Middle District of Pennsylvania

SCRANTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam and Assistant U.S. Attorney’s will join community organizers, neighbors, and law enforcement partners to participate in National Night Out events on August 1, 2023.

During this year’s National Night Out, members of the United States Attorney’s Office will attend community events at the following locations:

• Scranton Police Department at Scranton High School from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.;
• Harrisburg Bureau of Police at City Island in Harrisburg from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.;
• Lebanon City Police Department at the Salvation Army building on Guilford Street in Lebanon from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.;
• Derry Township Police Department on the 1st block of West Caracas Avenue in Hershey from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.;
• Cornwall Borough Police Department at the park across from the Cornwall Elementary School on SR 419 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; and
• Lower Allen Township at the Christian Life Assembly Church, Camp Hill from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

“National Night Out is an important and effective way to bridge the gap between neighbors and their police departments in a positive and informal setting,” said U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam. “We are pleased to join with our local law enforcement partners and the communities we serve to promote this important program.”

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes partnerships and camaraderie between law enforcement and the communities they serve to make our neighborhoods safer places to live. Millions take part in National Night Out across thousands of communities throughout the country on the first Tuesday of August in most areas of the country. 

National Night Out was established in 1984 with funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice. The program is administered by the National Association of Town Watch, a nationwide non-profit organization.

Coordinated by local law enforcement and trained volunteers, National Night Out provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. Neighborhoods host block parties, cookouts, festivals, parades, safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, and more. National Night Out sends a message that neighbors are united and working together to keep their communities and each other safe.

For more information, visit https://natw.org/.

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SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Brian J. Albelli, age 45, of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and formerly of Deerfield Beach, Florida, was charged in a criminal information on July 27, 2023, with wire fraud and money laundering.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the information alleges that Albelli owned and operated multiple corporate entities in Pennsylvania and Florida.  Albelli allegedly filed approximately 20 fraudulent applications for pandemic stimulus funds, including under the Payment Protection Program (PPP), and for Economic Injury and Disaster Loans (EIDLs).  The applications allegedly submitted by Albelli were filed on behalf of corporate entities that did not, in fact, have actual business operations, and that bore inflated revenues and employee headcount, and nonexistent gross receipts and costs of goods sold.  The applications also included a forged IRS income tax return, and forged federal employment tax documents.

Albelli allegedly obtained in excess of approximately $2,200,000 in PPP and EIDL funds, for himself and his family members, through filing the fraudulent applications.  Instead of using the funds on business expenses, Albelli allegedly used them on purchasing boats and automobiles, real estate, retail shopping, and other personal expenses.  Albelli also is charged with committing money laundering by concealing the fraudulent proceeds of his crimes.

The PPP and EIDL programs, both funded by the March 2020 CARES Act, were designed to help small businesses facing financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.  PPP funds were offered in forgivable loans, provided that certain criteria are met, including use of the funds for employee payroll, mortgage interest, lease, and utilities expenses.  EIDL funds are offered in low-interest rate loans, designated for specific business expenses, such as fixed debts, payroll, and business obligation.

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

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phillip J. Caraballo and Sean Camoni are prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalties under federal law for both charges are 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.

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 Daniel Wasielewski, age 58, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was charged on July 28, 2023, in a criminal information with wire fraud.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the information alleges that Wasielewski filed and assisted others in filing fraudulent applications for pandemic stimulus funds, including under the Payment Protection Program (PPP), for Economic Injury and Disaster Loans (EIDLs), and for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits.  The PPP and EIDL applications allegedly submitted by Wasielewski and his confederates were filed on behalf of corporate entities that did not, in fact, have actual business operations, and that bore false revenues and other business information.  The applications also included forged IRS tax documents.

Wasielewski allegedly received approximately $350,000 in PPP, EIDL, PUA, and other fraudulently-obtained funds, for himself and others.  Instead of using the funds on business expenses, Wasielewski and others allegedly used them to purchase cryptocurrency and on other personal expenses.

The PPP and EIDL programs, both funded by the March 2020 CARES Act, were designed to help small businesses facing financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.  PPP funds were offered in forgivable loans, provided that certain criteria are met, including use of the funds for employee payroll, mortgage interest, lease, and utilities expenses.  EIDL funds are offered in low-interest rate loans, designated for specific business expenses, such as fixed debts, payroll, and business obligation.  The PUA program was created by the CARES Act, as part of the United States government’s efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the public’s health and economic well-being.  The PUA program was designed to provide unemployment benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or extended unemployment benefits.

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

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phillip J. Caraballo and Sean Camoni are prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalties under federal law for the charge of wire fraud 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.

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 Eli Gabriel Lewis, Jr., age 20, of Brooklyn, New York, and Dejuan Smartt, age 26, of Brooklyn, New York, were indicted on June 13, 2023, by a federal grand jury on charges of passing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes and conspiracy.  The case was unsealed on July 24, 2023.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that between February 4, 2023, and February 22, 2023, Lewis and Smartt conspired to pass counterfeit federal reserve notes, including incidents at no fewer than 16 different stores in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  The Indictment further alleges that on six different occasions during the above-described time frame, Lewis and Smartt, either individually or collectively, passed counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve notes to retailers within the Middle District of Pennsylvania.  

The matter was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Mount Joy Police Department, the Northwest Lancaster County Regional Police Department, the Walnutport Police Department, the Manheim Township Police Department, the Kingston Township Police Department, the Upper Macungie Police Department, the Clinton Township (NJ) Police Department, the Snyder County District Attorney’s Office, the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office (NJ), and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney James Buchanan is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is twenty 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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SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Carlos Perez-Rivera, age 37, of West New York, New Jersey, was sentenced on July 20, 2023, by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to 46 months’ imprisonment on the charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Perez-Rivera previously pleaded guilty and admitted to possessing four kilograms of cocaine for further distribution.  The charge stems from an incident on March 23, 2022, in which members of the Pennsylvania State Police made a traffic stop of a vehicle in Lackawanna County in which Perez-Rivera and another individual, Kelvin Vazquez-Pagan, age 24, of Passaic, New Jersey, were traveling.  A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of approximately four kilograms of cocaine found hidden inside the vehicle.    

Co-defendant Kelvin Vazquez-Pagan is awaiting sentencing.      

The investigation was conducted by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorneys Robert J. O’Hara and Brian J. Gallagher 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 today that Richard Anthony Trent, age 44, a federal prison inmate, was sentenced on July 20, 2023, by United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion to 45 months’ imprisonment for the offense of assault with a dangerous weapon. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, on May 17, 2022, while an inmate at United States Penitentiary, Canaan (USP Canaan), in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, Trent assaulted another inmate with a dangerous weapon, namely, a 7-inch grey metal weapon or “shank,” by repeatedly stabbing down on the victim-inmate, who was seated in a prison common area. 

Judge Mannion also ordered Trent’s 45-month sentence run consecutively to the federal sentence that Trent was already serving at the time of the assault.  

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffery St John.

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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Guibbonz Marcellus, age 42, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, was convicted, following a four-day jury trial held before United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson, of 23 counts of aiding and assisting the preparation of false and fraudulent tax returns.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Marcellus operated a tax-preparation business in Chambersburg called M&M Confident Multi Services from 2013 to 2016.  In an effort to increase refund amounts and generate business, Marcellus regularly included false numbers on the returns he prepared and filed.  The returns falsely claimed, among other things, the federal fuel-tax credit, business losses, and deductions for charitable gifts and unreimbursed employee expenses.

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlo D. Marchioli and Paul J. Miovas are prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for each count is three 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.

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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Esteban Latorre-Cacho, age 38, of Lockport, New York, was sentenced on July 13, 2023, by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner, to 10 years’ imprisonment on the charge of possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Latorre-Cacho previously pleaded guilty and admitted to possessing 67 kilograms of cocaine for further distribution. The charge stems from an incident on April 30, 2021, in which members of the Pennsylvania State Police made a traffic stop of a vehicle in Lehigh County.  Latorre-Cacho was the sole occupant of the vehicle.  A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of 67 kilograms of cocaine, with a street-value of approximately two million dollars, found hidden inside boxes within the vehicle.  Further investigation showed that Latorre-Cacho had picked up the boxes containing the cocaine at a location within the Middle District of Pennsylvania.  

The investigation was conducted by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara 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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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Amisial Elveus, 32, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on July 11, 2023, by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson, to 24 months in prison to be followed by 12 months of supervised release for aggravated identity theft. 

According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, from July 6, 2020, until November 6, 2020, in Dauphin County, Elveus unlawfully obtained and used credit card account numbers belonging to unsuspecting individuals, used the numbers to code credit cards, and then used the credit cards to pay for gasoline fill-ups for multiple vehicles on multiple days at a Giant gas station on Union Deposit Road in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Elveus was arrested at the Giant on November 6, 2020, while in the process of filling cars with gas that he paid for with a fraudulently encoded credit card.

Judge Wilson also ordered Elveus to pay restitution in the amount of $32,227.71.

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Lower Paxton Township Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian T. Haugsby prosecuted the case.   

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SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Fitzgerald C. Providence, age 50, of Bushkill, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on July 13, 2023, by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion to 12 months’ and 1 day of imprisonment and a 1-year term of supervised release, for recklessly causing serious bodily injury to another motorist as a result of a serious motor vehicle collision that occurred on federal land.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, on September 24, 2021, on Bushkill Falls Road, within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, while unlicensed, Providence operated a motor vehicle in a criminally reckless manner by crossing into the opposing lane of travel of a two-lane road in a no-passing zone and attempting to pass three vehicles at once.  In so doing, Providence caused a head-on collision with a vehicle traveling in the opposing lane that resulted in serious bodily injury to the victim, the driver of the other vehicle.  At his sentencing, Providence was also ordered to pay restitution to the victim for lost wages and other unreimbursed medical expenses, with the specific amount to be determined by the Court within 90 days.       

This case was investigated by the National Park Service Park Police.  Assistant United States Attorney Jeffery St John prosecuted the case.

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SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on July 11, 2023, Pernell Riddick, age 34, of Monroe County, Pennsylvania, was charged by a federal grand jury with trafficking methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. Riddick was also indicted for possessing multiple firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking operation.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges Riddick with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine on September 2, 2022.  The indictment also charges Riddick with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

This matter was investigated by the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department, the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Assistant United States Attorney Brian J. Gallagher 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.

Riddick faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, a $10 million dollar fine, and a lifetime term of 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 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 Clarence Bernard Mitchell, age 33, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on charges of robberies of businesses engaged in interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery).

According to United States Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that on June 5, 2023, Mitchell entered the Agate Smoke Shop in Dauphin County, approached the cash register, pointed a paper bag at the employee in a manner indicating Mitchell had a gun in the bag, instructed the employee to open the register, and took money by means of threatened force. The indictment further alleges that on June 8, 2023, Mitchell returned to the Agate Smoke Shop and robbed the store in a similar manner as on June 5, 2023. The indictment also alleges that on June 14, 2023, Mitchell entered a Cricket Wireless, LLC authorized retailer in Dauphin County, approached the sales counter, pointed a paper bag at the employee in a manner indicating Mitchell had a gun in the bag, and took money by means of threatened force.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Harrisburg Bureau of Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Williams is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for the charged offense is up to 20 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.

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SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on July 11, 2023, Deondray LuRon Crayton, age 36, a federal inmate incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution at Schuylkill (FCI Schuylkill), Pennsylvania, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on the charge of possessing contraband in prison.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that on June 21, 2023, Crayton was found in possession of a homemade knife, commonly referred to as a “shank.”

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 Luisa Honora Berti is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is up to five 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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SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on July 11, 2023, Charles Epps, age 26, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institute Schuylkill (FCI Schuylkill), Pennsylvania, was charged by the grand jury with possessing contraband.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that on May 11, 2023, Epps was found in possession of a six-inch piece of plastic sharpened to a point with a cloth handle, commonly referred to as a “shank.”

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons. Assistant United States Attorney Brian J. Gallagher is prosecuting the case.

Epps faces a maximum penalty of 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 are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Jowayne C. Godfrey, 24 years old, of Margate, Florida, Vinmar Y.A. Mitchell, 25 years old, of Roosevelt, New York, and Ariel S. Bagalue, 31 years old, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, were arrested and charged by indictment with conspiracy to money launder for a group of schemers that was targeting elderly victims throughout the United States in a Publisher’s Clearing House scam. The indictment alleges that the participants in this scheme duped their victims into believing they had won a large prize, preyed on their elderly victims’ trust and false hopes of collecting millions of dollars, and persuaded their victims to deplete their life savings and go into debt to pay supposed sweepstakes taxes and fees, which the schemers, including defendants Godfrey, Mitchell, and Bagalue, stole for themselves.

According to the indictment, from approximately February 2020 through February 2023, imposters posing as Publisher’s Clearing House representatives called elderly Americans and informed them they had won millions of dollars and new cars in the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes. The imposters convinced the victims that in order to collect their significant winnings, they had to pay up-front taxes and fees. The imposters directed the victims about how to make the payments, including making direct deposits to bank accounts belonging to schemers, buying gift cards and mailing them to the schemers or providing the card numbers and PIN codes over the phone to the schemers, and mailing checks and cash to the schemers. If a victim made one bogus tax or fee payment, the schemers called back and requested more tax and fee payments, falsely claiming that the additional payments were needed in order for the victim to claim the sweepstakes prize. According to the indictment, defendants Godfrey, Mitchell, and Bagalue laundered and attempted to launder approximately $400,000 of victim funds from the scheme. The indictment sets forth how the defendants received the victim funds and then moved the money around in smaller transactions designed to conceal the source, location, and control of the funds, kept some for themselves and passed the remainder on to other schemers.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years of imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Philadelphia, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nancy E. Potts.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Stephen Farleigh, age 51, of Walton, New York, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment to be followed by 15 years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner for attempted enticement of a minor.

According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, between October 21, 2021 and February 9, 2022, Farleigh used the internet to attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity and traveled to the Middle District of Pennsylvania with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a 13-year-old 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 case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian T. Haugsby prosecuted the case.

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WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that David Taylor, age 34, of Blackwood, New Jersey, was sentenced on July 11, 2023, to 30 years of imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release for production of child pornography.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, between July 15 and July 18, 2017, Taylor produced child pornography and transported a minor from Pennsylvania to New Jersey with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.  Taylor committed both offenses while required by law to register as a sex offender.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, the Gloucester Township Police Department, and the Pennsylvania State Police.  Assistant United States 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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HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kenyatta Corbett, age 41, of Hagerstown and Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the June 25, 2016 murders of three individuals in Mercersburg, Franklin County, one of whom was cooperating with state and federal drug investigators. The sentence was imposed by United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner, who also sentenced Corbett to a consecutive 20-year term of imprisonment on a companion robbery charge. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Corbett's conviction was the result of a seven-year investigation into three murders that occurred on June 25, 2016, on a property along Welsh Run Road in Mercersburg, Franklin County.  When Pennsylvania State Police officers were called to the scene, they found the bodies of Wendy Ann Chaney, 39, Hagerstown, Md, Brandon Cole, 47, Fayetteville, PA, and Phillip Matthew Jackson, 36, Mercersburg, PA, in a barn on victim Jackson’s property. All were shot. The three victims had their hands zipped-tied behind their backs and had been set on fire. Jackson and Cole were shot once in the head. Chaney was shot twice, once in the back and once in the back of her neck. Wendy Chaney and Brandon Cole were already dead when the police responded to the scene.  Phillip Jackson was transported to York Hospital where he died shortly after arrival.

The evidence previously presented at the guilty plea proceeding in June of 2022 established that Wendy Chaney was in a relationship with co-defendants Kevin Coles and Torey White and had been previously assisting both with their drug distribution operation. Corbett was likewise a heroin trafficker in Hagerstown and areas of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Corbett, Coles, White and co-defendant Devin Dickerson learned that Chaney was cooperating with federal authorities and contracted for her to be murdered. Corbett, and co-defendant Jerell Adgebesan who worked for Corbett recruited members of a Baltimore based gang known as the Black Guerilla Family and others from Baltimore to travel to the Jackson property to kill Wendy Chaney. Adgebesan knew these individuals from Baltimore. The killers were promised that they could take as payment $20,000 that was to be in a safe in the barn and any drugs and firearms that they could locate on the Jackson property. Once there, the killers encountered not only Wendy Chaney but also Brandon Cole and Phillip Jackson. The victims had their hands bound behind their backs with zip-ties, all were shot execution style and their bodies set on fire. Chaney was killed to protect the drug trafficking activities of Corbett, Coles, White, Dickerson, and others. Jackson and Cole were murdered to prevent them from being witnesses to the crimes of violence that were committed at the Jackson property. The killers never found any money on the property but stole some drugs and firearms.

The following individuals were charged along with Corbett as a result of the investigation:

• Jerell Adgebesan, age 35, of Baltimore and Hagerstown, Maryland, was sentenced to life imprisonment for participating in the murder of three people including a federal witness;
• Devin Dickerson, age 31, Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and crack cocaine and is awaiting sentencing;
• Torey White, age 32, Waynesboro, PA, was convicted by a federal jury in May of three counts of first-degree murder and is awaiting sentencing;
• Michael Buck, age 30, Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and to being an accomplice to the use of a firearm during Hobbs Act robbery and is awaiting sentencing;
• Nicholas Preddy, age 29, Baltimore, pleaded guilty to attempting to kill a witness and was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment;
• Johnnie Jenkins-Armstrong, age 22, Baltimore, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and to being an accomplice to the use of a firearm during Hobbs Act robbery and is awaiting sentencing;
• Terrance Lawson, age 31, Baltimore, sentenced to time served for attempting to intimidate a witness;
• Tyrone Armstrong, age 30, Baltimore, sentenced to time served for attempting to intimidate a witness; and
• Christopher Johnson, age 31, Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty to multiple counts including murder for hire and is awaiting sentencing;   
• Mark Johnson, 35, Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty to obstructing the grand jury’s investigation and was sentenced to 110 months’ imprisonment;
• Llesenia Woodard, 46, Hagerstown, Maryland, pled guilty to providing false testimony to the grand jury investigating the murders and is awaiting sentencing
• Kevin Coles, Kevin Coles, age 36, of New York, NY and Hagerstown, Maryland, was found guilty in April of multiple crimes, including murder for hire, robbery, and drug trafficking, and was sentenced to multiple consecutive life sentences;
• Yolanda Diaz, 31, Hagerstown, Md, indicted on multiple counts of perjury and obstruction of justice based upon her testimony at the Coles trial. Her trial is currently scheduled for October 2023.

Joshua Davis, age 30, previously pled guilty to participating in the conspiracy to locate and kill an individual believed to be cooperating with federal authorities in the investigation of the triple murders. Davis was sentenced to serve 100 months’ imprisonment. 

The following federal, state and local law enforcement agencies participated in the investigation:  Drug Enforcement Administration Harrisburg Resident Office; Pennsylvania State Police, Chambersburg; Pennsylvania State Police, Troop H; Franklin County Drug Task Force; Franklin County Adult Probation; Pennsylvania State Probation and Parole; Hagerstown Police Department, Criminal Investigation Division; Drug Enforcement Administration, Hagerstown Resident Office; Washington County Narcotics Task Force; Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office, Strike Force Group 1; Maryland State Police Homicide Unit; Baltimore Police Department Narcotics, Fugitive And Homicide Units; Baltimore County Police Department Narcotics and Gang Unit; Federal Bureau of Investigation Evidence Management Unit, Quantico, VA; US Marshal’s Service Harrisburg, PA and Phoenix, AZ; Franklin County District Attorney’s Office; United States Attorney’s Office, District Of Maryland; and the Washington County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Judy Fernandez, Manager of Analytic Services at LexisNexis Special Services, Inc., (LNSSI) provided expert assistance to investigators and the prosecutors in the areas of analysis, support, and the rendering of her expert opinion.

Assistant United States Attorney William A. Behe, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, and Senior Litigation Counsel Michael Consiglio are 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 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.

This prosecution is also part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) identified as “Retribution for Welsh Run”.  OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets. 

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

# # #

SCRANTON - A Jamaican national, who was extradited to the United States, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on charges relating to his participation in a phony sweepstakes scheme that targeted elderly victims in the United States.

According to court documents, Damone D. Oakley, 41, of the Point District, St. James Parish, Jamaica, pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud.

As part of his plea agreement, Oakley admitted that he sought to unlawfully enrich himself through a fraudulent sweepstakes scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable victims. Oakley’s victims received mailings, text messages, or phone calls in which they were falsely told that they had won millions of dollars and luxury vehicles in a sweepstakes, but first needed to pay taxes and fees in order to claim their winnings. Oakley used a variety of names during the scheme, including “Officer Alex Logan” and “Officer Stan Valentine,” and instructed his victims on how to send their money. His victims used wire transfers, direct bank deposits, the U.S. Postal Service, and private commercial mail carriers to send money directly to Oakley, as well as to individuals in the United States and elsewhere who served as intermediaries and transmitted the money to Oakley. In addition to sending cash or wire transfers, Oakley’s victims were directed to purchase electronics, jewelry, and clothing, which were sent to mail forwarding services in Florida, and then on to Oakley in Jamaica. Victims never received any “winnings.” Oakley defrauded his victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars during the course of the scheme.

“The Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch remains committed to pursuing criminals who defraud elderly and vulnerable U.S. consumers and to prosecuting them to the full extent of the law,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Oakley was the first individual whose extradition was requested by the United States under Jamaica’s revised Extradition Act, and we are confident that we will continue our efforts to root out fraud that targets vulnerable consumers, wherever the fraudsters are located.”

“Oakley targeted the most vulnerable people in our society and defrauded them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars," said U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. “Today’s guilty plea reflects our office’s commitment to protecting elderly victims and punishing individuals who engage in this type of behavior.”

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to investigating scammers, domestically and internationally, who use the U.S. mail to enrich themselves by targeting and financially exploiting vulnerable American consumers, including the elderly,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Criminal Investigations Group. “Today’s plea exemplifies the Postal Inspection Service’s efforts to collaborate with foreign and domestic law enforcement partners to bring these criminals to justice.”

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Jamaica to secure the arrest and extradition of Oakley. The U.S. Marshals Service also provided significant assistance.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Linda I. Marks of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division, Consumer Protection Branch, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Haugsby for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.

For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania visit their website at www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa. Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice.

# # #

SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Tracey Biscontini, age 57, owner of Northeast Editing, Inc.  a publishing company located in Jenkins Township, PA, pleaded guilty on July 10, 2023, before United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, to failing to pay federal payroll taxes.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the criminal information to which Biscontini pleaded guilty alleges that from 2014 through 2019, Biscontini was required to withhold federal payroll taxes from employees’ pay and to pay over these monies to the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.).  Biscontini acknowledged that she consistently failed to do this for the years indicated. 

Biscontini admitted that the monetary loss attributable to her conduct was between $250,000.00 and $550,000.00, and she agreed to make restitution to the IRS in the amount of $448,617.38.

These charges stem from an investigation by IRS-Criminal Investigations.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffery St John is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense 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.

# # #

A Jamaican national, who was extradited to the United States, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on charges relating to his participation in a phony sweepstakes scheme that targeted elderly victims in the United States.

According to court documents, Damone D. Oakley, 41, of the Point District, St. James Parish, Jamaica, pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud. 

As part of his plea agreement, Oakley admitted that he sought to unlawfully enrich himself through a fraudulent sweepstakes scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable victims. Oakley’s victims received mailings, text messages, or phone calls in which they were falsely told that they had won millions of dollars and luxury vehicles in a sweepstakes, but first needed to pay taxes and fees in order to claim their winnings. Oakley used a variety of names during the scheme, including “Officer Alex Logan” and “Officer Stan Valentine,” and instructed his victims on how to send their money. His victims used wire transfers, direct bank deposits, the U.S. Postal Service, and private commercial mail carriers to send money directly to Oakley, as well as to individuals in the United States and elsewhere who served as intermediaries and transmitted the money to Oakley. In addition to sending cash or wire transfers, Oakley’s victims were directed to purchase electronics, jewelry, and clothing, which were sent to mail forwarding services in Florida, and then on to Oakley in Jamaica. Victims never received any “winnings.” Oakley defrauded his victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars during the course of the scheme.

“The Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch remains committed to pursuing criminals who defraud elderly and vulnerable U.S. consumers and to prosecuting them to the full extent of the law,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Oakley was the first individual whose extradition was requested by the United States under Jamaica’s revised Extradition Act, and we are confident that we will continue our efforts to root out fraud that targets vulnerable consumers, wherever the fraudsters are located.”

“Oakley targeted the most vulnerable people in our society and defrauded them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars," said U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. “Today’s guilty plea reflects our office’s commitment to protecting elderly victims and punishing individuals who engage in this type of behavior.”

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to investigating scammers, domestically and internationally, who use the U.S. mail to enrich themselves by targeting and financially exploiting vulnerable American consumers, including the elderly,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Criminal Investigations Group. “Today’s plea exemplifies the Postal Inspection Service’s efforts to collaborate with foreign and domestic law enforcement partners to bring these criminals to justice.”

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Jamaica to secure the arrest and extradition of Oakley. The U.S. Marshals Service also provided significant assistance.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Linda I. Marks of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division, Consumer Protection Branch, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Haugsby for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.

For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania visit their website at www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa. Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice.

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Dary T. Son, age 37, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to six months in prison for failing to collect and pay over employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, from June 2015 through August 2019, Son, the owner of Pennsylvania-based temporary staffing company DS Agency, failed to collect and pay on behalf of her employees approximately $591,822.99 in taxes owed to the IRS.  She also failed to pay to the IRS an equivalent amount that she owed as their employer. 

Dary Son is the younger sister of Vanny Son. Vanny Son was previously prosecuted by this Office for conspiracy to defraud the United States through the evasion of employment taxes for his temporary employment agencies for tax years 2007 through 2012. Before Vanny Son reported to prison in 2015, his wife took over the operation of his employment agency, Son Associates.  They later divorced in 2017.

Beginning in 2015, Son Associates began, on paper, subcontracting its labor leasing business to other companies controlled by family members of Vanny Son and his then wife, including DS Agency, LLC, of which Dary Son was the sole member and responsible person for purposes of the IRS.

From 2015 to 2019, DS Agency received and cashed checks from Son Associates for providing workers in the total amount of over $7.7 million.  Rather than depositing these payments in a bank account, Dary Son cashed these checks at a check cashing business in Harrisburg, PA from 2015 to mid-2017.  Starting in 2018, Vanny Son’s now ex-wife and Dary Son regularly made trips to a check cashing business in Philadelphia, PA, where Dary Son cashed about $3 million in checks in less than a year.

The workers employed by Dary Son and her family member’s companies worked regularly at several food manufacturing facilities in and around the Middle District of Pennsylvania.  A number of them were transported to their work sites by Dary Son, and they were generally paid in cash by Vanny Son’s ex-wife.  The ex-wife passed away in 2021 when the investigation remained ongoing and before any charges were filed in this case.

Dary Son never withheld any federal, Social Security, Medicare, or state taxes from her employees’ income.  She likewise did not pay her employer portion of these taxes.  As a result, she was responsible for $1,183,646.25 in unpaid federal taxes.  Son was ordered to pay this amount in restitution to the IRS. 

The case was investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigations Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma prosecuted the case.

# # #

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that William Nneji, age 56, of Canada, was sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, William Nneji conspired with his codefendant brother, Chima Nneji, codefendant Alex Mgbolu, and other unnamed individuals between July 2002 and May 2010 to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering by receiving money transfers from victims of international mass marketing fraud, processing those transfers using fictitious names, pooling the proceeds of those fraud induced money transfers, and then laundering those proceeds to coconspirators in the United States and Nigeria.

William Nneji agreed that he was responsible for approximately $606,967 in losses to victims processed through two companies, including one owned by his brother, codefendant Chima Nneji, and one owned by his wife. At sentencing, William Nneji was ordered to pay $156,615.65 in restitution to victims. The lower restitution amount is due, in part, to monies compensated to victims as part of the 2012 United States v. MoneyGram deferred prosecution agreement, which established a $100 million restitution fund for MoneyGram customers that were victims of consumer fraud.

Codefendants Chima Nneji and Alex Mgbolu both previously pleaded guilty to the same charge. Chima Nneji and Alex Mgbolu were sentenced to terms of imprisonment in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Both codefendants were extradited to the United States from Canada, whereas William Nneji, from the time of his indictment until November 2021, had been a fugitive.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma prosecuted the case.

# # #

WILLIAMPSORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Collen Brungard, age 37, of Milton, Pennsylvania, was charged on June 28, 2023, by criminal Information with knowingly possessing and making a fake COVID-19 vaccine card.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the information charges Brungard with knowingly possessing and making unauthorized COVID-19 vaccine cards, specifically fraudulent COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards, purportedly issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control to record medical information about vaccines purportedly received, and bearing the insignia of the Center for Disease Control.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.

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

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

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 6 months’ 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.

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 today that Yesenia Ramos, age 43, of Stroudsburg, and Windall Mitchell, age 34, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, were charged on June 20, 2023, by a federal grand jury with multiple counts of making false statements to federally licensed firearms dealers.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Yesenia Ramos, age 43, of Stroudsburg, and Windall Mitchell, age 34, of East Stroudsburg, are charged with conspiring to provide false information to federally licensed firearms dealers regarding the purchases of fifteen firearms between May 15, 2021 and June 14, 2022, in Monroe County.  The fifteen firearms were purchased from various federally licensed firearms dealers in Monroe County, including Dunkelberger’s Sports Outfitters in Stroudsburg and Brodheadsville, Pocono Mountain Firearms in Scotrun, The Gun Place in East Stroudsburg, and Lopez Firearms in Pocono Summit.  The indictment also charges Ramos with fifteen substantive counts of making false statements to federally licensed firearms dealers, and charges Mitchell with being a convicted felon in possession of firearms.

The charge against the defendants resulted from an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), and the Pennsylvania State Police.  Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara 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 the offenses of making false statements to firearms dealers and for being a felon in possession of firearms is ten 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.

###

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Read admitted to conspiring with other individuals to distribute between 40 grams and 160 grams of fentanyl in the Luzerne County area between 2019 and 2020.  Read was indicted by a grand jury in August 2020 for fentanyl trafficking.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the Kingston Police Department, the Luzerne County Drug Task Force, and the Pennsylvania State Police.  Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara 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, the offense carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum sentence of up to forty years 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.

###

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Parmod Kumar, age 40, and Reecha Saini, age 36, both of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, were charged yesterday in an information with conspiring to steal interstate shipments of cell phones.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the information alleges that from 2018 to 2021, Kumar and Saini enlisted at least one employee at a UPS facility in Harrisburg to steal packages that they believed contained smartphones.  Kumar and Saini then paid the employee for the phones and arranged for their sale at a convenience store in Harrisburg.  The conspiracy involved the theft of phones with a total value of over $142,000.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Swatara Township Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli is prosecuting the case. 

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 5 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.

# # #

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Lisa England, age 51, of Attalla, Alabama, was charged in an indictment with two counts of tax evasion. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that England failed to file tax returns and pay income tax for the years 2016 and 2017, while in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  The indictment further alleges that England evaded paying taxes by obtaining payroll payments that were issued in the names of others and shredding paystubs that had been issued for those other individuals.

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli is prosecuting the case.  The matter has been specially assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania for prosecution.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense 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.

# # #

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Leonard Hart, age 50, of Mount Wolf, PA was sentenced to five years of probation for obtaining by fraud and misapplying money from Lincoln Charter School (LCS) in York, Pennsylvania.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, LCS is a recipient of federal program funds because it receives grants funded by the U.S Department of Education—primarily Title I funding, which is financial assistance for schools with high numbers of children from low-income backgrounds.

From 2013 until November 2021, Hart was LCS’s Principal and CEO. LCS offers a program by which employees are able to get partial tuition reimbursement for furthering their education. Hart misrepresented that he was pursuing a Ph.D. and submitted numerous requests for reimbursement for courses that he falsely claimed he was taking from a couple of universities. He also falsified records to support these claims for tuition reimbursement and pressured a lower-level employee of the school and former LCS student to assist him in creating a forged diploma.

Hart admitted to submitting to LCS nearly 20 false and fraudulent reimbursement between 2018 and 2020. Hart was also ordered to pay $55,311 in restitution, representing the total amount of funds he received through fraudulent reimbursement requests. At sentencing, Hart presented a check for $10,000 toward his total restitution payments.

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

 # # #

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Sinhue Johnson, Jr., age 27, of York, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner to 25 years’ imprisonment for sexually exploiting children.  The Court also ordered a 15-year term of supervised release to follow the term of imprisonment. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Johnson previously admitted to sexually assaulting two thirteen-year-old girls, one in 2018 and 2019 and the other in 2020, and enticing those girls to take sexually explicit pictures of themselves.  Johnson also admitted that he possessed hundreds of images or videos of child pornography, some of which depicted infants and very young children.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli 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 For more information about internet safety education, please visit  www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

# # #

Scranton – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that a federal grand jury in Scranton charged Turkory Hargrove, age 23, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institute Schuylkill, with possessing contraband.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Hargrove was found in possession of an inmate made weapon; specifically, a 7-inch piece of plastic sharpened to a point with a cloth handle, commonly referred to as a “shank.”  This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons. Assistant United States Attorney Brian J. Gallagher is prosecuting the case.

Hargrove faces a maximum penalty of 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 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 today that a federal grand jury in Scranton charged Brian Foster, age 40, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institute Schuylkill, with possessing contraband.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Foster was found in possession of an inmate made weapon; specifically, a 5-inch piece of plastic sharpened to a point with a taped handle, commonly referred to as a “shank.”  This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons. Assistant United States Attorney Brian J. Gallagher is prosecuting the case.

Foster faces a maximum penalty of 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 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 James Abrams, age 40, of Easley, South Carolina, was convicted following a jury trial of all 48 counts in an indictment charging wire and mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, unlawful monetary transactions, obstruction of justice, and false statement offenses.  The trial, held before United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion, spanned nine days, and the jury deliberated for approximately three hours before returning its verdict.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Abrams was the Chief Executive Officer of EthosGen LLC, a company operating in the clean energy industry.  The evidence at trial showed that in 2017 and 2018, Abrams provided extensive forged documents and false information to induce several investors to invest $1,100,000 in his company.  The false documentation included forged teaming agreements and intellectual property licenses, where Abrams substituted his and EthosGen LLC’s name for other companies and individuals, claiming that EthosGen LLC owned technology it did not own.  During a pre-investment due diligence process, Abrams also provided forged tax returns and false financial statements that fabricated an existing customer base, and inflated EthosGen LLC’s historical revenues, business activity, and profitability, thereby making it a more attractive investment.  Abrams further provided forged contracts and purchase orders to potential investors, in which he claimed to have a revenue stream that, in reality, belonged to other companies.  Following an initial investment of $900,000, Abrams provided additional forged contracts and false customer sales documentation to induce an investor to advance another $200,000 to EthosGen LLC.

As a result of those activities, the jury convicted Abrams of 18 counts of wire fraud, and one count of mail fraud.  The jury also convicted Abrams of five counts of aggravated identity theft based on his forging multiple individuals’ signatures and using their personal information on falsified documentation, without their authorization.

The evidence at trial also showed that Abrams used approximately $800,000 of the investors’ money to purchase a personal residence in Easley, South Carolina.  To conceal his financial activities, Abrams transferred $700,000 of the funds through a series of five bank accounts under his control, and opened in the names of shell companies, before purchasing the residence.  He then lied to investors and to his own financial professionals, claiming that he used the funds to purchase company inventory for EthosGen LLC.  Abrams provided investors with falsified company reports, certifications, and accounting records to corroborate his misrepresentations about the use of the investment funds.  He also provided forged bank account statements and false information to both of EthosGen LLC’s sequential Chief Financial Officers, and to its accounting professionals.  In reliance on those forgeries and lies, the accounting professionals unknowingly included false entries in EthosGen LLC’s books and records.  As a result of those actions, the jury convicted Abrams of one count of money laundering, and 12 counts of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.

The evidence at trial further showed that, upon becoming aware of the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal investigation, Abrams took several steps to obstruct investigators.  Namely, he used misrepresentations and forged bank statements to induce EthosGen LLC financial professionals to create false documents and accounting records that purported to classify his embezzlement of investor funds as a shareholder loan.  Abrams also met with investigators on two occasions and provided materially false statements in response to their questions.  Those false statements included lies about purchasing inventory for EthosGen LLC, that EthosGen LLC owed him $800,000, that he provided his investors with truthful information when they evaluated his company during a due diligence process, and that he was ignorant about the origin of multiple forged contracts that he sent to investors.  As a result of those activities, the jury convicted Abrams of four counts of obstruction of justice, and seven counts of providing false statements to federal investigators.

At the conclusion of trial, the jury also found that the residence Abrams purchased in Easley, South Carolina, was subject to forfeiture, as the illegitimate proceeds of his crime.

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phillip J. Caraballo and Jeffery St John are prosecuting the case.

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.

The maximum penalty under federal law for the most serious offenses are 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.  The aggravated identity theft charges carry mandatory, consecutive two-year minimum sentences of imprisonment.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances, and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

# # #

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that former Lt. David Donkochik, age 51, former Patrol Officer Jonathan McHugh, age 35, and Patrol Officer Kyle Schauer, age 34, of the Mt. Carmel Borough Police Department, were indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury for charges of using excessive force when arresting people over a three-year period. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that former Lt. Donkochik, former Patrol Officer McHugh, and Patrol Officer Schauer were involved in a conspiracy to violate the civil rights of those they arrested from 2018 to 2021. The indictment alleges that in 22 different arrests, they kicked, punched, choked, and otherwise used excessive force against those they were arresting.  In those arrests, they caused bodily injuries to their victims.

Donkochik, McHugh and Schauer took steps to ensure that video of the arrests were not captured by police cameras, or if footage that incriminated them was captured, took steps to ensure that footage was not preserved.  They falsely reported that arrestees acted in a manner requiring violence and then charged arrestees with aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and related offenses to conceal their own use of violence. Donkochick, McHugh and Schauer would then threaten arrestees with more violence.

“The defendants violated the civil rights of numerous individuals in their community over an extended period and in the course of doing so, betrayed the significant public trust placed in them,” said U.S. Attorney Karam.  “This week’s indictment reflects our office’s commitment to ensuring that those who abuse their official positions are held accountable.”

“We in law enforcement are granted significant authority in order to effectively do our jobs,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “When someone wearing a badge abuses those powers and deprives another human being of their civil rights, the FBI and our partners will ensure that justice is brought to those who egregiously violate the public's trust.”

“The indictment announced today is a culmination of outstanding joint investigative efforts and actions by members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Public Corruption Task Force,” said Captain James Cuttitta, Special Investigations Division of the Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation.  “I commend Trooper Emily Dressler and those State Police members who assisted her for their hard work during this lengthy investigation.  Anytime law enforcement investigates their own, it is challenging and difficult.  The charges outlined in the indictment are disturbing, and the residents of Northumberland County should be pleased these Officers will be held accountable.  Mount Carmel is a town with proud traditions, and residents should be able to trust that their Police Officers will uphold the oaths they swore to at all times.  The Pennsylvania State Police members assigned to the public corruption task forces will remain committed to fully investigating these types of investigations statewide.  We want to thank the witnesses, residents, multiple law enforcement departments and officers, and numerous county service agencies who cooperated during this difficult investigation.  The indictment announced today would not be possible without your assistance.  We also thank the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office for their continued outstanding partnership with the Pennsylvania State Police.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlo Marchioli and Michael Consiglio are prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 10 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 Candacelee Ellis, age 37, of Plymouth, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on June 14, 2023, before U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, to the charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Ellis admitted to conspiring with other individuals to distribute between 160 grams and 280 grams of fentanyl in the Luzerne County area between 2019 and 2020.  Ellis was indicted by a grand jury in August 2020 for fentanyl trafficking.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the Kingston Police Department, the Luzerne County Drug Task Force, and the Pennsylvania State Police.  Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara 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, the offense carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum sentence of up to forty years 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.

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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Florentina Mayko, age 39, of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on June 14, 2023, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson to conspiracy to commit health care fraud for defrauding Medicare and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services between 2017 and 2019. Mayko had been charged in a one-count Information on May 9, 2023.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Mayko agreed with others to defraud Medicare by submitting medically unnecessary urine drug tests for chronic opioid patients at medical clinics where she was the chief executive officer, including a group of clinics known as Pain Medicine of York or “PMY” (also known as All Better Wellness).

Mayko became the CEO of Pain Medicine of York around January 2018. Prior to that, Mayko served as Director of Operations of a group of medical practices known in the Information as “Practice Group 1.” Mayko was hired to work at Practice Group 1 by an individual known in the Information as Physician 1.

The owner of PMY, known as “PMY Owner” in the Information, was friends and business partners with Physician 1. Physician 1 was imprisoned for health care fraud and federal tax offenses in mid-2017, at which point the operation of Practice Group 1 was transitioned to PMY. When Mayko was promoted to the position of CEO of PMY, her responsibilities did not materially change. From the time of her promotion onward, Mayko was in charge of the day-to-day management of PMY’s operations, which included the practices previously associated with Practice Group 1.

PMY had a practice, established in 2016 by Physician 1 and PMY Owner, of ordering multiple urine drug tests for each patient at every PMY office visit, despite a lack of medical necessity. From mid-2017 onward, Mayko and PMY Owner were repeatedly confronted with information regarding the unlawful nature of the company’s UDT billing practices but continued to utilize the practice until search warrants were executed at PMY’s various locations in November 2019. PMY ceased operations soon thereafter because it could no longer retain medical providers.

PMY billed Medicare for more than $10 million in urine drug tests from mid-2017 through the end of 2019, and Medicare paid out over $4 million for these urine drug tests. The urine drug tests ordered by PMY were sent to an in-house laboratory at PMY whenever possible. As a result, when medically unnecessary tests were billed to Medicare, the proceeds from them went to PMY itself. A large portion of these proceeds went to PMY Owner and Mayko. Mayko, in turn, purchased several investment properties using these funds.

Mayko agreed to pay $1,408,976.48 in restitution to the United States. She also agreed to forfeit to the United States several properties located in Ocean City, Maryland and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Smultkis are prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for conspiracy to commit health care fraud is 10 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.

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SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Nicholas Dombek, age 53, of Thornhurst, Pennsylvania, Damien Boland, age 47, of Moscow, Pennsylvania, Alfred Atsus, age 47, of Covington Township, Pennsylvania, and Joseph Atsus, age 48, of Roaring Brook, Pennsylvania were indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment or disposal of objects of cultural heritage, and interstate transportation of stolen property.  All four men were also charged with substantive counts of theft of major artwork and the concealment or disposal of objects of cultural heritage. Dombek was further charged with a substantive count of interstate transportation of stolen property.

Five other individuals were charged by felony informations for the same conspiracy. They are Thomas Trotta, age 48, of Moscow, Pennsylvania, Frank Tassiello, age 50, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Daryl Rinker, age 50, of Thornhurst, Pennsylvania, Dawn Trotta, age 51, of Covington Township, Pennsylvania, and Ralph Parry, age 45, of Covington Township, Pennsylvania.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment and informations charge the nine with conspiring over a period of 20 years to break into multiple museums and other institutions to steal priceless works of art, sports memorabilia, and other objects. Those objects include the following:

• A Christy Mathewson jersey and two contracts signed by Mathewson stolen in 1999 from Keystone College in Factoryville, Pennsylvania;
• “Le Grande Passion” by Andy Warhol and “Springs Winter” by Jackson Pollock stolen in 2005 from the Everhart Museum, Scranton, Pennsylvania;
• Nine (9) World Series rings, seven (7) other championship rings, and two (2) MVP plaques awarded to Yogi Berra, worth over $1,000,000 stolen in 2014 from the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center, Little Falls, New Jersey;
• Six (6) championship belts, including four awarded to Carmen Basilio and two awarded to Tony Zale stolen in 2015 from the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Canastota, New York;
• The Hickok Belt and MVP Trophy awarded to Roger Maris, stolen in 2016 from the Roger Maris Museum, Fargo, North Dakota;
• The U.S. Amateur Trophy and a Hickok Belt awarded to Ben Hogan, stolen in 2012 from the USGA Golf Museum & Library, Liberty Corner, New Jersey;
• Fourteen (14) trophies and other awards worth over $300,000 stolen in 2012 from the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, Goshen, New York;
• Five (5) trophies worth over $400,000, including the 1903 Belmont Stakes Trophy, stolen in 2013 from the National Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, Saratoga Springs, New York;
• Eleven (11) trophies, including 4 awarded to Art Wall, Jr. stolen in 2011 from the Scranton Country Club, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania;
• Three antique firearms worth a combined $1,000,000 stolen in 2006 from Space Farms: Zoo & Museum, Wantage, New Jersey;
• An 1903/1904 Tiffany Lamp stolen in 2010 from the Lackawanna Historical Society, Scranton, Pennsylvania,
• “Upper Hudson” by Jasper Cropsey, worth approximately $500,000, and two antique firearms worth over $300,000, stolen in 2011 from Ringwood Manor, Ringwood, New Jersey;
• $400,000 worth of gold nuggets stolen in 2011 from the Sterling Hill Mining Museum, Ogdensburg, New Jersey;
• Various gems, minerals, and other items stolen in 2017 from the Franklin Mineral Museum, Franklin, New Jersey;
• An antique shotgun worth over $30,000 stolen in 2018 from Space Farms: Zoo & Museum, Wantage, New Jersey;
• Various jewelry, and other items from multiple antique and jewelry stores in New York, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania.

The indictment and informations further allege that after stealing the above-described items, the conspirators transported the stolen goods back to Northeastern Pennsylvania, often to the residence of Dombek, and melted the memorabilia down into easily transportable metal discs or bars.  The conspirators sold the raw metal to other individuals in the New York City area for hundreds or thousands of dollars, but significantly less than the stolen items would be worth at fair market value.

The indictment and informations further allege that Dombek burnt the painting “Upper Hudson” by Jasper Cropsey, valued at approximately $500,000, to avoid the recovery of the painting by investigators for use as evidence against the members of the conspiracy.  The whereabouts of many of the other paintings and stolen objects are currently unknown. 

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Pennsylvania State Police, the New Jersey State Police, the New York State Police, the New Jersey State Park Police, the Newport Police Department (Rhode Island), the Fargo Police Department (North Dakota), the Chester Police Department (New York), the Wyoming Regional Police Department (Pennsylvania), the Scranton Police Department, the Franklin Police Department (New Jersey), the Village of Goshen Police Department (New York), the Metropolitan Police Department (Washington, D.C.), the West Milford Township Police Department (New Jersey), the Montclair Police Department (New Jersey), the Saratoga Springs Police Department (New York), the Canastota Police Department (New York), the South Abington Police Department (Pennsylvania), the Bernards Township Police Department (New Jersey), the Salisbury Township Police Department (Pennsylvania), the Montclair State University Police Department (New Jersey), the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office (Pennsylvania), the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office (New Jersey), the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office (New Jersey), the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (New York), and the Madison County District Attorney’s Office (New York).  Assistant United States Attorney James M. Buchanan is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for the conspiracy count is five years imprisonment, and for each of the other offenses is ten 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 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 Cedric Lodge, age 55, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, Katrina Maclean, age 44, of Salem, Massachusetts, Joshua Taylor, age 46, of West Lawn, Pennsylvania, Denise Lodge, age 63, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, and Mathew Lampi, age 52, of East Bethel, Minnesota, were indicted by a federal grand jury on conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods charges.  Additionally, Jeremy Pauley, age 41, of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, was charged by Criminal Information, and Candace Chapman Scott, of Little Rock, Arkansas, was previously indicted in the Eastern District of Arkansas.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictments and information allege that a nationwide network of individuals bought and sold human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas mortuary.  The charges allege that from 2018 through 2022, Cedric Lodge, who managed the morgue for the Anatomical Gifts Program at Harvard Medical School, located in Boston, Massachusetts, stole organs and other parts of cadavers donated for medical research and education before their scheduled cremations.  Lodge at times transported stolen remains from Boston to his residence in Goffstown, New Hampshire, where he and his wife, Denise Lodge, sold the remains to Katrina Maclean, Joshua Taylor, and others, making arrangements via cellular telephone and social media websites.  At times, Cedric Lodge allowed Maclean and Taylor to enter the morgue at Harvard Medical School and examine cadavers to choose what to purchase.  On some occasions, Taylor transported stolen remains back to Pennsylvania.  On other occasions, the Lodges shipped stolen remains to Taylor and others out of state.

Maclean and Taylor resold the stolen remains for profit, including to Jeremy Pauley in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.  Jeremy Pauley also purchased stolen human remains from Candace Chapman Scott, who stole 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.

“Some crimes defy understanding,” said United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam. “The theft and trafficking of human remains strikes at the very essence of what makes us human. It is particularly egregious that so many of the victims here volunteered to allow their remains to be used to educate medical professionals and advance the interests of science and healing. For them and their families to be taken advantage of in the name of profit is appalling. With these charges, we are seeking to secure some measure of justice for all these victims.

I’d like to thank Harvard Medical School, which is also a victim here, for their cooperation in this investigation.  Additionally, this prosecution would not be possible without the close cooperation and hard work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Attorney’s Offices in multiple districts, including the Eastern District of Arkansas.  From the beginning, this has been a multi-jurisdictional investigation, and our two offices have worked side by side to bring justice for these victims.”

"The defendants violated the trust of the deceased and their families all in the name of greed," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire.  "While today's charges cannot undo the unfathomable pain this heinous crime has caused, the FBI will continue to work tirelessly to see that justice is served."

“Today, the United States Attorney has announced charges against several individuals who used the United States mail to ship stolen human remains,” said Christopher Nielsen, the Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the Postal Inspection Service. “Robbing families of the remains of their loved ones is an unconscionable act and confounds our collective sense of decency.  Using the United States mail to facilitate the theft and shipment of human remains is a federal crime and the Postal Inspection Service will do everything in its power to stop it.  I want to thank our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney for working with the Postal Inspection Service to stop this group, and I hope our efforts bring a small amount of relief to the victimized families.”

The United States Attorney’s Office has and will continue to attempt to identify and contact as many of the victims and victims’ families affected by this case as possible. If anyone believes they or a family member may have been affected by the conduct charged in these indictments and information, please contact our Victim and Witness Unit at USAPAM.Victim.Information@usdoj.gov  or (717) 614-4249.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the East Pennsboro Township Police Department, and the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 15 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.

# # #

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Eric Hill, age 34, of Plymouth, Luzerne County, pleaded guilty on June 8, 2023, before U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, to the charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Hill admitted to conspiring with other individuals to distribute between 400 grams and 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl in the Luzerne County area between 2019 and 2020.  Hill was indicted by a grand jury in August 2020 for fentanyl trafficking.

The charge against the defendants resulted from an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), the Kingston Police Department, the Luzerne County Drug Task Force, and the Pennsylvania State Police.  Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara 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, the carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum sentence of 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.

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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Devonte Betts, 29; Rodney McMillian, 41; Lamarr Waters, 34; and Tyreese Nealy, 23 of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, were indicted in a seventeen-count indictment on June 7, 2023, by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking and firearms charges.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that beginning on August 3, 2022, and continuing through May 10, 2023, the four men conspired to distribute and did distribute a significant amount of methamphetamine and fentanyl.  The indictment also alleges that Betts, Waters and McMillian trafficked firearms, selling at least seven firearms between October 20, 2022, and February 18, 2023.  On the morning of June 8, 2023, in a joint operation among federal, state, and local authorities, each of the defendants were taken into custody based on arrest warrants that had been issued.  Authorities also executed numerous search warrants during the operation, and seized eight additional firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, 420 fentanyl pills, cocaine, several pounds of marijuana and materials used to process and traffic narcotics.  

The four men were arraigned in federal court and their detention was ordered pending further hearings that will take place on June 12, 2023. 

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police and the Harrisburg Police Bureau.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul J. Miovas, Jr. 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 also brought in part as 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.

The aggregate 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 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 Jayson Haley, age 33, of York County, Pennsylvania, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury with child pornography offenses.

According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges Haley with producing, attempting to produce, and possessing child pornography, in York County in October 2022, and April 2023. 

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 case was investigated by the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian T. Haugsby.

The total maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is up to 70 years’ imprisonment, a term of up to lifetime 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 four individuals were indicted on charges related to a prostitution enterprise called XO Companions, or XOC.  The four defendants are Anton Panin, age 40, of Hollywood, Florida, Jennie Lawson, age 37, of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, Tracey Lawson, age 57, of Thomasville, Pennsylvania, and Viktoriia Zakirova, age 32, of Miami, Florida. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges each defendant with conspiring to transport women in interstate and foreign commerce with intent that the women engage in prostitution and conspiring to persuade women to travel to engage in prostitution.  The indictment further charges Panin and the Lawsons with money laundering.

The indictment explains that Panin and Zakirova recruited women in Russia and other Eastern European countries to travel to the United States to work as prostitutes for XO Companions.  Once in the United States, XO Companions workers traveled throughout the country to meet with clients in major cities.  XO Companions workers typically sent cash prostitution proceeds to the Lawsons, who in turn transported the money to Panin in Florida.  Additionally, the defendants operated a password-protected website through which clients could view schedules, view services offered, reserve time, and provide reviews.

“The indictment in this case has dismantled an extensive and long-running commercial sex enterprise that exploited countless women and repeatedly violated U.S. laws,” said U.S. Attorney Karam.  “We commend the law enforcement agents who coordinated across multiple agencies and worked tirelessly in the investigation that led to these charges.”

“As the lead agency in this investigation, the Diplomatic Security Service demonstrated its commitment to maintaining the integrity of U.S. travel documents and the rights of visitors to the United States,” said the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service Assistant Director for Domestic Operations Andrew Wroblewski.  “Our strong relationship with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania continues to be essential in pursuing those who profit from exploiting U.S. visa systems.”

“Tracing money obtained as the result of criminal acts is the specialty of IRS Criminal Investigation agents,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty.  “IRS-CI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that individuals who attempt to hide their criminal involvement will be held accountable.”

"As alleged, Anton Panin, Viktoriia Zakirova, Jennie Lawson and Tracey Lawson operated an illicit prostitution ring over the span of many years in cities across the United States. To date, the investigation has identified hundreds of individuals linked to the criminal enterprise, some of whom are suspected of being victims of human trafficking,” said HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo. “We would like to thank HSI Miami’s Fort Lauderdale office and HSI Philadelphia’s Harrisburg office for their significant contributions to this multi-year investigation. HSI is committed to working with law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions to protect potential victims from being exploited for personal profit. I commend the collaboration of our agents and our law enforcement partners whose investigative efforts over the past five years were instrumental in apprehending these suspected sex traffickers.”

"The defendants preyed upon vulnerable women hoping for a better life in the United States, and they now will be held accountable for their heinous actions.  Today's indictment sends a message to would be traffickers that the FBI and its partners are committed to protecting victims and bringing their predators to justice," said Philadelphia Division FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire.”

If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact Homeland Security Investigations at 866-347-2423 or SexTrafficking_Outreach@hsi.dhs.gov.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli is prosecuting the case. 

The maximum penalty under federal law is five years of imprisonment for the prostitution-related conspiracy and 20 years of imprisonment for money laundering, 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 Sydney Snelling, Jr., age 49, formerly of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Robert D. Mariani to 18 months of imprisonment, for the unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Snelling pleaded guilty to possessing an assault rifle bearing a modified barrel of under 16” on April 7, 2022, without possessing the requisite tax stamp to possess such a firearm.  At the time of the offense, Snelling was a Luzerne County Constable, but has since been removed from his position.  In addition to the sentence of imprisonment, Judge Mariani ordered Snelling to forfeit the modified firearm, and imposed a two-year term of supervised release, to commence upon his release from imprisonment.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo 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.

# # #

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Lawrence Anthony Christie, age 32, a federal inmate incarcerated at FCI Schuylkill, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on a charge of assaulting certain officers or employees.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that on May 14, 2021, Christie struck and caused physical contact with a corrections officer resulting in bodily injury.

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 Luisa Honora Berti is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is up to 20 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.

# # #

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Edgar Ferney Penagos-Porras, age 34, a native of Colombia, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury with reentry of removed aliens.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that Penagos-Porras was previously removed from the United States on or about February 26, 2018, and it is alleged that he reentered the United States without first obtaining legal permission to do so.  The indictment also alleges that on May 23, 2023, Penagos-Porras was encountered in Monroe County, by the Pennsylvania State Police, on an outstanding warrant from Georgia.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).  Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is up to 20 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.

# # #

SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on June 2, 2023, Pedro Hernandez-Romero, age 30, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment and a one-year term of supervised release, by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, for the crimes of aggravated identity theft, social security account number fraud and illegal reentry of a previously removed alien.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, on July 9, 2020, Hernandez-Romero, a previously deported alien, using the name, date of birth, and social security number of a U.S. citizen, applied for and ultimately received $25,176 in Pennsylvania Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits to which he was not entitled.  Further investigation revealed that, using the same stolen identity, Hernandez-Romero applied for and received $1,950 in traditional unemployment benefits.  At his sentencing, Hernandez-Romero was also ordered to pay $27,134.00 in restitution to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.   

This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) and by the United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations.  Assistant United States Attorney Jeffery St John prosecuted the case.

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

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

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HARRISBURG – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Dr. Donald Yorlets, age 68, of New Oxford, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 24 months of probation, including 12 months of home detention, and a $50,000 fine by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for defrauding the U.S. Department of Agriculture between 2016 and 2019 by submitting false blood samples for bovine disease testing and by issuing false Certificates of Veterinary Inspection for the animals.  

 According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, federal law requires that each cow transported in interstate or international commerce be first tested for various bovine diseases, such as Bovine Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, Bovine Leucosis and Bovine Viral Diarrhea. Bovine Tuberculosis and Brucellosis are communicable diseases that can be transmitted to humans under certain circumstances.  Bovine Tuberculosis is screened for by what is known as a Caudal Fold skin test. The test must be administered by a USDA accredited veterinarian and involves the injection of a tuberculin substance under the skin and checking it for a reaction 72 hours later.  Testing for Brucellosis, Bovine Leucosis and Bovine Viral Diarrhea requires the drawing of blood and the submission of samples to an accredited laboratory for analysis.

 Animals transported in international commerce can only be exported with an International Certificate of Veterinarian Inspection (ICVI).  To lawfully issue an ICVI, a USDA accredited veterinarian must verify that each animal has been physically examined, tested for disease, vaccinated and medically treated as required by the USDA prior to shipment. 

Yorlets conspired with Daniel and Benjamin Gutman, owners of a livestock exporting business known as Gutman Brothers Dairy Cattle, to avoid the disease testing requirements by falsely representing he tested every cow for Bovine Tuberculosis when, in fact, he did not.   Yorlets also submitted hundreds of non-authentic, bovine blood samples to a PA Department of Agriculture testing laboratory in Harrisburg for testing and by issuing false Certificates of Veterinary Inspection for the untested animals.  The false blood test results and Certificates enabled the sellers to quickly export hundreds of untested cows to Mexico, Canada, Qatar, and Puerto Rico.

The investigation began in 2017 when the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory (PVL) in Harrisburg became suspicious that dozens of blood specimens submitted by Dr. Yorlets were not authentic.  To confirm their suspicions the PVL sent 804 blood samples submitted by Dr. Yorlets to the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Iowa for Antibody Profile testing.

Each animal has a unique Antibody Profile in its blood.  If all of the Yorlets’ blood specimens were genuine, Antibody Profile testing should have shown that all 804 blood samples had a unique Antibody Profile.  However, the NVSL’s testing only found 70 unique Antibody Profiles in the 804 samples.  The results confirmed that Dr. Yorlets’ repeatedly submitted the same blood samples for different animals and issued false Certificates of Veterinary Inspection for hundreds of cows that were never tested.  This allowed the sellers to export the animals quickly and reduce expenses incurred in keeping the animals on domestic feeder lots.

Yorlets was a Pennsylvania licensed veterinarian since 1981. His veterinary license was suspended for six months following his guilty plea on August 31, 2020, and he was removed from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Accreditation Program.

Daniel Gutman and Benjamin Gutman, both residents of Maryland, were each sentenced to 30 months in prison for a conspiracy to defraud and commit offenses against the United States. Collectively, they were ordered to pay $1,938,646.42 in fines and forfeiture.

The case was investigated by the USDA’s Office of Inspector General and the Department of Homeland Security.  Assistant United States Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma prosecuted the case. 

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HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Leron Harris, age 30, of Steelton, Pennsylvania, was indicted on May 31, 2023, by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking and firearms charges.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment states that Harris distributed and possessed with the intent to distribute cocaine on multiple occasions between August 2022 and March 2023 in Harrisburg and Steelton. The indictment further states that he possessed a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.

The case was investigated by the Harrisburg Bureau of Police, Pennsylvania State Police, Dauphin County Drug Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Johnny Baer 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 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.

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 Justin Passetti, age 31, of Kingsley, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, to the charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Passetti admitted to conspiring with other individuals to distribute between 1.5 kilograms and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Susquehanna County area in March 2020.  The charge stems from an incident on March 11, 2020, in which the Pennsylvania State Police conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Passetti was an occupant. A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of five pounds of crystal methamphetamine.

The charge against the defendant resulted from an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Pennsylvania State Police.  Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.

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.

Under federal law, the drug trafficking offense carries a maximum sentence of 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.

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HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Raul Martinez-Perez, age 48, of Mexico, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury with illegal re-entry into the United States by a previously deported alien. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Martinez-Perez was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in June 1999.  He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after June 1999 and was found in the United States in Adams County, Pennsylvania after being arrested on state felony charges.

This matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Assistant United States Attorney Paul J. Miovas, Jr. is prosecuting the case.

Based on his prior criminal history, Martinez-Perez faces a maximum penalty of 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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