Southern District of Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Darren M. Kamnitzer, 45, of Blacklick, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 300 months in prison for producing child pornography.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Joseph M. Deters, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler, and other members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison.

 

According to court documents, in September 2018, law enforcement in Switzerland received information that Kamnitzer, using the Twitter handle “jacobauditions,” had contacted a 10-year-old girl and convinced her to send him multiple sexually explicit photographs and videos of herself.

 

Kamnitzer was posing as the manager for Jacob Sartorious, an American teenage singer and internet personality.  The defendant asked the girl if she wanted to audition to be in a music video with Sartorious and told her if she completed all the requirements of the audition, she and a parent would be flown to California, where the music video would be produced.

 

Kamnitzer initially requested photographs of the girl clothed, then instructed her to take photographs in a bikini, and eventually coerced her into sending him nude videos focused on her genitalia and anus. The defendant assured the girl that it was all part of the audition and that all the other participants had done it.

 

When Swiss authorities learned of the activity, they contacted Twitter, who shut down Kamnitzer’s account. Twitter also submitted a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the FBI became involved in the case.

 

The FBI traced the IP address used to a computer at the Worthington Public Library. Kamnitzer was employed as the Network Administrator for the library and was at work on at least two occasions when he reached out to the victim via his Twitter account. A search warrant executed at Kamnitzer’s residence revealed evidence that he had communicated with other minors online.

 

In April 2019, Kamnitzer waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a bill of information.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Heather A. Hill, who is representing the United States in this case. 

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Today the government will unseal charges against an individual who allegedly conspired to ship thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, via sea and land, through Central America and Mexico to the United States.

 

 

 

The briefing will be held:

 

TODAY: FRIDAY, OCT. 25, 2019

 

WHEN:           1 P.M.

 

WHERE:         U.S. Attorney’s Office

                        Main Conference Room

                        303 Marconi Blvd. Suite 200

                        Columbus, Ohio 43215

 

WHO:             U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman

                        Mauricio Jimenez, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, DEA

                        Lt. Col. Kevin Teaford, Ohio State Highway Patrol

                       

                                               

 

 

Room available beginning at 12:45 P.M. No TV lighting provided. ID and valid media credential will be required for entrance at Security.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Guatemalan man was extradited to the United States in connection to a narcotics case in the Southern District of Ohio.

 

Francisco Golon-Valenzuela, 40, was extradited from Panama and arrived at John Glenn International Airport late yesterday. He is scheduled to appear before United States Magistrate Judge Chelsey M. Vascura at 1:30 pm today.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Keith Martin, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Richard S. Fambro announced the charges.

 

Golon-Valenzuela, also known as “El Toro,” was indicted in September 2018 and his charges were unsealed today. Specifically, Golon-Valenzuela is charged with conspiring to distribute at least five kilograms or more of cocaine on the high seas, a federal crime punishable by 10 years up to life in prison.

 

According to the indictment, Golon-Valenzuela conspired with others to ship thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, via sea and land, through Central America and Mexico to the United States.

 

The indictment details that as part of the conspiracy individuals would use “load” coordinators to assist with logistics of cocaine shipments, locate drivers and boat operators for narcotic-laden vehicles and vessels, and secure shared investments from multiple co-conspirators in specific cocaine shipments.

 

Fishermen and other commercial maritime laborers were allegedly recruited by conspirators to transport cocaine and refueling vessels.

 

Conspirators allegedly paid a “tax” or “fee” to send cocaine through areas controlled by a different drug trafficking organization or cartel.

 

Members of the conspiracy allegedly shared information on the activities and locations of law enforcement and military personnel assigned to interdict narcotics shipments. It is alleged co-conspirators also sheltered individuals who were at risk of extradition to other countries.

 

Low-level co-conspirators would allegedly take responsibility for an entire load of seized cocaine in order to free higher-level members.

 

Cocaine shipments seized in this case thus far include:

• 880 kilograms of cocaine seized by the United States Coast Guard near the Guatemalan/Mexico border on May 19, 2016;
• 720 kilograms of cocaine seized by the United States Coast Guard northwest of the Galapagos Islands on Aug. 18, 2017; and
• 34 kilograms of cocaine seized by the Guatemalan Policia National Civil in San Marcos, Guatemala on or about Nov. 26, 2017.

Four defendants were transported to Ohio for prosecution in September 2017, following the 720 kilogram seizure near the Galapagos Islands. That seizure alone included more than 1,584 pounds of cocaine, equaling an approximate street value of $25 million.

 

This investigation remains ongoing.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the DEA and Ohio State Highway Patrol, and Assistant United States Attorneys David M. DeVillers and Jonathan J.C. Grey, who are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division handled the extradition in this matter.

 

An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged Baris A. Koch, 30, of Dayton, with misprision of a felony and making false statements.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Joseph M. Deters, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, and Vance Callander, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), announced the charges returned this week.

 

In July 2019, Baris’ brother Izmir A. Koch was sentenced to 30 months in prison following his conviction for committing a hate crime and lying to federal agents.

 

According to the indictment in this case, 10 days later, Baris Koch obtained a duplicate driver’s license from the Ohio BMV, claiming he had lost his previous license.

 

Izmir Koch was ordered to report to a federal correctional institute on Aug. 16 and he failed to report.

 

On Aug. 21, Baris Koch obtained yet another duplicate driver’s license from the Ohio BMV, claiming again that he had lost his previous driver’s license.

 

FBI and HSI agents later discovered, according to court documents, that on Aug. 9, Izmir Koch crossed into Mexico by foot, posing as his brother. Izmir Koch used Baris Koch’s United States passport to fly from a Mexican airport to Europe, where he eventually made his way to Russia. Baris and Izmir Koch both previously resided in Russia and have held Russian passports. The United States and Russia do not have an extradition treaty.

 

Mail records show that several days later, on Aug. 16, Baris Koch received a package from a “Baris Ali Koch” at a Russian address with an official label describing the contents as “PASSPORT, COPIES OF DOCUMENTS.” The real Baris Koch did not travel outside the United States during this timeframe.

 

When the FBI interviewed Baris Koch on Sept. 11, he allegedly told the agents that he had last seen Izmir Koch on Aug. 9, and that he had no knowledge regarding his brother’s possible whereabouts. It is alleged Baris Koch likewise failed to mention that, days after his brother’s disappearance, he received a package purportedly sent from himself in Russia with passports inside it.

 

The defendant allegedly failed to report knowledge of a felony offense, namely, aggravated identity theft by misuse of a U.S. passport, and concealed that fact from FBI agents.

 

He is charged with one count of misprision of a felony, a federal crime punishable by up to three years in prison, and one count of making false statements to federal agents, which carries a potential maximum sentence of five years in prison.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI and HSI, as well as Special Assistant United States Attorney Kelly K. Rossi, who is prosecuting the case.

 

An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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CINCINNATI — The United States charged a Mexican man in a three-count superseding indictment with intent to distribute cocaine and more than 400 grams of fentanyl, as well as illegally re-entering the United States after having been previously deported.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Field Office Director Rebecca Adducci, announced the superseding indictment returned yesterday.

 

Luis Tapia, 27, was arrested at a Cincinnati residence on Sept. 13. At the time of his arrest, Tapia attempted to escape from a second-floor window onto the roof. He eventually retreated into the house and locked himself in a closet. Special Response Team agents then forcibly entered the home and apprehended Tapia. He has remained in custody since.

 

In August 2019, Tapia fled from law enforcement during a routine traffic stop. Before fleeing the stop, Tapia falsely identified himself as his brother, who is legitimately in the country under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. Tapia is ineligible to remain in the country under DACA due to his previous felony convictions. Further investigation uncovered a photograph of Tapia illegally reentering the country at a border checkpoint.

 

According to ICE records, Tapia had been previously removed to Mexico nine times between 2012 and 2019. After each removal, he illegally reentered the United States. Tapia was most recently deported on April 25, 2018.

 

Reentry of a removed alien is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Possessing more than 400 grams of fentanyl with the intent to distribute carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, with a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by ICE, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Cincinnati and Norwood police departments, as well as Special Assistant United States Attorney Kelly K. Rossi, who is prosecuting the case.

 

An indictment should not be considered as evidence of guilt; all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Central Ohio man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today for exporting gas and oil pipeline parts to Iran for more than a decade in deliberate violation of a U.S. embargo and trade sanctions.

 

Behrooz Behroozian, 64, of Columbus, was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Joseph M. Deters, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Douglas R. Hassebrock, Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce, announced the sentence handed down today by Senior U.S. District Judge James L. Graham.

 

Behroozian was born in Iran in 1955 and entered the United States in 1976. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1987.

 

According to the sentencing memorandum filed in this case, Behroozian used an intermediary company, Sumar Industrial Equipment, to attempt to cover-up that he was illegally supplying industrial equipment to Iran in violation of the Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

 

Behroozian exported manifolds, valves and connectors used for industrial pipelines in the gas and oil refinement industry to Iran via Sumar and profited $35,000 to $40,000 per year. This violated embargo and trade sanctions, which have been imposed upon Iran by the United States since May 1995.

 

In November 2006, Behroozian became the owner and operator of a computer parts supplier in Dublin, Ohio called Comtech International. Comtech had no storefront and made no domestic sales. It seldom exported computer parts. Instead, Comtech primarily exported industrial equipment to Sumar in the United Arab Emirates for further exportation to Iran.

 

“Behroozian profited financially by strengthening the economy of one of the world’s most infamous state sponsors of terrorism,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “The parts obtained by Behroozian benefited the Iranian gas and petrochemical industry. Not only did Behroozian’s crimes diminish the effectiveness of American trade sanctions, but they also undermined America’s national security.”

 

“Behrooz Behroozian willfully violated export control laws by sending dual-use items to Iran, furthering their military and economic capabilities,” stated FBI Cincinnati Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Deters. “The sentencing today is an example of the FBI's commitment to partnering with other U.S. government agencies to vigorously enforce laws designed to keep sensitive items out of the hands of nations and individuals hostile to the U.S. The FBI will continue these efforts to protect our national security and stop the illegal export of protected information and technology.”

 

“For over a decade, Behrooz Behroozian repeatedly violated export control laws and aided Iranian entities in procuring controlled components that have both commercial and military uses in deliberate violation of a U.S. embargo and trade sanctions.  With this sentence, he will be held accountable for circumventing critical U.S. laws designed to protect our national security interests,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Douglas R. Hassebrock.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the FBI and U.S. Department of Commerce, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Douglas W. Squires, Timothy J. Prichard and S. Courter Shimeall and Department of Justice National Security Division Trial Attorney Will Mackie, who are representing the United States in this case. 

 

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A Central Ohio man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today for exporting gas and oil pipeline parts to Iran for more than a decade in deliberate violation of a U.S. embargo and trade sanctions.

Behrooz Behroozian, 64, of Columbus, was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

“For years, this defendant deliberately sought to defeat and evade the Iranian sanctions for personal gain while supplying critical equipment to the Iranian industrial complex.  As this case demonstrates, the desire for specialized American technology and the willingness to illegally supply it to hostile countries are very real and ever present,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.  “The Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners remain committed to identifying, disrupting, and prosecuting this kind of criminal conduct.”

“Behroozian profited financially by strengthening the economy of one of the world’s most infamous state sponsors of terrorism,” said Benjamin C. Glassman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.  “The parts obtained by Behroozian benefited the Iranian gas and petrochemical industry.  Not only did Behroozian’s crimes diminish the effectiveness of American trade sanctions but they also undermined America’s national security.”

“Behoorz Behroozian willfully violated export control laws by sending dual-use items to Iran, furthering their military and economic capabilities,” stated FBI Cincinnati Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Deters.  “The sentencing today is an example of the FBI's commitment to partnering with other U.S. government agencies to vigorously enforce laws designed to keep sensitive items out of the hands of nations and individuals hostile to the U.S.  The FBI will continue these efforts to protect our national security and stop the illegal export of protected information and technology.”

“For over a decade, Behrooz Behroozian repeatedly violated export control laws and aided Iranian entities in procuring controlled components that have both commercial and military uses in deliberate violation of a U.S. embargo and trade sanctions.  With this sentence, he will be held accountable for circumventing critical U.S. laws designed to protect our national security interests,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Douglas R. Hassebrock.

Behroozian was born in Iran in 1955 and entered the United States in 1976. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1987.

According to the sentencing memorandum filed in this case, Behroozian used an intermediary company, Sumar Industrial Equipment, to attempt to cover-up that he was illegally supplying industrial equipment to Iran in violation of the Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). 

Behroozian exported manifolds, valves and connectors used for industrial pipelines in the gas and oil refinement industry to Iran via Sumar and profited $35,000 to $40,000 per year.  This violated embargo and trade sanctions imposed upon Iran by the United States in May 1995.

In November 2006, Behroozian became the owner and operator of a computer parts supplier in Dublin, Ohio, called Comtech International.  Comtech had no storefront and made no domestic sales. It seldom exported computer parts.  Instead, Comtech primarily exported industrial equipment to Sumar in the United Arab Emirates for further exportation to Iran.

Assistant Attorney General Demers and U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the FBI and U.S. Department of Commerce, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Douglas W. Squires, Timothy J. Prichard and S. Courter Shimeall and Department of Justice National Security Division Trial Attorney Will Mackie, who are representing the United States in this case. 

WASHINGTON – United States Attorney General William P. Barr recognized two attorneys from the Southern District of Ohio as part of the 67th Annual Attorney General’s Awards Ceremony today.

 

Deputy Criminal Chief Brenda S. Shoemaker and Assistant United States Attorney Andrew M. Malek were two of 11 individuals to receive the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service, the second highest award for employee performance.

 

Shoemaker and Malek were part of the team that played a key role in targeting South Korean oil companies that rigged bids and defrauded the U.S. Department of Defense.

 

Throughout the course of a conspiracy that lasted more than a decade, five South Korean oil companies conspired to raise the price of key contracts that provided fuel on U.S. military bases in South Korea.

 

The team obtained guilty pleas from five companies and criminal fines, civil penalties and damages to the United States totaling more than $350 million.

 

“Andy Malek and Brenda Shoemaker are fantastic AUSAs, and this recognition is well warranted. Working together with the Antitrust and Civil Divisions of the Department of Justice and with our law enforcement partners, AUSAs Malek and Shoemaker have demonstrated our ability and resolve to reach around the world to hold accountable those who defraud the United States military. I’m proud of their work,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said.

 

In total, 295 department employees were recognized for their distinguished public service. Sixty-two other individuals outside of the department were also honored for their work. 

 

This year’s program honors individuals across the department and our federal, state, local, and tribal partners for their self-less efforts, protecting our national security and our civil rights, addressing rising violent crime in our communities, going after gangs and those trafficking in dangerous narcotics and human beings. The awards also honor the work of civil and environmental litigation, which enforces the rule of law and upholds our Constitution. They also recognize employees whose ideas and efforts save taxpayer dollars and help our government operate more effectively and efficiently, among other contributions to public safety and good governance.

 

The annual ceremony recognizes employees and other individuals who have demonstrated exceptional achievements, leadership, and service to the Department of Justice and the American people.

 

“Our greatest strength in our fight for justice is our people – the thousands of men and women who have dedicated their careers, often at great personal sacrifice, to working for justice in America,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “As we reflect on the contributions of each of the 357 individuals we honor today, we should hold them up as examples of excellence that continue to inspire our own commitment, and also as reminders of the professionalism and the qualities exhibited throughout the Department.”

 

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DAYTON – James Jamar Warren, 33, of Dayton, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 77 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Joseph Deters, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, Jonathan McPherson, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Thomas M Rose.

 

According to court documents, investigators from the RANGE Task Force served a search warrant at Warren’s west Dayton residence on March 27, 2019. They found two handguns, a rifle and more than 50 rounds of ammunition. Investigators checked Warren’s criminal history and determined that he had been convicted in Montgomery County in 2008 of felonious assault and drug trafficking. Federal law prohibits people with felony convictions from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.

 

Agents arrested Warren on April 1. He has been in custody since his arrest. Warren pleaded guilty on July 8 to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

 

After Warren completes his prison sentence, he will remain under court supervision for three years. The court also ordered Warren to forfeit the firearms and ammunition.

 

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the FBI Southern Ohio Safe Streets Task Force, the ATF and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Hunt, who is representing the United States in this case. 

 

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CINCINNATI – United States Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman, 44, of Greater Cincinnati, has announced his resignation effective 3pm on Nov. 1.

 

Glassman, a graduate of Rice University and Harvard Law School, joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2005. After becoming Acting United States Attorney in March 2016, he has served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio since his appointment to that position by Attorney General Loretta Lynch in October 2016. He previously served as First Assistant United States Attorney, Acting Criminal Chief and Appellate Chief.

 

The office increased its total productivity every year during Glassman’s tenure. A chart of some of the most significant or noteworthy cases pursued under his leadership is attached.

 

These include the United States’ first-ever indictment and extradition of an alleged Chinese intelligence officer for attempted economic espionage, a prosecution for racketeering of the Ohio clique of MS-13 that has resulted in a life sentence for its leader, one of only two criminal cases in the nation against an opioid wholesaler and its executives, prosecutions arising out of several of the most significant financial frauds in the history of Ohio and West Virginia, the first-ever federal carfentanil-trafficking case, criminal civil rights prosecutions for hate crimes and other offenses under color of state law, crimes of public corruption, and far-reaching investigations and prosecutions for exploitation of the most vulnerable.

 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office also devoted increased resources and attention to federal civil rights laws, and has led significant civil litigation to enforce the guarantees of the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

 

Glassman sought to address the opioid crisis and violent crime not only by devoting resources to those areas but also by building and leveraging partnerships among law enforcement at all levels of government.

 

The office developed task-force approaches to combatting opioid distribution, appointed prosecutors specifically for enforcement in that area, and partnered with the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice to multiply effectiveness.

 

Beginning in 2016, the office created violent crime working groups among law enforcement and prosecuting agencies to share intelligence and analytics, and to strategize the most effective ways to address those individuals responsible for a disproportionate share of violence.

 

Prevention efforts in these areas included outreach to middle and high school populations regarding opioid addiction and the student pledge against gun violence.

 

The district also completed call-in programs for high-risk probationers in all three seats of court and worked with the United States Probation Office to build programs to improve the reentry of citizens completing prison sentences.

 

Current data show that both fatal overdoses and violent crime in the district are declining.

 

During his tenure as United States Attorney, Glassman served on the Terrorism and National Security Subcommittee of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, as well as the Department of Justice’s Heroin & Opioid, Health Care Fraud, Domestic Terrorism, and MS-13 Working Groups.  He is a member of the interagency Domestic Terrorism Executive Committee and currently chairs the executive board of the Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Glassman also personally litigated cases at both the trial and appellate levels and was the first in the last twenty years to try a criminal case in this district to verdict while serving as U.S. Attorney.

 

Law enforcement and community partners offered the following statements:

 

United States Marshal Pete Tobin

“Ben Glassman has a tremendous energy and enthusiasm for his work. He has been quick to publicly recognize the great work of law enforcement personnel in many agencies. He has always taken time to talk with any of us when we needed a word. Always with a smile, always with kindness, always a gentleman, he has created a special atmosphere among all of us in law enforcement within our district. He will be sorely missed by all of us.”

 

Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl

“I have known Ben Glassman for nearly two decades and have been impressed with his career progression as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and most recently as the U.S Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. In the past few years, the Dayton Police Department has worked closely with Ben Glassman and his prosecutorial team on enforcement strategies to address the opioid epidemic crisis in the Miami Valley that involved key arrests and prosecutions, helping to curtail the illicit drug market that had led to the largest number of overdose deaths regionally and nationally that I have witnessed in more than 40 years of law enforcement and community safety service.  The recent federal charges filed against nineteen individuals for drug offenses related to the trafficking of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin involving a regional drug ring is just one example. Also, U.S Attorney Glassman and his staff provided significant investigative support via expedited search warrants to examine digital evidence related to the suspect in the Oregon District mass shooting. 

 

I have always been impressed with Ben’s professionalism, dedication to public service, and support of local, state and federal law enforcement partners in the pursuit of public safety and community justice. We will miss his great skill and dedication that has been of such great service to our community and the Miami Valley region!”

 

DEA Operational Support Assistant Administrator Tim Plancon

“Mr. Glassman has been a staunch ally of DEA’s efforts as we work to combat drug trafficking in Southern Ohio and the violence and devastation that inevitably follows. He is a tremendous prosecutor who has always focused on public safety and safeguarding Ohians.”

 

DEA Special Agent in Charge Keith Martin

“Under U.S. Attorney Glassman’s leadership this past summer, we saw the indictment of two executives of a now defunct wholesale drug distributor that was flooding the Appalachian region with millions of units of opioids. This historical step of holding a distributor accountable is just one example of his commitment to justice.”

 

IRS-CID Special Agent in Charge, Chicago Field Office, Kathy A. Enstrom

“From the moment Ben Glassman became the U.S. Attorney for Southern Ohio, he was dedicated to ensuring the most egregious criminals were investigated and brought to justice. The support that IRS Criminal Investigation received from Ben and his office demonstrated his commitment to ensuring tax and money laundering criminals were brought to justice.  It was an honor and pleasure to work alongside Ben during my time as Special Agent in Charge of the Cincinnati Field Office.”

 

Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac

“U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman and the entire staff of the Southern District of Ohio have been amazing partners with the Cincinnati Police Department during Mr. Glassman’s tenure and we greatly appreciate his leadership. Under Attorney Glassman's leadership there have been several critical cases that have led to the successful prosecution of priority offenders who were causing significant harm to our community through gun violence and illicit drug trafficking.  It has been a privilege to work with Attorney Glassman and we look forward to our continued collaboration with the Southern District of Ohio.”

 

Kim Jacobs, former Columbus Police Chief

"U.S. Attorney Ben Glassman epitomizes professionalism and integrity. He put country and community first and ensured that violent criminals were investigated and charged in accordance wih the law and justice. He was humble and effective at the same time."

 

Washintgon County Sheriff Larry Mincks

"It has been my pleasure to work with Ben for the last several years. Ben was the only U.S. Attorney who frequently visited Washington County and assisted us in criminal investigations. He utilized the assets of his office to prosecute criminals violating federal statutes who otherwise would have gone untouched. It was satisfying to know the federal government had an interest in our small community."

Jackie Congedo, Director, Jewish Community Relations Council of Cincinnati

“U.S. Attorney Glassman has been a true partner in the work of securing all faith communities in southwest Ohio. In the Jewish community, we are particularly grateful for his courageous, thorough, and precedent-setting prosecution of hate crime—sending a strong and urgent message that crime motivated by bias will not be tolerated. During a time when incidents of antisemitism and other forms of hate are on the rise, U.S. Attorney Glassman’s commitment to the cause of justice for targeted communities has been nothing short of critical, and we are truly grateful for his service.”

 

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Significant cases

DAYTON – The owner of a Springfield gun store whose falsified records showed he was selling guns to a deceased individual was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 18 months in prison.

 

James A. Mayhugh, Jr., 61, of Springfield, Ohio, falsified firearms sales records for more than 200 gun sales. Mayhugh lied in his records concerning the identity of the purchaser and then actually sold the firearms to unknown individuals on the black market. A least two of the 248 weapons were later discovered by law enforcement officers out of state while executing search warrants.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Jonathan McPherson, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice.

 

Mayhugh owned and operated Jim’s Sports in Springfield. According to court documents, ATF Industry Operation Investigators (IOI) noticed unusual trends in Mayhugh’s sales records. Identical firearm sales to an identical group of individuals had been recorded between 2008 and 2018. Also, while federal law required the purported purchaser to personally complete and sign forms before acquiring a firearm, each document instead bore Mayhugh’s handwriting.

 

While further reviewing Mayhugh’s records, ATF IOIs discovered one customer had died in 2014, even though Mauhugh’s records reflected gun purchases as recently as early 2018. Other customers had actually purchased from Mayhugh on one occasion 15 to 20 years ago, but records showed repeated buys in recent years.

 

Subsequent to a court-authorized search, agents discovered documents reflecting more than 200 firearm sales to fictitious customers.

 

Mayhugh pleaded guilty in May to willfully violating federal requirements to provide the name, age and address of firearms purchasers.

 

Mayhugh also agreed to surrender his federal firearms license and no longer operates a business.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by ATF and Assistant United States Attorney Brent G. Tabacchi, who is representing the United States in this case.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The lead defendant in a racketeering conspiracy involving five murders was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today.

Martin Neftali Aguilar-Rivera (a/k/a Momia), 34, of Columbus, was sentenced to life in prison by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. for conspiring to commit racketeering and murder in aid of racketeering. Aguilar-Rivera accepted responsibility in July for participating in five murders.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Todd A. Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, Rebecca Adducci, Detroit Field Office Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Interim Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan announced the sentence imposed this afternoon.

“This defendant’s ties to MS-13 in the Southern District of Ohio stretch back to the mid-2000s,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “From 2015 to the date of his arrest in August 2017, he was the unquestioned leader of the Columbus clique of MS-13. Under Aguilar-Rivera’s leadership, MS-13 members in Columbus became more organized, more violent, and more ruthless. He deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.”

In February 2018, 23 individuals were charged in a second superseding indictment and alleged to be members and associates of MS-13 in Columbus.

The defendants are charged in a racketeering conspiracy, which includes five murders as well as attempted murder, extortion, money laundering, drug trafficking, assault, obstruction of justice, witness intimidation, weapons offenses and immigration-related violations.

The second superseding indictment alleges that the defendants committed a host of overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy, including: 1) the December 2006 murder of Jose Mendez, a suspected confidential informant, in Perry County; 2) the November 2008 murder of Ramon Ramos on Lockbourne Road in Columbus; 3) the mid-2015 murder of Carlos Serrano-Ramos, a suspected rival gang member, near Innis Road in Columbus; 4) the November 2015 murder of Wilson Villeda near Innis Road in Columbus; and 5) the December 2016 murder of Salvador Martinez-Diaz, a suspected rival gang member, on Melroy Avenue in Columbus.

The murders sometimes involved defendants using weapons like machetes, knives and hammers to attack and beat their victims to death. In two of the charged murders, the victims were stabbed and slashed with bladed weapons before being buried in a nearby park.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI, ICE, Columbus Division of Police and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the assistance of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Brian J. Martinez and Jessica H. Kim, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The second of two Columbus men who murdered, tortured, assaulted and intimidated people as part of their drug-distribution conspiracy was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 365 months in prison.

 

Michael J. Favors, 27, of Columbus, was sentenced for conspiring to murder two potential witnesses and on related drug charges.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Jonathan McPherson, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Interim Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.

 

Favors and Antwan L. Hutchinson, 28, were both indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2017.

According to court documents, Favors and Hutchinson possessed and distributed cocaine, heroin, oxycodone and marijuana.

 

As part of their drug conspiracy, they used “trap houses” that were in others’ names as locations to store and sell the drugs. This included using threats of force and using the homes of drug-addicted individuals.

 

It was further part of the conspiracy to intimidate, assault, threaten and torture individuals with serious physical harm who were perceived as owing money or drugs to the members of the conspiracy.

 

Favors pleaded guilty in November 2018 to his role in the murders of Sidney Campbell and Marie Stamp.

 

Specifically, Favors pleaded guilty to five counts as charged against him in the indictment, which include conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, two counts of conspiracy to murder a witness, and two counts of murder through use of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

 

Favors accompanied Hutchinson in February 2017 to Sidney Campbell’s home after Hutchinson learned of Sidney Campbell’s son’s death. Hutchinson and others suspected the son, Cody Campbell, of allowing a trap house to be robbed, and in retaliation Hutchinson used a two-by-four to beat and extension cords to whip Cody Campbell, who died hours after the incident.

 

Sidney Campbell had witnessed the beating of her son. She and Marie Stamp were present in her house when Favors and Hutchinson fired their weapons, killing both potential witnesses.

 

Hutchinson and Favors were arrested on March 27, 2017 and have remained in custody.

 

Hutchinson was sentenced on Oct. 1 to life in prison with no chance of parole.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by ATF and the Columbus Police, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys David M. DeVillers and Jessica W. Knight who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Belmont County woman was sentenced in U.S. District Court today for buying illegal weight loss drugs from China to rebrand and resell them for a profit in the United States.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Mark S. McCormack, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Metro Washington Field Office, announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.

 

Crystal Ware, 33, formerly of Shadyside, purchased drugs from China containing Sibutramine and then mislabeled the drugs and sold them at an inflated price. Sibutramine was approved as a treatment for obesity in 1997 but was withdrawn from the U.S. market in October 2010 due to its association with increased strokes and cardiovascular events.

 

In 2015, Ware created the website “www.positivevibespositivelife.com” and registered the trade name “Positive Vibes” in Ohio to promote and sell weight loss products called “Burn, Vibe, Vortex, Slimming V and Fruit Fit” that contained the discontinued Sibutramine.

 

Ware would bulk order the original Sibutramine drugs from China, then relabel and resell them at up to eight times the cost. For example, she purchased 160 bottles of drugs for $5.50 to $10 per bottle from China and resold them for $40 per bottle. Ware received more than $17,000 total from the sale of the misbranded drugs.

 

The FDA Office of Criminal Investigation received information in 2016 that Ware was operating a business that sold weight loss products that contain undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients. FDA laboratory analysis revealed that Ware’s weight loss products contained Sibutramine as an active ingredient.

 

“Distributing foreign prescription drugs of unknown origin and ingredients places U.S. consumers at risk,” said Mark S. McCormack, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations, Metro Washington Field Office. “In this case, the drug had previously been removed from the U.S. market for safety reasons. We will aggressively pursue and bring to justice those who attempt to subvert FDA requirements, which are designed to ensure the safety and quality of drugs distributed to American consumers.”

 

In November 2018, Ware was charged with and pleaded guilty to receiving misbranded drugs in interstate commerce.

 

She was sentenced today to six months of home confinement, three years’ probation and 80 hours of community service.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, as well as Assistant United States Attorney J. Michael Marous, who is representing the United States in this case. 

 

###

CINCINNATI – An Italian national was arrested in Marino, Italy on Oct. 2 pursuant to a provisional arrest request from the United States in a case involving two defendants charged here with conspiring to steal trade secrets from an American aviation company.

 

Alexander Yuryevich Korshunov, 57, and Maurizio Paolo Bianchi, 59, were charged by a criminal complaint on Aug. 21.  Korshunov was arrested on Aug. 30 at Naples International Airport in Italy. A federal grand jury in Cincinnati indicted the pair on Sept. 11 with conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets and attempted theft of trade secrets, and that indictment was unsealed today.

 

According to the indictment, Korshunov was an employee of a Russian state-owned company and had previously been a Russian public official whose service included the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

Bianchi was a former director at Avio S.p.A, an Italian aerospace company until 2012. GE Aviation purchased the aerospace business from Avio S.p.A. in 2013 and operates the business as Avio Aero with its headquarters in Turin, Italy. GE Aviation is one of the world’s top aircraft engine suppliers and is headquartered in the Southern District of Ohio.

 

After leaving Avio S.p.A., Bianchi went to work for a company called Aernova in Forli, Italy.

Korshunov was employed at United Engine Corp (UEC), which included a subsidiary named Aviadvigatel (a branch of the Russian state-owned company), which had been “entity listed” by the U.S. Department of Commerce in September 2018 for acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States.

 

Aernova and Aviadvigatel had a contract during the time of the alleged conduct.

 

It is alleged that between 2013 and 2018, Bianchi – on behalf of Korshunov – recruited current or former employees of Avio Aero to do consulting work related to jet engine accessory gearboxes for Bianchi and Korshunov. An accessory gearbox is a component mechanism used to transfer the power from the jet engine to other airplane power systems.

 

According to court documents, the employees’ statements of work typically stated that the “the holders of patent and intellectual property obtained as a result of the work are…the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.”

 

Employees allegedly used trade secrets owned by Avio Aero and GE Aviation to create the technical report. The effort focused on accessory gearboxes made by Avio Aero that provide power to systems such as hydraulic pumps, generators and fuel pumps.

 

Court documents detail that Korshunov allegedly arranged and paid for employees to meet with him in June 2013 at the Paris Air Show in Le-Bourget, France and in 2014 in Milan, Italy to discuss and revise the technical report.

 

Conspiring to steal trade secrets and attempted theft of trade secrets are punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

 

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Benjamin C. Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI and the cooperation of GE Aviation, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy S. Mangan and Trial Attorney Will Mackie of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, who are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division assisted in the investigation.

 

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

# # #

An Italian national was arrested in Marino, Italy, on Oct. 2 pursuant to a provisional arrest request from the United States in a case involving two defendants charged here with conspiring to steal trade secrets from an American aviation company.

Alexander Yuryevich Korshunov, 57, and Maurizio Paolo Bianchi, 59, were charged by a criminal complaint on Aug. 21.  Korshunov was arrested on Aug. 30 at Naples International Airport in Italy. A federal grand jury in Cincinnati indicted the pair on Sept. 11 with conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets and attempted theft of trade secrets, and that indictment was unsealed today.

According to the indictment, Korshunov was an employee of a Russian state-owned company and had previously been a Russian public official whose service included the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bianchi was a former director at Avio S.p.A, an Italian aerospace company until 2012. GE Aviation purchased the aerospace business from Avio S.p.A. in 2013 and operates the business as Avio Aero with its headquarters in Turin, Italy. GE Aviation is one of the world’s top aircraft engine suppliers and is headquartered in the Southern District of Ohio.

After leaving Avio S.p.A, Bianchi went to work for a company called Aernova in Forli, Italy.

Korshunov was employed at United Engine Corp (UEC), which included a subsidiary named Aviadvigatel (a branch of the Russian state-owned company), which had been “entity listed” by the U.S. Department of Commerce in September 2018 for acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States.

Aernova and Aviadvigatel had a contract during the time of the alleged conduct.

It is alleged that between 2013 and 2018, Bianchi – on behalf of Korshunov – recruited current or former employees of Avio Aero to do consulting work related to jet engine accessory gearboxes for Bianchi and Korshunov. An accessory gearbox is a component mechanism used to transfer the power from the jet engine to other airplane power systems.

According to court documents, the employees’ statements of work typically stated that the “the holders of patent and intellectual property obtained as a result of the work are…the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.”

Employees allegedly used trade secrets owned by Avio Aero and GE Aviation to create the technical report. The effort focused on accessory gearboxes made by Avio Aero that provide power to systems such as hydraulic pumps, generators and fuel pumps.

Court documents detail that Korshunov allegedly arranged and paid for employees to meet with him in June 2013 at the Paris Air Show in Le-Bourget, France and in 2014 in Milan, Italy to discuss and revise the technical report.

Conspiring to steal trade secrets and attempted theft of trade secrets are punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Benjamin C. Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI and the cooperation of GE Aviation, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy S. Mangan and Trial Attorney Will Mackie of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, who are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division assisted in the investigation.

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

CINCINNATI – Today U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett sentenced Daniel Toops, 35, of Milford, to 12 months in prison for punching a Social Security Administration security guard in the face.

 

According to court documents, on April 11, 2019, Toops spoke with an official working at the Batavia Social Security office. Apparently dissatisfied with the information the official provided, Toops began to leave the building saying, “F*** you, mother f***er. I’ll come back and f*** you mother f****ers up.”

 

When approached by the facility’s security guard, Toops engaged in an altercation with the guard and ultimately punched her in the face. The guard sprayed Toops with mace and he was subsequently arrested.

 

Toops pleaded guilty on June 25 to assaulting an officer of the United States.

 

U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman commended the investigation by the Federal Protective Service, as well as Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry, who is representing the United States in this case. 

 

###

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A defendant in the MS-13 racketeering case pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today and accepted responsibility for his involvement as a shooter in one homicide. His plea agreement includes a recommended sentence of 30 years in prison.

Jose Mendez-Peraza, 37, of Columbus, pleaded guilty today to one count of participating in a racketeering conspiracy and one count of murder through the use of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Todd A. Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, Rebecca Adducci, Detroit Field Office Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Interim Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.

Mendez-Peraza, also known as “Shadow,” is one of 23 individuals charged in a second superseding indictment in February 2018 who are alleged to be members and associates of MS-13 in Columbus.

The defendants are charged in a racketeering conspiracy, which includes five murders as well as attempted murder, extortion, money laundering, drug trafficking, assault, obstruction of justice, witness intimidation, weapons offenses and immigration-related violations.

The second superseding indictment alleges that the defendants committed a host of overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy, including: 1) the December 2006 murder of Jose Mendez, a confidential informant, in Perry County; 2) the November 2008 murder of Ramon Ramos on Lockbourne Road in Columbus; 3) the mid-2015 murder of Carlos Serrano-Ramos, a suspected rival gang member, near Innis Road in Columbus; 4) the November 2015 murder of Wilson Villeda near Innis Road in Columbus; and 5) the December 2016 murder of Salvador Martinez-Diaz, a suspected rival gang member, on Melroy Avenue in Columbus.

As part of his guilty plea, Mendez-Peraza accepted responsibility for his role as a shooter in the murder of Salvador Martinez-Diaz.  MS-13 members and associates began targeting Martinez-Diaz, a suspected 18th Street gang member, for murder as early as 2015.

On Dec. 3, 2016, co-conspirators waited in the parking lot of the Resolute Athletic Complex in Columbus where the victim was playing soccer. Others, including Mendez-Peraza, wore dark ski masks and waited for Martinez-Diaz near his apartment building at Melroy Avenue and Kelburn Road in Columbus.

When the victim arrived near his home, Mendez-Peraza and another MS-13 member opened fire on Martinez-Diaz with pistols, shooting him multiple times and killing him.

As part of his plea, Mendez-Peraza also admitted to threatening a witness/victim in this case while at the Joseph P. Kinneary United States Courthouse in Columbus. Mendez-Peraza told the witness/victim that MS-13 members would kill the individual and his/her family if the individual cooperated with law enforcement.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI, ICE, Columbus Division of Police and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the assistance of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Brian J. Martinez and Jessica H. Kim, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

CINCINNATI – Dayvon Cook, 25, of Cincinnati, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 64 months in prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition after being convicted of a felony crime.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Jonathan McPherson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett.

 

According to court documents, in September 2018, Cincinnati Police received a 911 call regarding a male carrying a gun and threatening to rob people in the parking lot of the Stanley Rowe Tower apartment complex.

 

Cincinnati Police officers responded to the scene and identified a suspect matching the call, who was later identified as Cook. Cook ran from the officers and threw a semi-automatic pistol under a car. The firearm was loaded with sixteen rounds of ammunition in an extended magazine.

 

Cook had previously been convicted of a felony crime. He is currently in state custody for a separate firearms crime and will serve his federal sentence after his current 24-month state sentence that was imposed on Feb. 27, 2019.

 

Cook pleaded guilty in his federal case in April 2019.

 

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the Cincinnati Police Department and ATF, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Brucato, who is representing the United States in this case. 

 

###

DAYTON – Rasu Taylor, 45, of Dayton, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 70 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Jonathan McPherson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Clark County Sheriff Deborah K. Burchett announced the sentence handed down on September 30 by U.S. District Judge Thomas M Rose.

 

According to court documents, in September 2018, while Taylor was on parole, a Clark County Sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop of Taylor’s vehicle in the parking lot of a Motel 6 in Springfield. Upon approaching the vehicle, the deputy noticed an open container of alcohol in the console and Taylor attempting to hide a firearm.

 

A search of the vehicle revealed a pistol with a full magazine, marijuana, scales and nearly $2,000 in cash.

 

A subsequent search of the motel room Taylor had been living in for 19 days revealed marijuana, fentanyl, body armor, a Glock pistol with two magazines and more than $2,600 in cash.

 

Taylor had been previously convicted of felonies, including possession of drugs in Montgomery County and felonious assault in Clark County.

 

Taylor pleaded guilty on September 9 to illegally possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony offense. Federal law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison from owning or possessing a firearm or ammunition.

 

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation by the ATF and Clark County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Amy M. Smith, who is representing the United States in this case. 

 

###

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Antwan L. Hutchinson, 28, of Columbus, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to life in prison with no chance of parole for murdering two potential witnesses and conspiring to distribute narcotics.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Jonathan McPherson, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Interim Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan announced the sentence imposed this afternoon by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.

 

Hutchinson and Michael J. Favors, 27, also of Columbus, were indicted in April 2017 and charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and murdering two potential witnesses.

 

According to court documents, Hutchinson led a drug trafficking organization and possessed and distributed cocaine, heroin, oxycodone and marijuana. As part of the drug conspiracy, he and Favors used “trap houses” that were in others’ names as locations to store and sell the drugs. This included using threat of force and using the homes of drug-addicted individuals.

 

Hutchinson also intimidated, assaulted, threatened and tortured individuals with serious physical harm who were perceived as owing money or drugs to the members of the conspiracy. Further, he tortured and killed individuals who were seen as potential witnesses against the members of the conspiracy.

 

As part of his plea in April 2019, Hutchinson admitted he intentionally killed Sidney Campbell and Marie Stamp in February 2017 because they were perceived as potential witnesses against the defendants.

 

Hutchinson also beat and tortured Cody Campbell in February 2017. Hutchinson used a two-by-four to beat and extension cords to whip Campbell, who died hours after the incident.

Pursuant to the murder charges to which Hutchinson pleaded, the defendant must be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of release.

 

“Today Antwan Hutchinson was sentenced to life in prison for his heinous conduct,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “He will never be paroled, and he cannot appeal the sentence. This swift, severe, and certain punishment is appropriate for his crimes, and I hope it gives his victims’ families some sense of closure.”

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by ATF and the Columbus Police, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys David M. DeVillers and Jessica W. Knight who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A New York man was sentenced here in U.S. District Court to 36 months in prison and fined $30,000 for conspiring to illegally purchase firearms.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Jonathan McPherson, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), announced the sentence handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.

 

Jerome Watkins Jr., 33, of Niagara Falls, was one of four individuals charged in an Ohio-to-Canada gun smuggling conspiracy in August 2018.

 

Jeremy Hearn, 40, and Marcedes Green, 28, both of Columbus, and Kristina DeLorenzo, 31, of Lewiston, N.Y., were also charged by a federal grand jury in Columbus.

 

According to court documents, from at least January 2018 until April 2018, they served as either straw purchasers, couriers or resellers of firearms purchased in Columbus and eventually resold in Canada.

 

Hearn would purchase the firearms from various federally-licensed firearms dealers in Central Ohio by providing false information on ATF Form 4473. He traveled to at least 12 different federal firearms licensee stores in Central Ohio.

 

Hearn purchased at least 32 firearms and Green, with money provided by Hearn, assisted in the purchase of at least six of the firearms.

 

Hearn, Watkins and DeLorenzo then acted as couriers or assisted in courier duties, regularly traveling between Columbus and Niagara Falls and/or across the Canadian border for resale.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by ATF, and the assistance of the ATF field office in Buffalo, New York, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Ohio and the Western District of New York, and L.E.P.D. Firearms and Range in Columbus, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys S. Courter Shimeall and Kevin W. Kelley, who are prosecuting the case.

 

# # #

DAYTON – A former Dayton City Commissioner entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court today for accepting a thing of value in connection with a local government.

 

Williams served as an elected commissioner of the City of Dayton from 2001 until 2018. In 2015, Williams accepted a construction project at his personal home by an individual for a greatly reduced price in exchange for influencing the awarding of city contracts to that same individual.

 

The individual’s business was subsequently awarded at least $150,000 in contracts with both the City of Dayton and CityWide Development Corporation, a non-profit organization that functioned as a development and financing arm of the City of Dayton. CityWide routinely awarded thousands of dollars in contracts to private companies for the demolition of homes in Dayton.

 

Williams accepted more than $35,000 in free benefits from the individual, including cash payments and the construction of a patio at his home.

 

In an attempt to conceal the fraud, Williams demanded the individual create a fake invoice, falsely reflecting that Williams had personally paid the individual for the home improvement project.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Todd Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber announced today’s plea entered before U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose.

 

Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on January 29.

 

Others charged include RoShawn Winburn, Clayton Luckie and Brian Higgins. Luckie pleaded guilty in July to mail fraud.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI, Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office, as well as assistant United States Attorneys Brent Tabacchi, SaMee Harden and Dominick Gerace, who are representing the United States in this case.

 

If you have any information related to the schemes alleged above, please contact the FBI’s Dayton Public Corruption Tip Line at 937-291-5222.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 22nd and final defendant related to a Las Vegas-to-Columbus oxycodone distribution ring pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today.

 

Edward Vaughns, 56, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone and to launder money.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Keith Martin, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Mona Passmore, acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr.

 

According to court documents, defendants had been diverting oxycodone pills from the Las Vegas area to Columbus since at least 2012. Law enforcement officials seized numerous U.S. mail packages containing thousands of oxycodone pills and large amounts of cash being sent between Las Vegas and Columbus in connection with this drug trafficking organization.

 

The co-conspirators also engaged in financial transactions – making use of wire transfers, bank accounts, and prepaid debit cards – involving hundreds of thousands of dollars to conceal the nature and source of their profits and promote the drug trafficking organization’s activities.  Money was used to purchase airline tickets, pay for hotel rooms and cover other costs associated with bringing the drugs to Columbus for distribution. 

 

According to Vaughns’ plea, specifically, Vaughn was responsible for the distribution of at least 15,000 oxycodone pills.

 

Others charged in the related cases include: Marcus Pryor, Marquis Pryor, Maisha Caples, Michael Griffin, James Stone, David Pryor, Sukita Williams, Danny Williams, Russell Briggs, Richard Briggs, Tiana Castro, Dontonyo Courtney, Larissa Harris-Patterson, Joquline Harris, Alfred James, Rashod Todd, Raynard Miller, Arthur Pirtle, Thomas Lane, Gary Washington and Jerry Campbell.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the DEA, IRS Criminal Investigation, USPIS and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J. Hunter and Brian J. Martinez, who are prosecuting the cases.

 

# # #

DAYTON – Today the government has unsealed charges against 19 individuals in an alleged narcotics conspiracy. Arrests were made this morning.

 

 

The briefing will be held:

 

TODAY: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2019

 

WHEN:           1:30 P.M.

 

WHERE:         Walter H. Rice Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse

                        Front Steps

                        200 West 2nd Street

                        Dayton, Ohio 45402

 

WHO:             U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman

                        Mauricio Jimenez, assistant special agent in charge, DEA

                       

                       

                                               

 

 

ID and media credentials will be required.

 

#  #  #

DAYTON – A federal grand jury has charged 19 local individuals in a narcotics conspiracy involving more than 400 grams of fentanyl, 500 grams of methamphetamine, 500 grams of cocaine and heroin.

 

Eight of the defendants were arrested this morning, four were already in law enforcement custody and one has self-surrendered. Six currently remain at large.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Keith Martin, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), announced the charges.

 

Those charged include:

Name

Age

City of Residence

Crawford P. Bogle

33

Dayton

Savon P. Pope

26

Dayton

Deshawn M. Harris

32

Phoenix, Ariz./Dayton

Kris A. Bogle

49

Dayton

Bryan K. Barney

36

Dayton

Lajuan M. Allen

32

Dayton

Donte (Deontay) A. Williams

28

Dayton

Marshall A. Cooper

32

Dayton

Jujuan D. Hansbro

26

Dayton

Qeuntin L. Robinson

35

Huber Heights

Dorian T. Bailey

32

Dayton

Storm A. Otey

28

Dayton

Dae-Sean L. Winn

21

Dayton

Jerome Bogle

52

Dayton

Brandon Henry

33

Dayton

Boyd D. Jackson

63

Middletown

Lisa N. Sumpter

34

Middletown

Kimberly L. Kelly

25

Dayton

Allen C.M. Maye

39

Dayton

*Currently a fugitive

 

According to the 27-count indictment, Crawford Bogle and Pope (with the assistance of other co-defendants) allegedly acquired for resale bulk amounts of controlled substances, including kilogram quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin and cocaine. Crawford Bogle and Pope then allegedly processed and repacked the illegal drugs for resale in Southern Ohio, Kentucky and elsewhere.

 

It is alleged the group used 13 Dayton homes, apartments and business properties to process, store and distribute the drugs and cash proceeds.

 

The indictment details that defendants allegedly delivered hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for kilogram quantities of the drugs. Crawford Bogle, Pope and others used proceeds from the drug sales to purchase a variety of high-end goods, including luxury cars.

 

Barney allegedly provided various members of the organization with fraudulent dealership tags to conceal their true ownership of vehicles through his car dealership.

 

In May 2019, Barney allegedly fled from a federal task force officer after an acquaintance of the illicit organization left a stash house in Dayton while in possession of more than $100,000 in cash.

 

In June 2019, members of the group allegedly hid bulk cash in a Dayton park while attempting to evade federal task force officers. It is alleged that Crawford Bogle searched the park the next day in an effort to locate the cash.

 

Defendants are charged with attempting to, conspiring to and distributing controlled substances (10 years up to life in prison), as well as communicating to facilitate a drug crime (up to four years in prison).

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the DEA and the assistance of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Montgomery County Sherriff’s Office, and Dayton, Middletown and Springfield police departments, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Brent G. Tabacchi and Dominick S. Gerace, who are prosecuting the case.

 

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

 

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of those remaining at large, please text SOFAST and your tip to 847411.

# # #

DAYTON – A Miami Township man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to creating and distributing child pornography of the sexual abuse of a two-year-old.

 

Travis E. Walker, 36, was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2018 and offered a guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sharon L. Ovington on September 23.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Todd A. Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer, Montgomery County Prosecutor Matthias H. Heck, Jr., and Miami Township Police Chief Ronald L. Hess announced the plea.

 

According to court documents, beginning in at least January 2018 and continuing through May 2018, Walker sexually abused a toddler victim and produced at least 12 pornographic images on his cell phone.

 

In May 2018, Walker distributed five of the child pornography files he produced to an undercover FBI task force officer via the Kik Messenger app.

 

Producing child pornography is punishable by 15 to 30 years in prison. Distributing child pornography carries a potential sentence of five to 20 years in prison.

 

The plea agreement includes a global resolution involving state charges in Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, including three counts of rape of a person under 13 years of age and four counts of gross sexual imposition of a person under 13 years of age. The Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office will recommend that Walker serve his federal prison sentence concurrent to state imprisonment.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office RANGE Task Force and Miami Township Police, as well as Assistant United States Attorney SaMee Harden, who is prosecuting the case. Assistant Montgomery County Prosecutors Kelly D. Madzey and Jonathan W. Sauline are prosecuting the related state charges.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged 18 individuals in conspiracies to distribute kilogram quantities of heroin, launder money back to Mexico and run a fake immigration identification business.

The superseding indictment was returned here yesterday and 13 of the defendants were arrested in Central Ohio today. Custody will be sought for five defendants in California.

According to the 16-count indictment, Diego Ernesto Castaneda-Garcia was allegedly the leader of a drug trafficking organization that received imported heroin from Mexico, repackaged it into user quantities and sold it to heroin users in and around Central Ohio.

It was further a part of the alleged drug conspiracy that defendants would arrange for workers to be smuggled into the United States from Mexico for arrival in Central Ohio to distribute heroin.

Co-conspirators allegedly packaged heroin into foil balls called “fechas” – which roughly translates to “coins” in English – containing 1/10th of a gram of narcotics. Heroin was sold to users in public parking lots by “runners” who charged $100 for a group of 15 coins.

The indictment details that one co-conspirator would act as a dispatcher taking calls and coordinating runners. Other defendants would arrange for apartments to rent for the runners to live in and purchase vehicles for runners. Other co-conspirators would create fake identification documents for the workers, including drivers licenses, permanent resident alien cards and Social Security cards. It was also a part of the alleged drug conspiracy that individuals would register automobiles and license tags in false names or in the name of a U.S. citizen in order to avoid the attention of law enforcement.

Defendants allegedly wired money on multiple occasions from storefronts in Columbus to Nayarit, Mexico.

 

“Special Agents with HSI and our local, state and federal partners have once again taken down a sophisticated international drug trafficking operation, suspected of untold harm in our community,” said Vance Callander, special agent in charge of HSI for Michigan and Ohio. “This organization went to great lengths to conceal their activities from law enforcement. However, today’s arrests demonstrate that HSI and our partners will be unyielding in our efforts to take down those who seek to profit from poisoning our community.” 

“Drug dealers that distribute heroin run complex trafficking operations, concealing their crimes in attempts to evade justice – until they are overwhelmed by law enforcement fighting back to protect our communities,” Ohio Attorney General Yost said. “I’m proud of the work done by the Bureau of Criminal Investigations and our partners in this operation.”  

According to the indictment, a group associated with the drug traffickers was involved in the business of creating fake identification documents. This was for members of the drug trafficking group as well as members of the public who were purchasing driver’s licenses, lawful permanent resident cards and U.S. Social Security cards. The business was called “Chilango’s Perfumes” and perfumes was allegedly used as a code word for fake documents. Customers allegedly paid $120 for a “full set” – a Social Security card and resident alien card.

For example, Julia Martinez-Alvarez received a phone call from a Spanish-speaking female on August 15 who said, “I was calling you because I wanted perfume.”

Martinez-Alvarez allegedly responded, “Of course. To place your order, I need a frontal photo, with the hair up, no earrings, no glasses. Send me the photo, name, date of birth and nationality…”

 

Those charged include:

Name

Also Known As

Victor Daniel Torres-Lopez

 

Diego Ernesto Castaneda-Garcia

Neto, Mariachi, El Musican, Jorge Alonso Casillas-Guillen, Jose Alberto Carbajal, Sergio Castaneda-Garcia, Jose Salas Carbajal, Oscar Silva-Santiago

Angel Moises Castaneda-Garcia

Moi, Moises

Jose Narciso Acuna-Zepeda

Chucky

Javier Eduardo Acuna-Zepeda

Lalo, Guaranieve, Huijolo

Omar Fernando Chavez-Andrade

Contador

Julia Martinez-Alvarez

Sandra Rodriguez-Rosa, Sandra Yvette Rodrigruez-Rosa, Julie Martinez-Albarado, Lusero Gonzales, Lori Michelle Willet, Emma Gonzalez

Jennifer Esmeralda Rodriguez-Martinez

 

Tonie Michelle Rondrekia Scott

 

Michael P. Uccello

 

Serena Esclante

 

Delander Edward Moore, Jr.

 

Luis Enrique Diaz-Castillo

 

Chaz A. Holland

 

Tesla M Yant

 

Juan Manuel Alfaro-Alvarez

Manuel

Adriana Gabriela Salazar-Martinez

 

Maria Esther Rosario

Maria Jorge, Dember O. Hernandez, Pablo Tadeo Salgado, Maria Gabriela Ramos Martinez

Charged in heroin conspiracy punishable by up to life in prison.

Conspiring to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin is a federal crime punishable by up to life prison. Laundering and conspiring to launder money, conspiring to create and creating fraudulent identification documents are each crimes punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperation of federal, state and local law enforcement, both in investigating this case and executing multiple arrests today.

Those agencies include:

U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

Delaware County Sheriff’s Office

Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI)

IRS Criminal Investigation

Dublin Police Department

Ohio State Highway Patrol

Westerville Police Department

Delaware Police Department

Ohio National Guard Counter Drug Task Force

U.S. Border Patrol

United States Marshals Service

Columbus Division of Police

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Unit

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Franklin County Sheriff’s Office

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations

 

Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy D. Prichard and Special Assistant United States Attorney Roger Dinh are prosecuting the case.

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

# # #

CINCINNATI – The Justice Department announced today the second coordinated law enforcement action of the Appalachian Region Prescription Opioid (ARPO) strike force, including four cases in the Southern District of Ohio.

 

Today’s takedown resulted in charges against 13 individuals total across five Appalachian federal districts for alleged offenses relating to the over prescription of controlled substances through “pill mill” clinics. Of those charged, 12 were charged for their role in unlawfully distributing opioids and other controlled substances and 11 were physicians.  The alleged conduct resulted in the distribution of more than 17 million pills.

 

This action follows the first such takedown in April of this year, which involved charges against 60 defendants, including 53 medical professionals, in 11 federal districts, alleging the illegal distribution of more than 23 million pills.  The charges brought in April have already resulted in 11 guilty pleas in seven federal districts, including guilty pleas by nine medical professionals, including seven physicians.

 

“We said in April that the ARPO strike force was not a one-and-done spectacle, but an enduring commitment to stamp out opioid trafficking by prescription pad. We meant it,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman. “It’s thanks to the partnership between U.S. Attorney’s offices, the Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners that the United States is able to investigate and prosecute not only medical professionals who are allegedly acting as drug dealers, but also the myriad other malefactors who have contributed—and are contributing—to the opioid epidemic.”

 

In the Southern District of Ohio, four medical professionals were charged, including three medical doctors and one doctor of osteopathy, in connection with several alleged “pill mill” controlled substance diversion and/or health care fraud schemes.

 

Troy Balgo, D.O., 53, of Saint Clairsville, the elected county coroner of Belmont County, was charged with one count of health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, six counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substance and one count of conspiracy to commit unlawful distribution of controlled substances.

 

Balgo allegedly caused and/or conspired with others to cause submissions for health care services that he did not perform, and prescribed controlled substances while he was out of the state or country. Balgo is the owner and operator of two medical clinics in St. Clairsville.

 

George Griffin, M.D., 70, of Cincinnati, was charged with 20 counts of distribution of controlled substances for his alleged participation in the unlawful prescription of controlled substances outside of the course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose. Griffin owns and operates a solo medical practice in Cincinnati.

 

Thomas Romano, M.D., 69, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was charged with 20 counts of diversion of controlled substances for his alleged participation in the unlawful prescription of controlled substances outside of the course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose. Romano owns and operates a solo cash-only medical practice in Martin’s Ferry, Belmont County.

 

Freeda Flynn, M.D., 66, of Saint Clairsville, was charged with eight counts of distribution of controlled substances, and one count of health care fraud, for her alleged participation in the unlawful prescription of controlled substances outside of the course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, and health care fraud for the submission of claims for services which were medically unnecessary and/or performed below medically-accepted standards. Flynn owns and operates a solo practice with focuses on medical and opioid addiction treatment programs in St. Clairsville.

 

The DEA, FBI and HHS-OIG, as well as the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DOD-OIG), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation and the Ohio Board of Pharmacy investigated the cases in the Southern District of Ohio. The cases are being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Christopher Jason of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

 

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

# # #

CINCINNATI – The owner and operator of a Hamilton pain clinic pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to illegal distribution of controlled substances, health care fraud and violating the anti-kickback statute.

 

Nilesh Jobalia, 54, of Cincinnati, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Lamont Pugh III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General;  Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost; Anthony Groeber, Executive Director, State Medical Board of Ohio; Steven Schierholt, Executive Director, State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy; and Stephanie B. McCloud, Administrator, Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation, announced the plea.

 

“Today Dr. Jobalia accepted responsibility for trafficking drugs by means of a prescription pad, health care fraud, and receiving kickbacks,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “He faces a substantial term of imprisonment for his crimes.”

 

According to court documents, Jobalia owned and operated Cincinnati Centers for Pain Relief in Hamilton, Ohio from March 2013 through December 2017. Although the practice was not licensed as such, it operated almost exclusively as a pain clinic.

 

Patients were prescribed fentanyl, oxycodone, methadone, morphine and other controlled substances on many occasions without actually being seen by the doctor.

 

Jobalia’s practice also billed Medicare, Medicaid and the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation for medically unnecessary prescriptions and services not rendered.

 

For example, prescriptions to one customer alone caused the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation to pay more than $450,000 for medically unnecessary drugs. In total, Jobalia caused more than $2 million in false claims.

 

“Our investigators started looking at Dr. Jobalia in 2015 for suspicious prescribing, and we’re pleased to see this case come to a just end,” said BWC Administrator/CEO Stephanie McCloud. “Even more so, we’re pleased to see him out of practice and out of the BWC system. Our injured workers are better off.”

 

Jobalia also received more than $103,000 from a pharmaceutical company for purported speaking engagements about a fentanyl spray, a medication intended for breakthrough cancer pain.

 

The speaking engagements were actually sham programs, though, in which many attendees were not medical professionals permitted to prescribe the fentanyl spray. Usually, Jobalia, some of his staff and the pharmaceutical sales representative were the only people present at the engagements, which were held at fine dining restaurants in the Cincinnati area.

 

Jobalia was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2018.

 

As part of his plea agreement, the parties involved in his case are recommending a sentence range of 78 to 144 months in prison.

 

“This pain relief clinic was nothing more than a front for hard drug handouts,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “Shutting the operation down is a big win for a region that’s been hit especially hard by the opioid crisis.”

 

“I applaud the dedication of our agents in helping to secure this conviction,” said State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy Executive Director Schierholt. “The coordination among agencies demonstrates the importance of collaboration in addressing the criminal activity fueling Ohio’s drug epidemic.”

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation by the HHS-OIG, Ohio Medical and Pharmacy boards, Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and Ohio Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Maritsa Flaherty and Salvador A. Dominguez, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Corey D. Wilder, Jr., 27, of Columbus was sentenced in U.S. District Court to serve 42 months in prison for possessing a loaded AR-15 assault-style rifle during a standoff with members of a rival gang in south Columbus in 2017.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Jonathan McPherson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Acting Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan announced the sentence handed down September 16 by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr.

 

According to court documents, Columbus Police identified Wilder, a suspected gang member, alongside documented South Park/Fetti Nation gang members outside apartments where Wilder lived in July 2017 when a dispute erupted with a rival gang who threatened to shoot up Wilder’s girlfriend’s sister’s car. A Columbus Police officer knew Wilder by sight and knew he was a convicted felon who was not allowed to possess a gun. Wilder was carrying an AR-15 style rifle with a loaded magazine containing 31 live rounds of ammunition. A search of Wilder’s apartment recovered at least nine other firearms, several of which were loaded, along with illegal drugs. Wilder pleaded guilty on April 11, 2019 to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

 

Wilder has been in custody since his arrest. Two others involved in the incident received substantial sentences as well. Michael Chester, 28, was sentenced to 51 months in prison. Davonta Flood, 22, was sentenced to 33 months in prison. Each pleaded guilty to illegally possessing firearms because they were convicted felons.

 

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the ATF and Columbus Police Department, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan J. C. Grey, who is representing the United States in this case. 

 

###

CINCINNATI – A U.S. District Court jury here today convicted Qian “Will” Williams, 38, of Cincinnati, of distributing heroin and cocaine from a house in northeast Cincinnati, and of possessing firearms in furtherance of drug crimes.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Keith Martin, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac and Boone County Sheriff Michael A. Helmig announced the verdict reached today following a jury trial that began September 11 before U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett.

 

Testimony by witnesses and evidence presented during the trial showed that for approximately 15 months Williams distributed heroin and cocaine he obtained from sources in Indiana and elsewhere.

 

Task force officers executed search warrants at Williams’ property on Randomhill Drive in August 2017. They seized more than a kilogram of heroin, more than 100 grams of cocaine, drug paraphernalia including a kilogram press, six firearms including two handguns, large-capacity magazines, and ammunition. Agents also seized more than $80,000 in cash and jewelry while executing the search warrants. 

 

The jury found Williams guilty of two counts of distribution of a controlled substance (up to 20 years), one count of possession of a kilogram or more of heroin with intent to distribute it (at least 10 years up to life), one count of possession of 100 or more grams of heroin with intent to distribute it (five to 40 years), one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it (up to 20 years) and one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises (up to 20 years).

 

The jury also convicted Williams of being a felon in possession of a firearm, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, punishable by at least five years and up to life in prison.

 

A federal grand jury indicted and agents arrested Williams in October 2017. He has been in custody since his arrest and was ordered to remain in custody until he is sentenced. Judge Barrett will schedule a date for sentencing.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the DEA, Cincinnati Police Department and Boone County Sheriff’s Office, as well as assistant United States Attorneys Karl P. Kadon and Ebunoluwa Taiwo, who are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former United States Postal Carrier pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to stealing mail parcels that contained narcotics and then selling those narcotics in his neighborhood.

 

Ricky Lee Harris Germany, 32, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and a detectable amount of marijuana.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Kenneth Cleevely, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) Eastern Area Field Office, announced the plea offered before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King.

 

According to court documents, Germany had been employed as a city postal carrier at the United States Postal Service’s Oakland Park Station in Columbus from 2013 until 2018.

 

In September 2018, investigators received information that Germany had stolen mail parcels containing marijuana while employed as a postal carrier. According to a complainant, Harris Germany stole more than 100 pounds of marijuana over the course of six months. The complainant stated Harris Germany would look for large parcels from California, Texas and Arizona and would check the packages on his lunch break to see if they contained drugs.

 

The investigation revealed Germany intercepted mail parcels on multiple occasions from delivery routes other than his assigned route. During a search of his residence, investigators discovered opened packages containing marijuana, THC oil and methamphetamine.

 

Germany admitted to stealing mail coming from out of state and selling stolen narcotics to people in his neighborhood.

 

Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine is punishable by a range of 10 years up to life in prison.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the USPS-OIG and Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan J.C. Grey, who is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

DAYTON – Gabriel Newman, 36, of Dayton was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 84 months in prison for possessing an AR-15 assault-style rifle at a home where he was dealing illegal drugs.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Jonathan McPherson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl announced the sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice.

 

Newman was also ordered to forfeit a handgun, ammunition and a high-capacity magazine for the AR-15 found during the search.

 

According to court documents, Newman was on federal supervised release in early 2018 for a prior federal conviction of drug trafficking when agents found the firearm as well as illegal drugs hidden inside a Christmas tree at a residence in east Dayton.

 

Agents arrested Newman and he pleaded guilty in February to one count of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and to violating his supervised release following his 2015 conviction for drug trafficking.

 

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the ATF and Dayton Police Department, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Brent Tabacchi, who is representing the United States in this case. 

 

###

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Dublin, Ohio couple has been charged with crimes connected to stealing exosome-related trade secrets concerning the research, identification and treatment of a range of pediatric medical conditions.

 

John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Todd A. Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the charges.

 

According to the indictment, Yu Zhou, 49, and Li Chen, 46, currently of San Diego, Calif., conspired to, attempted to and did steal scientific trade secrets related to exosomes and exosome isolation from Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Research Institute for their own personal financial gain.

 

The defendants were arrested in California in July and the case was unsealed today at the defendants’ arraignments in federal court in Columbus at 2pm before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison.

 

Zhou and Chen are spouses who worked in separate medical research labs at the Research Institute for 10 years each (Zhou from 2007 until 2017 and Chen from 2008 until 2018). Exosomes play a key role in the research, identification and treatment of a range of medical conditions, including necrotizing enterocolitis (a condition found in premature babies), liver fibrosis and liver cancer.

 

The husband and wife allegedly founded a company in China in 2015 without the hospital’s knowledge. While Zhou and Chen continued to be employed by Nationwide Children’s, they marketed products and services related to exosome isolation through their Chinese company.

 

The indictment also alleges that in 2017, Zhou helped co-found an American biotechnology company. As of 2019, the company’s website advertised multiple products and services related to exosome isolation, including a kit that was developed from a trade secret created at a Nationwide Children’s research lab.

 

Zhou and Chen allegedly used the hospital’s Research Institute resources and equipment to conduct the exosome research for their unauthorized, outside work.

 

In November 2017, Zhou and Chen allegedly received more than $876,000 and stock related to an asset purchase agreement involving the American biotechnology company. It is also alleged Zhou entered into a stock purchase agreement with that same company under which he would receive $450,000.

 

Zhou resigned from the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s, effective November 10, 2017.  On January 31, 2018, Chen resigned from her position at the research institute.

 

Before his official last day of employment with the research institute, Zhou allegedly participated in a press release announcing the American company’s plans to market and distribute “proprietary exosome isolation systems” from its headquarters in Central Ohio.

 

“Nationwide Children’s Hospital devoted years of work and its own money to researching exosomes in order to promote honorable medical advances,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “The hospital’s Research Institute took reasonable measures to keep its trade secrets secret. I commend the cooperation of Nationwide Children’s throughout this investigation.”

 

“The theft of trade secrets is a growing threat that severely impacts our economy and our national security,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Todd Wickerham. “The FBI is committed to investigating these cases and working with all of our partners to protect intellectual property.”

 

Conspiring to, attempting to and committing theft of trade secrets is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Conspiring to, attempting to and committing wire fraud carries a potential maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

 

Assistant Attorney General Demers and U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys S. Courter Shimeall, Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and J. Michael Marous and National Security Division Trial Attorney Matthew J. McKenzie, who are prosecuting the case.

 

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

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A defendant in the MS-13 racketeering case pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today and accepted responsibility for his involvement in two homicides.

Jose Salvador Gonzalez-Campos, 28, formerly of Columbus, pleaded guilty today to one count of participating in a racketeering conspiracy and one count of murder through the use of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Todd A. Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, Rebecca Adducci, Detroit Field Office Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Interim Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan announced the plea entered into today before Chief U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.

Gonzalez-Campos, also known as “Danger,” is one of 23 individuals charged in a second superseding indictment in February 2018 who are alleged to be members and associates of MS-13 in Columbus.

The defendants are charged in a racketeering conspiracy, which includes five murders as well as attempted murder, extortion, money laundering, drug trafficking, assault, obstruction of justice, witness intimidation, weapons offenses and immigration-related violations.

The second superseding indictment alleges that the defendants committed a host of overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy, including: 1) the December 2006 murder of Jose Mendez, a confidential informant, in Perry County; 2) the November 2008 murder of Ramon Ramos on Lockbourne Road in Columbus; 3) the mid-2015 murder of Carlos Serrano-Ramos, a suspected rival gang member, near Innis Road in Columbus; 4) the November 2015 murder of Wilson Villeda near Innis Road in Columbus; and 5) the December 2016 murder of Salvador Martinez-Diaz, a suspected rival gang member, on Melroy Avenue in Columbus.

As part of his plea, Gonzalez-Campos accepted responsibility for his role in the murders of Wilson Villeda and Salvador Martinez-Diaz. He also admitted to being involved in drug trafficking, extortion and money laundering on behalf of the criminal enterprise.

The parties involved in Gonzalez-Campos’ case are recommending a prison sentence of 35 to 40 years.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI, ICE, Columbus Division of Police and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the assistance of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Brian J. Martinez and Jessica H. Kim, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged a Huber Heights man for failing to appear with the Bureau of Prisons to begin his 30-month prison sentence for beating a man he believed to be Jewish outside of a Cincinnati restaurant in February 2017.

 

Izmir Koch, 34, was sentenced in July and ordered by the court to self-surrender at a federal correctional institute on August 16.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Todd A. Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Cincinnati Division announced the new charge.

 

According to the indictment, Koch had been released while awaiting surrender for service of sentence, and directed by the Court to surrender to the custody of the Bureau of Prisons at the Federal Correctional Institute Gilmer in the Northern District of West Virginia. It is alleged that Koch knowingly and willfully failed to self-surrender.

Koch was convicted after a trial in December 2018 of one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act and one count of making a false statement to the FBI. 

In February 2017, the Defendant and his companions were heard yelling “I want to kill all of the Jews” and “I want to stab the Jews” outside a Cincinnati restaurant. The victim represented to Koch that he was Jewish, after which Koch began punching and kicking him. A number of other people joined in the assault. The victim was left with a broken facial bone and bruised ribs. The victim was not in fact Jewish, but was with friends and family members who were. 

Koch faces an additional prison sentence of up to five years for failing to appear.

Koch’s initial prosecution was investigated by the Cincinnati Division of the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Gaffney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Rossi of the Southern District of Ohio, and Trial Attorney Dana Mulhauser of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. SAUSA Rossi and Trial Attorney Mulhauser are also handling Koch’s new charge.

 

An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

 

If you have any information on Koch’s whereabouts, please contact the FBI at (513) 421-4310.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A registered sex offender has been charged with federal crimes related to sex trafficking a 14-year-old girl.

 

A federal grand jury has charged Nicholas Salvadore Cochran, 28, of Lima, Ohio, with sex trafficking a minor, sexually exploiting a minor, distributing and possessing child pornography and committing a sex offense while registered as a sex offender in an indictment filed here today.

 

Cochran was arrested on Aug. 9 as part of Operation Independence Day – a nationwide FBI-led operation to identify and arrest sex traffickers and recover child victims.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Todd A. Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Celina Police Chief Thomas Wale, Allen County Sheriff Matthew B. Treglia, Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler and other members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force announced the charges.

 

According to the indictment, last month Cochran caused a minor female victim to engage in commercial sex acts with several men in exchange for money.

 

Court documents detail that Cochran met the minor victim on Snapchat approximately five months prior.

 

Phone numbers linked to Cochran were allegedly posted on the website skipthegames.com in the female escorts section. Cochran’s advertisement stated, in part: “…do not attempt to low ball me I can skype and I have duo for verification and i will send one nude No small talk time is money and I don’t like mine wasted…”

 

Investigation of the advertisements revealed that between July 9 and July 14, Cochran allegedly posted approximately 25 ads for the Lima-Findlay, Dayton and Columbus areas. He allegedly posted ads for sex with the child victim daily, and those ads contained nude photographs of the minor.

 

Cochran had been convicted of two counts of sexual battery and one count of attempted sexual battery in Henry County in 2009.

 

Cochran faces up to life in prison.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI, the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), the Celina and Westerville police departments and the Allen County Sheriff’s Office as well as Assistant United States Attorney Heather A. Hill, who is prosecuting the case.

 

An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

# # #

CINCINNATI – A Russian national and an Italian national have been charged here with conspiring and attempting to steal trade secrets from an American aviation company.

 

Alexander Yuryevich Korshunov, 57, and Maurizio Paolo Bianchi, 59, were charged by a criminal complaint on Aug. 21.  Korshunov was arrested on Aug. 30 at Naples International Airport in Italy. The complaint was unsealed today.

 

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Korshunov was an employee of a Russian state-owned company and had previously been a Russian public official whose service included the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

Bianchi was a former director at an Italian subsidiary of GE Aviation, one of the world’s top aircraft engine suppliers, which is headquartered in the Southern District of Ohio. While working for the subsidiary, Bianchi was responsible for business in China, Russia and Asia.

 

After leaving the subsidiary, Bianchi went to work for a company called Aernova in Forli, Italy.

Korshunov was employed at United Engine Corp (UEC), which included a subsidiary named Aviadvigatel (a branch of the Russian state-owned company), which had been “entity listed” by the U.S. Department of Commerce in September 2018 for acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States.

 

Aernova and Aviadvigatel had a contract during the time of the alleged conduct.

 

It is alleged that between 2013 and 2018, Bianchi – on behalf of Korshunov – hired current or former employees of GE Aviation’s Italian subsidiary to do consulting work related to jet engine accessory gearboxes for Bianchi and Korshunov. The employees’ statements of work typically stated that the “the holders of patent and intellectual property obtained as a result of the work are…the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.”

 

Throughout the consulting, employees allegedly used trade secrets owned by GE Aviation to create the technical report. The effort focused on accessory gearboxes made by Avio Aero, which are external engine components that provide power to systems such as hydraulic pumps, generators and fuel pumps.

 

The affidavit details that Korshunov arranged and paid for employees to meet with him in June 2013 at the Paris Air Show in Le-Bourget, France and in 2014 in Milan, Italy to discuss and revise the technical report.

 

Conspiring to and attempting to steal trade secrets is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

 

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Benjamin C. Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI and the cooperation of GE Aviation, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy S. Mangan and Trial Attorney Will Mackie of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, who are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division assisted in the investigation.

 

A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

# # #

A Russian national and an Italian national have been charged in the United States with conspiring and attempting to steal trade secrets from an American aviation company.

Alexander Yuryevich Korshunov, 57, and Maurizio Paolo Bianchi, 59, were charged by a criminal complaint on Aug. 21.  Korshunov was arrested on Aug. 30 at Naples International Airport in Italy.  The complaint was unsealed today.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Korshunov was an employee of a Russian state-owned company and had previously been a Russian public official whose service included the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bianchi was a former director at an Italian subsidiary of GE Aviation, one of the world’s top aircraft engine suppliers, which is headquartered in the Southern District of Ohio.  While working for the subsidiary, Bianchi was responsible for business in China, Russia and Asia.

After leaving the subsidiary, Bianchi went to work for a company called Aernova in Forli, Italy.

Korshunov was employed at United Engine Corp (UEC), which included a subsidiary named Aviadvigatel (a branch of the Russian state-owned company), which had been “entity listed” by the U.S. Department of Commerce in September 2018 for acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States.

Aernova and Aviadvigatel had a contract during the time of the alleged conduct.

It is alleged that between 2013 and 2018, Bianchi – on behalf of Korshunov – hired current or former employees of GE Aviation’s Italian subsidiary to do consulting work related to jet engine accessory gearboxes for Bianchi and Korshunov.  The employees’ statements of work typically stated that the “the holders of patent and intellectual property obtained as a result of the work are…the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.”

Throughout the consulting, employees allegedly used trade secrets owned by GE Aviation to create the technical report.  The effort focused on accessory gearboxes made by Avio Aero, which are external engine components that provide power to systems such as hydraulic pumps, generators and fuel pumps.

The affidavit details that Korshunov arranged and paid for employees to meet with him in June 2013 at the Paris Air Show in Le-Bourget, France, and in 2014 in Milan, Italy, to discuss and revise the technical report.

Conspiring to and attempting to steal trade secrets is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Benjamin C. Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI and the cooperation of GE Aviation, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy S. Mangan and Trial Attorney Will Mackie of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, who are prosecuting the case.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division assisted in the investigation.

A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Maryland man was arrested this morning on federal charges of cyberstalking victims in the Southern District of Ohio.

 

Vincent Brocoli, 32, of Essex, Md., was charged with three counts of cyberstalking in an indictment returned here August 29 and unsealed today.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Todd A. Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the charges.

 

According to the indictment, from August 2016 until April 2019, Brocoli (also known as Matthew Dehart, BunchMedia and BunchMarketing), cyberstalked a female victim and her parents by creating social media accounts in their names, sending them threats, and using the Internet to cause substantial emotional distress to their family.

 

Brocoli allegedly created social media accounts like @xokirstylies1, @xokirstyslut1 and @killyourselfkirsty, among others.

 

It is alleged Brocoli used the Internet to post photos of the victim with a cross on her forehead and send messages like “I hope you get cancer and die UGLY SLLUT [sic],” and “Go away and die. Just put a gun in your mouth and get it over with.”

 

The indictment also details that, over the course of nearly three years, Brocoli allegedly used the Internet and multiple social media platforms to post threatening and sexually vulgar comments, calling the victim a “worthless lying slut” and a “whore.” Brocoli also allegedly used the Internet to post comments asserting that the victim and her husband had AIDS, like claiming that the victim “took [her husband]’s gay cum down her throat and now she has aids. Diseased whorebag.”

 

Brocoli allegedly posed as the victim’s father and mother online by creating multiple Instagram and Twitter handles using their names. He also used the Internet to post comments to the victim’s mother, calling her a “pedophile,” commenting that she needed “to be arrested for child abuse,” and telling her to “Shut up and die.” Brocoli further used the Internet to post to the victim’s father that he would “be the first to go to hell and answer to the real God when the time comes.”

 

Cyberstalking is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Jessica H. Kim and Special Assistant United States Attorney Christopher N. St. Pierre, who are prosecuting the case.

 

An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 84 months in prison for drug crimes.

 

A jury convicted Glenn Marcell Madison, Jr., 29, of Columbus, in May on all counts following a two-day trial before U.S. District Judge James L. Graham.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Columbus Interim Chief of Police Thomas A. Quinlan announced the sentence handed down this afternoon.

 

Madison, also known as “Monster,” was indicted in October 2018 and May 2019 and charged with six drug-related crimes.

 

He was convicted of two counts of distributing cocaine, one count of distributing heroin and one count of distributing methamphetamine; each are crimes punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Madison was also convicted of two counts of distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, which carries a potential sentence of five to 40 years in prison.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the Columbus Division of Police and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Noah R. Litton, who are representing the United States in this case. 

 

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CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man was sentenced in federal court this morning for violating the Fair Housing Act through force, by willfully intimidating two homeowners based on their race, color and familial status.

 

Samuel Whitt, 43, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 54 months in prison for criminal interference with the right to fair housing.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Todd A. Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, and Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett.

 

Whitt was indicted in May 2017 and pleaded guilty in January 2019 to criminal interference with the right to fair housing, in part by the use or attempted use of fire or an explosive.

 

Whitt destroyed a rental home owned by an inter-racial couple in Price Hill in November 2016. According to court documents, Whitt broke into the rental home and spray-painted the walls with messages including “die n****r” and “white power,” as well as images of swastikas. Whitt also poured quick-drying concrete into the bathroom drains and toilet; stabbed a knife into the floor; removed plumbing traps from the sinks and left the water running; turned on the gas stove in the upstairs kitchen, poured paint into the burners, and attempted to remove the smoke detector above the stove.

 

“I want this conviction and sentence to send a message to racists in the Southern District of Ohio,” said U.S. Attorney Glassman. “It’s your right to wallow in noxious beliefs to your heart’s content, but act on those thoughts with violence and you will go to federal prison for a long time. Together with our law enforcement partners at all levels, this office will enforce the federal laws against hate crimes vigorously and to their fullest extent.”

 

As part of his sentence, the Court also ordered that Whitt pay more than $66,000 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence, including one year of home confinement.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the FBI and Cincinnati Police, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Megan Gaffney and Kyle Healey, who are representing the United States in this case. 

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Three defendants in a child pornography case have been sentenced to prison.

David E. Fairchild, 45, of Kirkersville, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 456 months in prison. In March, Jesse G. Szuba, 31, of Newark, was sentenced to 220 months in prison and Mike Allen, 36, of Heath, was sentenced to 68 months in prison.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin, Vance Callander, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and other members of the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force announced the sentences imposed by U.S. District Judge Michael H Watson.

 

The three men were charged in May 2018 in a second superseding indictment that was unsealed in late October.

 

According to court documents, in January 2018, the Franklin County ICAC Task Force received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding a video depicting child sexual abuse. The video was uploaded to Google from the username “David TwistedBottomFreak Fairchild” and depicted an adult male anally penetrating a toddler-aged child.

 

Investigation of the CyberTip revealed that Fairchild sexually abused a female victim, born in 2016, and created child pornography involving the victim. He thereafter sent the child pornography he created to others, including Szuba.

 

Likewise, Szuba attempted to produce child pornography involving a boy born in 2014.

 

Szuba and Fairchild met on Craigslist and communicated with each other about sexually abusing the toddlers. During their communications, they exchanged child pornography files and discussed plans to engage in various sex acts with each other and the victims.

 

Further, Szuba suggested other sex acts that Fairchild perpetrate against the female victim and asked Fairchild to send Szuba pictures or videos of that abuse. Fairchild similarly suggested that Szuba engage in sex acts with the male victim, and live stream such sexual abuse online.

 

In response to watching a video of Fairchild sexually abusing the toddler girl, Szuba messaged Fairchild that he “liked” the video “espically [sic] when she started whimpering.” Between January 26 and January 31, 2018, Szuba repeatedly requested, and Fairchild repeatedly sent, images and videos depicting sexual abuse of the female toddler.

 

Fairchild sent child pornography files to Allen, as well, including a link to Fairchild’s Google Drive account, which contained the video that prompted the CyberTip to NCMEC.

 

In January 2018, Fairchild sent six emails containing child pornography to a fourth related defendant, Caleb Cumberland, 31, of Tarlton, Ohio. Cumberland pleaded guilty in May to distributing and receiving child pornography. The parties in his case are recommending a sentencing range of 72 to 96 months in prison.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the Franklin County ICAC Task Force, HSI, and Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Heather A. Hill and Jonathan J.C. Grey, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

DAYTON – Sandy Green, of Fairborn, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 48 months in prison for wire fraud as part of a scheme to defraud her previous employers.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Yvonne A. DiCristoforo, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service, announced the sentence imposed yesterday afternoon by U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice.

 

According to court documents, Green was a bookkeeper at a Dayton business from May to November 2017. Green made fraudulent credit card returns without a corresponding legitimate purchase, causing company money to be paid into personal bank accounts belonging to Green and her family members.

 

Additionally, from April 2017 until March 2018, Green was the Chief Financial Officer for a second victim business in the Dayton area. Green again defrauded the company, this time transferring money from the business’s credit union into bank accounts controlled by Green and her family members. She attempted to disguise receiving the money by falsely listing other individuals and entities as the payee.

 

In total, Green embezzled more than $150,000 from the two companies. As part of her sentence, she was ordered to pay approximately $173,000 in restitution to the two companies.

 

Green pleaded guilty in August 2018 to two counts of wire fraud.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the Secret Service and Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. Hunt and SaMee Harden, who are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

DAYTON – A Dayton IT staffing company pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court yesterday to knowing about but failing to notify an authority of a federal offense, namely, visa fraud at Wright State University. The case was unsealed today.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Vance Callander, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Dayton Resident Agency announced the plea entered into before U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose.

 

According to court documents, Web Yoga, Inc. is a privately held company based in Dayton that specializes in information technology staffing.

 

During the summer of 2010, an official with Wright State University approached Web Yoga and proposed an arrangement whereby the university would source H-1B visa holders from overseas and subcontract them to Web Yoga for placement at client locations around the country.

 

Between 2010 and 2013, Wright State entered into several sponsored research contracts with Web Yoga. Wright State would employ software engineers, obtain H-1B visas for the employees, and pay their respective salary and benefits as employees of the university.

 

The H-1B visa program allows companies in the United States to temporarily employ foreign workers in occupations that require highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s or higher degree in a specific specialty. As an institute of higher learning, Wright State was sometimes “cap exempt” from limits on the number of H-1B visas it could obtain, unlike other types of organizations.

 

Wright State University employed 24 foreign employees – who were selected and approved by Web Yoga – through H-1B visas. Web Yoga learned in 2012 that portions of the H-1B visa paperwork filed by Wright State with the federal government did not accurately reflect the work locations for the visa holders subcontracted to Web Yoga. Specifically, Web Yoga learned the university falsely stated the employees would be physically working on the university’s campus. The visa employees worked as consultants on behalf of Web Yoga in various cities throughout the country, including Atlanta, Orlando and New York City.

 

Web Yoga continued to subcontract for the H-1B employees even after learning the visas were obtained through false statements. Web Yoga continued to present the employees as valid visa holders to their clients across the United States. Web Yoga did not make the felony known to a person of authority and concealed Wright State’s false statements through its actions.

 

As part of the plea, the parties have recommended Web Yoga pay a fine of approximately $566,000, to be paid no later than the date of sentencing.

 

In November 2018, Wright State University’s Board of Trustees accepted responsibility for visa fraud offenses on behalf of the university and agreed to pay the federal government $1 million.

 

“Today’s guilty plea marks the successful culmination of a complex visa-fraud investigation by HSI and our partners,” said Vance Callander, Special Agent in Charge for HSI in Michigan and Ohio. “This outcome should serve as a stark warning to entities who may be seeking to exploit the U.S. Visa process.”

 

“Web Yoga, Inc. conspired to conceal its use of Wright State University’s employees authorized through the H-1B visa program to work in the U.S. As an institution of higher learning, the university is exempt from the national cap on H-1B visas, yet Web Yoga, a privately held company, had the H-1B authorized employees work to fulfill its consulting contracts. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate crimes that abuse Department of Labor programs and deprive American workers of employment opportunities," said Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation of this case by HSI, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey, who is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A defendant in the MS-13 racketeering case pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today and accepted responsibility for his involvement in a homicide.

Erasmo Humberto Lima-Martinez, 32, of Columbus, pleaded guilty today to one count of murder in aid of racketeering.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Todd A. Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, Rebecca Adducci, Detroit Field Office Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Interim Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan announced the plea entered into today before Chief U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.

Lima-Martinez, also known as “Tun Tun,” is one of 23 individuals charged in a second superseding indictment in February 2018 who are alleged to be members and associates of MS-13 in Columbus.

The defendants are charged in a racketeering conspiracy, which includes five murders as well as attempted murder, extortion, money laundering, drug trafficking, assault, obstruction of justice, witness intimidation, weapons offenses and immigration-related violations.

The second superseding indictment alleges that the defendants committed a host of overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy, including: 1) the December 2006 murder of Jose Mendez, a confidential informant, in Perry County; 2) the November 2008 murder of Ramon Ramos on Lockbourne Road in Columbus; 3) the mid-2015 murder of Carlos Serrano-Ramos, a suspected rival gang member, near Innis Road in Columbus; 4) the November 2015 murder of Wilson Villeda near Innis Road in Columbus; and 5) the December 2016 murder of Salvador Martinez-Diaz, a suspected rival gang member, on Melroy Avenue in Columbus.

As part of his plea, Lima-Martinez accepted responsibility for his role in the Wilson Villeda homicide in 2015. Villeda was a 17-year-old high school student at the time of his murder, and had been deemed to be affiliated with a rival gang. MS-13 leadership in El Salvador authorized Villeda’s murder, and in November 2015, MS-13 members took Villeda to Innis Park, where they attacked and killed him with a machete and other bladed weapons before burying his body in a shallow grave in the woods in the park.

Lima-Martinez also took part in drug trafficking cocaine, marijuana and heroin on behalf of the criminal enterprise.

Lima-Martinez faces up to life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI, ICE, Columbus Division of Police and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the assistance of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Brian J. Martinez and Jessica H. Kim, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A defendant pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today after law enforcement officials discovered more than 30 kilograms of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine, as well as nearly $75,000 in cash, in his motorcycle.

 

Jorge Sanchez Montes, 33, of Phoenix, Ariz., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of conspiring to possess more than 400 grams of a substance containing fentanyl. Montes faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and law enforcement officials with the Central Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force announced the plea entered into this morning before Chief U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.

 

According to court documents, officers conducted a traffic stop on Montes in June near mile marker 78 on Interstate 70, near Plain City. During the stop, a K9 positively alerted to narcotics and Montes’ motorcycle was subsequently searched. Officers discovered approximately 30 packages of narcotics and more than $74,300 in cash.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the Central Ohio HIDTA Task Force and Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Hunter, who is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Bilal A. El Yousseph, 27, of Westerville, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 102 months in prison for conspiring to distribute controlled substances and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Todd A. Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, and Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler announced the sentence handed down today by Senior U.S. District Judge James L. Graham.

 

According to court documents, from January to June 2018, El Yousseph engaged in a conspiracy to distribute Xanax, Adderall and marijuana. El Yousseph was a leader of the conspiracy and recruited other individuals, including at least one juvenile, to sell controlled substances.

 

In February 2018, El Yousseph and other members of the conspiracy believed an individual had stolen Xanax from them and had lied to them about who had stolen it.

 

El Yousseph confronted the individual at his house in Westerville, and El Yousseph’s cell phone was used to video record the confrontation. During the confrontation, El Yousseph and others brandished firearms and repeatedly threatened to kill the individual and his family.

 

For example, one video that is 20 minutes long shows the victim in his own basement writing a confession with at least two guns pointed to his head. El Yousseph directs the individual to write faster and in big letters. He tells a co-conspirator to “Google, What’s the most painful place to get shot?” then places his Glock on the base of the victim’s skull.

 

Throughout the confrontation, firearms were racked and rounds were ejected, showing that the guns were loaded. At one point, one of the juveniles discharged one of the firearms, though the bullet did not hit anyone.

 

In June 2018, El Yousseph was stopped by law enforcement in Westerville for driving erratically. He had nearly hit another vehicle and driven into a curb. Officers found El Yousseph to be impaired and found 285 Xanax pills as well as Adderall and Fentanyl tablets and marijuana in the vehicle. El Yousseph also had a loaded handgun and the victim’s confession letter in the car.

 

El Yousseph pleaded guilty in June 2019 to conspiring to distribute drugs and to brandishing a firearm during and in relation to drug trafficking.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the FBI and Westerville Police Department, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate, who is representing the United States in this case. 

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A defendant in the MS-13 racketeering case has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court and accepted responsibility for his involvement in multiple homicides, including the murder of a former confidential informant.

Juan Jose Jimenez-Montufar (also known as Chele Trece), 35, of Columbus, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering and two counts of murder in aid of racketeering.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Todd A. Wickerham, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, Rebecca Adducci, Detroit Field Office Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Interim Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan announced the plea entered into today before Chief U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.

Jimenez-Montufar is one of 23 individuals charged in a second superseding indictment in February 2018 who are alleged to be members and associates of MS-13 in Columbus.

The defendants are charged in a racketeering conspiracy, which includes five murders as well as attempted murder, extortion, money laundering, drug trafficking, assault, obstruction of justice, witness intimidation, weapons offenses and immigration-related violations.

The second superseding indictment alleges that the defendants committed a host of overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy, including: 1) the December 2006 murder of Jose Mendez, a confidential informant, in Perry County; 2) the November 2008 murder of Ramon Ramos on Lockbourne Road in Columbus; 3) the mid-2015 murder of Carlos Serrano-Ramos, a suspected rival gang member, near Innis Road in Columbus; 4) the November 2015 murder of Wilson Villeda near Innis Road in Columbus; and 5) the December 2016 murder of Salvador Martinez-Diaz, a suspected rival gang member, on Melroy Avenue in Columbus.

As part of his plea, Jimenez-Montufar admitted to being the shooter who killed Jose Mendez in 2006. At that time, Mendez was a confidential informant working with law enforcement agencies in the Columbus area. In December 2006, Jimenez-Montufar and other MS-13 members drove Mendez to a remote location east of Columbus to murder him. Jimenez-Montufar shot Mendez in the head and left his body in Perry County.

Jimenez-Montufar’s plea also details that the defendant participated in other homicides, assaulted victims, set fire to an extortion victim’s car, and took part in drug trafficking, extortion and money laundering.

Jimenez-Montufar faces up to life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI, ICE, Columbus Division of Police and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the assistance of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Brian J. Martinez and Jessica H. Kim, who are prosecuting the case.

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