Northern District of Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas — Edwin Romine, 36, of Wichita Falls, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to serve 235 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Romine pleaded guilty in July 2015 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine.

According to documents filed in the case, from July 2012 to his incarceration in state prison in late August 2014, Romine obtained, helped other obtain, and distributed methamphetamine in the Wichita Falls area.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Fort Worth Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Smith was in charge of the prosecution.

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LUBBOCK, Texas — Justin Benedict Morales, 41, of San Angelo, Texas, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 235 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in August 2015 to one count of transportation of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

According to plea documents filed in the case, in November 2014, Morales used the Internet to send at least eight images of prepubescent child pornography via the online instant messaging client, Yahoo Messenger.  Morales used several Yahoo IDs to transport and trade images and videos of child pornography.  His laptop computer and hard disk drive were seized when special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Texas Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, and the San Angelo Police Department, executed a search warrant at his residence in May 2015.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

ICE HSI, the Texas Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the San Angelo Police Department investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy was in charge of the prosecution.

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DALLAS — A Plano, Texas, man who admitted his role in a stolen identity tax refund scheme was sentenced today, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Benjamin Kinyua, who is a resident of Plano, according to the court’s order setting conditions of his release, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater to 33 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $480,643 in restitution.  Kinyua pleaded guilty to one count of theft of federal funds and aiding and abetting. 

Two others charged and convicted in the case have also been sentenced.  Thomas Nganga Muya is currently serving a 27-month federal prison sentence and Harry Fabrice Cheickh Amont is currently serving a 30-month federal prison sentence.

According to Kinyua’s filed factual resume, from 2012 through May 17, 2013, Kinyua regularly acquired and then cashed U.S. Treasury checks, as well as third-party tax refund checks that he knew had either been stolen or obtained by fraud.  Mostly, Kinyua cashed the checks at a check-cashing business in Dallas County.  From February 2013 through May 17, 2013, Kinyua also presented and participated in the presentation of 16 checks to undercover agents of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), who were posing as persons willing to pay cash for stolen tax refund checks.  The factual resume outlines the fencing of a $595,901 stolen IRS refund check. 

IRS-CI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Stokes was in charge of the prosecution.

           

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DALLAS — Following a law enforcement operation led by the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division (DPS-CID) and the Dallas Police Department Criminal Intelligence Unit, 54 individuals, members and associates of various white supremacist organizations, have been charged with federal offenses stemming from their respective roles in a drug distribution conspiracy that operated in North Texas and elsewhere from January 2013 to November 2015.  U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas made the announcement today. Two of the 54 defendants remain fugitives. 

This second phase of the investigation follows a related operation in 2014 in which 37 members and associates of various white supremacist organizations were arrested and charged with similar federal offenses, stemming from their role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy.  All of those defendants were convicted; one remains a fugitive.

Defendants, all Texas residents, who are charged in this superseding indictment and who are in custody include:

Ramon Aguilar, III, aka “Nelson,” 26, of Dallas

Christopher Alexander, aka “Bear,” 43, of Dallas

William Lee Benham, 32, of Mesquite

Eric Scott Benson, aka “ESB,” 29, of Mesquite

Ronnie Mikel Brown, 39, of Dallas

Jonas Carrera, 36, of Dallas

Hugo Ivan Castaneda, aka “Takua,” 25, of Dallas

John Anthony Chavez Jr., aka “BJ,” 27, of Dallas

Justo Salvador Chavez Jr., aka “Junior,” 39, of Dallas

Micah Torrence Dees, 26, of Sherman

Abraham Dimas Jr., 41, of Dallas

Tina Wynette Easley, aka “Tina Wynette Fields” aka “Big Tina,” 43, of Seagoville

Crissy Lynn Evans, 28, of Richardson

Taylor Maxlynn Fletcher, 26, of Point

Joe Lee Foard, Jr., 46, of Denison

Michael William Getsinger, 30, of Rockwall

Alejandro Gonzalez, 20, of Dallas

Quincy John Goodson, aka “Kidd,” 34, of Scurry

Michael Thor Guinn, 28, of Jacksonville

Tommy Dare Hancock, aka “Big Tom,” 49, of Beaumont

David Lesley Holt, 54, of Mesquite

David Wayne Holt, 28, of Dallas

Brennan Nicole House, 22, of Sherman

Desirae Ann Houser, 24, of Princeton

Beau James Jarnagin, aka “Beau Jamey,” 39, of Dallas

Jeff Jeremy Johnston, aka “Slowpoke,” 42, of Mesquite

Kory Wade Kloecker, aka “Crawl,” 32, of Mesquite

Jimmy David Lance, 54, of Dallas

Samantha Ladell Largent, 25, of Cumby

Blake Allen Long-Rockey, 27, of Dallas

Ricardo Garcia Medina, 31, of Dallas

Benjamin Matthew Melton, 31, of Mesquite

Craig Don Mueller, 34, of Dallas

Brian Casey Mullins, 35, of Rockwall

Stacy Wayne Myers, 48, of Dallas

James Marshall Nation, 39, of Cumby

Wendy Renee Neal, 37, of Princeton

Mackenzie Nelson, 31, of Greenville

Raymond Anthony Nichols, aka “Ant,” 35, of Mesquite

Shanna Lynn Palmer, 32, of Seagoville

Christian Perez, 23, of Dallas

Francisco Manuel Radamez-Nava, aka “Ghost,” 31, of Mesquite

Jorge Ramirez, aka “Gucci,” “Jorge Ramirez-Martinez,” and “Jorge Alejandro” 31, of Mesquite

Bruce Chance Rash, aka “Chaos,” 37, of Dallas

John James Rumfield, 34, of Dallas

Jackie Lemonds Segura, 32, of Dallas

Brandon Kyle Smith, 31, of Mineola

Alicia Gale Tambourine, aka “Slimm,” 31, of Balch Springs

Jamie Lynn Tucker, 49, of Dallas

Troy Anthony Wallace, 46, of Mesquite

Roger Wayne Whitworth Jr., aka “Peanut,” 42, of Mesquite

John Fitzgerald Yates, aka “Po Boy,” 51, of Tyler (deceased)

This just-unsealed superseding indictment charges all of the above-listed defendants, with the exception of Benjamin Matthew Melton and Jorge Ramirez, with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and one substantive count of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.  Ronnie Mikel Brown, Tina Wynette Easley, Michael Thor Guinn, Tommy Dare Hancock, David Wayne Holt, Jeff Jeremy Johnston, and Benjamin Matthew Melton are also each charged with one count of felon in possession of a firearm.    Jorge Ramirez is charged with one count of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

According to the superseding indictment, the defendants were members of, associated with, or performed drug transactions with, various white supremacists organizations or individuals including the “Aryan Brotherhood of Texas” (ABT), the “Aryan Circle,” the “White Knights,” and the “Peckerwoods,” and they engaged in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and other illegal narcotics throughout North Texas and elsewhere.  Certain defendants used firearms to further their drug trafficking activities.

Despite their differences, the ABT, Aryan Circle, and White Knights gangs, along with the Peckerwoods, often collaborated with each other and with Mexican gangs and cartels for purposes of drug distribution or other illegal ventures.  Peckerwood is a term used to describe an individual who, although not a member, shared a white supremacist ideology or aligned his or herself with these white supremacist gangs.

Up to 20 of the above-listed defendants were members or close associates of the ABT.  Up to eight were members or close associates of the Aryan Circle.  One was a member of the White Knights and one was a Peckerwood.  Two were members of the La Familia drug cartel.  Some of the defendants had familial relationships, some were engaged in romantic relationships, and some resided together, as outlined in the indictment.

The indictment alleges that from approximately January 2013 to November 2015, the defendants conspired together, and with others, to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.  According to the indictment, the defendants arranged for the acquisition of methamphetamine and its distribution and delivery.  They used stash houses or other locations to store the methamphetamine and acted as intermediaries and brokers to negotiate the acquisition, price, delivery and payment for the quantities of methamphetamine.

Each of the co-conspirators was linked to one another either directly or through another co-conspirator.  Certain co-conspirators acted as hubs for narcotics trafficking, supplying methamphetamine to numerous other co-conspirators. Throughout the investigation, 40 pounds of methamphetamine and 22 firearms were seized.

A federal indictment is an accusation by a grand jury.  A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty.  If convicted, however, the statutory maximum penalty for each count of the drug trafficking conspiracy is life in federal prison and millions of dollars in fines.  The statutory maximum penalty for each substantive count of possession of methamphetamine is 20years in federal prison.  The maximum statutory penalty for being a felon in possession of a firearm or for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm is 10 years in federal prison.  The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation that would require the defendants, upon conviction, to forfeit all real or personal property derived from the proceeds of their offense.

The investigation is being led by the DPS-CID Gang Unit and the Dallas Police Department Criminal Intelligence Unit with assistance from the Garland Police Department Neighborhood Police Officer Unit, the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, the Mesquite, Sherman, Denison and Sulphur Springs Police Departments and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Assistant U.S. Attorney P. J. Meitl is prosecuting.

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DALLAS — A Dallas man, Kenneth Dale Bruce, 40, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater to 176 months in federal prison for committing an armed bank robbery in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in October 2014, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

On October 23, 2014, Bruce robbed the Bank of America branch located at 3324 Gus Thomasson Road in Mesquite, Texas.  The next day, Bruce robbed a branch of Comerica Bank, located at 11155 Garland Road in Dallas, and during that robbery, he brandished a firearm.

According to documents filed in the case, after committing the armed bank robbery in Mesquite, Bruce drove off in a tan pickup truck.  Officers with the Dallas Police Department located the pickup truck in a parking lot approximately three blocks from the bank, and they saw Bruce drive past them in a dark-colored Ford Explorer.  Officers attempted to perform a felony stop, but Bruce sped up and attempted to elude officers until he wrecked the vehicle.  The bank’s money and the firearm were recovered at the accident scene. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dallas and Garland Police Departments investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kull prosecuted.

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LUBBOCK, Texas — Michael Thomas Franks, 44, of Brownwood, Texas, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 121 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in August 2015 to one count of possession of prepubescent child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.  Franks was remanded into custody

According to plea documents filed in the case, Franks used computers at his residence to search the Internet for images and videos of child pornography.  In the course of his searches, Franks located, downloaded, and viewed numerous images and videos of child pornography.  He also transferred some of the child pornography from his computer to a computer disk that bore the handwritten label, “Pictures Videos,” which contained one or more images of prepubescent child pornography.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (US CBP) Office of Air and Marine, and the Brown County Sheriff’s Office investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy was in charge of the prosecution.

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LUBBOCK, Texas — John Everette Murdock, 70, of Lubbock, Texas, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 24 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in August 2015 to an indictment charging one count of access with intent to view child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

As noted in today’s sentencing hearing, Murdock, an ex-Marine, suffered injuries while serving in the line of duty in Vietnam.  He must surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on December 31, 2015.

According to plea documents filed in the case, Murdock used a computer to access, with intent to view, various images of child pornography.  He used file-sharing software to search for material that was likely to result in his access to child pornography, which he would view and then delete.  Law enforcement seized that computer and hard drive during the execution of a search warrant at his residence in late August 2014.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy was in charge of the prosecution.

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DALLAS — Sherin Thawer, a Dallas attorney, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to 24 months in federal prison, following her guilty plea in August 2015 to a federal felony offense stemming from her work in representing aliens, that is, non-U.S. citizens, before the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service (USCIS), announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Thawer, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft.  She was initially on pre-trial release following her arrest on an indictment in February 2015; however, she has been in custody since June 15, 2015, when the Court revoked her pre-trial release after finding she violated its conditions by continuing to practice immigration law. 

According to documents filed in the case, Thawer represented aliens before USCIS when they were applying for various types of visas to enter or remain in the U.S., including through a U Nonimmigrant Status or U-Visa.  To be eligible for a U-Visa, the alien must have been a victim of a certain crime, suffered mental or physical abuse because of the crime, and helped law enforcement in the investigation and/or prosecution of the crime.  In addition to the U-Visa application, applicants must submit a Law Enforcement Certification form completed and signed by the certifying official for the law enforcement agency that investigated and/or prosecuted the crime for which the alien was a victim.

On approximately March 21, 2012, Thawer, without authority, knowingly used the name and badge number of a specific police officer to complete the Law Enforcement Certification form that was submitted with a U-Visa application.  She knew the officer had not completed the form and that his signature on the form was forged.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Irving Police Department, and USCIS investigated.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Gividen and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wiley prosecuted.

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DALLAS — Two north Texas men were convicted late this morning by a federal jury on an array of federal charges stemming from their armed robberies of several Murphy Oil gas/convenience stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in June 2014, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Andre Levon Glover, 21, and Maurice Lamont Davis, 28, both of Fort Worth, Texas, were each convicted on one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to, and possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of, a crime of violence.  In addition, Glover was convicted on four counts, and Davis on two counts, of interference with commerce by robbery.  Davis was also convicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The government presented evidence at trial that the defendants committed armed robberies of Murphy Oil USA stores located at: 170 N. Interstate 35E in Lancaster, Texas, on June 16, 2014; 3102 W. Wheatland Road in Dallas on June 21, 2014; 950 N. Walnut Creek Drive in Mansfield, Texas, on June 22, 2014; and 100 Walton Way in Midlothian, Texas, also on June 22, 2014.  They used a sawed-off shotgun to rob these stores at gunpoint and steal thousands of dollars of cigarettes from each of the locations and nearly $10,000 in cash from one of the locations.  After the last robbery, they led police on a high-speed chase before being arrested.

Each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy conviction and each robbery conviction.  Each of the firearm offenses carries a maximum statutory penalty of life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  The felon in possession count carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. 

Sentencing is set for March 17, 2016, before U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alvarado, Dallas, Lancaster, Mansfield, and Midlothian Police Departments investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Kull and Brian McKay are in charge of the prosecution.

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DALLAS — An 11-count indictment has been unsealed today against USPlabs LLC, a Dallas firm that formerly manufactured highly popular workout and weight loss supplements.  The indictment charges USPlabs, S.K. Laboratories Inc. and their operators with a variety of charges related to the sale of those products.  The announcement was made today at a news conference in Washington, D.C. in which officials announced a nationwide sweep of dietary supplement makers and marketers.

Jacobo Geissler, 39, of University Park, Texas, the CEO of USPlabs; Jonathan Doyle, 37, of Dallas, the president of USPlabs; Matthew Hebert, 37, of Dallas, responsible for product packaging design at USPlabs; Kenneth Miles, 69, of Panama City, Florida, the quality assurance executive in charge of compliance at USPlabs; S.K. Laboratories, Inc.; Sitesh Patel, 32, of Irvine, California, the vice president of S.K. Laboratories; and Cyril Willson, 34, of Gretna, Nebraska, a consultant to USPlabs, are charged with various counts associated with the unlawful sale of dietary supplements. Additionally, USPlabs, Geissler, Doyle and Hebert are charged with obstruction of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proceeding and conspiracy to commit money laundering.              

All defendants, with the exception of Doyle and Miles were arrested earlier today.  Along with the arrests, FDA and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation (CI) special agents seized assets in dozens of investment accounts, real estate in Dallas County, and a number of luxury and sports cars.

The indictment alleges that USPlabs engaged in a conspiracy to import ingredients from China using false certificates of analysis and false labeling and then lied about the source and nature of those ingredients after it put them in its products.  According to the indictment, USPlabs told some of its retailers and wholesalers that it used natural plant extracts in products called Jack3d and OxyElite Pro, when in fact it was using a synthetic stimulant manufactured in a Chinese chemical factory. 

The indictment also alleges that the defendants sold some of their products without determining whether they would be safe to use.  To the contrary, as the indictment notes, the defendants knew of studies that linked the products to liver toxicity.

The indictment further alleges that USPlabs and its principals told FDA in October 2013 that it would stop distribution of OxyElite Pro, once the product had been implicated in an outbreak of liver injuries.  The indictment alleges that, despite this promise, USPlabs engaged in a surreptitious, all-hands-on-deck effort to sell as much OxyElite Pro as it could as quickly as possible. It was sold at dietary supplement stores across the nation.

An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury, and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty.

Upon conviction, however, the maximum statutory penalties are: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and each wire fraud count – 20 years and a $250,000 fine; conspiracy to commit money laundering – 20 years and a $500,000 fine, or twice the value of property involved in the transaction; obstruction of an agency proceeding and conspiracy to introduce misbranded food – five years and a $250,000 fine; introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce with an intent to defraud and mislead – three years and a $10,000 fine; and introduction of misbranded food into interstate commerce and the introduction of adulterated dietary supplement into interstate commerce – one year and a $10,000 fine.

The FDA and IRS CI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Errin Martin and P. J. Meitl of the Northern District of Texas and Trial Attorneys David Sullivan and Patrick Runkle of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch are in charge of the prosecution.

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DALLAS — Twenty-eight defendants, from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, have been charged with various crimes related to their roles in a massive health care fraud scheme that involved bribes, unnecessary medical treatment, fraudulent billing, and the falsification of medical documents to fraudulently bill the federal government, through the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Worker Compensation Programs (OWCP), more than $9.5 million.   U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas made the announcement today.

The criminal felony Information filed today charges 21 claimants, four doctors or medical providers, a senior claims examiner at DOL, a claims representative, and a medical provider’s employee in the scheme.  Signed plea papers were filed today for each of the 28 defendants indicating their intent to plead guilty.  Arraignment dates have not yet been set for those pleas.

“These charges are the result of a two-year investigation led by special agents with the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General,” said U.S. Attorney Parker.  “Their dogged determination and skilled investigative techniques were crucial in exposing and dissecting this sprawling corruption scheme.  This office will continue to vigorously pursue those who fraudulently obtain benefits at the expense of those who have a legitimate need.”

According to the filed Information and plea papers, the 28 below-listed defendants, and others yet uncharged, engaged in a complex and sprawling health care fraud scheme designed to improperly siphon and steal money from DOL’s OWCP:

Larry Washington, 63, of Desoto

Dr. Robert Mandell, 72, of Plano

Ifeyani “Tim” Egbuchunam, 60, of Plano

Henrietta Price, 51, of Cedar Hill

David Banda, 33, of Duncanville

Willie Atkins, 71, of Lancaster

Perry Rowell, 55, of Garland

McArthur Baker, 68, of Dallas

Doris Berry, 52, of Dallas

Byron Bonds, 43, of Mesquite

Michael Bowen, 58, of Dallas

Patricia Brown, 62, of Benbrook

Calandra Cumby, 44, of Dallas

Tonya Evans, 51, of Dallas

Darrell Glasco, 50, of Dallas

Regina Howard, 61, of Desoto

Willard Johnson, 64, of Desoto

Palante McClain, 47, of Cedar Hill

Rhonda McCoy, 47, of Arlington

Vontril McClemore, 61, of Carrollton

Regina Mitchell, 58, of Dallas

Wanda Proctor, 62, of Duncanville

Rhonda Sanders, 50, of Dallas

Clarinda Scott, 56, of Arlington

Patricia Skinner, 59, of Desoto

Janyce Ingram, 53, of Desoto

Brenda Hall, 65, of Dallas

Cassandra Sims, 60, of Dallas

In total, the defendants were able to collectively fraudulently bill the federal government through the OWCP for more than $9.5 million and receive more than $8.7 million in government payments based on their fraudulent billing.  The DOL made approximately $11.4 million in payments to these claimants for their compensation and medical services.  As a result of the guilty pleas associated with the Information, the government anticipates that it will prevent the payment of an estimated $11 million in future payments to the claimant defendants.

The scheme began with former or current government employees – U.S. postal employees or Veterans Affairs (VA) employees – who claimed that they had been injured during the course of their work duties.   Each of these claimants claimed they had suffered an on-the-job injury, ranging from strains to trigeminal neuralgia, which prevented them from returning from work.

Under OWCP, these “claimants” could receive workers’ compensation payments (typically between 66% and 75% of pre-disability wages, tax free) and paid medical treatment, if a qualified doctor deemed the medical services necessary to treat the injury and if the injury prevented the claimant from working. 

A DOL claims examiner would review the claim and its documentation, and either approve or reject the claim.  In certain circumstances, if an on-the-job injury caused permanent damage, a claimant could have received a “scheduled award” – that is, a lump sum payment meant to compensate that individual for their injury.  These awards often amounted to several hundred thousand dollars.  Claimants often sought the help of professionals, typically former DOL claims examiners in filing their claims and in getting their claims approved.  These “claims representatives” either charged claimants a percentage of any paid claim or a flat rate fee.  When doctors or other medical providers treated the claimants, they could bill OWCP for their work if they submitted the proper documentation and certification.

Larry Washington was a licensed professional counselor and ran businesses known as AAA Mental Health, LLC, Mind Spa, Inc., Solutions Health and Rehabilitation, and Convergence Emergence Diversion.  Through these businesses, Washington purportedly provided patients with counseling, pain management, chiropractic services, physical therapy and massage services.  He sought out and recruited his patients who were former postal and VA employees who had suffered on-the-job injuries that prevented them from returning to work.  Washington knew that even though these individuals had once suffered a work-related injury, their injuries were not severe enough to warrant continued OWCP payments.

Washington also billed for services that he allegedly provided to patients in Dallas when he was traveling and not even present in Dallas.  He also billed for services he allegedly provided to patients while he was in the hospital during that time for his own medical treatment.  Washington also asked claimants to falsify medical documentation, indicating they had received services on days when, in fact, they had not.  Upon completion and submission of the forms, the claimants received $100 for each of the forms they completed.                                        

Dr. Robert Mandell was a licensed psychologist with more than 35 years of experience in treating patients.  He is also the President, CEO, Clinical Director, and part owner of AAA Mental Health, LLC, which maintained offices in Richardson, Texas.  He prepared fraudulent psychological reports to be submitted to OWCP.  These psychological reports were crucial to the scheme because for claimants to receive the proper upgrades and certifications, they needed a diagnosis and certification related to their mental state as it related to their physical injury.  In many, the alleged mental aspect of the injury is what caused a lengthy delay to return to work.

Henrietta Price and Willie J. Atkins were licensed professional counselors and provided counseling services at Mind Spa, Inc.  Price also treated patients under her own company, Lifeline Counseling.  Atkins ran his own practice, Atkins Counseling Center.

Perry Rowell was a Senior Claims Examiner at the OWCP.  With more than 22 years of federal government service, Rowell was assigned to the Dallas District Office.  For years, he accepted monthly cash bribes, totaling $24,000, from Ifeanyi “Tim” Egbuchunam, a former DOL claims examiner who represented claimants before the OWCP.   In return, Rowell expedited payments and decisions and immediately responded to Egbuchunam’s telephone calls about technical case status questions.

Defendant David Banda worked at Mind Spa, Inc. in February 2009 and served as an office administrator and biller for Washington’s businesses; he reported directly to Washington.

Washington, Mandell, Price, Banda and Atkins are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.  That offense, upon conviction, carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

Egbuchunam is charged with one count of bribery of a public official.  That offense, upon conviction, carries a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

Rowell is charged with one count of bribery received by a public official.  That offense, upon conviction, carries a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

Baker, Berry, Bonds, Bowen, Brown, Cumby, Evans, Glasco, Howard, Johnson, McClain, McCoy, McClemore, Mitchell, Proctor, Sanders, Scott, Skinner, Ingram, Hall and Sims are also each charged with making a false statement or fraud to obtain federal employees’ compensation.  That offense, upon conviction, carries a maximum statutory penalty of one year in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

The investigation was led by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, with assistance from Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, U.S. Treasury Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General/Cooperative Disability Investigations Unit, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorney P.J. Meitl and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Bray and Nicola Dana are in charge of the prosecution.

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DALLAS — Following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn, a federal jury has convicted two brothers on felony offenses stemming from a conspiracy they ran, from approximately March 2005 to February 2011, to commit visa fraud to secure a low-cost workforce at their information technology consulting company headquartered in Carrollton, Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Atul Nanda, 46, and his brother, Jiten “Jay” Nanda, 44, were each convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, and four counts of wire fraud.   The conspiracy to commit visa fraud count carries a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. The conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens count carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Each wire fraud count carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Both men were allowed to remain on bond, pending a detention hearing on Friday, November 13, 2015.  A sentencing date was not set.

Dibon Solutions is an information technology consulting company located on Chenault Drive in Carrollton; it is a family operation created by the Nanda family.  Atul and Jiten Nanda created, established and ran the corporation that they used to commit fraud through the H1-B visa program. 

The H-1B visa program allows businesses in the U.S., such as Dibon, to temporarily employ foreign workers with specialized or technical expertise in a particular field such as accounting, engineering or computer science. 

The government presented evidence at trial that as part of their scheme, the Nanda brothers recruited foreign workers with expertise who wanted to work in the U.S.  They sponsored the workers’ H-1B visa with the stated purpose of working at Dibon headquarters in Carrolton, but, in fact, did not have an actual position at the time they were recruited and knew the workers would ultimately provide consulting services to third-party companies located throughout the U.S.  Contrary to representations made by the conspirators to the workers (and the government), Jay and Atul Nanda directed that the workers only be paid for time spent working at a third-party company and only if the third-party company actually first paid Dibon for the workers’ services.  Additionally, in Dibon’s visa paperwork, the conspirators falsely represented that the workers had full-time positions and were paid an annual salary, as required by regulation to secure the visas.

This scheme, according to evidence presented at trial, provided the conspirators with a labor pool of inexpensive, skilled foreign workers who could be used on an “as needed” basis.  The scheme was profitable because it required minimal overhead and Dibon could charge significant hourly rates for a computer consultant’s services.  Thus, the Nandas, as Dibon’s owners, earned a substantial profit margin when a consultant was assigned to a project and incurred few costs when a worker was without billable work.  This scheme is known as “benching.”  Dibon actively recruited H-1B workers for the “bench.”

The government presented further evidence that the Nandas required the H-1B visa candidates to pay the processing fees that the law requires to be paid by the company. The evidence at trial showed that the Nandas attempted to hide this by having the H-1B candidates pay the fees directly to Dibon either with cash or a check written to “Dibon Training Center.”

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of State.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial Gividen and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Yanowitch prosecuted.

# # #

DALLAS — Selena Ball, 30, of Desoto, Texas, was sentenced this afternoon by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to 97 months in federal prison, following her guilty plea in April 2015 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Ball, who was remanded into federal custody following her sentencing, was a Pretrial Bond/Electronic Monitoring Officer for the Dallas County Department of Criminal Justice.  As part of her duties, she was assigned to monitor an inmate, co-defendant Patrick D. Lenard, 33.

The Court noted Ball’s abuse of trust as a member of the Dallas County Probation Department, and the Department’s director testified as to the devastating effect the case had on her department.

Ball and 10 co-defendants, including Lenard, were charged in a November 2014 indictment with various felony offenses, including conspiracy, drug trafficking, kidnapping, firearms offenses, witness intimidation/tampering, and records destruction, stemming from their involvement in a violent drug trafficking operation (DTO) that operated in South Dallas and the Dallas County Jail.  One of the co-defendants, Rodney Wynn, 34, of Kaufman, Texas, who was on the State of Texas’s most wanted list, was apprehended and is set for trial in January 2016.  The remaining defendants have all pleaded guilty.  To date, seven have been sentenced, receiving sentences ranging from 46 months to 210 months in federal prison.

According to documents filed in the case, Ball and Lenard were involved in a romantic relationship despite her position and despite the conflict this relationship created.  Lenard convinced Ball to alter, modify or fail to report violations of his conditions of release.  For example, Lenard was required to limit his travel to certain areas within Dallas to avoid contact with co-conspirators.  Part of Ball’s responsibility was to review and identify locations Lenard visited as reflected in the GPS records from his monitoring bracelet.  Ball, however, failed to report violations of these conditions by Lenard.  In fact, Lenard violated his conditions of release by approaching, confronting and attempting to intimidate coconspirators and witnesses to a kidnaping.

From November 26, 2012, to approximately November 18, 2014, Lenard conducted and managed drug-trafficking activities form his jail cell in the Dallas County Jail.  During that time, he called his co-conspirators, including Ball.  On multiple occasions, Lenard and Ball had phone conversations regarding illegal narcotics transactions and money obtained from those transactions. Lenard instructed Ball to hide the drug proceeds, and in one conversation, Ball actively counted the drug proceeds.  On some of the phone calls, other individuals were conferenced in and Lenard, Ball and the other individual would discuss illegal naracotics transactions and money obtained from those transactions.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and the Dallas Police Department led the investigation. 

Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Calvert and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Errin Martin and P. J. Meitl are prosecuting the case.

# # #

DALLAS — Following a one and one-half day trial before U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle, and less than three hours of deliberation, a federal jury has convicted 60-year-old Jack Marty Taylor, of Dallas, on one count of attempted enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas. 

Taylor, who had been on bond, was remanded into federal custody after the verdict.  He faces a statutory penalty of not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date was not set.

The government presented evidence at trial that on September 16, 2014, Taylor posted a Backpage advertisement entitled, “Sugar Dad looking for his son – 50.”  Taylor stated he was looking for a younger guy for companionship and stated, “You must be 18-30ish…I’m looking for companionship and love.”  In return for that, Taylor offered to “give you a nice, safe place to live, 3 meals a day, spending money, clothing, shoes, etc.”

On September 17, 2014, at 12:33 p.m., a detective with the Garland Police Department, posing as a 14-year-old boy, responded to the advertisement via email.  Several emails transpired in which Taylor suggested they communicate via text messaging.  As the text messaging began, Taylor asked more about the boy’s age, confirmed he was a minor, where he lived, and what school he attended.  Taylor almost immediately began to text the boy about meeting and what they would do when they met.  Taylor exchanged numerous text messages with the boy, including sexually explicit text messages, throughout the day. 

The government presented further evidence that between September 17, 2014, and February 4, 2015, Taylor suggested meeting the boy in person 40 times, and each time the boy avoided meeting Taylor.  In fact, after just three hours of emails and texts with the boy, and after repeatedly suggesting that the two meet, Taylor texted, “I was scared of you at first.  I thought maybe you were a cop.”  On February 4, 2015, the day Taylor and the boy were set to meet, Taylor again asked him if he was a cop.  Taylor indicated he had experience in these types of matters and advised, “That’s an important thing to ask when you’re meeting someone for the first time.”  Law enforcement arrested Taylor on February 4, 2015, at the agreed meeting location.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The Garland Police Department and the FBI investigated.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Burns and Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks are in charge of the prosecution.

# # #

FORT WORTH, Texas — Four defendants who pleaded guilty this summer to their respective roles in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy that operated in the Dallas – Fort Worth area, and elsewhere, have been sentenced to lengthy federal prison terms, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

U.S. District Judge John McBryde sentenced the four on Friday as follows:  Humberto Macedo, 27, of Dallas, 360 months; Fernando Perez, a/k/a “Fernando Perez-Reynoso,” 22, of Mexico, 240 months; Guadalupe Macedo, 23, of Dallas, 240 months; and Ariceli Munoz, 27, formerly of South Carolina, 48 months.

Each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  According to documents filed in the case, from approximately April 1, 2014 to March 3, 2015, the four defendants knowingly and intentionally conspired to possess with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine. 

During the conspiracy, Humberto Macedo distributed more than 45 kilograms of methamphetamine.  Perez acted as Humberto Macedo’s primary runner.  Guadalupe Macedo purchased more than 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine from Humberto Macedo.  Munoz assisted Humberto Macedo by counting money from the drug transactions and brokering methamphetamine transactions.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Dallas Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Burgess prosecuted.

# # #

FORT WORTH, Texas — Corey Duane Bowles, 43, of Fort Worth, Texas, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to 240 months (20 years) in federal prison, the statutory maximum penalty, for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Bowles pleaded guilty in July 2015 to an indictment charging the offense. 

According to documents filed in the case, Bowles admitted that on March 6, 2015, he knowingly and intentionally possessed, with the intent to distribute, methamphetamine when he sold methamphetamine in an undercover operation in Fort Worth.   

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Weatherford/Parker County Special Crimes Unit, and the Weatherford Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Wolfe was in charge of the prosecution.

 

# # #

FORT WORTH, Texas — Rachel Adams, 30, of Fort Worth and Weatherford, Texas, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to serve 240 months (20 years) in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Adams pleaded guilty in July 2015 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine.

According to documents filed in the case, since approximately 2014, Adams received multi-ounce and pound quantities of methamphetamine from a coconspirator.  Other coconspirators received multi-ounce and pound quantities of methamphetamine on consignment form Adams.  In turn, Adams and others distributed methamphetamine to various customers in the Benbrook, Fort Worth, Arlington, and Wichita Falls, Texas areas.

Adams’ sentence is to be served concurrently with any sentence she may receive in related cases pending in Tarrant County.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Fort Worth Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Smith was in charge of the prosecution.

# # #

WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Joseph Charles Boyle, the former Justice of the Peace for Precinct 2 in Holliday, Texas, appeared in federal court this afternoon, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert K. Roach, and pleaded guilty to a felony Information charging one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Boyle, 63, of Holliday, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  He could also be ordered to pay restitution.  He will remain on bond pending sentencing, which is set for March 14, 2016, before U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor.

Boyle resigned his position as Justice of the Peace yesterday.  In late August 2015, he retired from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, where he worked as a correctional officer at the James V. Allred Unit in Iowa Park, Texas

According to documents filed in the case, Boyle served in his elected position in Archer County, Texas, since January 2003.  As Justice of the Peace, Boyle was authorized to impose fines and assess fees on individuals cited with a variety of violations, such as minor in possession of alcohol, speeding, illegal passing, driving without a valid license, and other traffic violations.

From approximately January 1, 2013, through May 5, 2015, on numerous occasions, Boyle stole, embezzled, and obtained by fraud, funds that he collected as payment of fees, fines and penalties, and failed to turn that money over to its rightful owner, Archer County.

Boyle told individuals who had been cited with a violation that the fine was a certain amount, obtained payment from the individual in that amount, and provided the individual with a receipt in that amount.  Boyle, however, then kept a portion of the individual’s payment and falsely reported to Archer County that the fine assessed, and the amount received as payment of the fine, was less than the amount he had actually assessed and received. 

To help facilitate his theft, Boyle often requested that individuals pay their fines in cash.  Frequently, he kept a portion of the cash the individual paid, and then purchased a money order to make the payment to Archer County, all in an effort to disguise the fact that he had been paid in cash.

Boyle admitted that the total amount of money that he stole, embezzled and obtained by fraud from Archer County was more than $40,000.

The FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Brasher is in charge of the prosecution.

# # #

AMARILLO, Texas — Xzavion Dayshaun Ragsdale, a/k/a “Yung Billy,” 19, pleaded guilty this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Clinton E. Averitte to one count of attempted sex trafficking of a child, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Ragsdale, formerly of Amarillo, Texas, and most recently Dallas, faces a statutory penalty of not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date was not set.

According to plea documents filed in the case, Ragsdale admitted that from approximately March 30, 2015 to April 3, 2015, he attempted to recruit a 15-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex acts.

The investigation began when a Task Force Officer (TFO) with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) learned that a particular individual, later identified as Ragsdale, was using Facebook to recruit and entice teenage females for prostitution.  In March 2015, the TFO set up an undercover Facebook account representing himself as a 15-year-old female, “A.M.,” and the two exchanged messages about A.M. working as a prostitute, with Ragsdale claiming, “you can make 2500 in a week if you really put the work into it.”  Ragsdale sent A.M. his phone number and the two discussed a meeting; however, the conversation ended without any arrangements being made.

On April 1, 2015, A.M. received a private message on his undercover Facebook account from “Deswan Newsome,” a defendant in a related case.  Newsome and A.M. exchanged messages about A.M. engaging in prostitution, and A.M. advised Newsome that she was 15-years-old.

On April 2, 2015, an Amarillo Police Department officer, posing as A.M., made a phone call to Newsome, who answered, but turned the call over to a female who provided more details about prostitution to A.M.  A.M. advised the female that she was 15-years-old.

On April 3, 2015, A.M. and Newsome exchanged messages and agreed to meet at a convenience store in Amarillo so A.M. could engage in prostitution.  When Newsome arrived at the location he was identified and arrested.  He admitted talking to A.M. on Facebook and said that he was going to have someone else teach her how to perform sex acts, and that he’d get 60 percent of the money she made for performing the commercial sex acts.

Newsome, 19, of Amarillo, pleaded guilty in July 2015 to one count of attempted sex trafficking of a child.  He was sentenced in September to serve 135 months in federal prison.

The Amarillo Police Department and ICE HSI investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Frausto is in charge of the prosecution.                    

###

DALLAS — Breanna Polk, 32, of Dallas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to six months in federal prison, following her guilty plea in June 2015 to one count of honest services wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Polk, who has been on bond, must surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on January 6, 2016.

According to plea documents filed in the case, on August 2, 2007, a parolee with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) reported to his parole officer, Polk, at the Garland, Texas, parole office.  Polk advised the individual she planned to take a trip to Florida to celebrate her birthday.  The parolee left approximately $500 on Polk’s desk.  On at least two other occasions between August 2007 and March 2010, the same individual paid more than $500 to receive favorable treatment from Polk concerning the conditions of his parole.

In March 2010, the parolee absconded to Mexico to avoid DEA law enforcement in connection with his illegal drug distribution.  The parolee paid Polk $2,000 to assist him in avoiding law enforcement by indicating he reported to parole, when he had not.  Additionally, Polk agreed to check for any arrest warrants and notify the parolee if he had an active arrest warrant.  On June 8, 2010, Polk conducted a search on a National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database to determine if the parolee had an active arrest warrant; Polk transmitted the search by means of a wire communication.   

The FBI and the TDCJ – Office of the Inspector General investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Pfeifle was in charge of the prosecution.

# # #

DALLAS — Following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle, a federal jury has convicted an Irving, Texas, man for his role in a conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a female child.  His co-defendant in the case pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy.  U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas made the announcement this afternoon.

The jury convicted Brady Rodriguez-Cruz, a/k/a Marcos Antonio Rodriguez-Mejia, 33, on one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children.  He also pleaded guilty to one count of possession of counterfeit documents.  On October 22, 2015, Luis Rivera, 19, also of Irving, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children. 

In the conspiracy, Rodriguez-Cruz acted as the “john,” and Rivera acted as the “pimp.”  The government presented evidence at trial that from approximately December 23, 2014, through December 25, 2014, Rodriguez-Cruz and Rivera agreed to cause Jane Doe, a 12-year-old child, to engage in a commercial sex act.

Rivera met Jane Doe, along with three other minor females, in Irving.  Shortly after he met the minor females, Rivera learned that Jane Doe was 12-years-old.  Rivera and his friends, including one minor friend, took the four minor females to an empty apartment in Irving, where they stayed overnight.  The minor females had no money, so they were not able to eat that day.

The next day, the group left the abandoned apartment and went to Rivera’s minor friend’s apartment, and Rivera told the four minor females that they needed to engage in commercial sex acts to earn money for food.  Rivera then made several phone calls seeking potential commercial sex customers for the minor females.  He planned to charge $100 for sexual intercourse with one of the minors.  Rivera reached Rodriguez-Cruz and Rodriguez-Cruz agreed to come to the location to engage in a commercial sex act.  Rodriguez-Cruz brought another man with him to the apartment.  Rivera told the four minor females to line up so the men could select who they wanted to have sex with, and Rodriguez-Cruz selected the youngest girl, 12-year-old Jane Doe.  Rodriguez-Cruz then negotiated the price for sex with a girl down to $50.  Shortly thereafter, he engaged in commercial sex acts with Jane Doe, paid Rivera and his minor male friend approximately $50, and hastily left.

The government also presented evidence at trial that on January 28, 2015, when officers with the Irving Police Department executed a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Rodriguez-Cruz, they found him in possession of an unlawfully obtained, counterfeit U.S. Permanent residence card.  That card was issued in another name but bore Rodriguez-Cruz’s photograph.

The conspiracy count carries a maximum statutory penalty of life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  The counterfeit documents count carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Rivera is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Boyle on February 4, 2016, and Rodriguez-Cruz’s sentencing date has not been set.

The Irving Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), both members of the North Texas Trafficking Taskforce, investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cara Foos Pierce and John Kull prosecuted.

# # #

WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Eleven defendants who were indicted in September for their roles in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy that operated in Wichita Falls, Texas, from approximately March 2014 to August 2015, pleaded guilty last week before U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor in federal court in Wichita Falls.  U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas made today’s announcement.

Each below-listed defendant pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance:

Mark Anthony Peysen, 54
Tamara Ann Beasley, 43
Clinton Ray Durham, 47
John Monroe Drullinger, Jr., a/k/a “Johnny D,” 53
Chad Edward Fluharty, 35
Juan Anthony Gabaldon, 31
Vincent Mark Hinson, 36
Curtis Lisle Shawver, 28
James Anthony Streadwick, 54
Michael David Thompson, 50
Cody Shane Walsh, 30

Each defendant faces a statutory penalty of at least five years in federal prison and up to 40 years in federal prison and $5 million fine.  Each defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2016.

According to documents filed in the case, from approximately March 2014 to August 12, 2015, these defendants conspired together, and with others, to possess with intent to distribute and distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine.  They arranged to acquire the methamphetamine and used residences and other locations in the Northern District of Texas to package and distribute it to customers.  They delivered and distributed, and coordinated the delivery and distribution of, quantities of methamphetamine.  They also acted as intermediaries and brokers to negotiate the acquisition, price, sale and delivery of the methamphetamine, as well as the collection of payment for the methamphetamine.

The Wichita County District Attorney’s Office, the Wichita Falls Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Walters is in charge of the prosecution.

# # #

FORT WORTH, Texas — A defendant who pleaded guilty this summer to an indictment charging one count of distribution of methamphetamine, was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Judge John McBryde to 360 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Jose Milton Puentes, 34, was arrested in May 2015 in the Los Angeles area on the indictment filed in the Northern District of Texas.  He made his initial appearance in federal court in Los Angeles and was released on bond.  After he entered his guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth on July 17, 2015, Judge McBryde remanded him into federal custody.

According to documents filed in the case, on April 4, 2013, Puentes shipped, or caused to be shipped, approximately one pound of methamphetamine from California to Fort Worth via UPS.  The methamphetamine arrived the following day, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intercepted it.

The DEA investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Smith prosecuted it.

# # #

DALLAS — Orlando Jose Chapa, 37, of Dallas appeared before U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor this morning and pleaded guilty to an indictment charging one count of aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Chapa, who will remain on bond pending sentencing, faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date has not been set.

According to documents filed in the case, on or about May 30, 2015, in the Dallas Division of the Northern District of Texas, Chapa knowingly aimed the beam of a laser pointer at a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter and at the flight path of that aircraft.  Chapa aimed the laser at the helicopter from his driveway as it was flying overhead.

The FBI, Texas DPS and the Dallas Police Department are investigating.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Burns is prosecuting.

# # #

WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Doty Lee Standridge, 31, of Wichita Falls, Texas, was sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to 110 months in federal prison following his guilty plea in June 2015 to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Standridge’s co-defendant in the case, Joshua Antonio Ramirez, 30, of Lawton, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty last month to the same offense and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 4, 2016.  He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine.

According to documents filed in the case, from approximately January 2013 until November 2014, Standridge obtained quantities of methamphetamine from suppliers, including Ramirez, and he distributed that methamphetamine in the Wichita Falls area and elsewhere. 

The quantities of methamphetamine that Standridge obtained and distributed varied.  He frequently obtained methamphetamine in one to two-ounce quantities and distributed one-eighth ounce (approximately 3.5 gram) and one-quarter ounce (approximately 7.0 gram) quantities. 

Texas DPS investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Walters prosecuted.

# # #

LUBBOCK, Texas — Shannon Dale Smith of Crosbyton, Texas, appeared this afternoon in federal court, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy M. Koenig, on a federal criminal complaint stemming from his attempt to extort more than $500,000 from a Crosby County man, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Smith, 46, has been in custody since his arrest late Thursday evening, October 29, 2015.  Judge Koenig will set a detention hearing at a later date, should one become necessary.

According to the affidavit filed with the complaint, on Tuesday morning, October 27, 2015, Crosbyton resident, Nathan Boardman, received a telephone message on his answering machine that said in a muffled voice: “We are watching you, there is a note on the north door.”

Boardman found the note that stated:  “Follow these Instructions and no one will get Hurt.  We Have a man watching your daughter.  We Have a man watching your Grand daughter.  We Have a man watching you and your wife.  We are monitoring [sic] your home and cell phone.  If you call the police, we will know and someone will be taken from you.  If you choose not to participate, someone will be taken from you.  You have till Thursday at 9pm to put $525,000 in cash and or gold coins in a bag, duffel style.  we [sic] will call you with further instructions.  We are watching you.  Do what you’re told and no one will be Hurt”.

On the morning of October 29, Boardman received another threatening phone call in which an unknown male stated they had 14 hours to get the money.  That evening, the unknown male called and left a message advising they’d better answer or if they didn’t, it would be the last thing they would do.

At approximately 8:00 p.m. that evening, the unknown male caller provided instructions to drop the extortion money.  Approximately one hour later, law enforcement staged a delivery of the extortion money at the location indicated.  Soon after the drop, a vehicle was observed in the vicinity, and two individuals were observed on foot.  Law enforcement immediately confronted the two men, Shannon Dale Smith and a juvenile male, and detained them.  At the time of his arrest, Smith had a semi-automatic pistol on his person.  

A complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offense charged and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge.  A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.  The government has 30 days to present the matter to a grand jury for indictment.  The maximum statutory penalty for the offense as charged is 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

The FBI, Texas Rangers, and Texas Department of Public Safety, Criminal Investigations Division are investigating.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Haag is in charge of the prosecution.

# # #

FORT WORTH, Texas — A defendant who pleaded guilty this summer to an indictment charging one count of distribution of methamphetamine, was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Judge John McBryde to 360 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Jose Milton Puentes, 34, was arrested in May 2015 in the Los Angeles area on the indictment filed in the Northern District of Texas.  He made his initial appearance in federal court in Los Angeles and was released on bond.  After he entered his guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth on July 17, 2015, Judge McBryde remanded him into federal custody.

According to documents filed in the case, on April 4, 2013, Puentes shipped, or caused to be shipped, approximately one pound of methamphetamine from California to Fort Worth via UPS.  The methamphetamine arrived the following day, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intercepted it.

The DEA investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Smith prosecuted it.

# # #

DALLAS — An Arlington, Texas, man, Steven Lass, 33, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey to 15 years in federal prison following his guilty plea in April 2015 to one count of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

According to documents filed in the case, in August 2014, an officer with the Midlothian Police Department conducted a traffic stop in Midlothian on a vehicle driven by Steven Lass.  The officer noticed that Lass’s front passenger seat was missing.  Several tools and electronic devices were found where the seat would be have been located; Lass indicated that the tools and devices were his. 

Lass consented to a search of his vehicle.  Two iPods that were found were searched, and several images of child pornography were located.  A subsequent forensic analysis of the seized material by FBI special agents revealed more than 650 images of child pornography on Lass’s iPods and 1559 images of child pornography on a thumb drive. 

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The FBI and the Midlothian Police Department investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Camille Sparks and Lori Walker prosecuted.

# # #

WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Kelly Breon Kea of Alaska, was sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to 70 months in federal prison following his guilty plea in June 2015 to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Kea, 55, has been in federal custody since his pre-trial release was revoked early last month.

According to documents filed in the case, on September 14, 2014, a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) trooper stopped Kea for a traffic violation on US-287 in Wichita Falls.  Inside of the trunk of the car were several suitcases, and one of the suitcases contained two hard, brick-like items in its lining.

The trooper removed the items and saw they were two plastic-wrapped and taped bundles, and he suspected they contained compressed cocaine.  In fact, the Texas DPS laboratory later confirmed that the substance was cocaine, equaling 2014.83 net grams.

Texas DPS investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Walters prosecuted.

# # #

DALLAS — A Carrollton, Texas, man, Jordan Michael Porter, 29, was sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay to 84 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in February 2015 to one count of receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Porter has been in custody since his arrest in July 2014 on a related federal indictment.

According to documents filed in the case, the investigation began when a parent found a photo of their 15-year-old minor female child kissing what looked to be a much older man.  When questioned by the parent, the minor admitted she had met then 28-year-old Porter online a few weeks earlier.  The parent notified the Garland Police Department.

The investigation revealed that the minor female had communicated with Porter via text, email and phone calls.  They had video-chatted and had met on previous occasions and engaged in sexual activity.

An undercover officer took over the minor’s online account and in subsequent chats with Porter, they agreed to meet, at the usual place, on July 2, 2014.  Porter was arrested when he arrived at the location. 

Porter admitted he knew the girl was age 15.  He admitted she sent lewd and lascivious photos of her partially clothed in a bathrobe, and that on three of the four occasions they met, they had engaged in sexual activity.

The matter was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The FBI and the Garland Police Department investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks prosecuted the case.

# # # 

FORT WORTH, Texas — Two Tarrant County men were sentenced to lengthy federal prison sentences following their guilty pleas earlier this year to a conspiracy charge stemming from their operation of an investment Ponzi scheme they ran from 2004 through 2014, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Kurtis Keith Lowe, 63, of Fort Worth, Texas, and Robert Allen Blackburn, 49, of Arlington, Texas, were each sentenced on Friday, by U.S. District Judge John McBryde, to 60 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $2,373, 462 in restitution, jointly and severally.  Each must surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on November 13, 2015.

Both Lowe and Blackburn pleaded guilty in July 2015 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

According to documents filed in the case, in 2004, Blackburn, a licensed insurance agent, convinced a victim to invest money in Omni Capital Management Trust (OCMT), an entity created merely as a convenience for Lowe, OCMT’s sole owner.  Blackburn knew OCMT was not a functioning company.  Lowe deposited the investor’s check into OCMT’s business bank account and gave the proceeds to Blackburn.  Lowe and Blackburn repeated this procedure several times.

By 2007, Blackburn was regularly recruiting individuals to invest in OCMT using materially false representations about OCMT.  In particular, Blackburn falsely represented that victims’ funds would be invested in an annuity fund, when in fact, he knew the money would not be invested at all.

To entice investors to make multiple investments, Lowe and Blackburn created more bogus companies, including Amwest Capital Management (AMWEST) and National Fidelity Management (NFM).  Lowe also opened accounts at an out-of-state mail service, and established separate telephone numbers for each company, to make investors believe the bogus companies were legitimate.

When investors requested account statements or tax forms, Blackburn would advise Lowe how much the investor had deposited, and Lowe would generate forms that falsely showed the investors’ money had been invested and had, in fact, appreciated.

Between January 2007 and April 2014, Blackburn solicited more than $2.4 million from 21 different investors using false material representations.  None of the money was invested. 

The FBI investigated the case.

# # # 

DALLAS — Vasni Molina, 30, of Grand Prairie, Texas, was sentenced this afternoon by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to the statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison following his guilty plea to an information charging one count of receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Molina has been in federal custody since he entered his guilty plea in June 2015.

According to documents filed in the case, an investigation by the FBI to identify individuals who used the Internet to distribute child pornography led to the identification of an IP address that was eventually linked to Molina.  In February, an investigator downloaded 11 files from that IP address; nine of those files contained child pornography.

A federal search warrant was executed at Molina’s residence on March 30, 2015, and special agents with the FBI seized a laptop computer and computer media.  Molina admitted he had used a file-sharing network to view and download images and videos of child pornography.  He stated he had been viewing child pornography for more than three years and that approximately 75% of the 100 videos he had on his laptop would be child pornography.  He admitted downloading hundreds of files of child pornography over the past three years.

A forensic analysis, however, located more than 800 videos of child pornography on Molina’s computer and other media.  Molina admitted he received and possessed videos that included bondage and sadistic acts involving minors and that the majority of his child pornography collection was videos of prepubescent children.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The FBI and the Plano Police Department investigated, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks prosecuted.

# # #

AMARILLO, Texas — Xzavion Dayshaun Ragsdale, a/k/a “Yung Billy,” 19, was charged in a federal indictment that was just unsealed with two counts of attempted sex trafficking of a child and one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a child.  The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Ragsdale, formerly of Amarillo, Texas, and most recently Dallas, made his initial appearance in federal court late yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Clinton E. Averitte, who ordered Ragsdale to remain in federal custody, pending a detention hearing set for Monday.

Count one of the indictment alleges that on December 31, 2014, Ragsdale attempted to recruit an individual, “J.B.,” knowing that “J.B.” was under 18 years of age and would be caused to engage in a commercial sex act.

Count two of the indictment alleges that on March 30, 2015, Ragsdale attempted to recruit another individual, “A.M.,” knowing that “A.M.” was under 18 years of age and would be caused to engage in a commercial sex act.

Count three of the indictment alleges that on March 30, 2015, Ragsdale used a cell phone and the Internet to transfer obscene matter to another individual who was under 16 years of age.

A federal indictment is an accusation by a grand jury.  A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty.  If convicted, however, the statutory penalty, per count, for attempted sex trafficking of a child is not less than 10 years or life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  The maximum statutory penalty for attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor is 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Amarillo Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Frausto is in charge of the prosecution.

               ###

DALLAS — Two Dallas men have been sentenced to lengthy federal prison sentences following their guilty pleas to drug distribution and firearms offenses, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Felix Medina, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay on Monday to serve a total of 108 months in federal prison.  Co-defendant Jesse Rodriguez, 36, received the same sentence in June 2015.  Each defendant pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of that crime.

According to documents filed in the case, from November 1, 2013 through approximately February 21, 2014, Medina and Rodriguez conspired together and with others to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, cocaine and heroin in Dallas.  During that same time, Medina and Rodriguez possessed numerous firearms in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Medina and Rodriguez had two residences on Angelina Drive in Dallas – each next door to the other – from which they would sell the cocaine and heroin, store it, store the drug proceeds, and possess firearms for their protection, and the protection of the drugs and drug sales proceeds. 

When special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and local law enforcement executed a search of the residences in February 2014, they found, among other things, approximately 223 grams of suspected cocaine, more than $18,000 in cash, more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition, approximately 40 firearms, including the one Rodriguez was carrying in his pants’ waistband, video surveillance equipment, and equipment to facilitate communication between the two residences.

ATF investigated the case and Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Miller prosecuted.

# # #

DALLAS — A Dallas man, Trenton McLemore, 29, who facilitated his 16-year-old girlfriend’s commercial sex acts, and pleaded guilty in July 2015 to one count of sex trafficking of children, was sentenced today to 252 months (21 years) in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G Lynn.  The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

McLemore, a documented Webb Chapel Crip gang member, has been in custody since his arrest by officers with the Irving Police Department in September 2013.

“Prosecuting human trafficking predators, like Trenton McLemore, is a top priority in north Texas and throughout the Department of Justice,” said U.S. Attorney Parker.  “The close working relationships we have established through the North Texas Anti-Trafficking Taskforce have made prosecutions like this possible.  That task force, made up of other federal agencies, as well as state and local officials, community service providers, and experts who are already involved in anti-trafficking initiatives, is committed to not only bringing those predators to justice, but to examining the causes of, and solutions to, this violent behavior.  In this case, I particularly commend the excellent collaboration and investigative work of the Irving Police Department and HSI Dallas.”

“We are grateful to everyone who worked together in bringing Mr. McLemore to justice for his terrible crimes,” said Chief Larry Boyd of the Irving Police Department.  “Their efforts to rescue an underage victim of sex trafficking and take an active sexual offender off the street are highly commendable.” 

“For predators convicted of the horrendous crime of sex trafficking minors, there are severe consequences in the form of lengthy prison sentences and a lifetime stigma, as Mr. McLemore has learned firsthand,” said Katrina W. Berger, special agent in charge of HSI Dallas.  “Homeland Security Investigations employs exhaustive investigative techniques, and routinely works with local, state, federal and international law enforcement to identify and pursue prosecution against these sex trafficking predators, and rescue their victims.”

According to documents filed in the case, McLemore met “Jane Doe” and her family when she was 11-years old.  In July 2013, when Jane Doe was 16-years-old, she ran away from home to be with McLemore, and the two began living in motels.

On August 1, 2013, McLemore began facilitating Jane Doe’s commercial sex acts in several ways.  He asked friends and family to rent rooms for them at a Super 8 Motel and a Motel 6 in the Dallas area for her to use with commercial sex customers.  McLemore also provided Jane Doe a cell phone for her to use to communicate with commercial sex customers.  McLemore often used that phone to communicate with Jane Doe’s customers, sometimes posing as her and texting her customers to arrange “dates” and then leaving the motel room shortly before the customer arrived.

McLemore also took sexually explicit photos of Jane Doe that he distributed via text message to potential customers.  Often, McLemore would stay near the motel room to act as Jane Doe’s bodyguard while she engaged in the commercial sex acts, and he would return to the room shortly after the customer left to collect the proceeds.

In mid-September 2013, a detective with the Irving Police Department conducting an operation to identify possible victims of human trafficking found a commercial sex advertisement on Mocospace.com with photographs of a female who appeared to be underage.  He contacted the number, and after exchanging several messages regarding a potential commercial sex act, they agreed to meet on September 19, 2013, in a specific room at a Super 8 Motel in Irving, Texas.

As McLemore left that room shortly before the “date,” he was seen texting at the same time the detective was receiving messages about the “date.”  When the detective arrived and entered the motel room, Jane Doe agreed to engage in a commercial sex act with him.  She was then placed in custody and law enforcement determined she was a 16-year-old runaway from Dallas.

McLemore had stayed nearby while that “date” occurred, and his personal items were later found inside that motel room.  When law enforcement learned Jane Doe’s age, they arrested McLemore for compelling prostitution of a person under the age of 18 and human trafficking.  He has been in custody since that time. 

The Irving Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Dallas investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cara Foos Pierce prosecuted.

# # #

DALLAS — Following a nine-day jury trial before Chief U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis, a federal jury has convicted a physician and three co-conspirators on felony offenses stemming from their operation of a pill mill and drug distribution conspiracy they ran in Dallas from January 2012 to early December 2013.  The announcement was made this morning by U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Licensed anesthesiologist Theodore E. Okechuku, 59, of Plano, Texas; Emmanuel C. Iwuoha, 52, of Allen, Texas; Elechi N. Oti, 50, of Augusta, Georgia; and Kelvin L. Rutledge, 43, of Dallas; were each convicted late Friday on one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute a controlled substance.  Okechuku was convicted of using, carrying and brandishing a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.  Okechuku was also convicted on  conspiracy to use, carry, and brandish a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

Three co-conspirators, all from Dallas, pleaded guilty before trial.  Ignatius O. Ezenagu, 57; David L. Reed, 44; and Jerry K. Reed, 45; each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute a controlled substance.  Ezenagu also pleaded guilty conspiracy to brandish a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime

The drug trafficking conspiracy count carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  The firearm conspiracy count carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, and each substantive firearm offense carries a maximum statutory penalty of life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Sentencing is set for January 26, 2016. 

The government presented evidence at trial that Okechuku owned and operated, with the assistance of coconspirator Ezenagu, Medical Rehabilitation Clinic (MRC).  MRC was initially located at 9304 Forest Lane in Dallas, and then later, the defendants moved MRC to 9205 Skillman Street in Dallas.

MRC operated as a “pill mill,” in that it functioned as a place to unlawfully obtain controlled substances, such as hydrocodone, and not as a medical facility.  Okechuku and business manager Ezenagu charged cash only for office visits in exchange for unlawful hydrocodone prescriptions. 

The coconspirator drug dealers, including David Reed and his brother Jerry Reed, along with Rutledge, recruited “patients,” often from homeless shelters, and drove them in groups to MRC.  On a daily basis, these dealers brought multiple patients at a time to MRC.  They would escort the patients into the clinic and coordinate their office visits with Ezenagu. 

Often, dealers filled out patient information for the recruits they brought to the clinic.  Dealers paid cash for the office visits of their patients, and handed the money to their patients before they entered the clinic, gave it to them in MRC’s waiting room, or paid the employees directly.  MRC had a caged cash room where people would pay for the office visit with money provided by the dealers, by handing the money through an opening in the bars to a clinic employee.  Large amounts of cash, often more than $5,000, passed through the clinic’s drug trafficking business on a daily basis.

Okechuku and Ezenagu conspired to employ armed security guards to protect the business, its employees, and the dealers.  These armed security guards displayed and brandished various firearms on their waists for all to see in order to deter violence by the “patients” and to protect the illicit drug money from robbery.

Okechuku rarely saw patients, but delegated that task to licensed physician assistant and coconspirator Oti or to Emmanuel Iwuoha, who held no medical or nursing license in Texas, but acted as a doctor, using Okechuku’s signature and DEA prescription authority.  In fact, at MRC, Okechuku, Oti, and Iwuoha were referred to as “Doctor,” regardless of medical license.

Oti, Iwuoha, and at times, Okechuku, would do little to no physical examination and prescribe controlled substances, including hydrocodone, a Schedule III controlled substance at the time.  Patient visits were short and they would normally leave with a 30-day prescription (120 pills) or more of hydrocodone, along with other prescriptions.  Okechuku, Oti, and Iwuoha diagnosed the majority of the patients with back pain, regardless of their true condition.  Hydrocodone was prescribed regardless of a patient’s need, or lack thereof.

Once the patients received the prescriptions at MRC, the coconspirator dealers would drive the groups of patients to various pharmacies to get the prescriptions filled.  The dealers would also furnish the money to pay for the narcotics.  Sometimes, the dealers did not need the patients to pick up the prescriptions as some pharmacies gave the hydrocodone directly to the dealers.  After the prescriptions were filled, the patients gave the pills to the dealers, who then sold the pills on the street for a profit. 

The FBI, Dallas Police Department and Mesquite Police Department investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Pfeifle and Russ Fusco, and Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Tromblay prosecuted.  

# # #

FORT WORTH, Texas — Jeremy Warner, a Fort Worth man who pleaded guilty in July to one count of possession of cocaine base (crack cocaine) with the intent to distribute, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to 300 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Warner, 33, has been in custody since his arrest in May 2015 on a related federal criminal complaint.

According to the complaint filed in the case, when officers with the Fort Worth Police Department executed a search warrant at Warner’s residence on Illinois Avenue in Fort Worth in May 2015, Warner ran down the hallway and attempted to barricade himself in the master bathroom.  After taking Warner into custody, officers began a systematic search of the residence.  During the search, officers located a clear baggie containing approximately 95 grams of crack cocaine in plain view on the kitchen counter beside a digital scale.  During a search of the master bathroom cabinets, officers located two large clear bags, one of which contained approximately 699 grams of crack cocaine and the second clear bag contained approximately 807 grams of powder cocaine.  During the search of a hallway closet, officers located approximately $11,000.

Warner knowingly possessed the cocaine base with the intent to distribute it.

The Fort Worth Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Smith prosecuted.

# # #

DALLAS — Following a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle, a federal jury convicted 34-year-old Mark Lee Cleaton, of Rockwall, Texas, today on felony offenses stemming from an investment fraud scheme he ran, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Specifically, the jury found Cleaton guilty on four counts of wire fraud.  Each count carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Judge Boyle remanded Cleaton into the custody of the U.S. Marshals pending sentencing, which is set for February 4, 2016.

Cleaton was the managing member of North American Capital, LLC, formerly located at 2001 Bryan Street, Suite 2125, in Dallas.  Cleaton created a limited partnership, North American Capital Investment Fund, LP (NACIF), in August 2009.  The government presented evidence at trial that from approximately August 2009 to July 2010, Cleaton solicited $350,000 in investments in NACIF from several individuals, promising to invest that money in short-term, high-yield real estate projects, when in reality, he misappropriated all the money for himself, spending none of it as promised.

Throughout the scheme, Cleaton provided false investment memoranda and marketing materials to potential investors concerning the investment opportunity.  Some of that material falsely represented an audited “7 year performance” history of NACIF, when as Cleaton well knew, NACIF had not even existed for seven years or had any rate of return.   

Cleaton instructed each investor to wire funds into a checking account over which he had sole signatory authority.  By the time he received the first investor’s funds, he had been locked out of his office in Bryan Tower for non-payment of two months’ rent.  Cleaton immediately spent the investors’ money within weeks on personal expenses and unrelated business ventures, including credit card bills, trips to Hawaii, cash withdrawals, a used car business, and a high-end car audio/stereo store.  He also intentionally failed to disclose to subsequent investors that he had already raised and spent prior investors’ money.  Additionally, he made lulling payments to one victim investor from a later investor’s funds.

The FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Bunch and Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Miller are prosecuting.

# # #

FORT WORTH, Texas — A convicted felon from Tarrant County who pleaded guilty this summer to his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Jerry Curry, 47, of Haltom City, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to 300 months (25 years) in federal prison.  Curry pleaded guilty in July 2015 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  He has been in federal custody since his arrest in June 2015 on an indictment that charged him and 27 others with various offenses stemming from their roles in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy.  Most of the defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

According to documents filed in the case, since approximately 2014, Curry and other co-defendants received ounce and multi-ounce quantities of methamphetamine on consignment from a supplier co-defendant.  In turn, Curry and the others distributed methamphetamine to various customers in the Fort Worth area, returning to this supplier for additional methamphetamine. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated.   Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Smith prosecuted.

# # #

DALLAS — U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) funding awards to the Arlington Police Department to create, and in some cases protect, 15 law enforcement positions in the Department.  More than $107 million will be awarded nationally, through the COPS Hiring Program (CHP), including this $1,875,000 funding for the Arlington Police Department.

“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country in addressing their most critical public safety issues,” said Ronald L. Davis, Director of the COPS Office. “These grants are not simply about putting more officers on the street, they are about expanding the capacity of law enforcement agencies to engage in community policing.”

CHP provides grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community-policing officers. The program provides salaries and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.

"I’m grateful to the Attorney General not only for choosing one of the largest, and most community-focused police departments in the Northern District of Texas to receive this funding, but for recognizing the importance of continuing to support law enforcement agencies as they develop creative and innovative ways to deal with community and public safety issues,” said U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Will D. Johnson, Chief of the Arlington Police Department, said, “Our partnership with the COPS Office is instrumental in advancing public safety in our community. Arlington is honored to be selected for the COPS Hiring Program. This grant is a positive investment and will allow us to hire 15 additional police officers.”

Priority consideration was given this year to agencies that selected any of the Building Trust focus areas or School Based Policing through School Resource Officers.  All applicants were encouraged to refer to the report of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing for suggested actions to incorporate into their proposed community policing strategy.

The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has invested over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 127,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.

For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2015 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

# # #

DALLAS – A Mesquite, Texas man, Bilal Abood, 37, appeared this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma C. Ramirez and pleaded guilty to a superseding indictment charging one count of making a false statement to a federal agency, announced Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Thomas M. Class Sr. of the FBI’s Dallas Field Office.

Abood faces a maximum statutory penalty of eight years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  He has been in federal custody since his arrest in May 2015 by special agents with the FBI on a related criminal complaint.  A sentencing date was not set. 

According to plea documents filed in the case, Abood admits that on March 29, 2013, he attempted to depart the U.S. at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, but was not allowed to board the international flight.  While at the airport, FBI special agents asked Abood about his planned travel, and he stated he was merely planning to travel to Iraq to visit family.  During a subsequent interview, Abood admitted to FBI special agents that his intent on March 29, 2013, was to travel to Syria to fight the regime of Bashar Al Assad.  

On approximately April 29, 2013, Abood left the U.S. through Mexico and traveled through various countries into Syria.  On September 16, 2013, Abood returned to the U.S. and admitted to FBI special agents that he had traveled to Syria, but he denied supporting any terrorist groups.

A search warrant was executed on Abood’s computer on July 9, 2014.  A review of that computer revealed that on approximately June 19, 2014, Abood stated, while using his Twitter handle @ibnalislaam, “I pledge obedience to the Caliphate Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.”  Abood stipulated that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is the self-proclaimed leader of ISIL and was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on October 4, 2011, and remains so to date.

Abood admits that on April 14, 2015, FBI special agents advised him that lying to a federal agent is a crime.  He further stipulates that on that date, he falsely told FBI special agents that he had never pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr-al-Baghdadi.  He also stipulates that he was aware the FBI special agents were investigating a matter that they suspected could involve international terrorism.

The FBI’s Dallas Division is investigating the case.  The prosecution is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

# # #

DALLAS — A 31-year-old, Grand Prairie, Texas, man, Evan Patterson, pleaded guilty today in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma C. Ramirez to his role in a conspiracy to traffic counterfeit goods, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Patterson, who remains on bond, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods.  He faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Sentencing is set for February 16, 2016, before U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay.

According to documents filed in the case, from approximately January 2010 through December 2013, Patterson and a co-defendant conspired together to knowingly and intentionally traffic in goods they knew bore counterfeit marks.  The marks on these goods were spurious and identical, or indistinguishable from trademarks registered for those goods in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 

Patterson and his co-defendant imported and sold clothing, apparel, and accessories manufactured by unauthorized suppliers in China that replicated the authentic brand name goods bearing the counterfeit marks of Nike, Ugg, Beats, Burberry, Cartier, Chanel, Christian Dior, Carolina Herrera, New Era, Oakley, Michael Kors, North Face, National Football League, Coach, Gucci, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, Ray Ban, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Vera Wang, White Diamonds, Tory Burch, Armani, True Religion, Rolex, Lacoste, Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton.

Patterson and his co-defendant displayed and sold the counterfeit goods to customers at a showroom and warehouse located on W. Pioneer Parkway in Grand Prairie.  They also established and maintained at least 17 websites where customers could order and pay for the goods online.  Orders for the goods were directed to suppliers in China, who would then ship the items directly to customers in the U.S.

On June 6, 2013, Patterson sold an undercover federal agent one Louis Vuitton handbag, one Louis Vuitton wallet, one Michael Kors handbag, one Buffalo Bills jersey, one Dallas Cowboys jersey, and one Texas Rangers jersey, all bearing counterfeit marks, for a total of $200.

In November 2013, special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), executed a federal search warrant at the showroom and seized approximately 750 counterfeit items, including sports jerseys, Nike sports shoes, Ugg boots, and designer handbags, wallets, belts, watches, sunglasses and perfumes, all bearing counterfeit trademarks.  Industry representatives confirmed the seized items were counterfeit and the combined estimated Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) was $200,000.

ICE HSI is investigating the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Stokes is prosecuting.

# # #

LUBBOCK, Texas — Amadeo Cruz Torres, 24, of Lubbock, Texas, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 15 years in federal prison, following his guilty plea in June 2015 to one count of production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John  Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Torres has been in custody since his arrest in June 2014.

According to documents filed in the case, Torres met the teenage minor, “Jane Doe,” at South Plains Mall in Lubbock on June 17, 2014, after he had been communicating with her online, via Facebook, about the possibility of modeling.  Torres first represented himself to be a female modeling agent named “Amber.” 

The teenage victim’s mother took Jane Doe to the mall to meet the supposed modeling scout.  Jane Doe was advised that she would be meeting with “Shane,” the defendant.  Jane Doe was advised to meet with Torres without a parent or friend to minimize distractions. 

After meeting with Jane Doe in the mall’s food court, Torres took her to a family restroom and locked the door.  He took a video of her while he instructed her to engage in various poses.  Eventually, Torres directed her to disrobe completely so that he could film a nude video.  At one point during the “modeling session,” Torres convinced her to let him touch her in a sexually explicit manner to verify that she was not hiding drugs.

Torres was arrested the following day at South Plains Mall where he had gone to meet another minor female.  Officers seized his video camera, cell phone and tablet computer.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The Lubbock Police Department and the FBI investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy prosecuted.

# # #

FORT WORTH, Texas — A convicted felon who was convicted at trial this summer on drug and firearms offenses was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John McBryde to serve a total of 270 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Martin Jacob Steinberg, 43, was convicted at trial on one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The government presented evidence at trial that an officer with the Willow Park Police Department found Steinberg behind an office building in Willow Park, Texas, in late January 2015.  He was wearing one pistol and carrying another one in his hand.  One of his pockets was stuffed with cash and another was stuffed with methamphetamine.  Steinberg was also carrying a cooler that contained several pounds of marijuana, three scales, hundreds of dealer baggies, 80 syringes, glass pipes, more than 85 grams of methamphetamine, his mail and his birth certificate.  After a brief struggle, Steinberg was handcuffed and taken into custody.

Among Steinberg’s previous convictions is a 2001 drug conviction in U.S. District Court in New Mexico for which he received a 151-month sentence.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Willow Park Police Department and the Hudson Oaks Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Wolfe and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Cole prosecuted.

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LUBBOCK, Texas — A 43-year-old Cisco, Texas, man, Robert Jarold Eckhart, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings two years in federal prison, following his guilty plea in June 2015 to one count of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Eckhart was ordered to report to the designated prison facility on November 13, 2015.

According to documents filed in the case, Eckhart used his Apple iPod 4 to communicate with other persons over the internet and communicate with several persons about adult pornography and child pornography. Eckhart advised that his interests included younger males, and as a result, he received numerous images of minor males engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Between May 2011 and May 2012 Eckhart knowingly possessed his iPod knowing that it contained numerous images of child pornography.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The FBI investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy prosecuted.

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LUBBOCK, Texas — Gilberto Ray Hinojos, 23, of Big Spring, Texas, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to five years in federal prison following his guilty plea in June 2015 to one count of attempted receipt of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.  Hinojos has been in custody since August, when his pretrial bond was revoked.

According to documents filed in the case, on May 14, 2015, Hinojos responded to an online classified ad posted by the Texas Department of Public Safety identifying themselves as a 13-year-old female.  Hinojos attempted to receive sexually explicit images of this person and made further arrangements to meet her at a restaurant on 19th Street in Lubbock.  Hinojos arrived at the location and was arrested.

The matter was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy prosecuted the case.

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DALLAS — A former youth minister in Garland, Texas, Derek Hutter, 38, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn to 264 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in June 2015 to one count of enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas. 

Hutter has been in custody since his arrest in December 2014. 

According to plea documents filed in the case, Hutter worked as a youth minister at the South Garland Baptist Church.  He used the Internet, his cell phone and email, as well as person-to-person contact at youth group, to communicate with Jane Doe, a minor girl in his youth group.  During these conversations, he convinced Jane Doe to have a sexual relationship with him.  Hutter sexually assaulted Jane Doe on several occasions between January 1, 2014, through approximately September 15, 2014.

In addition, according to the filed factual resume, Hutter emailed Jane Doe and asked that she send him explicit and lewd photos of herself. 

Hutter admitted that he knew Jane Doe was between 13 and 14-years old.  

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The Sachse Police Department, the Garland Police Department and the FBI investigated.   Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks prosecuted.

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FORT WORTH, Texas — A former correctional officer at the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) Fort Worth pleaded guilty this morning in federal court to one count of sexual abuse with a ward, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Rudy Ramon, 54, of Grand Prairie, Texas, entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton.  He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.   Ramon will remain on bond pending sentencing, which is set for February 18, 2016, before U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means.

According to documents filed in the case, on the first or second Sunday of November 2014, Ramon engaged in a sex act with an individual who was an inmate assigned to FCI Fort Worth.  At the time of the sex act, the inmate was under the custodial, supervisory, or disciplinary authority of Ramon, a BOP Correctional Officer.

The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General is conducting the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Poe is prosecuting.

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DALLAS — An inmate who admitted possessing obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children while he was incarcerated at Seagoville Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) was sentenced yesterday, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Danny Borgos, 27, formerly of Nyack, New York, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey to 10 years in federal prison.  He was in Seagoville FCI serving a federal prison sentence for a federal conviction in the Southern District of New York for receiving, distributing and possessing child pornography.

According to documents filed in the case, on October 9, 2014, a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) guard found Borgos with a paginated series of drawings, consisting of 37 pages in a comic or coloring book-style format, depicting obscene representations of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  Borgos admitted the depictions belonged to him

The matter was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The FBI, with assistance from the BOP, investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks prosecuted the case.

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DALLAS — A federal criminal complaint was filed on Friday, October, 3, 2015, and unsealed today, that charges Kristopher Ledell Love, 31, of Memphis, Tennessee, with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Love was arrested last week on a state capital murder charge for the September 2, 2015, murder of dentist Kendra Hatcher in the parking garage of her apartment building in Dallas.  He is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court tomorrow, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma C. Ramirez, at 2:00 p.m.

According to the complaint, Love was convicted in 2005 for aggravated robbery in Shelby County, Tennessee, and sentenced to eight years in prison. 

The investigation revealed, according to the complaint, that two individuals conspired together, and with others, including the shooter, who was identified as “Kris” LNU, to rob Dr. Hatcher in the parking garage of 1700 Cedar Springs Road.  An individual was paid cash to drive the individual who ultimately shot and killed the victim to and from the parking garage where the murder took place.  “Kris” LNU hid in the back of the vehicle so that a surveillance camera could not record him when the vehicle entered the parking garage.  The vehicle’s driver and “Kris” LNU waited for several minutes until the driver observed Dr. Hatcher drive in and park.  “Kris” LNU exited the vehicle.  The driver heard a gunshot.  “Kris” LNU returned to the vehicle a short time later, with two purses in his hand.  The driver then drove them out of the garage and dropped “Kris” LNU off at an intersection in Dallas. 

Further investigation revealed that “Kris” LNU is Kristopher Ledell Love.  Law enforcement located Love in Dallas on Thursday, October 1, 2015.  The vehicle he was driving was towed and subsequently searched, pursuant to a state search warrant.  Law enforcement located and seized a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol under the front seat of the vehicle.  Love is a person prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his 2005 felony conviction in Shelby County, Tennessee.

A complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offense charged and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge.  A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.  The government has 30 days to present the matter to a grand jury for indictment.  The maximum statutory penalty for the offense as charged is 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

The FBI, Dallas Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are conducting the ongoing investigation.  Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Calvert is in charge of the prosecution.      

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