Middle District of Pennsylvania

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Christopher Richard Potter, age 29, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on January 30, 2025, by United States District Judge Robert D. Mariani to 252 months’ imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute fentanyl resulting in death.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Potter was involved in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and other controlled substances throughout Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties beginning in January 2022 until the time of his arrest on February 28, 2023.  The investigation revealed that the conspiracy’s source of supply for fentanyl was located in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.  Potter and at least one other co-conspirator would travel from Scranton to Hazleton multiple times each week during the conspiracy to reup with the Hazleton source and return to Scranton with upwards of 60 to 80 bricks (3,000 to 4,000 bags) of fentanyl for further distribution.  On December 19, 2022, a 26-year-old Dunmore male purchased a quantity of fentanyl from a member of the conspiracy, ingested the fentanyl, overdosed, and died. Subsequent autopsy and toxicology confirmed a fentanyl overdose death.  The male’s cell phone located next to his body led investigators to Potter, and two others involved in the distribution that resulted in death.

Potter was indicted by a grand jury in Scranton on April 4, 2023, along with Santino Bellucci, age 29, and Kaylee Ann Widmer, age 25.  Potter appeared in federal court in Scranton on September 23, 2024, and plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl resulting in death.

Bellucci and Widmer have both entered guilty pleas for conspiring to distribute fentanyl resulting in death.  Their sentences are scheduled for March 2025.

The charges stem from a joint investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Scranton - Safe Streets Task Force, and the Dunmore Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin and fentanyl. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Carlos Rodriguez, age 31, of Reading, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on January 14, 2025, to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, on August 16, 2022, law enforcement utilized a confidential informant to arrange for Rodriguez to bring a re-supply of methamphetamine to him.  Rodriguez was stopped in Northumberland by law enforcement and approximately 480 grams of methamphetamine was recovered from his vehicle. 

This case was investigated by the Clinton County Drug Task Force, Office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General, the Pine Creek Township Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin prosecuted the case.

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

This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged by indictment are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that United States District Court Judge Julia K. Munley, sentenced Mykayliah Hevener, age 26, of Carbondale, Pennsylvania, on January 30, 2025, to 27 years in prison for her production of child pornography.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, for an approximate nine-month period in 2023, Hevener engaged in sexual contact with a toddler and used the toddler to create images and videos of child pornography which were either viewed live or sent over the internet to a co-conspirator, Benjamin Egli, of Iowa. Mr. Egli is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa. He has entered a guilty plea and awaits sentencing in that matter. 

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) and the Tipton, Iowa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit  www.usdoj.gov/psc.

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WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Robert Mansberger, age 59, of Cassville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on January 14, 2025, by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann to 102 months of imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release on the charge of attempted enticement of a minor. 

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, on November 10, 2023, law enforcement conducted an undercover operation during which they advertised an online ad on a known website that publicized sexual services of minors. Mansberger responded to the ad through multiple messages indicating he wanted to engage in sexual activity with a 13-year-old minor.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, Patton Township Police Department, the Centre County District Attorney’s Office, Williamsport Police, and the Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit  www.usdoj.gov/psc.

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SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Robert M. Lutz, age 42, of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on January 31, 2025, to 132 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann for distribution of a controlled substance, specifically, 50 grams and more of crystal methamphetamine. 

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, beginning sometime in September of 2019 and continuing through February of 2020, Lutz, along with two indicted     co-conspirators, engaged in a drug distribution conspiracy that involved the importation and distribution of methamphetamine in Bradford, Columbia, and Lackawanna counties. On at least two occasions, the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted controlled purchases of crystal methamphetamine from Lutz in exchange for approximately $4,000 dollars. Laboratory testing of that methamphetamine revealed that it was between 93 and 96 percent pure.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is a term of life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

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HARRISBURG- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Shontez Andrews, age 35, of York County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on January 28, 2025, to 80 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for the distribution of powder and crack cocaine.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Andrews distributed crack and powder cocaine in York, Pennsylvania on five separate occasions between June 23, 2021 and March 3, 2022. On March 23, 2022, during the execution of a search warrant, law enforcement subsequently recovered additional quantities of crack and powder cocaine in Andrews’s Manchester, Pennsylvania home and a vehicle Andrews used.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), York County Drug Task Force, and the Manchester Regional Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Williams and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul J. Miovas, Jr. prosecuted the case.

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

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SCRANTON – Acting U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus announced today that the Middle District of Pennsylvania collected $17,444,425 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2024. Of this amount, $3,588,583 was collected in criminal actions and $13,855,841 was collected in civil actions.

The Middle District of Pennsylvania also worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $5,108,801 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $16,233 was collected in criminal actions and $5,092,567 was collected in civil actions.     

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working for victims of crime and do what we can to make them whole,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus. “We collect restitution from convicted defendants on behalf of crime victims, we work to forfeit the ill-gotten gains that defendants obtain through illegal means, and we fight to get back money owed to taxpayers in criminal and civil cases. I am proud to say that we have collected millions of dollars over the last year for the taxpayers and for crime victims in our district.”

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

    For example:

• Penn State Health is a multi-hospital system and offers Annual Wellness Visits which are reimbursable through Medicare. In 2023, Penn State Health made a self-disclosure to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office found that between December 1, 2015 and November 30, 2022, Penn State Health submitted claims for Annual Wellness Visits that were not supported by the wellness record.  A settlement agreement was entered into in February 2024, in which Penn State health agreed to pay $11,712,336.
• Defendant Jimmy Tran owned and operated a small food market and convenience store, Asia Market, in Harrisburg, PA.  The store was approved to participate in SNAP.  From January 2017 – August 2020, the defendant traded SNAP benefits in exchange for cash.  The total amount of SNAP benefits that were illegally exchanged for cash is $1,843,534.00. The payment of $299,174.60 was due to forfeiture/restoration.

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $1,311,135 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2024. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

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SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Gabriel Figueroa, age 29, a resident of New York, was sentenced on January 28, 2025, to 60 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to Acting U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus, between December 2023 and January 2024, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, law enforcement utilized a confidential informant to conduct three controlled purchases of cocaine from Figueroa. Following the controlled purchases, a search warrant was executed at Figueroa’s residence and law enforcement recovered methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, ammunition, and a Taurus .380 caliber handgun.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Allentown Field Office, the Kingston Police Department, and members of the Luzerne County Drug Task Force.  Assistant United States Attorney Tatum R. Wilson prosecuted the case.

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

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SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jose A. Rodriguez, age 63, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced on January 29, 2025, to 32 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Matthew W. Brann for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, in December of 2023, Rodriguez was transported from New York to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, by unknown persons who provided him with false identifications and instructed him to make withdrawals form victim bank accounts. In exchange for doing so, Rodriguez was provided a steady supply of drugs. Rodriguez made a total of seven fraudulent withdrawals from victim bank accounts at various financial institutions throughout Lycoming, Tioga, and Centre Counties. Rodriguez successfully withdrew $42,000 before he was apprehended during the course of an attempted $8,000 withdrawal.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Lycoming Regional Police Department, the Williamsport Bureau of Police, and the Pennsylvania State Police.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Lloyd prosecuted the case.

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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Bruce Jin, age 60, pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments in the amount of approximately $59 million. The United States Attorney’s Office also announced that Jin was charged with those offenses in August 2023, along with Brian R. Cleland, age 71, and Carlos A. Grijalva, age 59. All three defendants are residents of the Los Angeles, California area. The indictment also contains additional wire fraud charges against Cleland and Jin individually.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Cleland, Jin, and Grijalva, along with other unnamed coconspirators, conspired to obtain state unemployment compensation funds, and other public funds, through fraudulent means. The indictment alleges that the defendants and others entered into a series of agreements to make it appear as if they were operating legitimate businesses selling masks and other COVID19 personal protective equipment. In reality, the funds that the defendants obtained and laundered through their companies were derived from fraudulently obtained state unemployment compensation (“UC”) benefits. The indictment alleges that Economic Impact Payments, or “stimulus payments,” were also obtained through fraudulent means.

According to the indictment, unnamed members of the conspiracy, including some believed to be located in China, established thousands of accounts at banks across the United States using the personal identifying information (“PII”) of identity theft victims. From there, fraudulent UC claims were generated and paid to these accounts, including accounts in the names of people residing in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The indictment alleges that these fraudulent UC claims were also generated by fraudsters based in China. As a result of this fraudulent activity, millions of dollars in fraudulent UC payments were made by Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, and other states.

After UC funds were paid out, they were then transferred from identity theft victims’ accounts to companies controlled by Cleland, Jin, and Grijalva. For instance, Jin, through companies that he controlled known as Ample International and Jin Commerce, allegedly received over $12 million in UC funds from the accounts of identity theft victims.  In addition, the defendants are alleged to have used ACH processing—a type of electronic bank-to-bank transfer—to obtain over $45 million in fraudulent funds from the accounts of identity theft victims. This money mostly went from the accounts of identity theft victims to companies controlled by Cleland and Grijalva, including MexUS Service, Group Mex USA, CCB Group, GC Accounting, and CLECO. After that, Cleland and Grijalva transferred over $30 million to Jin’s companies and over $6 million to a company controlled by an associate of Jin who is referred to in the indictment as COCONSPIRATOR 1. That associate’s company is known in the indictment as COMPANY 1.

After Jin received the fraudulent funds, either from identity theft victims’ accounts or from Cleland and Grijalva through ACH processing, he then made international wire transfers totaling over $35 million to a bank account in China associated with a company known in the indictment as COMPANY 2. COMPANY 2 is controlled by an individual known in the indictment as COCONSPIRATOR 2, who, like COMPANY 2, is allegedly located in China. Jin also transferred over $2 million directly to COCONSPIRATOR 2.

The indictment also contains forfeiture allegations seeking over $59 million in US currency, as well as the contents of three bank accounts belonging to COMPANY 1 and a property in Honolulu, Hawaii that was purchased by COCONSPIRATOR 1 using funds connected to the charged offenses.

During his guilty plea, Bruce Jin admitted to the conduct that he is alleged to have engaged in with Cleland, Grijalva, and COCONSPIRATOR 2, as described above.

Jin has been detained since his arrest in August 2023. Cleland and Grijalva have been released pending trial on conditions. Cleland and Grijalva have both pleaded not guilty to the charged offenses and are scheduled for trial in May 2025.

“The Department of Justice is committed to identifying and punishing those who defrauded pandemic-era benefits programs, regardless of where they are located,” said Mandy Riedel, Director, COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement. “I commend the hard work of the prosecutors and investigators in the Middle District of Pennsylvania who doggedly pursued these organized overseas criminals to seek justice and the return of stolen tax payer funds.”

"Bruce Jin and his co-defendants engaged in an unemployment insurance (UI) fraud scheme that targeted multiple state workforce agencies, including the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry,” stated Syreeta Scott, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Mid-Atlantic Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “Jin conspired to file fraudulent UI claims in the names of identity theft victims who were not entitled to such benefits. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the UI system from those who seek to exploit this critical benefit program."

“The millions of dollars fraudulently obtained in this case were meant to support struggling Americans, not to be funneled overseas,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI is grateful for the ongoing collaboration of our partners as we work to hold accountable those who commit such egregious and complex financial crimes.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma is prosecuting the case. 

The U.S. Attorney General has established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

The maximum penalty under federal law for wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit money laundering is also 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jose Ricardo Pena, age 58, a native and citizen of the Dominican Republic, was sentenced to 63 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for distribution of fentanyl and illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. Following his term of imprisonment, Ricardo-Pena will face deportation for a third time.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Ricardo-Pena was arrested in Boston, Massachusetts in 2011, and deported to the Dominican Republic on or about August 31, 2011.  At some point after deportation, he illegally re-entered the United States and was arrested in Dauphin County on October 16, 2015, for drug trafficking charges.  He was ultimately convicted in the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas of conspiracy and possession with intent to deliver heroin and was sentenced to concurrent terms of 7-14 months imprisonment. Following that conviction, he was arrested by ICE and charged in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania with illegally re-entering the United States.  On February 8, 2017, he was convicted of that charge, sentenced to time served and on May 7, 2017, he was deported for a second time to the Dominican Republic.  

At some point after that deportation, Pena again illegally re-entered the United States.  On four separate occasions in 2023, Pena distributed fentanyl outside an apartment complex located in Harrisburg.  On August 23, 2023, he sold 22 grams of fentanyl; on September 5, 2023, he sold 40 grams of fentanyl; on September 14, 2023, he sold 53 grams of fentanyl; and on October 10, 2023, he sold 40 grams of fentanyl. In total, this equates to more than 4,700 individual doses of fentanyl.

“Fentanyl is a deadly poison that devastates communities and shatters families. The arrest and sentencing of Jose Ricardo Pena, a criminal illegal alien who was previously removed, are a testament to our unwavering commitment to combating the devastation that it causes,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Edward V. Owens.  “The diligent work by our investigative team and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in uncovering and stopping the distribution networks of this lethal drug have saved lives and strengthened our communities. Pena will be deported after serving his prison sentence.”

This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Pennsylvania State Police.  Assistant United States Attorney Scott Ford prosecuted the case.

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

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SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Davon Anthony Beckford, age 30, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced on January 24, 2025, by United States District Judge Robert D. Mariani to 240 months’ imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release for the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Beckford relocated from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to Phoenix, Arizona in or about January 2020. Once settled in Arizona, Beckford developed a relationship with an Arizona source of supply for fentanyl pills. Beckford then established a drug trafficking network with drug associates formerly known to him throughout Luzerne County.  He began to distribute hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills via the U.S. Postal Service to those drug associates.  In February of 2021, a 27-year-old female ingested one pill, overdosed, and died. The fentanyl pill ingested by the female had been distributed by Beckford to one of his drug associates in Wilkes-Barre, who sold it to the female.

Beckford was indicted by a grand jury in Scranton on February 15, 2022. He appeared in federal court in Scranton on March 1, 2023, and plead guilty to the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death.

The charges stem from a joint investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Scranton, and the Wilkes-Barre Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin and fentanyl. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Christopher Lopez, age 41, and Michael Torres, age 43, both of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, were sentenced on January 23, 2025, by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson on money laundering charges.  Lopez received a sentence of one year and one day in prison and Torres was sentenced to six months in prison.  Both defendants were ordered to serve one year on supervised release following completion of their prison terms.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Lopez owned C&D Motorsports, a car dealership located in Lancaster, where Torres was employed as a salesperson. Agents with the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) began investigating C&D Motorsports and Lopez in 2019 after receiving reports that C&D Motorsports catered to known drug traffickers who were known to have purchased vehicles from the dealership, and that the dealership had not been filing currency transaction reports for cash sales in excess of $10,000, as required by federal law.

IRS-CI conducted an undercover operation during which agents purported to be a drug trafficker and his girlfriend.  The undercover agents met with Torres and Lopez at C&D Motorsports on October 16, 2019, and discussed purchasing a vehicle using cash from drug trafficking and ensuring that the vehicle would be put in the girlfriend’s name and that the drug trafficker’s name would be omitted from paperwork filed in connection with the sale.  On December 11, 2019, the undercover agents returned to C&D Motorsports to meet with both Torres and Lopez to complete a cash purchase of a vehicle, which Lopez and Torres caused to be titled in a third party’s name.  A federal grand jury returned an indictment in February 2022, charging Lopez and Torres with conspiring to commit money laundering involving proceeds represented to have been from drug trafficking.

Following a four-day trial in February 2024, a jury found both Lopez and Torres guilty of conspiring together to accept more than $33,000 in cash proceeds that were represented to be from the sale of cocaine, and to conceal the nature, source, ownership, and control of those proceeds by having the vehicle titled in a third party’s name.

“IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to unraveling complex financial transactions and money laundering schemes where individuals attempt to conceal the true source of their money,” stated Amy MacNeely, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Philadelphia Field Office.

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

The case was investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christian Haugsby and Joseph Terz prosecuted the case.

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WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that U.S. District Court Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann sentenced James Michael Barr, age 69, of Cogan Station, Pennsylvania, to a time-served sentence plus 2 years of probation including 10 months of home confinement for failing to pay employment taxes owed by his construction company.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Barr pleaded guilty in July 2024, to failing to account for and pay over employment taxes owed by Barr Construction from 2017 through 2020. During that time period, in addition to a normal paycheck from which taxes were withheld, Barr also paid his employees in cash and did not withhold federal taxes from the cash payroll or remit taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service.

“Employers have a responsibility to their employees to withhold the proper amount of taxes and pay those taxes over to the IRS,” said Amy MacNeely, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Philadelphia Field Office.

The sentence also imposed a $5,000 fine on Barr and required him to make restitution to the I.R.S. in the amount of $337,000 plus civil penalties.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.   Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey W. MacArthur prosecuted the case.

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WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Nicolae Strava, age 30, a citizen of Romania, was indicted on January 23, 2025, by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Strava was previously removed from the United States on April 23, 2019, through Houston, Texas.  It is alleged that he was subsequently found in the United States on September 20, 2024, in Centre County, Pennsylvania, without having first obtained legal permission to reenter the country.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Zenzinger is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for the most significant offense is two years, a fine, and supervised release following imprisonment.  A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged by indictment are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kyle Grey, age 35, of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, was indicted on January 23, 2025, on four charges of production of child pornography.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Grey produced child pornography three times on or about October 9, 2024, and once on October 29, 2024.

The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit  www.usdoj.gov/psc.

The maximum penalty under federal law for each offense is 30 years of imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Mark Douglas Miller, age 45, of Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by Chief District Court Judge Matthew W. Brann to 150 months of imprisonment to be followed by 10 years of supervised release for transporting a minor to engage in sexual conduct.  

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, from January 2020 to March 2020, Miller knowingly and willfully transported a minor across state lines with a motivating purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct. 

The case was investigated by the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit  www.usdoj.gov/psc.

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SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani sentenced Eric Francis Butler, age 49, of Nassau County, New York, to 240 months’ imprisonment to be followed by four years of supervised release for the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and serious bodily injury.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Butler set up a hub for drug distribution in 2019 in Monroe County, Pennsylvania.  During a two-week period of time in July into August 2019, Butler’s sale of fentanyl resulted in the death of two individuals in Monroe County, and the near death of another who survived only with the administration of Narcan.  Butler was indicted by a grand jury in Scranton on January 11, 2022, and subsequently arrested in Nassau County, New York by federal law enforcement officers. Butler appeared in federal court in Scranton on November 7, 2023, and plead guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and serious bodily injury.

The charges stem from a joint investigation involving the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Scranton, and the Pocono Township Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin and fentanyl. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Corey L. Thomas, Jr., age 39, of Plymouth, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on January 15, 2025, to 42 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani for being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Thomas’s vehicle was stopped on July 13, 2021, by a Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Detective after Thomas briefly met with a drug trafficker being investigated in an unrelated investigation. Thomas was found to be in possession of drug proceeds and a .380 Ruger handgun with an obliterated serial number.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd K. Hinkley prosecuted the case.

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

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SCRANTON –United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam honors ten individuals for their outstanding contributions to public safety. These awards are made each year to a select group of individuals who perform in an exceptional manner and who make significant contributions to the United States Attorney’s Office’s efforts to enforce federal laws and to protect society.

Exemplary Lifetime Service as a Law Enforcement Officer

• FBI Special Agent Timothy K. O’Malley

This award recognizes FBI Special Agent Timothy K. O’Malley’s tenacious work in a nearly 25-year career of federal service that included time as a Secret Service agent before joining the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  During his many years in the Williamsport Office, he was responsible for the investigation of homicides and other violent crimes at a time when violence was at a peak at U.S.P. Lewisburg, and he achieved significant results in the investigation of bank fraud and other white-collar crimes.  His career also included significant and tireless efforts in an investigation and successful prosecution of a years-long operation that manufactured and distributed hundreds of kilograms and millions of doses of fentanyl analogues.

Outstanding Contributions to Cooperative Law Enforcement

• PA Office of Attorney General, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Robert Smulktis

This award recognizes the outstanding legal support Attorney Smulktis provided the U.S. Attorney’s Office in drug trafficking trials this past year. Attorney Smulktis played a critical role in preparing witnesses, participating in trial strategy sessions, and provided an excellent rebuttal to the defendant’s closing argument.  This award also recognizes Attorney Smulktis’ exemplary work in United States v. David Darby, et al., a case that involved drug traffickers trafficking oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl, where many of Darby’s customers overdosed and one died. Attorney Smulktis’ outstanding contributions during trial resulted in Darby’s conviction and ultimately a life sentence and Malik Bonds being sentenced to 156 months in prison.

• FBI Resident Agent in Charge Special Agent Joseph Noone

This award recognizes Special Agent Noone’s successful efforts to create a strong working relationship between the FBI, other law enforcement agencies, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute individuals who pose a danger to our community.  Special Agent Noone’s work as both an agent and supervisor helped obtain numerous convictions in cases involving public corruption, drug trafficking, fraud, child exploitation, and violence in Pennsylvania for more than a decade.

Distinguished Service as a Law Enforcement Officer

Six individuals received the United States Attorney’s Award for Distinguished Service as a Law Enforcement Officer for their exceptional work in multiple, significant criminal prosecutions:

• FBI Task Force Officer Shane Yelland
• FBI Task Force Officer Daniel Spath
• DEA Task Force Officer Francis A. Carito

This award recognizes the recipients’ unending commitment to holding criminals responsible for their crimes.  They have worked countless large-scale investigations involving the worse types of drug dealers including repeat and career offenders; those who traffic in deadly fentanyl; and those who possess firearms in furtherance of their crimes. Their relentless desire to serve and protect our communities is representative of the best in law enforcement.

• FBI Special Agent Eric Bailey

This award recognizes Special Agent Bailey’s exceptional work in the investigation and prosecution of child exploitation cases. His commitment to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse has resulted in the identification and successful prosecution of dozens of individuals who committed such violations.

• IRS Special Agent Eric Conahan

This award recognizes Special Agent Conahan’s tenacious work on numerous high profile sophisticated white-collar investigations over the last several years. These cases involved complex tax frauds, commercial bribery offenses, and some of the most significant pandemic fraud prosecutions brought by our district. His efforts have resulted in significant sentences for white collar defendants, and the recovery of fraudulent proceeds.

• IRS Resident Agent in Charge Carmine Pellegrino
• IRS Special Agent Jeff Decker

This award recognizes the recipients’ exceptional work in United States v. Abrams.  Abrams was the CEO of EthosGen LLC, a company operating in the clean energy industry, who defrauded investors out of $1.1 million. Abrams was convicted at trial of all 48 counts in an indictment.  This relatively complex and sprawling investigation spanned several years, and the agents brought it to a successful conclusion, despite much of the investigation taking place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Abrams ultimately was sentenced to six years of imprisonment.

“We are pleased to recognize the achievements of our colleagues who have made outstanding contributions to promoting public safety, said United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam. “All too often their tremendous sacrifices go unrecognized and unnoticed.  On behalf of the entire U.S. Attorney’s Office, I congratulate them and thank them for their service.

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The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the City of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, to challenge the city council’s at-large method of election.

The lawsuit alleges that the city’s current at-large method of electing city council members results in Hispanic citizens having less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process and to elect candidates of choice, in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Hispanic voting-age citizens make up more than 40% of the city’s electorate. Hispanic-preferred candidates have run for the city council and routinely lose, despite the county’s sizeable Hispanic citizen population.

“The Voting Rights Act is an important tool to ensure that underrepresented citizens have an equal opportunity to choose their elected officials,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to ensuring that all citizens have an equal opportunity to participate in the democratic process and elect candidates of choice. We look forward to working with officials to achieve a more perfect union by bringing Hazleton, Pennsylvania into compliance with the Voting Rights Act.”

“The Hispanic population is a growing and important population in the City of Hazelton, and those citizens should have the ability to choose candidates that represent their interests,” said U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. “This complaint demonstrates my office’s commitment to partner with the Justice Department to enforce civil rights statutes like the Voting Rights Act.”

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, alleges that changing the method of election can create opportunities for Hispanic voters to elect candidates of their choice to the Hazleton City Council. For example, by electing councilmembers from single-member districts, Hispanic voters would have an opportunity to elect at least two members of the five-member city council. The lawsuit seeks a federal court order implementing a new method of electing the Hazleton City Council.

The Justice Department looks forward to continued discussions with the City of Hazleton toward resolution of this matter.

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, working with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Civil Rights Acts and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

More information about voting and elections is available at www.justice.gov/voting. Learn more about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931. 

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SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann sentenced Matthew Lampi, age 50, of East Bethel, Minnesota, to 15 months in prison for interstate transport of stolen human remains. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Lampi previously entered a guilty plea to a felony Indictment, admitting that he had purchased and caused to be transported in interstate commerce stolen human remains.  Lampi admitted that he had purchased human remains, including the corpse of a stillborn baby boy, from Jeremy Pauley, a resident of the Middle District of Pennsylvania.  Pauley purchased stolen human remains from Candace Chapman Scott, who stole the remains from her employer, a Little Rock, Arkansas mortuary and crematorium.  Scott stole parts of cadavers she was supposed to have cremated, many of which had been donated to and used for research and educational purposes by an area medical school, as well as the corpses of two stillborn babies who were supposed to be cremated and returned as cremains to their families.  Scott sold the stolen remains to Pauley and shipped them to Pauley in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.  Pauley sold many of the stolen remains he purchased to other individuals, including Matthew Lampi.  Lampi and Pauley bought and sold from each other over an extended period of time and exchanged over $100,000 in online payments.

Among the items Pauley sold and shipped to Lampi in Minnesota was the corpse of a stillborn baby named Lux.  Lux’s mother, who had engaged a funeral home in the Little Rock area to cremate her son’s remains, was given ashes purported to be the cremains of her deceased son.  Instead, Scott stole the baby’s body and sold and shipped it to Pauley, who then sold and shipped it to Lampi.

In addition to 15 months in prison, Chief Judge Brann ordered Lampi to pay a fine of $2,000 and restitution to Lux’s mother of $1,700.  Both Pauley and Chapman Scott are awaiting sentencing after entering pleas of guilty to federal charges in Pennsylvania and Arkansas, respectively.

This case is part of a multi-year investigation into interstate trafficking of stolen human remains.  Multiple defendants have been charged in this district ad Arkansas, and several have entered pleas of guilty.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni is prosecuting the case. 

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SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann sentenced Angelo Pereyra, age 39, of Wichita, Kansas, to 18 months in prison for interstate transport of stolen human remains and body parts. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Pereyra previously pleaded guilty to a Criminal Information, admitting that between 2018 and 2022, Pereyra stole human remains and body parts from a Kansas hospital where he was employed as a pathology assistant and sold them. Pereyra stole organs and portions of organs, including human hearts, brains, spleen, testicle, intestine, and livers, amputated feet and toes, and other parts.  Some of the specimens he stole came from deceased individuals, others from living patients.  Most egregiously, Pereyra stole the corpses of miscarried and stillborn fetuses before they could be properly buried.  Pereyra sold the stolen specimens to Andrew Ensanian, of Montgomery, Pennsylvania, and shipped them to him from Kansas to Pennsylvania via U.S. Postal Service. Ensanian previously entered a guilty plea to the same Information, and is awaiting sentencing.   

These charges resulted from a multi-year investigation into the nationwide trafficking of stolen human remains.  Multiple defendants have been charged previously in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and five have thus far entered guilty pleas. An additional defendant has been charged and convicted in Arkansas. 

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni is prosecuting the case. 

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SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Sun Tong Lin, age 37, and Xueliang Chen, age 36, both of Staten Island, New York, were indicted on December 17, 2024, by a federal grand jury on wire fraud and conspiracy charges.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that, in June and July of 2024, Sun Tong Lin and Xueliang Chen were part of a scheme to defraud victims by convincing them that their online accounts or bank accounts were not secure.  The conspirators would convince the victim to withdraw a large sum of cash and hand it over to an agent for safekeeping, when, in reality, they were stealing the money.  Many of the victims were elderly.  In total, the indictment alleges that the defendants stole approximately $288,000 from at least nine victims and attempted to steal another $50,000 from one victim in Tioga County.

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni is prosecuting the case.

The maximum total penalty under federal law for these offenses is 40 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that James P. Cullen V, age 30, and Michelle L. Ferranti, age 31, both of Bartonsville, Pennsylvania, were indicted by a federal grand jury on various fentanyl and heroin trafficking charges, including for distributing fentanyl that resulted in the deaths of three individuals.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to distribute fentanyl and heroin between April 2021 and February 27, 2023.  Cullen and Ferranti specifically were charged with distributing in excess of 400 grams of fentanyl, which is the equivalent of approximately 16,000 potentially lethal individual doses of fentanyl.  The indictment also alleges that Cullen and Ferranti obtained fentanyl and heroin from other coconspirators located in New Jersey, marketed the narcotics on the Darkweb, and then used fabricated names to distribute the narcotics.  Cullen and Ferranti allegedly mailed fentanyl and heroin to nearly every state in the United States, and to several foreign countries.  As a result, it is alleged that three different individuals located in Vermont, Georgia, and Alaska overdosed and died from the fentanyl between October 2022 and February 2023.  The individual in Alaska was a juvenile.  In addition, Cullen and Ferranti are charged with distributing fentanyl and heroin on four other occasions between November 2022 and February 2023. 

The indictment remained under seal until both defendants were arrested.  Cullen and Ferranti remain in custody pending their trial.

“These indictments are a testament to the power of the interagency cooperation between HSI, the Postal Inspection Service, and the Pennsylvania State Police,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Edward Owens. “The agents and officers have removed two dangerous drug traffickers from our streets, who were responsible for three overdose deaths across the United States.  The dismantlement of this drug trafficking organization ensures the safety of the general public.  I commend HSI, their law enforcement partners, and the prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Pennsylvania for their tireless work on this case.”

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Customs and Border Patrol, and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.  Law enforcement agencies from Vermont, Georgia, Alaska, and French Customs also assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa H. Berti is prosecuting the case.

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

This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

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

The penalties under federal law for the most serious, overdose death charges are a minimum of 20 years and maximum life term of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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SCRANTON – United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Gerard M. Karam announced today that he has submitted his resignation to President Biden effective January 10, 2025.   The Middle District of Pennsylvania consists of 33 counties in northeastern and central Pennsylvania and is home to over 3.1 million people.  There are offices in Scranton, Harrisburg, and Williamsport. Mr. Karam was nominated by Senators Robert Casey and Patrick Toomey, appointed by President Joseph R. Biden, confirmed by the United States Senate on June 13, 2022, and sworn into office on June 21, 2022.

“As a son of a police officer, being appointed United States Attorney in my home district has been an honor of a lifetime.  I am grateful to President Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Senator Robert Casey, and former Senator Patrick Toomey for the opportunity to serve as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.”

“I am equally thankful for the career attorneys, professional staff and the dedicated law enforcement officers who work honestly, diligently and with the utmost good faith to keep our citizens safe, apply the rule of law equally and to protect the civil rights of our citizens.  It has been a true privilege to serve alongside these impressive and committed individuals.  Together we have had many proud accomplishments.”

In addition to being United States Attorney, Karam also served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee’s Subcommittees on White Collar Crime, Civil Rights and Controlled Substances.

The office and its law enforcement partners have had many achievements during Karam’s tenure:

Public Safety

As part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, the office working hand in hand with Federal, local, and state partners indicted and convicted numerous defendants on drug trafficking, drug delivery resulting in death, firearms offenses, sex trafficking and exploitation of minors and murder. Some notable cases include:

• Three consecutive life sentences for a man who participated in the murder of three people including a federal witness.
• A sentence of 70 years for a man convicted of torture and illegally exporting weapon parts and related service to Iraq. It was only the second time a United States citizen has been convicted on torture charges in our country’s history.
• The indictment of seven individuals dubbed as the Fentanyl Robbery Gang for conspiracy resulting in the deaths of four victims.

Health Care

United States Attorney Karam prioritized fighting fraud, waste, and abuse in the health care industry.  His office held health care systems and providers accountable both civilly and criminally.  Notable cases include:

• Holding a multi-hospital health system accountable for submitting claims to Medicare for Annual Wellness Visit services that violated Medicare rules and regulations.  The health system paid $11,712,336.00 to resolve civil liability.
• Holding a corporation responsible to pay $2,700,000.00 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to provide adequate cybersecurity to protect health care information.
• Doctor sentenced to 22 years imprisonment after convictions for unlawful distribution of controlled substances resulting in death.
• Seven defendants indicted on health care fraud kickback scheme involving over One Million Dollars in kickbacks.

Fraud/Theft

Karam also emphasized fighting fraud and theft. His effort resulted in the prosecution of unique and significant cases that include:

• Nine defendants indicted on a decades-long scheme to steal major artworks and sports memorabilia.
• Indictment and guilty pleas of individuals in a multi-state scheme to steal and sell human body parts.
• Four defendants indicted in a $120 Million disadvantaged business fraud scheme.
• Three defendants indicted in a multi-state money laundering and unemployment fraud scheme involving over $60 Million with $35 Million transferred to bank accounts in China.
• Indictment and guilty plea of individual charged with committing $11.5 Million in Covid-19 Pandemic Fraud.
• Indictment of Pennsylvania Common Pleas Court Judge for fraud, tampering with a witness and obstruction of justice.

Civil Rights

United States Attorney Karam took a comprehensive approach to protecting the civil rights of Pennsylvanians through enforcement efforts, community outreach and a strong partnership with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. These efforts include:

• Presentation of a United Against Hate program at high schools throughout the district;
• Holding corporations accountable for violations of the Fair Housing Act;
• The indictment of three police officers for police brutality involving 22 different arrests; and
• Holding governmental entities accountable for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Administrative

During Karam’s time, the Financial Litigation Unit collected nearly $20 million in civil actions brought by the Middle District of Pennsylvania.  Over $12 million was collected in criminal matters and over $9 million in forfeitures.

The Administrative division led the hiring and onboarding of 15 new Assistant United States Attorneys. The division’s efforts allowed the district to be one of the most productive medium sized offices in the nation.

Karam also led the creation of the district’s first appellate and E-litigation units.

Upon Mr. Karam’s departure, First Assistant United States Attorney John Gurganus will assume the position of Acting United States Attorney pursuant to the Vacancies Reform Act.

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HARRISBURG- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Nathaniel Sean Deleon, age 20, of Tulare, California, pleaded guilty on December 18, 2024, to a two-count criminal information charging him with distribution of child pornography and making a bomb threat hoax, in connection with a campaign of retaliation against a Cumberland County minor in 2023. 

According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, court documents and statements made in court show that Deleon met the then-16-year-old minor victim on the Roblox gaming platform and began an online relationship. The relationship ended. Thereafter, between June 2023 and November 2023, Deleon caused law enforcement in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania to respond to 23 related “swatting” incidents at addresses in Cumberland County, the majority of which belonged to the minor victim. The calls generally related information that someone had a gun and had killed, or was about to kill, another person.

On November 30, 2023, Deleon, identifying himself as the minor victim, informed a suicide prevention worker via an internet messaging application that the minor victim had placed pipe bombs in the classrooms and bathrooms of Big Spring High School, located in Cumberland County, and was in a car outside of the school with a shotgun. As a result, approximately 650 students and staff from Big Spring High School were evacuated. No bombs went off and it was determined that there were no explosive devices inside the school.

Deleon also distributed sexually explicit video of the minor victim on two occasions in November 2023.

Deleon agreed to pay restitution in accordance with a schedule to be determined by the Court. 

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney David C. Williams is prosecuting the case.

The maximum combined penalty under federal law for these offenses is 25 years, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

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HARRISBURG, PA —The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Dr. Donald J. Dinello, D.M.D., with practice locations in Harrisburg and Hershey, has agreed to pay the United States $120,000 in civil penalties for allegedly failing to comply with recordkeeping and other requirements of the Controlled Substances Act.

The Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. sections 801 et seq. (CSA), was passed to combat illegal distribution and abuse of controlled substances, including prescription medications.  The CSA’s recordkeeping and prescribing requirements are to prevent the diversion of controlled substances for illegal purposes. The CSA is enforced by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Diversion Control Division, whose mission is to prevent, detect, and investigate the diversion of controlled pharmaceuticals and listed chemicals from legitimate sources while ensuring adequate and uninterrupted supply for legitimate medical, commercial, and scientific needs. Under the CSA, entities registered with the DEA who purchase, distribute, dispense, transfer, or sell controlled substances must comply with prescription, inventory, and other documentation requirements.  Regulations promulgated under the CSA require that each DEA registrant, including registered practitioners, maintain complete and accurate records of each substance manufactured, received, sold, delivered, dispensed, or otherwise disposed of by the registrant.  These requirements play a vital role in ensuring the appropriate handling, accounting, and distribution of controlled substances.  Violations of the record-keeping and prescription requirements subject DEA registrants to civil monetary penalties.

According to the allegations, between January of 2023 and August of 2024, Dr. Dinello failed to use the required DEA form 222 for each distribution of a Schedule II Controlled Substance, failed to maintain complete and accurate records of controlled substances dispensed by him at both his registered locations, failed to maintain biennial inventory at both his registered locations, and in one instance, failed to issue a prescription for a Schedule IV controlled substance  in the usual course of his professional practice.  Dr. Dinello acknowledges he is required to operate in accordance with the statutory and regulatory provisions of the CSA and its implementing regulations.

“Practitioners who register with DEA in order to prescribe and dispense medications that fall under the Controlled Substances Act have an obligation to prescribe appropriately and keep careful records and inventories,” said U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam. “Not fulfilling those obligations makes it difficult or even impossible to be sure those potentially dangerous medications are being dispensed and handled appropriately and are not being diverted. The pursuit of this matter illustrates the continued dedication of our office to protecting the public in MDPA." 

“The goal of DEA’s closed system of distribution is to ensure accountability for controlled substances and physicians who fail to maintain proper records of controlled substances create conditions ripe for diversion” said Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Philadelphia Field Division. “The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates its emphasis on combating diversion of controlled substances.  The record keeping and other regulations applicable to DEA registrants, including physicians, are the tools by which the DEA deters drug diversion.” 

The Settlement Agreement is neither an admission of liability by Dr. Dinello nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded.

The case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration’s Diversion Control Division. The investigation was handled by Assistant United States Attorney, Tamara J. Haken and the Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) Unit within the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

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SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kenneth Lesser, age 50, a resident of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Julia K. Munley, for attempted online enticement of a minor.

According to the United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, between July 17, 2023 and August 3, 2023, Lesser, used the internet and an electronic device to attempt to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce, a person who he believed to be a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual conduct and to produce images of child pornography.  During that period, on multiple occasions, Lesser transmitted obscene photographs of himself to the purported child.   

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations – Philadelphia Division.  Assistant United States Attorney Tatum Wilson prosecuted the case.

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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Janssen Rodriguez Velez, age 27, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking and firearms charges. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that Rodriguez Velez conspired to distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute, cocaine, between February 10 and 29, 2024, in Mifflin, Pennsylvania.  The indictment also alleges that Rodriguez Velez possessed a Taurus G3 9mm Luger pistol during and in relation to his drug trafficking activities.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Williams is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is lifetime imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Demetrius Catching, age 34, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institute at Allenwood, and formerly of Lexington, Kentucky, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, to serve an additional 41 months in prison on the charge of assaulting, resisting, and impeding a corrections officer. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Catching was previously indicted by a grand jury in Scranton in April 2016, after an incident at FCI Allenwood in which Catching punched a corrections officer. Sentencing in this matter was delayed while Catching was prosecuted on federal charges for drug distribution and money laundering in the Eastern District of Kentucky. Catching is presently serving sentences from the Eastern District of Kentucky totaling 148 months for those offenses. The sentence imposed by Judge Mariani will run consecutively, or in addition to, the Eastern District of Kentucky sentences.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Service.  Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara prosecuted the case. 

At the time of the incident at FCI Allenwood, Catching was serving a sentence of 60 months from the Eastern District of Kentucky for distributing cocaine base (crack). That sentence has since expired.

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HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Rasheek Blackstone, age 35, of Steelton, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury for methamphetamine trafficking.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges Blackstone with one count of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine in Dauphin County.

The charges resulted from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”), and the Harrisburg Police Organized Crime and Vice Control Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera is prosecuting the case.

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

Under federal law, Blackstone faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison, a term of supervised release, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

# # #

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Joseph Louis Camino, age 56, Braddock, Pennsylvania, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on charges relating to his alleged assault on a court security officer inside the Sylvia H. Rambo United States Courthouse at 1501 North 6th Street in Harrisburg on December 16, 2024.  The U.S. Marshal’s service previously reported that Camino was shot multiple times by another court security officer during this incident, and that Camino was taken to a local hospital where he is reported to be in stable condition.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that Camino knowingly brought a folding knife with a blade longer than 2 ½ inches into the federal courthouse with the intent to assault a court security officer, and that he used the knife during the assault. 

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Haugsby is prosecuting the case.

The total maximum penalties under federal law for these offenses are 27 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

# # #

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Charles Vincent Benincasa, age 41, of Kingston, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on December 12, 2024, to 136 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, on July 19, 2023, Benincasa distributed cocaine out of his home in Kingston. Two days later, the Luzerne County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant on that same home. Task Force Members discovered distribution amounts of cocaine, marijuana and fentanyl, and in total, nearly $15,000 dollars in cash. Benincasa was also in possession of one thousand rounds of ammunition and six firearms, to include multiple handguns and rifles. Two firearms bore no serial numbers, commonly known as untraceable “ghost guns.” At least one of the unserialized firearms was an AR-15 style short-barrel rife. One handgun had an extended 31-round magazine.

The case was investigated by the Luzerne County Drug Task Force together with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti is prosecuting the case.

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

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is a term of life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

# # #

SCRANTON -The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on December 10, 2024, a federal jury found Michael Jones, Jr, age 44, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, guilty on all 10 counts of an indictment charging conspiracy to distribute in excess of 40 grams of fentanyl; possession with intent to distribute in excess of 40 grams of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking; possession of a firearm by a felon; possession of a stolen firearm; and maintaining a drug involved premises. The guilty verdicts were returned following a six-and-one-half day trial before United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, on April 27, 2021, Jones was traveling from Philadelphia to Wilkes-Barre when he was stopped by the Pennsylvania State Police.  Law enforcement found drugs hidden inside a stereo speaker in the trunk of Jones’ car which led to the search of Jones’ stash house.  Law enforcement seized additional amounts of drugs, packaging materials, a stolen firearm, and $20,000 in cash at Jones’ stash house. 

During the trial, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office presented testimony of 22 witnesses, including a DNA expert.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Pennsylvania State Police and the Wilkes-Barre Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jenny P. Roberts and Todd Hinkley are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.  A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

# # #

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Christopher Texidor, age 37, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on December 11, 2024, to 292 months by United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for trafficking over 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of marijuana and hiring gunmen to protect his illegal activities.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Texidor was previously convicted of drug trafficking, weapons, and violence after a six-day jury trial in May 2024.  Judge Wilson relied upon the evidence introduced at the trial when noting that this was more than just an illicit marijuana trafficking operation. According to the Judge, Texidor engaged in dangerous and violent conduct that endangered the community.

The evidence introduced at trial showed that between October 2018 and May 2020, Texidor and his codefendants operated a marijuana smuggling operation out of Fastlane Auto Sales, a used car lot located on Paxton Street in Harrisburg. Texidor and his codefendants arranged to have his drug source in California mail hundreds of parcels full of marijuana to Harrisburg through the U.S. Mail.  In the same way, they regularly mailed tens of thousands of dollars in cash back to the California source. Texidor and his codefendants used a sophisticated system of GPS tracking devices, which they placed in their parcels, to keep track of their drugs and money. Through this the scheme, over 9,000 thousand pounds of suspected marijuana parcels, worth millions of dollars, were brought to the Harrisburg area.

Texidor and his codefendants used guns, robbery, and kidnapping as tools to keep their criminal operation running. At the trial, the jury heard evidence of the violence that Texidor and his codefendants used to try and stop a thief from stealing their marijuana. In late 2019, a thief began stealing their marijuana from parcels shipped to them. By using tracking devices in their parcels and attaching tracking devices to vehicles, they identified the person that they suspected was stealing their marijuana. Texidor and his codefendants then hired gunmen to stop the thefts. From December 2019 to February 2020, the gunmen went after the suspected thief. In December the gunmen shot up a truck in Harrisburg connected to the suspected thief; they shot into an occupied home in Susquehanna Township where the suspected thief was sleeping; and they shot into an occupied home in Steelton that they guessed was connected to the suspected thief. In February 2020, they robbed the suspected thief at gunpoint in Highspire.  

The jury convicted Texidor of conspiracy to traffic more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, conspiracy to use a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, use of a means in interstate communication to commit a crime of violence, and drug trafficking. 

Texidor was also sentenced for committing pandemic related unemployment fraud. While he was released awaiting trial for the drug trafficking case, Texidor submitted a fraudulent application for pandemic relief. He got over $20,000 in pandemic unemployment relief.  He was charged with wire fraud for that episode and later pled guilty.  When imposing sentence for drug trafficking, weapons, and violence offenses, Judge Wilson also imposed a 20-year sentence for defrauding the United States.  Judge Wilson noted as an aggravating factor that Texidor committed this fraud with his co-defendants in the marijuana trafficking case and that they all did it while out on release awaiting trial.

Texidor’s codefendants, Jamie Valenzuela, William Kuduk, Jonathan Cobaugh, Justin Laboy, Jose Laboy, and Julio Arellano have pleaded guilty. Codefendant Jamie Valenzuela pleaded guilty to being the marijuana source from California. He was sentenced to 57 months’ imprisonment.  Codefendant Jose Laboy as sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment marijuana trafficking and weapons offenses. Codefendant Jonathan Cobaugh was sentenced to 63 months’ imprisonment for marijuana trafficking and pandemic fraud. Codefendant Julio Arellano was sentenced to 156 months’ imprisonment for weapons offenses and conspiracy to commit drug trafficking.  Codefendants William Kuduk and Justin Laboy are awaiting sentencing. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael A. Consiglio and Scott Ford prosecuted the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

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

# # #

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Paul D. Polen, age 71, of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania was charged by criminal information with one count of conspiracy to engage in theft or bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds between 2002 and 2022. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the information alleges that Polen, while working at a nursing home in Lock Haven, PA, agreed with an unnamed physician to be paid kickback payments. The nursing home was a recipient of Medicare benefits in excess of $10,000 per year. Under Federal law, it is an offense to embezzle, steal, obtain by fraud, or misapply property worth at least $5,000 from an organization receiving Federal funds in excess of $10,000 in a year.

The physician reported to Polen, who ran the workers’ compensation program for the nursing home. Polen hired the physician for this role on the condition that the physician would have to pay half of his salary from the nursing home to Polen each month, through a company that Polen set up called Paul D. Polen, Inc. Polen made his own wife the president of this company in name only.

The physician agreed to this arrangement, which required, at most, a few hours of work per month from the physician. The physician’s responsibilities also included evaluating Polen’s own workers’ compensation claims, which resulted in Polen working a reduced schedule for the same compensation from the nursing home.

The physician then proceeded to pay Polen between approximately $1,700 and $2,500 per month for a period of about twenty years. In order to conceal these payments, Polen and the physician regularly exchanged payment at the physician’s home rather than at the workplace. In total, it is alleged that Polen and the physician conspired to embezzle, steal, obtain by fraud, and misapply approximately $528,450 from the nursing home.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma is prosecuting the case. 

The maximum penalty under federal law for conspiracy is five years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

# # #

WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Craig Coins, Jr., age 30, and Aubreanna Odendahl, age 26, both of Mississippi, were indicted on charges involving conspiracy, sex trafficking of a minor, transportation of a minor for sexual activities, and production of child pornography.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that the minor was transported from Mississippi to Tioga County, Pennsylvania in April and the criminal conduct took place from March to May of 2023 in Tioga County and elsewhere.

The case was investigated by the Wellsboro Police Department, Mississippi Capitol Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

The maximum penalty under federal law is up to life in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

# # #

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Shaquill Morris, age 34, a federal inmate incarcerated at FCI Schuylkill, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Saporito, Jr. to 24 months’ incarceration for being a federal inmate in possession of a weapon. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Morris was an inmate housed at the Federal Correctional Institution at Schuylkill on July 26, 2024, when a corrections officer noticed that he was using a cellphone. Upon search of Morris, he was also discovered to be in possession of two shanks. Morris’s sentence was run consecutively to a 216 month sentence he previously received in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Special Investigative Services of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd K. Hinkley prosecuted the case.

# # #

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kevin Eric Abbott, age 39, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Rashaad Khalid Che Taylor, age 28, of Milford, Pennsylvania, were indicted by a federal grand jury for multiple criminal charges related to child exploitation, including an overarching conspiracy to produce child pornography, online enticement, both distribution and possession of child pornography, and, with regard to Taylor, the commission of a felony sex offense by an individual required to register as a sex offender. 

The Indictment in this case alleges that the two men met and conspired, over the course of at least a year and a half, to entice children to produce of child pornography at their behest. Both men engaged in the enticement and attempted enticement of children online. Abbott is alleged to have distributed child pornography on multiple occasions. Additionally, both men were in possession of images and video of pre-pubescent children engaged in sex acts when they were encountered by law enforcement. Taylor is also alleged to have committed these felony sex offenses while being a registered as a sex offender for his underlying 2016 felony sex offense convictions.

The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit  www.usdoj.gov/psc.

The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

# # #

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jose Rafael Polo-Sanchez, age 43, of the Dominican Republic, was indicted by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry into the United States by a previously deported alien.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that Jose Rafael Polo-Sanchez was previously removed from the United States on December 3, 2019, through Alexandria, Louisiana. It is alleged that he was subsequently found in the United States on October 31, 2024, in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, without having first obtained legal permission to reenter the country.

This matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Assistant United States Attorney Tatum Wilson is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is ten years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

# # #

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Federico Rosario, age 30, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was convicted on November 18, 2024, for the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death following a four-day jury trial before United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Rosario was a drug dealer residing in Scranton in 2021.  On August 11, 2021, Rosario sold a mixture containing fentanyl and cocaine to a 17-year-old who ingested the mixture and died shortly thereafter.  Rosario was also found guilty of three additional sales of cocaine to the same victim that occurred on July 10th, July 13th, and July 28th, 2021. 

During the four-day trial, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office presented the testimony of 19 witnesses, including expert witness testimony from a forensic pathologist, a forensic toxicologist, two forensic chemists, a forensic cell phone examiner, a DNA expert, and an expert in drug trafficking investigations.

The charges stem from a joint investigation conducted by the Scranton Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert J. O’Hara and Sarah R. Lloyd.

This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

In this case, maximum penalty under the federal statute for drug distribution resulting in death is life imprisonment. The offense also carries a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years’ imprisonment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

# # #

SCRANTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the Justice Department announced today that a lawsuit was filed against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to challenge discriminatory code requirements that deny or limit the availability of community-based housing for people with intellectual disabilities and autism.

“People with disabilities should not have their housing opportunities stripped away from them by restrictive safety measures that are simply not necessary,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The failure of the Commonwealth’s building code to take into account the specific needs and the capacity of people with disabilities illegally denies them access to housing opportunities. Through vigorous enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, the Justice Department is committed to ensuring that building requirements, zoning restrictions and land use codes are not abused and manipulated to deny people with disabilities their right to live integrated in their communities.”

“Although expensive fire prevention methods, like automatic sprinklers, may reduce personal injury and damage to property, Pennsylvania cannot require individuals with disabilities to obey this code requirement without assessing their unique and specific needs,” said U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. “Pennsylvania’s building code enforcement improperly demands individuals with disabilities living in community homes to pay thousands of dollars to install automatic sprinklers yet allows those without disabilities in similar resident housing to avoid such costs. This office will continue to enforce the Fair Housing Act and partner with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to ensure our disabled citizens share the same rights as their neighbors.”

Under the Commonwealth’s Uniform Construction Code, which all local governments must follow, every “community home” for persons with intellectual disabilities and autism must install, at their own expense, an automatic sprinkler system. No other single-family home, including newly constructed homes, is required to install automatic sprinklers. “Community homes” allow people with intellectual disabilities and autism to live in a family-like setting in the community, alongside people without disabilities. Such homes in Pennsylvania have an average of 2.3 residents and may have no more than four residents. The Commonwealth already requires community homes to comply with numerous fire and safety regulations, including regular fire drills verifying that the residents are able to evacuate in under two and one-half minutes.

Pennsylvania’s building code, however, classifies community homes for persons with intellectual disabilities and autism as “facilities” and requires them to install automatic sprinkler systems, regardless of how old the home is or how capable the residents are to evacuate notwithstanding their disabilities.

Sprinkler system requirements limit the availability of housing in several ways. First, landlords in rental housing may refuse to allow sprinkler systems to be installed because their appearance, which includes long, exposed metal pipes, may render a home less marketable to future tenants and is reminiscent of the institutional facilities community homes were intended to replace. Second, sprinkler systems often cannot feasibly be installed in individual apartments, thus eliminating their ability to be used as community homes. Finally, as the department’s investigation found, sprinkler systems cost, at a minimum, nearly $10,000 to install in a small, single-family home, but these costs may triple when local water utilities require sprinkler systems to have their own water line. These costs may exceed the financial means of many community home operators and may force others to operate larger, less individualized homes.

The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief, including an order requiring the Commonwealth to allow local governments to assess the need for automatic sprinklers in community homes based on the unique and specific needs and abilities of each home’s residents, as well as monetary damages.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division enforces the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals may report housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291 or submitting a report online. Individuals may also report such discrimination by contacting HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.

Individuals who have information on community homes being required to install automatic sprinklers in Pennsylvania or who have other information that may be relevant to this case may contact the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291, press 1 for English; press 1 for discrimination in housing; and press 9 for the United States v. Pennsylvania lawsuit mailbox.  Individuals can also email the Justice Department at Community.Homes@usdoj.gov.

# # #

The Justice Department announced today that it filed a lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to challenge discriminatory code requirements that deny or limit the availability of community-based housing for people with intellectual disabilities and autism.

“People with disabilities should not have their housing opportunities stripped away from them by restrictive safety measures that are simply not necessary,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The failure of the Commonwealth’s building code to take into account the specific needs and the capacity of people with disabilities illegally denies them access to housing opportunities. Through vigorous enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, the Justice Department is committed to ensuring that building requirements, zoning restrictions and land use codes are not abused and manipulated to deny people with disabilities their right to live integrated in their communities.”

“Although expensive fire prevention methods, like automatic sprinklers, may reduce personal injury and damage to property, Pennsylvania cannot require individuals with disabilities to obey this code requirement without assessing their unique and specific needs,” said U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. “Pennsylvania’s building code enforcement improperly demands individuals with disabilities living in community homes to pay thousands of dollars to install automatic sprinklers yet allows those without disabilities in similar resident housing to avoid such costs. This office will continue to enforce the Fair Housing Act and partner with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to ensure our disabled citizens share the same rights as their neighbors.” 

Under the Commonwealth’s Uniform Construction Code, which all local governments must follow, every “community home” for persons with intellectual disabilities and autism must install, at their own expense, an automatic sprinkler system. No other single-family home, including newly constructed homes, is required to install automatic sprinklers. “Community homes” allow people with intellectual disabilities and autism to live in a family-like setting in the community, alongside people without disabilities. Such homes in Pennsylvania have an average of 2.3 residents and may have no more than four residents. The Commonwealth already requires community homes to comply with numerous fire and safety regulations, including regular fire drills verifying that the residents are able to evacuate in under two and one-half minutes.

Pennsylvania’s building code, however, classifies community homes for persons with intellectual disabilities and autism as “facilities” and requires them to install automatic sprinkler systems, regardless of how old the home is or how capable the residents are to evacuate notwithstanding their disabilities.

Sprinkler system requirements limit the availability of housing in several ways. First, landlords in rental housing may refuse to allow sprinkler systems to be installed because their appearance, which includes long, exposed metal pipes, may render a home less marketable to future tenants and is reminiscent of the institutional facilities community homes were intended to replace. Second, sprinkler systems often cannot feasibly be installed in individual apartments, thus eliminating their ability to be used as community homes. Finally, as the department’s investigation found, sprinkler systems cost, at a minimum, nearly $10,000 to install in a small, single-family home, but these costs may triple when local water utilities require sprinkler systems to have their own water line. These costs may exceed the financial means of many community home operators and may force others to operate larger, less individualized homes.

The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief, including an order requiring the Commonwealth to allow local governments to assess the need for automatic sprinklers in community homes based on the unique and specific needs and abilities of each home’s residents, as well as monetary damages.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division enforces the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals may report housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291 or submitting a report online. Individuals may also report such discrimination by contacting HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.

Individuals who have information on community homes being required to install automatic sprinklers in Pennsylvania or who have other information that may be relevant to this case may contact the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291, press 1 for English; press 1 for discrimination in housing; and press 9 for the United States v. Pennsylvania lawsuit mailbox.  Individuals can also email the Justice Department at Community.Homes@usdoj.gov. 

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Caron Pitter, age 48, Rohan Lyttle, age 49, and Charlene Marshall, age 44, were sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution for their roles in a Jamaican lottery scam targeting elderly U.S. victims. Rohan Lyttle received a sentence of 97 months, Caron Pitter received a sentence of 66 months, and Charlene Marshall received a sentence of 34 months in prison. Each defendant will serve a period of three years of supervised release following their release from prison. In addition, each defendant was ordered to pay a total of $245,147.98 in restitution to certain victims of the lottery scam.

The three defendants were found guilty of all charges against them following a two-week jury trial in November 2023. They were convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. In addition to the conspiracy charges against all defendants, Caron Pitter was convicted of several counts of mail fraud, and Rohan Lyttle was convicted of multiple counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, and interstate transportation of goods taken by fraud. A fourth defendant, Rohan Lytle, Jr., age 27, was charged with some of the same offenses, and he remains a fugitive.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the defendants, who are all lawful permanent residents of the United States originally from Jamaica, received funds from victims of a Jamaican lottery scam between 2017 and 2020. The evidence at trial showed that an individual based in Jamaica posing as a representative of Publisher’s Clearing House used “lead lists” containing the names and personal information of elderly Americans to contact potential victims. These individuals were contacted by phone and email and falsely told that they had won multimillion-dollar prizes through Publisher’s Clearing House but needed to prepay taxes and other fees in order to claim their supposed prizes. These elderly individuals were then directed to make payments in various ways, including by sending packages containing tens of thousands of U.S. dollars through the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, and Federal Express. In addition to cash packages sent by mail, the victims transmitted funds through bank-to-bank wire transfers, Zelle, MoneyGram, and Western Union. Victims were also defrauded in other ways. For instance, fraudsters gained access to victims’ credit cards and Amazon accounts and used those accounts to purchase goods, such as mobile phones and televisions. They also obtained debit cards for victims’ checking accounts and used those cards to make cash withdrawals at ATMs located in Jamaica.

Several victims testified at trial. They included a 79-year-old former resident of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, a 71-year-old resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a 91-year-old resident of Walterboro, South Carolina. Collectively, these victims lost over $1.1 million in connection with this fraud scheme.

All of these victims testified that they were contacted by a representative of Publisher’s Clearing House and directed to send money to claim their respective prizes. All of them sent money to the defendants charged in this case, as well as other locations. The victim from Mechanicsburg, PA and the victim from Philadelphia, PA collectively sent in excess of $200,000 in cash packages just to these defendants. In some cases, victims were also directed to receive funds from third parties that they didn’t know and send those funds to other individuals that they were led to believe were also Publisher’s Clearing House representatives.

Evidence at trial also showed that the defendants operated an auto body shop in Queens, New York known as RoCars Auto and an affiliated used car dealership based in Kingston, Jamaica known as Rolcam Company Limited. The defendants used the proceeds of the lottery scam to purchase and repair salvage vehicles from online vehicle auctions and ship those vehicles to Rolcam Company Limited for sale to customers in Jamaica.

The victim from Mechanicsburg, PA was also told that he had won a new Range Rover, in addition to his cash prize. He was directed to pay for and ship over $15,000 in parts from a Land Rover car dealership to RoCars Auto in Queens, New York, under the false pretense that his vehicle was in need of upgrades before it could be sent to him. The evidence at trial showed that the defendants used these parts to repair a 2019 Land Rover that they purchased from a salvage vehicle auction house. After repairing the vehicle, they shipped it from RoCars Auto to Rolcam Company Limited in Kingston, Jamaica, where it was sold to an unidentified buyer believed to be associated with the lottery scam.

The defendants used various means to disguise their receipt of victim funds, including distributing the money among each other so that the funds could be deposited in a variety of bank accounts and exchanged for cashier’s checks so that they would not appear in bank accounts at all. The defendants also regularly broke up larger amounts of cash into smaller amounts to make their deposits look smaller in size, which had the effect of evading banks’ reporting requirements for large cash transactions. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ravi Romel Sharma and David C. Williams prosecuted the case.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of a lottery scam, help is available at the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (372-8311).  The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. You may also contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-800-372-8347 or online at www.uspis.gov/report.

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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that the following individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and multiple counts of health care fraud:

• Frank Suess (a.k.a., Franz P. Suess), age 78, of Wellington, Florida;
• Luis Salgado, age 50, of Naperville, Illinois and Davenport, Florida;
• Melissa Driscoll, age 43, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania;
• Victor Velazco, age 35, of Loxahatchee, Florida;
• Warren Pizik, age 68, of Davie, Florida;
• Dave Singh, age 37, of Pembroke Pines, Florida; and
• Diana Castro, age 53, of Brooklyn, New York.

Suess, Salgado, Driscoll, Velazco, and Pizik were also charged with conspiracy to violate the federal anti-kickback statute and with a number of individual violations of the same law. Finally, Suess, Driscoll, and Velazco were charged with conspiracy to obstruct a criminal investigation into health care offenses and falsification of records and information with the intent to obstruct a federal grand jury investigation, and with individual violations of the same laws.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that between 2019 and 2020, all seven defendants conspired to commit health care fraud through an arrangement designed to bill individuals’ health insurances for medically unnecessary prescription drug combinations known as “foot baths.” Foot baths were purported to be an antibiotic and antifungal “foot soak” treatment that patients were supposed to mix together and dissolve in a warm water solution, using a plastic foot tub that was sometimes shipped to them. The combinations of prescription drugs contained in foot baths varied over time, but they generally included high-cost drugs that were not intended for or approved for use in a foot bath, including vancomycin capsules, tobramycin vials, calcipotriene cream, moxifloxacin eye drops, clindamycin phosphate solution, and ketoconazole cream. Vancomycin capsules, for example, were supposed to be prescribed to patients to treat particular conditions, such as MRSA and a type of diarrhea. Instead, foot bath recipients were told to break up the capsules on their own and dissolve the contents in the solution, which was not an approved method of taking the medication. Tobramycin vials were supposed to be used by licensed and trained healthcare professionals to administer injections to patients to treat certain bacterial infections. With foot baths, patients were instead inspected to empty the tobramycin vials into the solution, which was again not an approved method. The cost associated with such drugs was very high. For instance, the insurance for P.B., an individual who was allegedly prescribed foot baths without her consent, was billed $43,209.99 for a one-month supply of tobramycin vials and $12,476.54 for a one-month supply of vancomycin capsules. P.B.’s insurance ultimately paid approximately $4,271.04 for four total insurance claims.

Many of these allegedly fraudulent foot bath orders were routed through Sterling Pharmacy, a pharmacy located in Jermyn, Pennsylvania, in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Melissa Driscoll purchased Sterling Pharmacy in March 2018 using funds that she obtained from Frank Suess, who, along with Victor Velazco, operated a group of companies located at the same address in Wellington, Florida. Sterling Pharmacy was one of a group of pharmacies used to carry out this alleged scheme. In addition, the defendants used unnamed pharmacies located in Texas and Florida as well.

Suess and Velazco allegedly used other people to become the owners of these pharmacies on paper in order to conceal their involvement in the business affairs of those pharmacies. Suess and Velazco then used those pharmacies to generate profits by steering high-cost prescription drug mail orders to those pharmacies. When the pharmacies were then investigated for those prescribing practices, Frank Suess, Victor Velazco, and Melissa Driscoll then used various tactics to conceal Suess and Velazco’s use of those the pharmacies to carry out fraud.

The indictment alleges that Melissa Driscoll made various misrepresentations over time to conceal how Sterling Pharmacy was doing business, including concealing the pharmacy’s mail order business from suppliers and falsely claiming that the pharmacy had a practice of verifying patient-prescriber relationships before filling prescription orders. The indictment also alleges that Suess, Velazco, and Driscoll engaged in a pattern of conduct to obstruct the government’s investigation into Sterling Pharmacy and to create false business records in order to hide the fraudulent scheme from the government. Specifically, Sterling Pharmacy, through Melissa Driscoll, withheld records that the pharmacy was ordered to provide in response to a federal grand jury subpoena. In addition, Suess, Velazco, and Driscoll created false, backdated documents that were produced to the government via an unnamed attorney who represented them during the relevant time period. These documents made it appear that Sterling Pharmacy had a legitimate agreement with a company known as MedX Marketing Solutions, which was, on paper, supposed to be compensated on an hourly basis for marketing Sterling Pharmacy’s offerings.

In reality, Sterling Pharmacy allegedly paid MedX kickbacks for the referral of signed foot-bath order forms for individual beneficiaries. These foot-bath orders were generated using templated forms that were provided to patient recruiters by Luis Salgado, the CEO of MedX. These patient recruiters included a diabetic shoe salesman working at a shopping mall in the area of Scranton, PA, as well as a group of individuals who set up “health fairs” in New York. As a result of health fairs and associated patient recruitment activity in New York, Sterling Pharmacy received hundreds of foot-bath prescription order forms approved by Diana Castro, a podiatrist based in Brooklyn. Castro attended multiple health fairs, where she authorized foot bath orders despite their lack of medical necessity. She was paid for these appearances in cash.

A large number of foot-bath orders were processed using the medical identification number of a physician with a name similar to that of Diana Castro. The use of this other medical provider’s National Provider Identifier (“NPI”), without the provider’s knowledge, was accomplished using a signature stamp containing Diana Castro’s name and the other physician’s NPI. This fraudulent activity led to hundreds of foot bath claims being billed and paid out under that provider’s NPI between about December 2019 and the middle of 2020. One health insurance fund paid approximately $685,000 just for these claims.

Warren Pizik and Dave Singh allegedly assisted Luis Salgado in the marketing of Sterling Pharmacy’s mail order business and in setting up out-of-state pharmacy licenses. Pizik and Singh also communicated with Salgado, Suess, and Velazco throughout the relevant time period via email and phone. This group regularly exchanged emails with one another, including ones in which patients complained about not wanting foot baths, not knowing Diana Castro or having ever seen a foot doctor, having their insurance “charged a lot of money,” being “freaked out” because there were no instructions regarding what to do with the medications, and being “scared of the box” of foot baths because it contained “such a huge amount of meds.” At times, Driscoll also communicated by email, writing to Velazco to report, “These insurance companies hate foot baths” after receiving “another” payment reversal from an insurance company. 

It is alleged that Melissa Driscoll, through Sterling Pharmacy, paid MedX $312,192.28 in kickbacks and paid Warren Pizik another $22,000 in kickbacks for MedX referrals. Melissa Driscoll, through Sterling Pharmacy, allegedly paid Frank Suess and Victor Velazco’s companies more than $1 million in additional kickback payments.

The indictment contains forfeiture allegations seeking approximately $1.3 million as a money judgment from the defendants. The United States is also seeking forfeiture of the property used by Frank Suess and Victor Velazco to carry out the scheme, which was an office building in Wellington, Florida where their various businesses were located. Finally, the United States is seeking forfeiture of a residential property located in Naperville, Illinois that Luis Salgado purchased using proceeds of the scheme. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and for individual violations of the health care fraud statute and the Anti-Kickback Statute is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine, for each offense. The maximum penalty under federal law for conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, for conspiracy to obstruct a health care investigation and falsify records in an investigation, and for obstructing a health care investigation is 5 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine, again for each offense. The maximum penalty under federal law falsifying records in an investigation is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Franklin Sael Gonzalez, age 25, Ricardo Batista, age 22, and Tazwell Berrios, age 22, all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were indicted by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking and firearms charges. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that Gonzalez, Batista, and Berrios conspired to distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute, more than 40 grams of fentanyl, and cocaine, between October 10 and 15, 2022, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.  The indictment also alleges that Gonzalez, Batista, and Berrios possessed a FN Five-seveN MK2P, 5.7 x 28 mm pistol during and in relation to their drug trafficking activities.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Williams is prosecuting the case.

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

The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is lifetime imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that an indictment was returned by a federal grand jury charging ten individuals from several states with an auto theft conspiracy and multiple counts of transporting stolen motor vehicles interstate.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges that from in or about October 2023 through in or about September 2024, ten defendants—hailing from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland—conspired with each other and others to transport stolen motor vehicles interstate and to receive, possess, conceal, store, sell, and dispose of stolen motor vehicles that had been transported interstate.

The alleged coconspirators include:

• Nigel Criss, age 25, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
• Ian Quintana Torres, age 23, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
• Shamar Morris, age 22, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
• Jumaane Wright, age 28, of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania;
• Raymond Steward, age 24, of Camden County, New Jersey;
• Rafael Otero Nieves, age 40, of Baltimore County, Maryland;
• Jose Otero Nieves, age 41, of Baltimore County, Maryland;
• Jesus Terrero, age 32, of Baltimore County, Maryland;
• Tyler Hoagland, age 27, of Howard County, Maryland; and
• Robert Jones, age 25, of Prince George’s County, Maryland.

The indictment alleges that the coconspirators traveled to car dealerships with key programmers to steal several vehicles at a time.

It is further alleged that an object of the conspiracy was to take the stolen vehicles—typically high-end, “muscle” type cars—across state lines to “car meetups” and “street takeovers,” at which individuals would take over a parking lot, intersection, road, or portion of a highway. According to the indictment, the vehicles were shown off in person at the meetups and on social media and driven in a reckless and dangerous manner, such as spinning and “burning out” the vehicles.

Several vehicles across multiple states are alleged to have been stolen by the coconspirators. For example, it is alleged that on or about October 3, 2023, seven of the ten coconspirators traveled to a car dealership in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, to steal two 2017 Cadillac CTS-V’s, a 2016 Cadillac CTS-V, two 2019 Cadillac CTS-V’s, a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro, a 2019 Chevrolet Camaro, and a 2019 Chevrolet Corvette.

The charges stem from an investigation conducted by Pennsylvania State Police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Central and Eastern Auto Theft Task Forces, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Moreno is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for the crimes charged in the indictment is five years of imprisonment for the conspiracy charge and ten years for each count of interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle, in addition to a fine.  A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Joshua Hockenberry, age 32, of Maryland, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of attempted production of child pornography, interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual contact, transportation of a minor, obstruction of justice, and retaliation against a witness.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that from March 2024 and continuing to at least July 2024, Hockenberry carried on a sexual relationship with a minor victim in which he transported the minor to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The  indictment also alleges that Hockenberry attempted to have the minor produce child pornography, persuaded the minor to delete evidence, and threatened the minor after she provided incriminating evidence to law enforcement.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual       exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life in prison, up to life on supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Michael B. Golden, age 35, of Fulton County, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking and firearms charges. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that Golden possessed with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of a substance and mixture containing methamphetamine on December 20, 2023 and January 27, 2024. The indictment further alleges Golden possessed three semi-automatic pistols in furtherance of the drug trafficking and possessed those firearms after he was convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year. 

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Dukes is prosecuting the case.

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

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is a life term of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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