Southern District of Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A plea agreement was unsealed today in which a Licking County man pleaded guilty to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.

Ronald P. Bedra, of Etna, pleaded guilty to conspiring to create and distribute “animal crush” videos.

According to court documents, Bedra conspired with others to create and distribute the videos that depicted acts of sadistic violence against baby and adult monkeys, including having digits and limbs severed and being forcibly sodomized with a heated screwdriver.

The conspirators used encrypted chat apps to direct money to individuals in Indonesia willing to commit the requested acts of torture on camera. Bedra also mailed a thumb drive containing 64 videos of monkey torture to a co-conspirator in Wisconsin.

Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio made today’s announcement.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and FBI investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Mark Romley and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Mexican national was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 120 months in prison for conspiring to distribute kilogram quantities of fentanyl in Central Ohio for a supplier in Mexico.

According to court documents, Luis Martinez-Torres, 26, of Columbus, illegally entered the United States and distributed large quantities of narcotics at the behest of a dangerous drug cartel in Mexico.

Martinez-Torres would deliver requested amounts of fentanyl to buyers after the buyers contacted a dispatch telephone number.

In April 2023, Martinez-Torres and a co-conspirator possessed or distributed more than 2.7 kilograms of fentanyl, including approximately 6,290 fentanyl pills marked as Oxycodone.

This is the third time Martinez-Torres has been found in the United States illegally, and he faces deportation following his term of imprisonment.

Martinez-Torres was arrested in June 2023 and pleaded guilty in January 2024 to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

Several local drug task forces – including from Delaware, Hardin and Union counties – participated in the investigation.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Shawn Gibson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge James L. Graham. Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Pakiz is representing the United States in this case.

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

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man who served as a campaign treasurer for more than 100 candidates since the 1980s pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud related to stealing nearly $1 million in campaign funds.

William Curlis, 76, was charged by a bill of information in April 2024. He pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud.

According to the court documents, from 2008 until June 2023, Curlis defrauded candidates of approximately $995,231 of campaign funds.

As part of his plea, Curlis admitted that he wrote checks from the bank accounts of certain candidates and one PAC to himself for personal use. The defendant transferred funds between campaign accounts without candidates’ knowledge to conceal the deficit he created.

For example, from 2000 to 2023, Curlis was the primary signatory on at least 111 bank accounts, and of those, he was the only signatory on 108 accounts.

Curlis wrote at least 179 checks to himself from campaign accounts belonging to 18 different candidates and one PAC.

Curlis sold his home in 2016 to cover the cost of campaign expenses, including campaign media costs and account balances, to prevent the discovery of his theft.

Wire fraud is a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. As part of his plea, Curlis will pay $995,231 in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker, FBI Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the guilty plea offered on May 8 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Southern Ohio Public Corruption Task Force, which includes agents and officers from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), Columbus Division of Police and Ohio Auditor’s Office. The Ohio Secretary of State’s office was also an integral part of the investigation.

Deputy Criminal Chief Jessica W. Knight is representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Columbus vice detective was sentenced in federal court today to 132 months in prison for crimes related to kidnapping victims under the guise of an arrest.

Andrew K. Mitchell, 60, of Sunbury, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to two counts of depriving individuals of their civil rights while acting under color of law and one count of obstructing justice.

Mitchell was employed by the Columbus Division of Police from 1988 until 2019 and was assigned to the vice unit from 2017 until 2019. As part of his duties in that role, Mitchell conducted law enforcement actions for solicitation offenses.

“As a member of the vice unit and a long-serving police officer, Mitchell was well aware of the special vulnerabilities of the sex workers and often drug addicted females with which he came into contact,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Instead of helping them seek refuge, Mitchell was the type of predator who purposely targeted these women. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is dedicated to upholding the community’s work to connect victimized women to services and to prosecuting those who prey on vulnerable victims, no matter who they are.”

According to court documents, in July 2017, Mitchell picked up a sex worker who was working in the Hilltop near Sullivant and Whitethorne avenues. Mitchell was in plain clothes and an unmarked black sedan. He told the victim he was a police officer and acted as if he were doing a check for any outstanding warrants on the victim.

Mitchell used this ruse to handcuff the victim to the doorknob of his vehicle. He drove the victim to a nearby parking lot with multiple dumpsters and forcible held and detained the victim against her will before dropping her off at her boyfriend’s residence.

Similarly, in September 2017, Mitchell picked up a second sex worker in the Hilltop. Mitchell was again in plain clothes and was driving a dark SUV. He began discussing the victim’s rates for sexual activity before announcing that he was an officer with the vice unit and said she was going to jail.

Mitchell kidnapped the victim and drove her to Lindbergh Park, holding her against her will.

Mitchell was also sentenced today for obstructing justice. Specifically, during the federal investigation into Mitchell’s civil rights crimes, he directed several individuals to assist him in cleaning out one of the rental properties he owned, located on Denune Ave. The individuals disposed of evidence including photos, clothing, bedding and rental records, and used bleach extensively in the apartment to clean a bed, couch, ottoman and floor.

Mitchell was charged federally and arrested in March 2019.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost; Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Noah R. Litton are representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two Columbus men were sentenced in U.S. District Court for their roles in aiding the armed robberies of postal carriers.

Cody N. Beasley, 23, also known as “Drose,” was sentenced in federal court today to 76 months in prison. Kenan M. Lay, 21, also known as “Swerv,” was sentenced on April 19 to 66 months in prison.

“These sentences illustrate that we will continue to take seriously offenses committed against postal carriers. Even if you are not the person holding the gun or directly committing the robbery, we will hold you accountable for your role in the crime and work to ensure that you face time in federal prison like Beasley and Lay. Trust me, serving any amount of time in prison is just not worth it.” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker.

According to Lay’s court documents, on May 11, 2023, Lay provided the 9mm handgun used in the armed robbery of an elderly female postal worker at a post office on West Broad Street. Coconspirators paid Lay $100 for the use of his gun and kept Lay updated on the progress of the crime. Lay’s gun was used to pistol-whip the female postal worker in the head.

According to Beasley’s court documents, on April 4 at 3:20pm, two coconspirators robbed at gunpoint a USPS letter carrier who was sitting in his work vehicle on Sawmill Road in Dublin. Beasley directed the April 4 armed robbery and paid the coconspirators $500 for committing the robbery as planned.

Beasley also admitted to stealing a postal key in March 2023 in the Cleveland area. He and a coconspirator were stopped for a traffic violation in Parma Heights and fled from law enforcement. Officers eventually detained the men and searched the vehicle they had been using, discovering a black trash bag with numerous pieces of mail that had not yet been postmarked. A cell phone search also revealed pictures of stolen checks and research about 38 Post Offices and blue USPS collection boxes in Cleveland. While Beasley and the coconspirator were detained in jail together for the crimes in the Northern District of Ohio, Beasley began planning for the new postal robbery in Dublin.

Beasley and Lay are two of seven total defendants charged in their cases. More than a dozen other defendants have been charged in the Southern District of Ohio in the past two years with crimes related to postal robberies.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Lesley C. Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division; announced the sentences imposed by Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley and U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Noah R. Litton and Elizabeth A. Geraghty are representing the United States in Beasley’s case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Litton is also prosecuting Lay’s case.

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An Ohio physician was sentenced today to seven years in prison for unlawfully distributing opioids from his clinic.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Thomas Romano, 74, of Wheeling, West Virginia, owned and operated a self-named pain management clinic in Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, to which individuals traveled hundreds of miles to obtain prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances. The prescriptions Romano issued for opioids and other controlled substances greatly exceeded recommended dosages and were in dangerous, life-threatening combinations that fueled the addiction of the individuals to whom he prescribed. Between October 2014 and September 2019, Romano prescribed over 137,000 pills, including opioids, benzodiazepines, and muscle relaxants, to nine individuals.

A federal jury convicted Romano in September 2023 of 24 counts of unlawfully distributing controlled substances in violation of the Controlled Substances Act.  

Principal Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio; Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Detroit Field Division; Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Mario M. Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

The DEA, FBI, HHS-OIG, Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, and Ohio Board of Pharmacy investigated this case.

Trial Attorneys Devon Helfmeyer and Danielle Sakowski and Counsel Alexis Gregorian of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

CINCINNATI – A federal jury has convicted Kelly Richards, 43, of Cincinnati, with sex trafficking minors, sexually exploiting children and illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.

Richards is also known as “Scorpio” and has a tattoo of a scorpion on the left side of his face. The jury found him guilty on all counts following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins.

According to court documents and trial testimony, investigators were alerted in March 2023 that two juveniles had been screened as potential sex trafficking victims.

Richards picked up two minor victims who had fled a group home in Dayton and drove them to an apartment complex in Cincinnati. At the apartment, Richards provided the minors with cocaine before sexually assaulting them.

Richards also enticed the females into having sex with other men for money that was paid to Richards. The defendant created prostitution advertisements online with explicit pictures of the minor victims and used physical violence against them. Court documents detail that one victim was prostituted up to four times per day in hotels and homes.

Sexually exploiting children is a federal crime punishable by a range of 15 to 30 years in prison. Sex trafficking minors carries a potential penalty of at least 10 years and up to life in prison. Illegal possession of a firearm in this case is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing.

Federal agents arrested Richards on May 16, 2023.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and other members of the FBI’s Anti-Trafficking Task Force announced the verdict returned the evening of April 30. Assistant United States Attorneys Kyle J. Healey and Megan Painter Gaffney are representing the United States in this case.

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CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 79 months in prison for crimes related to buying firearms with stolen credit card information and leading a conspiracy to pick up the firearms in illegal straw purchases, as well as separately obtaining a fraudulent COVID-relief loan.

Zephaniah Jones, 21, was convicted of conspiring to make false statements on federal firearms forms, committing aggravated identity theft, and making false statements to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

According to court documents, from April through July 2022, Jones and others used stolen credit card information to place online orders for firearms with Guns.com and other online retailers for delivery to Cincinnati. Under federal law, the firearms could not be shipped directly to Jones or a coconspirator; they had to be shipped to a local federal firearms licensee (FFL). At the FFL, Jones’s coconspirators lied on ATF Form 4473, a form required when purchasing a firearm from an FFL, by pretending to be the actual buyer of the firearms. In fact, the firearms were for Jones, who intended to resell them. In total, Jones and his coconspirators completed online orders for 56 firearms and succeeded in obtaining at least 37.

Some of the firearms involved in the conspiracy were traced to crimes within a short period of time. For example, just 15 days after purchase, one pistol was used to shoot into an occupied residence in Columbus; it was later also used in a shots-fired incident and a separate felonious assault. Another pistol was recovered from a juvenile less than three months after purchase, after being used in a different shots-fired incident in Columbus.

Separately, in February 2020, Jones submitted a fraudulent application for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, falsely claiming that he owned a business called Jones Lawncare LLC. As a result, Jones was awarded a PPP loan for nearly $21,000 that was later forgiven.

Jones was ordered to pay $20,643 in restitution to the SBA. The amount of restitution to be paid to the FFLs whose firearms were stolen will be determined at a later hearing.

Jones pleaded guilty in January 2024. Five other coconspirators in the straw-purchasing conspiracy have been charged federally.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett. Assistant United States Attorney Julie D. Garcia is representing the United States in this case. The case was investigated by the ATF with the assistance from the Cincinnati Police Department and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.

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DAYTON, Ohio – A Centerville, Ohio, man was sentenced in federal court here today to 72 months in prison for possessing a machine gun. The defendant used an uzi-style weapon during a YouTube video in which he threatens to commit a mass shooting at a California school.

The Court imposed an upward variance from the sentencing guidelines in the sentence imposed today against Alex Jaques, 23.

According to court documents, on Nov. 15, 2022, the FBI National Threat Operations Center received a tip about a video Jaques posted on YouTube.

In the video, Jaques uses multiple firearms to shoot a Chromebook computer and threatens to attack Washington Middle School in Salinas, California. The Chromebook has a Washington Middle School sticker affixed to it.

Before shooting the computer, Jaques stabs it multiple times with a screwdriver and uses a power drill on it. The video shows an uzi-style weapon being discharged in rapid succession and multiple shots fired from a rifle-style weapon.

Law enforcement communicated with school officials in Salinas, California, and discovered that Jaques had been a student at a school within the same county. Jaques says in the video that he plans to return to the area to “fill out my list of duties” and has kept “names and addresses of people who have wronged me.” Just before shooting the computer, Jaques says, “yeah okay so Washington Middle School you are next.”

Other videos on Jaques’s YouTube page depict the defendant driving while shooting a pistol at street signs.

Jaques also commented publicly on a YouTube video of family members of the mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida in which 17 people were killed. Jaques commented “Bullies families get their final day in court” and “I will do my own parkland.”

While executing a search warrant on Jaques’s residence, vehicle and person, FBI agents seized eight firearms, including an uzi-style weapon, hand grenades and other explosives equipment.

Jaques was arrested in November 2022. He pleaded guilty to a superseding bill of information in March 2023.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Christina Mahy and Nicholas Dingeldein are representing the United States in this case.

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CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has indicted Richard Opoku Agyemang, 40, of Cincinnati, in connection with a romance-fraud conspiracy allegedly involving more than $2 million in loss to dozens of victims.

The indictment alleges that Agyemang conspired with others to use stolen photographs and false information to create profiles on dating websites. The coconspirators allegedly used these false profiles to reach out to victims and establish an online romantic relationship. The indictment alleges that, eventually, the coconspirators, pretending to be the person pictured in the false profile, would ask the victims to send money, falsely representing that the money was needed for things like medical expenses or to help bring a large inheritance of gold to the United States.

The victims either wired money or deposited checks to accounts allegedly controlled by Agyemang or other members of the conspiracy. Members of the conspiracy would allegedly launder the proceeds of the scheme by making wire and electronic transfers, including to domestic accounts and to accounts in China. According to an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, more than $2 million, transferred from dozens of victims, passed through Agyemang’s accounts.

The 11-count indictment charges Agyemang with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of money laundering, and three counts of engaging in monetary transactions with proceeds of criminal activity. Wire fraud and money laundering are punishable by up to 20 years in prison; engaging in monetary transactions with proceeds of criminal activity is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The indictment also alleges that Agyemang made false statements to the Small Business Administration (SBA) in a Payment Protection Program (PPP) loan application in April 2021, which resulted in the SBA awarding him more than $20,000 in COVID relief to which he was not entitled. That crime is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division, announced the indictment. Assistant United States Attorney Julie D. Garcia is representing the United States in this case.

Agyemang appeared in federal court today at 1:30pm before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen L. Litkovitz and was arraigned on the charges.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man who served as a middleman for a former city councilman’s bribery schemes was sentenced in federal court here today to 12 months and one day in prison.

Tyran Marshall, 38, conspired with then-councilmember Jeffrey Pastor. Marshall coordinated bribery payments and “sanitized” money through a non-profit he created. He pleaded guilty in December 2023 to money laundering.

While serving as a city councilman in fall 2018, Pastor, 40, of Cincinnati, received a $15,000 cash bribe in return for his official action to advance development projects in the city. Pastor pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud and was sentenced in December 2023 to 24 months in prison.

According to court documents, in September 2018, Marshall and Pastor flew to Miami, Florida, on a private plane to meet with investors regarding a real estate development project. During the trip, Pastor explained he would ensure favorable action on behalf of the city for the project and could receive money through Marshall’s non-profit entity (which had been incorporated two weeks prior). Pastor discussed “compensation” and agreed to accept $15,000 for helping with the project.

In October 2018, Marshall met with an individual to discuss getting city council votes from Pastor and return compensation for Pastor. Marshall solicited payment from the individual on more than one occasion. He accepted a check made out to his non-profit entity knowing it was in exchange for bribery.

Marshall also participated in soliciting corrupt base salaries of $200,000 per person for him and Pastor to continue working with the investors. Their solicitations were rejected.

Marshall and Pastor were indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2020.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Deputy Criminal Chief Emily N. Glatfelter and Assistant United States Attorney Matthew C. Singer are representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Texas was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today to 37 months in prison for crimes related to providing faulty parts to the U.S. military.

Philip R. Huddleston, 59, of Ft. Worth, supplied the United States military with unapproved and substituted parts as a Department of Defense (DoD) contractor.

Since 2013, Huddleston was a civilian employed as a quality assurance specialist at the Defense Contract Management Agency. Since 2018, Huddleston also co-owned WM Industries, a DoD contractor in Beaumont, Texas, who sold and supplied a variety of military parts to the DoD.

Huddleston co-owned the DoD parts business with Gregory Gotreaux, 56, of Beaumont, Texas, who is also convicted in this scheme. Gotreaux was sentenced in November 2023 to 21 months in prison.

According to court documents, Huddleston and Gotreaux conspired to supply the United States with unapproved and substituted parts on 41 orders totaling at least $704,000.

Specifically, from November 2019 through September 2021, Huddleston and Gotreaux provided nonconforming parts used in various U.S. military defense and weapons systems. The defendants were paid by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) located in Columbus.

The two men pleaded guilty to wire fraud and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.

The defendants have agreed to pay $706,000 in restitution, which includes approximately $2,100 for testing costs to the DoD.

“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General, is fully committed to protecting the integrity of the DoD supply chain,” said Patrick J. Hegarty, Special Agent in Charge of the DCIS Northeast Field Office. “Supplying nonconforming parts to the DoD compromises military systems and potentially endangers the lives of U.S. service members. We will continue to partner with the Defense Logistics Agency, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and Department of Justice to ensure that DoD contractors provide approved material and quality products to the U.S. military.” 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Patrick Hegarty, Special Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS); and Karen Wingerd, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); announced the sentence imposed today by Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Deputy Criminal Chief Jessica W. Knight and Special Assistant United States Attorney J. Michael Marous are representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – An employee of an armored truck company that delivered cash to bank branches and ATMs pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to embezzling money as a bank agent.

Justin Eskridge, 37, of Reynoldsburg, admitted he took more than $220,000 from PNC ATMs. Eskridge was employed as an armed service technician for Loomis LLC and delivered cash for and to federally insured financial institutions. Loomis contracted with PNC Bank to transport money to various ATMs and bank branches. 

Eskridge was employed with Loomis beginning in July 2021 and transported bags of money by armored vehicle to various PNC branches and ATMs. The thefts began around Dec. 14, 2022, and continued through Jan. 9, 2023.

PNC bank tellers reported shortages totaling approximately $226,000 cash when they balanced the residual amounts on certain ATMs. An investigation by Loomis identified Eskridge as the technician servicing that route.

Eskridge eventually admitted to Loomis that he had taken the money and led Loomis to recover approximately $144,000 cash hidden in his car. As part of his plea, he will pay the remaining balance to Loomis.

Theft or embezzlement by a bank employee or agent is a federal crime punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence, and sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea entered today before Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Damoun Delaviz is representing the United States in this case.

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CINCINNATI – A local nail salon owner was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 46 months in prison for attempting to set a competing nail salon in Monroe, Ohio, on fire.

Kim Lien Vu, 46, of Liberty Township, Ohio, admitted in her guilty plea in September 2023 that she conspired to commit malicious destruction via fire.

Vu, who owns her own nail salon, developed animosity towards individuals at a competing nail salon and, beginning in December 2022, approached her employee about a plot to exact revenge on the competing salon.

Vu and her employee, co-defendant Cierra Marie Bishop, 30, of Hamilton, Ohio, eventually discussed the idea of setting the other salon on fire. Bishop began work to design a remote-controlled incendiary device that could start a fire within a small box. The two women frequently texted about the plan, which they referred to as Job 1.

On Feb. 5, surveillance camera footage shows Bishop and a friend, co-defendant Makahla Ann Rennick, 19, of Hamilton, Ohio, entering the competitor salon. Rennick had made an appointment for a pedicure under the name “Katelynn,” at the direction of Vu for Rennick to get the latest nail appointment she can and to “Just use another name. Sound white.” Rennick is shown receiving her nail services.

Vu was traveling to or already at a property she owned in Virginia to have a ready alibi.

During Rennick’s appointment, Bishop entered and exited the salon, looking for a place to plant the device. Eventually, Bishop walked to the restroom area in the rear of the salon and tucked the device under a salon desk before leaving.

A salon employee then found the suspected device, which smelled like gasoline. The employee opened the package, seeing that it looked like an explosive device, and took it outside near the salon’s dumpsters. The employee later went back outside to check on the device and noticed that box had begun to catch on fire.

Monroe police officers and fire department responded to a call reporting a dumpster fire near the salon.

Vu was in constant contact with Bishop throughout the planning of the device.

The three women were indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2023. Bishop has pleaded guilty and is currently awaiting sentencing.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); Shawn Gibson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Monroe Police Chief Bob Buchanan announced the sentence imposed on April 24 by U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A repeat sex offender pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to committing new child pornography crimes while on federal supervised release.

Lee Allen Goudy, 30, of Howard, Ohio, admitted to distributing and possessing child pornography. He was sentenced in U.S. District Court in April 2018 to 78 months in prison for distributing pornography of pre-school-aged children.

As a previous offender, Goudy will face a prison sentence of at least 15 years and up to 40 years in prison for his current offense.

According to court documents, in August 2023, the FBI received a tip that Goudy was a Tier II registered sex offender and was believed to have uploaded child pornography online.

At least four cyber tipline reports related to Goudy were generated from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

The investigation revealed that Goudy had distributed child pornography from a Reddit account via Kik messenger and on Twitter. Goudy used the same email address to trade child pornography that he used in his prior federal conviction.

Approximately 650 videos and 100 images of child sexual abuse material were recovered from Goudy’s iPhone. His collection included sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, and the sexual torture of babies. For example, one video depicted a newborn infant being smacked in the face, grabbed by the throat and shaken back and forth.

Goudy’s iPhone search history also included web searches like “supervised release monitoring iPhone” and “does federal monitoring work on iPhone.”

A second cell phone of Goudy’s also revealed searches for content related to violence, rape and sex acts against infants and toddlers. That phone included 150 images of child sexual abuse material that Goudy had traded on Discord.

Goudy was arrested in September 2023 for violating his federal supervised release warrant.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea offered before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.

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CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury indicted a local man and woman in connection with a conspiracy to damage a Spring Grove Village grocery store with an incendiary device in the style of a Molotov cocktail.

Donald Donatelli, 28, and Angela Schweitzer, 35, are both charged with conspiring to commit malicious damage and destruction of a building in interstate commerce. Donatelli is also charged in a second count of directly causing the damage.

An affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint details that around 10pm on Nov. 26, Donatelli allegedly threw an incendiary device in the style of a Molotov cocktail into the store. The store’s owner and his wife were inside the store at the time.

Donatelli and Schweitzer allegedly arrived at the store together in a white BMW. It is alleged that Schweitzer moved to the driver’s seat while Donatelli lit the device, opened the store’s door and threw it inside.

According to the affidavit, Schweitzer filmed a Snapchat video of the alleged crime and sent it to Donatelli.

Conspiring to commit malicious damage and destruction of a building, and the act of doing so, are federal crimes punishable by at least five and up to 20 years in prison.

Donatelli and Schweitzer were originally arrested on local charges and have been moved to federal custody. Their federal case was unsealed today.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), announced the charges and acknowledged the assistance of the Cincinnati Fire Department, Cincinnati Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and Union Township Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Megan Gaffney Painter and Julie D. Garcia are representing the United States in this case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A registered sex offender admitted in federal court today that he transported images and videos depicting child torture, child mutilation and child murder. The defendant obtained the material on the dark web and traded it for images and videos of sexual abuse of young children.

Jeremiah Morrison, 38, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography, possessing child pornography and transporting obscene matter. He faces a sentence of at least 15 years and up to life in prison.

Morrison was twice previously convicted of crimes against children, including a 2012 conviction for filming an 11-year-old boy under a bathroom stall at the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

The Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received information in April 2023 related to Morrison uploading child pornography.

While executing a search warrant in June 2023, investigators discovered Morrison’s cell phone contained 3,000 images and 900 videos of child sexual abuse material. The images and videos depicted the sexual assault of infants and children ages 0 to 6 years old. For example, one video shows an adult man sexually assaulting a three-month-old baby.

In addition to the child sexual abuse material recovered on the device, investigators also discovered numerous images and videos depicting torture, mutilation and deceased children. For example, one image depicted an approximately 6-year-old girl who was nude and dismembered.

Morrison was arrested in September 2023 and has remained in custody since.

Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Shawn Gibson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola announced the charges.; and other members of the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force announced the guilty plea entered today before Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has indicted a Columbus police officer, charging him with two counts of destroying or altering records related to a criminal investigation.

Nicholas P. Duty, 35, of Commercial Point, Ohio, was arrested this morning and is scheduled to appear in federal court at 12:45pm today.

According to the indictment that was returned yesterday and unsealed today, on two occasions, Duty destroyed, altered or falsified records by purposefully deactivating or removing his police body worn camera. It is alleged Duty’s actions were intended to impede, obstruct or influence a federal investigation.

Specifically, it is alleged that on Oct. 31, 2023, and March 22, 2024, Duty deactivated or removed his body worn camera during interactions with two women, including during a sexual encounter.

During the alleged incidents, Duty was on duty, wearing a police uniform, in a marked police vehicle and assigned a body worn camera. He knew he was required to comply with Columbus Division of Police policies for wearing the division-issued camera.

Knowingly altering records to obstruct a federal investigation is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

United States Attorney Kenneth L. Parker, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Daryl S. McCormick, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Shawn Gibson, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola announced the charges.

Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Kevin W. Kelley are representing the United States in this case, which is being investigated by the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission’s Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force.

Anyone with information about the alleged criminal activity or knowledge of additional possible crimes is encouraged to contact the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) at 855-BCI-OHIO (855-224-6336).

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

An Indian national was sentenced today to five years in prison for selling controlled substances on dark web marketplaces and ordered to forfeit approximately $150 million.

According to court documents and in statements made in court, Banmeet Singh, 40, of Haldwani, India, created vendor marketing sites on dark web marketplaces, such as Silk Road, Alpha Bay, Hansa, and others, to sell controlled substances, including fentanyl, LSD, ecstasy, Xanax, ketamine, and tramadol. Customers paid with cryptocurrency for drugs ordered from Singh using the vendor sites. Singh then personally shipped or arranged the shipment of the drugs from Europe to the United States through U.S. mail or other shipping services.

From at least mid-2012 through July 2017, Singh controlled at least eight distribution cells within the United States, including cells located in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, North Dakota, and Washington, among other locations. Individuals in these distribution cells received drug shipments and then re-packaged and re-shipped the drugs to locations in all 50 states, Canada, England, Ireland, Jamaica, Scotland, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Over the course of the conspiracy, the Singh drug organization moved hundreds of kilograms of controlled substances throughout the United States and established a multimillion-dollar drug enterprise that laundered millions of dollars of drug proceeds into cryptocurrency accounts, which ultimately became worth approximately $150 million.

Singh was arrested in April 2019 in London at the request of the United States and subsequently extradited to the United States in March 2023. He pleaded guilty on Jan. 26 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering. 

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio; Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Acting Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Cincinnati Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Shawn Gibson of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; and Postal Inspector in Charge Lesley Allison of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) made the announcement.

The DEA, IRS-CI, HSI, USPIS, and the Upper Arlington and Columbus, Ohio, Police Departments investigated the case. The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, Crown Prosecution Service, and Central Authority provided significant assistance.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Singh from the United Kingdom.

Trial Attorney Emily Cohen of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Hunter for the Southern District of Ohio prosecuted the case.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Junction City, Ohio, man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to sexually exploiting minors and possessing child pornography.

Since 2018, Clay Thomas Wolfe, 28, obtained child pornography from more than 250 victims via the mobile application Snapchat.

His plea includes a recommended sentence of 18 to 23 years in prison.

Wolfe pretended to be a 15-year-old female on Snapchat and used this persona to solicit child pornography from primarily middle school and high school aged boys. The victims who have been identified thus far reside in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Chillicothe, Ohio, and other various cities in the Southern District of Ohio and across the United States. Wolfe’s Snapchat account also contained sexually explicit photographs and videos of minor males as young as 10 and 11 years old.

The investigation was initiated in April 2022, when law enforcement officials in Pennsylvania learned that a sixth-grade student was sharing a nude photograph of a classmate that he received from Wolfe, who was pretending to be a teenage girl.

As part of his online persona, Wolfe – acting as the username “Ally” on Snapchat – sent the male victims photos and videos of pubescent female’s naked breasts and genitalia that he found on adult pornography sites or public social media accounts. Wolfe would also extort the victims by threatening to send the nude images of his victims to their friends and family unless they sent him additional images.

In total, Wolfe received approximately 850 images and 570 videos depicting child pornography.

Wolfe was arrested and charged federally in June 2023.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Parker and Iatarola commended the cooperation of the Perry County Sheriff’s Office and Perry County Prosecutor. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Jennifer M. Rausch and are representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Central Ohio man was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today to 60 months in prison for embezzling more than $26 million from his Columbus employer.

As part of his sentence, Yi He, 36, of Powell, will pay restitution to his former employer and to the IRS, and he will forfeit a Tesla vehicle.

According to court documents, Yi was a long-time and trusted employee of a furniture company that provides furniture to retailers like Wayfair, Overstock, Kohls, Walmart and Ashley. Yi was solely responsible for payroll and payroll tax-related duties for the company.

From 2018 until 2022, Yi embezzled money from the company’s bank account into his own personal and financial investment accounts. Yi submitted false and fraudulent bank and financial statements to the company’s leadership to remain undetected.

For example, in one wire transfer in February 2022, Yi wired himself $100,000. Yi falsified that month’s bank account statement by removing the transaction entirely.

In total, Yi stole $26.5 million from the company.

Yi also helped oversee an employee incentive LLC that rewarded company employees with 10 or more years of service. The LLC offered employees a way to earn more and supplement retirement. Yi similarly embezzled from the LLC’s bank accounts. For example, in one wire transfer in April 2022, he paid himself $200,000 by falsely categorizing the transfer as “Rent.” In total, he stole $635,000 from the LLC.

Yi failed to accurately report his income to the IRS for tax years 2018 through 2021, causing a total tax loss of approximately $6.8 million.

Yi pleaded guilty in August 2023 to committing wire fraud and filing a false tax return.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Karen Wingerd, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Deputy Criminal Chief Jessica W. Knight is representing the United States in this case.

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CINCINNATI – A grand jury has indicted a Cincinnati man with crimes related to illegal straw purchases of at least 21 firearms.

Timothy Moorman, Jr., 32, made his initial appearance in federal court in Cincinnati today. He is charged with one conspiracy count and 10 counts of making false statements on federal firearm forms.

According to the indictment, which was returned on March 12 and unsealed today, Moorman bought firearms at Cincinnati-area federal firearms licensees and then provided those firearms to co-conspirators the same day or within a few days. Those co-conspirators would then traffic the firearms outside of Ohio.

For example, it is alleged that at least nine firearms were recovered in connection with a crime in Canada less than two weeks after Moorman bought them. Two others were traced to crimes in Canada and Detroit within two months of purchase.

The charging document details that the firearms were purchased at Bass Pro Shops, Range USA – Cincy West, Range USA – Blue Ash, Target World and North College Hill Gun Store.

Moorman allegedly indicated on the required firearms forms that the firearms were for himself and no one else, despite actually acting as a straw purchaser.

Making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The conspiracy charge carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Julie D. Garcia is representing the United States in this case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man who estimated he filed more than 3,000 fraudulent COVID-relief applications was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 72 months in prison.

The fraud scheme perpetuated by Ousmane Diane, 24, caused a loss of more than $908,000. He submitted applications for more than $2 million in funding.

Diane pleaded guilty in October 2023 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents, Diane used the identities of willing participants and stole identities to submit fraudulent federal fund applications. He submitted the fraudulent applications for both Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

Diane organized the scheme for more than a year and recruited his six co-defendants in this case and others into the scheme. The defendant referred to the pandemic as the “bandemic” in reference to the stacks of federal cash he received.

Diane even advertised his fraudulent filing service through social media by posting: “Hey My Name is Ous And I Sell Methods To Help You Get Approved For Funds!!!”

Diane and six others were indicted in February 2023. All have pleaded guilty.

“Mr. Diane stole critical taxpayer money intended to help families during an unprecedented national pandemic,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Shawn Rice with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General. “HUD OIG remains steadfast in its commitment to working with Federal prosecutors and law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who engage in activities that threaten the integrity of HUD programs.”

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Shawn Rice, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG); and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorney David J. Twombly is representing the United States in this case.

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CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati woman convicted at trial last summer of fraud crimes was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 84 months in prison.

Kelli Prather, 52, fraudulently requested more than $1.2 million in pandemic relief loans. She was convicted on all 14 counts following a trial in July 2023 before U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland.

According to testimony and evidence presented during the trial, Prather applied for six Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans as part of the CARES Act COVID-19 pandemic relief. She claimed to own six businesses – Enhanced Healthcare Solutions, Life Skills Enhancement, Prather Property Management, Reliable Ambulette Services, Rich Glo Management Services and Tots R Us.

Separately, Prather also applied for eight Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).  In three of the EIDL applications she filed in November 2020, she represented that the businesses were majority owned by her disabled nephew.

Prather sought more than $1.2 million in fraud relief and fraudulently received approximately $19,700. As part of her sentence, she will pay $19,682 in restitution.

The jury convicted her of bank fraud, making false statements in connection to credit or loan applications, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, and other members of the Financial Crimes Working Group Pandemic Fraud Committee announced the sentence imposed today by Judge McFarland. Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Springer and Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo are representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Raymond A. Small, 38, of Westerville, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 84 months in prison for possessing a fully-automatic weapon as a previously convicted felon.

According to court documents, from August to December 2022, Small was involved in numerous illegal narcotics and firearms transactions with an undercover agent. The transactions involved one machine gun and seven other guns.

Small regularly recruited others to participate in firearms trafficking, including recruiting two co-defendants in this case.

For example, Small and a friend met up with the undercover agent in August 2022 and brought with them Oxycodone pills and a machine gun that had no serial numbers. In October 2022, Small accompanied a second individual and met again with the undercover agent to sell the agent two pistols.

Small committed these crimes while on probation for prior drug and weapons offenses.

Small pleaded guilty in August 2023 to possessing a machine gun and possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), announced the sentence imposed by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and S. Courter Shimeall are representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A man who laundered drug proceeds from Columbus cell phone store fronts to Nayarit, Mexico, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 120 months in prison.

Cruz Alberto Perez-Nunez, 36, was the ninth federal defendant convicted in two related cases. He pleaded guilty in October 2023 to money laundering and conspiring to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. The defendant orchestrated teams of drug dealers in central Ohio and laundered the proceeds to Mexico.

In the fall of 2020 and spring 2021, eight original, federal defendants were sentenced to prison for the same conspiracy, in which they laundered $44 million in drug proceeds to Mexico through local cell phone store fronts. The stores sold few, if any, cell phones, and they conducted little, if any, legitimate business otherwise. The defendants received sentences ranging from five to 18 years in prison.

Perez-Nunez was a drug trafficker and regular “customer” of the cell phone store fronts who laundered his drug proceeds from Columbus to Nayarit, Mexico.

Perez-Nunez oversaw the narcotics-distribution operation of multiple teams of drug dealers in the Southern District of Ohio. In 2018, he oversaw the supply chain of heroin and directed and controlled drug-trafficking and money-laundering activities of individuals in and around Columbus. Perez-Nunez also set up living arrangements for the teams of drug traffickers.

Perez-Nunez and others coordinated with the owners of Los Rosales on Shady Lane Road, Los Rosales 2 on East Main Street and Express Cellular on Eastland Square Drive to send bulk money transfers to lists of names in Mexico. Thousands of illicit wire transfers were completed per year. Drug dealers from multiple narcotics-trafficking cells would drop large amounts of narcotics money at the stores, after which the store owners would falsify money sender names, addresses and phone numbers on the wire transfers to Mexico to conceal the nature of the proceeds. 

In total, the joint state–federal efforts led to the prosecution of nine defendants federally and 35 defendants by the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation and prosecution of these defendants removed approximately 34 kilograms of heroin, 516 grams of cocaine, 76 grams of fentanyl and 250 pounds of marijuana from Central Ohio streets. Additionally, investigators seized $458,500 in U.S. currency and a home valued at nearly $248,000 as part of the investigation and prosecution of these cases.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Karen Wingerd, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Cincinnati Field Office; Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Detroit Division; Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant and officials with the Ohio HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Commission announced the sentence imposed today by Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.

Assistant United States Attorneys S. Courter Shimeall and Jessica W. Knight are representing the United States in this case. Daniel J. Stanley, formerly with the office of Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack, also represented the United States in this case as a Special Assistant United States Attorney.

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

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A leader in a case with 23 defendants involved in narcotics and human trafficking conspiracies pleaded guilty in federal court here today to drug, gun, human trafficking, and money laundering crimes.

From 2008 until June 2022, Cordell Washington, 37, of Pickerington, ran a large-scale drug trafficking organization in Columbus with co-defendant Patrick Saultz. Their operations also included sex trafficking, labor trafficking, fraud and money laundering.

A multi-agency law enforcement task force initially announced the case in July 2022 after a federal grand jury indicted 11 defendants for distributing bulk amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a Columbus elementary school. In October 2022, the government added 12 defendants and 28 new charges. 

Court documents detail that the drug trafficking organization brought large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, alprazolam and marijuana into Columbus. These drugs were sold or used to coerce individuals into sexual activity for some members of the drug ring and their profit.

It is alleged that Saultz began distributing heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine from his residences on Vida Place and South Hague Street in Columbus as early as 2008. The drug trafficking organization sold drugs out of more than 20 Columbus residences to customers and distributed larger amounts to regional drug traffickers who then trafficked those narcotics to places such as West Virginia and the Northern District of Ohio.

Most of the alleged drug dealing took place within 1000 feet of Burroughs Elementary School in Columbus at a residence on South Burgess. For example, one of Washington and Saultz’s numerous subordinates sold approximately $18,000 worth of narcotics per day from the location on South Burgess.

The case also involves the overdose death of at least one individual and the violent death of a second victim.

As part of his plea, Washington admitted to labor trafficking male drug addicts. The defendant provided the men with their drug of choice after the men completed construction or cleaning projects at residences owned by the drug trafficking organization. The men were recruited by Washington and some completed the work for him under serious threat of harm.

Washington would provide the addicts with advances on small amounts of drugs so they were well enough to perform physical labor. If Washington was not pleased with their work product, he would not complete the final drug payment and would threaten violence against them.

Washington used numerous methods to launder the group’s drug trafficking proceeds, including establishing front businesses that purported to be rental, repair and construction companies.

Washington pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances within 1,000 feet of an elementary school, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, labor trafficking and concealment money laundering. He faces a mandatory minimum of at least 15 years and up to life in prison.

As part of this case, local, state, and federal law enforcement officers have executed more than 20 search warrants at various locations throughout Central Ohio and seized more than $1.7 million in alleged drug proceeds. For example, while executing a search warrant at Car-Go storage units, law enforcement officials discovered approximately one million in bulk United States currency. Searches of additional residences yielded 47 firearms, diamonds, Rolex watches and additional bulk amounts of cash.

As of today, 21 of the 23 defendants have pleaded guilty. One defendant, Carmella Brooks, has been sentenced and received a term of imprisonment of five years.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker commended the investigation coordinated by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant; Shawn Gibson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations; and Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Other agencies that have assisted the task force with the investigation include the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, HIDTA Task Force, IRS-Criminal Investigation, FBI, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), Ohio National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, Pickerington Police Department, New Albany Police Department, and the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team.

Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Prichard and Emily Czerniejewski are representing the United States in this case.

This investigation 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. More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two Columbus residents have each been sentenced to 120 months in prison for federal drug crimes. The defendants were previously convicted in the Southern District of Ohio in 2018.

Francisco Ruellas-Gonzalez, 31, pleaded guilty in November 2023 to possessing with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 10 grams or more of fentanyl analogue. He was sentenced in federal court today.

According to court documents, in 2022 and 2023, Ruellas-Gonzalez and his co-defendant Jaime Renteria, 33, used a residence on Clearhurst Drive as a drug stash house. The apartment had minimal furnishings and no electricity. At the time, the two defendants were residing on Athalia Drive in Columbus.

When law enforcement officers executed search warrants at the two residences and on the defendants themselves and their vehicles, they discovered approximately 448 grams of methamphetamine, 751 grams of fentanyl and/or a fentanyl analogue (including 1,449 tablets marked as oxycodone), 226 grams of heroin, and 12 grams of cocaine; five firearms and ammunition; and $28,925 in drug proceeds.

These are the defendants’ second federal drug trafficking convictions in less than five years. Ruellas-Gonzalez was sentenced in 2018 to serve 24 months in prison for distributing heroin and cocaine and was deported to Mexico for the fourth time. Renteria was sentenced in 2018 to 46 months in prison and was released early under the First Step Act in January 2022.

Renteria pleaded guilty in August 2023 to possessing with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of fentanyl analogue and 100 grams or more of heroin. He was sentenced in January to 120 months in prison.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Detroit Division; announced the sentences imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Pakiz is representing the United States in this case.

This investigation 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. More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man who served as a campaign treasurer for more than 100 candidates since the 1980s has been charged with wire fraud related to stealing nearly $1 million in campaign funds.

William Curlis, 76, was charged by a bill of information that was filed today. The United States also filed a plea document in this case today, which will be considered by the Court at a future plea hearing.

According to the court documents, from 2008 until June 2023, Curlis defrauded candidates of approximately $995,231 of campaign funds.

Curlis allegedly wrote checks from the bank accounts of certain candidates and one PAC to himself for personal use. It is alleged the defendant transferred funds between campaign accounts without candidates’ knowledge to conceal the deficit he created.

Curlis sold his home in 2016, allegedly to cover the cost of campaign expenses, to include campaign media costs and account balances, to prevent the discovery of his theft.

“As the campaign treasurer and only signatory on numerous bank accounts, Curlis took advantage of his trusted position and wrote checks to himself from the accounts of multiple candidates and one PAC,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “I urge candidates, PACs, and businesses alike to protect themselves from future fraud by examining their accounting processes for vulnerabilities and other blind spots. Embezzlement is often committed by persons who take advantage of the victim’s trust, and I encourage everyone to reassess from time to time the safeguards they have in place."

“The long-running fraud perpetuated by Curlis negatively impacted dozens of political campaigns in Ohio,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola. “While Curlis stole from campaigns and worked to conceal his theft, the fraud scheme collapsed and he is now being held accountable.”

“Fraud and abuse will not be tolerated in Ohio,” said Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. “When our Public Integrity Division became aware of this matter, we immediately began investigating and referred our findings directly to federal law enforcement. We will continue working alongside our partners to bring bad actors to justice and to root out any criminality in campaigns and elections.”

“This defendant believed he could outsmart his clients by shuffling funds while skimming off the top – a scheme that worked for a while, but he couldn’t outwit law enforcement,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “Great work by BCI and our partners to unravel this embezzlement.”

Wire fraud is a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Southern Ohio Public Corruption Task Force, which includes agents and officers from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), Columbus Division of Police and Ohio Auditor’s Office. The Ohio Secretary of State’s office was also an integral part of the investigation.

Deputy Criminal Chief Jessica W. Knight is representing the United States in this case.

A bill of information is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The chief of the Coalton volunteer fire department pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to using more than $200,000 in fire department funds for personal expenses.

Johnny Baker, 37, of Wellston, Ohio, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud for the embezzlement, which included using fire department money to have items for his personal use shipped to his house via UPS.

Baker has worked for the volunteer fire department since 2009, filling various roles including secretary/treasurer, assistant fire chief, and as of January 2023, fire chief. Baker has been solely responsible for maintaining the department’s finances.

According to his court documents, from 2020 until 2023, Baker used a fire department credit card for personal expenses, including vacations and entertainment, sports tickets, a utility task vehicle, firearms, home utility payments, electronics and clothing. Baker was the sole user of the credit card during this time.

Baker admitted to paying the credit card bills with fire department funds that he raised from the local community through a pull-tab gaming system, which he initially implemented as a fundraiser. Several local businesses sold pull tabs to the community and sent the proceeds to Baker.

As part of his plea, Baker has agreed to pay approximately $226,000 in restitution.

Mail fraud is a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence, and sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division, announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorney David J. Twombly is representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Pike County deputy was sentenced in federal court here today to 100 months in prison for committing civil rights violations while employed as a law enforcement officer.

In August 2023, Jeremy C. Mooney, 49, was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of violating a victim’s constitutional rights by pepper spraying and punching the victim in the head, while the victim was in the custody of the Pike County Sheriff’s Office and posed no threat to himself or others. The jury found that Mooney’s offenses involved the use of a dangerous weapon and resulted in bodily injury.

“This defendant is being sentenced for the violent assault of an inmate who was confined to a restraint chair and unable to protect himself or escape from the abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “All people in our country have a right to be free from excessive force by law enforcement officers. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively prosecute any law enforcement officer who willfully violates the civil rights of the people they are sworn to protect and serve.”

“Communities trust in law enforcement officers to uphold the rule of law and, as public servants, they must honor that responsibility, not deprive individuals of their civil rights,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Law enforcement officials who abuse their powers like Mooney did will be held accountable.”

According to court documents and trial testimony, on Nov. 18, 2019, Mooney transported the victim from the jail to the Pike County Sheriff’s Office headquarters, where he placed the victim in a restraint chair. The restraint chair secured the victim’s hands behind his back and prevented him from being able to move most of his body. For more than an hour, Mooney unlawfully used force against the victim on several occasions.

Mooney dragged the victim — who was in the restraint chair — outside and pepper sprayed him directly in the face. The victim writhed in pain and tipped the chair back off the curb, landing on his back. Mooney then stood over the victim and deployed the pepper spray directly into the victim’s face a second time. Mooney brought the victim back inside the building and walked away. Over the course of several minutes, Mooney returned to that part of the building, where the victim was still handcuffed and secured in the restraint chair and punched the victim in the head 11 times. Mooney punched the victim with enough force to break his own hand.

A former Pike County Sheriff’s Office supervisor, William Stansberry Jr., 47, of Chillicothe, Ohio, was also charged. Stansberry violated the victim’s constitutional rights by willfully failing to intervene to prevent Mooney’s conduct. He pleaded guilty in July 2023 to deprivation of civil rights under color of law and was sentenced on March 5 to six months in prison. Stansberry was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release, with the first six months to be served under home detention.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and Trial Attorney Cameron A. Bell from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are representing the United States in this case.

# # #

A former Pike County, Ohio, Sheriff's Office deputy was sentenced today to 100 months in prison and three years of supervised release for federal civil rights violations involving excessive force.

In August 2023, Jeremy C. Mooney, 49, was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of violating a victim’s constitutional rights by pepper spraying and punching the victim in the head, while the victim was in the custody of the Pike County Sheriff’s Office and posed no threat to himself or others. The jury found that Mooney’s offenses involved the use of a dangerous weapon and resulted in bodily injury.

“This defendant is being sentenced for the violent assault of an inmate who was confined to a restraint chair and unable to protect himself or escape from the abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “All people in our country have a right to be free from excessive force by law enforcement officers. The Justice Department will continue to prosecute law enforcement officers who willfully violate the civil rights of the people they are sworn to protect and serve.”

“Communities trust in law enforcement officers to uphold the rule of law and, as public servants, they must honor that responsibility, not deprive individuals of their civil rights,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio. “Law enforcement officials who abuse their powers like Mooney did will be held accountable.”

“As a law enforcement officer, Mooney had a duty to protect the civil rights of everyone in his community,” said Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office. “By abusing a person in his custody, he violated his oath and federal law. The FBI will continue to hold accountable rogue officers who commit civil rights violations and use excessive force against those they are sworn to protect.”

According to court documents and trial testimony, on Nov. 18, 2019, Mooney transported the victim from the jail to the Pike County Sheriff’s Office headquarters, where he placed the victim in a restraint chair. The restraint chair secured the victim’s hands behind his back and prevented him from being able to move most of his body. For more than an hour, Mooney unlawfully used force against the victim on several occasions.

Mooney dragged the victim — who was in the restraint chair — outside and pepper sprayed him directly in the face. The victim writhed in pain and tipped the chair back off the curb, landing on his back. Mooney then stood over the victim and deployed the pepper spray directly into the victim’s face a second time. Mooney brought the victim back inside the building and walked away. Over the course of several minutes, Mooney returned to that part of the building, where the victim was still handcuffed and secured in the restraint chair, and punched the victim in the head 11 times. Mooney punched the victim with enough force to break his own hand.

A former Pike County Sheriff’s Office supervisor, William Stansberry Jr., 47, of Chillicothe, Ohio, was also charged. Stansberry violated the victim’s constitutional rights by willfully failing to intervene to prevent Mooney’s conduct. He pleaded guilty in July 2023 to deprivation of civil rights under color of law and was sentenced on March 5 to six months in prison. Stansberry was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release, with the first six months to be served under home detention.

The FBI Cincinnati Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate for the Southern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Cameron A. Bell of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to a drug crime and admitted to his role in the killing of a local man. The defendant is one of nearly two dozen individuals charged in a case involving a large-scale drug and human trafficking ring.

Dustin A. Speakman, 34, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances within 1,000 of an elementary school. As part of his plea, Speakman admitted to his role in the death of one victim which occurred during the time he was operating a drug distribution house. His plea includes a sentencing recommendation of 20 to 23 years in prison.

Speakman, who is also known as “Dawg,” is one of 23 defendants charged in a narcotics and human trafficking case that involves at least two deaths.

According to court documents, from 2008 until June 2022, lead defendants Patrick Saultz and Cordell Washington ran a large-scale drug trafficking organization in Columbus that included sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and money laundering.

Court documents detail that the drug trafficking organization brought large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, alprazolam and marijuana into Columbus. These drugs were sold or used to coerce individuals into sexual activity for some members of the drug ring and their profit.

Speakman joined the drug trafficking organization after being released from jail in 2022, where he was housed with Saultz. Speakman was a mid-level drug distributor for the group out of residences on South Ogden and South Warren.

As part of his guilty plea, Speakman admitted to severely beating one of his drug runners in May 2022 and then providing him with free drugs to make up for the attack. Witnesses said the male was beaten by Speakman and then given cocaine and fentanyl as compensation. Shortly after, the victim began to seize and foam at the mouth and did not respond to Narcan. The victim was driven to an alley near Grant Hospital where he was found unconscious by Columbus Fire Department personnel with severe trauma to the face and head. His cause of death was ultimately determined to be blunt force trauma caused by Speakman.

“Any loss of life is significant,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Our office will continue to work to hold perpetrators of illegal drug trafficking accountable and secure justice for victims of violent and drug-related deaths.”

As of today, 18 of the 23 defendants have pleaded guilty. One defendant, Carmela Brooks, has been sentenced and received a term of imprisonment of five years.

U.S. Attorney Parker commended the investigation coordinated by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant; Shawn Gibson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Other agencies that have assisted the task force with the investigation include the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, HIDTA Task Force, IRS-Criminal Investigation, FBI, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), Ohio National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, Pickerington Police Department, New Albany Police Department, and the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team.

Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Prichard and Emily Czerniejewski are representing the United States in this case.

This investigation 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. More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Canal Winchester man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 60 months in prison for making interstate threats to local law enforcement, court officials, businesses and schools.

Yousif Mubarak, 27, was convicted following a jury trial in August 2023 of seven counts of making interstate threats.

“Threats are more than mere words, they have significant consequences, as illustrated by the sentence imposed today,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker.

According to court documents and trial testimony, in September 2021, Mubarak made at least 87 threatening phone calls from the state of Washington, where he resided for a short time, to a Franklin County Municipal Court Judge who previously presided over his court case.

Mubarak told the Judge that he would find her, that he had private investigators following her and that she should watch for cars following her. Mubarak said, “I will find you even if that means I die,” and threatened to kill the Judge himself. In many of the messages, Mubarak identified himself by name and left his callback number.

Beginning on Sept. 12, 2021, and continuing until the early morning hours of Sept. 13, 2021, Mubarak also placed numerous threatening calls to businesses and schools in the Canal Winchester and Pickerington areas.

He called to make threats to employees at the Brew Dog, Home Depot and Best Western businesses in Canal Winchester.

On Sept. 12, 2021, at about 10pm, officers and agents with the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, Columbus Division of Police and FBI visited the last known address of Mubarak in Canal Winchester. Mubarak observed the officers in his Ring doorbell camera and taunted the officers throughout the interaction.

Twenty minutes later, Mubarak called a dispatcher in Fairfield County and told her, in part, “you can die” and “she would get two bullets in the head.” The defendant called the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office more than 100 times in a 12-hour span.

Around 7am on the morning of Sept. 13, 2021, Mubarak called in a bomb threat to Canal Winchester Middle School. He told a school employee: “I have placed several bombs in your building” and “I would get your women and children out now.”

Approximately 20 minutes later, Mubarak called Pickerington North High School and said there were two suicide bombers inside the school.

Mubarak was charged federally and arrested on Sept. 22, 2021. A federal grand jury indicted him in November 2021 and that indictment was superseded in June 2022.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Fairfield County Sheriff Alex Lape; and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica W. Knight and Jennifer M. Rausch are representing the United States in this case.

# # #

CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati-based healthcare staffing company has agreed to pay $9.25 million and to pledge an additional $8 million for related healthcare projects to resolve civil and criminal investigations into the company’s visa sponsorship program.

Health Carousel, LLC, is a privately held healthcare staffing company that offers workforce placements for healthcare professionals. Health Carousel recruits healthcare professionals including nurses and physical therapists who are foreign nationals to come to the United States to work through Passport USA, and the staffing company sponsors the individuals’ visa applications.

The global resolution resolves criminal fraud and civil False Claims Act allegations that Health Carousel submitted false visa immigrant applications and caused false statements to be made to government officials while recruiting nurses, physical therapists and other healthcare professionals to the United States. The allegations included that Health Carousel provided fraudulent job placement letters so that visas would be approved more quickly, even though individuals had not yet been placed with a specific health care facility.

As part of reaching a global resolution, the company has performed extensive remedial measures to address compliance gaps and pledged an additional $8 million to address harm caused by its prior practices.

This pledged commitment will be distributed to various non-governmental and non-profit organizations including:

• $3 million to promote the sustainability, development and ethical recruitment of healthcare professionals;
• $3 million to strengthen healthcare access and infrastructure in developing countries where Health Carousel recruits healthcare professionals;
• $750,000 to promote healthcare access in the United States for rural and underserved communities;
• $750,000 to support immigrant communities in the United States; and
• $500,000 to support public health projects in Central and Southern Ohio.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will ensure that companies that attempt to skirt immigration laws will be appropriately addressed,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Through these agreements, we ensure the financial accountability that Health Carousel faces will resolve both civil and criminal allegations and will improve healthcare access in underserved communities here in Ohio and across the United States, as well as in developing countries where Health Carousel operates.”

“It is essential for companies to follow the rules when it comes to recruiting workers to the United States,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Shawn Gibson. ”Given the inherent risks associated with working in the medical field, we need to ensure that there are no shortcuts, and everyone is held accountable under the law.”

This matter was investigated by agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, as well as the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Department of State, National Visa Center, Fraud Prevention Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Horwitz and Ebunoluwa Taiwo are representing the United States in these matters.

# # #

CINCINNATI – A Middletown man has been indicted for sexually exploiting a toddler. The defendant shared the alleged sexually explicit conduct on Snapchat.

A federal grand jury returned the indictment against Daveion Wright, 31, on March 20.

According to the indictment, on at least five instances in January 2024, Wright sexually exploited a 2-year-old victim and shared the explicit conduct on Snapchat.

Law enforcement officials ask members of the public to call the FBI at 513-979-8821 if you believe you have information related to victimization of other minors by Wright.

Sexually exploiting a minor is a federal crime punishable by 15 to 30 years in prison.

Wright has also been charged locally and those charges remain pending.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Cheryl Mimura, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division and Middletown Acting Police Chief Eric Crank announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A California man was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today to 51 months in prison for embezzling more than $10.2 million from his employer and violating orders of the Court in a related civil lawsuit against him.

Brinson Caleb Silver, 43, of Culver City, California, used his position as a high-level executive to create a scheme involving shell companies, inflated contracts and a stolen identity.

Silver pleaded guilty in November 2023 to one count each of wire fraud and contempt of court. As part of his sentence, Silver is ordered to pay more than $10.2 million in restitution.

According to court documents, Silver was the Chief Marketing Officer of Root, Inc., an online car insurance company based in Columbus. From November 2021 through November 2022, Silver entered into contracts with four vendors for marketing services. Silver directed the vendors to send a portion of their contract proceeds to bank accounts in the names of businesses that Silver owned and controlled. Those diverted payments totaled more than $10.2 million.

Silver used the millions he embezzled to buy a $1.4 million dollar yacht, a Mercedes-Benz G550 for nearly $165,000, an amphibious plane, luxury watches and other items.

As a result of his fraud scheme, in February 2023, Root sued Silver. As the civil case progressed, Silver violated multiple court orders. For example, he flouted an order entered by the Court in his civil suit that limited him to financial transactions no greater than $5,000. In addition, Silver failed to appear in court for a hearing related to his civil suit and instead spent lavishly while traveling the globe.

His expenditures in February and March 2023 violated the Court’s orders and include $20,000 on plastic surgery, nearly $25,000 at Indonesian businesses (including $8,000 at a luxury resort in Bali) and in withdrawals made in Indonesia, and more than $88,000 through PayPal to individuals. Silver also withheld from the Court information about a $1.8 million house he owned in California. Before the civil or criminal cases were filed, Silver also made two phone calls to an “international relocation” company and asked for citizenship within a country that would not extradite him to the United States, and a foreign bank account that the United States could not freeze.

Silver was charged criminally and arrested in June 2023. A grand jury indicted him in October 2023, and, in November 2023, a superseding information was filed to which he pleaded guilty.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Cheryl Mimura, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and David J. Twombly are representing the United States in this case.

# # #

CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati woman pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to committing Social Security number fraud. The defendant stole the identity of a deceased child and used it to avoid a pending criminal prosecution and to obtain thousands of dollars in government benefits.

Christina Vaskovsky, 56, pleaded guilty to five counts of Social Security number fraud. She was charged and arrested in November 2023.

According to court documents, Vaskovsky was indicted in Hamilton County in July 2008 for allegedly stealing $14,500 from her employer. Vaskovsky failed to appear at her trial scheduled in December 2008. A nationwide warrant was issued for her arrest.

In 2010, Vaskovsky obtained a new Ohio driver’s license using the name, date of birth and Social Security number of a child who was born the same year as Vaskovsky but who died in 1977.

The defendant then began using the child’s identity in a variety of contexts over a span of 13 years, including:

• Receiving $19,570 in food stamp benefits;
• Filing bankruptcy to discharge nearly $128,000 in debt;
• Obtaining Social Security disability benefits totaling nearly $39,000;
• Providing the false identity upon being arrested for shoplifting in Kentucky;
• Applying for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan;
• Receiving more than $11,600 in unemployment benefits;
• Obtaining Supplemental Security Income disability benefits totaling $4,833; and
• Receiving Medicare benefits under the stolen identity totaling more than $116,000.

The plea agreement recommends a sentence of 12 to 30 months in prison. As part of her plea, Vaskovsky has agreed to pay nearly $191,000 in restitution to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Social Security Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins. This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General with assistance from the USDA Office of Inspector General, Ohio BMV Investigations, Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Marshals Service. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Five individuals from Central Ohio have pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court to charges stemming from a narcotics conspiracy. The guilty pleas involve an overdose death, sex trafficking and money laundering.

A multi-agency law enforcement task force initially announced the case in July 2022 after a federal grand jury indicted 11 defendants for distributing bulk amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a Columbus elementary school. In October 2022, the government added 12 defendants and 28 new charges. 

According to court documents, from 2008 until June 2022, lead defendants Patrick Saultz and Cordell Washington ran a large-scale drug trafficking organization in Columbus that included sex trafficking, labor trafficking, fraud and money laundering.

Court documents detail that the drug trafficking organization brought large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, alprazolam and marijuana into Columbus. These drugs were sold or used to coerce individuals into sexual activity for some members of the drug ring and their profit.

It is alleged that Saultz began distributing heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine from his residences on Vida Place and South Hague Street in Columbus as early as 2008. The drug trafficking organization sold drugs out of more than 20 Columbus residences to customers and distributed larger amounts to regional drug traffickers who then trafficked those narcotics to places such as West Virginia and the Northern District of Ohio. Most of the alleged drug dealing took place within 1000 feet of Burroughs Elementary School in Columbus.

The defendants who pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr., on March 13 through today include:

Name

Age

City of residence

Tyler N. Bourdo

30

Columbus

Priscilla L. Washington

59

Columbus

Michael D. Burton

40

Columbus

Gabriel R. Smith, aka Gabe

36

Canal Winchester

Brittany A. Williams

38

Columbus

Bourdo admitted to distributing fentanyl and cocaine base that resulted in death, conspiring to commit sex trafficking, and conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances within 1,000 feet of an elementary school. Bourdo’s plea agreement includes a recommended sentence of 20 to 25 years in prison.

According to Bourdo’s plea agreement, on Oct. 14, 2021, an individual was found deceased in an alley between Bourdo’s primary residence and a drug distribution house. The woman was found with a needle in her hand and another needle in her pocket and had been dead for approximately 18 hours.

Further investigation revealed that, on Oct. 10, 2021, the woman had overdosed on crack cocaine and fentanyl at one of the organization’s drug houses that Bourdo supplied on North Warren. Witnesses on site immediately placed the woman in a bathtub and soaked her in cold water. The witnesses provided multiple rounds of Narcan, CPR and chest compressions, eventually resuscitating her. The woman left and, over the next 48 hours, met up with Bourdo on more than one occasion to get and use more drugs.

Video surveillance of the alley shows Bourdo walking to the deceased woman’s body just moments before police personnel arrived to attempt (unsuccessfully) to obtain her phone to prevent further investigation into her death.

As part of his plea, Bourdo admitted to coercing adult drug-addicted females into performing commercial sex acts by using violence as well as providing and then withholding or threatening to withhold narcotics and lodging.

Coconspirators used residences on Racine, South Eureka, South Ogden and North Ogden avenues, Vida Place and Chestershire Road for the drug-addicted females to reside in. Various women engaged in a cycle where they would be allowed to stay at one of the residences, receive a “get well” amount of drugs, go work the street and have sex for money in order to pay the debt from the small hit of drugs, and then be allowed to remain at the house. Some of the drug-addicted women brought in hundreds of dollars per day for the organization.

Bourdo entered his guilty plea before the court on March 13.

Priscilla Washington, drug ringleader Cordell Washington’s mother, was associated with the narcotics conspiracy for a number of years. She pleaded guilty today to using a facility in interstate commerce in aid of racketeering, a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison. Priscilla Washington often communicated with coconspirators via phone or internet, participating in the group’s illicit conduct, and allowed her home – which her son purchased for her in 2017 – to be a safe house for the lead defendants. When investigators searched Priscilla Washington’s home on Smith Road, they discovered 32 firearms, more than $143,000 in cash and bulk amounts of fentanyl and cocaine.

Burton pleaded guilty on March 13 to conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine within 1,000 feet of an elementary school (five to 80 years in prison) and illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon (up to 15 years in prison).

Burton became a source of supply for the conspiracy in 2021. He would provide bulk amounts of cocaine to the drug trafficking organization on a routine basis.

Gabriel Smith pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and alprazolam within 1,000 feet of an elementary school (five to 80 years in prison). Smith trafficked drugs on behalf of the organization, including in Morgantown, West Virginia. In addition, he was the group’s main source of supply for Perc30 pills.

Williams pleaded guilty on March 14 to conspiring to distribute controlled substances within 1,000 feet of an elementary school (one to 40 years in prison) and conspiring to launder money (up to 20 years in prison). Williams admitted to purchasing illegal narcotics on a daily basis. She participated in transporting drugs on behalf of the organization and collected rent checks from the defendants’ purported rental homes. Williams would collect the “rent” in cash each month and obtain cashier checks or money orders for the organization.

As part of this case, local, state, and federal law enforcement officers have executed more than 20 search warrants at various locations throughout Central Ohio and seized more than $1.7 million in alleged drug proceeds. For example, while executing a search warrant at Car-Go storage units, law enforcement officials discovered approximately one million in bulk United States currency. Searches of additional residences yielded 47 firearms, diamonds, Rolex watches and additional bulk amounts of cash.

As of today, 17 of the 23 defendants have pleaded guilty. One defendant, Carmella Brooks, has been sentenced and received a term of imprisonment of five years.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker commended the investigation coordinated by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant; Shawn Gibson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations; and Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Other agencies that have assisted the task force with the investigation include the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, HIDTA Task Force, IRS-Criminal Investigation, FBI, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), Ohio National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, Pickerington Police Department, New Albany Police Department, and the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team.

Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Prichard and Emily Czerniejewski are representing the United States in this case.

This investigation 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. More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Southwest Ohio man was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today to 24 months in prison for orchestrating an investment fraud scheme in Pike County and for failing to remit money withheld from employee paychecks to employee retirement funds.

Robert W. Walton, Jr., 55, of Loveland, Ohio, was also ordered to pay more than $8.6 million in restitution.

According to court documents, Walton committed two distinct financial crimes that resulted in a total loss of $8,657,603. He defrauded investors in a company he co-founded and stole retirement funds of its employees.

Walton engaged in a scheme to defraud investors of Hadsell Chemical Processing, LLC (HCP) and related entities. Walton was the president of HCP and fraudulently sought investments in the form of promissory notes from dozens of victim investors.

Walton claimed the notes were personally guaranteed by a prominent local business owner when in fact they were not. Walton repeatedly forged the business owner’s signature from 2012 through 2015 without the business owner’s authority on several loan documents and promissory notes.

Walton falsely represented his company’s future revenues from another business to be in the millions by creating fake invoices. The actual total legitimate business revenue HCP had with that other business was approximately $50,000. He provided the fake invoices to investors. Walton also provided investors with falsified profit and loss statements, including one that changed HCP’s net income from a loss of approximately $800,000 to a profit of nearly $395,000.

Walton also engaged in Ponzi-type activity by paying earlier investors with money received from new investors.

During part of his employment at HCP, Walton was responsible for approving the remittance of employee retirement funds to an employee benefit plan sponsored by HCP. Walton failed to remit approximately $53,000 withheld from employees’ paychecks, failing to transfer the funds into employee retirement funds.

Walton pleaded guilty in March 2023 to wire fraud and embezzling from employee benefit plans.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Cheryl Mimura, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cincinnati Division; and L. Joe Rivers, Regional Director, United States Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, Cincinnati Regional Office, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – A federal jury has convicted two Dayton men on all counts in a case involving the 2019 death of Dayton Police Detective and DEA Task Force Officer Jorge DelRio.

Nathan Goddard, 44, was found guilty of murder. He and Cahke Cortner, 44, were also found guilty of multiple narcotics and firearms crimes. Goddard was found guilty of seven total counts and Cortner of four.

The verdict was announced today following a trial that began on Feb. 26 before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman.

“Task Force Officer Jorge DelRio dedicated his life to protecting the great people of Dayton and DEA will be forever grateful that his passion for narcotics enforcement led him to us,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.  “TFO DelRio was a mentor and coach to many in law enforcement, and so much more at home as a husband, a father, and a friend.  Our hearts are heavy tonight after reliving the events of November 7, 2019, but more determined than ever to continue our mission of keeping Americans safe in his honor.  We will never forget his sacrifice.”

“We stand with the DelRio family and our law enforcement partners, and we recognize that DEA Task Force Officer Jorge DelRio sacrificed his life to protect this community. We will never forget his ultimate sacrifice,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “This case is a reminder that, as public servants, law enforcement officers do a dangerous job every day. Today’s guilty verdicts should also serve as a reminder to perpetrators of violent crime that we see these matters through to the end and we will hold you accountable.”

“The Dayton Police Department is pleased to see that the jury has found Nathan Goddard and Cahke Cortner guilty in the tragic shooting of Detective Jorge DelRio,” said Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal. “This verdict marks a significant step towards closure for Detective DelRio's loved ones, our department, and our community. We extend our gratitude to the U.S. Attorney's Office for their diligent efforts throughout this case. It is imperative that those who inflict harm in our community are held accountable, and we anticipate that the sentencing will reflect this principle.”

“Today’s verdict clearly illustrates the resolve of the federal government, state and local law enforcement, to hold accountable anyone who chooses to undermine the rule of law. It also brings some semblance of closure to the DelRio family,” said DEA Detroit Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene. “TFO Jorge DelRio made the ultimate sacrifice serving Dayton, a city to which he dedicated more than 30 years of his life as a law enforcement professional. TFO DelRio’s courage and dedication to the City of Dayton, the State of Ohio and the country will never be forgotten.”

“While we all continue to mourn the death of Detective Jorge DelRio, this verdict is an important step forward, holding accountable those who are responsible for his death,” stated FBI Cincinnati Acting Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Mimura. “Detective DelRio is a hero who gave his life protecting the community and he will never be forgotten.”

“These individuals are responsible for the death of Detective Jorge DelRio, who was working to keep our community safe from dangerous drug traffickers,” stated Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division. “As a Dayton Police Detective and DEA Task Force Officer, Det. DelRio was a selfless hero who gave his all, and ultimately his life, to protect the citizens of this nation. ATF is honored to have played a role in holding to account those responsible for Det. DelRio’s sacrifice. I hope this verdict brings some measure of closure to the family of Det. DelRio and sends a message to criminals that law enforcement will be relentless in our pursuit of justice.”

According to court documents and trial testimony, on Nov. 4, 2019, Goddard murdered Det. DelRio while Det. DelRio and others were executing a federal search warrant at 1454 Ruskin Road in Dayton.

During the execution of the search warrant, Det. DelRio and other officials announced themselves and entered the home at approximately 6:50pm. Det. DelRio descended the stairway to the basement of the residence, immediately came under gunfire from the basement, and was struck and killed.

As the government proved beyond a reasonable doubt at trial, from 2018 until November 2019, Goddard and Cortner participated in a narcotics conspiracy involving kilograms of fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana. The defendants kept firearms – including handguns fitted with laser sights – to protect the illegal drugs and their illicit proceeds.

In the residence they used, officials discovered 10 kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine, 50 to 60 pounds of marijuana, and more than $55,000 in cash.

Goddard and Cortner were originally charged in this case on Nov. 6, 2019, and were charged by superseding indictment in July 2022.

Goddard was convicted of murdering a federal law enforcement officer who was engaged in the performance of official duties, which is punishable by up to life in prison. He was also convicted of three counts of federal narcotics crimes (10 years up to life in prison), one count of intentionally killing someone while engaged in a drug crime (20 years up to life in prison), one count of discharging a firearm resulting in murder (10 years up to life in prison) and during a drug trafficking crime (10 years up to life in prison), and illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon (up to 10 years in prison).

Cortner was convicted of two counts of federal narcotics crimes (10 years up to life in prison), one count of participating in a drug trafficking crime that caused death (20 years up to life in prison), and one count of using a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

Their co-defendant Lionel Combs III, 45, pleaded guilty just before the start of trial to maintaining a drug premises, a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Congress sets the minimum and maximum statutory sentences. Sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the Court at future hearings based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal; Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Cheryl Mimura, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck, Jr. announced today’s verdict. U.S. Attorney Parker recognized the critical assistance of the Criminal Interdiction Team of Central Oklahoma (CITCO).

Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi, Assistant United States Attorneys Amy M. Smith and Christina E. Mahy, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claypoole from the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office are representing the United States in this case.

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CINCINNATI – A New York man was sentenced in federal court here today to 46 months in prison for possessing an unregistered incendiary device. The defendant took a two-hour flight to light a woman’s car on fire.

Farhan Jami, 29, of East Meadow, New York, constructed an incendiary device, placed it on top of a vehicle’s hood and ignited the device. The fire destroyed the vehicle and damaged the side of the nearby Butler County house, which was occupied at the time of the fire.

According to court documents, in May 2023, Jami flew from New York to Ohio and brought thermite (an incendiary powder) and sparklers with him on the flight.

In the early morning hours of May 16, 2023, Jami traveled to a residence in Butler County and constructed an incendiary device using the thermite, sparklers and a ceramic pot. He placed the device on the hood of a car at the home and lit the sparklers. He left as the fire began.

Home security footage showed Jami wearing a hat, surgical mask and gloves while placing and lighting the device before walking away.

While responding to the scene, officers located Jami in a vehicle nearby. His shirt and pants had red residue on them consistent with thermite. Officers also discovered the lighter, hat, mask and gloves used during the crime, as well as a bag of thermite.

Jami was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2023 and pleaded guilty in October 2023.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy S. Mangan and Ryan A. Keefe are representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged two Central Ohio women with crimes related to fraudulently receiving more than $2.8 million total in covid-relief funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Lorie A. Schaefer, 62, of Westerville, allegedly received nearly $1.9 million in covid-relief funds by fraudulently claiming an affiliation with an Ohio pizza company.

According to the indictment, Schaefer opened new bank accounts in December 2020 prior to registering a fictitious business name with the State of Ohio in March 2021.

It is alleged that Schaefer fraudulently claimed affiliation with the Flying Pizza restaurants in Dayton, Centerville and Fairborn. When notified that a PPP loan for nearly $1.9 million had been filed in the name of Flying Pizza, individuals at the family-owned business said their restaurants could not justify such a large loan.

Schaefer claimed to have 98 employees and allegedly submitted altered bank records as part of her application. Schaefer also claimed the business was established in March 2021, even though the original Flying Pizza was established in 1984. Additionally, she claimed not to be under indictment despite having pending theft charges in Meigs County. Schaefer allegedly attached multiple fraudulent documents to her PPP application, including a bank statement, tax records, and a letter from the IRS.

Bank records indicate Schaefer improperly used PPP funds for personal expenses, for example, nearly $26,000 on liposuction, a $10,000 check for a “newborn baby gift,” and more than $900,000 to purchase and renovate a condominium in Westerville. Schaefer also allegedly made purchases at Wayfair, Lamps Plus, Kroger, KFC, Burger King, Arby’s, McDonald’s and Olive Garden. Evidence also suggests Schaefer used the fraud proceeds to purchase vehicles in Ohio and property in Australia for her personal use.

Schaefer allegedly assisted co-defendant Latisha C. Holloway, 42, of Reynoldsburg, in fraudulently receiving more than $980,000 in PPP loans.

Holloway allegedly claimed to own a business called Jaguar Logistics, LLC. Holloway stated on loan application documents that she had 76 employees and had a total gross income of $4.9 million. Her loan application was submitted within a month of Schaefer receiving PPP loans and records indicate Holloway wired Schaefer $180,000 after receiving her own loan money. According to court records, Holloway similarly attached fraudulent documents to her PPP loan, including a bank statement and tax records.

Both defendants allegedly collected unemployment benefits after receiving federal covid-relief funds.

Finally, it is alleged that Schaefer used another individual’s Social Security Number to apply for and receive an additional $20,800 in PPP funds for “LS Associates,” a corporation established by Schaefer.

The indictment charges each woman with two counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and money laundering carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Schaefer and Holloway were arrested in August 2023 and originally charged at that time by criminal complaint.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the case, which was investigated by the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division. Assistant United States Attorney David J. Twombly is representing the United States in this case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man pleaded guilty in U.S. District to charges related to trafficking fentanyl and laundering the proceeds.

Nathaniel Williams, 44, admitted he possessed with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and committed money laundering. His plea agreement includes a recommended 10-year prison sentence.

According to court documents, in August 2023, Williams told an undercover agent that he had bulk amounts of cash from trafficking fentanyl and was looking for ways to transfer the money into the banking system.

Williams provided cash from his narcotics sales to the undercover agent, who then wired $15,120 of the funds into Williams’s bank account via a wire transfer. Williams withdrew $10,000 of the funds in cash a few days later.

On Oct. 18, 2023, agents discovered more than $44,000 in cash at Williams’s residence while executing a search warrant. Officials also recovered approximately 527 grams of fentanyl and fentanyl mixtures in a secret furniture compartment.

Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2023.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Karen Wingerd, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Cincinnati Field Office; and Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge announced the guilty plea entered on March 11 before U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.

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

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Prince Oduro, 34, of Westerville, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 102 months in prison for wire fraud and conspiring to commit money laundering.

As part of his sentence, Oduro will pay approximately $1.8 million in restitution.

After being arrested in this case, Oduro was initially released from custody. He continued to defraud a victim of romance fraud while on release, causing an additional $709,500 in loss.

According to court documents, Oduro was involved in multiple fraud and money laundering schemes for several years, including through his employment at a bank and via online romance scams.

In 2015, while Oduro worked for JPMorgan Chase Bank in Columbus, he stole a customer’s bank information before calling to gain access to the account and fraudulently opening a PayPal account. Oduro transferred a total of $12,500 of the customer’s money to the PayPal account before withdrawing it in cash for himself. He attempted an additional $8,000 transfer but it was denied.

In 2016 and 2017, Oduro stole the personal information of at least four other victims. He would then open PayPal accounts linked to the stolen information and use the accounts to launder the proceeds of online romance scams. In total, through March 2020, Oduro received and laundered at least $1 million in fraud proceeds.

Victims sent money to individuals who they believed needed a medical operation, had been an American soldier in Afghanistan, were building roads in Dubai, had access to gold or silver, or other schemes. Oduro then laundered the fraudulent proceeds.

For example, one victim was told her late husband had allegedly stored valuable artwork and other items in Atlanta. The story seemed plausible to the victim because her husband had traveled extensively. The victim sent a total of $390,300 to bank accounts controlled by Oduro to receive her husband’s purported assets.

When law enforcement executed a search warrant on Oduro’s phone, they found messages in his WhatsApp messenger stating:

“This is the only business in America I can do and make 20k in a month and not get arrested…I’m locating money, I’m not fraud anyone…It’s called money laundering.”

Oduro was arrested in February 2022 and pleaded guilty in January 2023.

After being arrested and even after pleading guilty, Oduro continued his romance fraud. Before his arrest, he had caused approximately $1.1 million in loss. He caused an additional $709,500 in loss after his arrest. After investigators discovered the fraud, Oduro was arrested in November 2023.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Karen Wingerd, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); and Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division; announced the sentence imposed on March 7 by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A large-scale narcotics trafficker was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 108 months in prison for drug and gun crimes and wire fraud.

Dylan D. Polk, 31, of Grove City, was charged federally in October 2022.

Polk, who is also known as “Dunk,” pleaded guilty the evening before his jury trial was scheduled to begin in October 2023.

According to court documents, in October 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant at a property associated with Polk. During the search, they discovered more than a kilogram of fentanyl and a bulk amount of cocaine. Investigators also discovered five firearms, including a converted Glock-pistol fully automatic weapon and an AR style rifle.

As a previously convicted felon, Polk was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Additionally, Polk committed fraud related to employment assistance and pandemic relief assistance. He fraudulently collected public employment assistance funds although he was not working. Specifically, Polk reported income from Our Lady of America Farms in 2020; however, records indicate that company was dissolved in 2018. Polk also claimed to be a barber for three years and, in 2020, received more than $12,000 in pandemic unemployment assistance. Polk was incarcerated from 2016 until 2020 and not employed.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General announced the sentence imposed today by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy D. Prichard and S. Courter Shimeall are representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The final of 11 defendants convicted of crimes as part of a national narcotics distribution operation bringing drugs into Central Ohio from California was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today.

The organization was led by Isabel Odir Castellanos, of Los Angeles, and involved the seizure of 76 kilograms of fentanyl, as well as the seizure and forfeiture of seven firearms, vehicles and nearly $650,000 in cash. Castellanos was sentenced in June 2023 to 21 years in prison.

Today, co-defendant Justin M. Berrien, 44, of Springfield, Ohio, was sentenced to 70 months in prison.

The defendants were arrested in June 2022.

According to court documents, Castellanos transported narcotics from Los Angeles to Columbus via semi-truck. Castellanos is a business owner of a transportation company and a semi-truck driver who frequently travels across the United States.

Castellanos delivered the narcotics to a co-defendant’s residence in Columbus, which served as a stash house. Co-conspirators then delivered the drugs to mid-level retail distributors like Berrien. Those mid-level retailers then sold the drugs in Central Ohio, Youngstown, Springfield, and in West Virginia.

Castellanos would then collect the drug proceeds before returning to California.

Many of the individual drug transactions charged involve tens of thousands of dollars. For example, one drug transaction detailed in an affidavit describes a co-defendant transporting 5,000 fentanyl pills to another co-defendant’s home in Columbus in exchange for $36,000.

The other defendants in this case include:

Name

Age

City of residence

Sentence imposed

Susana M. Orellana

41

Columbus

87 months in prison

Martel D. Owens

40

Springfield

72 months in prison

Jermaine A. Peterson

39

Springfield

60 months in prison

Kelvin Battle

49

Springfield

60 months in prison

Carl Jenkins

55

Wadestown, W.Va.

60 months in prison

Dwayne S. Childs

35

Columbus

48 months in prison

James I. Sheets

51

Fairview, W.Va.

30 months in prison

Darrell Peterman Sr.

62

Youngstown

24 months in prison

Linda M. Houle

49

Springfield

Three years supervised release

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced the sentence imposed today by Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio State Highway Patrol and Springfield Police Department assisted in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Hunter is representing the United States in this case.

This investigation was conducted as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiative. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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CINCINNATI – The former vice president of a Cincinnati nonprofit and manager of a purported staffing corporation was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 36 months in prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Teela Gilbert, 37, of Cincinnati, served as the vice president, academic affairs advisor and office manager of Hope 4 Change, a nonprofit organization that provided housing and care for adults with developmental disabilities, drug addiction problems and mental disorders.

She also managed the operations of Black Wall Street Cooperative, a corporation registered with the state of Ohio that purported to create employment and business opportunities for low-income individuals.

Gilbert and co-defendant Barry Rene Isaacs – the founder, owner, CEO and president of Hope 4 Change and founder of Black Wall Street Cooperative – induced payments for false invoices to a company.

Specifically, Gilbert submitted more than 30 fraudulent invoices totaling approximately $246,000 for services not actually performed by Black Wall Street Cooperative. Her fraudulent invoices named individuals who did not work for the corporation, including the identity of one woman who had died in 2019.

According to co-defendant Isaacs’s court documents, Hope 4 Change withheld FICA taxes from its 120 to 180 employees’ paychecks but did not pay over the employment taxes to the IRS for five quarters in late 2013 and 2014.  Isaacs also fraudulently applied for an auto loan and credit card using someone else’s social security account number.

Isaacs caused Hope 4 Change to spend thousands of dollars for clothing, massages, beauty care, travel and personal vehicles for Isaacs and Gilbert and their family. He was sentenced in November 2021 to 48 months in prison.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Karen Wingerd, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office; and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General announced the sentence imposed on March 5 by U.S District Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorney Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo is representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A father and son were sentenced in U.S. District Court to serve 24 years and eight years in prison, respectively, for trafficking multiple kilograms of methamphetamine.

Eric Dewayne Turner, Jr., 33, was sentenced in federal court today to 97 months in prison. His father, Eric Dewayne Turner, Sr., 50, was sentenced in federal court on Jan. 16 to 290 months in prison.

Turner, Sr. led a drug trafficking organization and sold large quantities of methamphetamine to undercover agents on four occasions. These controlled purchases, plus a fifth transaction that was not completed, involved nearly eight kilograms of pure methamphetamine.

Turner, Sr. pleaded guilty in May 2023 to the six counts with which he was charged in a bill of information.

He admitted his guilt to four counts of distributing methamphetamine, one count of possessing with intent to distribute the drug and one count of illegally possessing a firearm after a prior felony conviction.

Turner, Jr. conspired with his father and others from September 2022 through January 2023 to distribute and possess with intent to distribute the narcotics. Turner, Jr. personally participated in two of the drug transactions, transporting packages of methamphetamine for his father to sell to the undercover agents. 

When the son was arrested, he possessed more than $16,000 in suspected drug trafficking proceeds.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Detroit Division; announced the sentences imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson. Deputy Criminal Chief Brian J. Martinez is representing the United States in this case.

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DAYTON, Ohio – Jayon Everett Perrin, 22, of Dayton, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 32 months in prison for unlawfully possessing stolen mail.

According to court documents, in October 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perrin’s Dayton apartment and discovered a postal service key, a United States Postal Service logo jacket, $6,000 in cash, more than 500 checks, and approximately 15 debit or credit cards.

The checks had payable amounts ranging from approximately 50 cents to $282,000. The stolen mail also included sensitive forms and documents, such as a federal tax return, payment slips for medical and dental bills, and a loan-forgiveness application.

Perrin also possessed equipment and supplies for cloning debit and credit cards and altering stolen checks.

Perrin was charged federally in October 2022 and pleaded guilty in September 2023.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division, announced the sentence imposed on March 5 by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Walter H. Rice. Assistant United States Attorneys Rob Painter and Elizabeth L. McCormick are representing the United States in this case.

 

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