District of Maine

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

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Jody G. Moczara, 35, of Sabattus, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge George Z. Singal to 135 months in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release for receiving child pornography. Moczara pleaded guilty to the charge on October 14, 2015.

According to court records, in June of 2015, Moczara used the internet and a file sharing program to download several child pornography videos to his computer. Information obtained from his computer showed that he used the file-sharing program to search for child pornography. The computer contained large numbers of child pornography video files and still images, including images depicting children in bondage, in pain or discomfort, and engaging in bestiality.

The investigation was conducted by the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 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 Antonio Gordon, 32, of Bangor pleaded guilty today U.S. District Court to distributing cocaine base, commonly known as “crack cocaine.” 

According to Court records, on three occasions between December 2014 and January 2015, the defendant distributed crack cocaine in Bangor to a witness working with federal and state law enforcement authorities.
     
The defendant faces up to 20 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine and from three years to life on supervised release.
     
The case was investigated by the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

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

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that William McNeill, 23, of Cumberland, Rhode Island, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to travelling in interstate commerce to engage in sexual conduct with a minor.

According to court documents, in the fall of 2014, McNeill met a 14 year-old girl from Cumberland County online.  On about October 18, 2014, following several weeks of communicating with the juvenile in a sexually explicit manner, McNeill travelled from North Carolina to Maine to meet and have sexual relations with her.
      
McNeill faces up to 30 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 resulted from a joint investigation between the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Bridgton, Maine Police Department.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Daniel Lyons, 42, of Bangor pleaded guilty today U.S. District Court to maintaining a drug involved premises. 

According to court records, in 2014, the defendant maintained a residence on Essex Street in Bangor where he allowed dealers to store and sell heroin to customers on a daily basis and for which he was compensated in heroin. 
     
The defendant faces up to 20 years in prison, a $500,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
     
The case was investigated by the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Joshua Dunston, 38, of Bangor, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 121 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for possessing child pornography and a consecutive term of two years for violating his conditions of supervised release, also followed by a lifetime of supervised release.  In addition, the defendant was ordered to pay $13,000 in restitution.  He pled guilty on October 29, 2015.

According to court records, from about March 17 to about May 5, 2015, Dunston uploaded multiple images of child pornography to online accounts he controlled, and kept scores of additional images depicting the sexual exploitation of young children on his cell phone.  At the time of these acts, Dunston was on supervised release for a 2006 child pornography conviction.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit, the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office and the Bangor Police Department.

Contact: Jamie Guerrette
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257
     
Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Francis J. Ready, 59, of Portland, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge D. Brock Hornby to 147 months in prison and five years of supervised release for armed bank robbery and using a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.

The charges arose out of the armed bank robberies of TD Bank in Portland on October 3, 2015 and of Bangor Savings Bank (“BSB”) in Portland on October 12, 2015.  In both instances, the defendant used a firearm to rob the banks.  He absconded with $2,846 from TD Bank and with $14,189 from BSB.  Following the BSB robbery, he was apprehended by a Portland Police officer in a nearby parking area and found to be in possession of a silver Harrington and Richardson revolver.
      
The investigation was conducted by the Portland Police Department 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, and Lewiston Police Departments.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Robert Jerome Bond, 47, recently of Gardiner, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 1½ years in prison for theft of public money and an additional two years for aggravated identity theft.  He was also ordered to pay $5,923 in restitution.  The defendant pled guilty on October 8, 2015.

According to court records, on about January 19, 2011, Bond applied for and was granted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits using the name of an actual U.S. citizen. SNAP offers nutrition assistance to eligible, low-income individuals. Bond, a Canadian citizen, was not eligible for SNAP benefits at the time of the application and improperly received over $5,900 in SNAP benefits. 

The benefit fraud was discovered when the real owner of Bond’s assumed identity applied for benefits in another state.  That application led to an investigation by the Office of the Maine Attorney General that Judge Woodcock described as “most impressive.”  It revealed Bond’s true name and citizenship and his 20-year-history of criminal activity under false identities.  Judge Woodcock pointed out that the use of those false identities helped Bond avoid detection and deportation.

In imposing sentence, Judge Woodcock said that Bond had “cynically betrayed the trust of the people of this country” and told the defendant that “when you return to Canada after your prison sentence, you will leave behind in this country countless victims of the crimes you have committed.” 

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Office of the Maine Attorney General, and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Kliton Xhemali, 32, of Bangor pleaded guilty today U.S. District Court to distributing cocaine. 

According to court records, on April 2, 2015, from his Bangor residence, the defendant sold about one ounce of cocaine for $1,550 to a cooperating witness and federal agent working in an undercover capacity.

The defendant faces up to 20 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine and between three years and life on supervised release.

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

Contact: Jonathan R. Chapman
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257
 
Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that William C. Day, 40, of Saco, Maine was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to 51 months in prison and three years of supervised release for pharmacy robbery.  Day pleaded guilty to the charge on November 20, 2015. 

According to court documents, on August 10, 2015, Day entered the Community Pharmacy on Main Street in Saco, vaulted the counter at the back of the store and demanded that employees give him narcotic drugs.  Officers of the Saco Police Department responding to a silent alarm spotted Day running away from the pharmacy with the drugs and chased him to a location near School Street.  There, the officers arrested Day and recovered most of the stolen drugs.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Saco Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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

Portland, Maine:  The United States Attorney’s Office announced that Cecile Roux, 41, of Harpswell, Maine was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to three months in prison and three years of supervised release, including three months of home confinement, for embezzlement by a bank employee.  She was also ordered to pay $107,995.84 in restitution.  Roux pled guilty on November 20, 2015.

According to the government’s evidence, between April 2012 and August 2015, Roux, while serving as the head bank teller at a Bank of Maine branch located in Brunswick, Maine, transferred $107,995.84 in 92 unauthorized transactions from a customer’s account into her own account. 

In pronouncing sentence, Judge Torresen noted that the amount of money embezzled and the lengthy period of time over which the criminal activity occurred caused great harm to the bank, the bank customer and the public’s trust.  In determining the sentence, Judge Torresen also considered Roux’s lack of criminal history, her prompt admission to wrongdoing, her level of remorse and her particular family circumstances.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Brunswick Police Department. 

Contact: James M. Moore
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Jeremy Eaton, 39, of Stonington, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to setting fire to a lobster boat. 

Court records reveal that on the evening of April 16, 2014, Eaton walked to Stonington Harbor, removed gasoline cans from a skiff docked in the harbor and then used a small boat to transport himself and the gas cans to a fiberglass lobster boat which was moored in the harbor.  Eaton then emptied the cans of gasoline into the lobster boat and started a fire which destroyed the boat.  Eaton later admitted that he had burned the boat. 

Eaton faces up to 20 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 Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Contact: Julia M. Lipez 
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced today that James Levesque, 55, of Sanford, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to 8 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for distribution of oxycodone.  Levesque pleaded guilty to the charge on September 28, 2015.

Court records reveal that on March 7, 2014, in Sanford, Levesque sold forty 80-milligram oxycodone pills, through a middleman, to a cooperating source working with law enforcement. 

This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the York 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 Wayne Niski, 29, of South Portland, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to 16½ years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release for sexually exploiting a minor. Niski pleaded guilty to the charge on September 10, 2015.

According to court records, in 2013, Niski took several sexually explicit photographs of an eight-year-old girl. In March 2015, investigators executed a search warrant at Niski’s residence in South Portland. Among the items found in the residence was a USB flash drive that contained copies of the images that Niski had taken in 2013.

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

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Leda Giggey, 45, of Mars Hill, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute bath salts.

According to court records, between about January 2012 and June 2014, Giggey conspired with others in Aroostook County to obtain and distribute bath salts.  On multiple occasions, Giggey ordered bath salts over the internet from China for personal use and to sell to other conspirators.              

The defendant faces up to 20 year in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. 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 and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency with assistance from the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Contact: Andrew K. Lizotte
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II today announced that Belcon Enterprises, formerly Roof Systems of Maine (“Belcon”), has entered into a civil settlement agreement with the United States in which it will pay $439,500 to resolve allegations that it violated the federal False Claims Act. 

Belcon is based in Bangor, Maine.  As part of its business, Belcon provided roofing and siding services to commercial and industrial installations throughout the state of Maine, including as subcontractor on prime Government construction contracts.  The settlement resolves allegations by the Government that Belcon knowingly caused false and fraudulent claims to be submitted in connection with roofing and siding work it performed as a subcontractor on three prime Government construction contracts between 2010 and 2014.  

The Government alleged that Belcon knowingly billed and was paid for metal wall panel installation work which did not conform to applicable contract requirements and specifications at the Army National Guard’s Armed Services Reserve Center in Brunswick, Maine.  Specifically, it was alleged that Belcon improperly directed and/or permitted the panels to be re-sized and altered, installed the panels at incorrect locations, and did not use sealant throughout the panel installation.  The Government also alleged that Belcon knowingly used non-specified, off-contract materials on two roofing and siding projects for the Navy.  For the Navy’s Power Plant Building in Cutler, Maine, it was alleged that the materials used by Belcon for flashing and trim on the project were thinner, less-expensive, and made by a different manufacturer than required by the contract.  For the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Building 86 in Kittery, Maine, it was alleged that Belcon used plain carbon steel screws rather than the required copper, brass or Series 300 stainless steel fasteners on a copper installation, which will result in galvanic corrosion and safety and structural issues.  

The allegations of fraud stated in the action were first brought to the attention of the Government by Brian Emery, who filed a lawsuit in late 2014 as a relator under the False Claims Act’s qui tam provisions.  See United States ex rel. Emery v. Roof Systems of Maine, et al., 14-cv-00483-DBH (D. Me.). The Government will pay Mr. Emery a share of the settlement proceeds pursuant to the False Claims Act’s qui tam provisions.

The False Claims Act permits the Government to recover up to three times the amount of damages incurred by the United States, in addition to civil penalties ranging from $5,500 to $11,000 per violation.  Private parties who have knowledge of fraud committed against the Government may file suit on behalf of the Government and share in any recovery.  The United States may also intervene and file its own lawsuit for treble damages and penalties, as it did in this case.

The federal government was represented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.  Belcon cooperated throughout the Government’s investigation.

Contact: Julia M. Lipez
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Leo Grondin, 49, of Biddeford, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to 51 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release for transporting an individual in interstate commerce with the intent that she engage in prostitution.  Grondin pleaded guilty on September 29, 2015.

Court records reveal that on July 15, 2015, Grondin drove a woman from southern Maine to Dover, New Hampshire, where the woman performed sexual services for clients for money.  On July 17, 2015, law enforcement officers located an online advertisement for escort services that listed a contact phone number associated with Grondin and a location in Dover, New Hampshire.  Law enforcement tracked Grondin and the woman to the Comfort Inn in Dover, where Grondin was arrested on a pending state warrant. 

The defendant was subject to an enhanced sentence because Chief Judge Torresen found that he coerced the woman into the prostitution activity.  Chief Judge Torresen called the defendant’s conduct “reprehensible.”

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Human Trafficking Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Biddeford and Dover, New Hampshire Police Departments.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Andrew Grivois, 34, of Presque Isle, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute bath salts.

According to court records, between about June 2012 and June 2014, Grivois conspired with others in Aroostook County to obtain and distribute bath salts.  On multiple occasions, Grivois ordered bath salts over the internet from China for personal use and to sell to other conspirators.              

The defendant faces up to 20 year in prison 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 U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency with assistance from the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department and the United State Postal Inspection Service

Contact: Julia M. Lipez
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Charles Mack, 51, of Clearwater, Florida, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to stalking.

Court records reveal that between January 2014 and May 2015, Mack sent a series of harassing emails and text messages to his ex-wife, who was living in Maine, despite her repeated requests that he stop the communications.  Mack’s conduct caused the victim substantial emotional distress.

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Preston Brown, Sr., 51, of Woodland, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 36 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute bath salts and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

According to court records, between about June 2012 and June 2014, Brown conspired with others in Aroostook County to obtain and distribute bath salts.  On multiple occasions, Brown ordered bath salts over the internet from China for personal use and to sell to other conspirators.              

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 Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

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

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that on February 26, United States District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Clyde M. Hall Jr., to 24 months incarceration followed by 10 years of supervised release.

According to court documents, Clyde M. Hall Jr. is required to register as a sex offender because of three previous convictions for sex offenses in Maine and New York.  After serving a sentence on a New York conviction, Hall was released from prison there in March, 2012.  Hall failed to report as required to a halfway house upon his release and failed to register as a sex offender in New York.  In October, 2013, Hall was arrested in Portland, Maine, where he had also failed to register. He was transported to New York to serve a sentence there for violating his probation.  Hall was returned to Maine upon the completion of that sentence and pleaded guilty in federal court on October 20, 2015.

United States Attorney Delahanty said that the investigation of the case was conducted by the United States Marshals Service.

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

Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Akylle Murchison, 24, of Lewiston, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge George Z. Singal to nine years in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and cocaine base (also known as crack cocaine) and possession with intent to distribute bk-MDEA (a bath salt). He pleaded guilty to the charges on May 27, 2015. 

According to court records, between 2011 and 2014, Murchison and others obtained cocaine and crack cocaine in Massachusetts and brought the drugs to Maine for distribution in Androscoggin County.  On July 23, 2014, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a residence in Lewiston.  Murchison fled out the back door when police entered.  Police seized bk-MDEA and over $53,000 in drug proceeds during the search. 

This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Maine State Police, the Auburn and Lewiston Police Departments, and the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office.  This investigation is part of the ongoing effort of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

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

Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Romelly Dastinot a/k/a “Marcus,” 35, of Lewiston, Maine, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to 14 years in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute cocaine base (also known as crack cocaine), heroin and oxycodone.  He pleaded guilty on April 17, 2015.

According to Court records, between 2012 and 2014, Dastinot was a leader of a drug trafficking organization that transported crack cocaine, heroin and oxycodone from Massachusetts to Androscoggin County, Maine, for further distribution.  Twelve co-defendants have already been sentenced in connection with this investigation.  Three other co-defendants await sentencing.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Maine State Police, the Auburn and Lewiston Police Departments, and the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office.  This investigation is part of the ongoing effort of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Justin Bent, 28, of Southwest Harbor, Maine, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to operating under the influence of alcohol (OUI) and causing serious bodily injury, operating a vehicle without due care and destroying trees and other natural resources.

Court records reveal that Bent, while under the influence of intoxicants, drove off of a roadway and crashed a van in Acadia National Park, causing serious bodily injury to a passenger and destroying trees.  Bent’s blood alcohol content measured .14%.  The passenger was transported by life flight to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor where he underwent emergency surgery for a severe leg fracture. 

Bent faces up to six years in prison and a $250,000 fine for OUI and up to six-months in prison for operating the vehicle without due care and destruction of park property.  He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by National Park Service Rangers as well as the Southwest Harbor and Mount Desert Island Police Departments.

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

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that William Duffy, 58, of Sebago, Maine pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to possessing child pornography.

According to court records, in May 2015, deputies with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant for Duffy’s laptop computer at his Sebago residence.  A forensic analysis revealed numerous still images and video files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, many of whom were younger than 12 years of age. 

Duffy faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and supervised release for between five years and life. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit.

Contact:  David B. Joyce
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 280-3257

Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Christopher Coombs, 44, of Westbrook, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge George Z. Singal to five years in prison for possessing with intent to distribute alpha-PHP (a bath salt) and obstruction of justice and a consecutive one year in prison for Coombs’s violation of the terms of supervised release imposed on him in connection with a 2009 drug trafficking conviction.  Coombs pled guilty on November 10, 2015.

According to court records, on October 31, 2014, law enforcement officers conducted a controlled delivery of about 500 grams of alpha-PHP to Coombs at his residence in Westbrook.  This package was sent from China and was intercepted by customs officials in New York.  After Coombs accepted the package, he was arrested.  Following his arrest, he directed his wife to delete certain emails that were relevant to the investigation.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Westbrook Police Department, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Contact:  Darcie N. McElwee
 James W. Chapman, Jr.
Assistant United States Attorneys
Tel: (207) 280-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Gregory Owens, 59, of Londonderry, New Hampshire, was found guilty today by a jury in U.S. District Court of interstate domestic violence and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in connection with a home invasion shooting in Saco, Maine on December 18, 2014.

According to court records, on that date, Owens drove from New Hampshire to Maine intending to kill his wife who was an overnight guest at the home of friends living in Saco. During the home invasion, Owens shot his wife and the male home owner with a 9mm pistol. Both survived their injuries.   

Owens faces up to 20 years in prison on the interstate domestic violence charge because the jury found that life threatening bodily injury occurred and no less than ten years and up to life on the firearm charge, which must be served consecutively.  He also faces a $250,000 fine on each count.

The investigation was conducted by the Saco Police Department; the Maine and New Hampshire State Police; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Scott McMahon, 32, of Orchard Park, New York, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Jon D. Levy to pharmacy robbery. 

According to court records and evidence introduced at the plea hearing, on September 10, 2014, McMahon entered the Rite Aid pharmacy located at 461 Main Street in Saco and approached the pharmacy counter. Upon arriving at the counter, McMahon told a Rite Aid pharmacy employee, “I’m watching you” and then handed the employee a note which read, “Give me oxycontin. If you don’t it will get ugly.” The employee then placed OxyContin pills into a plastic bag and handed the bag to McMahon, who fled the store.

McMahon faces up to 20 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 Saco Police Department.

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

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Makwan Jaff, 36, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Nancy Torresen to two years in prison and three years of supervised release which will include up to one year of home confinement for interstate stalking.  He pled guilty on September 29, 2015.

According to the criminal complaint affidavit and evidence introduced at the plea hearing, Jaff previously attended medical school in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis (“St. Kitts”). Between February 11, 2014 and June 25, 2014, with the intent to harass or intimidate a female former medical school classmate, Jaff created about five Facebook accounts in the victim’s name (or variations of her name with added words, such as “slut” and “whore”) and put pictures of her in them without her knowledge or permission. Once the Facebook accounts were deleted by the victim, Jaff sent threatening email and Facebook private messages to her and her immediate family. During these communications from St. Kitts, Jaff threatened to harm the victim and another classmate who were attending school in Scarborough, Maine from May 2014 until June 2014.
 
During some of the communication sent to the victim while she was in Maine, Jaff threatened: “Let me tell you what I am gonna do when I get home; rent a car first thing and come to [M]ain[e]….It is only a 24 hours drive...I won’t stop believe me I will f**k your world upside down!...I will turn your life in to a living hell…I will not go away I will f**k with you for the rest of your f**ken life…Keep thinking I am playing game till I hit where it f**ken hurts!”

Jaff’s conduct caused substantial emotional distress to the victim and her immediate family. Jaff also sent hundreds of email messages to the classmate about the victim, many of which were similarly threatening and harassing.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Jacob Choate, 27, of Augusta, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release for defrauding over a dozen banks and businesses by seeking to negotiate over $28,000 worth of washed, altered and counterfeit checks. Choate was also ordered to pay restitution to his victims.
 
Court records reveal that the investigation arose out of complaints made in July and August 2014 about checks stolen from the mail and the cashing of stolen checks. The investigation revealed that Choate presented numerous counterfeit and altered checks to banks in central and southern Maine. Video surveillance images from the banks depicted Choate cashing or attempting to cash the checks. 

Judge Woodcock noted that victims included eight banks, 16 payors and 11 payees. He stated that Choate’s role as a “check casher” in the bank fraud warranted a two-and-a-half year prison sentence because of his “unremitting degree of criminality since the age of 17 years.”
 
The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service as well as Augusta, Portland, Saco and Scarborough Police Departments.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Haynes Timberland, Inc., a Maine corporation, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine for managing and controlling property used to manufacture marijuana. 
     
The charge arose out of the September 22, 2009 seizure of 2,943 marijuana plants in Township 37, Washington County.  Haynes Timberland, Inc. and co-defendant, Malcolm French, were also ordered to forfeit $1,550,000, a warehouse compound in Township 31, and a hunting camp in LaGrange that facilitated drug trafficking.

Judge Woodcock continued the sentencings of co-defendants French, Rodney Russell and Kendall Chase that had been scheduled to take place today.

The case was investigated by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Maine State Police, Washington and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Offices, Maine Warden Service, Maine Forest Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

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

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that William Alfred Roscoe, 30, of Portland, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to 40 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release for possessing child pornography. Roscoe pleaded guilty to the charge on June 23, 2015.

According to court records, in early 2015, federal agents were investigating the exchange of child pornography over the internet. In April, as part of the investigation, agents took custody of a laptop computer located in the Portland apartment Roscoe shared with his girlfriend and her children. Agents obtained a search warrant for the laptop.  A forensic analysis revealed numerous still images and video files depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, that a user of the laptop had searched for files using keywords commonly associated with child pornography and that numerous files with titles indicative of child pornography were in the process of being downloaded to the laptop over the internet at the time agents took custody of the laptop. The investigation revealed that Roscoe knowingly possessed the laptop and knew that it contained child pornography.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Portland Police Department.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Daniel Lajoie, Jr., 46, of Bowdoinham, Maine was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 57 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for possession of child pornography.  Lajoie pleaded guilty to the charge on October 8, 2015.

According to court records and proceedings, between April 29 and June 3, 2012, the defendant used a computer and peer-to-peer software to make available for sharing videos of child pornography.  A federal agent, acting in an undercover capacity, downloaded seven of those videos and traced them to a computer Lajoie used at a residence in Oakland, Maine.  Lajoie’s computer was seized and examined and investigators found over 50 images and 110 videos of child pornography.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Task Force.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Torrence Benton, a/k/a “T-Black,” a/k/a “Scotty,” 28, formerly of New Haven, Connecticut was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to three years in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine base, commonly referred to as “crack.”   This sentence is in addition to the 34 months that Benton has already served in the Maine State Prison on a related state charge.

According to court records, the defendant was a member of the Red Side Guerilla Brims (“RSGB”), a New Haven based street gang affiliated with the Bloods street gang. Between January 2010 and August 2013, Benton conspired with other RSGB gang members and Bangor area residents to distribute crack in Bangor area.  In early 2013, he came to the Bangor area and began distributing crack.  He obtained crack from other members of the conspiracy who brought it to Maine from New Haven and he was held responsible for distributing over 62 grams of it for $50 per half gram and $100 per gram.  On April 7, 2013, the defendant was arrested by Old Town Police on state charges and found to be in possession of about 10 grams of crack.
     
The case was investigated by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (New Haven Office); the New Haven Police Department; and the Old Town Police Department.

A related racketeering case against other members of RSGB is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Spector and Peter Markle in the District of Connecticut.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Gary D. Hallett, 47, of Monroe, Maine was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 15 months in prison and three years of supervised release for fraudulently obtaining social security disability benefits.  Hallett was also ordered to pay $67,753 in restitution.  He pleaded guilty to the charge on May 12, 2015.

Court records show that the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) paid disability benefits to Hallett from 2004 until 2014.  In 2012, the Bangor Daily News reported that the defendant had been charged with an elver fishing violation.  The article indicated that Hallett’s attorney in the state matter had asked the Maine court to delay the trial of the violation because the defendant had the opportunity to make $200,000 in the upcoming elver season. That story led to an investigation by the SSA Office of Inspector General that revealed that Hallett had been working and earning income since 1999 which he had not reported to the SSA as required. As a result, the SSA paid $67,753 in benefits to Hallett to which he was not entitled.

In imposing the sentence, Judge Woodcock said:  “I consider your conduct to be deplorable …. The Social Security program is a reflection of the good faith of the American people…. You have been cheating your fellow citizens.”

The investigation was conducted by the SSA Office of Inspector General.

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

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Jeffrey Kingman, 51, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to five years of probation for failing to pay child support.  He was also ordered to pay $101,387.74 in restitution.  Kingman pled guilty on September 16, 2015.

According to the evidence, Kingman was ordered to pay $216 per week in child support as part of his July 2007 Maine divorce judgment.  Between August 2007 and March 2011, he made 57 reduced and variable child support payments totaling $12,150.  As of October 2012, Kingman owed $60,112 in child support.  From October 2012 through September 2015, Kingman made no child support payments.  To date, Kingman owed $101,387.74 in child support.

The conditions of Kingman’s probation include that he pay restitution and child support.  In pronouncing sentence, Judge Levy observed that Kingman has caused great harm to his children by financially and emotionally abandoning them over a period of years. Judge Levy also observed that Kingman had obtained full-time employment enabling him to make payments through a wage garnishment.  Judge Levy explained that the statutory purposes of criminal punishment include getting defendants to pay restitution and getting parents to pay child support.  If Kingman fails to make restitution or pay child-support while on probation, he faces an additional two years in prison.

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

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Chad Goucher, 38, of Winthrop, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to possessing heroin with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and possession of an unregistered sawed-off shotgun.  

According to court records, on March 6, 2015, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Goucher’s residence in Winthrop.  Officers recovered heroin, drug paraphernalia, and three firearms, including a .12 gauge Iver Johnson sawed-off shotgun.  Goucher had a prior felony conviction from the State of Maine which prohibited him from possessing firearms.  Goucher admitted to law officers that he intended to distribute some of the heroin and he also admitted that he knew that he was not permitted to possess firearms. 

Goucher faces up to 20 years in prison on the heroin charge, a $1,000,000 fine, and between three years and life on supervised release.  He faces up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine for each of the firearms charges.    He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by the Winthrop Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Tawana Smith, a/k/a “Tawana Greene,” a/k/a “T,” 24, of Springfield, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to distributing cocaine base, commonly known as crack cocaine.

According to court records, on July 8 and July 15, 2015, Smith distributed crack cocaine in the parking lot of two Bangor area hotels.  On each occasion, Smith was contacted by an individual cooperating with law enforcement, she arranged the time and location of the transaction, and she sold crack cocaine for $300.   

Smith faces up to 20 years, a $1,000,000 fine, and between three years and a life on supervised release on each count.  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 Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that John C. Slater, 68, of Gardiner, Maine was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 115 months in prison and three years of supervised release for bank robbery.  He was also ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution.  The defendant pleaded guilty on October 28, 2014.

According to court records, on June 23, 2014, the defendant robbed $15,000 from the Bank of Maine, in Hallowell, Maine after handing a bank employee a demand note that read:   “Im Here to Rob your Bank, no silent Alarms my cell Phone rings, your all dead, I have a hand grenade, and a gun, no marked bills, or inked, if so, one day I will come back and kill all of you, do you understand.???” 

The ensuing investigation identified the defendant as a suspect.  On June 27, 2014, law enforcement officers executed search warrants at two locations where the defendant had been living.  Those searches revealed evidence that connected the defendant to the bank robbery.  On July 9, 2014, the defendant was arrested in New Hampshire.

The investigation was conducted by the Hallowell, Augusta and Gardiner Police Departments; the Maine State Police; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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

Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Andy Quinn Goodall, 28, most recently of Bangor, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to court records, the defendant took sexually explicit images of two prepubescent minors, uploaded them to a foreign website and provided links to the images in emails he sent to others.  

Goodall 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 jointly by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Bangor Police Department, and the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Brian Mulkern, 35, of Waterville, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of ammunition. He pled guilty on August 14, 2015.

According to court records, on August 26, 2014, Mulkern was apprehended by police in Winthrop, Maine while in possession of 10 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition.  The defendant stole this ammunition during the course of a day-time burglary. An 11-year-old girl was in the home at the time of the burglary. The defendant was captured by local police at the scene of the burglary with the ammunition in his backpack. He told police that he tried to steal a handgun located in a safe in the home during the burglary.  He was unable to open the safe.  Mulkern was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to past felony convictions in Maine state courts for burglary, robbery and drug trafficking. He faced an enhanced sentence because Judge Woodcock found him to be an Armed Career Criminal due to his past drug trafficking and violent felony convictions.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Winthrop Police Department. 

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

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Cory Girard, 27, of Portland, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge D. Brock Hornby to 1½ years in prison and three years of supervised release for possessing a firearm while being an unlawful user of marijuana. He pled guilty on October 1, 2015.

According to court records, on January 8, 2010, Girard was found by police at a Rackleff Street, Portland apartment in possession of a semi-automatic pistol that he purchased in October 2009 and used to protect his drug trafficking business.  Over that period of time, Girard was an illegal daily user of marijuana and had smoked marijuana on January 8, 2010.

The investigation was conducted by the Portland Police Department 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 Kevin Millette, 43, of Alfred, Maine, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to possessing child pornography.

According to court records, in November 2015, federal agents executed a search warrant at Millette’s residence in Alfred.  Millette was present, agreed to be interviewed, admitted that he had accessed child pornography recently using his phone and estimated that he had thousands of child pornography images on the phone.

Investigators seized three cell phones and a memory card from the residence. One of the phones was in the process of downloading child pornography images when it was seized. A forensic analysis of the phone and its memory card revealed thousands of digital still images depicting children engaging in sexually explicit conduct, as well as a smaller number of child pornography videos. Another memory card was also found to contain child pornography images.
     
Millette faces a sentence of between 10 and 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and between five years and life on supervised release.  He faces enhanced penalties because he has a prior child pornography conviction. 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 Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit.

Contact:  James M. Moore
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Shaun G. Lemoine, 36, of Swan’s Island, Maine, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release for illegally possessing firearms and ammunition.  Lemoine pleaded guilty on March 17, 2015. 

Court records reveal that on January 24, 2014, the Swan’s Island Police Department executed a warrant at Lemoine’s home and seized two firearms and 48 rounds of ammunition.  Lemoine was prohibited from possessing these items because of prior federal (gun) and state (burglary and theft) felony convictions.
     
Prior to this sentencing, the defendant had been jailed over a half dozen times including being sentenced three times in federal court.  The defendant also obstructed justice in this case by pressuring a witness to provide false information.  In imposing the lengthy sentence, Judge Woodcock said that the defendant’s attempt to cover up his crime and his lengthy criminal history spoke “volumes about [his] utter disrespect for the law” and that “the only answer [was] to place [him] in jail.”

The investigation was conducted by the Swan’s Island Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Bruce Smith, 60 of Lincoln, Maine was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 1½ years in prison and three years of supervised release for possessing firearms while being an unlawful user of controlled substances.  Smith pled guilty on August 7, 2015.

According to court records, between January and April 2014, the defendant possessed seven firearms at a time when he was regularly using Alpha-PVP.  Alpha-PVP is a schedule I controlled substance and is among a group of illegal, street drugs commonly referred to as bath salts.  Two of the firearms were seized on March 9, 2014 following a traffic stop and Smith’s arrest by the Lincoln Police Department.  Two more were seized on March 11, 2014 in Bradford, Maine and traced back to Smith. Smith possessed three more on April 8, 2014 when he was questioned by federal agents.  Smith was a regular user of bath salts during this period of time and had pawned two of the firearms for Alpha-pvp in January 2014.
     
The case was investigated by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Lincoln Police Department.

Contact: Julia M. Lipez
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Jeffrey P. Wheeler, Jr., 31, of Sebago, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to two years of probation for theft from interstate shipments.  Wheeler also was ordered to pay $1,376.28 in restitution. He pleaded guilty on September 28, 2015.

Court records reveal that between December 2013 and February 2014, Wheeler was employed as a delivery truck driver for United Parcel Service (UPS).  During this period, Wheeler stole several shipments of prescription narcotic medications that had been shipped via UPS from the Veterans Administration medical facility in Togus, Maine to outpatient veteran clients.

This case was investigated by the Criminal Investigations Division of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that John Williams, a/k/a “John-John”, 39, of Stetson, Maine, Cynthia Williams, a/k/a “Cindy”, 43, of Stetson, Maine, Whitney Chadbourne, 22, of Harmony, Maine and Corey Pomerleau, 24, of Harmony, Maine, pleaded guilty today at the U.S. District Court in Bangor to conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances. 
     
According to court records, between January 1, 2002 and November 22, 2014, there existed a conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone and five kilograms or more of cocaine.  The drugs were being brought into the Dexter, Maine area from Rhode Island and then were being distributed by members of the conspiracy.  John Williams, Cindy Williams and Whitney Chadbourne participated in the conspiracy during all or a portion of its existence.  The Williams were involved in the distribution of the drugs in the Dexter area, whereas Chadbourne was involved in transporting the drugs to Maine from Rhode Island.
     
In addition, between February 10, 2011 and November 22, 2014, there existed a related conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone only.  The drugs were being brought into the Dexter, Maine area from Rhode Island and then were being distributed by members of the conspiracy.  Corey Pomerleau participated in the conspiracy during a portion of its existence by distributing oxycodone in the area.

The conspiracy counts carry a maximum penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine and at least three years supervised release and up to life supervised release. 
     
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: Joel B. Casey
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Anthony Gomez, a/k/a “Tone”, 35, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced at the U.S. District Court in Bangor, Maine to a term of imprisonment of three years and five months and a 3 year term of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute oxycodone.

According to court records, between January 2012 and March 2012, Gomez conspired with Maurice McCray and others in Waterville, Maine and surrounding communities to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone. Gomez was one of McCray’s New York sources of supply for oxycodone.  Gomez is the twenty-third person to be convicted and sentenced in the federal investigation into drug distribution in the Waterville, Maine area. He was arrested following an 18 month long fugitive investigation by the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
     
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency with assistance from the Waterville, Maine Police Department.

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

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Tiffany Sutherland, 30, of Bangor, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base.

According to court records, from April to October, 2014, Sutherland conspired with others to receive drugs from out of state and then distribute those drugs in Maine.  As part of the conspiracy, Sutherland would locally sell heroin and cocaine base (commonly known as “crack”), and would remit proceeds from those sales to one of her coconspirators.   

Sutherland faces between five and 40 years in prison, a $5,000,000 fine, and between four years and a lifetime of supervised release.  She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; the Bangor Police Department; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.

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

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Thomas Gerken, 63, and Jill Gerken, 63, of Topsham, Maine, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to defraud the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) by diverting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.  SSI benefits are paid to people who are blind, disabled or elderly and whose income is below specified levels and are to be used to pay for the needs of the beneficiary.
 
According to court records, the defendants are the parents of two disabled children.  In 2004, on the basis of those disabilities, the defendants applied for and were granted SSI benefits for the children.  Jill Gerken was designated as the representative payee for each child.  As such, she was required to use the funds for their benefit, to annually account for her expenditure of the funds, and to periodically submit information to SSA to allow SSA to determine whether the children remained eligible for benefits.

Between January 2007 and July 2013, during a period of time that the children resided on a full-time basis at an assisted living facility, the defendants diverted about $108,000 of the SSI benefits and used them to pay for household expenses, including, but not limited to, their mortgage, a home equity loan, utilities, groceries, travel, restaurant meals and books. Over that period of time, they also failed to pay the assisted living facility even though Jill Gerken falsely certified to SSA each year that she spent the SSI benefits on food and housing at the assisted living facility.

The defendants face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  They will be sentenced after completion of presentence investigation reports by the U.S. Probation Office.  
     
The case was investigated by the SSA, Office of Inspector General.

Contact: James W. Chapman, Jr.
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Jimmy Odong, 25, of Portland, pled guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to bank robbery.  The charge arises out of the July 17, 2015 robbery of Key Bank in Freeport, Maine.

According to court documents, on July 17, 2015, at about 2:30 p.m., Odong stole a vehicle and cell phone from a woman in Portland.  At about 3:00 p.m., he entered the Key Bank branch wearing a wig and sun glasses, pointed what appeared to be a gun at tellers and demanded cash.  After tellers complied, Odong absconded with about $11,700.  He drove from scene of the robbery in the stolen vehicle.  Police recovered it and a forensic examination revealed the defendant’s partial palm print on the outside of the vehicle.  On July 23, 2015, the defendant was arrested and found to be carrying about $1,180 in cash and the carjacking victim’s cell phone. 

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

The investigation was conducted by Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”); the Freeport, Portland and Brunswick Police Departments; the Maine State Police; and the Southern Maine Gang Task Force 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, Lewiston and Biddeford Police Departments.  U.S. Attorney Delahanty praised the cooperation among these law enforcement agencies noting that “this bank robbery was quickly solved because local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies worked closely together.”