers data from many sources, including estimates of the legitimate medical need from the Food and Drug Administration; estimates of retail consumption based on prescriptions dispensed; manufacturers’ disposition history and forecasts; data from DEA’s own internal system for tracking controlled substance transactions; and past quota histories.

The DEA has proposed to reduce more commonly prescribed schedule II opioids, including oxycodone, hydrocodone, oxymorphone, hydromorphone, morphine, and fentanyl:

Aggregate Production Quota for Opioids (grams)

2016

2017

2018

2019

(proposed)

Overall

Fentanyl

2,300,000

1,350,000

-41%

1,342,320

-1%

1,185,000

-12%

-48%

Hydrocodone (for sale)

86,000,000

51,900,000

-40%

50,348,280

-3%

44,710,000

-11%

-48%

Hydromorphone

7,000,000

5,140,800

-27%

4,547,720

-12%

4,071,000

-10%

-42%

Morphine (for sale)

62,500,000

35,000,000

-44%

33,958,440

-3%

31,450,000

-7%

-50%

Oxycodone (for sale)

139,150,000

101,500,000

-27%

95,692,000

-6%

85,578,000

-11%

-38%

Oxymorphone (for sale)

6,250,000

3,600,000

-42%

3,395,280

-6%

2,880,000

-15%

-54%

Overall Decline:

303,200,000

198,490,800

-35%

189,284,040

-5%

169,874,000

-10%

-44%

Ultimately, revised limits will encourage vigilance on the part of opioid manufacturers, help DEA respond to the changing drug threat environment, and protect the American people from potential addictive drugs while ensuring that the country has enough opioids for legitimate medical, scientific, research, and industrial needs.

"The opioid epidemic that we are facing today is the worst drug crisis in American history," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "President Trump has set the ambitious goal of reducing opioid prescription rates by one-third in three years. We embrace that goal and are resolutely committed to reaching it. According to the National Prescription Audit, we have already made significant progress in reducing prescription rates over the past year. Cutting opioid production quotas by an average of ten percent next year will help us continue that progress and make it harder to divert these drugs for abuse. The American people can be confident that federal law enforcement and the Trump administration are taking action to protect them from dangerous drugs.  These smarter limits bring us one big step closer to President Trump's goal of finally ending this unprecedented crisis. I congratulate Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon and his team for taking action.”

“We’ve lost too many lives to the opioid epidemic and families and communities suffer tragic consequences every day,” said DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon. “This significant drop in prescriptions by doctors and DEA’s production quota adjustment will continue to reduce the amount of drugs available for illicit diversion and abuse while ensuring that patients will continue to have access to proper medicine.”

“In 2016, Maine implemented regulations limiting the amount of opioid pain medication that doctors could prescribe and requiring prescribing doctors to check an online database to ensure that patients were not doctor shopping,” said U.S. Attorney Frank.  “The Department of Justice and DEA are helping in that effort by limiting the amount of opioids produced.  It is yet another component of the collective effort required to combat the opioid crisis.”

Once the aggregate quota is set, DEA allocates individual manufacturing and procurement quotas to those manufacturers that apply for them. DEA may revise a company’s quota at any time during the year if change is warranted due to increased or decreased sales or exports, new manufacturers entering the market, new product development, or product recalls.

When Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act, the quota system was intended to reduce or eliminate diversion from “legitimate channels of trade” by controlling the quantities of the basic ingredients needed for the manufacture of controlled substances.

The Proposed Aggregate Production Quotas for schedule I and II controlled substances published in the Federal Register reflects the total amount of controlled substances necessary to meet the country’s medical, scientific, research, industrial, and export needs for the year and for the establishment and maintenance of reserve stocks. DEA establishes an APQ for more than 250 schedule I and II controlled substances annually.

In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidelines to practitioners recommending a reduction in the prescribing of opioid medications for chronic pain. DEA and its federal partners have increased efforts in the last several years to educate practitioners, pharmacists, manufacturers, distributors, and the public about the dangers associated with the misuse of opioid medications and the importance of proper prescribing.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Mark White, 28, of Searsmont, Maine, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to providing false information during the purchase of two firearms. 

According to court records, on January 31, 2017, White sought to purchase a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol from a federally licensed firearms dealer.  In doing so, he completed a Firearms Transaction Record form in which he falsely reported that he was the actual purchaser of the firearm.  On February 6, 2017, White began the purchase of a Glock 9 millimeter pistol from the same federally licensed dealer, again claiming he was the actual purchaser of the firearm.  White completed the purchase of each firearm after a background check.  On both occasions, White was actually buying the firearms for another individual.

White 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. 

The case was investigated by the Massachusetts State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.  In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Benigno Godinez-Cortez, 45, of Ahuacuotzingo, Guerrero, Mexico, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported.

According to court records, on July 10, 2018, the defendant entered the United States illegally from Canada by crossing a railroad trestle near Calais.  U.S. Border Patrol agents located the defendant shortly after he entered.  He is a citizen of Mexico who had been deported after his arrest in 1994 on immigration charges and did not have immigration documents allowing him to enter.

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

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Derrick Coffin, 36, of Lincoln, Maine, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. to 20 years in prison and supervised release for life for possessing child pornography and accessing child pornography with the intent to view it.  He was also ordered to pay $13,000 in restitution.  Coffin pleaded guilty on March 12, 2018.

According to court records, on March 18, 2016, Coffin possessed hundreds of child pornography images on his laptop computer that were discovered during a probation check at his home.  Coffin was subject to an enhanced sentence due to a prior conviction for gross sexual assault. 

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Lincoln and Bangor Police Departments, the State of Maine Probation & Parole Office, and the Maine State Police and 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.  Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Victor Yobany Archila-Rojas, 28, of Guatemala, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to entering the United States after having been removed and deported.Court records reveal that on July 29, 2018, the defendant entered the United States from Canada in Sandy Bay Township, Maine at a location not designated for entry.  U.S. Border Patrol agents located the defendant shortly after he entered.  He is a citizen of Guatemala and had been removed from the United States in 2013.

The defendant faces up to two 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.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol. 

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Sarah Louise Branch, 37, of New South Wales, Australia pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to encouraging and inducing the entry of an illegal alien into the United States. 

According to court records, on July 10, 2018, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents searched the vehicle the defendant was driving when she sought admission to the United States at a Port of Entry in Calais, Maine and discovered a Mexican passport, male clothing and photographs of a male, later identified as Benigno Godinez-Cortez.  The defendant admitted that she dropped her boyfriend, Godinez-Cortez, off in Canada near the U.S. border knowing that he was a citizen of Mexico and would not be admitted into the United States and that she intended to pick him up after he entered the United States illegally.  

She faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  She will be sentenced after completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.  Godinez-Cortez pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to unlawfully re-entering the United States and awaits sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/08/09/maine-voices-prosecution-must-remain-weapon-in-the-war-against-opioid-trafficking/

http://bangordailynews.com/2018/08/07/opinion/contributors/prosecutors-serve-a-vital-role-in-combating-the-opioid-epidemic/

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Edwin Antonio Paiz-Morales, 27, of Guatemala, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to illegally entering the United States and was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge John C. Nivison to time served (ten days).

Court records reveal that on July 29, 2018, the defendant entered the United States from Canada in Sandy Bay Township, Maine at a location not designated for entry.  U.S. Border Patrol agents located the defendant shortly after he entered.  He is a Guatemalan citizen and did not have immigration documents allowing him to enter.  He has been placed in removal proceedings. 

He faced up to 180 days in prison and a $5,000 fine. 

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol. 

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank, announced that Myron Crosby, Jr., a/k/a “Templer”, 54, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was convicted yesterday following a four-day jury trial in U.S. District Court of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a kilogram or more of heroin. 

The evidence at trial established that between August 2015 and January 2016, Crosby supplied between 60,000 and 80,000 bags of heroin (totaling more than a kilogram) from his operations in Hartford, Connecticut and Springfield, Massachusetts to co-conspirators from the Newport, Maine area who distributed the drugs in the Newport area.

The defendant faces between 10 years and life in prison, an $8,000,000 fine, and between eight years and life on supervised release.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance provided by the Maine and Massachusetts State Police, and prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Strategy to Combat the Opioid Epidemic.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Henry Giovanny Paiz-Morales, 24, of Guatemala, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to illegally entering the United States and was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge John C. Nivison to time served (five days).

Court records reveal that on July 29, 2018, the defendant entered the United States from Canada in Sandy Bay Township, Maine at a location not designated for entry.  U.S. Border Patrol agents located him shortly after he entered.  He is a Guatemalan citizen and did not have immigration documents allowing him to enter.  He has been placed in removal proceedings.

He faced up to 180 days in prison and a $5,000 fine. 

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol. 

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Travis Jonathon Card, 38, of Westbrook, Maine, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to interfering and attempting to interfere with commerce by robbery.  The charges arose from an investigation into eleven armed and attempted armed robberies in the greater Portland area in March and April, 2018.

According to court records, the defendant, brandishing what appeared to be a firearm, robbed the Riverton Gas Station, in Portland, on March 20; robbed the Lil’ Mart Gas Station, in Falmouth, on March 21; robbed Good Things Variety, in Westbrook, on March 22; robbed Express Mart, in Cumberland, on March 22; robbed the Daily Grind, in Westbrook, on March 24; attempted to rob China Taste, in Portland, on March 25; robbed Subway, in Westbrook, on March 26; attempted to rob Aroma Joe’s, in South Portland, on March 27; robbed China Eatery, in Old Orchard Beach, on March 29; robbed Gulf Mart, in Westbrook, on April 6; and attempted to rob Moby Dick Variety, in Old Orchard Beach, on April 11. 

If convicted, Card faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each robbery or attempt. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. 

The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Southern Maine Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers from the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Portland, South Portland, and Lewiston Police Departments; in conjunction with the Westbrook, Falmouth, Cumberland, and Old Orchard Beach Police Departments. 

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Shea Ryan Estes, 41, previously of McKinney, Texas, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. to 10 months in prison and three years of supervised release, including up to three months of community confinement, for transmitting threats in interstate commerce.  Estes pleaded guilty on April 5, 2018.

According to court records, in the summer of 2017, the defendant, while living in Texas, made two threatening telephone calls to his ex-girlfriend, who was then in Maine.  The calls were recorded on her answering machine.  In the calls, the defendant threatened that he would “hunt” her down, that she was “next,” that she would “suffer, and that if he ever got back to Maine he would kill her current boyfriend, various members of her family, and “anyone that gets in my [expletive] way.” 

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Timothy Daniel Davis, 61, of Winter Harbor, Maine, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

Court records reveal that in about June 2016, Davis possessed a shotgun while threatening another man. On May 15, 2017, Davis possessed a 12 gauge, double-barreled shotgun at his Winter Harbor apartment.  Davis was prohibited from possessing firearms as a result of a 2010 armed assault with intent to murder conviction in Massachusetts. 

Davis faces up to ten 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.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as the Winter Harbor and Gouldsboro Police Departments.