Eastern District of Virginia

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland-based federal company, as well as its president and sole owner, agreed to pay $450,000 to settle allegations that they solicited and received kickbacks in connection with federal government contracts reserved for “8(a)” small businesses.

Wete and Company, Inc. (Wete), located in Laurel, Maryland, was certified by the Small Business Administration as an 8(a) small business, meaning it was owned and operated by a socially or economically disadvantaged citizen. Dorothy Wete, a resident of Laurel, is the president and owner of Wete. Sage Consulting Group, Inc. (Sage), a federal government contractor located in Vienna, lacked an 8(a) certification.

According to the United States’ allegations, between 2014 and 2020, Wete and Sage agreed that Wete would use its 8(a) certification to bid on government contracts that Sage was not eligible to bid on. Wete and Sage allegedly agreed to subcontract all the work on those contracts to Sage in exchange for a “fee” calculated by each hour of work subcontracted to Sage, and Sage allegedly paid Wete the agreed upon kickback amount when the work was subcontracted to them. The United States and Sage reached a settlement in July 2021.

The settlement resolves allegations under the civil penalty provisions of the Anti-Kickback Act.

The resolutions obtained in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General.

This matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Krista Anderson.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. A copy of a press release describing the United States’ settlement with Sage Consulting Group, Inc. can be found here.

The civil claims settled by this agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Virginia doctor pleaded guilty today to his role in a $1.8 million health care fraud scheme to prescribe medically unnecessary compounded pain and scar creams and other expensive medications.

“Through his deceit and greed, Rosen exploited the trust placed in him as a medical professional to engage in an extensive scheme that defrauded health insurance programs out of $1.8 million,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Instead of prescribing medications in an honest and lawful manner to help those in need, the defendant sold out his medical license and training, and will now become a convicted felon.”

According to court documents, Leonard Rosen, 72, of Fairfax Station, was an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) who practiced in Northern Virginia since 1980. Rosen was also the owner of an OB-GYN medical practice. In 2014, Rosen met Mohamed Abdalla, 48, of Allendale, New Jersey, who was a licensed pharmacist and owned and operated several pharmacies. Shortly thereafter, Rosen entered into an agreement with Abdalla to prescribe expensive compounded pain and scar creams, which Rosen then ensured were sent to Abdalla’s pharmacies. In return, Abdalla agreed to pay Rosen a percentage of the profits. Prior to this scheme, Rosen had not prescribed expensive compounded medications. However, during the scheme, Rosen prescribed countless medically unnecessary compounded medications. In total, Rosen’s illegal actions resulted in $1,880,575.70 in losses to private health care benefit programs.

“Leonard Rosen exploited health care programs and his patients for personal gain by participating in a scheme to prescribe medically unnecessary prescriptions in return for money, and those criminal actions have consequences,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “Today’s plea is an example of the dedicated work of the FBI and our partners to root out fraud, ensure the safety of our communities, and hold criminals accountable for their actions.”

For his role in this and other schemes, Abdalla was sentenced on March 19 to four years in prison. Rosen is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Chris Dillard, Special Agent in Charge for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office; and Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monika Moore and Carina A. Cuellar are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-205.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – On Wednesday, a federal jury convicted two individuals on charges relating to drug trafficking and money laundering.

“As the evidence at trial showed, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to launder the proceeds of their drug trafficking crimes on behalf of a network of conspirators that peddled illegal and potent substances from Puerto Rico into the Hampton Roads area,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Our Office is grateful to the trial team and our law enforcement partners for their thorough investigative efforts, which helped secure the guilty verdicts in this case.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, beginning in or about 2018 through in or about 2020, Jose Luis Cruz-Colon, 42, and Nastassja Lopez-Alvarado, 31, both originally from Puerto Rico but living in Suffolk, were responsible for importing kilogram quantities of cocaine into the Hampton Roads area for distribution and then sending the proceeds of those illegal sales back to Puerto Rico to further the drug trafficking conspiracy. Their participation in the conspiracy came to light as part of a larger investigation into the criminal activities of the Rivera Drug Trafficking Organization in the Hampton Roads area.

Through court-authorized wiretap interceptions, parcel interdictions, and other investigative work, agents were able to conduct controlled purchases of heroin and seize at least three kilograms of cocaine. Further, on December 12, 2020, Cruz-Colon and Lopez-Alvarado were stopped at the Richmond International Airport and were prevented from taking approximately $28,000 in U.S. currency in a vacuum-sealed bag from the Hampton Roads area to Puerto Rico.

Cruz-Colon was convicted of conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least five kilograms or more of cocaine and at least one kilogram or more of heroin. Lopez-Alvarado was convicted of conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least five kilograms or more of cocaine. Cruz-Colon and Lopez-Alvarado each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison with a maximum possible penalty of life in prison when sentenced on February 2, 2022. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Norfolk Field Office; Daniel A. Adame, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Kenneth Mark Talbot, Chief of Hampton Police; and Larry D. Boone, Chief of Norfolk Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge David J. Novak accepted the verdict.

The Richmond International Airport Police provided significant assistance in this investigation. This case was investigated by the DEA Norfolk Office in conjunction with the Norfolk Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Hurt and Julie Podlesni are prosecuting the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:20-cr-69.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A District Heights, Maryland man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for distributing heroin and cocaine, and for his involvement in manufacturing untraceable “ghost guns” from the basement of his home.

“In addition to selling dangerous narcotics in our communities, the defendant was involved in buying, assembling, and selling ‘ghost guns’ that lack serial numbers,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “These unmarked and often untraceable firearms are frequently assembled from kits that are sold without background checks, making them more attractive to individuals who are prohibited from possessing them. This prosecution is another example of how we work closely with our partner agencies to mitigate public safety threats, including illegal narcotics and firearms trafficking.”

According to court documents, Keith Robert Marshall, 34, was a drug dealer who sold heroin and cocaine in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including the Eastern District of Virginia. He sold heroin at a cost of $2,800 per ounce; a typical user amount of heroin is less than a gram. Over the course of several months in 2019, Marshall sold multiple ounces of heroin, as well as some cocaine, to an undercover officer.

“Marshall’s sentencing is an example of the exceptional collaboration and diligent work of our law enforcement and task force partners toward our shared goal of removing those who are the purveyors of instruments like ghost guns and illicit narcotics which often result in irreparable damage to our communities,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “Ghost guns, which are privately manufactured, are untraceable and unserialized firearms that when in the hands of criminals, present a serious danger to us all. The FBI remains steadfast in identifying and aggressively investigating those criminals who have a blatant disregard for the harm they are causing in communities around the country.”

The investigation into Marshall revealed that he had been frequenting a firearms store in Virginia. There, Marshall, a previously convicted felon, had been purchasing AR-15 pistol kits and Polymer 80 kits to make AR-15 pistols and Glock-style pistols. These kits are used to make guns without serial numbers and may be legally sold to anyone, regardless of whether they are prohibited from possessing firearms.

In December 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Marshall’s residence in Maryland. There, agents recovered a fully functional .40-caliber Polymer 80 Glock-style firearm with a 50-round agazine, as well as an AR-15 rifle. Agents also seized another five high-capacity magazines, various other gun magazines, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition for both rifles and pistols. Agents additionally discovered that Marshall’s workspace, tools, and parts were dedicated to turning the gun kits into the fully functional weapons found in his residence.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Peter Newsham, Chief of Prince William County Police; and Malik Aziz, Chief of Prince George’s County Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Rumbaugh prosecuted the case.

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

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

This case was investigated by the FBI WFO’s Northern Virginia Safe Streets/HIDTA task force, which is composed of FBI agents and agents from HSI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and task force officers from Northern Virginia counties. The task force is charged with investigating and disrupting the most egregious and violent gang and narcotics distributors operating in Northern Virginia.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-119.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two Virginia-based companies agreed to pay a combined $1,174,584 to settle allegations that they solicited and received kickbacks in connection with federal government contracts reserved for “8(a)” small businesses, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Index Systems, Inc. (Index), located in Fairfax, was certified by the Small Business Administration as an 8(a) small business, meaning that it was owned and operated by a socially or economically disadvantaged citizen. Chinna Nemelidinne, a resident of Herndon, is the president and sole owner of Index. Capital Consulting Group, Inc. (CCG), a company located in Arlington, lacked an 8(a) certification. Index and Nemelidinne agreed to pay $1,010,084 to settle claims under the Anti-Kickback Act and False Claims Act, and CCG agreed to pay $164,500 to settle claims under the Anti-Kickback Act.

According to the United States’ allegations, in 2018, Index and CCG agreed that Index would use its 8(a) certification to bid on a government contract on which CCG was not eligible to bid. Index and CCG allegedly agreed to subcontract all the work on that contract to CCG in exchange for a “fee” calculated by each hour of work subcontracted to CCG, and CCG allegedly paid Index the agreed upon kickback amount when the work was subcontracted to them. 

The United States also alleged that, between 2018 through 2020, Index had a similar kickback arrangement in place with Sage Consulting Group, Inc. (Sage), in connection with three federal 8(a) set-aside contracts. The United States further alleged that Index also obtained one of the contracts through fraudulent representations to the federal agency that Index employees would be doing all the work on the contract, even though Index intended to subcontract much of the work on the contract to Sage. The United States and Sage reached a settlement in July 2021.

The resolutions obtained in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

This matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Krista Anderson.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. A copy of a press release describing the United States’ settlement with Sage Consulting Group, Inc. can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/sage-consulting-group-inc-agrees-pay-48-million-settle-civil-false-claims-act-and-anti

The civil claims settled by this agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Cyprus-based company was sentenced to pay a fine of $2 million today after pleading guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to violations of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships.

“We are firmly committed to enforcing federal environmental laws and will not tolerate conduct that pollutes our water, imperils natural ecosystems, and endangers our wildlife,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “As this case demonstrates, those who contaminate our most precious natural resources by illegally dumping hazardous waste into the ocean will be held accountable, especially when they falsify their records to avoid detection.”

Diana Wilhelmsen Management Limited (DWM) operates several commercial vessels. According to court documents, from mid-April 2020 until before the vessel arrived in Newport News on June 10, 2020, DWM crew members onboard the M/V Protefs, a 40,230 gross-ton, 738-foot ocean-going commercial bulk carrier, knowingly failed to record in the vessel’s oil record book the overboard discharge of oily bilge water. The vessel also arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana on June 1, 2020 with a knowingly false oil record book.

“The United States will vigorously enforce laws that protect our ocean resources,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Holding shipping companies to account when wastes are unlawfully discharged overboard, and covered up through falsified documents, is vital to protecting our environment.”

The crew on the vessel used an emergency de-watering system to illegally discharge oily water directly into the Atlantic Ocean from the vessel’s bilge holding tank, duct keel, and bilge wells. Those discharges were not recorded in the oil record book as required. The chief engineer, Vener Dailisan, 47, pleaded guilty on December 18, 2020 to making a false statement to U.S. Coast Guard inspectors about the existence of a sounding log, which is routinely sought by inspectors in order to ascertain the accuracy of the oil record book.

“The commercial shipping industry is essential to commerce in this region, but their work must ensure they do not neglect their professional and legal obligations,” said U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “Today’s announcement emphasizes that our office along with our federal partners are committed to holding accountable all parties whose criminality jeopardizes our environment and places the public and the ecosystem at risk.”

DWM received a term of four years of probation, a fine of $2 million, and supervision under an environmental compliance plan.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Todd Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division; Duane A. Evans, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana; and William P. Hicks II, Special Agent in Charge, Coast Guard Investigative Service, Chesapeake Region, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky of the Eastern District of Virginia, Senior Trial Attorney Kenneth Nelson of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Evans of the Eastern District of Louisiana prosecuted the case.

The Coast Guard Investigative Service Chesapeake Region and Coast Guard Sector Virginia provided valuable assistance in this matter.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-6.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, on May 20, 2020, an Arizona State Trooper stopped Jeremy Wayne Johnson, 45, and his passenger on Interstate 17 near Mayer, Arizona, because Johnson was speeding and texting on his phone while driving. During the stop, Johnson provided a false name and claimed he had lost his driver’s license. At the time, Johnson was carrying on him a loaded Ruger pistol, along with methamphetamine inside his vehicle. Johnson admitted during a Mirandized interview that he and his passenger drove from Virginia Beach to Phoenix, Arizona to purchase methamphetamine. The day before they planned to return to Virginia, Johnson purchased two pounds of methamphetamine from a drug dealer at a hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. Johnson and his passenger were transporting the narcotics to Virginia Beach for resale when they were stopped.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C.; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Darryl Mitchell prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-103.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Fredericksburg man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to make false statements to federally licensed firearms dealers during the purchase of firearms.

“This case serves as another example of our resolve to hold accountable those who illegally purchase guns on behalf of others,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “While straw purchasers are often unaware of how the firearms they unlawfully obtain will be used, that’s what makes this conduct so dangerous, and it is why we must continue working together to prevent these crimes from occurring. Through our close partnerships on the federal, state, and local level, we have been leveraging the latest technology, evidence, data, and intelligence to combat firearms trafficking and reduce the tragic toll that gun violence has on our communities.”

According to court documents, Bernard Jenkins, Jr., 24, purchased 18 firearms from vendors in Fredericksburg and Colonial Heights between August 2019 and April 2020. Jenkins certified to the federally licensed firearms dealers from whom he purchased the firearms that he would be the owner of the firearms when, in fact, 16 of the firearms purchased by Jenkins were transferred to other individuals after purchasing. As reflected in the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, several of the firearms purchased by Jenkins have been recovered at crime scenes since his purchases.

Jenkins is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 8, 2022. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Walutes, Jr. is prosecuting the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-202.

NORFOLK, Va. – A former Virginia Beach investment advisor was sentenced today to 35 years in prison, following last week’s sentencing of his Williamsburg-based attorney to 10 years in prison, for their roles in a nationwide investment fraud scheme that resulted in over $25 million in losses to more than 300 victims, most of whom were elderly.

“These defendants and their co-conspirators are responsible for orchestrating an extraordinarily serious nationwide scheme to defraud hundreds of investors out of over $25 million,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Driven by their voracious greed, the defendants preyed on the elderly and exploited the trust of vulnerable victims by robbing them of their hard-earned retirement funds and lifelong savings meant for their families. The financial harm that they caused to each victim is heartbreaking, and the emotional harm they inflicted is incalculable. The sentences imposed in this case reflect the enormous scale and scope of this securities fraud scheme and send a strong message that those who commit these devastating financial crimes will face significant consequences in our courts.”

According to court documents, Daryl Bank, 51, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, ran an investment fraud scheme from approximately January 2012 through July 2017, based in the Tidewater area and Port St. Lucie, and operating across the country. Bank and his co-conspirators—including his attorney, Billy Seabolt, 56, of Williamsburg; corporate executive Raeann Gibson, 49, of Florida; and salesman Roger Hudspeth, 52, of Chesapeake—deceived hundreds of unsuspecting investors, most of whom were at or near retirement age, by fraudulently convincing them to invest in companies owned and controlled by Bank. At Bank’s direction, co-conspirators stole significant portions of investment contributions to fund their criminal enterprise and Bank’s lavish lifestyle.

“Darryl Bank and Billy Seabolt, along with their co-conspirators, robbed hundreds of elderly victims of their life savings and ruined the financial security many had worked for all their lives. Their actions caused needless hardships and were taken with cruel indifference to the long-lasting impact on their victims,” said Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. “Because of the devastating impact elder fraud schemes have on victims, the FBI is committed to stopping criminals who prey on the elderly. If you or a family member has been victimized, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or tips.fbi.gov.”

“Bank, Seabolt, and others caused significant financial ruin to hundreds of innocent people by tricking the victims into entrusting them with their retirement funds, under the guise of a promising investment opportunity,” said Darrell J. Waldon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington DC Field Office. “While it cannot erase the hardships which these victims endured due to this scheme, we hope today’s sentencing brings some closure to this horrific time in their lives.”

“Those who engage in deceptive securities practices needs to know they will not go undetected and will be held accountable,” said Daniel A. Adame, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division, of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “Postal Inspectors have been investigating financial crimes like the ones alleged here for many years. Our duty is to protect investors from those who misuse the U.S. Mail and protect the integrity of our mail system.”

In 2010, Bank, then a registered securities broker, was barred from the securities industry by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Undeterred, Bank created an investment company called Dominion Private Client Group (Dominion) and continued to sell unregistered securities on his own and through insurance salesmen across the country. Seabolt, whose legal practice was otherwise focused on elder and trust law, served as Dominion’s legal counsel and was involved in negotiating and developing many of the fraudulent investments and corporations.

The conspirators made material misrepresentations and omissions to sell illiquid, highly speculative investment vehicles. Based on these fraudulent representations, unsuspecting investors cashed out of 401(k) and other retirement accounts to invest in Bank’s investments, without knowing that Bank immediately transferred 20%–70% of the investors’ funds to other companies that he controlled in the form of purported “fees,” much of which he ultimately spent on luxury and designer goods. As a result of this investment fraud scheme, the victims suffered losses in excess of $25 million.

Bank, who was convicted on all 27 counts submitted to the jury, was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for conspiracy, mail and wire fraud, selling unregistered securities, securities fraud, and money laundering. Seabolt was sentenced on September 15 to 10 years in prison on multiple conspiracy, mail fraud, and sale of unregistered securities charges. 

Gibson pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in February 2020. Hudspeth pleaded guilty to investment advisor fraud and money laundering, and was sentenced to over 12 years in prison in May 2018.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Darrell J. Waldon, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-CI; and Daniel A. Adame, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia extends its appreciation to the Virginia State Corporation Commission’s Division of Securities for its valuable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa E. O’Boyle, Elizabeth M. Yusi, and Andrew Bosse prosecuted the case.

Combatting elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a key priority of the Department of Justice. Elder abuse is an intentional or negligent act by any person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to an older adult. It is a term used to describe five subtypes of elder abuse: physical abuse, financial fraud, scams and exploitation, caregiver neglect and abandonment, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Elder abuse is a serious crime against some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, affecting at least 10 percent of older Americans every year. Together with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners, the Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to combatting all forms of elder abuse and financial exploitation through enforcement actions, training and resources, research, victim services, and public awareness. This holistic and robust response demonstrates the Department’s unwavering dedication to fighting for justice for older Americans.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-126.

RICHMOND, Va. – Former Bureau of Prisons (BOP) correctional officers at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Petersburg, Stephen Taylor and Shanice Bullock, were sentenced today for their respective roles in a bribery scheme that allowed for the introduction of contraband into the prison by FCI Petersburg inmate Dontay Cox.

“Taylor and Bullock blatantly abused their positions of authority as federal correctional officers to enrich themselves at the expense of the public, the safety of the prison they were responsible for protecting, and the dedicated Bureau of Prison employees with whom they served,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Instead of ensuring that the inmates of the prison served their sentences in a safe and lawful manner, these defendants violated their oaths as sworn officers and joined a criminal enterprise that was driven by their greed. As this prosecution demonstrates, we will not tolerate any criminal acts that are designed to corrupt or undermine the fair and impartial administration of justice.”

According to court documents, Taylor, 49, of Wake Forest, North Carolina, Bullock, 28, of South Hill, and Cox, 38, of Baltimore, Maryland, along with other co-conspirators, participated in a bribery scheme at FCI Petersburg between 2015 and 2019 to facilitate the introduction and distribution of contraband across the prison facility.

“This investigation demonstrates the resolve of the FBI, the United States Attorney’s Office, and the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General to ensure fair justice. In this instance, sworn officers of the law and inmates alike, at the Federal Correctional Institution in Petersburg, manipulated and circumvented the justice system for significant personal gain, and have been justly sentenced for their criminal actions,” said Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office. “FBI Richmond is committed to working with our partners to preserve the integrity of the system and ensure faith is not lost for those respecting it.”    

“Correctional Officers Taylor and Bullock jeopardized the safety and security of their colleagues by accepting bribes from inmate Cox to bring contraband into the prison. The Office of the Inspector General is committed to rooting out these bribery schemes and bringing the perpetrators to justice,” said Russell W. Cunningham, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Washington Field Office.

Cox, who pleaded guilty to bribery of public officials on March 22, 2021, was an inmate at FCI Petersburg from on or about January 23, 2014 until on or about July 18, 2019, when he was transferred to another institution. During this time, Cox ran a gambling operation contrary to BOP regulations and, with the assistance of other inmates, obtained and sold contraband, including Suboxone, marijuana, heroin, cigarettes, and cellular telephones. Taylor, then a case manager, and Bullock, then a correctional officer at FCI Petersburg, accepted monetary bribes from friends and family of Cox who were not incarcerated. In return, Taylor and Bullock permitted the introduction as well as distribution of the contraband items in the prison.

From October 2017 to April 2019, Taylor and Bullock received at least $46,841 in bribe payments consisting of both wire transfers and cash payments from individuals associated with Cox.

Taylor was sentenced to 4 years in prison for solicitation and acceptance of bribes. Bullock was sentenced to 10 months in prison for solicitation and acceptance of bribes.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Russell W. Cunningham Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Washington Field Office made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Simon Jr. and Michael C. Moore prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:20-cr-125.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Henrico County mental health services provider and its executive officer agreed to settle a civil lawsuit alleging they caused the submission of false claims to the Virginia Medicaid program, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia and Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia.

NDUTime Youth & Family Services, Inc. (NDUTime) and its current Chief Executive Officer, Teshana Gipson, of Henrico County, have agreed to pay $700,000 to settle a civil fraud lawsuit alleging they caused false claims to be submitted for payment from the Virginia Medicaid program.

The United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia jointly filed a complaint against NDUTime and Gibson under the federal False Claims Act and the Virginia Taxpayers Against Fraud Act. NDUTime provided crisis intervention, crisis stabilization, and therapeutic day treatment for children, among other mental health services. NDUTime was only entitled to reimbursement for services that it actually provided. In addition, Virginia state law required that certain services be provided by a licensed mental health professional and that initial assessments be made before services were provided. The lawsuit alleged that, between 2013 and 2017, NDUTime submitted false claims for services that it did not actually render, false claims for services that were not provided by a licensed counselor, and false claims that were based on initial assessments that were not completed by a licensed counselor.

The Government initiated an investigation after two separate lawsuits were filed under the False Claims Act and the Virginia Taxpayers Against Fraud Act by whistleblowers who made the allegations. These Acts permit the government time to investigate allegations of fraudulent conduct and to intervene in such lawsuits. Based on their investigation of the allegations, the Government intervened, the cases were consolidated and unsealed, and the Government filed its own complaint. 

The False Claims Act and the Virginia Taxpayers Against Fraud Act also permit whistleblowers to receive a share of between fifteen and twenty-five percent of any recovery.

The resolution in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Virginia Office of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McIntosh, former Assistant Attorney General Jessica McKenzie, and Assistant Attorneys General Airen Adamonis, Ray Bowman, and Megan Winfield.

Related court documents and information from the civil lawsuit are on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:16-cv-653.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The civil claims settled by this agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.

RICHMOND, Va. – An Indian national was sentenced today to 22 years in prison for conspiracy and identity theft in connection with his operation of an overseas robocall scam that defrauded thousands of victims out of more than $10 million.

“This defendant has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for being the mastermind and leader of an extensive multimillion-dollar robocall scheme that, from overseas, exploited over 4,000 American victims,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The impact of the harm inflicted on the victims of these robocall schemes can be devastating. The victims, many of whom are elderly, continue to endure significant financial hardship from the defendant’s vast fraud enterprise. The defendant operated and supervised the call center, was the ‘closer’ when speaking to victims, and managed the money couriers who illegally sent millions of stolen and hard-earned funds belonging to the victims back to his call center. When you consider the sheer number of victims this defendant extorted and the magnitude of their losses, the scale of harm and pain he caused is enormous. As this case demonstrates, we will continue to work closely with our partners to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute transnational criminal enterprises that steal from vulnerable American victims, and will bring the perpetrators of these scams to justice no matter where they are located.”

According to court documents, Shehzadkhan Pathan, 40, operated a call center in Ahmedabad, India, from which automated robocalls were made to victims in the United States. After establishing contact with victims through these automated calls, Pathan and other “closers” at his call center would coerce, cajole, and trick victims into sending bulk cash through physical shipments and electronic money transfers. Pathan and his conspirators used a variety of schemes to convince victims to send money, including impersonating law enforcement officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and representatives of other government agencies, such as the Social Security Administration, to threaten victims with severe legal and financial consequences. Conspirators also convinced victims to send money as initial installments for falsely promised loans.

“Fraud targeting the elderly has a uniquely harmful effect on a segment of the population that is often amongst society's most vulnerable. This conspiracy, which defrauded over 4,000 victims, many of whom were elderly, out of at least $10 million, is again an unfortunate reminder of the type of devastation these fraud schemes can wreak,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal/Cyber Division. “Pathan, a leader of this scheme, which relied on impersonating law enforcement to threaten victims, is the 4th individual sentenced in this investigation and represents a step forward in our efforts to hold those who engage in these scams accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The FBI's work in this area is far from over as we remain steadfast in our commitment to relentlessly pursue these types of investigations to ensure the protection of the hard-earned livelihood of our nation's elderly.”

In addition to operating the call center, Pathan recruited and supervised a multitude of money couriers, whom he directed to receive money sent by victims. Pathan’s network of money couriers was located in multiple states, including but not limited to Virginia, New Jersey, Minnesota, Texas, California, South Carolina, and Illinois. Pathan assigned various aliases to these individuals and supplied them with hundreds of counterfeit identification documents to facilitate their receipt of victim cash shipments and money transfers. Pathan then directed the couriers to send the money to himself and other conspirators through various means, including cash deposits into numerous bank accounts and via informal money transmitters known as Hawalas.

Pathan is the fourth of six defendants in this case to be sentenced for their role in the conspiracy. Co-defendants Pradipsinh Parmar, 41, and Sumer Patel, 38, both of Ahmedabad, India, acted as money couriers during the conspiracy, and are scheduled to be sentenced on September 20.    

Combatting elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a key priority of the Department of Justice. Elder abuse is an intentional or negligent act by any person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to an older adult. It is a term used to describe five subtypes of elder abuse: physical abuse, financial fraud, scams and exploitation, caregiver neglect and abandonment, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Elder abuse is a serious crime against some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, affecting at least 10 percent of older Americans every year. Together with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners, the Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to combatting all forms of elder abuse and financial exploitation through enforcement actions, training and resources, research, victim services, and public awareness. This holistic and robust response demonstrates the Department’s unwavering dedication to fighting for justice for older Americans.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Police Department provided significant assistance with this investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian R. Hood and Kaitlin G. Cooke are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:19-cr-160.

RICHMOND, Va. –The former owner of a Richmond-based assisted living facility pleaded guilty today to health care fraud after diverting over $800,000 in federal and state benefits that were intended to pay for the care of the facility’s residents.

“For more than three years, the defendant stole essential benefits entrusted to her facility for the care of its elderly and infirm residents,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “While the vulnerable residents of her facility suffered through dreadful living conditions, the defendant selfishly used their benefits to pay for her own debts, travel, and gambling expenses in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that those who abuse the trust placed in them to care for our elderly and infirm will be held accountable for their egregious crimes.”

“Representative payees for elderly and incapacitated adults who are legally incapable of managing their own funds fulfill a critical role in ensuring that the Social Security benefits are used to provide for the needs of this vulnerable community,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “We will aggressively pursue those who knowingly game the system for personal gain, and we will work to recover funds for SSA and all taxpayers. I want to thank our law enforcement partners for working with us and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this individual.” 

According to court documents, Mable B. Jones, 78, of Richmond, owned and operated Jones & Jones, an assisted living facility complex that served primarily elderly and incapacitated adults. For residents who were legally incapable of managing their own funds, Jones & Jones served as a representative payee and regularly received state and federal benefit payments on behalf of those residents. Representative payees are required to use Social Security benefits to provide for the beneficiary’s needs, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care. Representative payees, moreover, are specifically prohibited from using Social Security benefits for anything other than the beneficiary’s needs. Similar requirements also apply to auxiliary grants issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services.

Beginning around December 2015 and continuing through the facility’s closure in the spring of 2019, Jones converted more than $800,000 of the residents’ federal and state benefits for her own personal use. Jones used the residents’ benefits to satisfy her personal debts, including her mortgage and bankruptcy payments, and to fund her personal travel, retail purchases, and gambling expenses, including at casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jones’s diversion of resident benefits led to significant and persistent deficiencies in the facilities, care, and services provided to Jones & Jones residents, including deficiencies that endangered residents’ health and safety. These conditions ultimately prompted state and federal audits of the facility before its closure, during which Jones made false statements about her conversion and use of resident funds.

Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 11, 2022. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Michael McGill, Special Agent-in-Charge, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin G. Cooke and Shea Gibbons prosecuted the case.

Combatting elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a key priority of the Department of Justice. Elder abuse is an intentional or negligent act by any person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to an older adult. It is a term used to describe five subtypes of elder abuse: physical abuse, financial fraud, scams and exploitation, caregiver neglect and abandonment, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Elder abuse is a serious crime against some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, affecting at least 10 percent of older Americans every year. Together with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners, the Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to combatting all forms of elder abuse and financial exploitation through enforcement actions, training and resources, research, victim services, and public awareness. This holistic and robust response demonstrates the Department’s unwavering dedication to fighting for justice for older Americans.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-30.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach woman was sentenced today to 12 years in prison, following last month’s sentencing of her husband to over 7 years in prison, for perpetrating a counterfeit coupon fraud scheme that cost retailers and manufacturers over $31 million in losses.

“These two defendants have been sentenced and held accountable for operating one of the largest coupon fraud schemes ever discovered in the United States, resulting in over $31 million in losses to victims across the country,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This massive counterfeit coupon scheme harmed consumers, retailers, and manufacturers nationwide, and the economy at large. The sentences imposed in this case illustrate the serious consequences that criminals can face in EDVA for carrying out these sham get-rich-quick schemes.”

“Protecting American consumers and businesses from individuals who seek to take advantage of the U.S. Mail by distributing counterfeit, illegal, and improper items remains a priority to Postal Inspectors,” said Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame, Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “We will continue to pursue these individuals to bring them to justice. We are committed to safeguarding the public’s trust in our nation’s mail system.”

“Coupon fraud is not a harmless crime. Lori Ann Talens and her husband operated an audacious fraud scheme that stole more than $31 million directly from retailers and manufacturers,” said Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. “The FBI investigates these matters aggressively because this kind of fraud ripples through the economy, and unfortunately it is the innocent consumer that ultimately pays the price.”

According to court documents, from approximately April 2017 through May 2020, Lori Ann Talens, a/k/a "Lori Ann Villanueva Talens," 41, operated a complex scheme using social media sites and apps such as Facebook and Telegram to find groups of coupon enthusiasts and sell them counterfeit coupons. Lori Ann Talens, who operated online under the moniker “MasterChef,” used a computer to design, create, and produce a wide variety of counterfeit coupons in her Virginia Beach home. These counterfeit coupons were virtually indistinguishable from authentic coupons and were often created with inflated values, far in excess of what an authentic coupon would offer, in order to receive items from retail for free or for a greatly reduced price.

As part of the scheme, Lori Ann Talens would ship the counterfeit coupons throughout the United States using the U.S. Postal Service and other commercial parcel delivery services. She accepted payment for the counterfeit coupons through a variety of online payment methods, including Bitcoin and Paypal. Lori Ann’s husband, Pacifico Talens, Jr., 43, was aware of the counterfeit coupon scheme, profited from it, and assisted in the operation by shipping packages of counterfeit coupons and performing other administrative tasks at the direction of his wife.

The scheme was discovered when one of the Talens’s customers reported them to the Coupon Information Center (CIC), a coalition of consumer product manufacturers dedicated to coupon integrity. The CIC purchased coupons from the Talens, confirmed they were counterfeit, and contacted the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for further investigation.

After identifying the defendants as the source of the counterfeit coupons, federal law enforcement executed a search warrant on their residence. During the search, agents seized nearly $1 million worth of counterfeit coupons from the residence. Furthermore, a review of the Talens’s computer revealed images for over 13,000 separate and distinct counterfeit coupon designs. The CIC reviewed these images and compared them to the known counterfeit coupons in circulation. The analysis concluded that coupon redemptions using the 13,000 counterfeit designs on the couple’s computer had caused approximately $31,817,997 million in losses to retailers and manufacturers.

In a separate scheme, from approximately November 2015 through February 2020, Lori Ann Talens defrauded Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Lori Ann Talens applied for benefits for each of these programs and failed to disclose either her husband Pacifico’s legitimate employment income, or their own illegitimate counterfeit coupon income. Had she disclosed this income, the Talens would not have been eligible for these benefits. The total loss to Medicaid and SNAP was approximately $43,000.

Both defendants pleaded guilty to mail fraud in April. Lori Ann Talens also pleaded guilty to wire fraud and health care fraud. Pacifico Talens, Jr. was sentenced to 87 months in prison on August 19.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Daniel A. Adame, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-39.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Raleigh, North Carolina, woman pleaded guilty today to making false statements to Medicaid to obtain payments for services and benefits.

“The defendant abused her position as a licensed professional counselor to orchestrate a scheme involving the fraudulent submission of Medicaid claims for over 100 patients,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Working with our partner agencies, we will continue to investigate and prosecute those who attempt to defraud and manipulate the health care system for their own personal benefit.”

According to court documents, Connie Omari, 37, was a licensed professional counselor in both the Commonwealth of Virginia and North Carolina. Omari owned and operated a Norfolk-based company called Sacred Journey, Inc., a provider of partial hospitalization services to psychiatric patients at risk of full hospitalization, or patients transitioning from psychiatric hospitalization. Omari overbilled Medicaid by submitting false claims to Medicaid when no service was provided to any Medicaid recipient.

Court documents detail thirty-nine specific instances in January and February of 2017 when Omari billed Medicaid for services she purportedly provided to patients. In reality, Omari and her family were on a trip out of the country, and it was impossible for her to provide the services for which she billed. In total, from in or about September 2015 through June 2017, Omari submitted false claims to Medicaid for over 100 patients, causing Medicaid a loss in excess of $548,000.

Omari is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb 18, 2022. She faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen accepted the plea.

Significant assistance was provided by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Virginia Office of the Attorney General.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-113.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Ghanaian national was sentenced on Friday to 40 months in prison for wire fraud as part of his scheme to defraud victims on a dating website. 

“The defendant repeatedly and shamelessly defrauded a recently widowed victim through a variety of manipulative tactics, leaving her in financial ruins,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “As this case demonstrates, reporting these scams to law enforcement helps us uncover the fraud schemes and bring scammers, like this defendant, to justice.”

According to court documents, Richard Yaw Dorpe, 38, posed as a single, 57-year-old man from Virginia Beach on “OurTime,” an online dating website for people over 50 years old. Dorpe purported to be a jeweler who was traveling abroad to buy gold and other jewelry before returning home to Virginia Beach. Dorpe met victim E.F., who was a 68-year-old recent widow from Chesapeake, on the website and started an online romantic relationship. Between August 2016 and January 2017, through his romantic manipulations, Dorpe convinced E.F. to send clothes, jewelry, a computer, a watch, and over $300,000 to him. Eventually, E.F. realized she was a victim of a scam, and was contacted by the FBI.  

In January, Ghana approved the United States’ extradition request and the FBI brought Dorpe to the Eastern District of Virginia to face charges. Dorpe pleaded guilty to wire fraud in May.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

Valuable assistance concerning the extradition of Dorpe from Ghana to the United States was provided by Ghana’s Economic and Organized Crime Office, the Ghana Police Service, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the National Security Agency of Ghana, and the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Office of Ghana. Additional valuable assistance was provided by the FBI Legal Attaché Office, the DEA Country Liaison, the Regional Security Office, and staff at the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance in securing his extradition from Ghana.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Yusi prosecuted the case.

Combatting elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a key priority of the Department of Justice. Elder abuse is an intentional or negligent act by any person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to an older adult. It is a term used to describe five subtypes of elder abuse: physical abuse, financial fraud, scams and exploitation, caregiver neglect and abandonment, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Elder abuse is a serious crime against some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, affecting at least 10 percent of older Americans every year. Together with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners, the Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to combatting all forms of elder abuse and financial exploitation through enforcement actions, training and resources, research, victim services, and public awareness. This holistic and robust response demonstrates the Department’s unwavering dedication to fighting for justice for older Americans.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-53.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced on Thursday to nearly 20 years in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for receiving and possessing images of child sexual abuse.

“This defendant’s appalling conduct included his possession of over 30,000 images and over 3,000 videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The significant sentence imposed in this case sends a strong message of deterrence and a clear warning to those who are considering committing crimes that involve the continued victimization of children.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in July 2018, the FBI executed a search warrant at the residence of Bradley Jeffrey-Moe, 29 after an online undercover operation identified Jeffery-Moe as having made available dozens of images of child sexual abuse for download over various peer-to-peer networks. During the search, the FBI discovered five electronic devices which contained thousands of images of child sexual abuse, as well as digital records reflecting the use of peer-to-peer software to search for and download such images. During a Mirandized interview conducted by the FBI, Jeffery-Moe confessed that he had downloaded and viewed the images.

Jeffrey-Moe was sentenced to 236 months. He was previously convicted by a federal jury on November 13, 2020. According to forensic evidence presented at trial through expert testimony, a total of over 30,000 images and 3,000 videos of child pornography were recovered from the defendant’s electronic devices. 

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Mozzi and Michael Gill prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-165.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a California woman and Russian-born man on Friday on charges of conspiracy and obtaining U.S. citizenship by fraud.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Laura Gallagher, 32, a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, and Andrey Kalugin, 36, originally of Russia, conspired together to obtain lawful permanent residence and U.S. citizenship for Kalugin through his marriage to Gallagher. 

“The jury’s verdict holds these two defendants accountable for orchestrating a scheme to defraud the United States and obtain unlawful citizenship and passports,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Gallagher disregarded her responsibilities to the public as a federal government employee and licensed attorney when she engaged in this fraudulent scheme with Kalugin. Thanks to the dedication of the trial team and our partners at the State Department, these defendants have been brought to justice.”

Evidence presented at trial demonstrated that the defendants met in law school in 2013. Kalugin was in the United States on a student visa that was due to expire in July 2015. The defendants married in June 2015 and submitted applications for Kalugin to obtain his “green card.” The defendants moved from California to Virginia in March 2016, but split up soon thereafter. However, they continued with the immigration process.

“The Diplomatic Security Service is firmly committed to working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate allegations of crime related to naturalization fraud and to bring those who commit these crimes to justice,” said Jessica Moore, Chief of the Criminal Investigations Division of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. “When a Department employee in a position of trust is alleged to have committed a federal felony involving naturalization fraud by exploiting their status, we vigorously investigate claims of corruption.” 

Gallagher, who is also a California-licensed attorney, then prepared for Kalugin an application for 319(b) expeditious naturalization, which is a benefit available to spouses of citizens who are regularly stationed abroad for their employment. The defendants provided materially false responses in the application, including that Kalugin was still in a good-faith marriage and intended to reside with Gallagher abroad and return with her to the United States. Kalugin appeared for an interview on Feb. 5, 2018 with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in Fairfax, where he repeated the false statements to the adjudicating officer. After USCIS approved the application and he received his citizenship, Kalugin fraudulently obtained U.S. Diplomatic and tourist passports. Shortly thereafter, Gallagher filed for divorce.

Gallagher and Kalugin each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when sentenced on Feb. 4, 2022. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Kalugin additionally faces mandatory revocation of his U.S. citizenship. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jessica Moore, Chief of the Criminal Investigations Division of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis, III accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raizza K. Ty and Morris R. Parker, Jr. are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-43.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will commemorate the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001 with events reflecting on that tragic day, the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, and EDVA’s role in the prosecution of Zacarias Moussaoui, the only individual to date to have ever been convicted in a U.S. court in connection with the 9/11 attacks.

“As we approach the somber 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we will never forget the nearly 3,000 innocent lives that were lost, the countless individuals who suffered injuries or have experienced devastating effects from the aftermath of the attacks, and the families of victims and survivors who continue to endure unimaginable pain arising from the horrific events that day,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Our Office continues to reflect on the tragic events of 9/11, which have shaped us as Americans, as public servants, and as individuals. In addition to the loved ones that our staff members, families, and friends lost in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania on 9/11, as the attack on the Pentagon took place within EDVA, these tragedies are deeply personal for our community. In our sadness we also find the resolve to stand together against terror, hatred, and fear. We join with our neighbors in remembering those whom we lost, thanking those who responded to save lives, and honoring those who gave their last full measure of devotion following the attacks to protect and defend our country.”

EDVA’s history relating to 9/11 includes the prosecution of Zacarias Moussaoui, who remains the only individual to date to have ever been convicted in a U.S. court in connection with the September 11, 2001 attacks. As he admitted in an EDVA courtroom, Moussaoui knew of al Qaeda’s plan to fly airplanes into prominent buildings in the United States and he agreed to travel to the United States as a member of al Qaeda to participate in the terrorist operation. Moussaoui was arrested weeks before 9/11 on immigration charges after he engaged in suspicious behavior at a flight training school in Minnesota. At the time of his arrest, Moussaoui was in possession of knives, fighting gloves, and shin guards, along with flight manuals for the Boeing 747-400, a hand-held aviation radio, and other items. Moussaoui provided a series of false statements to federal agents to conceal his involvement in the plot and ensure his al Qaeda “brothers” could go forward with the operation. Moussaoui was sentenced on May 4, 2006 to life in prison without parole.

EDVA’s 9/11 20th anniversary commemoration will include the following events:

• On September 7, Acting U.S. Attorney Parekh will host a virtual fireside chat with Michael J. Morell, the former Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Mr. Morell served for 33 years in the CIA, worked for six different U.S. presidents, and is the only person who was both with President Bush on September 11, 2001 and with President Obama on May 1, 2011 when Osama bin Laden was brought to justice. Mr. Morell will discuss the period leading up to 9/11, share his eyewitness accounts on the day of the attacks, describe the U.S. Government’s response leading up to the Bin Laden operation, and reflect upon counterterrorism efforts since then and going forward.
   
• On September 9, Acting U.S. Attorney Parekh will host a virtual panel discussion titled, “Behind the Scenes of the Moussaoui Prosecution,” featuring U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema, who presided over the case; former Assistant U.S. Attorney Rob Spencer, EDVA’s lead prosecutor on the case; and Edward MacMahon, Moussaoui’s lead defense attorney. The participants will share stories from both inside and outside the courtroom and reflect on the historic nature of the case in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
   
• On September 10, EDVA will host an internal virtual remembrance program during which staff members district-wide will have the opportunity to voluntarily share their personal stories and recollections about 9/11, honor the memory of their loved ones, and describe the impact the tragedy had on their decision to enter or continue public service.
   
• On September 11, a team from EDVA will participate in the annual Arlington Police, Fire, Sheriff and Emergency Communications Center (ECC) 9/11 Memorial 5K Race. Members from all four of EDVA’s Divisions will participate in either the in-person event in Arlington, Virginia or virtually from other locations. The event raises funds for charities that focus on the healing of military personnel and civilians directly affected by the 9/11 attacks.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

NORFOLK, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging a Virginia Beach man with attempted production of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and access with intent to view child pornography.

According to court documents, Nathan Allen, Jr., 33, who was employed as a police officer by the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg and before that by the Hampton Police Department, allegedly attempted to produce child pornography using a minor on separate dates in 2019 and 2021, when she was then 11 and 12 years old. The indictment alleges that Allen received images of child sexual abuse material on various dates in the spring of 2021, and in May 2021 accessed child pornography on a cell phone.

Allen is charged with two counts of attempted production of child pornography, three counts of receipt of child pornography, and one count of access with intent to view of child pornography. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on the production charges, a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the receipt charges, and a maximum penalty of 20 years on the access with intent to view charge. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Gantt and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Heck are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-107.

An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Acting United States Attorney Raj Parekh, who is also one of the prosecutors on the case, issued the following statement on Alexanda Kotey’s guilty plea entered this evening in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia:

“Alexanda Kotey, an avowed member of ISIS, pleaded guilty today to all charges that were brought against him in the United States for his participation in a horrific hostage-taking scheme that resulted in the deaths of four U.S. citizens, as well as the deaths of British and Japanese nationals, in Syria. He has agreed to spend the rest of his life in prison.

“The four American victims in this case—James Wright Foley, Kayla Jean Mueller, Steven Joel Sotloff, and Peter Edward Kassig—were journalists and humanitarian aid workers, pillars of courage and kindness on the front lines of a perilous conflict. They risked their lives to shine a light on the darkest corners of the globe and to help others most in need. The values that they personified to the very end are the antithesis of those embodied by the terrorist organization that murdered them.

“Contrary to the propaganda perpetuated by ISIS, we have given Alexanda Kotey the opportunity to face justice. Kotey has been afforded due process and, in the face of overwhelming evidence, he made the independent decision to plead guilty to his crimes. The justice, fairness, and humanity that this defendant received in the United States stand in stark contrast to the cruelty, inhumanity, and indiscriminate violence touted by the terrorist organization he espoused.

“Today is also a painful anniversary. Seven years ago, the world was devastated by images depicting the death of Steven Sotloff. It is our hope that we can not only remember the heartbreaking loss of Steven, Kayla, Jim, Peter, and all of the other victims who suffered at the hands of the Islamic State, but also begin to bring a measure of comfort and healing for their loved ones.

“This case has always been focused on the victims and their families. Their resilience, courage, and perseverance have ensured that terror will never have the last word. Today, through the voices and lives of the victims, Justice spoke, and it is those words that will resonate through history.”

A militant fighter for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a foreign terrorist organization, pleaded guilty today to all charges that were pending against him in the United States relating to his participation in a brutal hostage-taking scheme that resulted in the deaths of four American citizens, as well as the deaths of British and Japanese nationals, in Syria.

According to court records, from in or around November 2012 through on or about Feb. 7, 2015, former British citizen Alexanda Amon Kotey, 37, served as an ISIS fighter and participated in the captivity of American and European hostages in Syria. Kotey specifically participated in the seizure, detention and hostage negotiations for four American citizens – James Wright Foley, Kayla Jean Mueller, Steven Joel Sotloff and Peter Edward Kassig – each of whom died as hostages in ISIS custody. In addition, Kotey participated in hostage operations involving British, Italian, Danish and German nationals, among others.

“This guilty plea ensures that Kotey will spend the rest of his life in prison for the horrific crimes he has committed,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Lesko for the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Although there remains much work to be done in this case, we hope today’s events provide some measure of justice for Kotey’s victims and their families as they continue to grieve the loss of their loved ones. I want to thank all of the agents, analysts and prosecutors who worked tirelessly on this investigation and prosecution – their efforts are proof that the National Security Division and our partners will not rest in our commitment to hold accountable terrorists who target and attack U.S. citizens anywhere in the world.”

“This case has always been focused on the victims and their families,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Their resilience, courage, and perseverance have ensured that terror will never have the last word. The justice, fairness, and humanity that this defendant received in the United States stand in stark contrast to the cruelty, inhumanity, and indiscriminate violence touted by the terrorist organization he espoused. Today, through the voices and lives of the victims, Justice spoke, and it is those words that will resonate through history.”

“Years ago, Alexanda Kotey’s actions played out on the world stage, and those brutal crimes against Americans James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller, as well as two British and two Japanese hostages are forever burned into the eyes of the American people,” said Assistant Director Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “This guilty plea will not lessen the suffering of those affected by his cruelty, but I hope it reminds the world of the FBI’s unwavering dedication to finding and prosecuting all individuals who inflict harm on U.S. citizens, no matter their location.”

“Today we take a moment to remember all of the victims who perished at the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in Syria, and our thoughts are especially with the Sotloff, Kassig, Foley and Mueller families,” said Executive Assistant Director Jill Sanborn of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “Alexanda Kotey’s admission of guilt does not lessen the pain suffered by these families and others whose loved ones were taken from them by this heinous terror group, but we hope that this announcement will bring them closer to the justice that they deserve. I am proud of the unwavering dedication and tireless efforts of the men and women of the FBI and all of our partners – both domestic and international – to see justice served for these acts of terrorism.”

According to court records, Kotey and two other ISIS members supervised the terrorist organization’s jails and detention facilities at which the hostages were held and were responsible for transferring hostages between detention facilities. Kotey and his co-conspirators engaged in a prolonged pattern of physical and psychological violence against hostages that was meant as an effort to control the hostages. These actions were also intended to compel the victims’ family members and the U.S. government to pay large monetary ransoms for their release, in addition to compelling the U.S. government to agree to other terms and conditions for the victims’ return.

In addition to physically and psychologically abusing the hostages, Kotey and his co-conspirators participated in forcibly exposing the hostages to the murder of other hostages held by ISIS, including a Russian hostage who was killed in or about February 2014 and a Syrian prisoner who was executed on or about April 25, 2014. After a group of European hostages were forced to witness the execution of the Syrian prisoner, Kotey and his co-conspirators returned the hostages to the prison where they were being held with American and British hostages.

From August 2014 through October 2014, ISIS released videos depicting the beheadings of James Foley, Steven Sotloff and British citizens David Haines and Alan Henning. In November 2014, ISIS released a video depicting the decapitated head of Peter Kassig. In January 2015, ISIS released videos depicting the decapitated body of Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa and the beheading of Japanese citizen Kenji Goto. On or about Feb. 7, 2015, Kayla Mueller’s family received an email from ISIS fighters confirming Mueller’s death in Syria.

Kotey was part of a group of four ISIS members who spoke with British accents and were referred to by the hostages as the “Beatles.” Kotey and alleged co-conspirator El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, whose case remains pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, were captured together in January 2018 by the Syrian Democratic Forces as they attempted to escape Syria for Turkey. Mohamed Emwazi, who conducted the videotaped beheadings referenced above, was killed in November 2015 in a U.S. military airstrike in Syria.

Kotey pleaded guilty to all of the offenses charged in the eight-count indictment, consisting of one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking resulting in death; four counts of hostage taking resulting in the deaths of the four Americans (James Wright Foley, Kayla Jean Mueller, Steven Joel Sotloff and Peter Edward Kassig); one count of conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens outside of the United States; one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists resulting in the deaths of U.S., British and Japanese nationals; and one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in the deaths of U.S., British and Japanese nationals.

Kotey faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2022 by Senior U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis, III.

The plea agreement entered in the case ensures that the defendant will serve the rest of his life in prison. Per the agreement, after 15 years of the defendant’s imprisonment in the United States, if the defendant has complied with all terms of the plea agreement and requests a transfer to the United Kingdom, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia has agreed to take all reasonable measures under the law to support the transfer of Kotey to the United Kingdom. As part of the plea agreement, Kotey has agreed that, prior to any such transfer, he would plead guilty in a U.K. prosecution, accept responsibility for relevant violations of U.K. law, and face a sentence in the U.K. of life in prison without parole – a sentence which he has agreed would be a fair and proper punishment. If the actual sentence he serves in the U.K. is less than life for any reason, Kotey has agreed to serve the remainder of his U.S.-imposed life sentence in the U.K., if that is legally available, or to be transferred back to the United States to serve the remainder of his sentence.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and Kotey understand and agree that – even if all of the necessary preconditions are met – the acceptance of any such requested transfer would be subject to the discretion of the United Kingdom. As indicated in the plea agreement, should the U.K. government deny any such requested transfer, Kotey will serve his mandatory life sentence in the United States. 

The Department of Justice expresses its profound appreciation to our many foreign partners for their dedicated commitment to assist the United States in seeking justice for all the victims of these crimes.

This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis M. Fitzpatrick, Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Gibbs and Aidan Taft Grano-Mickelson, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorney Alicia H. Cook of the National Security Division‘s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided invaluable assistance.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A militant fighter for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a foreign terrorist organization, pleaded guilty today to all charges that were brought against him in the United States relating to his participation in a brutal hostage-taking scheme that resulted in the deaths of four American citizens, as well as the deaths of British and Japanese nationals, in Syria.

According to court records, from in or around November 2012 through on or about February 7, 2015, former British citizen Alexanda Amon Kotey, 37, served as an ISIS fighter and participated in the captivity of American and European hostages in Syria. Kotey specifically participated in the seizure, detention, and hostage negotiations for four American citizens – James Wright Foley, Kayla Jean Mueller, Steven Joel Sotloff, and Peter Edward Kassig – each of whom died as hostages in ISIS custody. In addition, Kotey participated in hostage operations involving British, Italian, Danish, and German nationals, among others.

“This case has always been focused on the victims and their families,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Their resilience, courage, and perseverance have ensured that terror will never have the last word. The justice, fairness, and humanity that this defendant received in the United States stand in stark contrast to the cruelty, inhumanity, and indiscriminate violence touted by the terrorist organization he espoused. Today, through the voices and lives of the victims, Justice spoke, and it is those words that will resonate through history.”

“This guilty plea ensures that Kotey will spend the rest of his life in prison for the horrific crimes he has committed,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Lesko for the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Although there remains much work to be done in this case, we hope today’s events provide some measure of justice for Kotey’s victims and their families as they continue to grieve the loss of their loved ones. I want to thank all of the agents, analysts and prosecutors who worked tirelessly on this investigation and prosecution – their efforts are proof that the National Security Division and our partners will not rest in our commitment to hold accountable terrorists who target and attack U.S. citizens anywhere in the world.”

“Years ago, Alexanda Kotey’s actions played out on the world stage, and those brutal crimes against Americans James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig, and Kayla Mueller, as well as two British and two Japanese hostages are forever burned into the eyes of the American people,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “This guilty plea will not lessen the suffering of those affected by his cruelty, but I hope it reminds the world of the FBI’s unwavering dedication to finding and prosecuting all individuals who inflict harm on U.S. citizens, no matter their location.”

According to court records, Kotey and two other ISIS members supervised the terrorist organization’s jails and detention facilities at which the hostages were held and were responsible for transferring hostages between detention facilities. Kotey and his co-conspirators engaged in a prolonged pattern of physical and psychological violence against hostages that was meant as an effort to control the hostages. These actions were also intended to compel the victims’ family members and the U.S. government to pay large monetary ransoms for their release, in addition to compelling the U.S. government to agree to other terms and conditions for the victims’ return.

In addition to physically and psychologically abusing the hostages, Kotey and his co-conspirators participated in forcibly exposing the hostages to the murder of other hostages held by ISIS, including a Russian hostage who was killed in or about February 2014 and a Syrian prisoner who was executed on or about April 25, 2014. After a group of European hostages were forced to witness the execution of the Syrian prisoner, Kotey and his co-conspirators returned the hostages to the prison where they were being held with American and British hostages.

From August 2014 through October 2014, ISIS released videos depicting the beheadings of James Foley, Steven Sotloff, and British citizens David Haines and Alan Henning. In November 2014, ISIS released a video depicting the decapitated head of Peter Kassig. In January 2015, ISIS released videos depicting the decapitated body of Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa and the beheading of Japanese citizen Kenji Goto. On or about February 7, 2015, Kayla Mueller’s family received an email from ISIS fighters confirming Mueller’s death in Syria.

Kotey was part of a group of four ISIS members who spoke with British accents and were referred to by the hostages as the “Beatles.” Kotey and alleged co-conspirator El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, whose case remains pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, were captured together in January 2018 by the Syrian Democratic Forces as they attempted to escape Syria for Turkey. Mohamed Emwazi, who conducted the videotaped beheadings referenced above, was killed in November 2015 in a U.S. military airstrike in Syria.

Kotey pleaded guilty to all of the offenses charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in the eight-count indictment, consisting of one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking resulting in death; four counts of hostage taking resulting in the deaths of the four Americans (James Wright Foley, Kayla Jean Mueller, Steven Joel Sotloff, and Peter Edward Kassig); one count of conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens outside of the United States; one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists resulting in the deaths of U.S., British, and Japanese nationals; and one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in the deaths of U.S., British, and Japanese nationals.

Kotey faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 22, 2022 by Senior U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis, III.

The plea agreement entered in the case ensures that the defendant will serve the rest of his life in prison. Per the agreement, after 15 years of the defendant’s imprisonment in the United States, if the defendant has complied with all terms of the plea agreement and requests a transfer to the United Kingdom, the U.S. Attorney‘s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia has agreed to take all reasonable measures under the law to seek the transfer of Kotey to the United Kingdom. As part of the plea agreement, Kotey has agreed that, prior to any such transfer, he would plead guilty in a U.K. prosecution, accept responsibility for relevant violations of U.K. law, and face a sentence in the U.K. of life in prison without parole – a sentence which he has agreed would be a fair and proper punishment. If the actual sentence he serves in the U.K. is less than life for any reason, Kotey has agreed to serve the remainder of his U.S.-imposed life sentence in the U.K., if that is legally available, or to be transferred back to the United States to serve the remainder of his sentence. Pursuant to the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and Kotey understand and agree that – even if all of the necessary preconditions are met – the acceptance of any such requested transfer would be subject to the sole discretion of the United Kingdom. As indicated in the plea agreement, should the U.K. government deny any such requested transfer, Kotey will serve his mandatory life sentence in the United States. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia expresses its profound appreciation to our many foreign partners for their dedicated commitment to assist the United States in seeking justice for all the victims of these crimes.

This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis M. Fitzpatrick; Acting United States Attorney Raj Parekh; and Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Gibbs and Aidan Taft Grano-Mickelson, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Trial Attorney Alicia H. Cook of the Justice Department are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-239.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), announced today new district-wide Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) initiatives, to include federal prosecutors specifically assigned to coordinate PSN efforts in each of the district’s four geographic Divisions, as part of the district’s ongoing violent crime reduction efforts. The coordinators will work with local, state, and federal partners to help devise and execute enforcement strategies; prioritize community outreach and engagement; support community violence intervention strategies; and measure the effectiveness of these collective efforts. This new initiative arises from the Justice Department’s recently announced Comprehensive Strategy to Reduce Violent Crime.

“Violent crime impacts our communities at the neighborhood level, which is where we are focusing our efforts. We are collaborating closely with our local, state, and federal partners on violence prevention and building trust in the communities we serve,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh. “Together, we are dedicated to protecting our community members, disrupting the organizations behind violent crime and gun trafficking, and pioneering new strategies to help reduce violent crime throughout our district.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has appointed eight seasoned federal prosecutors to help coordinate EDVA’s violent crime reduction efforts under the PSN program. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. To cover the district, each of EDVA’s four Divisions in Alexandria, Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News have two designated PSN Division Representatives. They, in turn, will work with the district’s team of over 40 experienced Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) and Special AUSAs (SAUSAs), who focus on prosecuting violent crime, firearms trafficking, and related cases that are prioritized under the enforcement component of the PSN program. These prosecutors will coordinate with EDVA’s law enforcement and community partners to prevent and disrupt violent crime and prosecute the most violent offenders and dangerous criminal organizations in our communities.

Consistent with the Department’s comprehensive strategy, EDVA’s PSN team will work with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to identify and focus on the most significant drivers of violent crime in all four Divisions. As part of these enhanced PSN efforts, EDVA will also collaborate with state, local, non-governmental, and community partners that are awarded U.S. Department of Justice grants to combat violent crime, strengthen community-based prevention and intervention efforts, and assess the effectiveness of these steps.

EDVA and its PSN partners are also working with the Justice Department’s newly launched cross-jurisdictional strike forces to help reduce gun violence. These efforts are part of a long-term, coordinated, multi-jurisdictional strategy to disrupt the flow of illegally trafficked firearms. The strike forces are being deployed in five metropolitan areas across the country that the Department has identified as key illegal-firearm markets based on years of firearms trace data compiled and analyzed by ATF as well as gun-trafficking intelligence. Leveraging existing resources, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area strike force, of which EDVA is a member, will complement EDVA’s PSN initiatives by disrupting trafficking networks from the areas where guns originate to the places where they are used to commit violent crimes.

On May 26, 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN so that it is built on newly articulated core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results of our efforts. The Department expressly underscores that the fundamental goal of this work is to reduce violent crime in the places we call home, not to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions as if they were ends in themselves.

EDVA is also increasing its engagement with community partners under the PSN program, including participating in local offender re-entry efforts, such as the Greater Prince William Re-entry Council, in their ongoing work to help returning citizens successfully reintegrate into society following incarceration. Another major facet of PSN is raising awareness by engaging youth through education. Programs, such as “Silent No More,” are being introduced at schools in the Eastern District of Virginia to educate students and parents about the threat of opioids and other dangerous substances, as well as connecting law enforcement with parents, medical professionals, and educators for life-saving conversations. Additionally, through EDVA’s community-based educational outreach and prevention program known as “UnMasked,” the district is dedicated to raising awareness about the prevalence of online sexual exploitation involving children and young adults.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Portsmouth woman was sentenced today to 9.5 years in prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to defraud veterans.

“What is most egregious about the defendant’s conduct is that she used her own status as a former veteran to defraud and take advantage of other veterans,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. “The sentence imposed in this case reflects the serious nature of these fraud schemes and the potential consequences that those who victimize veterans, who have sacrificed so much for our country, could face in the Eastern District of Virginia.”

According to court documents, Rita Copeland, 59, operated an entity known as “Veteran Services of the Commonwealth.” From 2016 through 2020, Copeland purported to provide caregiving, contracting, and rental assistance services to various veterans. Copeland caused a number of victims to apply for Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grants through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Such grant payments are to be used for certain designated improvements to the residences of veterans. Copeland failed to perform all of the promised work and used a portion of these payments to her own benefit, contrary to the designated purposes of the funds.

Copeland also diverted the income and retirement fund payments of another veteran to a bank account that she had opened. In addition, Copeland fraudulently obtained and diverted loan funds and used the credit and debit cards of this elderly victim. Finally, Copeland engaged in a rental fraud scheme, purporting to link veterans and others with landlords, but then diverted rental and security deposit payments to her own benefit. In total, from at least 2017-2020, Copeland’s fraud schemes impacted at least 29 victims, resulting in a combined loss of approximately $430,000.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Michael J. Missal, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Samuels prosecuted the case.

Combatting elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a key priority of the Department of Justice. Elder abuse is an intentional or negligent act by any person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to an older adult. It is a term used to describe five subtypes of elder abuse: physical abuse, financial fraud, scams and exploitation, caregiver neglect and abandonment, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Elder abuse is a serious crime against some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, affecting at least 10 percent of older Americans every year. Together with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners, the Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to combatting all forms of elder abuse and financial exploitation through enforcement actions, training and resources, research, victim services, and public awareness. This holistic and robust response demonstrates the Department’s unwavering dedication to fighting for justice for older Americans.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:20-cr-63.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced today to over 14.5 years in prison for his role in a violent armed robbery of a Sprint Store in Colonial Heights.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on the afternoon of January 7, 2019, Ronnell Kareen Levon Johnson, 28, and his co-conspirator, Tajh Rodgers, 32, of Norfolk, traveled from the Norfolk area to Colonial Heights to commit an armed robbery of a Sprint Store. During the robbery, Rodgers brandished a loaded .40 caliber Ruger semi-automatic pistol and forced two employees into a back room of the store, where he let Johnson in through the back entrance. Johnson entered the store and started gathering Sprint Store merchandise into a bag.

Johnson and Rodgers then held the employees hostage in the back room, and attempted to tie up both victims while they completed the robbery. Due to a time-delay lock on the store’s safe, the defendants had to wait approximately 20 minutes for the safe to open. During that time, two separate customers entered the front of the store. Rodgers let one of the employees assist each customer, along with a warning that the employee would be killed if he tried to alert anyone about the crime. The employee followed those instructions and the final customer left without incident. Minutes after the second customer departed, the time-delay lock on the safe opened, allowing Johnson and Rodgers to steal dozens of cellular telephones and other store merchandise valued at approximately $25,000.

During a court-authorized search of Rodgers’s residence, officers recovered the loaded .40 caliber Ruger semi-automatic pistol used in the robbery, various stolen Sprint Store items, and other evidence. Using toll records and cellular tower data, law enforcement later identified Johnson as Rodgers’s co-conspirator in the armed robbery based on Johnson’s travel to and from the Colonial Heights Sprint Store on January 7, 2019, along with other evidence.

Johnson was sentenced today to 175 months in prison. On May 28, a federal jury in Richmond convicted Johnson on one count of robbery affecting commerce. Rodgers pleaded guilty on October 22, 2019 to the Colonial Heights armed robbery as well as three charges of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Rodgers was sentenced to 28 years imprisonment on January 9, 2020 for his role in the armed robbery and other unrelated criminal conduct.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of Virginia State Police; and Colonel Jeffrey W. Faries, Chief of Colonial Heights Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth R. Simon, Jr. and Michael Gill prosecuted the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:20-cr-133.

A federal jury in the Eastern District of Virginia convicted a Virginia man yesterday for possession of child pornography.  

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, James B. Clawson Sr., 58, of Alexandria, was previously convicted of distribution of child pornography after law enforcement learned that he was serving as an administrator of an online forum dedicated to trafficking in child sexual abuse material. In 2019, while Clawson was serving a term of federal supervised release in connection with this conviction, a U.S. probation officer discovered that he was concealing a laptop computer and multiple thumb drives in his home. Clawson told the probation officer that he had built a hidden compartment in a shelving unit in his closet to conceal the devices because he did not want to have his internet activity monitored.

“James Clawson is a repeat child sex offender who has demonstrated that he cannot and will not be deterred from downloading images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The department is committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure that child sex offenders like Clawson will be held accountable for their crimes.”  

“The evidence at trial demonstrated that the defendant’s prior conviction for distributing child pornography unfortunately did not deter him from continuing to seek out such heartbreaking and illegal images,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Thanks to the diligent efforts of the trial team and our law enforcement partners, the defendant has been held accountable for his recidivist conduct by a jury of his peers.”

“Child exploitation sites present a grave danger to children and unprecedented challenges to the world’s law enforcement agencies,” said Assistant Director Calvin Shivers of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “Today’s verdict demonstrates the FBI’s ongoing commitment to pursue individuals engaging in child exploitation offenses and secure justice for children that are victimized by this egregious conduct.”

“Recidivism is a real problem among convicted sex offenders,” said Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “As this jury verdict shows, the FBI is committed to bringing individuals like Clawson – who continued to exploit children even after they have been caught once – to justice no matter what it takes. The safety of our children is a priority for the FBI, and we will stop at nothing to protect them.”

Evidence presented at trial established that Clawson used the laptop to search for and repeatedly download from the internet images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and then stored those images on one of his thumb drives. The evidence further established that Clawson sorted these child sexual abuse images on his thumb drive and assigned them files names based on the specific sexually explicit conduct they depicted. 

Clawson was convicted of possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 1 and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case, with significant assistance from the High Technology Investigative Unit of the Justice Department Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).

Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of CEOS and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth M. Schlessinger of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted an Alexandria man today on charges of possessing child pornography.

“The evidence at trial demonstrated that the defendant’s prior conviction for distributing child pornography unfortunately did not deter him from continuing to seek out such heartbreaking and illegal images,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Thanks to the diligent efforts of the trial team and our law enforcement partners, the defendant has been held accountable for his recidivist conduct by a jury of his peers.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, James B. Clawson, Sr., 58, was previously convicted of distribution of child pornography in 2009 after law enforcement learned that he was serving as an administrator of an online forum dedicated to trafficking child sexual abuse material. In July 2019, while Clawson was completing a term of federal supervised release in connection with his conviction, a U.S. probation officer discovered that Clawson had been hiding a laptop computer and multiple thumb drives in a hidden compartment in a shelving unity in his home.

Evidence presented at trial established that Clawson used the laptop to search for and repeatedly download from the internet images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and then stored those images on one of his thumb drives. The evidence further established that Clawson sorted these child sexual abuse images on his thumb drive and assigned them files names based on the specific sexually explicit conduct they depicted. 

Clawson was convicted of possession of child pornography. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison when sentenced on December 1, 2021. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth A. Polite Jr., Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Robert E. Bornstein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston, Jr. accepted the verdict.

The FBI investigated the case, with significant assistance from the High Technology Investigative Unit (HTIU) of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Schlessinger and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William G. Clayman are prosecuting the case.

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-119

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Reston man was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to create counterfeit Economic Impact Payments, also known as COVID-19 stimulus checks, and for attempting to conduct a series of fraudulent financial transactions.

“The defendant’s extensive fraud scheme involved the unlawful acquisition of personal identification information belonging to over 150 individuals,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “In addition to causing financial harm to the individuals from whom he stole checks and credit cards, the defendant’s sweeping criminal conduct also inflicted emotional harm and distress to his identity theft victims. As this case demonstrates, we are determined to hold accountable those who seek to illegally enrich themselves by defrauding and stealing from our residents.”   

According to court documents, between approximately December 2019 and August 2020, Jonathan Drew, 39, stole U.S. mail addressed to more than 150 individuals in Fairfax and Loudoun counties. The mail Drew stole included bank statements, credit cards, credit card statements, W-2 forms, and more than $700,000 in checks, including a COVID-19 stimulus payment and checks Drew used to create counterfeit checks.

According to court documents, Drew used the stolen stimulus check to create counterfeit stimulus checks ranging from $1,200 to $2,400, and he negotiated his own authentically issued stimulus check twice. Drew also used the personally identifiable information of several individuals without authorization to lease an apartment; open bank accounts; and attempt to conduct fraudulent transactions through counterfeit checks, forged checks, unauthorized use of credit cards, and wire transfers.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; Daniel A. Adame, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police; and Michael L. Chapman, Loudoun County Sheriff, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Olivia Zhu and Roberta O. Roberts, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell L. Carlberg prosecuted the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-71.

NORFOLK, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Chesapeake man yesterday on charges of attempted receipt of child pornography and access with intent to view child pornography.

“The jury’s verdict holds the defendant accountable for his inexplicable decision to engage in this serious conduct while on supervised release and notwithstanding his prior federal conviction involving the receipt of child pornography,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Our Office expresses its gratitude to the trial team and the FBI for their thorough investigative efforts, which helped secure this conviction.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, in 2011 in the Eastern District of Virginia, Curtis Culbertson, 63, pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography and was sentenced to 90 months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release. While on supervised release in 2017, Culbertson began living and working in Chesapeake. Within days of starting his job, Culbertson began using an unmonitored work computer to search for and access with intent to view child sexual abuse material.

Culbertson faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison when sentenced on January 6, 2022. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Yusi and Megan Montoya are prosecuting the case.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Norfolk Child Exploitation Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents and detectives from the Chesapeake Police Department, Hampton Police Division, and Newport News Police Department. Assistance in this matter was also provided by federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children. Tips regarding child exploitation can be provided to the task force at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-97.

NORFOLK, Va. – A federal jury convicted a former Norfolk City Sheriff today on eleven counts, including conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud, honest services mail fraud, conspiracy to obtain property under color of official right, obtaining property under color of official right, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

“As the evidence at trial demonstrated, former Sheriff McCabe brazenly abused his position of power as an elected official and accepted bribes to enrich himself in exchange for granting city contracts,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The jury’s guilty verdict on all counts sends a strong message that government officials who corrupt their oaths and betray the community’s trust will be held accountable in the Eastern District of Virginia. We are deeply grateful to trial team, our law enforcement partners, and the witnesses who came forward to help bring this defendant to justice on behalf of the citizens of Norfolk.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Robert James McCabe, 63, who currently resides in West Palm Beach, Florida, engaged in illicit quid pro quo relationships with vendors while McCabe served as the Sheriff of the City of Norfolk.

Evidence presented at trial showed that, from 1994 through 2016, vendors provided McCabe with cash, travel, entertainment, gift cards, catering, personal gifts, and campaign contributions, in exchange for official actions that favored the vendors and their contracts with the Norfolk City Jail. These favorable actions included changing the terms of the contracts to favor certain companies, granting extensions and renewals, and providing inside bidding information. In exchange, ABL Management, Inc., the company that provided food services for the Norfolk City Jail, regularly provided free catering at the defendant’s home, for his annual golf tournaments, and for other political events. ABL’s former CEO also gave the defendant free trips – including a trip to the 2004 BCS National Championship game in Louisiana – and a ride in a glass-bottomed helicopter in San Francisco.

Evidence further demonstrated that the defendant met with one vendor at a hotel in Philadelphia where he received $6,000 in cash, which he described during his testimony at trial as a “loan.” However, the defendant never executed any loan documents, never made any payments on this “loan,” and never disclosed the existence of this “loan” on his Statement of Economic Interest forms. Evidence presented at trial also showed that, despite receiving a multitude of gifts from these vendors, the defendant never disclosed any of these items in his required campaign disclosures.

“Robert McCabe betrayed his oath to the citizens of Norfolk out of greed and self-interest. Instead of living up to his promise to serve the community, he abused his official position to serve himself,” said Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. “There is no place in public service for this kind of self-dealing, and this case demonstrates the FBI’s continued commitment to rooting out and exposing public corruption.”

“Elected officials should be the standard bearers for the rule of law and be the model of integrity to their constituency. McCabe was neither. Instead, he used his position of public trust for personal enrichment,” said Darrell J. Waldon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS-CI Washington DC Field Office. “We will continue to dedicate resources to investigate crimes of this nature to ensure those who exploit their powers are held accountable.”

McCabe faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count when sentenced on January 21, 2022. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Darrell J. Waldon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Investigations Unit of the Internal Revenue Service, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa E. O’Boyle, Randy C. Stoker, and Anthony Mozzi are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-171.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Inverness, Florida, man was sentenced today to three years in prison for selling hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription drug pills through the Internet.

“By selling counterfeit drugs through the Darknet, the defendant recklessly endangered the community and placed his own personal gain over the health and safety of the public,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Working closely with our partners through the Hi-Tech Opioid Task Force, EDVA will continue to investigate, prosecute, and hold accountable those who contribute to the proliferation of illegal pharmaceuticals on dark web marketplaces.”      

According to court documents, from at least April 2019 until October 2020, Benjamin Burdick, 55, sold at least 249,700 counterfeit Xanax pills through online hidden marketplaces. From his residence in Florida, Burdick used a pill press to manufacture pills that he stamped with the letters ‘Xanax.’ The pills that Burdick created did not contain just alprazolam, which genuine Xanax contains, but also contained substances such as flualprazolam, etizolam, adinazolam, and microcrystalline cellulose.

“The FBI works every day with our law enforcement partners to stop the sale of illegal drugs on the Dark Web. These drugs are not only illegal but can be extremely dangerous because these drug dealers are not selling the drugs they claim to be. The counterfeit pills that Burdick was selling online could have deadly consequences in our communities across the country,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Bornstein of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “The FBI Washington Field Office’s Hi-Tech Opioid Task Force is charged with identifying and investigating the most egregious Dark Web marketplaces, and the vendors operating on the marketplaces who are engaged in the illegal acquisition and distribution of controlled substances, to include fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other opioids.”

“Selling counterfeit prescription drugs in the U.S. marketplace puts consumers’ health at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark S. McCormack of the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office. “The FDA remains fully committed to disrupting and dismantling illegal prescription drug distribution networks that place profits ahead of public health and safety.”

“Whenever someone uses the U.S. Mail to send anything that is counterfeit, illegal or potentially dangerous, Postal Inspectors will find them and bring them to justice,” said Daniel A. Adame, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “Together with our partners at the Hi-Tech Opioid Task Force we continue to investigate those who misuse the mail in furtherance of their criminal activity. We remain committed to keeping the mail safe for our customers and our employees.”

Between June 2019 and August 2020, undercover federal agents purchased multiple packages of counterfeit pills from Burdick. When his home was searched pursuant to a federal search warrant in October 2020, agents recovered 16,000 counterfeit pills, a pill press, and almost $150,000 in cash. Law enforcement also discovered six firearms and miscellaneous ammunition in Burdick’s residence. 

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Robert E. Bornstein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Daniel A. Adame, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Mark S. McCormack, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Metro Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander P. Berrang and Jay V. Prabhu and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karolina Klyuchnikova prosecuted the case. Trial Attorney Josh Rothman and Senior Litigation Counsel Linda Marks of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch provided significant assistance on this case.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Hi-Tech Opioid Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents and task force partners, including special agents and officers of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, DEA, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and detectives from local assisting police agencies. The task force is charged with identifying and investigating the most egregious Dark Web marketplaces, and the vendors operating on the marketplaces who are engaged in the illegal acquisition and distribution of controlled substances, to include fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other opioids.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-47.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Owings Mills, Maryland man was sentenced today to 40 months in prison for wire fraud and identity theft in connection with a fraudulent investment scheme worth approximately $1.26 million.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Manish Singh, 48, entered into an agreement in 2016 with a married couple to create a business that would design and sell high-end fabrics. The couple was to provide the capital for the business, and Singh was to contribute his expertise and contacts in the fabric industry.

Singh represented to the victim investors that their money was being used for numerous expenses related to the business, such as the manufacture of fabric in India. In reality, Singh was using the victims’ money almost entirely for personal expenses, mostly to view live pornography online. Based on Singh’s misrepresentations, the victims gave him approximately $1.26 million for the fraudulent joint business venture.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Robert E. Bornstein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis III.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Grace L. Hill and Heidi B. Gesch prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-59.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton-based U.S. defense contractor, its owner, and four of its employees were sentenced yesterday and today. The owner was sentenced to 58 months in prison, and his four employees were sentenced today to a combined 93 months years in prison, for engaging in an extensive procurement fraud scheme involving more than $7 million in government contracts targeting the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal government agencies.

“The defendants’ egregious scheme caused the U.S. government to spend over $7 million on fraudulently imported goods. These funds were intended for deserving beneficiaries, including American workers, service-disabled veterans, and authorized trading partners,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This prosecution demonstrates our firm commitment to holding accountable those who defraud our military and brazenly disregard laws that are designed to protect the strength of our country’s infrastructure and manufacturing base.”

According to court documents, from 2011 to 2018, Iris Kim, Inc., (aka “I-Tek”) owner Beyung S. Kim, 62, of Newport News, and employees Seung Kim, 31, of Newport News; Dongjin Park, 54, of Yorktown; Chang You, 62, of Yorktown; Pyongkon Pak, 53, of Toano; and Li-Ling Tu, 58, of China, engaged in a conspiracy and scheme related to certain government contracts for which I-Tek acted as a supplier of goods, including items for the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army, U.S. Coast Guard, and the National Guards of various states, among other agencies.

The defendants obtained government contracts that had certain set-aside preferences and source-of-good requirements. The conspirators acted to defraud the U.S. and commit other substantive offenses by fraudulently importing goods into the U.S. that were made in China in violation of the terms of these contracts. They then falsely relabeled these goods as if they were made in the U.S. Kim and his employees also acted through a separate nominee company to conceal the importing of goods from China and installed a nominee officer of I-Tek in order to be able to fraudulently qualify for contracts set aside for service-disabled veterans. The conspirators also submitted false documents and further falsely classified the value of the goods imported into the U.S. to avoid higher duties and taxes.

“The defendants deserve to be held fully accountable for this reprehensible scheme to knowingly and deceptively source illicit Chinese goods to fulfill Department of Defense contracts,” said Eric Maddox, Special Agent in Charge of the NCIS Economic Crimes Field Office. “This scheme threatened the readiness and safety of our nation’s warfighters, defrauded the American taxpayer, damaged the integrity of the Department of the Navy procurement process, and squandered valuable investigative resources that could have been directed elsewhere. NCIS will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively root out those who seek to defraud the Navy and Marine Corps.”

“For years, the Iris Kim, Inc., corporation defrauded the U.S. government out of millions of dollars and violated its contract by attempting to use substandard goods made in China, then relabeling them as 'Made in the U.S.A.' in order to make a hefty profit,” said Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “Thanks to the multi-agency investigative work uncovering this procurement fraud scheme, those involved will now face the consequences of their crimes.”

“These sentencings demonstrate the resolve of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and its law enforcement partners in protecting the safety and readiness of our military,” said Christopher Dillard, Special Agent in Charge of the DCIS Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “DCIS and its partners will vigorously pursue those who put our warfighters at risk by introducing substandard products into the DoD supply chain.”

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; Chris Dillard, Special Agent in Charge for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and Eric Maddox, Special Agent in Charge of the NCIS Economic Crimes Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak.  Significant assistance was provided by the Defense Contract Audit Agency.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Samuels and D. Mack Coleman, and Trial Attorney Matthew P. Mattis of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:20-cr-47.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Virginia man was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for his role in an investment fraud scheme in which he and his co-conspirators stole approximately $5.7 million from victim investors.

According to court documents, James Leonard Smith, 65, of Midlothian, was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering on October 30, 2020, after a four-day trial.

According to the evidence presented at trial, from around 2014 to 2017, Smith participated in a worldwide scheme through Chimera Group Ltd., a purported investment company based out of the United Kingdom. The fraud operated as an advance-fee scheme in which the defendants acted as promoters who promised to pay the victims a sum of money at a later date in exchange for an up-front payment. Among other misrepresentations, Smith and his co-conspirators told potential victims that their principal payments would be protected based on letters of credit and other documents that purported to be from a large financial institution. However, these documents were fabricated, sometimes with the assistance of Smith himself. The evidence also showed that Smith and his co-conspirators used escrow attorneys, who were themselves part of the scheme, in order to give victims the impression that their money would remain secure until the defendants’ promises had been kept. Smith and his co-conspirators stole at least $5.7 million from their victims.

Co-conspirator Stuart Jay Anderson, 54, of Aliso Viejo, California, an escrow attorney involved in the scheme, was sentenced to four years in prison on December 3, 2020. Co-defendant James Michael Johnson, 70, of Richmond, was sentenced to more than eight years in prison on March 5. Co-defendant Brian Michael Bridge, 48, of London, England, a fugitive, was also charged in the superseding indictment and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh of the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group; and Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, FBI’s Richmond Field Office, and the Virginia State Corporation Commission investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Moore and Trial Attorneys Vasanth Sridharan and Christopher Jackson of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 3:19-cr-117 and 3:19-cr-178.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced today to 45 months in prison for mail fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents, from July 2016 to December 2019, Lamont Godfrey, 43, of Virginia Beach; Eugene Johnson, 46, of Manteca, California; Shunmanique Willis, 44, of Richmond, Texas; and Alonzo Williams, 46, of Pineville, Louisiana, acted in concert to create counterfeit certificates from the Mid-Atlantic Maritime Academy (MAMA) and sell them to merchant mariners for a profit. Godfrey worked as the Chief Administrator for the MAMA, a private state-of-the-art maritime training center, offering mariners over 100 U.S. Coast Guard-approved deck and engineering courses needed for merchant mariners to hold various positions on merchant vessels.

“The defendant and his co-conspirators devised a dangerous fraud scheme that enriched themselves at the expense of public safety,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “By selling counterfeit merchant mariner certificates in exchange for cash payments, the defendant and others permitted untrained and unqualified mariners to perform jobs onboard merchant vessels they were not entitled to hold. This case sends a clear message that those who endanger public safety on the water will face serious consequences in the Eastern District of Virginia.”

Godfrey used this position to create fake MAMA course certificates for mariners who had never taken the MAMA courses, in exchange for thousands of dollars in payments. The mariners would receive the fake certificates along with instructions on how to load them in the Coast Guard systems and be credited with a fraudulent Coast Guard qualification. Johnson, Willis, and Williams worked with Godfrey as brokers to find additional mariners willing to buy the fake certificates. In exchange for their efforts, Johnson, Willis, and Williams all received a cut of the illicit proceeds from the scheme. In total, the conspiracy netted over $394,000 in profits, $249,000 of which directly went to Godfrey, from the production of these counterfeit MAMA certificates, and involved over 252 mariners purchasing fraudulent qualifications.

“Credentialed mariners are entrusted with the safety and security of commercial vessels, and the vast majority are dedicated, safety-conscious individuals who work hard to earn their professional credentials and endorsements. By enabling a group of mariners to circumvent the Coast Guard’s credentialing protocols through fraud, this individual and his accomplices undermined our credentialing system and threatened our waterways,” said John Mauger, Rear Admiral and Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy for the U.S. Coast Guard. “Today’s sentencing demonstrates the tireless efforts of the Coast Guard and Department of Justice, and ensures the United States’ Marine Transportation System remains one of the safest in the world. We are confident this ruling sends a strong message that the U.S. government will not tolerate these types of acts and will vigorously take action against such misconduct.”

Williams was sentenced on June 24 to 27 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Willis was sentenced on June 28 to 18 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Johnson was sentenced on August 3 to 29 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and William P. Hicks II, Special Agent in Charge, Coast Guard Investigative Service, Chesapeake Region, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-95.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – On Friday, a federal jury convicted a Hampton woman on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

“The jury’s verdict holds the defendant accountable for participating in a multi-year conspiracy to distribute large quantities of dangerous opioids and laundering the proceeds of this serious crime,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We are grateful to the trial team and everyone who worked with our Office to secure justice in this case on behalf of the community.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, between January 2014 and May 2017, Contessa Williams, 45, conspired with others to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, over 1,000 grams of heroin and launder drug proceeds. Her then-boyfriend, Tracy Hall, 46, of Norfolk, previously pleaded guilty to being the leader in the drug conspiracy and has been attributed with distributing at least 50 kilograms of heroin for total claimed profit of $1.5 million.

Williams’ primary role in the conspiracy was to assist Hall in retrieving, laundering, and spending drug proceeds. Williams deposited drug proceeds in her personal bank accounts and used drug money to start a liquor store in Georgia. After Hall was arrested on state drug charges in early 2016, Williams collected drug proceeds at his direction and otherwise relayed his directives to other co-conspirators responsible for selling drugs on the Peninsula.

Williams faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison when sentenced on December 9. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Kenneth Mark Talbot, Chief of Hampton Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young accepted the verdict.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric M. Hurt and D. Mack Coleman are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-cr-19.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man pleaded guilty today to acquiring over 50,000 dosage units of prescription medications through fraudulent means.

“Pharmacy technicians are entrusted with safeguarding and maintaining prescription medications in a responsible manner,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This defendant did the opposite. He stole a large supply of prescription medications from a hospital that were intended for the treatment of deserving patients. As this case demonstrates, those who masquerade as health care professionals and abuse their trusted positions will be prosecuted in the Eastern District of Virginia.”

According to court documents, Justin Feliciano Agloro, 40, a former licensed pharmacy technician at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, had the role of ensuring that the hospital’s controlled substance distribution system, a machine known as an Omnicell, was filled with the correct amounts of various controlled substances. From April 2018 to October 2019, Agloro executed a scheme by which he would steal controlled substances and falsify the Omnicell records to cover his theft. In this manner, Agloro was able to steal a variety of prescription medications, including thousands of prescription opioid pills and other medications. 

According to court records, the supervising pharmacist and an Omnicell technician uncovered Agloro’s fraudulent scheme when he was on personal leave from the hospital. Agloro avoided camera systems and successfully intercepted daily Omnicell reports that would have confirmed his diversion of controlled substances while on duty at the hospital. Agloro also removed reports related to cabinets from which he had diverted controlled substances and replaced them with ones from cabinets he had not accessed or from which he had not diverted controlled substances. In total, Agloro stole over 50,000 units of controlled substances.

Agloro is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17. He faces a maximum penalty of four years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. accepted the plea.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Bird and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-75.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for his role in a series of armed convenience store robberies.

“The defendant and others committed a series of terrifying armed robberies and stole from community members throughout the Hampton Roads region,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We will not tolerate the spreading of fear or violence in our neighborhoods, and our residents—including the hard-working entrepreneurs who run these businesses—deserve to feel safe at all times. This case serves as another example of our continued commitment to working closely with our federal, state, and local partners to combat violent crime and hold accountable those who commit such crimes.” 

According to court documents, Daniel Zeigler-Irizarry, Jr., 22, and other co-conspirators, committed a string of armed robberies throughout the Hampton Roads region in November and December 2019. Zeigler-Irizarry and others robbed six different stores at gunpoint in four different cities in Hampton Roads of U.S. currency and commercial products. Zeigler-Irizarry and a co-conspirator stole vehicles belonging to others and used them to move between their targeted locations. During the final robbery, a tracker was concealed in one of the money packs stolen by Zeigler-Irizarry and a co-conspirator. The signal emitting from the tracking device allowed authorities to track their movements from the scene of the final robbery to a neighborhood in Newport News. To avoid being arrested, Zeigler-Irizarry and a co-conspirator fled at high speeds in a stolen vehicle through a neighborhood until they crashed the vehicle and were ultimately apprehended. At that point, law enforcement recovered the tracker, a firearm, commercial products, and U.S. currency.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Scott Burke, Interim Chief of Portsmouth Police; Col. K.L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police; Kenneth Mark Talbot, Chief of Hampton Police; and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Bird and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherrie Capotosto prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-87.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Washington, D.C. man was sentenced today to life in prison for committing murder with a firearm, robbery, and conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine.

According to court documents, on January 15, 2017, Dawhan Archible, 27, and his co-conspirators, murdered Luke Michael Dudley, 23, with a firearm in the aftermath of a drug deal. Archible is a self-proclaimed “bloods boss” and admitted he has been in the Bloods gang since he was 13 years old.

On the morning of the murder, Archible traded heroin for cocaine, which he then traded with Dudley for what he believed to be Percocet pills. Following the drug transaction, Archible learned that Dudley had provided him fake drugs instead of Percocet. In response, Archible and his co-conspirators broke into Dudley’s rooming house in Newport News and confronted him. Archible directed a co-conspirator to bring a firearm. Archible shot Dudley several times with a 9mm Glock pistol and then handed the gun to his co-conspirator, who also shot Dudley.

Later that afternoon, local law enforcement officers responded to a burglary call and found Dudley deceased from 17 gunshot wounds to the head, torso, and extremities. Archible’s DNA was linked to blood recovered from the scene.

Archible was sentenced to life in prison for the use of a firearm resulting in death. Additionally, he was sentenced to a consecutive term totaling 20 years in prison for robbery and conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak.

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard J. Zlotnick and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa McKeel and Brian Samuels prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:20-cr-15.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Glen Allen man was sentenced today to 151 months in prison for wire fraud, engaging in an unlawful monetary transaction using fraud proceeds, and receipt of child pornography.

“Not only did the defendant defraud innocent victims through a million dollar investment fraud scheme designed to maintain his lifestyle, but he also painfully contributed to the exploitation of children by collecting thousands of materials depicting child sexual abuse,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We are thankful to the FBI and USPIS for their thorough investigative efforts and close partnership with our Office to hold the defendant accountable for his appalling conduct.” 

According to court documents, Gordon G. Miller III, 56, was the sole owner and operator of G3 Systems, Inc., a software engineering company, and G3i Ventures, LLC, purportedly a venture capital company. Starting around 2017, Miller began to engage in overlapping fraud schemes to prevent his companies from going out of business and to maintain his lifestyle in the absence of legitimate income.

One scheme involved the solicitation of contacts in an online question-and-answer forum, where Miller falsely represented himself as an entrepreneur with a significant net worth, multiple advanced degrees, and expertise investing in technology companies. Between 2017 and 2018, through various misrepresentations, Miller fraudulently obtained approximately $1 million from at least 10 individuals through this scheme.

Another fraud entailed the diversion of a federal subcontract to G3 Systems, which he obtained using misrepresentations regarding his educational experience. Once he secured the subcontract, Miller submitted fraudulent timesheets and invoices to obtain more than $300,000 in payments from the prime contractor. Between 2018 and 2019, Miller took checks he received from the contractor to a check-cashing store in Richmond to convert the proceeds of the contract-fraud scheme to cash.

During the investigation of the above-described fraud schemes, federal agents obtained a search warrant for Miller’s residence. During the preliminary examination of devices seized from Miller’s home, agents discovered child sexual abuse material. After the execution of a search warrant targeting such material, and based on a review of the material which continued following Miller’s guilty plea, agents discovered more than 11,000 images or videos constituting child pornography, including images or videos Miller obtained between August 2017 and September 2020.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Daniel A. Adame, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Lee Martin and Kevin Elliker prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:20-cr-109.

CASE NAME: United States v. Choksi, et al., Criminal Case No. 3:19-cr-160

COURT: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division

CASE SUMMARY: The remaining defendants in this case, Shehzadkhan Khandakhan Pathan, Pradipsinh Dharmendrasinh Parmar, and Sumer Kantilal Patel have each pleaded guilty to offenses in connection with their participation in a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. The purpose of this conspiracy was to defraud victims of money through unsolicited telephone calls originating from a call center in India operated by Pathan. Each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for this conspiracy. Defendants Pathan and Parmar each also face an additional mandatory minimum sentence of two years for their convictions of aggravated identity theft. 

According to court documents, conspirators at the call center used automated, previously recorded calls, commonly referred to as “robocalls,” to initiate contact with victims. These robocalls usually contained messages designed to create a sense of urgency with the call recipient, including threats of serious legal problems, usually criminal in nature, that required immediate action in order to avoid drastic consequences, including arrest and/or significant financial penalties. Victims would be instructed to stay on the line or to call a particular number.

Eventually victims would speak with one or more live persons, who used a variety of scripts incorporating different fraud schemes to persuade victims to send money, including the following scripts:

• Conspirators impersonated an official with a federal law enforcement agency, such as the FBI or DEA, to convince victims that they were the subjects of criminal investigations, often involving the prospective seizure of all of the victims’ financial assets. Conspirators told victims to ship packages of cash or preloaded payment cards to addresses purportedly used to receive official government mail as demonstrations of good faith to avoid immediate arrest and prosecution. Conspirators promised victims that the money would be returned, sometimes with interest, if they were ultimately cleared of wrongdoing.
• Conspirators also posed as employees of federal agencies, such as the Social Security Administration or the Internal Revenue Service, to convince victims to send packages of cash and/or preloaded payment cards, or to wire funds, in order to keep or restore their federal benefits or as payment for purported tax bills.
• Conspirators also told victims that they had been approved for loans that required an earnest money or initial installment payment, which conspirators directed victims to send by wire transfer via Western Union, MoneyGram, or Walmart2Walmart. The typical amount of the requested transfers ranged from several hundred dollars up to three thousand dollars.

Pathan operated the call center in India through which the robocalls and follow-up calls were made. Pathan also recruited, supervised, and operated a network of money couriers in the United States who would retrieve victim shipments and wire transfers and then send the bulk of those funds to conspirators, including Pathan, through deposits into various bank accounts and via informal money transmitters, known as hawalas. These networks operated in several states, including Virginia, Minnesota, New Jersey, California, Indiana, Texas, and Illinois. Victim cash shipments were often directed to addresses in these states. Parmar and Patel worked for Pathan as money mules.

CASE STATUS: Pathan is scheduled to be sentenced on September 16. Parmar and Patel are scheduled to be sentenced on September 20. 

VICTIM RESPONSE: To ensure that members of the public, including potential victims of this conspiracy, are informed of developments in this ongoing case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has established a page on its website, available at the following link: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/united-states-v-chirag-choksi-et-al.

The website currently includes a copy of the second superseding indictment, plea agreements, and statements of fact filed in this case with respect to defendants Pathan, Parmar, and Patel. Victims with questions can email the United States Attorney’s Office at USAVAE.DutchParcel@usdoj.gov, referencing the above case name and docket number.  The website includes information for submitting victim impact statements, which may be emailed or mailed to:

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Eastern District of Virginia 

Attn: Dutch Parcel

919 E. Main Street, Suite 1900

Richmond, VA 23219

RICHMOND, Va. – A Guatemalan national was sentenced today to 17 and a half years in prison for his role as a transportation manager in a large-scale Guatemalan drug trafficking organization (DTO).

According to court documents, between 2015 and 2016, Edi Barrera-Salguero, 46, conspired to distribute over 1,000 kilograms or more of cocaine. Barrera-Salguero, who was extradited to the United States on February 4, 2021, served as a transportation manager for the DTO. In this leadership role, Barrera-Salguero organized cocaine transportation networks, directed the movement of cocaine loads, and directed the movement of bulk cash.

Operating throughout Central America, Barrera-Salguero orchestrated the movement of 3,586 kilograms of cocaine from Costa Rica to Guatemala. In June 2016, Barrera-Salguero coordinated the transportation of 381 kilograms of cocaine from Costa Rica to Guatemala City, Guatemala. Once the cocaine arrived in Guatemala, the 381 kilograms of cocaine were seized by Guatemalan law enforcement authorities during a traffic stop in the vicinity of Barrera-Salguero’s commercial trucking business, “Importada La Zarza Encendida.” 

On July 1, 2020, Luis Pedro Fuentes Amaya, a co-defendant of Barrera-Salguero, was sentenced to 192 months for his role in the cocaine trafficking conspiracy on behalf of the DTO.

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

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik S. Siebert and Heather H. Mansfield prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:20-cr-18.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Mexican national was sentenced today to 22 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for production of child pornography.

According to court documents, in March 2018, Abel Ambrocio, 55, of Alexandria, developed an online relationship with a woman in Honduras over a social media platform. From at least October 2018 through at least February 2019, Ambrocio instructed the woman to record and send him over 100 images of herself sexually abusing two children—an approximately three-year-old boy and an approximately ten-year-old girl. Ambrocio instructed the woman to engage in specific sex acts with the children and record herself doing so on multiple occasions, even when she told Ambrocio that one of the children was in pain and crying from the previous sex act. Later, in March 2019, Ambrocio distributed images of the woman sexually abusing the three-year-old boy over a social media platform.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Robert E. Bornstein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William G. Clayman and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Keim prosecuted the case.

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking. Significant assistance in this matter was provided by the Fairfax County Police. Tips regarding child exploitation and human trafficking can be provided to the task force at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-135.

A Virginia man was sentenced today to 240 months, or 20 years, in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for downloading images and videos depicting children as young as 4 years old being sexually abused, and for utilizing the Dark Net to solicit and promote child pornography.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Christopher Robert Sueiro, 40, of Fairfax, used a peer-to-peer network to download child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Sueiro was also a member of a Dark Net hidden service website dedicated to trafficking in CSAM depicting preteen boys, where he made posts promoting and soliciting CSAM images and videos and attempted to receive CSAM from other users of the website. Sueiro’s electronic devices included documents describing graphic sexual abuse of children and a guide to how to find child pornography online. He downloaded CSAM repeatedly over the course of at least four years, amassing thousands of images and videos.

Sueiro’s child pornography offenses first came to the attention of law enforcement when investigators searched Sueiro’s digital devices during an unrelated online threats investigation.

“The Department of Justice is committed to tracking down people like Christopher Sueiro who traffic in haunting images and videos of children during their worst moments and who perpetuate the grievous harm to the victims,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “I commend the excellent work done by the investigators and prosecutors in this case. Today’s sentence is a step in achieving some justice for the victims and sends a message to other offenders that we will continue to find and prosecute people who victimize vulnerable children.”

“For years, this defendant used the internet, including the dark web, to solicit, obtain and promote images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The trafficking of child pornography is egregious and repugnant behavior, and as today’s sentence demonstrates, will be met with serious consequences in EDVA. We are grateful to everyone who worked tirelessly on this case to secure a measure of justice on behalf of society’s most vulnerable victims.”

“Each time someone downloads child pornography, the child is victimized all over again,” said Special Agent in Charge Raymond Villanueva of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Washington, D.C. “Predators cannot hide behind the cloak of the internet; our special agents and law enforcement partners work tirelessly to identify them and ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

HSI and the City of Fairfax Police Department investigated the case, with significant assistance from the High Technology Investigative Unit (HTIU) of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).

CEOS Trial Attorney James E. Burke IV and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Smith III of the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – On Tuesday, a federal jury convicted a former government subcontractor who completed work at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center of fraud charges relating to the Small Business Administration’s women-owned small business program.

“The evidence at trial demonstrated that the defendant compromised the integrity of the contracting process by falsely representing the ownership and control of his company in order to obtain lucrative government contracts,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The steadfast dedication of the trial team and our partner agencies in this case serves as another example of EDVA’s continued commitment to a robust white-collar enforcement program.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Kevin N. Smith, 61, of Rockledge, Florida, served as the general manager of SDB Engineers & Constructors, a Florida-based subcontractor that, between 2014 and 2015, completed work on two large NASA prime contracts. Smith participated in a fraudulent scheme to represent SDB as a woman-owned small business when, in reality, it did not qualify as a woman-owned small business because no woman controlled its daily business operations. In furtherance of the scheme, Smith falsely certified SDB as a woman-owned small business to the federal government and to NASA prime contractors. The scheme resulted in SDB receiving more than $6 million in fraudulently obtained contract payments with a total profit of approximately $1 million during Smith’s tenure at the company.

Smith was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud. Smith faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Inspector General Paul K. Martin; and Hannibal “Mike” Ware, Inspector General of the Small Business Administration (SBA), made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Young and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Faulconer are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Bateman previously prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-74.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Fairfax man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for downloading images and videos depicting children as young as four years old being sexually abused, and for utilizing the Darknet to solicit and promote child pornography.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Christopher Robert Sueiro, 40, used a peer-to-peer network to download child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Sueiro was also a member of a Darknet hidden service website dedicated to trafficking in CSAM depicting preteen boys, where he made posts promoting and soliciting CSAM images and videos and attempted to receive CSAM from other users of the website. Sueiro’s electronic devices included documents describing graphic sexual abuse of children and a guide to how to find child pornography online. He downloaded CSAM repeatedly over the course of at least four years, amassing thousands of images and videos.

Sueiro’s child pornography offenses first came to the attention of law enforcement when investigators searched Sueiro’s digital devices during an unrelated online threats investigation.

“For years, this defendant used the internet, including the dark web, to solicit, obtain, and promote images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The trafficking of child pornography is egregious and repugnant behavior, and as today’s sentence demonstrates, will be met with serious consequences in EDVA. We are grateful to everyone who worked tirelessly on this case to secure a measure of justice on behalf of society’s most vulnerable victims.”

“The Department of Justice is committed to tracking down people like Christopher Sueiro who traffic in haunting images and videos of children during their worst moments and who perpetuate the grievous harm to the victims,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “I commend the excellent work done by the investigators and prosecutors in this case. Today’s sentence is a step in achieving some justice for the victims and sends a message to other offenders that we will continue to find and prosecute people who victimize vulnerable children.”

“Each time someone downloads child pornography, the child is victimized all over again,” said Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Washington, D.C. “Predators cannot hide behind the cloak of the internet; our special agents and law enforcement partners work tirelessly to identify them and ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth A. Polite Jr., Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Erin Schaible, Chief Colonel of the City of Fairfax Police Department made the announcement. 

HSI and the City of Fairfax Police Department investigated the case, with significant assistance from the High Technology Investigative Unit (HTIU) of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Smith III and CEOS Trial Attorney James E. Burke IV prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-284.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Georgia man pleaded guilty yesterday to distributing illicit prescription drugs over the Darknet and shipping them across the country via the U.S Postal Service.

According to court documents, from around April 2020 through October 2020, Cullen Roberts, 23, of Duluth, Georgia, used the moniker “Pillpusher” to sell prescription opioids and other scheduled narcotics on a Darknet market. Beginning in July 2020, law enforcement began investigating Roberts by conducting a series of undercover purchases of various types of prescription drugs via the Darknet.

Roberts promoted the quality of the pills that he advertised for sale on his Darknet vendor page. For example, in September 2020, he listed a quantity of oxymorphone pills, a powerful opiate used to treat severe pain, for sale for $90/pill. In the listing, Roberts described the oxymorphone pills as “the gold standard for any opiate” and “the closest you will get to heaven.” 

Roberts was identified as “Pillpusher” when he was caught shipping packages containing prescription drugs through the U.S. Post Office in Cumming, Georgia. Agents subsequently discovered dozens of tablets of Tramadol, a Schedule IV analgesic that is also commonly abused. Agents also recovered from Roberts’ residence empty boxes that had contained oxycodone and alprazolam (brand name Xanax).

Roberts is scheduled to be sentenced on November 2. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Robert E. Bornstein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Rumbaugh is prosecuting the case.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Hi-Tech Opioid Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents and task force partners, including special agents and officers of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, DEA, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and detectives from local assisting police agencies. The task force is charged with identifying and investigating the most egregious Dark Web marketplaces, and the vendors operating on the marketplaces who are engaged in the illegal acquisition and distribution of controlled substances, to include fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other opioids.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-164.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia returned an indictment today charging a member of the Foreign Service with engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place and possession of child pornography.

According to the indictment and court documents, Dean Cheves, 61, between September 2020 and February 2021, was a member of the U.S. Foreign Service, serving at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. While in the Philippines, Cheves allegedly met a 16-year-old online. Court documents further detail that Cheves allegedly engaged in sexual activity with the minor on two occasions, knowing the minor’s age, and produced cell phone videos of himself engaging in the sex acts each time. The videos were found on Cheves’s devices seized from his embassy residence while in the Philippines. Between February 2021 and March 2021, he also allegedly possessed child pornography.

Cheves is charged with one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place and one count of possessing child pornography in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States or on lands owned or leased by the United States. Cheves previously made his initial court appearance on July 6, 2021 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison on count one and up to 10 years in prison on count two. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney Raj Parekh of the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Mark Sullo, Assistant Director for Domestic Operations, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, made the announcement.

The Diplomatic Security Service, Office of Special Investigations is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Pomerantz Halper and Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are prosecuting the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-177.

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia returned an indictment today charging a member of the U.S. Foreign Service with engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place and possession of child pornography.

According to the indictment and court documents, Dean Cheves, 61, was a member of the U.S. Foreign Service serving at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines between September 2020 and February 2021. While in the Philippines, Cheves allegedly met a 16-year-old online. Court documents further detail that Cheves allegedly engaged in sexual activity with the minor on two occasions, knowing the minor’s age, and produced cell phone videos of himself engaging in the sex acts each time. The videos were found on Cheves’s devices seized from his embassy residence while in the Philippines. Between February 2021 and March 2021, he also allegedly possessed child pornography.

Cheves is charged with one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place and one count of possessing child pornography in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States or on lands owned or leased by the United States. Cheves previously made his initial court appearance on July 6 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison on count one, and up to 10 years in prison on count two. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia made the announcement and Assistant Director for Domestic Operations Mark Sullo of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service made the announcement.

The Diplomatic Security Service, Office of Special Investigations is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Pomerantz Halper of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

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

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.