Eastern District of Virginia

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Eyal Katz, 38, of Israel, pleaded guilty today to charges related to his role in an immigration fraud and money laundering scheme.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Katz, operating from an office in Tel Aviv, Israel, would identify, recruit and send foreign nationals from Israel to the United States on B-2 visitor visas.  Once those foreign nationals were in the United States, they would be sent to work for one of several business entities, known collectively as RASKO; a mall-based kiosk business in Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey through which they sold Dead Sea Salt products. Katz and co-conspirators would provide housing and transportation to the foreign nationals.  From 2011 through the present, the conspirators, led by Omer Gur in the United States and Katz in Israel, recruited over 140 foreign nationals from Israel to work at the kiosks, in violation of the workers’ B-2 visitor visa status.  From 2012 through 2014, RASKO received over $14 million through its kiosk based sales.  Several million dollars from these sales were then routed to Israel based accounts, including accounts controlled by Katz, and spent on lodging, travel, kiosk rentals and other expenses of the scheme. To date, nine of the ten charged defendants in the case have been arrested.  Katz is the ninth defendant to plead guilty. 

Katz was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 10, and was arrested in Romania and extradited to the United States in June.  Katz faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 17, 2017. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Robin Blake, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington, D.C. Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Jonathan F. Trimble, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian J. Samuels, Lisa R. McKeel and Kevin Hudson are prosecuting the case.

 

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:116-cr-17.

RICHMOND, Va. – Marcus Freeman, 29, of Richmond, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute heroin. Freeman was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.

Freeman pleaded guilty on June 1. According to court documents, on Dec. 3, 2015, law enforcement officers observed a dark-colored Nissan disregard a stop sign. The officers initiated a traffic stop, and asked Freeman to exit the vehicle and noticed that he appeared nervous and began to move his right hand toward the center console. Freeman was ordered to show his hands and he complied and placed both hands on the steering wheel before, again, moving his right hand toward the center console. One of the officers gained control of Freeman’s left arm and pulled him out of the vehicle.  While being pulled out of the vehicle Freeman was still attempting to reach into the vehicle near the center console. Once the officers removed him from the vehicle, they placed him into investigative detention, and performed a protective sweep of the vehicle near the center console finding semi-automatic pistol, with a 30 round magazine.  Freeman, a previously convicted felon, was a prohibited person and subsequently placed under arrest. On the driver’s side floor board, two large rolls of cash were recovered totaling over $10,000. A digital scale with a powdery residue was also recovered from the cup holder in the center console. A canine officer alerted to Freeman as having the odor of narcotics coming from his person. An X-Ray conducted at a hospital revealed that Freeman had a foreign object in his rectum.  Lab reports later confirmed the object to be a package of approximately 15 grams of heroin. 

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Michael Boxler, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:16-cr-21.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Ahmad Sayed Hashimi, aka Jimmy Hashimi, of Woodbridge, was convicted yesterday evening by a federal jury on charges related to his role in beating and kidnapping his ex-girlfriend, in addition to leading drug distribution conspiracies. 

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from approximately November 2009 through March 2015, Hashimi bought and resold cocaine in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.  In the summer of 2011, Hashimi enlisted his girlfriend, H.D., to begin assisting him with distribution, as he believed she was less likely to attract the suspicion of law enforcement than he was. In approximately 2012, Hashimi pursued an opportunity to obtain oxycodone using fraudulent prescriptions passed at pharmacies. In connection with this scheme, Hashimi once again directed H.D. to act as a shield, obtaining and distributing the pills on his behalf and returning the money to him.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, throughout their relationship, Hashimi frequently assaulted H.D. by punching her in the face causing bruising and bleeding because he suspected her of withholding cash or drugs from the drug distribution schemes. Neighbors called 911 on several occasions as a result of hearing Hashimi beating H.D., which resulted in police responding to the home. On at least two occasions, H.D. had to go to the emergency room as a result of injuries sustained from beatings by Hashimi.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, in the fall of 2013, the relationship between Hashimi and H.D. deteriorated. Shortly before Nov. 8, 2013, Hashimi became suspicious that H.D. had not returned to him the full quantity of oxycodone pills he directed her to obtain. This argument developed into a physical altercation in Hashimi’s home with Hashimi repeatedly beating and choking H.D. Ultimately, H.D. was able to flee the apartment, but before she left she took some of Hashimi’s cocaine. Upon discovering that, Hashimi began frantically looking for H.D.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, a few days later Hashimi organized a group of five men and lured H.D. to a meeting place. When H.D. arrived at the location for the meeting, Hashimi and the other men surrounded her vehicle with their cars to prevent her from leaving. Hashimi then violently assaulted H.D. in the back seat of the vehicle while two other men prevented other individuals from interfering. Hashimi continued physically beating H.D. while screaming at her to return the cocaine and pills she had stolen from him.  Eventually, Hashimi pulled H.D. into one of the vehicles he arrived in, and while another individual drove, Hashimi continued assaulting H.D. in the back seat. Eventually, Hashimi transferred H.D. into his own car and then drove his own car into Washington, D.C. while continuing to assault her.  At a momentary stop at a red light, H.D. was able to escape the vehicle and flee to nearby law enforcement officers.

H.D. sustained substantial swelling and bruising and was covered in her own blood. She was transported to the hospital emergency room and treated for her injuries.

Hashimi faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on December 16.  The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Dougherty Russell and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Welsh are prosecuting the case.

This case was investigated by Fairfax County Police Department, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Prince William County Police Department, Alexandria City Police Department, Arlington City Police Department, and Montgomery County (Maryland) Police Department.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:15-cr-135.

NORFOLK, Va. – Napoleon Robinson, 65, of Lauderhill, Florida, pleaded guilty yesterday evening to charges of evasion of employment tax payment.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, between Jan. 2000 and Dec. 2013, Robinson owned and operated a series of ship welding and repair businesses in New York and Virginia.  Beginning in 2005, Robinson began to fall habitually behind on paying over to the IRS the employment taxes withheld from his employees. Rather than make arrangements to pay as required, Robinson simply closed down one ship repair company and opened a new one in the name of a nominee owner – including his sister, his teenaged niece, and a good friend.  Robinson himself, however, ran these companies and made all financial and personnel decisions.  Eventually, the IRS caught on to Robinson’s employment tax “pyramiding” scheme and opened an investigation into his series of businesses.  In the course of that investigation, Robinson made material false statements to the IRS Revenue Officer and otherwise attempted to impede IRS’s collection efforts.  The total tax due and owing resulting from Robinson’s serial ownership of these ship repair companies is just shy of $500,000. 

Robinson was charged by a criminal information on August 12, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 25, 2017. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Thomas Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask.  Assistant U.S. Attorney V. Kathleen Dougherty is prosecuting the case.

 

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16cr111.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Jeffrey A. Martinovich, 50, formerly of Newport News, was sentenced today to a total of 164 months in prison for charges of money laundering and fraud.  Martinovich was also ordered to pay approximately $2.4 million in restitution to the victims of his fraud. 

According to court documents, on Sept. 30, 2013, Martinovich was sentenced to 140 months in prison for his fraudulent manipulation of the assets in the Venture Strategies fund.  His appeal of his convictions was denied by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the case was remanded for resentencing.  Today, Martinovich was again sentenced to 140 months in prison for Venture Strategies fund fraud, and then Martinovich was also sentenced to 63 months in prison for the fraud related to the Partners fund, with 24 months running consecutive to the 140 months, bringing his total penalty to 164 months in prison. 

According to court documents, Martinovich was the head of MICG, a broker-dealer located in Newport News.  In 2013, Martinovich was convicted by a federal jury in Newport News of charges related to his fraudulent inflation of assets in one of the hedge funds he managed and controlled as owner of MICG – the Venture Strategies fund.  Following Martinovich’s convictions on May 6, 2013, it came to light that, beginning in 2010, Martinovich had wrongfully diverted the assets of another hedge fund he managed while at MICG (the Partners fund).  Rather than make distributions to investors and satisfy redemption requests, Martinovich chose to use over $700,000 in investments in the Partners fund to pay for his living expenses and other costs.  Once he was charged with his conduct related to the Venture Strategies fund, Martinovich utilized Partners fund monies to pay for his criminal legal defense, including payments to his defense attorney, expert witnesses, a jury selection consultant, and other litigation expenses. Martinovich falsely represented to his attorney, and took other steps to conceal the origin of these funds used for his defense. He was charged with his conduct related to the Partners fund on July 15, 2015, and pleaded guilty on May 13, 2016. 

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Thomas Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (ISR-CI), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian J. Samuels and V. Kathleen Dougherty prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:15-cr-50 and 4:12-cr-101.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Eduardo Tovar, 27, of Artesia, New Mexico, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

Tovar pleaded guilty on July 5.  According to court documents, Tovar and an accomplice drove from Long Beach, California, to Chantilly with one kilogram of cocaine hidden in a secret compartment in Tovar’s vehicle.  When Tovar and his accomplice arrived in Virginia, he was arrested by members of Northern Virginia Safe Streets Task Force that were aware of his plans to sell the cocaine.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris.  Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Tyler McGaughey and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin R. Farley and William Guappone prosecuted the case.

 

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-73.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Peter Romar, 37, a Syrian national affiliated with the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA), pleaded guilty today to felony charges of conspiring to receive extortion proceeds and conspiring to unlawfully access computers.  Romar was previously extradited from Germany on request of the United States. 

“Cybercriminals cannot hide from justice,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “No matter where they are in the world, the United States will vigorously pursue those who commit crimes against U.S. citizens or companies and hold them accountable for their actions.”

“Today’s guilty plea is by the latest international offender who believed that he could operate from abroad, behind the perceived veil of anonymity offered by the Internet, and use computers to threaten the security of our citizens and their property,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “It shows that the Department of Justice and the FBI stand behind their pledge to hold accountable foreign actors who assist in the hacking of U.S. victims.”

“Today, Peter Romar pleaded guilty for his role in conspiring to commit computer intrusions and extort victims on behalf of the Syrian Electronic Army,” said Assistant Director in Charge Paul Abbate. “This case demonstrates the reach and capabilities of the FBI to identify and unmask perpetrators in cyber space and hold them accountable under the law.”

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, beginning in approximately 2011, co-defendant Firas Dardar, known online as “The Shadow,” and other members of the SEA engaged in a multi-year criminal conspiracy to conduct computer intrusions against perceived detractors of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, including media entities, the U.S. government, and foreign governments.  Dardar remains at large.  Beginning in approximately 2013, Romar and Dardar engaged in an extortion scheme that involved hacking online businesses in the United States and elsewhere for personal profit.  Court documents further allege that the conspiracy gained unauthorized access to the victims’ computers and then threatened to damage computers, delete data, or sell stolen data unless the victims provided extortion payments to Dardar and/or Romar.  If a victim could not make extortion payments to the conspiracy’s Syrian bank accounts due to sanctions targeting Syria, Romar acted as an intermediary in Germany to evade those sanctions.

Romar faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison sentenced on October 21. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; John P. Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; James Trainor, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Cyber Division; and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the plea before U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maya D. Song and Jay V. Prabhu, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon L. Van Grack and Trial Attorneys Scott McCulloch and Nathan Charles of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.  The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the NASA Office of the Inspector General, Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security, and other law enforcement agencies. 

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-00140.

Peter Romar, 37, a Syrian national affiliated with the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA), pleaded guilty today to felony charges of conspiring to receive extortion proceeds and conspiring to unlawfully access computers.  Romar was previously extradited from Germany on request of the U.S. 

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director James Trainor of the FBI’s Cyber Division and Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the sentencing by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.

“Today’s guilty plea is by the latest international offender who believed that he could operate from abroad, behind the perceived veil of anonymity offered by the Internet, and use computers to threaten the security of our citizens and their property,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “It shows that the Department of Justice and the FBI stand behind their pledge to hold accountable foreign actors who assist in the hacking of U.S. victims.”

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, beginning in approximately 2011, co-defendant Firas Dardar, known online as “The Shadow,” and other members of the SEA engaged in a multi-year criminal conspiracy to conduct computer intrusions against perceived detractors of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, including media entities, the U.S. government and foreign governments.  Dardar remains at large. 

Beginning in approximately 2013, Romar and Dardar engaged in an extortion scheme that involved hacking online businesses in the U.S. and elsewhere for personal profit. Court documents further allege that the conspiracy gained unauthorized access to the victims’ computers and then threatened to damage computers, delete data, or sell stolen data unless the victims provided extortion payments to Dardar and/or Romar.  If a victim could not make extortion payments to the conspiracy’s Syrian bank accounts due to sanctions targeting Syria, Romar acted as an intermediary in Germany to evade those sanctions.

“Cybercriminals cannot hide from justice,” said U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia. “No matter where they are in the world, the United States will vigorously pursue those who commit crimes against U.S. citizens and hold them accountable for their actions.”

Romar faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and will be sentenced on October 21. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the NASA Office of the Inspector General, the Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security and other law enforcement agencies. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maya D. Song and Jay V. Prabhu and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon L. Van Grack of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorneys Scott McCulloch and Nathan Charles of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.  The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.

NORFOLK, Va. – Four Hampton Roads men have been indicted for their alleged involvement in five murders and five additional shootings in the South Hampton Roads region over approximately one month in late 2015.

Antonio Simmons, aka “Murdock,” 38, of Norfolk; Anthony D. Foye, aka “Bull,” aka “Ace,” 25, of Portsmouth; Nathaniel T. Mitchell, aka “Savage,” 24, of Portsmouth; and Alvaughn Davis, aka “LB,” 28, of Portsmouth, have been charged in a 33-count indictment which includes charges of racketeering, murder, attempted murder, assault, and distribution of narcotics, among others. 

According to the indictment, the four men are allegedly members of a local “set” of the Nine Trey Gangsters (NTG), a gang affiliated with the United Blood Nation.  The string of murders and shootings stemmed, in part, from a conflict between two local sets of the NTG, one of which was led by Simmons, and included Foye, Mitchell, and Davis. 

The indictment alleges that Foye and Mitchell committed all 10 shootings (see table below), while Simmons participated in planning at least three of the shootings, and Davis assisted Foye and Mitchell in multiple shootings by acting as a driver and by helping dispose of one body.  The shootings stopped after Foye and Mitchell were arrested following an armed robbery of a Shell gas station in Portsmouth in December 2015.  Evidence recovered during those arrests, including a gun, casings and bullets, and cell phones, linked the men to the crimes.  Foye and Mitchell were previously convicted and sentenced for their roles in that robbery (Case No. 2:16-cr-20).

Date

Crime

Participants

Dec. 10, 2015

Murder of Altariq Tynes

Anthony Foye

Dec. 15, 2015

Murder of Vandalet Mercer

Antonio Simmons, Anthony Foye, Nathaniel Mitchell, Alvaughn Davis

Dec. 15, 2015

Attempted murder of R.F.

Antonio Simmons, Anthony Foye, Nathaniel Mitchell, Alvaughn Davis

Dec. 20, 2015

Murders of Wayne Davis and Linda Lassiter

Anthony Foye and Nathaniel Mitchell

Dec. 20, 2015

Attempted murder of R.M.

Anthony Foye and Nathaniel Mitchell

Dec. 20, 2015

Attempted murder of R.M.D.

Anthony Foye and Nathaniel Mitchell

Dec. 21, 2015

Murder of Jamesha Roberts

Nathaniel Mitchell

Dec. 27, 2015

Attempted murder of S.M.

Antonio Simmons, Anthony Foye, Nathaniel Mitchell

 

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; Jonathan F. Trimble, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Michael Goldsmith, Chief of the Norfolk Police Department; Tonya D. Chapman, Chief of the Portsmouth Police Department, and Kelvin L. Wright, Chief of the Chesapeake Police Department, made the announcement after the indictment was unsealed.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph E. DePadilla, Andrew C. Bosse, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler are prosecuting the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-130.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

NORFOLK, Va. – Michael Lanell Easley, Jr., 36, of Portsmouth, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, and for possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Easley pleaded guilty on May 25.  According to court documents, Easley maintained a residence on Riverview Avenue in Portsmouth for the purpose of manufacturing and distributing heroin.  On Nov. 23, 2015, federal agents and state law enforcement executed an arrest and search warrant. As the agents and officers approached Easley, he ingested a significant amount of heroin.  In an effort to save Easley’s life, an ambulance was called and he was rushed to the hospital.  Easley came close to cardiac arrest several times during the trip, but doctors were able to stabilize him and he survived.  During the search of Easley’s home, agents and officers recovered heroin and a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun. 

 

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police Department; and Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph E. DePadilla and Andrew C. Bosse, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler prosecuted the case.

 

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-44.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Justin Frank Clark, 28, formerly of Stafford, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for attempting to coerce and entice a minor.  Clark was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender upon release from prison.

Clark pleaded guilty on June 29. According to court documents, from April through May, Clark began communicating with an undercover agent who was purportedly advertising a 10-year-old girl for sex. Through a series of emails and messages, Clark arranged to travel from Stafford to Washington, D.C., to have sex with the minor. While arranging the meeting, Clark also sent multiple videos containing child pornography to the undercover agent.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and David P. Decatur, Stafford County Sheriff, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Dougherty Russell prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-157.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Douglas Duran Cerritos, 20, of Falls Church, was convicted yesterday by a federal jury for his role in a gang murder in Northern Virginia.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on March 29, 2014, Cerritos and six other gang members murdered Gerson Adoni Martinez Aguilar, a gang recruit, for breaking gang rules.  The gang members lured the victim to Holmes Run Park and brutally killed him by stabbing him repeatedly in the back and the neck, ultimately severing his head. When they were done they buried him in a shallow grave in the park.  Cerritos was their leader, and he both planned and directed the murder.

A total of 13 defendants were charged in this case for a series of three murders and one attempted murder that took place in Northern Virginia between October 2013 and June 2014. Of those, six defendants pleaded guilty prior to trial.  The remaining six went to trial and were convicted of all charges on May 9. Each defendant convicted at trial faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Please see the table at the end of this press release for additional information on each defendant.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Chief of Fairfax County Police Department; Earl L. Cook, Chief of Alexandria City Police Department; and Barry M. Barnard, Chief of Prince William County Police Department, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julia K. Martinez and Tobias D. Tobler are prosecuting the case. 

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:14-cr-306.

Name

Age, Hometown

Charges Convicted of

Sentencing Info

Pedro Anthony Romero Cruz

30, unknown

Conspiracy to Commit Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

30 years

Jose Lopez Torres

26, Falls Church

Conspiracy, Attempted, and Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

Life sentence plus 20 years

Jaime Rosales Villegas

31, Richmond

Conspiracy and Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

22 years and 8 months

Juan Carlos Marquez Ayala

23, Falls Church

Murder in Aid of Racketeering

Life sentence

Omar Dejesus Castillo

27, Arlington

Two Counts of Murder in Aid of Racketeering

Two life sentences

Alvin Gaitan Benitez

23, Falls Church

Murder in Aid of Racketeering, Accessory After the Fact

Facing mandatory life sentence plus additional time

Christian Lemus Cerna

20, Falls Church

Murder in Aid of Racketeering

Facing mandatory life sentence

Araely Santiago Villanueva

20, Falls Church

Two Counts of Murder in Aid of Racketeering

Life sentence

Manuel Ernesto Paiz Guevara

21, Falls Church

Murder in Aid of Racketeering

Facing mandatory life sentence

Jose Del Cid

20, Alexandria

Two Counts of Murder in Aid of Racketeering

Two life sentences

Jesus Alejandro Chavez

26, Alexandria

Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Use of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence Resulting in Death; Felon in Possession of a Firearm

Two life sentences plus 10 years

Genaro Sen Garcia

21, unknown

Murder in Aid of Racketeering

Life sentence

WASHINGTON – Ardit Ferizi, aka Th3Dir3ctorY, 20, a citizen of Kosovo, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and accessing a protected computer without authorization and obtaining information in order to provide material support to ISIL.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Charles P. Spencer of the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office made the announcement after the defendant was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

"This case represents the first time we have seen the very real and dangerous national security cyber threat that results from the combination of terrorism and hacking,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “This was a wake-up call not only to those of us in law enforcement, but also to those in private industry. This successful prosecution also sends a message to those around the world that, if you provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations and assist them with their deadly attack planning, you will have nowhere to hide.  As this case shows, we will reach half-way around the world if necessary to hold accountable those who engage in this type of activity. I want to thank the corporation that worked with law enforcement to solve this crime, and the agents, analysts and prosecutors who worked on this groundbreaking case."

Ferizi, who was detained by Malaysian authorities on a provisional arrest warrant on behalf of the U.S., was charged by criminal complaint on Oct. 6, 2015. The criminal complaint was unsealed on Oct. 15, 2015. Ferizi subsequently consented to extradition.

Ferizi pleaded guilty on June 15. According to court documents, Ferizi admitted that on or about June 13, 2015, he gained system administrator-level access to a server that hosted the website of a U.S. victim company. The website contained databases with personally identifiable information (PII) belonging to tens of thousands of the victim company’s customers, including members of the military and other government personnel. Ferizi subsequently culled the PII belonging to U.S. military members and other government personnel, which totaled approximately 1,300 individuals. That same day, on June 13, Ferizi provided the PII belonging to the 1,300 U.S. military members and government personnel to Junaid Hussain, a now-deceased ISIL recruiter and attack facilitator. Ferizi and Hussain discussed publishing the PII of those 1,300 victims in a hit list.

According to court documents, on Aug. 11, 2015, in the name of the Islamic State Hacking Division (ISHD), Hussain posted a tweet that contained a document with the PII of the approximately 1,300 U.S. military and other government personnel that Ferizi had taken from the victim company and provided to Hussain. The document stated, in part, that “we are in your emails and computer systems, watching and recording your every move, we have your names and addresses, we are in your emails and social media accounts, we are extracting confidential data and passing on your personal information to the soldiers of the khilafah, who soon with the permission of Allah will strike at your necks in your own lands!” Ferizi admitted that he provided the PII to ISIL with the understanding that ISIL would use the PII to “hit them hard.”

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Van Grack of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Gregory Gonzalez of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The Malaysian authorities and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Ardit Ferizi, aka Th3Dir3ctorY, 20, a citizen of Kosovo, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and accessing a protected computer without authorization and obtaining information in order to provide material support to ISIL.

According to court documents, Ferizi admitted that on or about June 13, 2015, he gained system administrator-level access to a server that maintained the website of a victim company located in the United States, which also contained databases with personally identifiable information (PII) belonging to tens of thousands of the victim company’s customers, including members of the military and other government personnel. He subsequently culled the PII belonging to United States military members and other government personnel, which totaled approximately 1,300 individuals. That same day, on June 13, 2015, Ferizi admitted that he provided the PII belonging to the 1,300 United States military members and government personnel to Junaid Hussain, aka Abu Hussain al-Britani, a now-deceased member of ISIL.

According to the statement of facts, on Aug. 11, 2015, in the name of the Islamic State Hacking Division (ISHD), Hussain posted a tweet that contained a document with the PII of the approximately 1,300 U.S. military and other government personnel that Ferizi had taken from the victim company and provided to Hussain.  The document stated, in part, that “we are in your emails and computer systems, watching and recording your every move, we have your names and addresses, we are in your emails and social media accounts, we are extracting confidential data and passing on your personal information to the soldiers of the khilafah, who soon with the permission of Allah will strike at your necks in your own lands!”  Ferizi admitted that he provided the PII to ISIL with the understanding that ISIL would use the PII to “hit them hard.”

Ferizi was detained by Malaysian authorities on a provisional arrest warrant on behalf of the United States and was charged by criminal complaint on Oct. 6, 2015.  The criminal complaint was unsealed on Oct. 15, 2015, and Ferizi subsequently waived consent to extradition.  Ferizi pleaded guilty on June 15, 2016.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; John P. Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Charles P. Spencer, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Jacksonville, Florida, Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. 

This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Van Grack and Trial Attorney Gregory Gonzalez of the National Security Division’s (NSD) Counterterrorism Section. The Malaysian authorities and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-42.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Bao Doan, 32, Falls Church, was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison for conspiring to traffic in counterfeit Apple and Samsung products and smuggling.  Doan was also ordered to forfeit over $115,000 in proceeds and to pay Apple and Samsung over $20,000 in restitution.

 

Doan was found guilty by a federal jury on June 16, after a three-day trial.  According to evidence presented at trial and sentencing, Doan operated the conspiracy from his store, called iFaifo, in Falls Church. Over the course of approximately two years, Doan received hundreds of shipments containing counterfeit Apple and Samsung products from co-conspirators in China and Hong Kong, and then distributed these items wholesale to stores in the area.  Since October 2014, Doan received several warnings to cease and desist from both U.S. Customs and Border Protection and representatives from Apple and Samsung.  Rather than heed these warnings, Doan developed new ways to evade customs, such as by having counterfeit goods sent to his home address under his mother’s name.

 

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kellen S. Dwyer and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Flowers of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Department of Justice prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-56.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Joan Manuel Ramirez Lema, 40, of Sterling, pleaded guilty today to charges related to smuggling guns from the United States to Bolivia.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, from Jan. 2010 to Aug. 2015, Ramirez Lema smuggled more than 80 firearms from the United States to Bolivia. Ramirez Lema, a U.S. citizen, shipped used vehicles with multiple firearms hidden in door panels. In a statement to Homeland Security Investigations Special Agents, Ramirez Lema said he shipped merchandise and cars to Bolivia via freight forwarding companies in Baltimore, Maryland and Newark, New Jersey.  He stated that he usually purchased between two and three guns a month and bought most of the guns in Leesburg and Sterling.

Ramirez Lema faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 6, 2017. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Michael Boxler, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Washington Field Division, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Walutes, Jr. is prosecuting the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-206.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Sylvester Lipscombe, 48, of Newport News, pleaded guilty today to charges related to five commercial robberies in Suffolk, Hampton, and Newport News in 2015.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Lipscombe completed multiple robberies from Sept. 29 to Dec. 28, 2015, including:

• Burger King in Suffolk, Sept. 29, 2015
• Krispy Kreme in Hampton, Oct. 18, 2015
• Hampton Health Mart in Hampton, Dec. 1, 2015
• CheckSmart in Hampton, Dec. 4, 2015
• Metro PCS in Newport News, Dec. 23, 2015

 

Lipscombe was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 9, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each robbery when sentenced on Feb. 3, 2017. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Michael Boxler, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division; Richard W. Myers, Chief of Newport News Police; Terry L. Sult, Chief of Hampton Police Division; and Thomas E. Bennett, Chief of Suffolk Police, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Lawrence Leonard.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy E. Cross is prosecuting the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:16-cr-40.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. –Amit Chaudhry, 44, of Ashburn, pleaded guilty today to two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud for his role and participation in a sophisticated and large-scale identity theft and credit card fraud conspiracy.

According to the court documents, Chaudhry is an Indian national who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2005. Beginning in 2011, the defendant was part of a large, international wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy that involved processing stolen credit card numbers and laundering the proceeds through hundreds of bank accounts. Some of these bank accounts were set up in the name of shell companies, which did no real business. This fraud and money laundering conspiracy was carried out in part by teams of individuals working together in India, the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Some members would obtain the personal identifying information of real people; other members would obtain the credit card information from actual credit card customers, such as of American Express, and yet others would be responsible for electronically processing the stolen credit card transactions. Chaudhry helped laundering the proceeds of the credit card fraud and assisting co-conspirators who would come to the United States from India to open bank accounts used to hold and receive fraud proceeds.

Chaudhry also helped conceal and launder proceeds from a fraud scheme that targeted customers seeking cheap travel, including airline tickets and hotel reservations. Chaudhry helped to promote the fraudulent travel websites, including through mass mailings to prospective customers. Other members of the conspiracy would hold themselves out as prospective travel agents to customers. Customers’ travel itineraries would be purchased with stolen credit cards, which often resulted in those reservations being canceled. The customer’s money would be held and transferred among bank accounts controlled by members of the conspiracy, including Chaudhry. There were more than 1,000 victims from this fraud, which used various sophisticated means to conceal the identities of the conspirators.

The amount of the fraudulent proceeds generated by the money laundering conspiracy was more than $25 million.

Chaudhry was also involved in a separate money laundering conspiracy with Jacqueline Green-Morris, who previously pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy. Chaudhry and Green-Morris came up with a fraudulent billing scheme, whereby Chaudhry would submit inflated and fraudulent invoices for IT training to ActioNet, a contractor based in Virginia. Green-Morris used her position as an ActioNet employee to pay these fraudulent invoices. Chaudhry and Green-Morris split the fraud proceeds, which totaled approximately $4.1 million between 2012 and June 2016.

From at least 2001 and through at least June 2016, Chaudhry and others conspired to commit visa fraud by submitting false and fraudulent H-1B visa applications by and through various entities that the Chaudhry and others owned and controlled, including Networkxchange, Technologyxchange, Secure Networks, and the Knowledge Center. The conspiracy involved the submission of false and fraudulent applications and supporting documentation to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Some of these documents were signed using the name John King, a journalist who is CNN’s chief national correspondent.

Chaudhry faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 19, 2017. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Thomas Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge, Washington D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington; Terrence P. McKeown, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); and Bill A. Miller, Director of the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) for the U.S. Department of State, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine L. Wong and Kimberly R. Pedersen are prosecuting the case.

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. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-211.

NORFOLK, Va. – Ronald W. Boone, Sr., 67, of Norfolk, pleaded guilty today to charges related to bribing the Norfolk City Treasurer and multiple other high-ranking Norfolk city officials, in addition to bank fraud.

Conspiracy involving bribery of Norfolk city officials

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, from March 2004 through December 2015, Boone provided cash, gifts, other things of value, and free access to a beach house to Anthony Burfoot, who is the current Norfolk City Treasurer and a former Norfolk City Councilman. In exchange, Burfoot performed specific official actions and promised to engage in future official actions to benefit Boone and his business interests. Throughout the conspiracy, Boone routinely gave Burfoot cash in increments of several thousand dollars, but typically not less than $2,500 at a time. Burfoot always demanded the payments in cash. In addition to the cash payments, on numerous occasions Burfoot asked Boone to “loan” him a few thousand dollars, which Boone provided in cash, and totaled at least $20,000. Burfoot never made payments on these “loans,” and Boone never asked Burfoot for payments on the “loans.”

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, on numerous occasions throughout the conspiracy, Burfoot took different friends to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to stay free of charge at Boone’s beach house. Burfoot never paid for any of his overnight or daily stays at the beach house. Burfoot used the beach house so regularly that Boone gave Burfoot a key to the beach house. To conceal Boone’s ownership of the beach house, Burfoot repeatedly told friends that the beach house was his, and claimed to at least three individuals who went to the beach house with him – each on separate occasions – that he owned the beach house.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, in exchange for things of value provided to Burfoot, Boone regularly sought Burfoot’s support for important issues before City Council. In addition to assisting Boone by ensuring that a particular individual was removed from the Board of Commissioners for the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Burfoot repeatedly voted in accordance with Boone’s wishes in numerous matters before the council, including but not limited to: special exceptions for a Boone business; special exceptions for business that operated out of Boone’s properties, ordinances dealing with Boone’s properties, and ordinances that directly and indirectly impacted Boone’s business interests. Prior to a certain vote, Boone paid Burfoot between $5,000 and $10,000 in cash, and Burfoot subsequently voted as Boone requested.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, from in or about 2002 through in or about 2012, Boone engaged in a corrupt quid-pro-quo relationship with another high-ranking Norfolk City Official, again providing cash and other things of value in exchange for the public official using his position to benefit Boone.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, in or about early 2015, Boone gave an undisclosed, interest-free, undocumented loan of at least $5,000 to another high-ranking employee of the Norfolk City Treasurer’s Office.

Bank Fraud

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, in November 2011, Boone obtained a $1 million loan from BB&T Bank, pledging dozens of properties as collateral for the loan, including vacant lots. In October 2015, Boone contacted BB&T and advised them he had agreed to sell two vacant lots for $105,000, and asked BB&T what it would require to release the liens on the properties. In reality, and unbeknownst to BB&T Bank, Boone had built a house on the vacant lots and had agreed to sell the property for $290,000. After BB&T responded indicating they would release the liens for 90 percent of gross sales proceeds, but no less than $94,500, Boone, or someone at his direction, altered the documents to reflect that BB&T would receive a fixed amount of $94,500. After the sale for of the properties for $290,000, Boone pocketed $167,444, and sent BB&T a check for $94,500. In reality, BB&T should have received 90 percent of the sale proceeds, which was $261,000. 

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Boone also defrauded Fulton Bank to obtain a $13.2 million loan, providing false and fraudulent documents and information to qualify for the loan. The materially false documents included falsified personal financial statements, false tax returns, falsified cash flow statements, falsified lease agreements, inflated rent rolls, and fraudulently inflated bank statements.

Boone was charged yesterday by criminal information with one count of bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Boone faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison on January 26, 2017. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Gordon B. Johnson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa E. O’Boyle is prosecuting the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-126.

RICHMOND, Va. – Sherman Carl Vaughn, 45, of Blackstone, pleaded guilty today to charges related to his role in an investment fraud scheme that caused more than $9 million in losses to over 50 investors.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, in 2009, Vaughn and co-conspirator Merrill Robertson, Jr., 36, of Chesterfield, started Cavalier Union Investments, LLC, and Black Bull Wealth management, LLC. From 2009-2016, Vaughn and Robertson solicited individuals to invest money in private investment funds that they managed, as well as distinct investment opportunities that they proposed. Robertson identified potential investors through various contacts; including contacts he developed playing football at Fork Union Military Academy, the University of Virginia, and the National Football League, while Vaughn focused on developing investment opportunities.

According to the statement of facts, Vaughn and Robertson led individuals to believe they were experienced investment advisors, and that they employed other experienced investment advisors to manage their investment funds. For example, Vaughn represented that he was a long-time investor and philanthropist with extensive experience in business and real estate. In fact, Vaughn filed for personal bankruptcy four times, including twice during the time he was soliciting investors for Cavalier.

As a result of this conspiracy, Vaughn and Robertson fraudulently obtained more than $9 million from over 50 investors, spending much of the money on their own personal living expenses, including mortgage and car payments, school tuitions, spa visits, restaurants, department stores, and vacations.

Vaughn faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on December 14. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Thomas Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Terrence P. McKeown, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after the guilty plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Lee Martin is prosecuting the case.

This investigation was initiated based on information received from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:16-cr-111.

NORFOLK, Va. – Paula Lane, a.k.a. Paula Hipps, 47, formerly of Corapeake, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today to charges of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. 

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Lane created fake companies and reported employees and wages to the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC).  The employees’ identifications were stolen or otherwise used without authorization.  She then filed unemployment claims under the names of these individuals as if they had been laid off.   She received payment from the VEC through EPPICards (debit cards issued to claimants) and direct deposits into her bank account.  A search warrant of her home led to the discovery of handwritten documents with personal identifying information, including dates of birth and social security numbers. There were approximately 30 victims of identity theft, and in one-year Lane collected approximately $130,000. 

Lane was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 9 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the mail fraud count and a mandatory consecutive two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft count when sentenced on Jan. 17, 2017. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Robin Blake, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington, D.C. Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Stoker is prosecuting the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-089.

RICHMOND, Va. – Patrice A. Callaham, 42, of Richmond, pleaded guilty today to charges of bank fraud related to cashing counterfeit or otherwise fraudulent checks totaling over $55,000 while a Branch Manager at SunTrust Bank on Azalea Avenue in Richmond.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, beginning in April 2016, Callaham agreed to funnel forged or counterfeited checks through her Azalea Avenue branch in exchange for a share of the proceeds. Check cashers would arrive at Callaham’s branch, and request to speak with her. Callaham, alerted to their arrival by a co-conspirator, would then open a SunTrust account for the check casher, cash the counterfeit check they offered, and keep $500 of the proceeds for herself. Callaham’s status as Bank Manager allowed her to personally open the accounts and cash the checks for their entire face value without running standard validation protocols. Callaham cashed counterfeit or otherwise fraudulent checks for 15 separate check cashers over the space of approximately four weeks before her activities were discovered. Callaham’s actions resulted in a loss to SunTrust Bank of over $55,000. 

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. Magistrate Judge David J. Novak.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Garnett is prosecuting the case. This case was investigated by the Richmond Police Department and the United States Secret Service as members of the Metro-Richmond Identity Theft Task Force. 

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:16-cr-109.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Koissy Thomas Kemmeth, 52, of New York, New York, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and making a false, fictitious and fraudulent claim against the United States. 

According to court documents, Kemmeth was a native and citizen of the Ivory Coast who had worked as a driver for the Ivory Coast Mission to the United States. From 2010 through February 2015, Kemmeth worked with another national of the Ivory Coast, Kouame Tanoh, to defraud others of money and property. As part of the conspiracy, Kemmeth created false and fraudulent employment verification letters for Tanoh, and his aliases, on the official letterhead of the Ivory Coast Mission to the United Nations and claimed to have been issued in line with the official authority of the Mission. These letters falsely represented that Tanoh, or one of his aliases, was employed by the Mission.  At least one of these letters alleged to have been from another diplomat who had previously served at the Mission, but had returned to the Ivory Coast by the date of the letter.

During that same time period, Kemmeth assisted Tanoh with a scheme that involved the preparation and electronic filing of false and fictitious federal and state income tax returns that requested fraudulent refunds.  Some of these false claims were filed on behalf of Kemmeth, who knew he was not supposed to be filing any federal or state tax returns because he was in the United States as a foreign diplomat.  Kemmeth assisted with the scheme by providing his bank account information to Tanoh so that fraudulent refunds could be deposited into Kemmeth’s account.  Tanoh also used the mailing address for the Ivory Coast Mission to the United States on some of the income tax returns.  Kemmeth would then collect any mail sent to the Mission for these returns. 

Kemmeth was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 26. Kemmeth faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on December 2. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Inspector in Charge Terrence P. McKeown, US Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division.; Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Washington; Michael McGill, Special Agent-in-Charge, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General; and Thomas Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine L. Wong is prosecuting the case.   

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-129. 

NORFOLK, Va. – Jeffrey A. Ratliff, 60, of Chesapeake, pleaded guilty today to charges of theft of government property related to claiming over $447,000 in disability benefits from the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RBB) over the last 20 years.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Ratliff worked as a pipefitter for Norfolk Southern railroad from September 1974 until March 1995. From April 1995 to August 2015, Ratliff collected monthly disability benefits from the RRB while concealing his employment as a real estate agent. In July 1995, Ratliff applied for a disability annuity for injuries sustained on the job in 1990.  In his application Ratliff falsely claimed that his injuries prevented him from working and that he had stopped working for the real estate firm in May 1995.

Each year, Ratliff was sent a “Disability Reminder Notice” from the RRB, reminding him of his legal obligation to notify the Board if there was a change in his employment status. Ratliff never notified the RRB that he was working as a real estate agent, and continued to receive disability benefits for 20 years, totaling $447,483.74. On July 22, 2015, Ratliff submitted to a voluntary interview with federal agents, and after being confronted with evidence, admitted that he worked as a real estate agent and was paid using his wife’s social security number to hide his income.

Ratliff was charged by criminal information on August 8 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when sentenced on January 20, 2017. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Acting Special Agent in Charge James Ellis, U.S. Railroad Retirement Board- Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa E. O’Boyle is prosecuting the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-110.

NORFOLK, Va. – Travis C. Brown, 25, of Columbia, South Carolina, was sentenced today to 126 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a child.  Brown was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender upon release from prison. 

Brown pleaded guilty on June 7.  According to court documents, in March 2016, the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) discovered a minor female who was being prostituted out of a hotel in Virginia Beach by Brown and a co-conspirator.  Brown met the minor female through some friends at a hotel room party during which she was supplied with alcohol, marijuana, and the drug “molly.”  Two days after meeting her, Brown and his co-conspirator bought the girl lingerie and took her to another hotel where they posed her and took photographs of her to post Internet advertisements for commercial sex acts. Brown then arranged appointments for her, set the prices for her acts, provided condoms, monitored the progress of her appointments by text message, and collected the proceeds she earned.  After a tip from the management at the hotel where the girl was taking appointments and another source, VBPD rescued the girl and arrested Brown. 

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and James A Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis.  Assistant U.S. Attorney V. Kathleen Dougherty prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16cr81.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Raquille Jackson, 22, and Eric Edmunds, II, 20, both of Newport News, were sentenced today to 220 months and 240 months, respectively, on charges of attempted murder in aid of racketeering and discharge of a firearm in commission of a violent crime. Co-defendants, Raiquan Turner, 20, and Quantavius Durham, 19, also of Newport News, were previously sentenced (see chart below). 

“Violent gangs have no place in this community,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “These sentences send a clear message to any other gang members considering committing violent crimes here in the Tidewater: You will be caught and you will be prosecuted.  Together with our local law enforcement partners we will continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute these cases at every opportunity.”    

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, the defendants were all members or associates of the 36th Street Bang Squad, a hybrid criminal street gang. On June 5, 2015, the men followed a Hampton Public School bus looking for a rival gang member. After not locating the rival, whom they suspected of killing a 36th Street Bang Squad member a few days earlier, the men returned to their vehicle which was parked at the Sonic Restaurant on Floyd Thompson Boulevard. After entering the vehicle, the men observed rival gang members walking toward the restaurant.  As the rivals approached, Jackson and Edmunds opened fire.  Edmunds used a firearm provided to him by Durham.  Hampton Police quickly stopped the fleeing vehicle only miles from the location.  All four defendants were removed from the vehicle.  Ballistic tests of the firearms recovered from the vehicle matched casings left at the scene of the shooting, and all four men were positive for gunshot residue. 

All four defendants have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced.

Name

Date of Sentencing

Sentence

Raiquan Turner

June 6

240 months

Quantavius Durham

July 19

210 months

Eric Edmunds, II

September 12

240 months

Raquille Jackson

September 12

220 months

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Michael Boxler, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division; and Terry L. Sult, Chief of Hampton Police Division, made the announcement after Edmunds and Jackson were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar.  Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard Zlotnick and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy E. Cross are prosecuting the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:15-cr-80.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Demetrius Arnold Washington, Jr., 51, of Louisa, was sentenced today to 45 months in prison for a mail fraud and money laundering scheme in which he stole more than $1.3 million from his former employer, a charitable foundation in Virginia.  Washington was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay full restitution in the amount of $1,341,755.

Washington pleaded guilty on May 13.  According to court documents, from April 2011 to June 2015, Washington was the Chief of Information Systems for the foundation, a private non-profit entity dedicated to supporting promising students who exhibit financial need by providing financial assistance through scholarships and grants.  Washington was responsible for selecting outside IT vendors to perform work for the foundation.  One such vendor was DAJX-IT Consulting. Washington was, in fact, the owner of DAJX, a company he created around the time he began working for the Foundation.  Washington concealed his relationship with DAJX from the Foundation and used DAJX to submit fraudulent invoices to the Foundation for work which was never completed, using names of friends, relatives, and acquaintances who had never heard of DAJX or completed any IT work.  Washington also doctored invoices of an outside vendor by doubling the vendor’s rates, paying the vendor for her original invoice, and then pocketing the difference.  To further conceal his scheme, Washington created a fake identity who claimed was the President of DAJX and corresponded with the Foundation using an email address bearing the fictitious persona’s name.  In total, Washington embezzled $1,341,755 from the Foundation.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Terrence P. McKeown, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Thomas Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge, Washington D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamar K. Walker and Michael S. Dry prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-105.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Mark W. McGregor, 63, of Charles Town, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.  In addition, McGregor was ordered to pay $380,000 in restitution, $380,000 in forfeiture, and a $50,000 fine. 

McGregor pleaded guilty on May 16 for his role in a bribery scheme that caused $380,000 in losses to the U.S. government. According to court documents, McGregor served as the chief executive officer of Virginia Regional Transit (VRT), a not for profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides transportation services throughout Northern Virginia.  VRT is funded by a combination of federal, state and local grants, including from the U.S. Department of Transportation.  McGregor engaged in a bribe scheme with co-conspirator Thomas Ahalt, then President of Mobile Auto Truck Repair (Mobile Auto), an automotive repair business in Purcellville, since 2007.  Mobile Auto provided automotive repair services to VRT.

According to plea papers, from January 2007 through December 2015, Mobile Auto submitted—and McGregor caused to be approved—false invoices for additional weekly labor charges. McGregor approved and VRT paid to Mobile Auto approximately $380,000 in fraudulent additional weekly labor charges.  A portion of the monies VRT paid to Mobile Auto were federal program funds originating from the Federal Transit Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation.  In exchange, McGregor received regular kickback payments from Ahalt and others associated with Mobile Auto totaling half of the additional weekly labor charges.  In total, McGregor received approximately $190,000 in kickback payments.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Floyd Sherman, Regional Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-113.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Wilson Alfonso Overton, 27, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for assault on a federal officer and unauthorized use of a vehicle. Overton was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $32,157.00.

Overton pleaded guilty on May 27. According to court documents, on March 16, Overton was pulled over for speeding on the George Washington Memorial Parkway by two officers of the U.S. Park Police.  Officers approached Overton’s vehicle and smelled the odor of marijuana.  Suspecting the driver to be impaired, officers asked Overton to exit the vehicle. Overton refused, rolled up his car window, and sped off on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, striking one of the officers with his car as he fled.  Overton then led officers on a chase at speeds as high as 115 mph that ended when Overton crashed his vehicle.  Overton then continued to flee on foot, later stole a police cruiser, and drove it into Washington, D.C., before finally crashing that vehicle as well.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Robert MacLean, Chief of U.S. Park Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Welsh and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Burke prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-120.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Andrew Otto Boggs, aka “INCURSIO,” 22, of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, and Justin Gray Liverman, aka “D3F4ULT,” 24, of Morehead City, North Carolina, were arrested today on charges related to their alleged roles in the computer hacking of several senior U.S. government officials and U.S. government computer systems.

According to charging documents filed with the court, Boggs and Liverman conspired with members of a hacking group that called itself “Crackas With Attitude.”  From about October 2015 to February 2016, the group used “social engineering” hacking techniques, including victim impersonation, to gain unlawful access to the personal online accounts of senior U.S. government officials, their families, and several U.S. government computer systems.  In some instances, members of the conspiracy uploaded private information that they obtained from victims’ personal accounts to public websites; made harassing phone calls to victims and their family members; and defaced victims’ social media accounts.  At least three other members of the conspiracy are located in the United Kingdom and are being investigated by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Boggs and Liverman will have their initial appearances at the federal courthouse in Alexandria next week in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Theresa Carroll Buchanan.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Brian J. Ebert, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after Boggs and Liverman were arrested. 

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph V. Longobardo and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jay V. Prabhu and Maya D. Song are prosecuting the case on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina, and the FBI’s Charlotte Division provided significant assistance with the investigation.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-mj-406.

A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Today the United States moved to dismiss the charges against Robert F. McDonnell and his wife Maureen McDonnell. 

After carefully considering the Supreme Court’s recent decision and the principles of federal prosecution, we have made the decision not to pursue the case further.  

The department thanks the trial team and its investigative partners for their outstanding work on this case.

Today, the United States moved to dismiss the charges against Robert F. McDonnell and his wife Maureen McDonnell.  

After carefully considering the Supreme Court’s recent decision and the principles of federal prosecution, we have made the decision not to pursue the case further.  

The department thanks the trial team and its investigative partners for their outstanding work on this case.

NORFOLK, Va. – Marcus D. Wilkins, 27, of Virginia Beach, pleaded guilty today to assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, on May 1, Wilkins removed a shopping cart full of unpaid merchandise from the Navy Exchange at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach.  A loss prevention officer saw him remove the merchandise and ordered him to stop.  Instead, Wilkins walked away from the shopping cart and toward his car.  An officer with the Naval Air Station Oceana base police observed Wilkins walking toward his vehicle and approached the vehicle, identified himself as base police and positioned himself in front of the vehicle and twice ordered Wilkins to stop.  Wilkins started his car and accelerated into the police officer, lifting him off the ground with the hood of the car and pushing him backward in the air and to the ground. Wilkins then fled the Navy Exchange parking lot and was apprehended by members of the Virginia Beach Police Department shortly thereafter.

Wilkins was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 8, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on December 14. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Tim Quick, Special Agent in Charge, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Norfolk Field Office; and James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyssa K. Nichol is prosecuting the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-84.

RICHMOND, Va. – Jose Alfonso Romero-Ramirez, aka “El Tio” and aka “Oscar Romero,” age 51, of Los Angeles, California, and formerly of Richmond, was sentenced today to 85 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for distribution of methamphetamine.

Romero-Ramirez was found guilty by a federal jury on February 4.  According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, an investigation was initiated by federal and state law enforcement agencies into a methamphetamine drug trafficking organization that was involved in the distribution of super-meth lab grade methamphetamine, with purity levels well in excess of 90 percent.  The methamphetamine was being sent from California to Richmond for distribution.  Co-conspirators Luis Mendez and Darlin Efren Arias-Dias previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced in this case.   

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HIS); and Gordon B. Johnson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Mastandrea-Miller prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:15cr043.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Mark Anthony Lowe, 63, of Fort Worth, Texas, was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a child and penalties for a registered a sex offender. Lowe was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release.

Lowe pleaded guilty on April 26. According to court documents, Lowe admitted he sexually assaulted a six year-old child while visiting the child’s family on Langley Air Force Base during the 2015 Christmas holiday. The child was taken to an area hospital and examined by a sexual assault nurse examiner and a sexual assault forensic report was completed.  Lowe, a registered sex offender, has a criminal record which includes numerous sexual assault offenses with a child in 1993 in Tarrant County, Texas.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Gordon B. Johnson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa R. McKeel prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:16cr31.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Delvin Macarthy, aka “Brian Macarthy,” 37, of Alexandria, was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Macarthy was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $734,458 in restitution.

Macarthy pleaded guilty on July 6. According to court documents, Macarthy established Individual Care Home Health Services, Inc. (Individual Care), which he owned together with his wife, Beatrice Macarthy.  Individual Care purported to provide home health care services to individuals in the Alexandria area. In or around January 2006, Individual Care was terminated from its contract to provide home health care services to C.J., a totally disabled individual. Individual Care has not provided any care to C.J. since its termination. Nevertheless, from approximately March 2009 through March 2014, Delvin and Beatrice Macarthy, d/b/a Individual Care, submitted invoices to health care providers for $847,632 in home health care services, purportedly for patient C.J., that were never actually provided by Individual Care.  Delvin Macarthy was the leader and organizer of the fraud scheme.  His wife Beatrice has separately pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and will be sentenced in a related case on September 23.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Grace L. Hill prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-151.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Marcel Lehel Lazar, aka “Guccifer,” 44, of Arad, Romania, a hacker who unlawfully accessed the private online accounts of at least 100 Americans and caused the public release of this information on the Internet, was sentenced today to a total of 52 months in prison for unauthorized access to a protected computer (28 months) and aggravated identity theft (24 months).  Lazar was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release, forfeit online storage accounts that contained victim information, and pay restitution to his victims.

Lazar pleaded guilty on May 25. According to court documents, from at least October 2012 to January 2014, Lazar intentionally gained unauthorized access to email and social media accounts belonging to approximately 100 Americans, and he did so to unlawfully obtain his victims’ personal information and email correspondence.  While some of Lazar’s targets were public figures – including a former U.S. Cabinet member and a former member of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff – other targets were private citizens whom Lazar selected because they appeared in the email contact lists of other victims.  In some instances, Lazar impersonated his victims online to, among other things, harass and collect information about other victims.  In many instances, Lazar publically released his victims’ private email correspondence, medical and financial information, and personal photographs, without their consent.  Lazar admitted that to conceal his identity from law enforcement, he used proxy servers to mask his location, and when he believed his identity had been uncovered he used an ax to smash his computer devices and cellphone.  Lazar also admitted that he committed his crimes while on probation in Romania for earlier computer hacking offenses.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Leslie R. Caldwell, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Bill A. Miller, Director of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS); and Brian J. Ebert, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing today by U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris.

This case was investigated by the FBI, DSS, and Secret Service, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maya D. Song and Jay V. Prabhu, and Senior Counsel Ryan K. Dickey and Peter V. Roman of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.

The Department of Justice gratefully acknowledges the Romanian Ministry of Justice for its support in assisting the United States with this case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:14-cr-213.

Marcel Lehel Lazar, 44, of Arad, Romania, a hacker who used the online moniker “Guccifer,” was sentenced today to 52 months in prison for unauthorized access to a protected computer and aggravated identity theft.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Director Bill A. Miller of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Ebert of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.

Lazar pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris of the Eastern District of Virginia on May 25, 2016. 

According to admissions made in connection with his plea agreement, from at least October 2012 to January 2014, Lazar intentionally gained unauthorized access to personal email and social media accounts belonging to approximately 100 Americans, and he did so to unlawfully obtain his victims’ personal information and email correspondence.  Lazar’s victims included an immediate family member of two former U.S. presidents, a former member of the U.S. Cabinet, a former member of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and a former presidential advisor, he admitted.  In many instances, Lazar publically released his victims’ private email correspondence, medical and financial information and personal photographs, according to the statement of facts filed with his plea agreement.

The FBI, DSS and the Secret Service investigated the case.  Senior Counsel Ryan K. Dickey and Peter V. Roman of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maya D. Song and Jay V. Prabhu of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.  The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.  The Justice Department thanks the government of Romania for their assistance in this matter.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Five California men have been sentenced for their roles in a nationwide home loan modification scam that victimized over 400 homeowners and families, resulting in a total loss of over $3.8 million.

Roscoe Umali, 38, of Santa Ana, California, was sentenced on August 18 to 220 months in prison for leading the multi-state conspiracy.  Umali was also ordered to forfeit $3.8 million and to make approximately $1.2 million in restitution payments to the victims of his scam.

Umali pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on March 22.  According to court documents, from at least October 2012 through September 2014, Umali and his co-conspirators targeted struggling homeowners and made a series of misrepresentations to induce them to make payments of thousands of dollars each in exchange for supposed mortgage modification assistance.  The conspirators falsely held themselves out as a non-profit organization or as affiliated with a real government program, the “Home Affordable Modification Program” (HAMP), designed to help homeowners at risk of foreclosure.  In reality, however, they did nothing to help modify any mortgages.  Instead, they used the victims’ payments for their own personal benefit and to further the fraud scheme.  Many of the victims subsequently lost their homes, declared bankruptcy, and otherwise suffered serious financial and emotional consequences as a result of the scheme.

The four other defendants sentenced in connection with this same scam include:

Name

Age

Hometown

Sentencing Details

Isaac Perez

33

Los Angeles, California

Sentenced to 130 months today

Joshua Johnson

36

Huntington Beach, California

Sentenced to 121 months on July 7

Jefferson Maniscan

34

Los Angeles, California

Sentenced to 120 months on August 18

Raymund Dacanay

47

Newport Beach, California

Sentenced to 60 months on July 21

Five additional defendants from the greater Los Angeles area were also arraigned today on a superseding indictment in this same case.  Those defendants include Sammy Araya, 41, Nicholas Estilow, 34, Sabrina Rafo, 23, Michael Henderson, 49, and Jen Seko, 36.  They were each charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, for a similar scheme that allegedly resulted in at least $11.5 million in losses to victims and homeowners.  If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count.  The maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Christy Goldsmith Romero, Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP); Robert Wemyss, Inspector in Charge of the Los Angeles Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; James Todak,  Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Los Angeles Field Office; and Rene Febles, Deputy Inspector General for Investigations, Federal Housing Finance Agency-OIG, made the announcement after the sentencing of Umali and his co-defendants by U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha Bateman and Ryan Faulconer are prosecuting the case.  The case was formerly prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zach Terwilliger and James P. Gillis.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:15-cr-301.

RICHMOND, Va. – Fernando Josue Chang-Monroy, 37, of Guatemala City, Guatemala, was sentenced today to 262 months in prison for his in role in an international drug trafficking conspiracy involving the use of United States registered aircraft purchased in the Eastern District of Virginia to transport 2,000 kilograms of cocaine in Central and South America.

Chang-Monroy pleaded guilty on March 3.  According to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Chang-Monroy admitted to his role in the conspiracy to purchase two United States registered aircraft in the Eastern District of Virginia, for the purpose of transporting large amounts of cocaine from clandestine airstrips in Venezuela to clandestine airstrips in Honduras.  Also as part of the conspiracy, Chang-Monroy arranged with the Venezuelan military for the safe passage of the drug trafficking aircraft through Venezuelan air space. 

The first aircraft purchased by Chang-Monroy, a Beechcraft King Air C90 (“King Air C90”), was sold to a known Honduran drug trafficking organization in exchange for a percentage from the sale of the cocaine that was successfully transported on the aircraft and later distributed.  On or about October 27, 2013, the King Air C90 flew to Apure, Venezuela, where 1,000 kilograms of cocaine was loaded onto the aircraft and then successfully transported to Limon, Honduras.  The second aircraft purchased by Chang-Monroy, a Beechcraft King Air E90 (“King Air E90”), was sold to a Colombian drug trafficking organization in exchange for U.S. currency.  In order to prepare the King Air E90 for its illegal activities, Chang-Monroy arranged for multiple test flights to ensure its airworthiness, painted the aircraft to conceal its identity, and selected pilots to operate the aircraft during its trip to transport the cocaine.  On or about March 2, 2014, the King Air E90 flew to Apure, Venezuela, and was loaded with 1,000 kilograms of cocaine.  Prior to departure, upon seeing Venezuelan military aircraft overhead, the King Air E90 pilot refused to take off.  Due to this delay, the cocaine was off-loaded from the King Air E90 and the Venezuelan military aircraft destroyed the King Air E90.  On September 10, 2015, Chang-Monroy was arrested in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and extradited to the United States on December 1, 2015.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; Thomas M. Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Washington D.C. Field Office; Colonel David R. Hines, Hanover County Sheriff; and Colonel Thierry Dupuis, Chief of Chesterfield County Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik S. Siebert, Dominick S. Gerace, David J. Harbach, and Peter S. Duffey prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:14-cr-75.

NORFOLK, Va. – Fairbanks Morse Engine (FME), located in Norfolk, has agreed to pay $142,500 to settle civil fraud allegations that their employees engaged in labor mischarging.

The allegations involved FME overcharging the Navy on a subcontract for engine repairs on the USS Ashland.  FME had two subcontracts to perform work on the Ashland, a firm-fixed price subcontract and a time-and-materials subcontract.  Supervisory hours were charged to the time-and-materials subcontract that should have already been included under the separate, firm-fixed-price subcontract.  Along with taking corrective action once the conduct was revealed and repaying the overcharges, FME submitted a disclosure to the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General under the Contractor Business Ethics Compliance Program and Disclosure Rule, also known as the Federal Acquisition Regulations Mandatory Disclosure Rule.  FME has now agreed to pay an additional $142,500 to settle alleged False Claims Act violations resulting from the disclosed conduct.

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, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service with assistance from the Defense Contract Audit Agency.

The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clare P. Wuerker.  The civil claims settled by this False Claims Act agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.

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.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Raju Kosuri, 44, and Smriti Jharia, 45, a married couple from Ashburn, pleaded guilty today to charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and visa fraud, among other charges.

Kosuri and Jharia were indicted on April 27. According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Kosuri, Jharia, and their co-conspirators fraudulently applied for more than 900 illegal immigration benefits under the H-1B visa program.  Since 2008, and at much greater scale since 2011, Kosuri has built a staffing business that amounts to a visa-for-sale system, in violation of federal law.  Kosuri and Jharia also admitted to defrauding the Small Business Administration in connection with a scheme to obtain HUBZone certification for a business named EcomNets Federal Solutions.  Kosuri agreed to forfeit proceeds of his fraud schemes in the amount of $20,900,000.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington; Bill A. Miller, Director of Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), U.S. Department of State; and Robin Blake, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Inspector General; and Kimberly Zanotti, Washington Field Office Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), made the announcement after the pleas were accepted by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul K. Nitze and Angela Fiorentino-Rios are prosecuting the case.

The case was investigated by HSI, DSS, DOL-OIG, and USCIS. Assistance was provided by the Virginia Office of the State Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fairfax County Police Department. 

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-CR-43.

An Alexandria, Virginia, man pleaded guilty today to production of child pornography for enticing minors to engage in sexually-explicit conduct online and recording the acts.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia; Fairfax County, Virginia, Chief of Police Edwin C. Roessler Jr.; and Special Agent in Charge Clark E. Settles of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington made the announcement.

Lucas Aronson, 31, was charged on April 8, 2016, and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga of the Eastern District of Virginia. 

According to admissions made in connection with the plea agreement, a video and text chat website reported an Internet Protocol (IP) address to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for streaming child pornography.  The IP address was linked to Aronson’s residence and during a court-authorized search of that residence, law enforcement officers recovered a thumb drive containing child pornography videos and conversations in which Aronson posed as a minor girl as he chatted with female minors online.  Aronson admitted that he enticed some of the minors to engage in sexually explicit activity on web camera and recorded the video. 

The Fairfax County Police and HSI investigated the case.  Trial Attorney Lauren Britsch of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay V. Prabhu 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.

NORFOLK, Va. – Linwood Taylor, 56, of Portsmouth, was sentenced today to 262 months in prison and eight years of supervised release for conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute heroin. Taylor was also ordered to forfeit $393,799, which represents the proceeds of the offense for which he pleaded guilty to on May 12.

According to court documents, Taylor distributed in excess of six kilograms of heroin over the course of a year and half in Portsmouth.  When Taylor was arrested, his base of operations was a Rodeway Inn motel in Portsmouth where officers from the DEA and the Portsmouth Police Department’s Special Investigative Unit recovered nearly $9,000 in cash, 87 grams of heroin, 10 grams of cocaine, and a hydraulic press.  Taylor used the press to give the appearance that the heroin he sold was of high quality and had been freshly removed from a kilogram of raw heroin.  Instead, he used cutting agents to double the amount and profits of his heroin sales.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; and Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Chief Judge Rebecca Beach Smith.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-46.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Isaac Lanier Avant, of Arlington, who is currently employed as a staffer by the U.S. House of Representatives, has been charged with five counts of willfully failing to file a tax return.

According to the criminal information and affidavit, Avant has been employed as a staff member of the U.S. House of Representatives since approximately 2002.  For tax years 2009 through 2013, Avant earned annual wages of over $170,000, but did not timely file a personal income tax return for any of those years.  In May 2005, Avant filed a form with his employer that falsely claimed he was exempt from federal income taxes.  Avant did not have any federal tax withheld from his paycheck until the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) mandated that his employer begin withholding in January 2013. 

Avant faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Caroline D. Ciraolo, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, made the announcement.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Hanly and Assistant Chief Todd Ellinwood of the Tax Division.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-mj-385.

A criminal information contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Lucas Aronson, 31, of Alexandria, pleaded guilty today to production of child pornography for enticing minors to engage in sexually-explicit conduct online and recording the acts.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Aronson streamed a video of an adult male engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a toddler-aged female on a chat website in January 2015.  Prior to that time, Aronson also posed as a minor girl online and chatted with minor girls, asking them to send him sexually explicit videos of themselves. Videos of minor girls chatting and responding to Aronson’s requests were found in his residence.  

Aronson faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when sentenced on November 18. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Leslie R. Caldwell, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police; and Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Washington, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.  The Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C. Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) assisted in the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay V. Prabhu and Trial Attorney Lauren Britsch of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case. 

This investigation was a 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 may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-138.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Razak A. Dosunmu, 61, of Washington, D.C., was convicted yesterday by a federal jury on charges of offering illegal gratuities to a procurement official with the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) while Dosunmu was negotiating aviation fuel contracts with DLA worth over $1 billion.

Dosunmu was indicted on March 8. According to court records and evidence at trial, Dosunmu initially offered to purchase a house for the procurement official.  In subsequent conversations, Dosunmu offered, among other things, $2 million to the procurement official.

Dosunmu faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison for each count of conviction when sentenced on November 18.  The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Hanly and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward P. Sullivan are prosecuting the case.

The case was jointly investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.  

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-54.

RICHMOND, Va. – Pamela Minor-Chiles, 47, of Chesterfield, Virginia, pled guilty today to a criminal information charging her with bank fraud stemming from her misappropriation of approximately $200,000 from a medical practice.  She was indicted on June 21, 2016 on 27 counts of bank fraud. 

According to court documents, Minor-Chiles, the office manager of the Central Virginia OB/GYN Associates (CVOG), misappropriated approximately $200,000 from the practice from 2007 until 2012.  The scheme involved Minor-Chiles writing numerous checks on the CVOG operating account at SunTrust Bank and fraudulently depositing them into her personal accounts at the Bank of America from 2007 to 2012.  Minor-Chiles concealed the misappropriations by (1) putting fraudulent entries on the check stubs to make it appear that the misappropriated checks were written to outside vendors for legitimate expenses of the practice, and (2) then submitting the fraudulent check stubs to the outside accountants.  

Minor-Chiles faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.  The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The guilty plea took place today before the Honorable M. Hannah Lauck.  The sentencing is set for November 29, 2016.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Douglas Mease, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after the return of the indictment.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Maguire is prosecuting the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:16-CR-083.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – William Rollie Armstrong, 50, of Hampton, was sentenced today to 293 months in prison for coercion and enticement of a child, and receipt of child pornography. Upon release from prison Armstrong will serve 25 years of supervised release.

Armstrong pleaded guilty on February 22.  According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, the parents of Jane Doe, a 12 year-old child from Michigan, contacted law enforcement to report that Armstrong was having inappropriate chats with their daughter.  During the course of the investigation, federal agents were able to determine that the Armstrong befriended Jane Doe through a social networking site, InterPals, by pretending to be a 13 year-old boy from New York.  Armstrong sent Jane Doe sexually explicit photos and also asked the child to engage in sexual conduct that would be a crime in Virginia. Agents executed a search warrant on Armstrong’s home in Hampton and seized electronic devices. Armstrong cooperated with agents and admitted that he used a profile picture of a young boy on InterPals. He also admitted to chatting with young girls, including Jane Doe, on various social media websites, and asked them to send him nude pictures of themselves. A forensic exam of the electronic devices revealed that Armstrong had images of child pornography as well as images of Jane Doe.

This is Armstrong’s third conviction for sexual crimes involving minors. He was convicted of sexual assault in 1992 after engaging in sexual intercourse with a 15 year-old child, and in 1999 he was convicted of possession with the intent to distribute child pornography in Virginia Beach. 

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and John S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa R. McKeel prosecuted the case.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:15-cr-85.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Jose Lopez Torres, 26, of Falls Church, and Jesus Alejandro Chavez, 25, of Alexandria, were both sentenced today to life in prison for their roles in two murders and one attempted murder in Northern Virginia, among other charges.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Oct. 1, 2013, Torres, along with co-conspirator Jaime Rosales Villegas and others drove to Gar-Field High School in Woodbridge to murder a fellow gang member.  However, one of the gang members in the car had not only alerted police to the murder plot, he also recorded phone calls and a meeting during which gang members, including Torres, Villegas, and Pedro Anthony Romero Cruz, who participated from prison on a contraband cell phone, planned the murder. The gang members’ vehicle was under surveillance that night, the victim had been warned to not be at school, and the informant was wearing a body wire.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Oct. 7, 2013, Torres, Omar DeJesus Castillo, Juan Carlos Marquez Ayala, Araely Santiago Villanueva, Jose Del Cid, and three others murdered fellow gang member Nelson Omar Quintanilla Trujillo. The gang believed Trujillo was a snitch, and so the gang members lured him to Holmes Run Park in Falls Church, and brutally killed him by stabbing him with knives and slashing him with a machete. When they were done they buried Trujillo in a shallow grave.  Several gang members returned a short time later and, with the assistance of Alvin Gaitan Benitez, reburied the body of Trujillo.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on June 19, 2014, Jesus Alejandro Chavez, along with Del Cid and Genaro Sen Garcia murdered Julio Urrutia. Several gang members including Chavez, who had been released from prison a mere eight days earlier, were out looking for rival gang members when they approached a group of young men, flashed their gang signs, and challenged them about their gang affiliation. During the exchange Chavez pulled out a gun and shot Urrutia in the neck at point blank range.  Urrutia died from the gunshot wound two days later.

A total of 13 defendants were charged in this case. Of those, six defendants went to trial and were convicted of all charges on May 9. Six defendants pleaded guilty prior to trial, and one defendant was severed from the case and will have a separate trial at a later date. Each defendant convicted at trial faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Please see the table at the end of this press release for additional information on each defendant.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Chief of Police, Fairfax County Police Department; Earl L. Cook, Chief of Police, Alexandria City Police Department; and Barry M. Barnard, Chief of Police, Prince William County Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julia K. Martinez and Tobias D. Tobler are prosecuting the case.  The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Fairfax County Police Department’s Gang Investigations Unit, the Prince William County Police Department, and the Alexandria City Police Department.

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.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:14-cr-306.

 

Name

Age, Hometown

Charges Convicted of

Sentencing Info

Pedro Anthony Romero Cruz

30, unknown

Conspiracy to Commit Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

30 years in prison

Jose Lopez Torres

26, Falls Church

Conspiracy, Attempted, and Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

Life sentence plus 30 years

Jaime Rosales Villegas

31, Richmond

Conspiracy and Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

272 months in prison

Juan Carlos Marquez Ayala

23, Falls Church

Murder in Aid of Racketeering

Life sentence

Omar Dejesus Castillo

27, Arlington

Two Counts of Murder in Aid of Racketeering

Two life sentences

Alvin Gaitan Benitez

23, Falls Church

Murder in Aid of Racketeering, Accessory After the Fact

September 9

Christian Lemus Cerna

20, Falls Church

Murder in Aid of Racketeering

September 9

Araely Santiago Villanueva

20, Falls Church

Two Counts of Murder in Aid of Racketeering

Life sentence

Manuel Ernesto Paiz Guevara

21, Falls Church

Murder in Aid of Racketeering

September 9

Jose Del Cid

20, Alexandria

Two Counts of Murder in Aid of Racketeering

Two life sentences

Jesus Alejandro Chavez

26, Alexandria

Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Use of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence Resulting in Death; Felon in Possession of a Firearm

Two life sentences plus 10 years

Genaro Sen Garcia

21, unknown

Murder in Aid of Racketeering

Life sentence