Northern District of New York

PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK – Randall J. Montour, age 44, a resident of Cornwall, Ontario, was arrested and charged today for violating the Stolen Valor Act of 2013 and for falsifying his military discharge certificate.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and United States Marshal David L. McNulty made the announcement.

Montour was charged by complaint and made his initial appearance in Plattsburgh, before United States Magistrate Judge Gary L. Favro.  Montour was released pending a further court appearance.

The complaint alleges that Montour falsely altered his Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, Form DD-214, to reflect he received an honorable discharge from the United States Air Force and that he earned numerous decorations, medals, badges, citations or campaign ribbons, including the Purple Heart.  The complaint further alleges that on three occasions, Montour used his altered Form DD-214 to purchase Purple Heart recipient license plates from the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, which he then affixed to his vehicle.

Military records show, however, that Montour served in the United States Air Force from 1999 until he was court-martialed in 2000 for impersonating an officer and making threats.  Montour received a bad-conduct discharge and was separated from the Air Force on June 18, 2001.  He is not a Purple Heart recipient.

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

The charges filed against Montour carry up to 1 year in jail, a fine of up to $100,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 1 year.  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 with assistance from the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas G. Collyer is prosecuting the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Eunice Ting, age 69, of Watervliet, New York, pled guilty yesterday to making a false statement to obtain benefits from the United States Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs.

This announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG), Northeast Area Field Office.

In pleading guilty, Ting admitted that between December 2013, and March 2020, she submitted hundreds of materially false and fraudulent forms to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Worker’s Compensation Programs seeking reimbursement for travel in which she did not engage. Specifically, she falsely claimed workers compensation benefits for medically-related travel to and from a local YMCA for purported “aquatic therapy” when she had not received any such therapy and did not travel to the YMCA as claimed. In total, she received a total of $26,983 from the Department of Labor because of her fraudulent submissions.

Ting is scheduled to be sentenced on August 24, 2023, by Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. in Albany, New York. Ting faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. As part of her plea agreement, Ting has also agreed to pay full restitution. 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 USPS-OIG and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Jordan Valle, age 26, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

As part of his guilty plea Valle admitted that, from at least October 2021 through December 2022, he pretended to be a hacker online and threatened to delete or takeover the social media accounts of multiple minor females aged approximately 10-15 years old if they did not send him sexually explicit material. Several children complied with his demands and sent him sexually explicit videos of themselves urinating or masturbating. In December 2022, Valle also had a collection of child pornography he obtained on the internet saved onto his computer at his home.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 17, 2023, in Albany, New York before United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci. Valle faces a minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison for the sexual exploitation of a child count and up to 20 years in prison for possessing child pornography. He also will also be required to serve at least 5 years and up to a life term on supervised release after his imprisonment term ends, at which time he will be required to register as a sex offender. Valle also will be required to forfeit the devices he used to commit the offenses to the United States and must pay restitution to his victims. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statutes the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Upper Allen Township Police Department, and the New York State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian.

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood.  Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ 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. 

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Dianna Nolan, age 47, formerly of Utica, New York, pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Utica to filing false income tax returns. The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Thomas Fattorusso, Executive Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), New York Field Office.

In pleading guilty, Nolan admitted that she worked as a professional tax return preparer in Oneida County, New York, between at least 2014 through 2018. On her personal income tax returns for tax years 2017 and 2018, Nolan intentionally did not report all the income she received as a tax return preparer. Nolan also filed income tax returns on behalf of clients that falsely claimed losses from rental properties, thereby reducing the total taxes owed by these clients and causing losses to the IRS. In a signed plea agreement, Nolan agreed to pay restitution to the IRS totaling $101,636 for tax years 2014 through 2018.

Nolan, who recently relocated to Florida, will be sentenced on August 17, 2023. The charge to which Nolan pled guilty carries a maximum sentence of 3 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 1 year, and a special assessment of $100.  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 Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), and it is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael F. Perry and Melissa O. Rothbart.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Lisa Waldron, age 44, of Palermo, New York, pled guilty today to eleven counts of Theft of Government Property, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Sharon B. MacDermott, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Office.

The charges to which Waldron pled guilty relate to her theft of Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) benefits intended for her disabled son, Jordan Brooks, while Waldron was acting as Brooks’s representative payee.  A representative payee is a person or organization who receives Social Security benefits on another person’s behalf and is required to ensure the benefits are used only to support the beneficiary.

As part of her guilty plea, Waldron admitted that, after Brooks died on May 9, 2021, Waldron continued to receive SSI benefits intended for Brooks.  Instead of properly notifying SSA of the issue and knowing she was not entitled to Brooks’s benefit payments, Waldron nonetheless used Brooks’s SSI benefits to pay her own personal expenses until SSA independently learned of the issue and terminated Brooks’s benefits.

Unrelated to the federal charges to which Waldron pled guilty today, Waldron is also facing state murder charges related to her involvement in Brooks’s death.

On the federal charges, Waldron faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised of up to three years. As part of her plea agreement, Waldron has also agreed to pay full restitution. She is scheduled to be sentenced on August 22, 2023, by Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes in Syracuse, New York.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 Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul J. Tuck.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Timothy Buckley, age 55, of Groton, New York, was sentenced today to serve 84 months in federal prison for receiving and distributing child pornography announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Buckley admitted that in January of 2021, he received child pornography from another user on a social networking application. Buckley also admitted that in August of 2021, he distributed images of child pornography to an undercover law enforcement officer via the same social networking application.

United States District Judge David N. Hurd also sentenced Buckley to 15 years of supervised release, to begin following his term of imprisonment.  Buckley will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents and Investigators of the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian LaRochelle 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.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kyle Biswell, age 37, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, was charged this week with one count of interstate travel for illicit sexual conduct.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement. 

According to a federal complaint filed earlier this week, earlier this year Biswell engaged in a series of online conversations with a person in Albany whom he believed would allow him to engage in sexual contact with an 11-year old relative.  On April 8, 2023, Biswell flew from Arkansas to Albany to engage in sexual contact with the minor, packing numerous Viagra pills in his suitcase.  He was arrested at the airport, and later admitted he flew to Albany with the intent to engage in sexual contact with a minor.  Biswell was detained pending a detention hearing later this week.  The charge in the complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

If convicted of the charge, Biswell faces up to 30 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment 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. 

This case is being investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department and the New York State Police.  Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark 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 – Robert Natson, age 37, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Putnam County Sheriff Kevin J. McConville made the announcement.

In pleading guilty, Natson admitted that he was involved in a fraud scheme known as “Felony Lane Gang” between 2015 and 2020. Natson and his co-conspirators traveled across the country breaking into cars, often targeting those parked by women at locations such as health and fitness centers, daycares, parks, and dog parks. Natson and other members of the conspiracy stole debit cards, credit cards, checkbooks, and photo identifications in these “smash-and-grab” vehicle thefts, and they used these stolen items to commit bank fraud by recruiting women to impersonate the smash-and-grab victims and cash checks in drive-through bank lanes. The recruited check cashers were almost always suffering from an addiction to controlled substances and were provided payment at least partially in drugs. Natson admitted that the loss amount from the conspiracy attributable to him is up to $40,000.

The charge to which Natson pled guilty carries a maximum sentence of 30 years, a fine of up to $1 million, and a supervised release term of up to 5 years. Natson will be sentenced on August 10, 2023. 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.

Natson was one of nine men charged in a 13-count indictment for their roles in the scheme. Keyshawn Arnold, age 25, of Schenectady, New York; Gary Grier, age 37, of Fort Lauderdale; Joshua Mallory, age 37, of Fort Lauderdale; Terrell McDonald, age 32, of Troy, New York; and Tyrone Parker, age 40, of Fort Lauderdale, previously pled guilty for their roles in the indictment. The remaining co-defendants are:

• TYRONE PARKER, JR. a/k/a “Ty,” a/k/a “Cheese,” a/k/a “Little Thigh,” age 22, of Fort Lauderdale;
• CEDRIC LYNCH, a/k/a “City,” a/k/a “C,” age 37, of Orlando, Florida; and
• RANDALL TAYLOR, a/k/a “Gucci,” a/k/a “Guwop,” age 37, of Fort Lauderdale.

Each of the remaining defendants is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, and they are scheduled for trial in federal court in Albany on July 10, 2023.  The charges in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants whose cases remain pending are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the FBI Westchester Resident Agency of the New York Field Office and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the FBI Field Offices in Albany, Miami, and Salt Lake City, and Resident Agencies in Savannah, Georgia, and Portland, Maine, and from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine, the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office, and the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.  Additional assistance was provided by numerous law enforcement agencies, including, within New York, the New York State Police; Columbia County Sheriff's Office; Genesee County Sheriff’s Office; Monroe County Sheriff’s Office; Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office; Warren County Sheriff’s Office; and the police departments of the Town of Bethlehem; Glens Falls; Gloversville; Greenburgh; Greece; and Watervliet; and elsewhere, Connecticut State Police; Florida Department of Law Enforcement; Georgia State Patrol; Illinois State Police; Massachusetts State Police; Broward County, FL Sheriff’s Office; Northern York County, PA Regional Police; Southern Chester County, PA Regional Police; Utah County, UT Sheriff's Office; and the police departments of Auburn, MA; Bath, ME; Biddeford, ME; Bozeman, MT; Brunswick, ME; Caernarvon Township, PA; Chester Township, PA; Cinnaminson, NJ; Darien, CT; East Norriton Township, PA; Easthampton, MA; Greenwich, CT; Lower Moreland Township, PA; Manheim Township, PA; Portland, ME; Portsmouth, NH; Saco, ME; Salisbury, MA; Sanford, ME; Scarborough, ME; Somersworth, NH; South Portland, ME; St. George, UT; Syracuse, UT; Tinicum, PA; Towamencin, PA; Tewksbury, MA; Wakefield, MA; Yarmouth, ME; and York, ME. 

Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. McCrobie, Michael F. Perry, and Paul Tuck are prosecuting the case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Maurice Owens, age 22, of Syracuse, was sentenced today to serve 138 months in prison following his conviction for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, distributing and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, and using and carrying a firearm while drug-trafficking announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

During his prior guilty plea, Owens admitted that he sold fentanyl to a customer on December 2, 2020, and December 7, 2020.  On December 10, 2020, Owens was sitting in a car in a parking lot near where he previously had sold fentanyl. He saw police officers approaching, exited the car, and fled while carrying a loaded “ghost gun” that did not bear any serial number. Owens also had in his possession at the time three glassine envelopes containing fentanyl.  Owens previously was convicted of a felony offense in state court and was prohibited under state law from possessing the gun.

From approximately December 10, 2020, until February 27, 2021, Owens was detained in a local jail. While incarcerated, Owens participated in multiple calls in which he arranged for associates to supply heroin and fentanyl to the customers to whom Owens no longer could sell because he was in jail.  Owens received a share of the proceeds from these sales.  Owens and his associates sold at least 81 grams of fentanyl.

United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also sentenced Owens to a four-year term of supervised release to begin after he serves his term of imprisonment and ordered him to pay a forfeiture judgment in the amount of $6,200, which represented the proceeds from drug sales.

This case was investigated by ATF and the Syracuse Police Department Criminal Intelligence Section.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Sutcliffe and former Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Beaty prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK –Two men from Los Angeles, California, were sentenced yesterday for their roles in a conspiracy to acquire methamphetamine in California and distribute it in the Cortland, New York area, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Sheriff Mark E. Helms, Cortland County (New York) Sheriff’s Office, and Chief Andrew Espinoza Jr., City of Barstow  (California) Police Department.  Edgar Arrendondo, 31, was sentenced to serve 240 months (20 years), and Jose Pimentel, 35, was sentenced to serve 151 months (12 years and seven months) in federal prison for conspiring to provide more than 50 grams of methamphetamine to co-defendant Kyle Leeper, who intended to distribute it in Cortland. Arredondo was also sentenced based on his possession in the Central District of California of a shotgun and ammunition as a convicted felon, and for possession of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Both men were also sentenced to serve 5-year terms of post-incarceration supervised release.

Co-defendant Kyle Leeper was at the center of the conspiracy that trafficked methamphetamine from Indiana and Southern California to Cortland County, New York, where Leeper distributed it to local residents and drug dealers.  In the fall of 2018, co-defendant Crystal Stephens, of Groton, New York, who was incarcerated in Indiana on burglary charges, contacted Leeper by telephone with contact information for co-defendant John Rice, an Indiana-based methamphetamine dealer. Leeper communicated with Rice by telephone and then travelled to and from Indiana twice in late 2018 and early 2019, where he obtained crystal methamphetamine and a .380 caliber pistol from Rice.  Leeper distributed this methamphetamine in the Cortland area.

After Rice was arrested in Indiana in early January 2019, Leeper arranged to travel to the Los Angeles area to purchase more methamphetamine. From jail Crystal Stephens provided Leeper with telephone numbers for possible methamphetamine sources in East Los Angeles.  In mid-January 2019, Leeper and an associate, co-defendant Ramon Nieves-Cotto, drove from Cortland to Los Angeles, where Leeper contacted one of these sources.  The source sought assistance from co-defendant Arlene Rodriguez, who introduced Leeper to a middleman.  On January 17, 2019, this middleman arranged for Leeper to buy three pounds of crystal methamphetamine for $5,000 from co-defendant Jose Pimentel.  But after the methamphetamine was delivered to a motel in El Monte, California, Leeper realized that he had been shortchanged on the quantity delivered.  Leeper abducted the middleman and Arlene Rodriguez at gunpoint.  Later that day, Nieves-Cotto purchased zip ties, which Leeper used to bind the middleman.  On the night of January 17, 2019, in the desert in Barstow, California, Leeper shot the bound middleman eight times from behind with the .380 caliber pistol, killing him.   Leeper and Nieves-Cotto, along with Rodriguez, then drove to Cortland, where Leeper distributed the methamphetamine he obtained on this trip to California.

In early February 2019, Leeper, Nieves-Cotto, and Rodriguez returned to Los Angeles, where Leeper purchased an additional six to eight pounds of methamphetamine and a 9 mm pistol from co-defendant Edgar Arredondo.  Upon his return to Cortland, Leeper, assisted by Rodriguez, began to distribute this methamphetamine.  On February 19, 2019, officers from the Cortland County Sheriff’s Office stopped Leeper and Rodriguez while they were driving in Leeper’s pickup truck, which had an expired registration and cracked windshield.  Inside the truck, the officers found four pounds of high-purity methamphetamine, the loaded .380 caliber pistol Leeper had used to commit the murder, and ammunition.  They arrested Leeper, who previously had been convicted of state and federal felony offenses in Pennsylvania, and Rodriguez.

Five (5) other co-defendants previously pled guilty to participating in the drug trafficking conspiracy, and/or aiding and abetting the murder.

Kyle Leeper, 38, of Palmyra, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on November 18, 2022, to serve 40 years in federal prison for a murder committed during a drug trafficking conspiracy, conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon

Ramon Nieves-Cotto, 30, of DeRuyter, New York, pled guilty to aiding and abetting a murder during a drug conspiracy, and conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. He was sentenced on October 7, 2022, to serve 156 months in federal prison, and a four-year term of supervised release.

Crystal J. Stephens, 34, of Groton, New York, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. She was sentenced on November 15, 2022, to serve 100 months in federal prison, and a four-year term of supervised release.

Arlene N.  Rodriguez, 38, of Montebello, California, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime.  She was sentenced on October 6, 2022, to serve 94 months in prison, to be followed by four-year term of supervised release.

John Rice, 57, of Crawfordsville, Indiana, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and was sentenced on January 12, 2023, to 63 months in federal prison and a four-year term of supervised release after incarceration. 

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 was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Cortland County (New York) Sheriff’s Office, the Barstow (California) Police Department, and the San Bernadino (California) County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Cortland County (New York) District Attorney’s Office, the Montgomery County (Indiana) Sheriff’s Department, the Montgomery County (Indiana) District Attorney’s Office, the Pomona (California) Police Department, and the El Monte (California) Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven D. Clymer, Richard R. Southwick, and Thomas R. Sutcliffe, with assistance provided by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California (Assistant U.S. Attorney Benedetto Balding).

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Adam Middleton, age 40, of Troy, New York, was sentenced today to 12 months and a day in prison for the unlawful possession of ammunition.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Ketty Larco-Ward, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), made the announcement.

Middleton admitted that on December 7, 2021, he possessed a Glock magazine loaded with 17 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, in addition to numerous additional rounds of ammunition, at his residence in Troy.  At the time, Middleton had a felony conviction for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree.  Under federal law, that conviction prevented Middleton from lawfully possessing the ammunition.

Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe also ordered Middleton to serve a 1-year term of supervised release when he is released from prison.  

This case was investigated by the USPIS and its Capital Region Task Force, led by the USPIS and including the Albany Police Department, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, and the Schenectady Police Department, as well as the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – James Macko, age 23, of North Adams, Massachusetts, pled guilty today to one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement. 

Macko admitted that between November 16, 2022 and December 9, 2022, he exchanged text messages with an undercover officer posing as an 11-year-old child, in which he attempted to coerce and entice the assumed child into sexual contact with him.  Macko arranged to meet the child in a state park in Western Massachusetts, where he intended to perform sexual acts on the child in a cave.  On December 9, 2022, Macko left his home in North Adams in order to meet the child and was arrested shortly thereafter, carrying with him candy, liquor, and a length of rope.

United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci will sentence Macko on July 28, 2023.  Macko faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment 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. 

This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department and the New York State Police.  Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark 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 – Jose Manuel Mejias-Ayala, age 46, of Washington, Indiana, was sentenced today to time served (five days in jail) and to pay a $2,000 fine for attempting to unlawfully transport aliens.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Chief Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea on December 2, 2022, Mejias-Ayala admitted that on September 25, 2022 he drove his SUV from Indiana to Mooers, New York, to pick up three Mexican citizens who had recently illegally crossed the international border from Canada into the United States.  Mejias-Ayala also admitted that he planned to drive the three people to Chicago, Illinois, and that he was to be paid $6,000 for his efforts.

United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also imposed a 1-year term of supervised release. 

The United States Border Patrol investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss prosecuted the case. 

PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK – Simranjit Singh, a/ka/ “Shally” Singh, age 40, a citizen of India residing in Canada, was extradited to the United States last week on an indictment charging him with alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling. At the request of the United States, Singh was taken into custody on June 28, 2022, in Ontario, Canada.  Singh was extradited from Canada to the United States on March 30, 2023.  

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Chief Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector; and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.

A June 2022 indictment charges Singh with three counts of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for profit and six additional counts of alien smuggling for profit, all of which allege his involvement and facilitation of the smuggling of Indian nationals from Canada into the United States, via Cornwall Island and the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation in the St. Lawrence River region, from at least March 2020 through March 2021. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Singh was arraigned on March 31, in Albany, before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart; he is detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for April 7.

If convicted on all charges, Singh faces at least 5 years and up to 15 years in prison, as well as at least 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release.  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 United States Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Canadian Border Services Agency, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt is prosecuting this case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Singh.

PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK – Rey Felix-Rubio, age 32, and a citizen of Mexico, pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and unlawful possession of a firearm. 

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector, made the announcement.

Felix-Rubio, who entered the United States unlawfully in 2021, admitted that in February 2023, he traveled to the northern border in Chateauguay, New York, where he smuggled five Mexican nationals from Canada and into the United States for profit.  He also unlawfully possessed a firearm. 

Sentencing is scheduled for July 31, 2023, before United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino in Albany, at which time Felix-Rubio faces a mandatory minimum term of 5 years in prison and a maximum term of 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3years. 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.

United States Border Patrol, Burke Station, investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Stitt is prosecuting this case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Jondell Middlebrooks, age 42, of Syracuse, was sentenced today to serve 192 months in federal prison following his conviction for possessing with intent to distribute cocaine, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, Chief Joseph Cecile, City of Syracuse Police Department, and New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli.

As part of his prior guilty plea, Middlebrooks admitted that on June 23, 2022, he possessed a quantity of cocaine that he stored in Syracuse, NY and intended to distribute. At the time he possessed it, Middlebrooks was on supervised release following a 2019 federal drug conviction.

United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby further sentenced Middlebrooks to a consecutive 18-month term of imprisonment for violating his supervised release and a new six-year term of supervised release to begin after he serves his terms of imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the DEA-Syracuse Resident Office, the Syracuse Police Department, the New York State Police, and the United States Probation Department-Northern District of New York. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Sutcliffe.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Brandon Prawl, age 28, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for distributing heroin, possessing heroin with the intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli.

A jury voted to convict Prawl on November 9, 2022, following a 3-day jury trial. The trial evidence established that on four dates in September 2019, Prawl distributed heroin out of a residence in Schenectady.  On October 4, 2019, Prawl was found in possession of a .45 caliber pistol and loaded magazine, more than 21 grams of heroin, and drug distribution paraphernalia at the same residence.  The jury concluded that Prawl possessed the heroin for distribution, and the firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.

United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also imposed a 3-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release.

ATF and New York State Police investigated the case, and Assistant United States Attorneys Ashlyn Miranda and Emmet O’Hanlon prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Cameron Robinson, age 25, of Grover, North Carolina, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. 

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Rotterdam Police Chief Michael S. Brown made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, Robinson admitted that on May 4, 2022, he possessed a Taurus Model G2C 9mm semi-automatic pistol.  That morning, in Rotterdam, Robinson had been shot by another person using the Taurus pistol.  Robinson was prohibited from possessing the firearm due to a previous North Carolina felony conviction for Assault with a Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury.  Robinson was on parole for that crime when he committed this offense.

ATF and the Rotterdam Police Department investigated this case.  Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Williams and Allen J. Vickey prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Dennis Radcliffe, age 51, and Kenneth Radcliffe, age 49, each of Elka Park, New York, pled guilty today to conspiring to evade taxes on income earned from stock sales.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement.

Dennis Radcliffe and Kenneth Radcliffe, who are cousins, each pled guilty to two conspiracies.  In the first conspiracy, they conspired with each other to avoid taxes on their personal income, by failing to report to the IRS several million dollars of income earned principally from sales of penny stocks, from 2014 through 2017.  The stock sales occurred in brokerage accounts that Dennis Radcliffe and Kenneth Radcliffe controlled, and which stood in the names of their companies Crackerjack Classics LLC (“Crackerjack”) and Universal Consulting LLC (“Universal”).

In the second conspiracy, Dennis Radcliffe and Kenneth Radcliffe conspired with each other and with Joseph Radcliffe, Dennis’s father, to avoid taxes on approximately $500,000 in compensation that Crackerjack and Universal paid to Joseph, from 2013 through 2019. 

When they are sentenced on August 10, 2023, Dennis Radcliffe and Kenneth Radcliffe each face up to 5 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 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. Dennis Radcliffe has agreed to pay $77,552 in restitution to the IRS, and Kenneth Radcliffe has agreed to pay an additional $152,274 in restitution.

Joseph Radcliffe, age 76, of Elka Park, was sentenced in August 2022 to three years of probation, to spend four consecutive weekends in jail as a condition of his probation, and to pay $109,106 in restitution to the IRS, following his guilty plea to tax evasion conspiracy.

IRS-CI investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett is prosecuting this case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Sammy Olague, age 36, of Clovis, California, pled guilty today to conspiring to distribute marijuana. 

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; John B. DeVito, 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 Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.

Olague admitted that he was a member of a marijuana-trafficking organization that shipped marijuana from Fresno, California, to locations through the United States, including the Capital Region, between 2016 and February 2020.  The marijuana was shipped through UPS and FedEx from a shipping store, Fast Pack & Ship, in Fresno.  The defendant owned and operated Fast Pack & Ship from 2016 through June 2018, when he sold the business to Nehemiah Fane, aka “Neil.”  A portion of the purchase money was paid in cash by Dwight A. Singletary II, aka “Nutt” and “Mike Jones,” whom the defendant called “New York.” 

Before selling Fast Pack & Ship, Olague shipped approximately 86 kilograms (189 pounds) of marijuana from Fast Pack & Ship to Ruskin, Florida.  He also shipped marijuana to, among other locations, the Capital Region and New York City for Singletary. 

Between April 2016 and May 2018, Olague shipped at least 104 packages—55 of which contained over 340 kilograms (750 pounds) of marijuana—from Fast Pack & Ship to the Capital Region.  In the same period, he received money transfers from and cash, cashier’s checks, and money order deposits into his bank accounts in the Capital Region.  As payment for marijuana from Singletary, in May 2018, McKenzie Merrialice Coles, aka “Kenzie,” sent a $1,650 money transfer from the Capital Region to Olague in Fresno; in July and August 2018, three $5,000 cashier’s checks purchased by Isiah Ti-Quan Clements, aka “Zay,” were deposited into Olague’s bank account at a bank in the Capital Region. 

After selling Fast Pack & Ship to Fane, between July 2018 and February 2020, Olague shipped at least 30 packages containing approximately 56 kilograms (123 pounds) of marijuana from Fast Pack & Ship to Ruskin. 

Olague was charged in an indictment with Singletary, Coles, Fane, Clements, and 19 other people charging marijuana distribution and money laundering conspiracies, firearms offenses, and other crimes.  Singletary, Coles, Fane, and Clements have pled not guilty, and are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  The charges in the indictment are merely accusations.

Olague faces at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison and a maximum fine of $5 million at sentencing.  He will also be required to serve at least 4 years and up to a lifetime term of supervised release.  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 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 – Adam Baldwin, age 42, of Binghamton, New York, was sentenced today to 30 months’ imprisonment for attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement.

As part of his prior guilty plea, Baldwin admitted that in September 2021, he agreed to receive shipments of methamphetamine, which he provided to another individual in exchange for payment. Baldwin had the shipments delivered to a UPS Store in Alexandria Bay, New York, where he picked them up. In October 2021, law enforcement intercepted two of the packages addressed to Baldwin, which contained a total of approximately 1,070 grams of pure methamphetamine.

United States District Judge David N. Hurd also ordered Baldwin to serve a three-year term of supervision following his release from prison.

This case was investigated by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Metro-Jefferson Drug Task Force (comprised of detectives from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Watertown Police Department, the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office), and the Santa Ana Police Department in California. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie prosecuted the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Yuny Hurtado Rodriguez, age 34, of Cutler Bay, Florida, was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for his role in an access device fraud conspiracy.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Ketty Larco-Ward, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea on December 30, 2020, Rodriguez admitted that between April 2016 and July 2019,  he conspired with others to commit access device fraud by building skimming devices designed to steal gas station customer information, installing those devices inside gas pumps in Albany, Broome, and Montgomery Counties, and elsewhere, and then using the information collected by those devices to create fraudulent credit and debit cards. The fraudulent cards were used to obtain money orders, gift cards, cash, and other things of value.  As part of his plea agreement, Rodriguez agreed to be subject to a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $606,000.

Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release on Rodriguez to follow his term of incarceration. 

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Field Office and the USPIS Boston Division, with assistance from the FBI Field Offices in Miami and Pittsburgh, the USPIS Miami Division, and the United States Secret Service Miami Field Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss prosecuted the case. 

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jesse Bartlett a/k/a the “Chinese Zodiac Killer,” age 46, of LaFargeville, New York, was sentenced today to 16 months in prison for mailing threatening letters.

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

From about April 2021 to May 2022, and while using the alias “Chinese Zodiac Killer,” Bartlett mailed threatening communications to media outlets, government offices, houses of worship, and private businesses throughout New York, as well as in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. In the letters, which he signed as the “Chinese Zodiac Killer,” Bartlett wrote that he killed people, ate their flesh, and that he intended to kill more people, including an unnamed bus driver.

Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release to follow Bartlett’s term of incarceration.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), with assistance from the New York State Police and the United States Postal Inspection Service, investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping prosecuted the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Taliek Lanier, age 23, of Albany, pled guilty today to participating in a conspiracy to defraud the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) by obtaining unemployment insurance benefits under the names of other people, including benefits funded by the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang; Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge, Northeast Region, United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG).

As part of his guilty plea, Lanier admitted that he provided Jamie Johnson with the personal identifying information of three other people, which Johnson used to file false claims via the NYSDOL website.  Lanier further admitted that as a result of the fraudulent applications submitted by Johnson, the NYSDOL paid $113,936 in unemployment insurance benefits.  As part of his plea agreement, Lanier agreed to pay $113,936 in restitution to the State of New York. 

Johnson previously pled guilty to fraudulently obtaining $701,441 in unemployment insurance benefits as part of the scheme.

Lanier faces a maximum term of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years when he is sentenced on August 2, 2023 by Senior U.S. District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn. 

This case was investigated by the New York State Inspector General’s Office, HSI, USPIS, and USDOL-OIG, with assistance from the NYSDOL Office of Special Investigations, the Capital Region Crime Analysis Center, and the Albany County Department of Social Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua R. Rosenthal and Joseph S. Hartunian are prosecuting the case.

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 – Christopher Thomas, age 39, of Colonie, New York, was convicted today of 16 counts of sex trafficking and related offenses, following a five-day jury trial. 

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Special Agent in Charge Janeen DiGuiseppi of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and New York State Police (NYSP) Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli made the announcement.

The trial evidence established that between 2018 and 2020, Thomas trafficked and exploited victims, including minors as young as 16, whom he recruited to work in commercial sex for his financial benefit.  His crimes spanned New York, Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Thomas was also convicted of sexual exploitation of a child, distribution of child pornography and tampering with a witness. 

When United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino sentences Thomas, he faces at least 15 years and up to life in prison, and a term of post-imprisonment 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. Thomas must also register as a sex offender.

In addition to the FBI and NYSP, the Colonie Police Department, Albany County Sheriff’s Office and Albany Police Department assisted in investigating the case.  Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine Kopita and Rachel Williams are prosecuting the case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Odell, Tindley, age 30, of Ithaca, New York pled guilty today being a member of a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances in Watertown, New York. 

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo, New York Field Office, and Jefferson County District Attorney Kristyna S. Mills made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea today, Odell Tindley admitted that he distributed 83 grams (over two ounces) of cocaine in Watertown on May 25, 2021, and arranged for delivery of methamphetamine later the same day. Investigators of the Metro-Jefferson Drug Task Force interdicted a car driven by an associate of Tindley as it entered Watertown late in the evening of May 25, 2021. A search of this vehicle resulted in the recovery of 904 grams (just under 32 ounces) of methamphetamine and approximately a pound of marijuana.

At sentencing on July 26, 2023, Tindley faces a minimum sentence of ten years and maximum sentence of life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million dollars, and a post-imprisonment term of supervised release of at least five 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 the Metro-Jefferson Drug Task Force, consisting of Special Agents from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol Agents, Detectives from the Watertown Police Department, Detectives from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, and Investigators from the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Southwick and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck are prosecuting the case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Dennis J. Nelson, age 51, currently incarcerated in Federal Bureau of Prisons Federal Correctional Facility in Devens, Massachusetts (FCI Devens) pled guilty today to  mailing threat letters in 2018 and 2019, while incarcerated in State of New York correctional facilities, to a Federal Judge and to two members of Congress.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, 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, Nelson admitted that on August 1, 2018, while incarcerated in a New York State correctional facility, Nelson mailed a threat letter containing a bomb threat to the chambers of United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy in Binghamton, New York, threatening to kill Judge McAvoy and those at the federal courthouse with a bomb.  As further part of his guilty plea, Nelson admitted that on July 15, 2019, while incarcerated in a New York State correctional facility, Nelson mailed threat letters to the offices of then United States representative Anthony Brindisi, containing a bomb threat to kill Representative Brindisi, and to United States Senator Charles Schumer, containing a bomb threat to kill Senator Schumer.

At sentencing on a date yet to be determined, Nelson faces a term of imprisonment of 84 months, 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.  In this case, if the plea agreement is accepted by the Court, Nelson will be sentenced to an agreed upon sentence of incarceration of 84 months. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force (FBI JTTF), the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s Office of Special Investigation (NYS DOCCS OIG), and the United States Capitol Police are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl G. Eurenius is prosecuting the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Renee Burnell, age 49, of Hudson Falls, New York, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for defrauding two banks using the personal information of the customers of her plumbing and heating business.

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

Burnell previously pled guilty to a two-count indictment charging bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, and admitted that between August 2019 and January 2020, she defrauded Synchrony Bank and The Bank of Missouri by applying for lines of credit with each bank using her customers’ personal identifiable information and then using the lines of credit to falsify purchases that benefitted her plumbing and heating business. Burnell admitted that her scheme resulted in a loss of $119,264.43 to The Bank of Missouri and a loss of $13,912.00 to Synchrony Bank.

Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn ordered full restitution to the banks and also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release to begin after Burnell is released from prison.

The FBI investigated this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping prosecuted the case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Shelby Ortiz, age 30, of Maryland, New York was sentenced today to serve 15 years in prison and a 20-year term of supervised release to begin after imprisonment for distributing child pornography. Ortiz also will be required to register as a sex offender upon her release from prison. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli, and City of Oneota Police Chief Christopher Witzenburg.

When Ortiz pled guilty in October 2022, she admitted that she subjected an approximately seven-month-old boy to mouth to penis contact, knowing that the sex act she was performing was being video recorded. She admitted further that, on the same day she performed the sex act, she knowingly distributed the video to a person living in Florida with whom she was participating in an online and telephone dominant/submissive sexual relationship.

This case was investigated by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the City of Oneonta Police Department, and the New York State Police, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Michael Pupello, age 35, of Kirkville, New York, pled guilty to one count of engaging in illegal monetary transactions. 

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York Field Division.

Pupello admitted to distributing cocaine to customers from 2017 through October 2019 and depositing the cash proceeds from the sale of cocaine into a personal checking account and a business checking account that he maintained at JPMorgan Chase Bank.  Pupello admitted to using CashApp, a mobile phone application that allows users to make cashless payments to other users, to receive payment from several of his cocaine customers. Pupello further admitted to transferring the proceeds he received via CashApp to both of his accounts at JPMorgan Chase and withdrawing $14,000 of drug proceeds from his business checking account.

Pupello will be sentenced on July 12, 2023, before the Hon. David N. Hurd in Utica, N.Y.  The charge filed against Pupello carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 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 case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation; New York State Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force, the Madison/Oneida County Sheriff Drug Task Force, and the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Thomson is prosecuting the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Charles Whorley, age 35, formerly of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty yesterday to possessing and intending to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base, and to possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and New York State Police (NYSP) Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli made the announcement.

Whorley admitted to distributing fentanyl on several dates in June 2020, and to possessing 94 grams of fentanyl and 77 grams of cocaine base, which he intended to distribute, at his residence in Schenectady on June 25, 2020.  Whorley, a previously convicted felon, further admitted to possessing three loaded handguns at his residence, which allowed him to better protect the drugs and the cash proceeds from the sale of drugs.

Whorley faces at least 5 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 3 years and up to life when he is sentenced on July 19, 2023, by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino.  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 NYSP and ATF investigated this case with assistance provided by the Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon is prosecuting this case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kristle Walker, aka “Demii,” age 39, of Albany, pled guilty today to conspiring to commit money laundering and making false statements to the Drug Enforcement Administration.  

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; John B. DeVito, 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 Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.

In pleading guilty, Walker admitted to conspiring with Dwight A. Singletary, aka “Nutt” and “Mike Jones,” David Singletary, aka “DB,” and McKenzie Merrialice Coles, aka “Kenzie,” among others, to launder proceeds from the sale of marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) in the Capital Region and other locations throughout the United States between at least 2019 and June 2022.  Walker laundered the drug proceeds through several means, including sending over $10,000 in money transfers purchased with cash drug proceeds from the Capital Region to Fresno and Clovis, California; exchanging $26,500 in cash drug proceeds consisting of small bills for large bills at a Capital Region credit union; purchasing over $195,000 in cashier’s checks with cash drug proceeds; and flying from the Capital Region to Fresno with suitcases full of cash drug proceeds. 

Walker was charged in an indictment with Dwight and David Singletary, Coles, and 20 other people charging 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.

Federal law requires financial institutions to complete a currency transaction report for cash transactions over $10,000.  At Dwight Singletary’s direction, to avoid the reporting requirement and otherwise conceal cash drug proceeds, Walker purchased multiple cashier’s checks in amounts slightly below the reporting threshold for cash transactions of over $10,000, but amounting to over $10,000 in total, at different banks and branches on the same day.  The cashier’s checks were payable to Dwight Singletary; his company, DAS Empire, Inc.; his lawyer’s firm; a company from which he and Coles purchased real estate; and to a person from whom Dwight Singletary and DAS Empire purchased real estate.

In June 2020, Walker attempted to board a flight from Albany to Fresno with a suitcase containing $179,710 in cash drug proceeds, which was seized by the DEA.  The cash, as Walker admitted, belonged to Dwight Singletary, but Walker sought return of the cash from the DEA.  In a claim form submitted to the DEA, Walker claimed ownership of the cash and that she was not involved in criminal activity, which was untrue.

Walker faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 on the money laundering conspiracy count, and up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on the false statements count.  Walker may also be required to serve up to 3 years of supervised release. 

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 – Benjamin Munson, age 32, of Syracuse, pled guilty in United States District Court today to all counts of a thirteen-count Indictment charging him with six counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child, Commission of a Felony Involving a Minor by a Registered Sex Offender, four counts of Distribution of Child Pornography, and two counts of Possession of Child Pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Special Agent in Charge Janeen DiGuiseppi of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli made the announcement. 

As a part of his guilty plea, Munson, a registered sex offender, admitted that on at least six separate occasions between 2021 and 2022, while on supervised release for a 2011 federal conviction for distribution and possession of child pornography, he sexually abused an infant for the purpose of producing images and videos of his sexual exploitation of the child. He further admitted that he administered a network of approximately 20 child pornography trading groups on the internet, some of which were dedicated exclusively to trading in newly produced child pornography.  Munson admitted that he distributed child pornography to those groups, including images and videos he produced of his abuse of the infant.  Munson was arrested in August of 2022 after his online activities were discovered by the FBI, and the infant was located and rescued. 

Munson also admitted to seven violations of his conditions of his federal supervised release, including for his new criminal conduct, contact with a minor, contact with a known felon, possession of unauthorized electronic devices, and possession of child pornography.

Munson is scheduled to be sentenced on July 13, 2023 before Hon. David N. Hurd in Utica, New York.  For all thirteen offenses, Munson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 35 years, and up to 560 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life.  He will also continue to be required to register 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.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force in cooperation with the New York State Police.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa M. Fletcher, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the Northern District of New York. 

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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Terrell McDonald, age 32, of Troy, New York, was sentenced today to 65 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Putnam County Sheriff Kevin J. McConville made the announcement.

In previously pleading guilty, McDonald admitted that he was involved in a fraud scheme known as “Felony Lane Gang” between 2018 and 2020.  McDonald and his co-conspirators traveled across the country breaking into cars, often targeting those parked by women at locations such as health and fitness centers, daycares, outdoor recreational parks, and dog parks. McDonald and other members of the conspiracy stole debit cards, credit cards, checkbooks, and photo identifications in these “smash-and-grab” vehicle thefts, and they used these stolen items to commit bank fraud by recruiting women to impersonate the smash-and-grab victims and cash checks in drive-through bank lanes. The recruited check cashers were almost always suffering from an addiction to controlled substances and were provided payment at least partially in narcotics.

As part of his sentence, McDonald was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $133,190, and to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $17,648.28. McDonald will serve a 3-year term of supervised release after completing his term of imprisonment.

McDonald was one of nine men charged in a 13-count indictment for their roles in the scheme. Tyrone Parker, age 41, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, previously pled guilty to his role in the indictment and was sentenced to 57 months in prison. Keyshawn Arnold, age 25, of Schenectady, New York; Gary Grier, age 37, of Fort Lauderdale; and Joshua Mallory, age 37, of Fort Lauderdale, previously pled guilty for their roles in the indictment and are awaiting sentencing. The remaining co-defendants are:

• TYRONE PARKER, JR. a/k/a “Ty,” a/k/a “Cheese,” a/k/a “Little Thigh,” age 22, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida;
• CEDRIC LYNCH, a/k/a “City,” a/k/a “C,” age 37, of Orlando, Florida;
• ROBERT NATSON, a/k/a “Big Rob,” age 36, of Fort Lauderdale; and
• RANDALL TAYLOR , a/k/a “Gucci,” a/k/a “Guwop,” age 37, of Fort Lauderdale.

Each of the remaining defendants is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and/or aggravated identity theft, and they are scheduled for trial in federal court in Albany on July 10, 2023.  The charges in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants whose cases remain pending are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the FBI Westchester Resident Agency of the New York Field Office and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the FBI Field Offices in Albany, Miami, and Salt Lake City, and Resident Agencies in Savannah, Georgia, and Portland, Maine, and from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine, the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office, and the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.  Additional assistance was provided by numerous law enforcement agencies, including, within New York, the New York State Police; Columbia County Sheriff's Office; Genesee County Sheriff’s Office; Monroe County Sheriff’s Office; Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office; Warren County Sheriff’s Office; and the police departments of the Town of Bethlehem; Glens Falls; Gloversville; Greenburgh; Greece; and Watervliet; and elsewhere, Connecticut State Police; Florida Department of Law Enforcement; Georgia State Patrol; Illinois State Police; Massachusetts State Police; Broward County, FL Sheriff’s Office; Northern York County, PA Regional Police; Southern Chester County, PA Regional Police; Utah County, UT Sheriff's Office; and the police departments of Auburn, MA; Bath, ME; Biddeford, ME; Bozeman, MT; Brunswick, ME; Caernarvon Township, PA; Chester Township, PA; Cinnaminson, NJ; Darien, CT; East Norriton Township, PA; Easthampton, MA; Greenwich, CT; Lower Moreland Township, PA; Manheim Township, PA; Portland, ME; Portsmouth, NH; Saco, ME; Salisbury, MA; Sanford, ME; Scarborough, ME; Somersworth, NH; South Portland, ME; St. George, UT; Syracuse, UT; Tinicum, PA; Towamencin, PA; Tewksbury, MA; Wakefield, MA; Yarmouth, ME; and York, ME. 

Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. McCrobie, Michael F. Perry, and Paul Tuck are prosecuting the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Steven A. St. Lucia has agreed to pay $42,000 to the United States to resolve allegations that he caused Union Foot Solutions, LLC, d/b/a Union Orthotics and Pedorthics (Union Foot Solutions), to submit false claims for payment to Medicare in violation of the False Claims Act, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman.  St. Lucia has pled guilty to state health care fraud charges and is scheduled for sentencing on March 17, 2023.

As part of the Settlement Agreement, St. Lucia admitted to the following:

In early 2000, the New York State Board of Professional Medical Conduct revoked St. Lucia’s medical license based on findings that he had committed conduct demonstrating moral unfitness and gross incompetence.  Later that year, the Office of Inspector General for the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG) excluded St. Lucia from participating in all Federal health care programs, including Medicare.  The effect of an exclusion is that no Federal health care program may make payment for items or services furnished by an excluded person, or at the medical direction or on the prescription of an excluded person.

St. Lucia subsequently opened Schenectady-based Union Foot Solutions, a medical supply company, and applied to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for Union Foot Solutions to participate in Medicare.  That enrollment application falsely represented both that St. Lucia had never had a revocation or suspension of a license to provide health care and that he had never faced suspension or exclusion from Federal health care programs.  CMS denied the application, explaining that St. Lucia was “excluded from the Medicare program” and, therefore, Union Foot Solutions “cannot receive Medicare payment.”  St. Lucia later transferred his ownership interest in Union Foot Solutions to a third party, and Union Foot Solutions’ new owner reapplied for and obtained authorization to participate in Medicare.  St. Lucia continued to work for Union Foot Solutions and rendered orthotic and prosthetic care to patients.

The United States alleges that, from December 1, 2016 through February 28, 2018, St. Lucia caused Union Foot Solutions to present false claims for payment to Medicare for services that he furnished to and ordered for Medicare beneficiaries.  The United States further alleges that, to conceal his involvement in the treatment of Medicare beneficiaries and to circumvent the effect of his exclusion, St. Lucia caused Union Foot Solutions to bill services that he furnished to and items that he ordered for Medicare beneficiaries in the name of another pedorthist.

The investigation and settlement were the result of a coordinated effort among the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, HHS-OIG, and the New York State Offices of the Inspector General.  The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Katz. 

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Austin Tennant, age 28, of Fulton, New York, was indicted last week for receiving, distributing, and possessing child pornography.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.  

The indictment alleges that, on January 16, 2023, Tennant sent multiple images depicting child pornography to another individual using an online messaging application installed on a tablet device. On that same device, in addition to the child pornography files Tennant distributed, Tennant also possessed thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography. Tennant received, distributed, and possessed the child pornography while on pre-trial release from an August arrest involving New York state charges for promoting a sexual performance from a minor. Tennant has been ordered detained pending trial. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

For the charges in the indictment, Tennant faces at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, a term of supervised release of up to life, and a fine of up to $250,000.  If convicted, Tennant will also be required to register as a sex offender after 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.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Oswego County Sherriff’s Office are investigating the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Tuck and Adrian LaRochelle 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 – Doron Tucker, age 26, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty today to conspiring to distribute fentanyl, possessing and intending to distribute fentanyl and marijuana, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

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

Tucker admitted to conspiring to sell pills containing fentanyl in Troy and Schenectady between June and October 2020.  At first, he supplied his co-conspirator, Darren Favreau, with fentanyl pills, which Favreau personally sold to purchasers.  Favreau and Tucker then shared the sale proceeds.  After Favreau was arrested in August 2020, Tucker personally sold fentanyl pills to purchasers.

In executing a search warrant at Tucker’s apartment in Schenectady in October 2020, law enforcement seized marijuana, a digital scale, approximately $8,000 in cash, and a loaded .40 caliber handgun.  Tucker’s black BMW, which was parked outside the apartment, contained 386 fentanyl pills, more marijuana, and another digital scale.  Tucker also personally possessed about $1,000 in cash.  Tucker admitted to possessing and intending to sell the fentanyl pills and marijuana and to possessing the handgun to protect his fentanyl, marijuana, and drug proceeds. 

At sentencing, Tucker faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million on the drug charges.  The gun charge carries a mandatory 5-year term of imprisonment and a maximum term of life, which must be imposed consecutively to any other term of imprisonment.  Tucker will be required to serve at least 3 years and up to a life term of supervised release. 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 this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyrus P.W. Rieck is prosecuting the case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Luis Guajaca, age 36, and a citizen of Guatemala, pled guilty today to unlawfully transporting two Mexican citizens.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Chief Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector, made the announcement.

Guajaca admitted that between February 6 and February 7, 2023, he drove from Illinois to near Ellenburg, New York, picked up two Mexican citizens who had recently illegally crossed the international border from Canada into the United States, and transported the two aliens before the vehicle was stopped. Guajaca admitted that he planned to drive the two Mexican citizens to Illinois, and expected to be paid for transporting them.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 7, 2023, before Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes. Guajaca faces up to 10 years in prison, a 3-year term of post-release supervision, and a fine up to $250,000.  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. 

United States Border Patrol investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping is prosecuting the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Taquan Parker, age 26, of Rensselaer, New York, and Olajuwon Sutherland, a/k/a “Suave,” age 27, of Troy, New York, pled guilty today to engaging in a fraudulent scheme to obtain more than $100,000 in unemployment insurance benefits under the names of other people, including benefits funded by the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge, Northeast Region, United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG); and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

As part of his guilty plea to conspiracy and mail fraud charges, Parker admitted that he provided Kahleke Taylor, a/k/a “Flex,” with the personal identifying information of two other people, which Taylor used to file false claims online with the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL).  Parker further admitted that as a result of the fraudulent applications submitted by Taylor, the NYSDOL paid out $60,132 in unemployment insurance benefits.  Parker agreed to pay $60,132 in restitution to the State of New York and forfeit $30,000 in fraud proceeds that he personally obtained.

As part of his guilty plea to conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud charges, Sutherland admitted that he also provided Taylor with the personal identifying information of two other people, which Taylor used to file false claims online with the NYSDOL.  Sutherland further admitted that as a result of the fraudulent applications submitted by Taylor, the NYSDOL paid out $48,008 in unemployment insurance benefits.  Sutherland agreed to pay $48,008 in restitution to the State of New York and forfeit $12,000 in fraud proceeds that he personally obtained.

Taylor previously pled guilty to fraudulently obtaining $207,004 in unemployment insurance benefits as part of the scheme.

At sentencing, both Parker and Sutherland face a maximum term of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.  Parker and Sutherland are scheduled to be sentenced on July 6 and July 12, 2023, respectively, by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. 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 was investigated by HSI, the New York State Inspector General’s Office, USDOL-OIG, and USPIS, with assistance from the NYSDOL Office of Special Investigations and the Schenectady County Department of Social Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua R. Rosenthal is prosecuting the case. 

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.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Redell Williams, III, age 42, of Syracuse, pled guilty today to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

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, Williams admitted that on November 10, 2022, he possessed a total of approximately 531 grams of cocaine and approximately 211 grams of cocaine base at his home in Syracuse, New York with the intent to distribute it. Williams further admitted that in his residence, he “cooked” powder cocaine to manufacture cocaine base, also known as “crack” cocaine, and that $4,587 in cash found at his residence was narcotics proceeds.

At sentencing, scheduled for July 7, 2023, Williams faces at least 5 years and up to 40 years in federal prison, a maximum fine of $5,000,000, and a term of post-imprisonment 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.

DEA investigated the case, with assistance from Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, and Syracuse Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie is prosecuting the case.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Dr. Howard Silcoff, and his medical practice, Dryden Family Medical Practice, PLLC agreed to pay $70,377 to resolve the United States’ allegations that they prescribed controlled substances for non-legitimate medical purposes, outside the usual course of a professional practice, thereby causing false claims to be submitted to the Medicare program.  

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Naomi Gruchacz, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General’s New York Region (HHS-OIG), and Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division.

Under the Controlled Substances Act and analogous New York State law, controlled substances may only be issued for a legitimate medical purpose by an individual practitioner acting in the usual course of a professional practice.  Prescribers must regulate the dosage to that which is ordinarily recognized by the medical profession as sufficient for treatment.  For the cost of a prescription to be reimbursable by Medicare, the prescription must be medically necessary, and comply with federal and state law. Dr. Silcoff admitted that for more than a decade, he prescribed an average of 35 morphine pills per day to a single patient. He also simultaneously prescribed to the same patient diazepam, also known as valium, which belongs to class of drugs known as benzodiazepines.  Dr. Silcoff had been advised by the patient’s Medicare prescription drug carrier, that these medications were potentially contraindicated and that physicians should use caution when concurrently prescribing opioids, such as morphine, with benzodiazepines.  Beginning in October 2017, Dr. Silcoff ordered drug urinalysis screens for this patient, which revealed that the patient was using cocaine and unprescribed oxycodone and was inconsistently taking the diazepam.  Dr. Silcoff made no changes to the prescription regimen for 17 months, before ultimately initiating the patient on buprenorphine for opioid dependence, pain, and withdrawal symptoms. 

This settlement resolves the United States’ allegations that the morphine prescriptions were excessive and dangerous to both the patient and the general public, especially in light of concurrent use of diazepam, un-prescribed oxycodone, and cocaine. Because multiple drug screens were negative for benzodiazepines, the United States further contends that a portion of the diazepam prescriptions had no legitimate medical purpose.

The $70,377 payment constitutes damages sustained by Medicare when it reimbursed for the prescriptions, and civil penalties under the Controlled Substances Act. 

This case was investigated by HHS-OIG and DEA Syracuse District Office’s Diversion Group. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Moran represented the United States in this matter. 

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Omar Fuentes, age 26, of Syracuse, was sentenced yesterday to a total of 121 months in prison for his involvement in a conspiracy involving the distribution of heroin and cocaine, and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of that conspiracy.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarantino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, and Chief of Police Joseph Cecile, Syracuse Police Department. 

As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Fuentes admitted that between May and September 2020, he conspired with others to distribute kilogram quantities of cocaine in the Syracuse area.  The defendant also admitted that on September 16, 2020, he possessed a loaded semi-automatic handgun and a quantity of heroin he intended to distribute.

Fuentes was one of 13 defendants charged and convicted in connection with the investigation which revealed that these defendants were involved in bringing kilogram quantities of heroin and cocaine to Syracuse from New York and Puerto Rico and then redistributing the drugs throughout the Syracuse area.  During the investigation, law enforcement seized multiple kilograms of cocaine as well as significant quantities of heroin, numerous firearms, and large sums of United States currency.

United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also ordered Fuentes to serve a four-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.

The other defendants convicted in this and other related cases, and the sentences they received, are listed below:

Name

Prison Term

Jobany Tirado

135 months

Angel Negron-Collazo

120 months

Joel Franco-Ortiz

85 months

Rahfet Shehadeh

57 months

Samuel Matos

100 months

Luis Mendez

70 months

Helbert Calo-Birriel

70 months

Luis Resto

60 months

John Resto

60 months

Hector Santiago

24 months

Jose Medina

Time served (12 months)

Jikeya McBride

27 months

Jonathan Cornier

10 months

These cases were investigated by the by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Syracuse Police Department, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Investigators from the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the New York State Police, and the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nicolas Commandeur and Adrian LaRochelle, and former Assistant United States Attorney Sahar Amandolare.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Michael Griswold, age 37, of Syracuse, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of 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.

As part of his plea, Griswold admitted that, on November 9, 2022, he possessed over 500 grams of crystal methamphetamine hidden inside a bag in his bedroom closet. Griswold also admitted that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine to others.

United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby will sentence Griswold on July 12, 2023.  Griswold faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life, a fine of up to $10,000,000, 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.

This case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with assistance from the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Syracuse Police Department, and the Metro-Jefferson Drug Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica N. Carbone is prosecuting the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – JoAnne Natalie, age 64, of Saratoga Springs, New York, pled guilty today to misappropriating the funds of a veteran as his appointed fiduciary, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Christopher F. Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Field Office for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General.

Natalie admitted that after being appointed as fiduciary for a veteran, between September 2019 and January 2021, she stole, embezzled and misappropriated $50,174.42 of the veteran’s VA benefits by using the benefits deposited into the veteran’s bank account for her own personal ends. She also admitted to neglecting and failing to submit any required accountings to the VA, as required by law.

United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby will sentence Natalie on July 27, 2023. Natalie faces a maximum term of 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 3 years, and restitution to the estate of the veteran and any other identified victims. 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 VA Office of Inspector General investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping prosecuted this case.

This case is part of the Elder Justice Initiative. The mission of the Elder Justice Initiative is to support and coordinate the Department’s enforcement and programmatic efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial fraud and scams that target our nation’s older adults. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving elders can call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Rasheed Mingues, 43, a resident of New York City staying in the Utica, NY area, was indicted today for possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute them, possession of a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking crimes, and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.  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.

 Mingues was previously charged by a federal complaint on December 10, 2022.  He has been detained without bail since he made his initial appearance on December 10 before Magistrate Judge Thérèse Wiley Dancks.

The indictment alleges that, on December 9, 2022, Mingues possessed hundreds of grams of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine with the intent to distribute them.  The indictment also alleges that Mingues possessed a loaded 9mm handgun in furtherance of his drug trafficking crimes.  Federal law prohibits Mingues from possessing the firearm as a result of a prior felony conviction. 

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

The charges filed against Mingues carry a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of life, a fine of up to $10,000,000, 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 United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and New York State Police are investigating the case with assistance from the Utica Police Department, Syracuse Police Department, Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica N. Carbone is prosecuting the case.

 

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kristin Blair Hiltunen, age 37, of Amsterdam, New York, was sentenced today to 228 months in prison for sexually exploiting a minor.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement. 

As part of her guilty plea, Hiltunen admitted that between April 2021 and August 2021, she engaged in a sexual relationship with a minor victim who was under 16 years of age.  During this period of time, Hiltunen exchanged thousands of messages with the victim over a social media application through which she persuaded, induced, and enticed the victim to take sexually explicit images of themselves and send the images to Hiltunen.  Hiltunen further engaged in livestreamed video chats with the victim during which they engaged in sexual acts.

United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also imposed a 20-year term of supervised release to begin after Hiltunen is released from prison.  Hiltunen will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of this conviction. 

This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the Rotterdam Police Department, as well as the New York State Police.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel L. Williams 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 – Sean Morrissey, age 51, of Waterford, New York, a former Rensselaer County Correctional Officer, was sentenced today for sexually abusing an inmate in his custody at the Rensselaer County Correctional Facility (“RCCF”).  United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby ordered Morrissey to serve 3 years of probation, to include 6 weekends in jail, and to pay a $2,000 fine.

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

Morrissey previously pled guilty to a one-count indictment charging abusive sexual contact of a ward.  Morrissey admitted that during a two-week period between September 7, 2018 and September 21, 2018, while he was a correctional officer at RCCF, he knowingly rubbed the genitalia of a female federal inmate, while he was the sole corrections officer in charge of her all-female housing unit.

The FBI and the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark prosecuted this case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Pamela Febo, age 38, of Keansburg, New Jersey, was sentenced today to three years of probation for fraudulently applying for unemployment benefits on behalf of a state prisoner.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Anthony J. Annucci, Acting Commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS); and New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) Commissioner Roberta Reardon made the announcement.

Febo agreed with her boyfriend, Irvis Jorge, to submit a fraudulent unemployment insurance claim to NYSDOL using Jorge’s personal identifying information, at a time when Jorge was an inmate in NYSDOCCS custody.  Febo submitted the application in October 2020 and continued to re-certify Jorge’s benefits eligibility each week for approximately four months.  Each weekly certification Febo submitted indicated that Jorge was “able and available to start work immediately” even though she knew Jorge remained incarcerated and could not work.  NYSDOL paid the defendants $27,348 based on the repeated false certifications. 

Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe also ordered restitution in the amount of $27,348 and forfeiture in the amount of $12,444.  In December, Judge Sharpe sentenced Jorge to 364 days in jail, to run consecutively to the state term of imprisonment he was serving at the time of this offense. 

The FBI, the NYSDOCCS Office of Special Investigations, and the NYSDOL Office of Special Investigations conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner prosecuted the case.

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.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Brian Lazore, age 45, of Hogansburg, New York, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and three counts of alien smuggling.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Chief Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector, made the announcement.

As part of his previous guilty plea, Lazore admitted to smuggling six Indian citizens from Cornwall, Ontario, into the United States using the St. Lawrence and St. Regis Rivers.   During the smuggling event on April 28, 2022, Lazore’s boat sank in the St. Regis River, and Lazore and the Indian nationals were ultimately picked up by the St. Regis Mohawk Rescue Vessel.  Lazore admitted to smuggling the aliens for his own financial gain.

Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes also imposed a 2-year term of supervised release to follow Lazore’s term of incarceration. 

The United States Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt prosecuted the case.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Rodney Matthews, age 50, of Albany, was sentenced today to 85 months in prison for possessing and intending to distribute cocaine and heroin, and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Chief Eric Hawkins of the Albany Police Department (APD) made the announcement.

When he pled guilty in this case, Matthews admitted to possessing 306 grams of cocaine and 95 grams of heroin at his apartment in Albany, which he intended to distribute, as well as $11,966, which represented the proceeds of his drug trafficking.  Matthews, a previously convicted felon, further admitted to possessing a loaded, privately manufactured .357 caliber semi-automatic pistol (aka a “ghost gun”) to guard against the potential theft of his drugs and proceeds.  Matthews was initially arrested by APD officers after he was observed firing the pistol into a telephone pole outside his residence. 

Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe also ordered that Matthews forfeit the $11,966 seized from his apartment, and that he serve a 3-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI and its Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes FBI Special Agents and members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including APD.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon prosecuted this case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.