District of Maine

Contact: Andrew McCormack
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Steven Tutt, 46, of Gorham, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to 12 months and 1 day in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography.  He was also ordered to pay a $3,000 fine.  The defendant pled guilty on November 29, 2016.

According to court records, law enforcement, using a peer-to-peer file sharing program, downloaded a child pornography video from the defendant’s home computer.  A search warrant was subsequently obtained for the defendant’s residence.  A forensic examination of the defendant’s computer was conducted and revealed several additional videos of child pornography.  During an interview with law enforcement, the defendant admitted that he had actively searched for and obtained images and videos of child pornography using peer-to-peer software.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit.

Contact: F. Todd Lowell
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Presiliano Gonzalez Berruete, 53, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to being an alien who was found in the United States after having been removed and deported from the United States.  Gonzalez Berruete was indicted for that crime in February 2017. 

According to court documents, on February 12, 2017, the defendant arrived at the Canada Border Services Agency in Woodstock, New Brunswick.  He was refused entry to Canada and transported to the Houlton, Maine Port of Entry.  A United States Custom and Border Protection (CBP) officer determined that the defendant was a citizen of Mexico and had been removed from the United States in 2010.  The removal of the defendant happened after the defendant was convicted of a federal felony drug trafficking offense and had served time in prison for that offense.  The defendant returned to the United States after that removal by entering the United States without inspection at a place that was not designated for entry.

The case was investigated by United States Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security.

Contact: Andrew McCormack
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Nathan Brewer, 35, of Presque Isle, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 73 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute bath salts.  The defendant pled guilty on January 23, 2015.

According to court records, between about January 2012 and June 2014, Brewer conspired with others to obtain bath salts overseas via the internet and to distribute it in Aroostook County.  Brewer raised money from other conspirators to place orders large enough to receive a bulk discount. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency with assistance from the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Contact: Daniel Perry
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine: Thomas E. Delahanty II, United States Attorney for the District of Maine, is pleased to announce the “Youth Voices on the Opiate Crisis Media Contest.” 

Each day in Maine, on average, one person dies of a drug overdose; in 2015 and 2016, overdose deaths increased by over 31%.  In these challenging times, United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine and the Office of the Maine Attorney General are jointly sponsoring the “Youth Voices on the Opiate Crisis Media Contest.”  This contest is open to Maine students and is designed to provide a platform to creatively document and reflect on the impact of substance abuse in their lives and communities.  The goal of this contest is to build awareness and spark conversation among Maine’s youth. Prize money will be awarded to winning entrants.

Details about the contest can be found at: www.noStigmaForMe.com.

Contact: Joel B. Casey
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Kelli Mujo, 31, of Harmony and Wellington, Maine and Central Falls, Rhode Island, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to 14 years in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone and cocaine and maintaining a drug involved premise.  Mujo and her father, Roger Belanger, were convicted following a jury trial on August 19, 2016.

The evidence at trial revealed that between 2002 and 2014, the defendant and her father ran a cocaine and oxycodone distribution conspiracy that stretched from Rhode Island to the Dexter, Maine area.  Conspirators obtained over 22 kilograms of cocaine and thousands of oxycodone pills in Rhode Island and transported to Maine where it was distributed in Dexter and the surrounding communities. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, with assistance provided by the Dexter Police Department, the Penobscot, Somerset and Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Offices.

Contact: Joel B. Casey
Andrew McCormack
Assistant United States Attorneys
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Mark Tasker, 49, of Dexter, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and oxycodone and maintaining a drug involved premise.  He pleaded guilty on July 20, 2016.

According to court records, between January 2002 and November 2014, Tasker conspired with Kelli Mujo and her father, Roger Belanger, to distribute cocaine and oxycodone in the Dexter area. The drugs were acquired by Mujo and Belanger in Rhode Island and transported to Maine.  From January 2012 until November 2014, Tasker used his residence in Dexter to distribute them.

In sentencing the defendant, Judge Levy observed that the length and breadth of the conspiracy was “extraordinary” and that Tasker had participated in it during its entire existence.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, with assistance provided by the Dexter Police Department, the Penobscot, Somerset and Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Offices.

Contact: Andrew McCormack
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Daniel Fitzsimmons, 54, of Whiting, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to social security fraud.

According to court records, the defendant began receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (“SSDI”) payments in 2002. SSDI benefits are paid by the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) to people with disabilities. From 2002 to 2013, the defendant and his dependents received over $157,000 in SSDI benefits.  In order to obtain those benefits, the defendant was required to certify that he could no longer perform “substantial gainful work.”  In numerous forms submitted to the SSA and at an in-person SSA interview, the defendant reported little work activity and very low annual earnings between 2002 and 2013.  An investigation revealed that, contrary to his statements, the defendant was actively and consistently engaged in commercial fishing over that period.

The defendant faces up to five 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 case was investigated by SSA’s Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Contact: Jody Mullis
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Brandon Lancaster, 21, of Norridgewock, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to distributing oxycodone.

According to court records, on August 31, 2016, in a Pittsfield, Maine parking lot, Lancaster sold eleven 30 mg oxycodone pills for $500 to a person working with law enforcement.    

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

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

Contact: Jody Mullis
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Bradford Christopher, 36, of Alna, 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 conspiring to distribute cocaine base, commonly known as “crack,” and heroin.   He pleaded guilty on October 13, 2016. 

According to court records, between May 2015 and August 2016, Christopher conspired to distribute crack and heroin in central Maine.  He supplied drugs to co-conspirators and drove them to “trap houses” where the drugs were sold.

In imposing sentence, Judge John Woodcock said that by engaging in this activity, the defendant was a “traitor” to his community and “affect[ed] how young people grow up” in central Maine.  

This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office and investigated and prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Strategy to Combat the Opioid Epidemic. 

Contact: Michael J. Conley
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Espen Brungodt, 29, of Norway, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court Judge D. Brock Hornby to 15 months in prison for making threatening interstate communications. He pled guilty on September 26, 2016.

According to court records, on August 3, 2016, Brungodt sent an email to the Portland Police Department in which he threatened to kill police officers. The email read

Time for more police to die. We are getting our Sig Sauer MCX .223-caliber rifles ready, and very soon, my partners will head down to Portland Police Department on 109 Middle St. There they will shoot and kill as many police officers as they can. Meanwhile, I will get into position at the top of Cumberland County Parking Garage on 188 Newbury St. I have booby trapped the garage with explosives, so don't go there. Time to take action. More dead cops.

Brungodt sent the threatening email from his Portland hotel room, where he was located and arrested a few hours later. 

In pronouncing sentence, Judge Hornby praised the response of the Portland Police Department to Brungodt’s threat and noted that the email constituted a “brutal threat of violence and death that resulted in complete disruption of public services and instilled public fear.”  Judge Hornby also noted that the offense was a consequence of Brungodt’s well-documented mental health history and took into consideration his lack of criminal history.  

As part of a plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has agreed to support any request by the defendant to transfer his sentence under to the International Prisoner Transfer Agreement that exists between the United States and the Kingdom of Norway.

Upon completion of his sentence, Brungodt will be removed from the United States and will be denied re-entry in the future.
           
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Portland Police Department.

Contact: Jody Mullis
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Joshua Bickmore, 30, of Guilford, Maine was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to three years in prison and three years of supervised release for distributing heroin.   He pleaded guilty to this charge on July 12, 2016. 

According to court records, on August 13, 2015, Bickmore met with an undercover law enforcement officer and a confidential informant at the Cambridge, Maine General Store to sell heroin.  Bickmore sold thirteen wax baggies of heroin in exchange for $390.

At sentencing, when describing Bickmore’s involvement with heroin, Judge Woodcock said that, “it doesn’t have to be this way” and that it was time for Bickmore “to man-up” and pursue legitimate employment.  

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Greenville Police Department.  

Contact: Jody Mullis
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Joshua Bickmore, 30, of Guilford, Maine was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to three years in prison and three years of supervised release for distributing heroin.   He pleaded guilty to this charge on July 12, 2016. 

According to court records, on August 13, 2015, Bickmore met with an undercover law enforcement officer and a confidential informant at the Cambridge, Maine General Store to sell heroin.  Bickmore sold thirteen wax baggies of heroin in exchange for $390.

At sentencing, when describing Bickmore’s involvement with heroin, Judge Woodcock said that, “it doesn’t have to be this way” and that it was time for Bickmore “to man-up” and pursue legitimate employment.  

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Greenville Police Department. 

Contact: Joel B. Casey and Chris Ruge
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Jermaine Mitchell, a/k/a “Melo,” 44, of New Haven, Connecticut, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 260 months in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine base, commonly referred to as “crack.”   He was convicted following a six-day jury trial on June 27, 2016.

The trial evidence revealed that between January 2010 and August 2013, the defendant was part of a conspiracy that acquired crack cocaine in New Haven and brought it into the Bangor area where it was distributed through a network of New Haven dealers staying in the Bangor area and local residents.  Proceeds of the sales were transported back to New Haven and used to purchase, among other things, more crack cocaine to send to Bangor. The defendant and his cousin, Jeffrey Benton, also of New Haven, organized the crack distribution business.  At the time, Benton was a member of the Red Side Guerilla Brims, a New Haven street gang affiliated with the Almighty Blood Nation.

The case was investigated by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; the New Haven, Connecticut Office of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the City of New Haven Department of Police Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Spector and Peter Markle of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut are prosecuting a related case.

Contact: Joel B. Casey
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Donald Vigue, 42, of Dexter, Maine, pleaded guilty today U.S. District Court to conspiring to distribute cocaine. 

According to court records, Vigue participated for several years in a conspiracy run by Roger Belanger and his daughter, Kelli Mujo, that existed between January 2002 and November 2014, to acquire cocaine in Rhode Island and distribute it in the Dexter area.  Vigue is the ninth person to plead guilty in the investigation.  On August 19, 2016, Belanger and Mujo were convicted following a jury trial. 

The defendant faces up to 20 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine and between three 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 and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, with assistance provided by the Dexter Police Department, the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office and the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office.

Contact: Jim Moore
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that John T. Hines, 50, of Swanville, Maine was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to time served in prison (about 10 months) for unlawfully possessing firearms.  He pled guilty to the charge on August 30, 2016.
 
According to court records, two Waldo County Sheriff’s deputies went to Hines’ residence to investigate a neighbor’s complaint of hearing gunfire coming from the property and found Hines in possession of a loaded .357 Ruger revolver, two rifles and a shotgun.  Hines was prohibited under federal law from possessing any firearms because he had previously been convicted of domestic violence assault, a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. 
  
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office. 

Contact: Daniel J. Perry
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Ross Tardif, 30, of Minot, Maine, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to 7½ years in prison and three years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute oxycodone and cocaine, and possession a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.  He pled guilty on June 29, 2016.
 
According to court records, in August 2014, law enforcement responded to a 911 emergency call reporting a home invasion at Tardif’s home in Minot.  Tardif was not home when agents arrived.  While investigating the home invasion, the police discovered over 375 grams of cocaine, over 650 oxycodone pills, and over 14 kilograms of marijuana inside the house.  Tardif arrived home after the drugs were seized and admitted to being involved in distributing those drugs. Subsequent investigation revealed that Tardif had been obtaining the drugs in New York since at least 2012 and distributing them in the Lewiston/Auburn area.  Tardif also purchased a firearm to protect his drug distribution activities.

This joint investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Maine State Police.

Contact: F. Todd Lowell
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Jodi L. Webber, 37, of Hancock, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by John A. Woodcock, Jr. to a year and a day in prison and five years of supervised release for embezzling bank funds.  She was also ordered to pay $19,400 in restitution.  Webber pled guilty on September 21, 2016.   

According to court documents, in September 2015, Webber was hired by Camden National Bank as a teller at its Bar Harbor (Town Hill), Maine branch.  Between November 2015 and February 2016, Webber stole $19,400 from her teller drawer and replaced it with money she withdrew from five customer accounts. She targeted the accounts of elderly customers and forged their signatures on withdrawal slips.  She typically reversed those withdrawals on the same day that she made them after the bank’s cash audit had been completed. Her embezzlement scheme was discovered when a customer questioned an unauthorized withdrawal from the customer’s account that had not been reversed.  That inquiry caused the bank to conduct a comprehensive examination of the defendant’s transactions and to contact law enforcement. 

In imposing sentence, Judge Woodcock said: “You violated a fundamental obligation an employee owes to an employer not to steal from the employer or cheat its customers.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Contact: Daniel J. Perry
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Malik Delima, 26, and Shaun Wray, 26, both of Brooklyn, New York, were sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge George Z. Singal for conspiring to manufacture and use fraudulent credit cards.  Delima was sentenced to 75 months in prison; Wray was sentenced to 20 months in prison.  Both were sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $28,483 in restitution. Both pled guilty in July 2016.
 
According to court records, in March 2015, Delima and Wray were part of a group that came to Maine from New York to commit credit card fraud.  They purchased equipment used to manufacture fraudulent credit cards, purchased stolen credit card account numbers from a source in Ukraine, manufactured fraudulent credit cards and used them at retailers in Maine and elsewhere. The conspiracy involved over 1,100 stolen credit card accounts.

On March 24, 2015, law enforcement personnel executed a federal search warrant at an apartment in Auburn, Maine and seized over 100 fraudulent credit cards, numerous blank gift cards that were in the process of being made into fraudulent credit cards, and the equipment used to manufacture fraudulent credit cards.  At the time of the search, Delima, Wray and other conspirators were inside the apartment. 

This joint investigation was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Auburn Police Department, with valuable assistance provided by Maine State Police Crime Laboratory.

Contact: F. Todd Lowell
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Ariel Perez-Calvo, 28, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 3½ years in prison and three years of supervised release for credit card fraud and aggravated identity theft.  He was also ordered to pay over $35,000 in restitution to the victims of his crime.

Court records show that in January 2016, Perez-Calvo and Roberto Lueje-Rodriguez used debit and credit card account numbers belonging to Maine bank customers located in Penobscot, Knox, Hancock, Piscataquis, Franklin, Somerset, Kennebec, and Androscoggin counties, to make unauthorized purchases totaling more than $48,000.  The defendant engaged in similar conduct in Manchester and Concord, New Hampshire in November 2015 when he used debit and credit card account numbers belonging to New Hampshire bank customers to make unauthorized purchases totaling more than $1,000.

The name embossed on each fake card was “David Cuan,” which was not the name of any of the victims.  Each fake card bore a unique account number and appeared to be an authentic debit or credit card, but their magnetic strips were encoded with the true account numbers of the victims.

At sentencing, Judge Woodcock noted: “The crimes you engaged in are insidious and destructive.  First you steal private information and then you steal money.”
 
On July 8, 2016, Lueje-Rodriquez pleaded guilty to access device fraud and aggravated identity theft charges arising out of the same conduct and awaits sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by the Maine State Police; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and the Bangor, Brewer, Dexter, Dover-Foxcroft, Ellsworth, Hampden, Lincoln, Millinocket, Newport, Pittsfield, Rockland, Saco, Waterville (Maine) and Londonderry (New Hampshire) Police Departments.

Contact: Joel B. Casey
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Wendell White, 52, of Rumford, Maine, and formerly of Bangor, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to five years in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute cocaine base, commonly known as “crack.” 

According to court records, the defendant joined a conspiracy that operated between about January 2010 and August 2013 and that acquired crack in New Haven, Connecticut and distributed almost a kilogram of it in Penobscot County and elsewhere.  The defendant distributed and sold half-gram and gram quantities of crack throughout the Bangor area for $50 and $100, respectively, for Christian Turner, a/k/a “P” and Rodrigo Ramirez, a/k/a “Rico.”  He also allowed Turner, Ramirez and others to use his Sanford Street, Bangor apartment -- where he and his three-year old son lived -- as a place where crack could be sold and used.  Members of the conspiracy from New Haven included members of the Red Side Guerilla Brims, a violent street gang affiliated with the Almighty Blood Nation, a national street gang. 

The case was investigated by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the New Haven, Connecticut Office of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the City of New Haven Department of Police Services.

Contact: David B. Joyce
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Peter Poland, 44, of Whitefield, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  He was also sentenced to serve a consecutive term of one year and one day in prison for violating the terms of his supervised release. Poland pleaded guilty to the offense on September 28, 2016.

According to court records, in March 2016, the defendant burglarized a residence in Whitefield and stole three firearms.  At the time, he was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a prior felony drug conviction for which he was on supervised release.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

Contact: Craig M. Wolff
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Garrett Brosnan, 25, of Bath, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to one year and one day in prison and two years of supervised release for attempting to transfer obscene matter to a minor. Brosnan pleaded guilty to the offense on September 14, 2016.

According to court records, in May of last year, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) were investigating a report that an unknown adult male had an inappropriate online interaction with a minor girl in Arizona. Investigators obtained information suggesting that the male was Brosnan. An HSI investigator in Arizona initiated an undercover online conversation with Brosnan in late May. The investigator said she was a 14-year-old girl from Arizona. On June 2, Brosnan sent the investigator a picture of himself exposing his penis.

The investigation was conducted by HSI offices in Maine and Arizona.

Contact: Daniel J. Perry
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  The Office of the United States Attorney announced that Jonathan Day, 42, of Portland, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to 80 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute bath salts, fentanyl, and heroin and for distributing heroin.  Day pleaded guilty to the charges on April 1, 2016.

According to court records, from February through May 2015, Day was involved in a conspiracy that distributed bath salts, heroin, and fentanyl. Heroin and fentanyl were obtained from sources in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and bath salts were obtained through the mail from a source outside the United States.  Day and his co-conspirators distributed the drugs to customers throughout the state.

This case results from an investigation conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Scarborough and Portland Police Departments.

Contact: Craig M. Wolff
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Michael Nagell, 51, of Georgetown, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge George Z. Singal to 30 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release for failing to update his sex offender registration. Nagell was convicted on September 22, 2016, following a jury trial. Nagell was also sentenced to 10 months in prison, to be served consecutively to his other sentence, for violating the terms of his supervised release imposed after a prior federal conviction.

Court records and trial evidence revealed that in 2007, Nagell was convicted in federal court in Massachusetts of attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity and traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. As a result, he was a sex offender for purposes of the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.  In July 2012, he moved to Maine and registered with the Maine sex offender registry. In December 2015, Nagell became a full-time employee of a company in Portland, and remained employed with the company until April 2016. Nagell knowingly failed to update his sex offender registration to reflect this change in his employment.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Contact: Daniel J. Perry
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Malcolm Cowart, a/k/a “Prince”, 37, of Harlem, New York, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a kilogram or more of heroin, cocaine base, and oxycodone and to discharging a firearm during and in furtherance of that drug trafficking conspiracy.
 
According to court records, from about November 2011 until March 2014, Cowart conspired with others to distribute heroin, cocaine base, and oxycodone in Portland. The drugs were brought from the New York area by managers of the drug conspiracy.  The managers stayed with Portland residents who were paid drugs and money for allowing the conspirators to use their apartments to distribute drugs.  Managers dispatched runners to distribute the drugs throughout the Portland area.

In March 2013, Cowart had a falling out with Wayman Sparrow that led to the two of them engaging in a shootout inside the Lafayette Arms Apartments in Portland.  In March 2014, agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (“MDEA”) searched an apartment in Portland, encountered a manager fleeing out the back door, and seized about $25,000 in drug proceeds from him.  Later that day, agents apprehended another manager traveling by bus from New York and seized about 400 grams of heroin from her.

Cowart faces between 20 and 25 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a $10,000,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

This is the ninth federal conviction arising from this investigation; numerous state convictions of other individuals have also arisen from this investigation.  

This joint investigation was conducted by the DEA, the MDEA and the Portland Police Department, with valuable assistance provided by Maine State Police Crime Laboratory and the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office.

Contact: Joel B. Casey
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Eugene Moulton, 67, and Antoinette Perreault, 48, both of Harmony, Maine, were sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy for conspiring to distribute cocaine.  Moulton was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of supervised release.  Perreault was sentenced to 20 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Both pleaded guilty on July 20, 2016. 

According to court records, the defendants participated for about three years in a conspiracy run by Roger Belanger and his daughter, Kelli Mujo, that existed between January 2002 and November 2014, to acquire cocaine in Rhode Island and distribute it in the Dexter area.  The defendants acquired cocaine from Mujo and distributed it in the Harmony area.  Moulton also traded cocaine for stolen property.  On August 19, 2016, Belanger and Mujo were convicted following a jury trial and await sentencing.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, with assistance provided by the Dexter Police Department, the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maine State Police.

Contact: Jody Mullis, Andrew McCormack
Assistant United States Attorneys
Tel: (207) 945-0373
                                                                                               
Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Jeffrey Barnard, 53, of Ellsworth, Maine, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge on June 7, 2016.

According to court records, on May 31, 2014, Barnard barricaded himself in his camper with a .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle and ammunition beginning a 14-hour stand-off with police.  During the stand-off, Barnard fired the weapon and proclaimed that “this is war.”  Near the end of the standoff, Barnard emerged from his camper holding his rifle.  Despite commands to put the rifle down, Barnard raised and pointed the rifle in the direction of the police officers.  Barnard was prohibited from possessing the firearm and ammunition because he had been previously convicted of state felony offenses in California and Maine and of being a felon in possession of a firearm in U.S. District Court in Maine.

In imposing the sentence, Judge Woodcock said that “short of an actual injury or death from use of a firearm, this type of possession is the most serious and egregious imaginable.” 

The investigation was conducted by the Maine State Police; the Ellsworth and Bangor Police Departments; the Maine Attorney General’s Office; the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory; and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Contact: Jim Moore
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Lisa-Marie Watson, 25, of Athens, Maine pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to conspiring to defraud the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”).

According to court records, the defendant conspired with her father-in-law to illegally obtain VA compensation benefits.  Watson and her father-in-law submitted documents to the VA falsely claiming she had suffered from mental disabilities that were connected to her service in the U.S. Army.  Watson also falsely described her mental condition to VA doctors.  On November 18, 2016, the defendant’s father-in-law, David Watson, pled guilty to engaging in a conspiracy to defraud the VA and awaits sentencing.

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

The investigation was conducted by the Criminal Investigation Division of the VA Office of the Inspector General.

Contact: Jody Mullis
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Willie Harper, 48, of Guilford was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 21 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for distribution of heroin and oxycodone.  Harper pleaded guilty to the charges on June 1, 2016. 

According to court records, on August 13, 2015, Harper sold a quantity of heroin to an undercover law enforcement officer at a location in Guilford, Maine.   Two weeks later, Harper sold the undercover officer ten oxycodone pills at a different location in Guilford.  In imposing the sentence, Judge John Woodcock noted that Harper had contributed to Maine’s ongoing heroin problem and that Harper has “a horrible criminal record.” Harper’s criminal record includes felony convictions in Illinois for armed robbery, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, and in Maine for sexual abuse of a minor. 

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Greenville, Maine Police Department.  

Contact: Andrew McCormack
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Charles Roberson, 44, of Hermon, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to five years probation for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.  The defendant pled guilty to the charge on July 21, 2016.

According to court records, in 2004, Roberson was convicted in Minnesota of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the First Degree.  This felony conviction made Roberson a lifetime sex offender registrant.  In or about the fall of 2015, Roberson moved from Minnesota and began living and working in Hermon, Maine.  He did not notify the Minnesota Predatory Offender Registration unit that he was moving.  Further, up until his arrest on February 23, 2016, he made no attempt to register with the Maine State Police Sex Offender Registry.

The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service.

Contact: Joel B. Casey
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that D’Hati Coleman, 38, of New Haven, Connecticut was sentenced today by United States District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. in Federal Court in Bangor to a 32-month term of imprisonment and a three-year term of supervised release for distributing crack cocaine.   

Court records and evidence introduced at the hearing demonstrated that on September 3, 2014, Coleman sold crack cocaine to an MDEA confidential informant.  At the time of the transaction, Coleman was a fugitive from Connecticut, having escaped from a half-way house in that state.  Evidence presented at the hearing also showed that during the time when Coleman was trafficking in drugs, he was also engaged in commercial sex trafficking by causing women to engage in prostitution for which Coleman received money.  In sentencing the defendant, U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. told Coleman “it is bad enough to be selling drugs, but it is a different magnitude of evil to be involved in selling human beings.”

The case was investigated by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the New Haven, Connecticut Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New Haven Department of Police Services.

Contact: Chris Ruge 
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Zane Wetzel, 31, of Easton, Maine, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to possessing child pornography.

According to court records, on about May 14, 2015, Wetzel possessed image and video files depicting child pornography.  Some of these files, which he had purposely sought out and downloaded from the internet, depicted the sexual exploitation of prepubescent children under the age of 12.

Wetzel faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 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 investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations.

Contact: Joel B. Casey
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Hayri Berberoglu, 31, of Bangor, Maine pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Bangor to conspiring to violate federal firearms laws. 

According to court documents, between approximately February 7, 2012 and October 12, 2012, Bergerlogu was employed at a Brewer, Maine pawn shop which was licensed to sell firearms. During that time, Berberlogu knowingly facilitated multiple straw purchases of firearms by selling them to people who falsely claimed to be the actual buyers of the firearms.  In fact, as Berberlogu knew or had reasonable cause to know, all of those people were buying the firearms on behalf of non-Maine residents who were prohibited under federal law from purchasing firearms.  To accomplish these straw purchases, Berberlogu participated in the falsification of documents that are required to be submitted to the federal government in connection with the sale of firearms.

The conspiracy count carries a maximum prison sentence of five years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and up to three years supervised release.  Berberlogu will be sentenced after a presentence report is prepared by the United States Probation Office.

The case was investigated by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Maine Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the New Haven, Connecticut Office of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance provided by the Brewer, Maine Police Department.

Contact: Craig M. Wolff
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Douglas Blodgett, 46, of Lewiston, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 10 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release for accessing with intent to view material containing images of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to the charge on August 22, 2016. Blodgett was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to the child depicted in several of the child pornography images he accessed.

According to court records, in March of this year, Blodgett used the internet to access Internet Relay Chat channels and chatrooms containing child pornography images. Investigators executed a search warrant on Blodgett’s computer and residence, and found that he had accessed internet addresses containing child pornography images. In an interview with agents, Blodgett admitted visiting chatrooms containing child pornography.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Contact: Darcie N. McElwee
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Daniel Colby, Jr., 34, formerly of Wiscasset, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge George Z. Singal to more than seven years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Following a two-day jury trial, he was found guilty of that offense on June 2, 2016.

According to court records and trial evidence, on March 17, 2015, Colby, who had previously been convicted of multiple felonies, broke into the home of a neighbor armed with a stolen .38 caliber revolver and threatened the neighbor. The revolver was later recovered from Colby’s property in Wiscasset.

The investigation was conducted by the Wiscasset and Augusta Police Departments, the Sagadahoc and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Offices and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Contact: Darcie N. McElwee
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Marat Muslimov, 30, and Dziyana (Diana) Biruk, 29, both of Bronx, New York and formerly of Portland, Maine, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to charges arising out of sham marriages.  Muslimov pleaded guilty to marriage and visa fraud conspiracies and making false statements to a government agency. Biruk pleaded guilty to visa fraud and making false statements to a government agency. 

According to court records, from about September 2010 until about August 2011, Muslimov, a Russian citizen, conspired with a U.S. citizen to enter into a sham marriage so that he could become a lawful permanent resident (“LPR”), or green card holder. To that end, Muslimov submitted false documents and lied under oath to immigration authorities about his marriage to the U.S. citizen.  Muslimov also falsely claimed to be living with the U.S. citizen, as husband and wife, in Portland, when, in fact, he and Biruk were living as a couple in Portland.

In June 2012, Biruk, a citizen of Belarus, made false statements in immigration documents on the basis of her sham marriage to another U.S. citizen so that she could become an LPR. Biruk falsely claimed that she and the U.S. citizen were living together, as husband and wife, in Hollis, Maine when, in fact, she was living with Muslimov in Portland. 

Biruk faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the visa fraud charge.  The remaining charges against both defendants carry penalties of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  Both will be sentenced after completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. 

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service.

Contact: F. Todd Lowell
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Mwashuma M. Sithole, 32, of Waterville, Maine was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 10 months in prison and three years of supervised release for selling counterfeit coins.  He pleaded guilty to the crime on May 9, 2016. 

Court records show that the defendant began ordering counterfeit Morgan dollars online in May 2014.  The Morgan dollar is a United States dollar coin minted from 1878 to 1904 and then again in 1921.  The coins that the defendant ordered and received were offered as counterfeits and made in China.  The defendant paid about $2 for each coin.  The coins resembled genuine Morgan dollars in appearance, design, and weight.

From 2013 thought 2015, the defendant sold and pawned about $12,000 worth of counterfeit Morgan dollars.  He knew that the coins were counterfeit but told the buyers that the coins were genuine Morgan dollars.  He sold and pawned coins in Augusta, Newport, Farmington, Lewiston, and South Portland.  Law enforcement officers executed a warrant at the defendant’s residence on January 22, 2015.  They seized about 1200 counterfeit Morgan coins that belonged to the defendant.  

The investigation was conducted by the Augusta, Waterville, Auburn, Lewiston, South Portland and Newport Police Departments; the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office; the Maine State Police, and the U.S. Secret Service.

Contact: F. Todd Lowell
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that John D. Fraser, a/k/a “John Knight,” 54, of Nova Scotia, Canada pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to attempting to enter the United States after having been ordered removed.

Court records reveal that on November 20, 2016, a vehicle with Florida registration plates arrived at the Calais, Maine port of entry to the United States.  The defendant was the driver and he provided a valid Canada passport in the name John Knight.  He said he was going to his winter home in Port St. Lucie, Florida.  An officer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) referred the defendant to secondary inspection.  After initial denials, the defendant admitted that he had been living and working in the United States for over 30 years without authorization.  A fingerprint check showed that the defendant had a significant criminal history under the name John D. Fraser and in 2010 had been ordered removed from the United States.  

The investigation was conducted by CBP.

Contact: Halsey B. Frank
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Christopher A. Hutchinson, 28, of Cushing, Maine was arrested today and charged by indictment in U.S. District Court with Seaman’s Manslaughter. 

According to court records, on November 1, 2014, the lobster boat, No Limits, sank off of the Maine coast resulting in the loss of two crew members.  Hutchinson was the owner and captain of the boat.  The indictment alleges that his negligent and unsafe operation of the boat in forecasted dangerous weather and sea conditions and after using controlled substances and alcohol caused the loss of life.

The defendant is scheduled to make an initial appearance today in U.S. District Court at 4:00 p.m. If convicted, he faces up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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

Contact: Joel B. Casey
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Don Grace, 54, of Etna, Maine, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 15 years in prison and eight years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute heroin.  He pled guilty on May 4, 2016.

According to court records, between August 2015 and January 2016, Grace conspired to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin.  Grace and others obtained large quantities of heroin on a weekly basis from an out of state source of supply and distributed it throughout Central Maine.  On January 25, 2016, agents arrested Grace and seized 3,300 bags of heroin from the vehicle in which he was traveling and 1,500 bags of heroin from his Etna residence.

Grace had been federally prosecuted 5 times in 2004, 2007 and 2009 for felony drug offenses and for violating the terms of his supervised release.  Judge Woodcock noted that, in his 13 years on the bench, Grace was the only defendant who he had to sentence on five occasions. 

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

Contact: Andrew McCormack
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Joshua Harrison, 34, of Augusta, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to possession of child pornography.

According to court records, in August 2015, law enforcement agents learned that child pornography had been located in the defendant’s email account.  A search warrant was executed at the defendant’s Augusta residence and agents seized his laptop computer.  Agents also seized a second computer belonging to the defendant from a local pawn shop.  Forensic examination of these devices revealed multiple images of child pornography.  During the search of his residence, the defendant also admitted that he obtained child pornography by email and a messaging application and that he met people in online chat rooms to obtain child pornography.

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

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit, and the Augusta Police Department.

Contact: Donald E. Clark
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine collected $3,730,685.68 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2016.  Of this amount, $1,082,526.09 was collected in criminal actions and $2,648,159.59 was collected in civil actions. 

Additionally, the District of Maine worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $925,487.01 in cases pursued jointly with these offices. Of this amount, $2,625.01 was collected in criminal actions and $922,862.00 was collected in civil actions.         
            
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced today that the Justice Department collected nearly $15.4 billion in civil and criminal actions in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2016.  The $15,380,130,434 in collections in FY 2016 represents more than five times the appropriated $2.93 billion budget for the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and the main litigating divisions of the Justice Department combined in that same period.

“Every day, the men and women of the Department of Justice work tirelessly to enforce our laws, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are used properly and that the American people are protected from exploitation and abuse,” said Attorney General Lynch.  “Today’s announcement is a testament to that work, and it makes clear that our actions deliver a significant return on public investment.  I want to thank the prosecutors and trial attorneys who made this year’s collections possible, and I want to emphasize that the department remains committed to the well-being of our people and our nation.”

The District of Maine recovered over $633,000 as part of a settlement with Maine Dermatology arising out of allegations of false Medicare claims; over $439,000 as part of a settlement with Belcon Enterprises f/k/a “Roof Systems of Maine” arising out of allegations of false claims relating to government contracts; $685,000 as part of a foreclosure action involving  Spring House Associates; and $125,000 as part of a settlement with Northern Maine Medical Center arising out of allegations that it failed to create and maintain adequate records of its handling and disposal of controlled substances.

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 to state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

The largest civil collections were from affirmative civil enforcement cases, in which the United States recovered government money lost to fraud or other misconduct or collected fines imposed on individuals and/or corporations for violations of federal health, safety, civil rights or environmental laws.  In addition, civil debts were collected on behalf of several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service, Small Business Administration and Department of Education.

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $1,733,252 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2016.  Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Fund and the Treasury Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

Contact:  F. Todd Lowell
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that William Curtis Oliver, 52, of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, and formerly of Dougherty County, Georgia, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to failing to register as a sex offender.  He was indicted on October 14, 2016.

Court records reveal that in November 2012, the defendant was convicted of child molestation in Georgia.  As a result of his conviction, the defendant was required to register as a sex offender and keep his registration current. In December 2015, the defendant moved to Maine and lived and worked in Guilford and Dover-Foxcroft.  He failed to notify the sex offender registry in Georgia that he left Georgia and did not register in Maine.  He was arrested on September 15, 2016. 

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

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Marshal’s Service and the Dover-Foxcroft Police Department. 

Contact: F. Todd Lowell
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Aaron C. Robinson, 51, of Steuben, Maine was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to a year and a day in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Robinson pleaded guilty to the charge on June 22, 2016.

Court records show that on November 16, 2015, the Maine Warden Service (MWS) found the defendant with a Savage .308 rifle hunting deer with bait from a tree stand in Steuben.  The defendant had prior Maine state court felony convictions for terrorizing, violations of conditions of release, possession of a firearm by a felon, burglary and aggravated criminal mischief.

The investigation was conducted by the MWS and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Contact: Craig M. Wolff
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Denver Carolissen, 42, of Kuilsrivier, South Africa, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to sexually exploiting a minor and transporting child pornography.  He was indicted on November 4, 2014.

According to court records, in 2010, Carolissen, who was in South Africa, took several sexually explicit photographs of a minor girl. In September 2014, Carolissen sent the photographs and other child pornography images to undercover federal agents in Maine investigating the online exchange of child pornography. After he was indicted, the U.S. Department of Justice asked South African authorities to arrest him and extradite him to the United States.  On November 25, 2014, South African law enforcement officers arrested the defendant at his residence. Following his arrest, he admitted that he had engaged in sexual activity with the minor girl, taken photos and video footage of the activity and sent images to other individuals using the internet. 

He faces between 15 and 30 years in prison for sexually exploiting a minor and between five and 20 years in prison for transporting child pornography. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and up to life on supervised release for each offense. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit of the South African Police Service.

Contact: Daniel J. Perry
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Luke Greenlaw, 43, of Gardiner, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to seven years in prison and five years of supervised release for distributing bath salts and heroin. 

According to Court records, from at least February through July 2015, Greenlaw was part of a conspiracy that distributed bath salts and heroin throughout the state. The heroin was obtained from New Hampshire and Massachusetts and bath salts were obtained through the mail from a source outside the United States. 

This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Scarborough and Portland Police Departments and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Contact: Julia M. Lipez
Jamie R. Guerrette
Assistant United States Attorneys
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Todd Rasberry, a/k/a “Champagne,” 35, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to 11½ years in prison and three years of supervised release for distributing heroin. The defendant pled guilty to the charge on June 15, 2016.

Court records reveal that on July 15, 2015, federal agents learned that an individual was delivering heroin to a location in Portland.  Agents confronted the individual, seized heroin that was packaged for sale, and learned that the individual’s heroin source was located in a motel room in Scarborough, Maine.  Agents went to the motel room, seized 51 grams of heroin, packaging material and a digital scale, and arrested the defendant.

This case was investigated the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Scarborough Police Department.

Contact: Joel B. Casey
Chris Ruge
Assistant United States Attorneys
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Akeen Ocean, a/k/a “A,” a/k/a “Alex” 42, of Bangor was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine base, commonly known as “crack.”  On June 27, 2016, the defendant was convicted following a six-day jury trial.

The trial evidence revealed that the defendant joined a conspiracy that operated between January 2010 and August 2013 and that acquired crack cocaine in New Haven, Connecticut and brought it into the Bangor area where it was distributed through a network of New Haven dealers staying in the Bangor area and local residents.  Proceeds of the sales were transported back to New Haven and used to purchase, among other things, more crack cocaine to send to Bangor.  Members of the conspiracy from New Haven included members of the Red Side Guerilla Brims, a violent street gang affiliated with the Almighty Blood Nation, a national street gang.  Ocean was held responsible for 780 grams of crack distributed during his involvement in the conspiracy.

The case was investigated by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; the New Haven Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the New Haven Department of Police Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Spector and Peter Markle of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut also assisted in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

Contact: Craig M. Wolff
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Glenn Strout, 53, of Portland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to possessing child pornography.

According to court records, in November 2015, law enforcement agents were investigating the sharing of child pornography over the internet. As part of the investigation, agents downloaded child pornography images from a computer at Strout’s residence in Portland. A search warrant was obtained for the residence and during the warrant’s execution Strout admitted downloading child pornography. A forensic analysis of devices seized under the warrant revealed numerous child pornography still images and video files.

Strout faces up to 20 years in prison, five years to life on 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 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit and the Portland Police Department.

Contact: Michael J. Conley
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Neil West, Sr., 65, of Portland, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to 14½ years in prison and five years of supervised release for armed bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery.  The charges arose out of the September 2015 robberies of University Credit Union (UCU) in Portland and TD Bank (TDB) in Lewiston.  West was found guilty on July 28, 2016 following a jury trial.  West was also ordered to serve a consecutive two-year sentence for violating conditions of supervised release. 

According to court records, on September 4, 2015, co-conspirators Joseph Richards and Crystal Default robbed UCU.  On September 12, 2015, Richards robbed TDB.  West served as the getaway driver for both robberies.  The TDB robbery resulted in a high-speed chase which culminated in Saco.  Following the chase, West and Richards were arrested. 

At the time of the robberies, West was on federal supervised release for being an Accessory After the Fact (to Bank Robbery) and for which he received a 41-month prison sentence in June 2013.  His conditions of release prohibited him from committing another federal offense.

On September 14, 2016, Richards was sentenced to 15 years in prison.  On October 4, 2016, Dufault was sentenced to three years in prison.

In sentencing West, Chief Judge Torresen noted that bank robberies cause “great emotional harm to tellers and customers and put people at risk.”  She also noted that West’s lengthy criminal history and his “extremely reckless driving through residential neighborhoods at high rates of speed” while absconding were both aggravating factors warranting the stiff sentence. 

The joint investigation was conducted by the Franklin (New Hampshire), Manchester (New Hampshire), Freeport, Portland, Lewiston, Old Orchard Beach and Saco (Maine) Police Departments; the Maine State Police; and the Southern Maine Gang Task Force comprised of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; 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, Lewiston and Biddeford Police Departments.

U.S. Attorney Delahanty praised the cooperation among these law enforcement agencies noting that “these armed bank robberies were quickly solved because local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies across two states worked closely together.”