Northern District of New York

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Richard Bradley, age 36, of Syracuse, New York, pled guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, Bradley admitted that, on September 9, 2024, he possessed a loaded rifle in his vehicle, which was parked at a gas station in East Syracuse. Bradley inadvertently fired the rifle several times, but did not strike anyone. As a result of his prior felony conviction for Criminal Mischief, Bradley could not lawfully possess a firearm.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 10, 2025, before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Glenn T. Suddaby. Bradley faces up to fifteen years in federal prison, along with a post-imprisonment term of supervised release of up to three years. He also could be fined up to $250,000, and will be required to forfeit the assault rifle to the United States. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

ATF and the Manlius Police Department are investigating the case with assistance from the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica N. Carbone is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jason Brundige, age 49, of Ballston Spa, New York, has been indicted for distributing and possessing with intent to distribute cocaine, possessing a firearm as a felon, and using and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Saratoga County Sheriff Michael H. Zurlo.

The indictment alleges that on June 28 and July 2, 2024, Brundige, a previously convicted felon, distributed cocaine from his Saratoga County residence and, during one of those drug sales, he possessed a firearm. The indictment further alleges that on July 3, 2024, Brundige possessed cocaine with intent to sell it and possessed a loaded firearm in furtherance of this crime. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

If convicted on all counts, Brundige would face a minimum prison term of 10 years and a maximum prison term of life. Brundige also faces a supervised release term of between 5 years and life to be served after any term of imprisonment. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

The ATF and SCSO are investigating this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashlyn Miranda is prosecuting this case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Drasana Johnson, age 27, of Albany, has been indicted for laundering over $850,000 in stolen government funds, approximately $200,000 of which she used to purchase a residential property.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG) Northeast Region, made the announcement.

The indictment alleges that from May 25, 2023, through June 30, 2023, Johnson conducted seven monetary transactions each of a value greater than $10,000 and derived from the theft of government property.

According to a previously filed criminal complaint, Johnson laundered federal funds that Asjid Parvez stole from a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that helped struggling farmers pay off their loans. The charges in the indictment and complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The money laundering charges carry a maximum term of 10 years in prison, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

Parvez, of Albany, was sentenced in May 2024 to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to theft of federal funds.

The FBI has already seized $516,974.54 traceable to the federal funds that Parvez stole, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Asset Recovery Unit has filed a civil action seeking the forfeiture of a residential property in Albany that Johnson is accused of purchased using approximately $202,675 in stolen funds.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the USDA Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Paulbeck is prosecuting the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Conger is representing the United States in the asset forfeiture action.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Lawrence Boone, age 28, of Syracuse, was sentenced today to 168 months in federal prison for multiple counts of distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.

On several occasions from August through November 2023, Boone sent and received images and videos of child pornography from other users on a smartphone messaging application. At the time of his arrest, Boone possessed over 3,000 unique files constituting child pornography on four different electronic devices. The files discovered on Boone’s devices included images of prepubescent minors, images that involved sadistic and masochistic conduct, and images involving the sexual abuse of toddlers and infants.

United States Chief District Judge Brenda K. Sannes also ordered Boone to serve a 15-year term of post-incarceration supervised release and to forfeit the electronic devices used to commit the offense. Boone will be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.

The case was investigated by HSI, the NYSP Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the NYSP Troop D Computer Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Gillis prosecuted the case as a part of Project Safe Childhood.

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Robert Rahrle, age 34, formerly of Florida and now residing in the Northern District of New York, pled guilty Wednesday to tax evasion and wire fraud. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, and Harry Chavis, Jr. Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement.

As part his guilty plea, Rahrle admitted that from 2017 through 2024, he ran a fraudulent online gift basket website called iCare Gifting Solutions LLC.  iCare purported to cater to families of incarcerated individuals, promising to send care packages into prisons.  iCare charged hundreds of customers approximately $50 per gift basket but never sent the gift packages.

In addition to defrauding iCare’s customers, Rahrle evaded his federal taxes. He self-prepared and filed tax returns for tax years 2017 and 2018 that falsely reported business losses and failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars of gross receipts.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 11, 2025. Rahrle faces up to five years in federal prison on the tax evasion charge and up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charge, along with a post-imprisonment term of supervised release of up to three years. He also could be fined up to $250,000 or an alternative fine based on his gain or the victims’ losses, owes restitution to the IRS of approximately $175,000 and restitution to the victims of his fraud, and will be required to forfeit a money judgment of $2 million to the United States. A federal district court judge will determine Rahrle’s sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was investigated by IRS-CI, the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the Criminal Investigation Division of the U.S. Secret Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael Cardwell, age 39, of Rensselaer County, pled guilty today to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

Cardwell admitted that he sexually abused an approximately 7-year-old girl over a period of months and created sexually explicit images of that victim. Cardwell also acknowledged that he had a collection of approximately 1,000 CSAM files that he obtained via the internet, including pictures of prepubescent children engaged in sexual activity.

At sentencing scheduled for May 23, 2025, before United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci, Cardwell faces a mandatory minimum imprisonment term of 15 years and a maximum imprisonment term of 50 years, post-release supervision of at least 5 years and up to life, a fine of up to $250,000, special assessments, restitution to the victims, and forfeiture of the property he used to commit he offenses. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statutes the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Cardwell also will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the New York State Police, and the Troy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).  Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – David Gedamoske, age 41, of Lafayette, New York, pled guilty yesterday to evading taxes on over $1 million in wages between 2016 and 2021.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Harry Chavis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York Field Division, made the announcement.

At his change of plea, Gedamoske admitted that he worked as a journeyman lineman for various electrical companies and received wages reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on the Form W-2. When he started working at these companies, Gedamoske completed a Form W-4 and claimed either “99 Allowances” or that he was “Exempt” from income tax. In doing so, he intended to have his employer withhold little or no federal income tax on his paycheck. Despite owing a significant amount of tax, Gedamoske failed to file a federal tax return between 2016-2021. As a result, Gedamoske evaded paying over $200,000 in federal taxes.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 11, 2025, before Senior United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby. Gedamoske faces up to 5 years in federal prison, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a maximum $100,000 fine. He will have to pay restitution to the IRS. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

This case is being investigated by the IRS-CI and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Paul Tuck.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Joshua Atkinson, age 27, of Ellenville, New York, was sentenced last week to serve 156 months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York; and Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa, whose office leads the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT).

Atkinson was one of 11 defendants charged in the case. These defendants have pled guilty and have been sentenced or are pending sentencing: 

• Christopher Baez was sentenced to 71 months in prison, to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release;
• Michael Herry was sentenced to 27 months in prison, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release;
• Joshua Morales is scheduled to be sentenced on February 19, 2025;
• Joseph Logan is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21, 2025;
• Timothy Hutcherson is scheduled to be sentenced on April 9, 2025; and
• Daryl Livingston is scheduled to be sentenced on April 2, 2025. 

As part of his guilty plea, Atkinson admitted that during the conspiracy he distributed and possessed with intent to distribute approximately 3.2 kilograms of cocaine and 600 grams of fentanyl. Atkinson also admitted to using violence to obtain payments from his drug redistributors, including threatening a co-conspirator with a hammer. In January 2023, a search warrant was executed at Atkinson’s Ellenville residence and a .22 caliber pistol was recovered by law enforcement.

Senior United States District Judge David N. Hurd also imposed a 5-year term of supervised release to begin after Atkinson is released from prison.

This case is being investigated by HSI; the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with URGENT (the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement and Narcotics Team), an inter-agency taskforce targeting drug dealers and gang members in Ulster County; the New York State Police; the Village of Ellenville Police Department; and the White Plains Police Department, with assistance from the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.   Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashlyn Miranda is prosecuting this case.

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

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Damian Quillinan, age 50, of Broadalbin, New York, pled guilty today to possession of child pornography while under post-release supervision for prior child pornography offenses.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office, made the announcement.

According to the plea agreement and documents previously filed in the case, Quillinan is a registered sex offender in the State of New York, stemming from his 2017 convictions in the Northern District of New York for multiple counts of receipt and possession of child pornography. 

In January 2024, shortly after being released from incarceration on those offenses, Quillinan manipulated a video of a prepubescent minor he obtained over the internet to create a lewd and lascivious image of the minor’s genitalia, which he then possessed on a tablet until it was seized by law enforcement during a search of his residence in September 2024. 

Quillinan also admitted to violating the terms of his supervised release on his prior convictions by committing the new offense and by possessing unauthorized internet-capable devices.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on the new offense and his supervised release violation by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino on May 22, 2025.

Quillinan faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison, and up to 20 years in prison, and an additional term of up to 2 years in prison on his violation of supervised release.  He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and a supervised release term of at least 5 years and up to life.  Quillinan may also be ordered to pay restitution to the victim of his offense and forfeit the device used in the offense.  Quillinan must continue to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

HSI investigated this case.  Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin S. Clark and Nicholas Walter are prosecuting this case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Brian Mills, age 39, a resident of Dannemora, New York, was sentenced today to serve 21 months in prison for knowingly providing a firearm to a felon. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office, made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, Mills admitted that at various times during summer 2022, he traded a New England Firearms Company Model Pardner-SP1 .410-gauge shotgun, an Armalite rifle, ammunition, an ammunition magazine and two body armor vests to Dustin J. Manor at Manor’s apartment in Plattsburgh, New York, knowing that Manor was a felon. On October 20, 2022, the Plattsburgh Police Department seized the shotgun, one (1) .44 magnum round of ammunition, shotgun rounds, and a set of RTS Tactical Level IV ceramic body armor from Manor’s Plattsburgh apartment after responding to a domestic incident there.

Manor was federally prohibited from possessing the firearms and ammunition due to 2014 drug felony convictions for which he was sentenced to 5 years in state prison.

Mills had been employed as a corrections officer at Clinton Correctional Facility but resigned his position following his arrest.

Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn also imposed a 2-year term of supervised release to begin after Mills is released from prison.

Manor was sentenced in August to 57 months in prison and 3 years’ supervised release for possessing the .410-gauge shotgun and ammunition as a felon.

HSI and the Plattsburgh Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas G. Collyer prosecuted the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Joseph Mitchell, age 38, of Nelliston, New York, pled guilty on Friday to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm as a felon.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.

Mitchell admitted to working with another person to distribute over 350 grams of methamphetamine throughout August 2024.  A search warrant executed at Mitchell’s home on September 5, 2024, led to the recovery of two rifles and one shotgun, which the defendant agreed to forfeit as part of his plea agreement.   As a result of his prior felony convictions for attempted robbery and narcotics possession, Mitchell could not lawfully possess the firearms. 

Mitchell faces a mandatory prison term of at least 10 years and up to life, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

The DEA investigated the case with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner is prosecuting the case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Willie Alvarado, Jr., 34, of Utica, New York, was sentenced last week to serve 8 years in federal prison for attempted possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine and money laundering.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New York Division, made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, Alvarado admitted that, as early as October 2022, he began using the United States Postal Service to receive drug parcels from Puerto Rico.  In May of 2023, law enforcement intercepted a package shipped from Puerto Rico, intended for Alvarado, which contained two kilograms of cocaine.  Alvarado admitted that he intended to distribute the cocaine in the package.  Alvarado further admitted that, in September of 2023, he used another individual to launder at least $9,940 of his drug proceeds.

Senior United States District Court Judge David N. Hurd also imposed a four-year term of supervised release to begin after Alvarado is released from prison.

The DEA, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and United States Postal Inspection Service investigated the case with assistance from the New York State Police, Utica Police Department, Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, Syracuse Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement, and Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica N. Carbone prosecuted the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kenneth Locke, age 23, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 10 months in jail for conspiring with others to unlawfully obtain firearms from a licensed dealer by making false statements, also known as “straw purchasing” firearms.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), made the announcement.

In previously pleading guilty, Locke admitted that he entered into an agreement with Rylan Peterson, a native of Kingston, New York, and a former Marine then living in North Carolina, to acquire six semi-automatic handguns on behalf of Oryin McLeod and others residing in Kingston.  After McLeod paid Locke through Peterson, Locke purchased the firearms in December 2022 from a licensed dealer in North Carolina, falsely representing at the time of the purchase that he was acquiring the firearms for himself.  Peterson later transported the firearms from North Carolina to New York where he provided them to McLeod and others. McLeod was subsequently arrested for unlawful possession of two of the firearms acquired through the straw purchasing scheme.

Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn also imposed a 3-year term of post-incarceration supervised release. McLeod was previously sentenced to 34 months in prison for his role in unlawfully acquiring the firearms. Peterson is set to be sentenced on March 26, 2025.

ATF and the Kingston Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin C. Segovia prosecuted the case.
 

UTICA, NEW YORK – Joseph Lastrina, age 39, of Norwalk, Connecticut, was sentenced today to 108 months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.  

Lastrina admitted to directing both Robert Sanger and Thaddeus Price to complete drug deals that Lastrina arranged.  Those November 2023 transactions collectively involved 177 grams of pure methamphetamine.  A search warrant executed at Sanger’s home led to the recovery of an additional 217 grams of pure methamphetamine.  

Senior United States District Judge David N. Hurd also imposed a 3-year-term of supervised release and a $30,000.  Judge Hurd previously sentenced Sanger to 16 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release. Price will be sentenced on March 19, 2025.  

The DEA investigated this case, which Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan S. Reiner and Ashlyn Miranda are prosecuting.
 

UTICA, NEW YORK – Wanda Gilpin, age 71, of Pulaski, New York, pled guilty to six counts of bank fraud and two counts of misuse of a social security number, United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), New York Field Office announced.

At the change of plea, Gilpin admitted to applying for multiple credit cards and loans using the personally identifiable information of other individuals, including a deceased relative. After Gilpin received the credit cards, she used the cards for personal expenses and incurred balances on each credit card that reached the credit limit assigned to that card.  Gilpin also obtained an automobile loan and personal loan.  In total, Gilpin was able to obtain lines of credit and loans totaling $24,909.68 from six different financial institutions.

Gilpin is scheduled to be sentenced by Senior United States Judge David N. Hurd on May 7, 2025. She faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for the bank fraud charges and a maximum sentence of 5 years and a fine of up to $250,000 for the social security fraud charges. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by the judge based on the statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

The SSA-OIG is investigating the case, and the case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian LaRochelle.
 

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Taykwun Smoaks, age 32, of Albany, was sentenced today to 87 months in prison for receipt of child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.

As part of his prior guilty plea, Smoaks admitted that from February to March 2023, he received and possessed images and videos of child pornography on his computer and external hard drive. Smoaks admitted that he downloaded more than 600 videos and 22,000 still images, including images of prepubescent minors, images that involved sadistic and masochistic conduct, and images involving the sexual abuse of toddlers and infants.

United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also ordered Smoaks to serve a 15-year term of post-incarceration supervised release; to pay restitution of $3,000 to each of 15 victims for a total amount of $45,000 in restitution; and to forfeit the electronic devices used to commit the offense. Smoaks will also be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.

HSI and NYSP investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping prosecuted the case.

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Patrick Tucker, age 28, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty today to distributing methamphetamine.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.

Tucker admitted to distributing a total of approximately 49 grams of methamphetamine through three transactions occurring between January and March 2023.

Tucker faces at least 5 and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and a term of supervised release of at least 4 years and up to life.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

The DEA investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin C. Segovia is prosecuting the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Mana Sambola a/k/a “Coffee,” age 41, a Liberian national previously residing in Saratoga Springs, New York, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for illegally possessing two firearms.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.

A search warrant executed at Sambola’s apartment on May 22, 2023, led to the recovery of a Glock 43 pistol; an Anderson Manufacturing AM15 rifle emblazoned with the names of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: “Death,” “War,” “Famine,” and “Pestilence”; and four boxes of ammunition  Sambola has prior felony convictions related to narcotics and firearms, and he therefore cannot lawfully possess the firearms or ammunition.  Following a contested sentencing hearing, United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci found that Sambola possessed the Glock in connection with three crimes, specifically straw purchasing a firearm, making a false statement to a firearms dealer, and distribution of a controlled substance.  Judge Nardacci also imposed a 3-year-term of supervised release. 

HSI investigated the case with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); the Warren County District Attorney’s and Sheriff’s Offices; the New York State Police; and the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner prosecuted the case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Barbara DeYear, age 67, of Lorraine, New York, has been charged by indictment with 13 counts of tax fraud. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Harry Chavis, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement. 

The indictment alleges that DeYear is the co-owner and president of Independent Commercial Contractors, Inc., a Jefferson County-based corporation that does construction, demolition, and asbestos removal work, and that she withheld more than $135,000 in employment taxes from her employees’ paychecks between 2019 and 2022 and failed to pay those withholdings to the IRS as required by law. The indictment further alleges that DeYear failed to file quarterly tax returns on behalf of Independent Commercial Contractors from 2015 through 2022 but that during the COVID-19 pandemic she applied for a federally backed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan and submitted a fraudulent “file copy” of two tax returns purporting to show tax payments on behalf of the corporation, when neither the tax returns nor the payments were sent to the IRS.

The felony charges filed against DeYear carry a maximum sentence of 5 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 per count, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

DeYear was arraigned today in Binghamton, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Miroslav Lovric, and she was released pending a trial that will be scheduled later this year before Senior United States District Court Judge David N. Hurd in Utica, New York.

The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

IRS-CI is investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry is prosecuting the case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Joseph Thompson, age 38, of Hogansburg, New York, was sentenced on December 19, 2024, to 66 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), New York Field Division, made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, Thompson admitted that in June 2023, he arranged to meet another individual at a parking lot in Massena, NY, for the purpose of selling marijuana in exchange for firearms. Thompson admitted that he gave the individual approximately 18 pounds of marijuana in exchange for 7 semiautomatic pistols and ammunition magazines. Thompson was arrested immediately after the transaction.

Thompson was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his release from prison.

ATF investigated the case, with assistance from Quebec Provincial Police, St. Regis Tribal Police, New York State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, Massena Police Department, and U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie prosecuted the case
 

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Devon Newsome, age 32, of Forrest Park, Georgia, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for unlawfully transferring firearms to a New York resident.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Field Division; and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), made the announcement.

When he pled guilty, Newsome admitted that on May 21, 2023, he delivered 29 firearms to a New York resident in Georgia, including stolen firearms and a handgun equipped with a machinegun conversion device. Those firearms were then transported from Georgia to a property on Western Avenue in Albany. Newsome knew the firearms were destined for New York and knew that neither he nor the person for whom the guns were destined were licensed importers, manufacturers, dealers, or collectors of firearms. On May 23, 2023, law enforcement searched the Western Avenue property and found 34 firearms, including the firearms that Newsome had transferred.

United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release following Newsome’s imprisonment.

The following defendants have also been charged in connection with this investigation:

• Anthony Luizzi pled guilty to drug and gun crimes in connection with his trafficking of large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, and his possession of more than 30 firearms, including drugs and guns found at the Western Avenue property. Luizzi was sentenced to 210 months in prison and a $10,000 fine on October 1, 2024.
• Brandon Bartley was sentenced on September 24, 2024, to 180 months in prison and to pay a $5,000 fine, for drug and gun crimes related to his possession of drugs and guns at the Western Avenue property.
• Jabree Jones was charged with a violation of the terms of his federal supervised release on May 23, 2023, based on violations of federal gun and drug trafficking laws, and has been detained pending the resolution of the supervised release violation petition. A final revocation hearing is currently scheduled for January 29, 2025. The violations against Jones are merely accusations. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Another suspect in the investigation, Anthony Zaremski, was fatally shot during the execution of a federal search warrant on May 23, 2023, at Zaremski’s apartment in Clifton Park, New York, after Zaremski opened fire and wounded two officers.

The DEA and the ATF are investigating the case, with assistance from the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG), the Rotterdam Police Department, and the Henry County Police Department in Georgia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping is prosecuting the case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Emilio Chirico, age 56, the Station Manager for the DeWitt, New York Post Office, has been charged by indictment with wire fraud, misappropriation of postal funds, and false entries and reports, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Modafferi of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). 

The indictment alleges that between January 2021 and March 2023, Chirico stole $81,553.94 in stamps from the DeWitt Post Office and falsified postal records to conceal the theft of the stamps.  Chirico has been the station manager at the DeWitt Post Office since March 2012.

The charges filed against Chirico carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, and a term of supervised release of up to 5 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) is investigating the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tamara B. Thomson and Michael F. Perry.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – David Hullihen, age 41, of Syracuse, pled guilty today to ten counts of receipt of child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, Hullihen admitted that he sent multiple videos depicting child sexual abuse material to another person over the application Wire. Hullihen also possessed child sexual abuse material on his cell phone. Hullihen is a registered sex offender with two previous convictions for child pornography offenses in New York.

The offenses to which Hullihen pled guilty carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, with a maximum of 40 years imprisonment. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant violated, the United States Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.  However, if Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes accepts the parties’ agreed-upon disposition at sentencing on April 23, 2025, Hullihen will receive an prison term of 235 months. Hullihen’s sentence must also include a post-imprisonment term of supervised release of between five years and life, a fine of up to $250,000.00, restitution to the children whose images he distributed and possessed, and he will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. 

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the Tiffin, Ohio Police Department, the Syracuse, New York Police Department, and the New York State Police. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck prosecuted Hullihen as part of Project Safe Childhood. 

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).  Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Leshawn Thomas, age 33, of Clayville, New York, pled guilty yesterday to possessing cocaine and cocaine base with the intent to distribute them and to unlawfully possessing firearms.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.

Thomas, who had two prior felony convictions, admitted to possessing with intent to distribute approximately 3 kilograms of cocaine and 268.14 grams of cocaine base in Oneida County, New York, on or about April 28, 2023.  He also admitted to possessing two loaded semi-automatic pistols: a Glock, model 22, .40 cal. and a Kahr, model CM9, .9 mm.

Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes on April 4, 2025.  He faces a minimum term of 10-years in federal prison and a maximum of life, and a term of supervised release between 5 years and life.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

DEA investigated the case with the assistance of the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYDOCCS).  Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen J. Vickey is prosecuting the case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Juan Jose-Ambrosio, age 27, who was living in Onondaga County, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment today for illegally reentering the United States after previously being convicted of illegal reentry last year. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Thomas P. Brophy, Field Office Director, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, (ICE-ERO) Buffalo, NY made the announcement.

Jose-Ambrosio had previously been deported or removed from the United States to Mexico three times. As part of his previous guilty plea, Jose-Ambrosio admitted that he had been convicted of illegal reentry into the United States in August 2023, and deported shortly thereafter. Thereafter, Jose-Ambrosio returned and was most recently found in the United States in Syracuse, New York, after he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Jose-Ambrosio will be subject to deportation again at the conclusion of his prison sentence. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security-ICE-ERO investigated the case with the help of the United States Marshall Service and the Town of New Hartford Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck prosecuted the case.  

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Evan Cutler, age 25, of Queensbury, New York, was sentenced today to 44 months in prison for his role as a ringleader of a bank fraud conspiracy targeting SEFCU.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement. 

According to an indictment returned last year, court records, and statements made by prosecutors in court, between February 2022 and October 2022, Cutler, together with codefendant Allahson Allah, age 54, of Albany, managed a conspiracy targeting SEFCU in which the conspirators obtained customer personal identifying information (PII) and impersonated people to fraudulently obtain cash and credit from SEFCU.  The conspirators also applied for loans at SEFCU in the names of individuals whose identities they had stolen and withdrew the proceeds in cash.  In total, the conspiracy netted the conspirators $88,800, with intended losses of over $100,000.

Cutler’s sentence concludes the investigation and prosecution of the conspiracy.  Previously, the following coconspirators were sentenced as follows:

• Allah was sentenced to 57 months in prison followed by 3 years’ post-release supervision, with restitution ordered in the amount of $88,800;
• Caeshara Cannon, age 36, of Albany, was sentenced to 16 months in prison, followed by 2 years’ post-release supervision, with restitution ordered in the amount of $77,200;
• Davon Parson, age 20, of Albany, was sentenced to 15 months’ incarceration followed by 2 years’ post-release supervision, with restitution ordered in the amount of $9,000; and
• Dnauticah Taylor-Sterman, age 22, of Albany, was sentenced to 8 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years’ post-release supervision, with restitution ordered in the amount of $25,000.

HSI investigated the case, with assistance from the Bethlehem Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark prosecuted this case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Xiomara Christian, age 37, of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, was sentenced yesterday to 33 months of incarceration following her guilty plea to conspiracy to commit money laundering. 

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.

As part of her guilty plea on October 10, 2024, Christian admitted that from May 2017 to November 2018, she and a co-conspirator laundered drug proceeds from Europe and Australia through bank accounts in the Northern District of New York, intending to conceal the true source of the proceeds, and to make it appear as though the money was legally obtained through legitimate business transactions.

On October 4, 2018, Christian delivered €101,950 ($114,816.09) in drug proceeds to an undercover agent with the National Police of The Netherlands in The Netherlands. On October 5, 2018, an undercover agent with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission picked up $85,000 AUD ($57,843 USD) in drug proceeds from another co-conspirator in Melbourne, Australia. Christian then had the money wired through a bank account in Latham, New York, and sent to bank accounts in Panama.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn also ordered the entry of a money judgment against Christian in the amount of $172,659. Christian faces removal from the United States following service of her term of imprisonment.

The DEA investigated this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer prosecuted the case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Jun Wang, age 62, a Chinese national and lawful permanent resident of the United States who has lived in Florida and Texas for most of the past 26 years, has been charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit money laundering. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement. 

The indictment alleges that between June 2019 and June 2021 Wang received gift cards which had been obtained from victims of wire fraud schemes in the Northern District of New York and elsewhere and that he used the fraudulently obtained gift cards – totaling more than $2 million – at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in Florida and other states to buy other gift cards and thereby disguise the source and nature of the funds obtained from the fraud victims.

The charge filed against Wang carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, a fine of up to twice the value of the allegedly laundered funds, or $4 million in this case, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

Wang was arrested several weeks ago at Los Angeles International Airport, and arraigned this week in Binghamton, New York, before Magistrate Judge Miroslav Lovric, after being transported to the Northern District of New York. Judge Lovric ordered Wang detained pending trial, which is expected to be held sometime in 2025 before Senior United States District Judge David N. Hurd.

The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The FBI is investigating the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tamara B. Thomson and Michael F. Perry.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Daion Morris, age 32, of Troy, New York, was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Lucy Lang, New York State Inspector General (NYSIG), made the announcement.

The indictment alleges that Morris used a stolen identity to create an unemployment insurance claim in September 2020, and continually recertified the claim through March 2021.  Morris received over $29,000 in unemployment insurance benefits in the victim’s name.  The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Upon conviction on all counts, Morris would face at least 2 years and up to 22 years in prison; a fine of up to $250,000; and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

Morris was arraigned today in Albany, before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart, and ordered released pending a trial before Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn.

HSI, NYSIG, the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the New York State Department of Labor – Office of Special Investigations investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner is prosecuting.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. 

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Martin Connearney, age 35, of Lenox, Massachusetts, was sentenced today to 151 months of incarceration, following his guilty plea earlier this year to traveling across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual acts with a minor.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

As part of Connearney’s guilty plea last February, he admitted that between April 6, 2022 and May 5, 2022, he communicated with an individual to discuss and plan Connearney’s sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl with speech and hearing difficulties who lived in the Capital Region.  The individual Connearney communicated with was actually an undercover agent (“UC”).  Connearney ultimately borrowed a car and on May 5, 2022, drove from Lenox to the Capital Region intending to meet with the UC and sexually abuse the child.  Connearney was encountered by law enforcement officials at a prearranged meeting location and arrested. 

In imposing sentence today, United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci found that Connearney was subject to an enhanced prison range under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines because he had intended to take advantage of a vulnerable victim.  According to court documents, while planning the sexual abuse of the child, Connearney repeatedly told the UC that there was less of a risk he would be caught because of the child’s hearing and speech difficulties.  As part of the sentence imposed today, Connearney must also serve a 20-year term of supervised release, which will begin after he is released from prison.  Connearney will also be required to register as a sex offender.

The FBI Albany Division’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case.  The task force includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department. 

Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).  Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Destiny Brown, age 45, of Schenectady, New York, was indicted this month on Social Security fraud charges. 

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Office, made the announcement.

The charges relate to Brown’s alleged misuse of her deceased wife’s children’s Social Security benefits that she applied for and received after Schenectady County Department of Social Services removed the children from her custody.The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Brown was arraigned on the indictment in Albany and ordered released pending further proceedings.

If convicted, Brown faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 5 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised of up to 3 years. Brown would also have to pay restitution to the victims of her criminal conduct. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General investigating this case and Special Assistant United States Attorney Paul Tuck is prosecuting this case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Kevin Harrington, age 50, of Oneonta, New York, was sentenced to serve a three-year term of federal probation and ordered to pay over $150,000.00 in restitution to his former employer in relation to his previous guilty plea to two counts of mail fraud, United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced.

At his previous change of plea hearing, Harrington admitted that he was the former executive director at First Community Care of Bassett, LLC (an affiliate of Bassett Healthcare Network). During his employment, Harrington submitted fraudulent expense reports seeking reimbursement for the purchase of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines. As part of the scheme, Harrington provided invoices to his employer that falsely claimed he had paid thousands of dollars for medical equipment when no such equipment was ever purchased. Unaware that the invoices were fraudulent, First Community Care of Bassett issued and mailed checks to Harrington for reimbursement.  In total, Harrington admitted to stealing over $150,000.00 from his former employer.

In addition to his term of probation, Harrington was ordered to serve six months of home confinement and was fined $5,500.00.   

The FBI investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Mark Tremblay, age 34, of Rensselaer, New York, was arrested today and charged with the sexual exploitation of a child.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office, made the announcement.

According to a criminal complaint, on or about November 13, 2024, Tremblay used a child, born in 2023, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating child pornography.  Tremblay then distributed the produced images to another person with whom he was corresponding over the Internet.  The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Tremblay made an initial appearance today before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel and was ordered detained.  He faces at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a supervised release term of at least 5 years and up to life.  Tremblay may also be ordered to pay restitution to the victim of his offense and forfeit the device used in the offense.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Tremblay would also have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

HSI is investigating this case with assistance from the New York State Police (NYSP) and the NYSP Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.  Assistant United States Attorney Allen J. Vickey is prosecuting this case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. 

ALBANY, NEW YORK – David Degrasse, age 54, of West Warwick, Rhode Island, was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with interstate transportation of stolen property. 

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.

The indictment alleges that on April 27, 2023, Degrasse transported, from Greene County to Connecticut, approximately $9,300 stolen from an ATM machine in Greene County.  The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

The charge filed against Degrasse carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

Degrasse was arraigned today in Albany, before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel, and ordered detained pending a trial scheduled before Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr.

The FBI and State Police are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner is prosecuting the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Lamont McWhite, age 51, of Gloversville, New York, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Field Division, made the announcement.

As part of his prior guilty plea, McWhite admitted that he distributed cocaine on four occasions between June and August 2022, and on December 14, 2022, possessed and intended to distribute approximately 292 grams of methamphetamine, 506 grams of cocaine, 49 grams of cocaine base, and 37 grams of fentanyl.

Senior United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also imposed a 5-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release.

DEA investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashlyn Miranda prosecuted the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Toqwanda Ketchmore, aka “Quannie,” age 30, of Albany, pled guilty today to marijuana trafficking.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; Troy Police Chief Daniel DeWolf; and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.

Ketchmore admitted to being a member of a marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) trafficking organization that cultivated marijuana on a commercial scale in Fresno, California, and shipped thousands of kilograms of marijuana and THC from Fresno to locations throughout the United States, including the Capital Region of New York.

Ketchmore admitted to receiving packages of marijuana shipped by Dwight A. Singletary, II, aka “Nutt” and “Mike Jones,” and McKenzie Merrialice Coles, aka “Kenzie,” from a shipping store in Fresno, Fast Pack & Ship, at her then-home in Troy.  Ketchmore was notified of the packages by Dwight Singletary and David Singletary, aka “DB,” and notified David Singletary, who retrieved the packages when they arrived. 

Ketchmore also admitted that Dwight Singletary sold marijuana branded as “Nutty Packs” and had an Instagram account in the name “nutty_packz,” which Ketchmore followed. The profile picture for the account depicted a peanut above marijuana leaves smoking a marijuana cigarette and holding cash, and the posts to the account included videos of marijuana plants, harvested marijuana buds, and packaging for marijuana, including “Nutty Pack” packaging.

Between November 2020 and May 2022, Ketchmore received 44 packages containing approximately 201 kilograms (443 pounds) of marijuana at her home in Troy. 

Ketchmore faces up to 20 years in prison; a fine of up to $1 million; and a term of supervised release of between 3 years and life.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

Ketchmore was charged in an indictment with Dwight Singletary, David Singletary, Coles, and 20 other people alleging marijuana distribution and money laundering conspiracies, firearms offenses, and other crimes.  Dwight Singletary, David Singletary, and Coles have pled not guilty and are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. 

In addition to Ketchmore, 16 other defendants, Rosemary Coles, Latrice Mumphrey, Lawrence Mumphrey, aka “L,” Sammy Olague, Victor Turner, Kristle Walker, Niara Banks, aka “Nie,” Ruby Ledesma, Lateek White, Onisha Smith, Jazell Shuler, Earnest Flood, aka “Pop,” Consanga Harris, aka “Sondy,” James Tyrell Daniels, aka “Red” and “Ghost,” LaFay Pearson, aka “Lala,” and Alyssa June White previously pled guilty. 

The ATF, DEA, Troy Police Department and HSI are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyrus P.W. Rieck and Dustin C. Segovia are prosecuting the case.

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

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Diquan Hall, age 26, of Syracuse, pled guilty yesterday to two federal drug distribution felony charges, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

As part of his guilty plea yesterday, Hall admitted to distributing 15 bricks (17 grams) of fentanyl and approximately 2 ounces (52.6 grams) of methamphetamine in Liverpool, New York, on February 7, 2024, during an ATF undercover enforcement operation.  Hall also admitted that he distributed 15 bricks of fentanyl (14.1 grams) and possessed with intent to distribute 19.8 grams of cocaine powder in Liverpool on February 15, 2024, at which time he was arrested by ATF and DEA Special Agents, SPD Detectives, and New York State Parole Officers. Hall was on New York State Parole at the time he distributed the controlled substances in this case and was wearing an electronic location monitoring device. 

Sentencing is scheduled for April 16, 2024, at which time Diquan Hall faces a minimum sentence of 5-years in federal prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and a post-incarceration period of supervised release of at least 4-years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

The case was investigated by United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NY DOCCS-Parole), and the Syracuse Police Department-Intelligence Section (SPD-Intel). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Southwick.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Jose Reyes-Acosta, age 49, of El Salvador, was sentenced today to serve 39 months imprisonment for illegally reentering the United States and fraudulently using the identifying information of a U.S. citizen to both obtain a U.S. passport and attempt to obtain a New York state identification card.

Carla B. Freedman, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York; Joshua S. Levy, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts; Thomas P. Brophy, Field Office Director, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), Buffalo, NY; and Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, Reyes-Acosta admitted to illegally re-entering the U.S. after a prior deportation and, after his entry, purchasing stolen identifying documents that belonged to a U.S. citizen. Reyes-Acosta then used those documents in Massachusetts to fraudulently obtain a U.S. passport and a Massachusetts REAL ID. In 2023, Reyes-Acosta again used the documents to apply for a New York state identification card but was detected by law enforcement before the card was issued.

Charges based on Reyes-Acosta’s Massachusetts conduct were indicted in the District of Massachusetts and later transferred to the Northern District of New York. Reyes-Acosta was sentenced to serve 39 months imprisonment and a $2,000.00 fine on five counts, including Illegal Re-Entry and Aggravated Identity Theft, which were charged in New York.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ICE-ERO, and the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, investigated the case with the help of the New York Department of Motor Vehicles- Division of Field Investigation, and the Utica Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Gillis prosecuted the case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Richard Hockersmith, age 65, of Plattsburgh, New York, pled guilty today to conspiring to receive and distribute child pornography and possession of child pornography announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

As part of his guilty plea, Hockersmith admitted that in August of 2022, he began conspiring with his co-defendant, Jack Kelly, about exchanging child pornography. Hockersmith further admitted that he and his co-defendant decided to exchange their child pornography by mailing an SD card containing the child pornography back and forth, which each of them did. Hockersmith also admitted that during a search of his residence on September 12, 2024, he still possessed the SD card he and his co-defendant used to receive and distribute child pornography via the U.S. mail, which still contained images and videos of child pornography.

At sentencing, which is currently scheduled for April 9, 2025, in Albany, New York before United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci, Hockersmith faces a term of imprisonment of at least 5 years and up to 20 years, a supervised release term of between 5 years and life, and a maximum fine of $250,000. Hockersmith will also be required to pay restitution to the victims of his offenses and will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

The case is being investigated by HSI with assistance from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Richawn McClain, age 26, of Troy, New York, pled guilty today to possessing and intending to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.

McClain faces a mandatory prison term of at least 10 years and up to life, a supervised release term of at least 3 years and up to life, and a maximum $1 million fine.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

McClain admitted that on January 9, 2024, he possessed a handgun that had been modified to make it into a machinegun, 32 grams of cocaine, and more than 900 fentanyl pills.  Inside of the same bag as the narcotics, McClain had $22,770, which he must forfeit as part of his plea. 

The DEA investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner is prosecuting.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – David Gruber, age 39, of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, was arrested last week and charged with traveling across state lines to the Capital Region with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. 

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.

According to a criminal complaint, in November 2024 Gruber began communicating with an individual to discuss and plan his sexual abuse of a person he believed to be a 9-year-old child residing in Albany County, New York.  Gruber planned to drive from Pennsylvania to Albany County and pay $300 in order to sexually abuse the person he believed to be a child.  On December 5, 2024, Gruber was arrested after arriving in Albany at a prearranged meeting location. Gruber had $460 in cash on him at the time of his arrest. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Gruber initially appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart on December 6 and was ordered detained.  He faces a maximum term of 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life, and mandatory registration as a sex offender.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

FBI and the New York State Police are investigating the case. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew M. Paulbeck is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).  Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jason Schofield, age 45, of Troy, New York, was sentenced today to 1 year of probation, and to pay a $2,000 fine and a $1,200 special assessment, for unlawfully using the names and dates of birth of voters to fraudulently apply for absentee ballots for elections held in Rensselaer County in 2021. 

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

Schofield was an Elections Commissioner at the Rensselaer County Board of Elections (“RCBOE”) from April 2018 until December 2022, when he resigned in anticipation of his guilty plea.

In pleading guilty to a 12-count indictment, Schofield admitted that in 2021, he unlawfully possessed and used the names and dates of birth of voters in connection with 12 absentee ballot applications he submitted in the voters’ names to the New York State Voter Absentee Ballot Application Request Portal. 

Schofield admitted that for each application, he falsely certified that he was the voter requesting the ballot.  He also admitted that he took personal possession of 9 of these ballots, while knowing and intending that RCBOE records would falsely reflect that the ballots had been mailed to the voters. 

The FBI investigated this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett prosecuted it.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Brian Scott, age 44, of Albany, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiring to distribute at least 5 kilograms of cocaine and 100 kilograms of marijuana, and for distributing cocaine.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James; and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.

As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Scott admitted that between June 2020 and October 2023, he was a member of a drug trafficking organization that trafficked cocaine and marijuana in the Capital Region and the North Country. Scott admitted that he and a co-conspirator routinely sent drug couriers, whom they referred to as “horses,” between the Capital Region and the North Country to transport cocaine to the North Country and marijuana to the Capital Region. Scott also admitted that he trafficked at least 7 kilograms of cocaine, which he obtained from another co-conspirator, and that he sold over 400 grams of cocaine to another person.

Scott was also ordered to forfeit $4,865 in seized drug money and to pay a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $17,180.

FBI, New York State Police, and HSI investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyrus P.W. Rieck and Joseph Hartunian.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Christopher Barry, age 42, of Saratoga Springs, New York, was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for receiving child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.

As part of his prior guilty plea, Barry admitted that between June 2021 and January 2022, he received child pornography, including images of prepubescent minors, and on February 9, 2023, possessed two phones containing child pornography. The offense involved more than 1,500 still images and at least four videos of child pornography.

United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also ordered Barry to serve a 15-year term of post-incarceration supervised release, to forfeit the two phones involved in the offense, and to pay a total of $42,000 restitution to 14 victims. Barry will also be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.

HSI investigated the case with assistance from the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.  Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jeffrey Doctor, age 52, of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Samuel Baker, age 46, of Laurinburg, North Carolina, were sentenced today in connection with a scheme to smuggle cut rag tobacco into Canada from the United States. Doctor was sentenced to 14 months in prison and Samuel Baker was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Harry Chavis, Acting Executive Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York Field Office.

As part of their previously entered guilty pleas, Doctor and Samuel Baker each admitted that from approximately 2013 to 2016, they worked with co-conspirators to acquire cut rag tobacco and smuggle it into Canada, where it was used to make contraband cigarettes. Members of the conspiracy sold the contraband cigarettes, making substantial profits by avoiding taxes and duties, and used some of their profits to buy more cut rag tobacco that they sent into Canada. Cut rag tobacco is tobacco cut into fine strips and used to make smoking tobacco.

Funds to purchase the cut rag tobacco were sent from Canada, often through the Northern District of New York, to North Carolina.  Once purchased, the cut rag tobacco was delivered to warehouses and buildings in the Northeastern United States, including on the St. Regis Mohawk Akwesasne Reservation, where it was staged for smuggling into Canada.

Samuel Baker admitted that he laundered more than $19 million as part of the scheme, and previously agreed to an administrative forfeiture of $738,442 in proceeds from his crime. Samuel Baker was also fined $100,000.

Doctor admitted that he obtained more than $503,850.66 in unrecovered proceeds, which he agreed to forfeit as a money judgment.

Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. also imposed a 2-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release on each defendant.

Edgar M. Baker, age 51, of Southern Pines, North Carolina, was sentenced today to three years of probation and a $75,000 fine following his prior guilty plea to misprision of a felony, for failing to report the conspiracy to authorities once he learned about it.

Carey Terrance, another co-conspirator involved in the same scheme, was previously sentenced to time served and to pay a $350,000 fine.

HSI and IRS-CI, along with the Canadian Border Services Agency and the Sûreté du Québec, investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allen J. Vickey and Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping prosecuted this case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kamaro Campbell, age 42, of Albany, was sentenced today to 144 months in prison for possessing cocaine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute them and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New York Division, made the announcement.

Agents found 105 grams of fentanyl, 95 grams of cocaine, and a fanny pack containing a loaded pistol and $15,000 inside of Campbell’s bedroom closet when executing a search warrant on June 28, 2023.  A separate search of Campbell’s storage unit led to the recovery of an additional 105 grams of cocaine.  Campbell admitted to selling an additional 155 grams of cocaine and 74 grams of methamphetamine.

United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also imposed a 5-year-term of supervised release and ordered Campbell to forfeit the pistol seized in his apartment.  

The DEA investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner prosecuted.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Dyshawn Fisher, age 29, of Troy, New York, pled guilty today to escaping from the Horizon House Residential Reentry Center on October 1, 2024.   United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and David L. McNulty, United States Marshal for the Northern District of New York, made the announcement.

Fisher admitted that on November 25, 2020, he was sentenced in federal court to 75 months in prison following his conviction by guilty plea to numerous felonies, including possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.  On October 10, 2023, while serving that sentence, Fisher was transferred by the Bureau of Prisons to the Horizon House in Albany.  On October 1, 2024, Fisher left the Horizon House without the approval that he knew he needed and remained at large in the community until October 17, 2024, when he was arrested in Cohoes, New York. 

Fisher is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci on April 2, 2025.  He faces a maximum term of 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

The United States Marshals Service is investigating the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark is prosecuting the case.  

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Omjasisa Kentu Felder, age 53, of Troy, New York, has been charged with marijuana trafficking and gun crimes.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; Troy Police Chief Daniel DeWolf; and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.

The indictment alleges that Felder possessed a 9mm handgun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possessed the handgun as a convicted felon, and possessed marijuana with intent to distribute in November 2022, and conspired to distribute marijuana between 2021 and November 2022.  The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Felder was arraigned today in Albany, before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart, and ordered detained pending trial.

Felder faces at least 5 years and up to life imprisonment for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; up to 15 years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; and up to 5 years in prison on each of the marijuana trafficking counts.  He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 on each count and a term of post release supervision of at least 2 years and up to life.

The ATF, DEA, Troy Police Department and HSI are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyrus P.W. Rieck and Dustin C. Segovia are prosecuting the case.

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

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jesse Taber, age 46, of Rotterdam, New York, pled guilty today to unlawfully possessing a firearm.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), made the announcement. 

Taber admitted that on December 26, 2023, inside of his Rotterdam residence, he unlawfully possessed a 12-gauge Stoeger Coach Gun shotgun. A prior felony conviction prevented Taber from lawfully possessing the shotgun.

When he is sentenced on April 2, 2025, Taber faces a maximum term of 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release up to 3 years.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. 

ATF investigated the case with the assistance of the Rotterdam Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss is prosecuting the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Drew Caswell, age 26, of Cairo, New York, was sentenced today to 9 years in prison for distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.

As part of his previous guilty plea, Caswell admitted that he used a file-hosting service to download child pornography and then distributed multiple image and video files of child pornography by publicly posting them to a social media site.  Caswell also admitted that on August 7, 2023, he possessed child pornography on his cell phone, including nearly 300 images and videos of toddlers and infants being sexually abused.

United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also ordered that Caswell serve a 20-year term of post-incarceration supervised release.  Caswell will be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.

The FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force—which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including Troop F of the New York State Police and its Computer Crimes Unit—investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikayla Espinosa prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).  Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.