District of Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE, RI – A Malden, Mass., man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Providence today to 84 months in federal prison for transporting, distributing and possessing child pornography.

Fetahe Makonnen, 35, was arrested in October 2017, shortly after he provided an undercover Rhode Island State Police Detective with two computer thumb drives containing approximately 1,300 images and videos depicting child pornography involving prepubescent children.

Makonnen travelled to Rhode Island on October 28, 2017, with the intention of sharing images and videos of child pornography, and with the hope of securing additional images and videos of child pornography. He traveled to Rhode Island after communicating via the Internet and by telephone in July and September 2017 with an individual he believed interested in viewing and sharing child pornography. The individual was in fact a detective assigned to the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Makonnen pleaded guilty on April 30, 2018, to transportation of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.

At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. smith also ordered Makonnen to serve 10 years supervised release upon completion of his term of incarceration. Restitution will be determined at a later date to known victims whose images appear in some of the photographs and images of child pornography seized from Makonnen.

Makonnen’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Colonel James M. Manni, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dulce Donovan.

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PROVIDENCE - The United States Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island this week concluded an investigation into violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at seven Landmark Medical Center offices in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman.

As a result of the Government’s investigation, the healthcare provider promptly and cooperatively remedied ADA violations requiring accessible parking and medical equipment for individuals in wheelchairs. The deficiencies were discovered during an investigation prompted by a citizen complaint to the United States Attorney’s Office’s Civil Rights Division.

As a result of the investigation and the prompt and cooperative response by Landmark Medical Center, Landmark now has designated accessible parking spaces and accessible medical equipment, including an accessible scale and adjustable-height exam tables and transfer boards at all of its medical offices in Woonsocket, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is accordingly closing its inquiry into the matter.

Over the past year, similar investigations by the United States Attorney’s Office into accessibility deficiencies at two other Rhode Island medical offices also resulted in voluntary corrective measures by those practices to ensure compliance with the ADA.  As a result of these inquiries, RISkinDoc in Cranston voluntarily modified its entrance and purchased equipment to make its exam rooms accessible, while Coastal Medical, Inc., with the assistance of its landlord, Belvoir Properties, LLC, similarly undertook voluntarily corrective measures at its Providence facility, including ensuring adequate parking access for disabled patients, and accessible examination rooms and equipment inside the facility.

The investigation and resolution of each of these matters were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy R. Romero and United States Attorney’s Office investigator David Neill.

The Department of Justice has a number of publications available to assist entities in complying with the ADA, including Access to Medical Care for Individuals with Mobility Disabilities. For more information on the ADA and to access these publications, visit ADA.gov or call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD).  ADA complaints may be filed by email to ada.complaint@usdoj.gov.

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PROVIDENCE, RI – Four Nigerian nationals who admitted to participating in a large-scale bank fraud and counterfeit passport scheme in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, with an intended loss of more than $1.2 million dollars, have been sentenced in U.S. District Court in Providence, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh.

The four men admitted to participating in a scheme to defraud banks in Rhode Island and Massachusetts by acquiring and altering lawfully passed checks between commercial entities. The checks were altered and deposited into bank accounts opened using aliases as forms of identification created for counterfeit passports from Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa. Funds were quickly removed from the accounts prior to the fraud being detected by the financial institutions.

According to information presented to the Court, participants in the scheme deposited fraudulent checks and wires totaling approximately $1,267,000 and successfully obtained approximately $487,000 through withdrawals and debit purchases.

On Friday, Babajide O. Awogbami, 35, who has been detained in federal custody since April 10, 2017, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith to 13 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $488,745.47 restitution to banks he defrauded. He pleaded guilty on November 11, 2018, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and false use of passports.

On July 27, 2018, Olugboyega A. Fasanya, 37, of Woonsocket, and Anthony C. Ezike, 37, of Pawtucket, were sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith to 13 months in federal prison. Fasanya, who pleaded guilty on April 30, 2018, to conspiracy to commit bank, was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $379,362 to banks he defrauded. Ezike, who pleaded guilty on March 8, 2018, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $228,730 to banks he defrauded.

On February 16, 2018, Opeyemi A. Orekan, 28, of North Providence, who had been detained in federal custody since April 10, 2017, was sentenced to time served and ordered to pay $101,286.63 in restitution to banks he defrauded during his participation in the conspiracy. He pleaded guilty on September 22, 2017, to bank fraud and fraudulent use of passports.

According to court records, Olugboyega A. Fasanya and Opeyemi A. Orekan have been deported.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers have been issued against Babajide O. Awogbami and Anthony C. Ezike. Both men will face deportation proceedings upon completion of their terms of incarceration.

The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lee H. Vilker.

The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Woonsocket, Pawtucket, and Warwick Police Departments.

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PROVIDENCE, RI – A Providence man who admitted to participating in a conspiracy to create and fill fraudulent prescriptions for opioid pills by using stolen medical practitioner identification numbers, unlawfully paying for many of the prescriptions with the use of medical insurance, and soliciting others to participate in the conspiracy, was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith also ordered Michael Slonski, 48, to serve 3 years supervised release upon completion of his term of incarceration.

Slonski pled guilty on April 2, 2018, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute Oxycodone.

Slonski’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman and Jeffrey Ebersole, Resident Agent in Charge of the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations.

At the time of his guilty plea, Slonski admitted to being part of a conspiracy that created fraudulent prescriptions utilizing the identities, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) identification numbers, and signatures of medical practitioners without their consent. Prescriptions for varying amounts of Oxycodone pills were written and presented to pharmacies by some members of the conspiracy and others working at the direction of the conspirators.

The scheme often times included the fraudulent use of medical insurance to pay pharmacies for the illicit prescriptions. Most of the Oxycodone pills gained with the use of fraudulent prescriptions were sold to others for distribution.

Slonski admitted that his role in the conspiracy included producing fraudulent Oxycodone prescriptions, passing or causing others to fill the prescriptions at pharmacies, and benefiting personally by selling fraudulently obtained pills.

Robert Rose, 52, of Providence, the acknowledged leader of the conspiracy, was sentenced on October 15, 2018, to 72 months in federal prison. Rose admitted to the Court that as the leader of the conspiracy, he paid for individuals’ identities, health care insurance information, and prescribing medical practitioners’ names and DEA numbers. Rose provided that information to others who participated in the conspiracy, and provided special paper necessary to produce the fraudulent prescriptions.

Rose also admitted that he ran the conspiracy for several months while incarcerated at the Adult Correctional Institution on an unrelated matter.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dulce Donovan.

The matter was investigated by the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations.

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PROVIDENCE - A Fall River man pleaded guilty today to federal charges related to his participation in a conspiracy to traffic multiple kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Rhode Island through the U.S. Postal Service.

 David J. Knight, 48, admitted to the Court that for approximately eight months beginning in August 2016, he made multiple trips to Puerto Rico for the purpose of purchasing large quantities of cocaine that were then packaged and shipped through the U.S. Postal Service to various addresses in Rhode Island.

An investigation by U.S. Postal Inspection Service agents determined that Knight made at least nine trips to Puerto Rico to acquire approximately 250 grams of cocaine per trip. Through his participation in the conspiracy, Knight acquired at least two thousand two hundred fifty grams, or more than two kilograms of cocaine.

Appearing before U.S. District Court John J. McConnell, Jr., Knight pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess more than one kilogram of cocaine with the intent to distribute and possession of more than one kilogram of cocaine with the intent to distribute, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman and Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston.

Knight is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11, 2019.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Ferland.

Knight is the ninth person charged in a series of ongoing investigations by U.S. Postal Inspection Service agents to identify and interrupt the delivery of packages of narcotics shipped through the U.S. Postal Service to addresses in Rhode Island, to identify individuals responsible for making the shipments, and to identify the intended recipients of the packages. Through these investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection agents have intercepted more than 100 packages containing 250 grams or more of cocaine, shipped from Puerto Rico to Rhode Island.

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PROVIDENCE, RI – A “full patch” member of the Rhode Island chapter of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club has been ordered detained in federal custody on a criminal complaint charging him with trafficking methamphetamine and cocaine and on firearms charges.

Douglas Leedham, 54, of North Providence, R.I., was detained Thursday by members of the FBI Rhode Island Safe Street Task Force during the execution of a court-authorized search of his residence. The search was conducted as part of a Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation into Leedham’s alleged drug trafficking activities.

Mr. Leedham was charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and three counts of felon in possession of a firearm.

Leedham was ordered detained in federal custody following his initial appearance today before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond.

The arrest and detention of Douglas Leedham are announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division.

According to court documents, during the course of the court-authorized search of Leedham’s residence, members of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force seized a total of 44 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 19 grams of cocaine, two handguns and a 12 gauge shotgun, two body armor vests, 35 knives, four hatchets, five expandable and four flashlight batons, a set of brass knuckles, $6,422 in cash, and assorted items used in the packaging and distribution of drugs.

Found throughout the residence were clothing, memorabilia, and documents, which allegedly established Leedham’s membership in the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club.

According to court records, Leedham was convicted in Rhode Island Superior Court in September 2013 of carrying a pistol without a license. He was sentenced to a term of five years in prison - suspended with five years’ probation.

A federal criminal complaint is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr.

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

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PROVIDENCE - A Providence man today admitted in federal court to participating in a conspiracy to sell fentanyl and firearms to a person assisting the FBI Rhode Island Safe Street Task Force in a Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation.

Appearing before U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith, Agustin Navedo, 30, admitted to the Court that on five occasions between April 3 and May 11, 2018, he sold an individual approximately 10 grams of fentanyl for between $650 and $750 dollars.

Additionally, Navedo admitted that on May 11, 2018, he sold the individual a .40 caliber pistol and a .380 caliber pistol for $1,350.

Navedo today pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl, five counts of possession with the intent to distribute and distribution of fentanyl, conspiracy to engage in unlicensed dealing in firearms, and unlicensed dealing in firearms.

 Navedo’s guilty plea is announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division.

Navedo, who is detained in federal custody, is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith on April 26, 2019.

Two co-defendants arrested and charged in this matter, Yerry Abreu-Jimenez, 26, and Emmanuel Miamen, 24, of Providence, are awaiting trial in federal court.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Terrence P. Donnelly and Helen H. Lee.

 Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

The FBI Safe Street Task Force is comprised of members of law enforcement from the Central Falls Police Department, Cranston Police Department, Pawtucket Police Department, Providence Police Department, Woonsocket Police Department, and Adult Correctional Institutions.

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PROVIDENCE - A Massachusetts man identified by law enforcement as the primary contact between a major international heroin and fentanyl source of supply in the Dominican Republic and a three-state New England drug trafficking operation based primarily in Rhode Island was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr.

Vladimir Arias, 33, of Peabody, Mass., is identified in court documents as a trusted courier of an individual in the Dominican Republic known as The Maestro, a significant heroin and fentanyl supplier. Arias was responsible for moving significant quantities of heroin and fentanyl into New England, and collecting tens of thousands of dollars at a time from a drug trafficking operation which operated primarily from stash houses in Cranston and Woonsocket, R.I.

According to court documents, the drug trafficking operation was organized and directed by three brothers, Juan, Claudio and Hector Valdez. The Valdez drug trafficking operation supplied heroin and fentanyl to mid-level drug dealers and street dealers in the greater Providence and Boston areas and in Hartford, Conn.

Arias, who was among many individuals whose drug trafficking activities in connection with the Valdez Brothers drug trafficking operation were being monitored, was arrested during a traffic stop on Interstate Route 95 in Rhode Island on April 10, 2017. Agents had just watched him accept a return of heroin from Juan Valdez. Nearly a kilogram of heroin in 10-gram packages for redistribution was found hidden in a crudely constructed hide in the motor vehicle. That heroin was the remainder of a full kilogram that Arias had delivered to Juan Valdez four days earlier. The Maestro agreed to accept return of the heroin because Valdez was not satisfied with the quality of the drug.

Lab testing confirmed that Arias had 858.81 grams of heroin in his possession at the time of his arrest. A court-authorized search of his Massachusetts residence resulted in the seizure of $33,959 that was found hidden in a couch. The $33,959.00 converts to the value of 606.41 grams of heroin.

Arias's sentence is announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division.

During the course of the investigation, dubbed by law enforcement as Operation Triple Play, which the FBI Safe Streets Task Force launched in September 2016, the investigation into the Valdez Drug Trafficking Operation resulted in the purchases or seizures of laboratory tested and confirmed controlled substances totaling approximately 142g of crack cocaine, 1,654g of cocaine, 3,836g of heroin (of which 2,183.3g contained fentanyl), 3,493g of fentanyl, and more than 137 lbs. (62 kilograms) of cutting agents.

Operation Triple Play is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation initiated by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. Under the direction of the FBI, the participating agencies in this investigation included the Drug Enforcement Administration (Providence and Boston Resident Agencies), Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Rhode Island State Police, Providence Police Department, Woonsocket Police Department, Central Falls Police Department, Cranston Police Department, Warwick Police Department, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.

Claudio Valdez was sentenced on November 28, 2018, to 20 years in federal prison. Juan Valdez was sentenced on December 14, 2018, to 20 years in federal prison. Hector Valdez was sentenced January 18, 2019, to 108 months in federal prison.

The Valdez brothers, all Dominican nationals, reentered the country illegally after having been previously convicted of felony drug crimes and deported. Juan Valdez reentered the country illegally on at least four occasions. Immigration detainers have been lodged against all three.

Arias admitted to law enforcement that he had entered the country through Mexico illegally. An immigration detainer has been lodged against him.

Operation Triple Play cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard B. Sullivan, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorneys William J. Ferland, Ronald A. Gendron, and Richard W. Rose.

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman today announced the appointment of Helen H. Lee as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island.

Ms. Lee, an experienced civil litigator, joins the Office from the law firm of Latham and Watkins, where she had worked as an Associate since 2011.  Employed in the firm’s D.C., Costa Mesa, and Boston offices, she worked on a wide variety of civil litigation matters, principally in federal court. 

From 2016 to 2017, Ms. Lee temporarily left the firm to serve as law clerk to the Hon. Pamela K. Chen, United States District Judge in the Eastern District of New York, in Brooklyn. 

Ms. Lee, who grew up in San Mateo, California, is a 2005 graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and she received her law degree, also from Berkeley, in 2011.  While practicing full-time as an attorney, she also successfully completed a Ph.D. in Political Science, which was awarded by Stanford University in 2013. 

Ms. Lee has been assigned to the Office’s Civil Division, and joins the Office as part of a Department-wide initiative to continue to increase affirmative civil enforcement efforts.

In making the announcement, United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman said, “I am tremendously pleased to welcome AUSA Lee to the Office.  Ms. Lee’s intellect, experience, and background as a litigator are consistent with the tradition of excellence in this Office, make her a superb addition to our civil practice, and will allow us to continue to expand our enforcement efforts on behalf of the people of Rhode Island.”

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PROVIDENCE, RI – The second of two New York men who admitted to cutting their way through a roof into a Target department store in Smithfield, R.I., in October 2017, prying open an ATM inside the store and stealing more than $14,000, then cutting through a wall into a CVS Pharmacy located inside the store and stealing a controlled substance was sentenced today in federal court to time served.

Liridon Gashi, 33, of Bronx, NY, had been held in federal custody since his arrest on March 7, 2018.  He pleaded guilty on September 7, 2018, to one count each of conspiracy to commit larceny from a financial institution, bank larceny, conspiracy to commit burglary involving controlled substances, and burglary involving controlled substances.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith also ordered Gashi to serve 3 years supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $6,500 for damage to the ATM. Gashi remains detained on unrelated charges brought by law enforcement in Pennsylvania.

A co-defendant in this matter, Epirot Krasniqi, 27, of Brooklyn, NY, was arrested on November 7, 2017. Krasniqi pleaded guilty on May 11, 2018, to one count each of conspiracy to commit larceny from a financial institution, bank larceny, conspiracy to commit burglary involving controlled substances, and burglary involving controlled substances. He was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith on January 11, 2019, to time served, 3 years supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $6,500 for damage to the ATM.

Krasniqi remains detained on unrelated charges brought by law enforcement in Pennsylvania.

The sentences are announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Smithfield Police Chief Richard P. St. Sauveur, Jr., and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Joseph R. Bonavolonta.

According to court documents, in the early morning hours of October 10, 2017, Gashi and Krasniqi, equipped with hand tools and two-way radios, cut through the roof of the Target store and then forced open an ATM from which they stole $14,720. The two men then cut through the wall of a CVS Pharmacy inside the store, broke open a locked cabinet holding controlled substances and stole a prescription package of Oxycodone. The two men then fled to the roof of the store.

While the burglary and robbery were taking place, Smithfield police officers responded to a report of an electronic burglary alarm and began to search the premises. After discovering the hole in the roof, officers began searching approximately 30 air conditioning units located on the roof. The two men were found hiding inside separate air conditioning units. Also discovered inside the store and in various air conditioning units on the roof were the tools used in the break-in of the store and the ATM, the cash stolen from the ATM, and the drugs stolen from the pharmacy.

The cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ly T. Chin.

The matter was investigated by the Smithfield Police Department, with the assistance of the FBI Rhode Island Safe Streets Task Force.

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PROVIDENCE – A Connecticut little league vice president and coach arrested on January 25, 2019, by members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, and charged in state court with indecent solicitation of a child and disseminating and possessing child pornography, was re-arrested today at his Connecticut residence on federal charges that he allegedly traveled to Rhode Island to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, that he allegedly transferred obscene material to a person he believed to be under the age of 16, and that he allegedly received and possessed child pornography.

The charges brought today in federal court against Christopher Merchant, 33, of Canterbury, Conn., are related to the same alleged incidents that resulted in his arrest on Rhode Island state charges brought by Rhode Island State Police on January 25.

According to court documents, it is alleged that on numerous occasions Merchant communicated via social media with an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old boy. The communications quickly became sexually graphic. It is alleged that during the exchanges, Merchant arranged to meet with the boy at a Warwick hotel to engage in illicit sexual activity. It is also alleged that Merchant electronically sent obscene photographs to the person he was communicating with.

Upon his arrival at the hotel on January 25, Merchant was arrested, and a review of his cell phone allegedly uncovered child pornography. He was held on state charges at the ACI until posting bail on Monday.

Merchant appeared today before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan on a federal criminal complaint charging him with interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual activity, transfer of obscene material to a person under the age of 16 years, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. He was ordered detained in federal custody.

The federal charges brought today are announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Lieutenant Colonel Kevin M. Barry, Acting Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams. 

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PROVIDENCE – A Westerly man who admitted to exchanging sexually explicit images involving minors with others online and to sending sexually explicit images to minors via social media applications has been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison.

At sentencing on January 10, 2019, Jonathan Breslin, 33, was also ordered by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to serve 10 years supervised release upon completion of his term of incarceration. Breslin pleaded guilty on October 10, 2018, to possession of child pornography, transferring obscene material to a minor, and two counts of receipt and distribution of child pornography.

Breslin’s sentenced is announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Peter C. Fitzhugh, Lieutenant Colonel Kevin M. Barry, Acting Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, Westerly Police Chief Shawn M. Lacey, and Warwick Police Chief Rick Rathbun.

According to court documents, Homeland Security Investigations learned from a Canadian law enforcement agency of 78 unique users who shared and/or communicated about child pornography on a social media application. Through further investigation, Homeland Security Investigations identified one of the IP addresses as belonging to Jonathan Breslin. The investigation into Breslin’s online activities revealed a series of sexually explicit discussions about creating, distributing and the viewing of child pornography. 

As part of the investigation, a Homeland Security Investigations agent, posing as an individual interested in child pornography, engaged Breslin in a series of communications. During the exchanges, Breslin discussed viewing, possessing and the attempted production of child pornography.

Additionally, the investigation determined that Breslin transferred obscene material online to a person under the age of 16 and attempted to entice minors to engage in illicit sexual activity on social media applications.

On August 9, 2017, the date of Breslin’s arrest, a court-authorized search of Breslin’s residence by agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and members of the Westerly and Warwick Police Departments resulted in the seizure of a computer, a digital media storage device and a cell phone, all containing child pornography. A forensic audit of the electronic devices revealed at least 275 images and 46 videos containing child pornography.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams.

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PROVIDENCE, RI – A registered sex offender on federal supervised release who was found to be in possession of child pornography less than 5 months after completing a 7-year federal prison sentence on child pornography charges has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison.

During a routine home visit on January 24, 2018, a United States probation officer observed inappropriate materials on a cell phone belonging to Robert L. MacGregor, 56, of Providence. A forensic examination of the cell phone by members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (RI ICAC) task force determined that MacGregor was in possession of approximately 100 images of child pornography.

MacGregor was arrested on February 7, 2018, by members of the ICAC task force and agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). He pleaded guilty on September 27, 2018, to possession of child pornography.

At sentencing, on January 11, 2019, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith also ordered MacGregor to serve a term of lifetime supervised release upon completion of his term of incarceration. MacGregor pleaded guilty on September 27, 2018, to possession of child pornography.

MacGregor’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Special Agent in Charge of HSI for New England Peter C. Fitzhugh, and Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police Colonel Ann C. Assumpico.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams.

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PROVIDENCE, RI – A former West Warwick man who admitted to assisting the ring-leader of a drug trafficking conspiracy that trafficked dozens of kilograms of fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana, and psilocybin mushrooms, dubbed “Operation Panamera,” was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison.

 At the time of his guilty plea, Jamaal M. Dublin, 35, admitted to the Court that he coordinated with the ring-leader of the drug trafficking conspiracy, Ramon Delossantos, 26, of Cumberland, to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine and to collect payment for significant quantities of cocaine distributed by members of the drug trafficking conspiracy.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., also ordered Dublin to serve 4 years supervised release upon completion of his term of incarceration. Dublin pleaded guilty on August 4, 2018, to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

Dublin’s sentence is announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Division Brian D. Boyle, and Lieutenant Colonel Kevin M. Barry, Acting Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.

According to court records, Delossantos, a Dominican national who maintained strong ties to the Dominican Republic, was responsible for distributing at least 50 kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine with the use of “runners.” Delossantos’ mode of transportation was a 2010 Porsche Panamera Turbo. Delossantos was arrested on October 2, 2017, and his Porsche Panamera was seized by law enforcement.

In total, 23 individuals were arrested and charged in the fall of 2017 with participating in the drug trafficking conspiracy.

Delossantos pleaded guilty on June 14, 2018, to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 15, 2019.

During the course of the investigation, which began in early 2017, more than 23 kilograms of fentanyl, 18 kilograms of cocaine, 11 kilograms of marijuana, and two kilograms of psilocybin mushrooms were seized. The seizures were made as the drugs moved through the U.S. Postal Service, during traffic stops, and during the execution of court-authorized searches of residences, storage units and vehicles.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Milind M. Shah and Paul F. Daly, Jr.

The investigation was led by agents from by the Drug Enforcement Administration and members of the Rhode Island State Police High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.

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PROVIDENCE - Aaron L. Weisman took the oath of office today to become the United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island. President Donald Trump announced Weisman’s nomination on October 10, 2018, and the United States Senate confirmed him on January 2, 2019. Weisman was sworn in by United States District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith in a private ceremony.

“I am humbled to have received the nomination from the President and the unanimous support of the United States Senate to serve the citizens of Rhode Island as United States Attorney,” said Aaron L. Weisman. “I am especially grateful to Senator Jack Reed and to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse for their steadfast support in allowing me the privilege of continuing to serve Rhode Islanders.”

A career prosecutor, Mr. Weisman, served as an assistant attorney general and Chief of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s criminal appeals unit under four attorneys general, beginning in 1993. Prior to being named Chief of the criminal appeals unit, Mr. Weisman served for two years as a special assistant attorney general in the criminal appeals unit.

During Mr. Weisman’s tenure at the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, he represented Rhode Island’s criminal justice interests before the Supreme Court of Rhode Island in hundreds of felony cases, including the appellate litigation of many of Rhode Island’s most consequential criminal justice matters. Mr. Weisman also represented the State of Rhode Island in federal court, including an appearance before the Supreme Court of the United States, to defend Rhode Island’s interest in the finality of its criminal convictions. 

Prior to his appointment as a special assistant attorney general, Mr. Weisman worked at Jones Associates, a Providence law firm specializing in appellate practice. 

Mr. Weisman, a graduate of Brandeis University, received his Juris Doctorate from Cardozo School of Law.

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The mastermind of a mortgage fraud scheme that defrauded financially distressed homeowners, investors, and financial institutions of nearly $1.5 million dollars was sentenced today to more than 13 years in federal prison.

Hasan Hussain, 57, of Princeton, N.J., masterminded a scheme that defrauded distressed homeowners, investors, and financial institutions of fees, rental income, mortgage payment funds, property ownership and/or proceeds from the sale of their properties.  

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., sentenced Hussain to a total of 159 months in federal prison to be followed by 4 years supervised release. Hussain was also ordered to pay more than $1.4 million dollars in restitution to the victims of his scheme.

Hussain, who pled guilty in September 2018, admitted to using various business entities to trick distressed property owners, who were seeking loan modifications, into paying him fees, moving out of their homes, and selling their homes in short sale transactions.  Hussain further admitted that he convinced lenders to agree to artificially low sale prices for the distressed property owners’ homes by directing other individuals to damage the properties prior to the short sales. Thereby, Hussain, or individuals or businesses associated with him, acquired the properties at reduced prices, and then flipped them to investors at much higher prices. 

At the time of his guilty plea, Hussain admitted that these investors were defrauded of their funds, or good credit, or both when they agreed to purchase properties from Hussain. Hussain further admitted that he assisted investors to acquire federally backed mortgages through fraudulent applications, ultimately resulting in losses to the lenders or the Federal Housing Administration. Some of the tactics employed by Hussain as part of the scheme included misuse of identities and cutting and pasting signatures on property deeds and financial documents.

Several individuals directly impacted by Hussain’s schemes appeared in federal court today and personally delivered victim impact statements to the Court.

Hussain’s sentence is announced by Acting United States Attorney Richard B. Myrus, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Region of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General Christina D. Scaringi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Stephen Marks, Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division of the FBI Harold H. Shaw, and Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police Colonel Ann C. Assumpico.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra R. Hebert, Richard B. Myrus, and William J. Ferland.

PROVIDENCE, RI – Pursuant to the Vacancies Reform Act (VRA), First Assistant United States Attorney Richard B. Myrus has been named Acting United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island, effective today. In his capacity as Acting United States Attorney, Mr. Myrus serves as the chief Federal law enforcement officer for the District of Rhode Island.

Appointed an Assistant United States Attorney in May 2007, Mr. Myrus served as a civil litigator in the Office’s Civil Division and then as a prosecutor in the Criminal Division. Mr. Myrus was named Civil Division Chief in February 2014 and First Assistant United States Attorney in January 2018.

Prior to his appointment as an Assistant United States Attorney, Mr. Myrus specialized in patent infringement litigation and earlier served as a law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

A 1984 graduate of Columbia University, Mr. Myrus received a Master's degree in 1992 from the University of California, San Diego, and earned his law degree from Fordham University School of Law in 1995. 

A veteran, Mr. Myrus served for six years as an officer and helicopter pilot in the United States Navy.

Mr. Myrus succeeds United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch who stepped down today, having been appointed Criminal Division Chief of the Rhode Island Department of the Attorney General. 

United States District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith appointed Mr. Dambruch United States Attorney on May 4, 2108, pursuant to the VRA. Mr. Dambruch was appointed Interim United States Attorney by Attorney General Jeff Sessions on January 5, 2018, and served as Acting United States Attorney from March 13, 2017, to January 5, 2018, pursuant to the VRA.

Mr. Dambruch, who was appointed an Assistant United States Attorney in January 2004, previously served as a state prosecutor with the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General for more than sixteen years.

Mr. Myrus announced that the leadership team in the United States Attorney’s Office will remain the same.

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PROVIDENCE – Professional Ambulance, LLC, a local provider of ambulance and medical transportation services based in Providence, will pay $300,000 to resolve allegations that it improperly billed the Medicare and Medicaid programs for medically unnecessary ambulance runs, according to a Civil Settlement Agreement signed today.

An investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and the FBI determined that between 2012 and 2015, Professional Ambulance billed the Medicare and Medicaid programs for the cost of transporting patients who were not eligible to travel by ambulance because they were sufficiently mobile. The investigation specifically focused on dialysis patients, who require regular trips to and from a treatment facility to receive care, but who, the United States alleged, did not require ambulance transport, or whose condition was not accurately documented in reports.

Today’s settlement resolves claims by the United States and the State of Rhode Island under the federal and state False Claims Acts, as well as various other civil theories of liability.  $250,000 of the recovery will go to the federal government on behalf of the Medicare program; the remaining $50,000 will be returned to Medicaid, which is jointly administered by the federal government and the State of Rhode Island.  The matter was settled prior to litigation, without an admission of liability or wrongdoing.

The settlement agreement is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Phillip Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of HHS-OIG - New England Region, and Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division of the FBI Harold H. Shaw.

The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch acknowledges and thanks the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control and Patient Abuse Unit for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.

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PROVIDENCE - A Pawtucket resident was sentenced today to two years probation, the first six months to be served with electronic monitoring and an overnight curfew, for concealing $18,000 when petitioning the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for bankruptcy protection.

At sentencing, Marcus A. Collier, 47, was also ordered by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith to perform 100 hours of community service and to pay a fine of $4,000.

At the time of his guilty plea on April 27, 2018, Collier admitted to the Court that on March 18, 2016, knowing he was facing a garnishment of $18,000 in savings by a creditor, he purposefully withdrew the cash from his bank account, and filed a bankruptcy petition, failing to disclose the existence of the $18,000 in cash and thereby concealing those assets.

Collier’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Harold H. Shaw, and William Harrington, U.S. Trustee for Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton.

The matter was investigated by the FBI, with the assistance of the U.S. Trustee.

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PROVIDENCE – A former union official for the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), Newport Lodge No. 8, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Providence today for fraudulently converting more than $31,000 in FOP funds for his own personal use.

Appearing before U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith on May 24, 2018, former Newport police officer Adam Conheeny, 46 of Portsmouth, admitted that between August 2009 and December 2014, he used an FOP debit card, wrote checks from a union account payable to himself, and withdrew cash from an FOP bank account for his own personal use. In pleading guilty to wire fraud, Conheeny admitted to fraudulently converting approximately $31,413 in FOP funds for his own use.

At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith sentenced Conheeny to 3 months incarceration to be followed 2 years supervised release.

Conheeny’s sentence is announced by Michael Mikulka, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Region of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police Ann C. Assumpico.

In a related case, Christopher Hayes, 51, of Middletown, a former Newport Police Department Sergeant and a former president of the FOP, Newport Lodge No. 8, pled guilty on May 1, 2017, to wire fraud. He was sentenced on July 21, 2017, to 6 months imprisonment followed by 6 months of home confinement. At the time of his guilty plea he admitted that he converted approximately $71,523 in FOP funds for his personal use.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams.

The matter was investigated by the United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, United States Department of Labor Office of Labor Management Standards, and the Rhode Island State Police Financial Crimes Unit.

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PROVIDENCE - A Providence man has been ordered detained in federal custody following his arrest on a grand jury indictment charging him with the illegal sale of a firearm to an out-of-state resident and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

According to information presented to the Court, it is alleged that on April 9, 2018, Diosvany Cabreja Reynosa, 20, sold an individual a 9mm pistol with an obliterated serial number, and on November 15, 2018, he sold a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) undercover agent, who lives in Massachusetts, a semi-automatic rifle with a drum magazine.

It is alleged that in the first transaction, Reynosa acknowledged to the buyer that he was selling him a firearm with an obliterated serial number. In the second transaction, it is alleged that the ATF undercover agent clearly stated to Reynosa, and that Reynosa was aware, that the buyer was a Massachusetts resident.

According to ATF records, Reynosa is not a federally licensed firearms dealer.

Reynoso was arrested on Tuesday and ordered detained at his arraignment before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond. The grand jury indictment was returned on December 13, 2018.

Reynosa’s indictment and arrest are announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of ATF Kelly D. Brady, and Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh T. Clements, Jr.

An indictment is merely allegations is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.

The matter was investigated by ATF, the ATF Task Force, and the Providence Police Department, with the assistance of the Pawtucket Police Department.

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PROVIDENCE - A Providence man was arraigned today and ordered detained in federal custody on an indictment charging him with trafficking heroin and fentanyl, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Antonio Rivera, 25, was ordered detained by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan at his arraignment in charges of distribution of heroin, distribution of fentanyl, and felon in possession of a firearm.

According to information presented to the Court, it is alleged that on April 27, 2018, Rivera sold an individual 60 grams of heroin, and that on October 23, 2018, he sold a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) undercover agent 8 grams of fentanyl and a semi-automatic rifle with a high capacity magazine.

Rivera’s indictment and arraignment are announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of ATF Kelly D. Brady, and Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh T. Clements, Jr.

An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.

The matter was investigated by ATF, the ATF Task Force, and the Providence Police Department, with the assistance of the Pawtucket Police Department and the Rhode Island State Police High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.

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PROVIDENCE – A Bronx, New York man was convicted in U.S. District Court in Providence today of passing counterfeit money in September 2017 in stores at a Cranston shopping center.

Christopher Modesto, 22, was found guilty by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith of passing counterfeit obligations or securities. The verdict was announced immediately following the completion of a bench trial that began earlier in the day.

Modesto’s guilty verdict is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Cranston Police Chief Colonel Michael J. Winquist, and Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Stephen Marks.

According to court documents, on September 29, 2017, Modesto and two unidentified accomplices passed a total of $5,000 worth of counterfeit $100 bills to successfully make purchases at a number of retail stores. The government’s evidence showed that Modesto passed counterfeit $100 bills at at least three retail stores, of which two attempts were successful.

Cranston Police were notified by shopping center security that several stores were experiencing incidents of counterfeit cash being passed to cashiers. Based on a description of one of the individuals provided by some store employees, Modesto was located inside a store and was seen attempting to make a purchase using a counterfeit $100 bill. He was immediately arrested by Cranston Police.

It was the third store Modesto is known to have passed counterfeit $100 bills on that day. One other attempt was successful. Another attempt was unsuccessful when a cashier refused to accept the bogus $100 bills.

Modesto is scheduled to be sentenced on March 22, 2019. Uttering counterfeit obligations or securities is punishable by statutory penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment, not more than 3 years supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Modesto, who had been free on unsecured bond while awaiting trial, was ordered remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and detained while awaiting sentencing.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra R. Hebert and Richard B. Myrus.

The matter was investigated by the Cranston Police Department and the United States Secret Service.

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PROVIDENCE – A former office manager and bookkeeper for a used car dealership in Cranston today admitted the she defrauded her former employer by altering and misrepresenting information entered in financial records.

Appearing before U.S. District Court John J. McConnell, Jr., Michelle Saritelli, 45, of South Kingstown, admitted to the Court that from January 2014 to October 5, 2017, she engineered and executed a scheme to defraud the owners of Stamas Auto and Truck Center by pocketing dealership checks and substantial portions of checks cashed on a weekly basis to fund the dealership’s petty cash fund, and by writing checks to her domestic partner for auto repair services and parts sales not provided.

The government alleges that the loss to Stamas Auto is between $250,000 and $560,000.

According to court documents, on September 27, 2017, the owners of Stamas Auto were notified that their bank accounts had been frozen. An internal review of the accounts by the business owners determined that several check ledgers were missing, funds were unaccounted for, and that numerous checks had been forged and/or fraudulently cashed.

The majority of missing bank ledgers were located during a court-authorized search of Saritelli’s residence on June 7, 2018.

An investigation by the Cranston Police Department and the FBI determined that Saritelli deposited stolen funds in bank accounts controlled by her and her parents. The majority of cash was withdrawn from ATMs at banks located near Saritelli’s South Kingstown residence and at casinos in Newport, Lincoln, Foxwoods, and Mohegan Sun.

Saritelli’s guilty plea today to bank fraud is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Harold H. Shaw, and Cranston Police Chief Colonel Michael J. Winquist.

Saritelli is scheduled to be sentenced on March 18, 2019.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee H. Vilker.

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PROVIDENCE, RI –A Providence man arrested for possessing hundreds of videos and images of child pornography pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to a charge of possession of child pornography.

Samuel Mendez-Garcia, 42, admitted that he belonged to an online social media group that viewed and exchanged child pornography. Mendez-Garcia also admitted that he sent child pornography via Facebook messenger.

Mendez-Garcia’s guilty plea is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh, and Rhode Island State Police Superintendent Colonel Ann C. Assumpico.

According to information presented to the Court, in late March 2018, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received information from security personnel at Facebook that a user of their services, with an IP address in Rhode Island, uploaded child pornography. The information was forwarded to the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force who determined that the IP address and the Facebook account belonged to Mendez-Garcia.

On July 19, 2018, members of the ICAC task force executed a court-authorized search of Mendez-Garcia’s residence and seized a laptop computer and cell phone he owned. Law enforcement officers also seized a cell phone that was in his possession.

A forensic analysis of one of Mendez-Garcia’s cell phones by a member of the ICAC task force revealed more than 600 videos and images containing child pornography, including images involving prepubescent minors and sadistic/masochistic conduct.

Mendez-Garcia, who has been detained in federal custody since his arrest on August 1, 2018, is scheduled to be sentenced on March 14, 2019.

Additionally, an immigration detainer has been lodged against Mendez-Garcia by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, after it was determined that he entered the United States illegally. It was also determined that Mendez-Garcia was prevented from entering the United States illegally as he attempted to cross the U.S. border from Mexico in 2002.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams.

United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch acknowledges and thanks the Newport Police Department, a member of the ICAC Task Force, for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.

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PROVIDENCE – Juan Valdez, 51, of Milton, Mass., identified in court as the “boss of bosses” of a large scale international drug trafficking operation that repeatedly imported multiple kilograms of heroin and cocaine from Mexico that was distributed to mid-level and street dealers in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, was sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division of the FBI.

Juan Valdez, and his brothers Claudio Valdez, 46, and Hector Valdez 45, of Woonsocket, R.I., organized and directed a drug trafficking organization that arranged for numerous multi-kilogram shipments of heroin and cocaine from Mexico to drug stash houses in Cranston and Woonsocket, R.I.  The drugs were then supplied under the Valdez brothers’ direction to mid-level drug dealers and street dealers in the greater Providence and Boston areas and in Hartford, Conn.

According to information presented to the Court, Juan Valdez was the direct point of contact with the main drug supplier for the Valdez Drug Trafficking Organization, a Dominican drug supplier referred to as The Maestro. Valdez spent most days at the organization’s primary stash house in Cranston. He largely controlled the organization’s finances.

At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., sentenced Juan Valdez to 240 months in federal prison to be followed by 5 years supervised release.

Claudio Valdez was sentenced to 20 years in prison on November 28, 2018. Hector Valdez is scheduled to be sentenced on January 18, 2019.

The Valdez brothers, all Dominican nationals, reentered the country illegally after having been previously convicted of felony drug crimes and deported. Juan Valdez reentered the country illegally on at least four occasions. Immigration detainers have been lodged against all three.

In April 2017, based on information developed by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force during an investigation dubbed “Operation Triple Play,” a reference to the three Valdez brothers, the FBI, assisted by federal, state, and local law enforcement agents and officers in three states, executed 16 federal arrest warrants and 13 federal search warrants.

Court-authorized search warrants executed at the Cranston stash house resulted in the seizure of multiple kilograms of controlled substances, primarily fentanyl; several pounds of cutting agents; and more than $351,000 in cash. The drugs and most of the cash were located in sophisticated, electronically-actuated hides constructed under the flooring of the apartment. Law enforcement also seized more than $8,500 from Juan Valdez’s Milton, Mass., residence.

During the course of Operation Triple Play, which the FBI Safe Streets Task Force launched in September 2016, the investigation into the Valdez Drug Trafficking Operation resulted in the purchases or seizures of laboratory tested and confirmed controlled substances totaling approximately 142g of crack cocaine, 1,654g of cocaine, 3,836g of heroin (of which 2,183.3g contained fentanyl), 3,493g of fentanyl, and more than 137 lbs. (62 kilograms) of cutting agents.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard B. Sullivan, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorneys William J. Ferland, Ronald A. Gendron, and Richard W. Rose.

Operation Triple Play is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation initiated by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. Under the direction of the FBI, the participating agencies in this investigation included the Drug Enforcement Administration (Providence and Boston Resident Agencies), Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Rhode Island State Police, Providence Police Department, Woonsocket Police Department, Central Falls Police Department, Cranston Police Department, Warwick Police Department, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.

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PROVIDENCE – A Portsmouth man who previously lived in West Warwick was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison for possessing more than 7,000 digital images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Joseph Seymour, 40, pleaded guilty in October 2017 to possession of child pornography. At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., also ordered Seymour to serve 5 years supervised release upon completion of his term of incarceration, pay restitution totaling $15,000 to 15 identified victims who made restitution claims, and a $5,000 special assessment imposed as required by statute in child sexual exploitation cases where the Court makes a finding that the defendant is not indigent.

The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of imprisonment in this matter is 78-98 months. The government recommended the court impose a sentence of 30 months in prison.

Seymour’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch; Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; and Colonel Ann C. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.

At the time of his guilty plea, Seymour admitted to the Court that in July 2016, he was in possession of more than 7,000 digital images or videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Some of the images and videos depicted prepubescent minors under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

According to court documents and information presented to the Court, in July 2016, a Tempe, Arizona computer repair service notified the Tempe Police Department that they discovered images on a digital hard drive that appeared to be child pornography. The hard drive, owned by Seymour, had been sent to the repair service via a Rhode Island-based manufacturer of electronic products.

After determining that some of the contents they reviewed depicted child pornography, the Tempe Police Department contacted that Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The hard drive was transferred to the ICAC Task Force and then to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) for further examination. A forensic examination of the hard drive revealed over 7,000 images and videos of child pornography stored in more than 160 subfolders.

USPIS agents and members of the ICAC Task Force arrested Seymour on December 21, 2016, while executing a court-authorized search of Seymour’s then West Warwick residence. Numerous computers and digital storage devices were seized by law enforcement.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.

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PROVIDENCE - A Cranston man was arrested today on charges he allegedly manufactured and sold a “ghost” machinegun without a license to an out-of-state Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) undercover agent.

As the result of a Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation initiated by the Cranston Police Department in November, David Ladwig, 63, was arrested today as ATF agents, ATF Task Force members, and Cranston Police executed a federal court-authorized search of his residence, a boat moored in Pawtuxet Cove. From the houseboat, law enforcement seized arched the Boat and inside found, among other things, an AR-15 receiver, ammunition, firearm parts, and silencer parts. 

“Ghost-guns” are firearms manufactured without serial numbers, making them difficult for law enforcement to trace. It is alleged in court documents that on November 15, 2018, Ladwig sold a “ghost” machinegun he manufactured to an undercover ATF agent who is a resident of Connecticut.

Ladwig appeared today before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond on a federal criminal complaint charging him with possession/transfer of a machine gun, possession of a firearm not registered to him, engaging in the business of selling firearms, and selling a firearm to an out-of-state resident. Ladwig was released on $10,000 unsecured bond.

Ladwig’s arrest and initial appearance in U.S. District Court are announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, ATF Special Agent in Charge Kelly D. Brady, and Cranston Police Chief Colonel Michael J. Winquist.

According to Court documents, it is alleged that in November 2018, ATF acquired information that suggested that Ladwig was engaged in the manufacture of firearms, including machineguns, and was searching for buyers. On November 11, 2018, an ATF undercover agent contacted Ladwig by telephone. The agent identified himself as a resident of Connecticut.

It is alleged that during the call with the ATF agent, Ladwig said that he manufactured “ghost guns” from parts, and that he had a machinegun available for $4,000. Shortly after the call, at the agent’s request, Ladwig texted him photographs of other “ghost guns” he allegedly manufactured and that were available for sale. The photographs depicted a rifle described as having a “reticle sight and aimpoint laser and suppressor” for $1,600; a “full auto” rifle for $4,000; a sig p228 9mm pistol for $850; and a 9mm pistol for $750.

On November 15, 2018, the undercover agent met with Ladwig at a pre-determined location in the parking lot of the marina where Ladwig’s houseboat is moored. It is alleged that Ladwig transferred the receiver for a machinegun to the agent in return for $2,800 in cash. Ladwig pointed out the components that allowed for automatic fire, including the auto sear and auto hammer. Ladwig also manipulated the selector switch, explaining how to move from the semi-automatic position to the automatic fire position. Ladwig explained that the firearm was missing certain parts, such as the full auto bolt carrier group, and that he would be getting those parts by mail shortly. He was arrested as he delivered the missing parts to the agent today. 

Prior to leaving the agent’s vehicle, it is alleged that Ladwig told the agent that he hoped that they could do more business together and that he would mail him the missing parts for the machinegun. The machinegun was sent to an ATF lab for further examination. It was determined that many of the parts used to construct the machinegun had been constructed using M16 machinegun parts.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.

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

PROVIDENCE, RI – One of two men charged in federal court in April with stealing mail from United States Postal Service collection boxes in and around Providence and Pawtucket by “fishing” out envelopes, today admitted his role in a conspiracy that resulted in the theft of mail and of more than $97,600 worth of checks from envelopes deposited in the collection boxes.

“Fishing” is a term which describes of obtaining items from U.S. Postal Service collection boxes by utilizing common items such as plastic water bottles, duct tape, glue, and string. A device covered in a sticky substance such as glue is lowered into the closed mail box, and mail that adheres to the sticky surface of the device is pulled out and retrieved.

It is alleged in court documents that Gerald Reinoso, 22, and Emmanuel Jose Torres, 18, and others working at their direction, deposited the stolen checks they obtained as the result of “fishing” the collection boxes in area banks. The funds were later withdrawn from ATMs and through the use of debit cards.

 Reinoso appeared today before U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail theft and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, announced United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, and Stephen Marks, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service.

Reinoso is scheduled to be sentenced on March 12, 2019. Torres is awaiting trial.

According to court documents, in May 2017, U.S. Postal Service Inspectors initiated an investigation into the theft of mail from a collection box outside of the Washington Park Post Office after multiple complaints of mail being stolen. Then, in September 2017, a local businessman reported that numerous pieces of mail deposited into collection boxes outside the Elmwood Station Post Office were never received by the intended recipients. Many of the pieces of mail contained checks.

As the investigation expanded, Postal Inspectors learned that numerous pieces of mail, some containing checks that were deposited into collection boxes at locations in and around Providence, did not reach their intended recipients. Agents determined that many of the missing checks were found to have been fraudulently endorsed, deposited into bank accounts, and the funds then withdrawn.

Postal Inspectors installed surveillance cameras outside of the Elmwood Station and Washington Park Post Offices, focused on collection boxes. Surveillance video showed several individuals “fishing” the mailboxes in the early morning hours. Among those identified by Postal Service Inspectors were Gerald Reinoso and Emmanuel Jose Torres.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ly T. Chin.

The matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Secret Service, with the assistance of the East Providence, Providence and Seekonk Police Departments.

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PROVIDENCE - A Middletown insurance agent and agency owner who specializes in providing equine insurance coverage today admitted to operating schemes which defrauded customers, insurance companies, and finance companies of approximately $1.3 million dollars.

Appearing before U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., Randall N. Levesque, 57, of Middletown, owner of Equine Insurance Services, LLC and Randall Levesque Agency, pled guilty to an information charging him with wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service Stephen Marks, and Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police Ann C. Assumpico.

According to court documents, Levesque overbilled and double-billed customers when billing their credit cards for premiums due on policies, some of which the client did not request or did not agree to finance, at times forging the customers’ signature; collected premiums on insurance policies issued by at least two insurance companies but, upon receipt from customers, did not forward the payments to the insurance companies; and, at times, financed premiums and received funds on behalf of customers without the customers’ consent or knowledge, and submitted financing agreements to finance companies for fictitious customers, for whom there were no policies.

According to Court documents, Levesque collected but did not remit to insurance companies over $800,000 in premiums; fraudulently obtained over $500,000 in financed premiums from at least two finance companies; and charged customers’ credit cards at total of approximately $80,000 for premiums that he failed to provide to insurance companies.

Levesque is scheduled to be sentenced on March 12, 2019.

Wire fraud is punishable by statutory penalties of up to 20 years in federal prison, a fine of $250,000 or not more than twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss from the offense, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra R. Hebert. The matter was investigated by the United States Secret Service and Rhode Island State Police.

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PROVIDENCE –At the request of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith today issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting a Providence businessman, his wife, and a third associate, and their companies, from using the U.S. Postal Service or other services to distribute advertisements, solicitations or promotional materials that represent that recipients have or will win, or are eligible to win cash, receive prizes, or items of value in return for a “processing fee,” after the government filed a civil complaint in federal court seeking to enjoin this activity as an alleged ongoing mail fraud scheme.

The filing of the civil complaint and issuance of the temporary restraining order is announced by United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island Stephen G. Dambruch.

It is alleged in court documents that since 2011, and continuing to the present, Michael Shine and his wife Meagan Shine, of Warwick, R.I., and Melissa Pinelli, of Cranston, R.I., have utilized the U.S. Mail to engage in predatory mail fraud schemes that primarily affect the elderly and vulnerable through fictitious businesses they owned and operated: Lucky Dog, LLC, d/b/a Premium Ops & Incentives, and Destiny Merchandise, LLC, d/b/a Independent Catalog Services, owned by the Shines, and Premier Caging Services, owned by Melissa Pinelli. The three businesses operated out of the same address in Providence, R.I.  These schemes have duped victims into sending more than ten million dollars in supposed fees for the processing of cash prizes, valuable items, or other premiums that they are promised, but will never receive.

As part of the scheme, individuals, often elderly and vulnerable individuals, are contacted via U.S. Mail with deceptive solicitations that convey the false impression that recipients have been pre-selected or that they have been verified and are entitled to claim a large amount of money in a lottery, or are entitled to a valuable item. In the mailings, recipients are or were instructed to send money, frequently by a deadline, to a PO Box in Providence for the “processing” or “handling” of their purported winnings.

The mailings are printed on official-looking or certificate paper, and frequently contain other language and details designed to make them appear official or legitimate, including bar codes, document control numbers, printing that appears to be rubber stamped, such as the phrase “authorized document,” highlighted text, bank-check style typeface and formatting, and identification and other codes. The solicitations use selectively-emphasized text and graphics to create the false overall impression that recipients are receiving notices that they are already winners of substantial awards. In reality, not only have recipients not won any prize, the mailers have done nothing to verify that the recipients are eligible for such a prize. 

An investigation by United States Postal Inspection Service agents and the United States Attorney’s Office revealed that sweepstakes solicitations were sent to recipients in forty-one states. Many victims interviewed stated that they were contacted numerous times and were led to believe that they had won substantial sums of money and/or valuable prizes. Each time, victims were instructed to submit processing fees of between $20 and $30 dollars in order to claim their winnings.  Some elderly victims sent well over a thousand dollars to the defendants in response to multiple solicitations.

The investigation conservatively estimated the number of responses and payments received in response to the solicitations at nearly 50,000 per year.

The matter is being litigated by Assistant United States Attorneys Denise M. Barton, Ly T. Chin, and Zachary A. Cunha.

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PROVIDENCE - A Pawtucket man, previously convicted and incarcerated for producing counterfeit casino coins, was arrested at his Pawtucket residence on Friday and made an initial appearance before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond on charges that he allegedly possessed equipment used to manufacture counterfeit U.S. currency and that he manufactured counterfeit $100 bills.

Louis B. Colavecchio, 76, was arrested by United States Secret Service agents as the agents, assisted by Coventry and Pawtucket Police, executed a federal court-authorized search of his residence. The U.S. Secret Service seized, among other items, electronic media and presses used in the production of counterfeit U.S. currency, including the simulation of security features on U.S. currency. Agents also seized approximately $24,000 in counterfeit $100 bills.

Colavecchio’s arrest on charges of intent to defraud by falsely making or forging obligations or other securities of the United States; intent to defraud, pass, publish or sell counterfeit U.S. currency; and selling, buying or transferring counterfeit U.S. currency is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Stephen Marks, Coventry Police Chief John S. MacDonald, and Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves.

According to Court documents, Coventry Police developed information relating to Colavecchio’s alleged counterfeiting activity. Between June and November 2018, it is alleged that Colavecchio had numerous recorded telephone conversations monitored by law enforcement in which he discussed plans to manufacture counterfeit currency. He also spoke of technology he said he developed which replicates security features of U.S. currency, including how genuine currency reacts to UV light.

It is alleged that Colavecchio repeatedly insisted that the counterfeit currency he produced not be passed in Rhode Island. In one conversation monitored by law enforcement, Colavecchio allegedly stated that, if arrested, his “defense” would be that he was working as a counterfeit detection specialist.

Colavecchio was released on $10,000 unsecured bond following his appearance on Friday before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond.

According to court records, Colavecchio was convicted in U.S. District Court in New Jersey in October 1997, and sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for manufacturing counterfeit casino coins. He was convicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and scheme to defraud: counterfeit securities.

At the time of his arrest on Friday, Colavecchio was serving a Rhode Island state court 7 year suspended sentence with probation for possessing 5 kilograms or more of marijuana. He was convicted in Rhode Island State court and sentenced in January 2015.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard B. Sullivan, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard W. Rose.

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PROVIDENCE – A Providence VA Medical Center nurse pled guilty in federal court today to charges that he fraudulently obtained and tampered with morphine and other opioid prescriptions at the VA Medical Center.

Appearing before U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith, Jared Scott, 35, of West Warwick, admitted that on several occasions in October and November 2017, he accessed vials of liquid opioids designated for patient use.  Scott admitted to removing the vials from a locked storage cart for his own personal use, and leaving behind vials filled with saline.

Scott pled guilty as charged in an indictment returned on June 28, 2018, with tampering with a consumer product and acquiring a controlled substance by deception and subterfuge. 

Scott’s guilty plea is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Sean J. Smith, and Jeffrey J. Ebersole, Resident Agent in Charge of the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations.

Scott is scheduled to be sentenced on April 5, 2019. Tampering with a consumer product is punishable by statutory penalties of up to 10 years in federal prison, 3 years supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.  Obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, deception and subterfuge is punishable by statutory penalties of up to 4 years in federal prison, 1 year supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly.

The matter was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations.

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PROVIDENCE, RI – A Providence man today admitted to trafficking cocaine through the U.S. Postal Service from Puerto Rico to Rhode Island, and to shipping packages containing cash to Puerto Rico.

 Appearing before U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith, Eliot Figueroa-Rosario, 44, pled guilty to attempted possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, announced United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Boston Division Joseph W. Cronin, and Colonel Ann C. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.

According to court documents, for more than a year, United States Postal Inspection Service inspectors conducted an investigation into Figueroa-Rosario’s drug trafficking activities and his involvement in a series of packages shipped to and from Puerto Rico. 

In May 2017 and May 2018, Figueroa-Rosario was captured on video surveillance shipping parcels to Puerto Rico from the U.S. Postal Service Providence Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC). A court-authorized search of the packages found them to contain $16,000 and $26,000 respectively. The cash was seized by law enforcement.

On June 15, 2018, a Priority Mail package mailed three days earlier from Puerto Rico and addressed to Figueroa-Rosario’s Providence residence was intercepted from the mail stream at the P&DC. The package was examined by a Rhode Island State Police K-9, which detected the presence of a narcotic odor. A federal court-authorized inspection of the contents of the package revealed 1160 grams of cocaine.

Several days later a Postal Service Inspection undercover agent delivered the package to Figueroa-Rosario’s residence. Figueroa-Rosario accepted the package and was arrested. A court-authorized search of the residence by U.S. Postal Inspectors and members of the Rhode Island State Police High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force resulted in the seizure of, among other items, evidence of packages shipped from Puerto Rico to Figueroa-Rosario’s residence and $6,500 in cash found hidden in a floor vent.

Figueroa-Rosario is scheduled to be sentenced on March 15, 2019.

Attempted possession with attempt to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine is punishable by statutory penalties of 5-40 years of imprisonment; a term of supervised release of at least 4 years and up to life; and a fine of $5,000,000.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard B. Sullivan, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard W. Rose.

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PROVIDENCE – A former employee of a Providence not-for-profit physicians group today admitted that he attempted to extort $25,000 from the physicians group in exchange for the return of digital media devices onto which he downloaded and took home private patient data and employee data belonging to the physicians group.

Randy Lutz, 37, of Providence, admitted to making the demands in a series of emails, text messages and telephone calls to executives, board members and employees of the physicians group after his employment with the physicians group was terminated in May 2017.

On July 20, 2017, FBI agents and FBI task force officers executed a court-authorized search warrant at Lutz’s residence and seized several thumb drives, a laptop computer, and a cell phone. Some of the devices contained private patient and employee data belonging to the physicians group downloaded without permission.

Appearing before U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith, Lutz pled guilty to extortionate interstate communications. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 7, 2019.

Lutz’s guilty plea is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division Harold H. Shaw.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly.

United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch acknowledges and thanks the Providence Police Department for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.

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PROVIDENCE, RI – A Fall River man who stole a car in New Bedford in April 2017, and used it later the same day as his getaway vehicle after robbing a bank in Tiverton was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison.

At the time of his guilty plea, Cody Toolis, 28, admitted to the Court that on April 2, 2018, he stole a car from outside a home in New Bedford. About two hours later he robbed a branch office of Bank Newport in Tiverton of $460 and fled in the stolen vehicle.

According to court documents, at approximately 9:15 AM, Toolis entered the bank and handed a note to a teller that read, “Do not move, I have a gun, need $500 in 20’s, I am desperate.” The teller gave Toolis $460. A witness told police she saw the bank robber leave the bank parking lot in a vehicle that police determined fit the description of the vehicle stolen in New Bedford.

Tiverton Police posted a still-photograph taken from bank surveillance video of the robber on social media. Numerous tips from the public and law enforcement agencies identified the person in the photograph as Cody Toolis. One week later, on April 9, Toolis turned himself in to the Bristol, R.I., Police Department.

Toolis pled guilty in August to one count of bank robbery.

At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., sentenced Toolis to 48 in federal prison to be followed by 2 years supervised release. Toolis was ordered to pay $460 restitution to Bank Newport.

The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of imprisonment in this matter is 70-87 months. The government recommended the court impose a sentence of 78 months in prison.

Toolis’ sentence is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Tiverton Police Chief Patrick W. Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division and Harold H. Shaw.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton.

The matter was investigated by the Tiverton Police Department and the FBI.

United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch acknowledges and thanks the Fall River, New Bedford, and Bristol Police Departments for their assistance in the investigation and preparation of this case for prosecution in U.S. District Court.

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BOSTON – A former Army Reservist was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for stealing six machine guns and 10 handguns from a U.S. Army Reserve facility, escaping from federal prison, and attempting to rob two banks. 

James W. Morales, 37, of Cambridge, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 138 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In November 2017, Morales pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm; one count of possession of a machine gun; one count of possession of stolen firearms; one count of theft of government property; one count of conspiracy to possess, store, conceal, and sell stolen weapons; one count of escape; and two counts of attempted bank robbery.

On Nov. 14, 2015, Morales broke into a weapons vault at the Lincoln Stoddard United States Army Reserve Center in Worcester and stole six M-4 Carbines and 10 M-11 handguns. Morales was familiar with the layout of the facility, having been stationed there prior to his discharge from the Army Reserve. 

Morales gained access to the weapons by breaking a kitchen window located near the room that contained the vault, climbing to the top of the vault, and cutting a hole through its ceiling. The sharp edges of the ceiling caused Morales to cut himself, leaving behind DNA, which was matched to Morales three days after the robbery.

Upon identifying Morales through the DNA database, law enforcement learned that Morales was on bail for child rape charges pending in Middlesex Superior Court. One of the conditions of his release required him to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet, which he wore during the robbery. In addition, surveillance video depicting a dark colored BMW X1 parked at a building adjacent to the U.S. Army facility was recovered. In the video, a man can be seen going to and from the car with duffle bags. Soon after Morales was identified, law enforcement learned that Morales was renting a BMW X1 at the time of the robbery.

After the robbery, Morales rented another vehicle, and GPS data from the vehicle showed that Morales had travelled to New York City, where he was located and arrested on Nov. 18, 2015, in Long Island. Inside his vehicle, four M-4 Carbines and two M-11 handguns were recovered with serial numbers matching those stolen from the Armory. 

In a statement admitting his role in the robbery of the Army Reserve facility, Morales explained that he sold five of the handguns to two individuals in Dorchester with the help of Tyrone James and Ashley Bigsbee, who facilitated the transaction. Morales claimed to have given James and Bigsbee several hundred dollars, one of the M-4 Carbines and one of the M-11 handguns as payment for assisting with the sales. In April 2017, James was sentenced to 57 months in prison. In March 2017, Bisgbee was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

Following his arrest, Morales was detained at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, R.I. On Dec. 31, 2016, Morales escaped from the prison by climbing a basketball hoop, jumping onto a roof, and going through a barbed wire fence.

On Jan. 5, 2017, Morales was captured on surveillance video entering a branch of Bank of America in Cambridge and attempting to rob the bank by passing the teller a note that read, “I WANT ALL OF THE LARGE DENOMINATIONS W/BAND’S FROM THE 2ND (BOTTOM) TILL NOW BE CALM – BE COOL – NO DYE PACKS.” The teller was able to flee to the back of the bank behind a locked door, and Morales exited the bank without any money.  

Later that same day, Morales, again captured on surveillance video, entered a branch of Citizen’s Bank in Somerville and attempted to rob the bank by passing the teller a note that read, “I WANT THE MONEY IN THE TILL NOW!! 100’s 50’s 20’s  Be Calm, Be Cool, be Quick.” The teller stated, “I can’t,” and Morales wished the teller a nice day and exited the bank. 

After a foot pursuit in Somerville, Morales was apprehended by law enforcement; he admitted to attempting to rob both banks.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch for the District of Rhode Island; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; United States Marshal John Gibbons for the District of Massachusetts; United States Marshal Jaime A. Hainsworth for the District of Rhode Island; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Cambridge Police Commissioner Branville G. Bard; and Somerville Police Chief David Fallon made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady of Lelling’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

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PROVIDENCE - One of three brothers who admitted to running a large scale heroin and cocaine trafficking operation in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut was sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison.

Claudio Valdez, 46, of Woonsocket, and his brothers, Hector Valdez 45, of Woonsocket, and Juan Valdez, 51, of Milton, Mass., previously pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence, admitting that they arranged for several multi-kilogram shipments of heroin and cocaine from Mexico to drug stash houses in Cranston and Woonsocket, Rhode Island. The Valdez brothers then oversaw the distribution of the drugs to mid-level drug dealers and street dealers in the greater Providence and greater Boston areas and in Hartford, Connecticut.

Juan Valdez is scheduled to be sentenced on December 14, 2018. Hector Valdez is scheduled to be sentenced on January 18, 2019.

The three men, Dominican nationals, reentered the country illegally after having been previously convicted of felony drug crimes and deported. Immigration detainers have been lodged against all three.

At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., sentenced Claudio Valdez to 240 months in federal prison to be followed by 5 years supervised release.

As stipulated in a plea agreement filed with the Court, both the government and the defense recommended the Court impose a sentence of 240 months of incarceration. The U.S. Sentencing Guideline imprisonment range in this matter is 324 months to 405 months.

Claudio Valdez’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division of the FBI.

In April 2017, based on information developed by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force during an investigation dubbed “Operation Triple Play,” a reference to the three Valdez brothers, the FBI, assisted by federal, state, and local law enforcement agents and officers in three states, executed 15 federal arrest warrants and 13 search warrants. Immigration detainers were lodged against 9 of the defendants charged in this matter, identified as Dominican nationals, most of which were living in the United States with what are alleged to be stolen identities.

During the course of the investigation that began in September 2016, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force seized nearly 3.5 kilograms of fentanyl, nearly 4 kilograms of heroin - most of which was laced with fentanyl, more than 1.6 kilograms of cocaine, 142 grams of crack cocaine, more than 137 pounds of cutting agents, $45,500 in cash and 9 vehicles. 5 of the vehicles had hidden compartments used for transporting drugs and money.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard B. Sullivan, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorneys William J. Ferland, Ronald A. Gendron, and Richard W. Rose.

Operation Triple Play is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation initiated by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. Under the direction of the FBI, the participating agencies in this investigation included the Drug Enforcement Administration (Providence and Boston Resident Agencies), Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Rhode Island State Police, Providence Police Department, Woonsocket Police Department, Central Falls Police Department, Cranston Police Department, Warwick Police Department, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.

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PROVIDENCE - Two Cranston men have been arrested after separate investigations revealed they allegedly communicated with minors in other states via the Internet, attempting to entice them to engage in sexual activity. Their communications allegedly included the transmission of sexually explicit photographs.

  On Friday, Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Cranston Police, arrested Raymond Gliottone, 35, in his basement apartment on charges of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in prohibited sexual activity and access with intent to view child pornography. It is alleged that Gliottone attempted to entice a 15-year-old girl in Maine. The communications allegedly included sexually explicit conversations, images of his genitalia, and encouraging the minor to run away with him.

Gliottone was ordered detained on Monday following an initial appearance before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond.

In a separate investigation, FBI agents, assisted by the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Cranston Police, and Warwick Police, today arrested Paul Stabile, Jr., 38, on charges of transfer of obscene material to a minor under the age of 16, and possession and access with intent to view child pornography. It is alleged that Stabile, while purporting be a young woman a named “Cindy Mennillo,” communicated via the Internet and attempted to entice a 14-year-old boy in Nevada. The communications allegedly included sexually explicit conversations and the transmission of sexually explicit photographs purporting to be “Cindy Mennillo.”

During today’s arrest, law enforcement executed a court-authorized search of Stabile’s basement apartment and seized several digital storage devices.

Stabile was ordered detained in home confinement by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan following an initial appearance in U.S. District Court.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams.

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PROVIDENCE, RI – A North Providence dentist who admitted to diverting and failing to report as much as $1.2 million dollars in payments made to his business was sentenced yesterday to 3 years probation and 280 hours per year of community service involving the provision of free dental care.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith also ordered Lawrence P. Stephenson, 72, of Lincoln, to pay a fine of $75,000.

The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of imprisonment in this matter is 18-24 months. The government recommended the Court impose a sentence of 18 months in prison.

Stephenson’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch and Kristina O'Connell, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).

At the time of his guilty plea, Stephenson admitted to the Court that in as early as 2011, he began diverting portions of his practice’s business receipts by depositing checks from insurance carriers and patients into a personal bank account. An investigation by IRS-CI revealed that Stephenson failed to report approximately $1.2 million dollars paid to his dental practice and deposited elsewhere, thus failing to pay taxes due the IRS.

Stephenson admitted that over the years he made significant withdrawals from the personal account, to include approximately $530,000 in 2013 and 2014. The funds were transferred to other banks and investment accounts he owned. Some of the funds were used to pay personal expenses.

In 2013 alone, Stephenson admitted to underreporting his income to the IRS by more than $320,000.

Since the date of Stephenson’s guilty plea and conviction, he has paid $906,557.78 in back taxes and penalties due the IRS for tax years 2011-2014.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dulce Donovan.

PROVIDENCE, RI – A Brockton, MA, man was sentenced today to 90 months in federal prison for traveling from Massachusetts into Rhode Island on multiple occasions to engage in illicit sex with a 15-year-old minor he met on the Internet in an online chat forum.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith also ordered Andy J. Joseph, 26, to serve 10 years supervised release upon completion of his term of incarceration.

Joseph pleaded guilty on April 24, 2018, to two counts of traveling interstate with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of imprisonment in this matter is 63-78 months. As stipulated in a plea agreement filed in this matter, the government and the defendant recommended the Court impose a sentence of 90 months of incarceration.

Joseph’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh, and Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves.

At the time of his guilty plea, Joseph admitted to the Court that in June 2016, after meeting the victim in an online chat forum, he traveled from Massachusetts to Rhode Island on multiple occasions to engage in sex acts with the minor victim, and that he caused her to become engaged in commercial sex acts in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  Joseph posted advertisements for commercial sexual purposes on the website Backpage.com. These ads, paid for by Joseph, contained pictures of the 15 year-old victim and a cell phone number to call for the sexual services. This activity continued until Joseph’s arrest on December 1, 2016.           

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly.

The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and Pawtucket Police Department.

PROVIDENCE - A former Narragansett, RI, police officer pleaded guilty in federal court in Providence today to a charge of transfer of obscene material to a minor, announced United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Harold H. Shaw, and Colonel Ann C. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.

Appearing before U.S. District Court Judge Chief Judge William E. Smith, Matthew C. Riley, 51, of Narragansett, admitted to the Court that in approximately late 2015 or early 2016, he began communicating with an individual via a website and through text messaging and other messaging communication technologies, such as Snapchat and Kik messenger. Early in their communications, the person with whom Riley was communicating told him that she was 15-years-old and that she was a 9th grade student. On May 9, 2016, in a series of texts with the 15-year-old, Riley discussed what time her high school day ended; that she was in 9th grade; and that she did not turn 16 until October.  

During his communications with the 15-year-old, Riley identified himself as “Chris M.” and told her he was 29-years-old, lived in Boston, was in the Navy, and worked as a physical therapist.           

Over the course of a few months, at times stopping for days or weeks, and then resuming, Riley’s communications with the 15-year-old included sexually explicit communications, including graphic, sexually explicit pictures of himself and videos of himself committing a sex act.

Riley is scheduled to be sentenced on February 1, 2019.

The transfer of obscene matter to another individual who has not attained the age of 16 years is punishable by statutory penalties of up to 10 years in federal prison, 3 years supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Additionally, upon conviction, Riley will be required by statute to register as a sex offender.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton.

The matter was investigated by the FBI and Rhode Island State Police.

United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch acknowledges and thanks the Nebraska State Patrol for their continued assistance investigating and preparing this matter for prosecution.

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PROVIDENCE – A Provincetown, MA, man found passed out in a vehicle in Warwick, RI, by police, and to be in possession of more than 230 grams of methamphetamine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Providence to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Gregory Lee, 49, was arrested by Warwick Police on August 4, 2017, after they discovered two large plastic bags that contained methamphetamine inside of Lee’s vehicle.

According to information presented to the Court, on August 4, 2017, at approximately 8:30AM, officers responded to a 911 call of a person passed out inside a vehicle. After several attempts, officers were able to roust Lee who nervously began looking around his vehicle, under his body and legs, and grabbing at various items within the vehicle. Lee was ordered by police to exit the vehicle.

After exiting the vehicle, Lee was observed by police to be sweating profusely, fidgety, shaking uncontrollably, and unable to stand still. After denying he was in possession of any illegal narcotics, Lee agreed to allow the officers to search his vehicle. From inside a backpack located on the front seat, officers seized two large plastic bags that tested positive for methamphetamine.  The bags of methamphetamine weighed 115.9 and 115.6 grams respectively. 

Lee’s guilty plea before U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch and Warwick Police Chief Colonel Stephen M. McCartney.

Lee, who was released on $100,000 bond with surety one day following his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on August 7, 2017, is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith on February 9, 2019.

Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine is punishable by statutory penalties of a minimum mandatory 10 years up to life in federal prison, up to lifetime supervised release, and a fine of up to $10,000,000.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard W. Rose and Ly T. Chin.

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PROVIDENCE - A federal grand jury on Tuesday returned an eight-count indictment charging a Providence man with trafficking fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, in August 2018, Newport Police detectives launched an investigation into the alleged drug trafficking activities in Newport of Franklin Valenzuela, 23. The investigation included purchases of fentanyl by a Newport detective allegedly from Valenzuela. During the course of the investigation it was learned that Cranston Police detectives were also investigating Valenzuela’s alleged drug trafficking activities.

On August 31, 2018, an undercover Newport Police detective ordered a quantity of heroin from Valenzuela, who allegedly agreed to deliver the heroin to an apartment complex in Newport. On that date, Newport and Cranston Police and members of the Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force established surveillance in the area of the apartment complex in Newport and of Valenzuela’s Providence residence. Valenzuela was surveilled as he left his residence in Providence and drove to Newport. Officers moved in and took Valenzuela into custody as he entered the apartment complex parking lot.

As Valenzuela exited the vehicle, several small bags of heroin allegedly fell from Valenzuela’s lap. He was also found to be in possession of $1,393 in cash. According to court documents, Valenzuela consented to a search of his Providence residence, where law enforcement allegedly seized 75 grams of cocaine and 18 grams of crack cocaine in small plastic bags, 423 grams of marijuana, a disassembled firearm and $7, 807 in cash. Also seized was a bag containing an unknown quantity of fentanyl. Due to the dangerousness of fentanyl, per DEA policy, the narcotics were immediately placed in sealed evidence bags and sent to the Northeastern Regional Laboratory  to be tested.

On Tuesday, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Franklin Valenzuela with possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute heroin; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; distribution of cocaine; distribution of fentanyl; and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The indictment of Valenzuela is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Division Brian D. Boyle, Newport Police Chief Gary T. Silva, and Cranston Police Chief Colonel Michael J. Winquist.

An arraignment date has not yet been scheduled for Franklin Valenzuela who is presently detained at the ACI as a probation violator on a previous Rhode Island state court conviction.

An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.

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PROVIDENCE - A Providence woman has been ordered detained in federal custody by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond after federal agents seized from her home nearly 200 grams of fentanyl and nearly 2 kilograms of a substance consistent in appearance with heroin.

 Marleni Difo, 26, was ordered detained on a federal criminal complaint charging her with possession with the intent to distribute and distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch and Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New England Field Division Brian D. Boyle.

On Friday, DEA and Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force agents executed a court-authorized search of Difo’s residence, and sized nearly 200 grams of fentanyl, cutting agents, four digital scales, gloves and masks, and other items used in the packaging and distribution of fentanyl and fentanyl-laced products.

Additionally, agents seized nearly 2 kilograms of a brown material consistent in appearance with heroin. DEA safety protocols encourage agents not to handle materials found in close proximity to fentanyl. Consequently, the brown material has not been field-tested. Analysis of that material will be conducted by DEA's forensic laboratory.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Milind M. Shah and Paul F. Daly, Jr.

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PROVIDENCE, RI – A federal grand jury in Providence today indicted two men in an alleged scheme to create and install credit card skimming machines they used to steal thousands of credit card numbers and personal identifying information of credit card owners.

It is alleged in the indictment that skimming machines were placed in gas stations and other locations in multiple states between April 2016 and June 2018. Stolen credit card and personal identifying information was used to create fraudulent credit and debit cards that were used to make at least $1.2 million dollars worth of purchases.

The indictment charges Juan Jose Rodriguez-Castro, 36, and Wilberd Armando Reyes-Castro, aka “Jose M. Robels-Burgos,” 25, with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, possession of unauthorized access devices, possession of device making equipment, possession of document making implements, and aggravated identity theft.

The return of the indictment is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service Stephen Marks, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh, and Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves.

According to court documents, on June 6, 2018, Pawtucket Police responded to a 911 call for a reported armed home invasion in progress. When officers entered the residence, they discovered several computers, credit card skimming machines, equipment and supplies used to create fraudulent credit, debit and identification cards, a photo identification card printer, a laminating machine, and identification holograms from various states.

A forensic examination of the computers by agents from the United States Secret Service and Homeland Security Investigations revealed more than 18,000 stolen credit card numbers and stolen personal identifying information.

It is alleged in the indictment that the defendants used the stolen data to create hundreds of counterfeit credit, debit, and state identification cards. Fraudulently created credit cards were used to make at least $1.2 million dollars in purchases.

Reyes-Castro and Rodriguez-Castro have been detained since their arrest on June 6, 2018. Immigration detainers have been lodged against both defendants, Dominican nationals, by Immigration and Custom Enforcement.

An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee H. Vilker.

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PROVIDENCE - United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Terrence P. Donnelly will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 6, 2018, general election.  AUSA Donnelly has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Rhode Island, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur.  The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on Election Day.

Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.  It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them.  For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law.  Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).

The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy.  We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.  In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 6, 2018, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Dambruch stated that AUSA/DEO Donnelly will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.  AUSA Donnelly can be reached by the public at (401) 709-5068.

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day.  The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (401) 272-8310.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, DC by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by email to voting.section@usdoj.gov  or by complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php

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PROVIDENCE - A Middletown insurance agent and agency owner who specializes in providing equine insurance coverage has been charged in U.S. District Court in Providence with allegedly orchestrating a scheme which defrauded customers, insurance companies, and finance companies of approximately $1.3 million dollars.

Randall N. Levesque, 57, of Middletown, owner of Equine Insurance Services, LLC and Randall Levesque Agency, has been charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service Stephen Marks, and Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police Ann C. Assumpico.

According to court documents, it is alleged that Levesque overbilled and double-billed customers when billing their credit cards for premiums due on policies, some of which the client did not request or did not agree to finance, at times forging the customers’ signature; collected premiums on insurance policies issued by at least two insurance companies but, upon receipt from customers, did not forward the payments to the insurance companies; and, at times, financed premiums and received funds on behalf of customers without the customers’ consent or knowledge, and submitted financing agreements to finance companies for fictitious customers, for whom there were no policies.

It is alleged in Court documents that Levesque collected but did not remit to insurance companies over $800,000 in premiums; fraudulently obtained over $500,000 in financed premiums from at least two finance companies; and charged customers’ credit cards at total of approximately $80,000 for premiums that he failed to provide to insurance companies.

Levesque made an initial appearance on Tuesday in U.S. District Court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan, and was released on $10,000 unsecured bond.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra R. Hebert. The matter was investigated by the United States Secret Service and Rhode Island State Police.

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PROVIDENCE, RI – The licensed captain who was at the helm of a 60-foot luxury yacht when it collided with a 23-foot powerboat in waters off the coast of Westerly, R.I., on September 22, 2015, that resulted in the death of the operator of the powerboat pleaded guilty in federal court in Providence today to a charge seaman’s manslaughter.

Cooper “Chick” Bacon, 79, of Cape May, N.J., was piloting the unregistered yacht, the Princess 60, from an indoor salon when it struck the powerboat. The collision resulted in the death of Walter S. Krupinski, 81, of Norwalk, Conn., the only person onboard the powerboat, the Peggy K.

Bacon had been hired to pilot the Princess 60 from Newport, R.I., to a boat show in Stamford, Conn.

According to information presented to the Court, GPS data collected from the GPS system aboard the Princess 60 indicated the yacht approached the powerboat at an average speed of 25.2 knots. The Princess 60 was equipped with an operating horn, VHF marine radiotelephone, navigation system, and radar system, among other safety equipment.

Prior to the collision, the defendant failed to take precautions required by the ordinary practice of a seaman.  Bacon did not post his First Mate to lookout, did not make proper use of radar, and did not himself see the powerboat in time to avoid the collision.  As a result of his failure to see the Peggy K, Bacon did not make passing arrangements, sound the horn, change course, slacken speed, or stop or reverse propulsion to avoid a collision.

After the collision, Bacon failed to make proper use of the VHF marine radiotelephone by notifying the United States Coast Guard of the emergency.

 Mr. Krupinski died as a result of multiple blunt force injuries sustained when the 67,241-pound yacht ran up and over the open cockpit of the powerboat. 

Bacon’s guilty plea before U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to seaman’s manslaughter is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch; Admiral Steven Poulin, Commander of the First Coast Guard District, United States Coast Guard; and Richard Cox, Special Agent in Charge of United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, New England Region.

Bacon is scheduled to be sentenced on January 17, 2019.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard B. Sullivan.

The matter was investigated by the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service.

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PROVIDENCE, RI – Six men who are alleged to be associated with a criminal enterprise generally known as Chad, Chad Brown, Chad Brown Posse, Chad Brown Cut Throats, Cut Throat Committee, Chad Brown Killers, CBK, The Bricks, and Hova Gang, among others (collectively, “the Chad Brown Gang”) have been charged by way of a federal indictment with violating the Racketeer Influenced Criminal Organization Act (RICO) by allegedly engaging in attempted murders, felony assaults, federal firearms offenses, drug trafficking and obstruction of justice. 

It is alleged in the indictment that the six individuals are members of a criminal enterprise that engaged in violent crimes in aid of racketeering. Among the alleged crimes detailed in the indictment are four drive-by shootings in Providence. The violent criminal acts were allegedly carried out by members of the criminal enterprise with the use of firearms, in violation of federal law. 

Four of the individuals named in the indictment are alleged to have participated in drive-by shootings that, according to the indictment and information presented to the Court, were in retaliation for felony assaults, shootings, and murders of Chad Brown gang members or associates, or members of other street gangs allied with the Chad Brown street gang. In at least one instance, in an apparent case of mistaken identity, multiple shots were fired into a car driven by a person who was not the intended target.

Utilizing technology provided by the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives linked six shootings in Providence to the same firearm, allegedly owned by one of the defendants, and shared among gang members. Three of the shootings charged in the indictment involved that handgun.

The indictment, the result of a two-year Project Safe Neighborhoods Investigation by the Providence Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); ATF Task Force; United States Attorney’s Office; and the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin, ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Lawrence J. Panetta, and Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Paré.

“Reducing violent crime has been and remains a top priority for the Department of Justice.  Project Safe Neighborhoods allows federal, state and local law enforcement to collaboratively focus their resources to combat this problem.  Together, we have used and will continue to use all of the investigative and legal tools available to us to target and hold responsible individuals responsible for driving and committing violent crime within our local communities,” commented United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch.

“The gun and gang violence perpetrated by this criminal enterprise is fueled by long-simmering feuds that has wreaked chaos and fear throughout every corner of our capital city.  The actions of these defendants individually and collectively are extremely violent, show an utter disregard for human life, and cannot be allowed to flourish or further infect this community,” said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin.  “Addressing these criminal enterprises requires great cooperation between law enforcement agencies at every level.  Working hand in glove with Providence Police and our state and federal partners, we have identified those responsible for the criminal enterprise, and we will use every available legal avenue to shut down and put an end to the organized and senseless violence being wreaked by these gangs.” 

 “These charges against six gang members centered in the Chad Brown neighborhood of Providence are another example of law enforcement’s collective strategy to target, disrupt and eliminate violent and dangerous criminal enterprises, and to cut off their means of funding from the illegal sale of drugs and guns,” said Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Paré. “Bringing federal, state and local resources to bear on this criminal enterprise is the best approach in dismantling an organization that uses violence as a means of operation.  Using ATF technology and expertise to connect guns to shell casings which led to connecting gang members to shootings was instrumental, combined with using the police officers, detectives, agents and prosecutors to build a case that resulted in these indictments.  Providence and the region will be a safer place with these individuals off the street.”

“Investigating, arresting, and incarcerating criminals who use guns and violence to intimidate communities and commit violent crime is ATF’s number one priority in Rhode Island.  ATF is proud to collaborate with our law enforcement partners and bring the most advanced forensic science to the fight against gun crime,” said Lawrence Panetta, Acting Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston.  “The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms.  ATF works to reduce violent crime by targeting and dismantling these types of criminal organizations who pose the greatest threat to public safety.” 

The 29-count indictment unsealed today charges:

• Delacey Andrade. 24, of North Providence, with Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization; four counts of Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering; two counts of Felon in Possession of a Firearm; three counts of Use of a Firearm in a Federal Crime of Violence; and Distribution of Cocaine;
• Keishon Johnson, 28, of Providence, with Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization;  three counts of Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering; three counts of Felon in Possession of a Firearm; three counts of Use of a Firearm in a Federal Crime of Violence; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana; and Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana;
• Montrel Johnson, 22, of Providence, with Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization; two counts of Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering; Use of a Firearm in a Federal Crime of Violence; four counts of Obstruction of Justice; and Criminal Contempt of Court;
• Marcel Jones, 30, of West Warwick, with Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering; Felon in Possession of a Firearm; and Use of a Firearm in a Federal Crime of Violence;
• Kendrick Johnson, 27, of North Providence, with Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization; Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering; Felon in Possession of a Firearm; Use of a Firearm in a Federal Crime of Violence; and six counts of Distribution of Cocaine; and
• Christopher Britto, 25, of Warwick, with Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering and Use of a Firearm in a Federal Crime of Violence              

An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Project Safe Neighborhoods is a federal, state and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

The case is being prosecuted in U.S. District Court by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gerard B. Sullivan and Sandra R. Hebert, and Assistant Attorney General James Baum of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office.

United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, and ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Lawrence J. Panetta acknowledge and thank the member agencies of the ATF Task Force, the Providence and Pawtucket Police Departments; Rhode Island State Police; and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, as well as the North Providence Police Department and the United States Marshals Service for their efforts in the investigation.

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