Eastern District of Virginia

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Douglas Ashby, 29, of Newport News, was sentenced today to 412 months in prison for a racketeering conspiracy. Ashby’s sentence will run consecutive to a 10 year sentence on an earlier federal firearms conviction.

Ashby plead guilty on Nov. 12, 2015. According to court documents, Ashby was a member of the Newport News street gang “Thug Relations”, which engaged in the distribution of marijuana and crack cocaine.  The gang established dominance over the drug trade in its territory through violence and intimidation, which included physical assaults, home invasions, and numerous shootings, some of which resulted in murders.  In particular, Ashby admitted his involvement in the murder of Aaron Sumler, because the victim and a friend had been selling cocaine in the area of Aqueduct Apartments, which was part of Thug Relations territory.  Further, Ashby participated in two other home invasion robberies or attempted robberies which resulted in the wounding of one victim and the death of another caused by another robbery participant.  Ashby also participated in two additional shooting incidents.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Leslie R. Caldwell, Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division; 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 Raymond A. Jackson.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard J. Zlotnick, Lisa R. McKeel, Brian Samuels, and Trial Attorney Yvonne L. Garcia of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section 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. 4:14-cr-59.

NORFOLK, Va. – Andysheh Ayatollahi, 36, formerly of Virginia Beach, pleaded guilty today to charges of conspiracy to commit financial institution fraud and filing a false tax return.

According to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, in July 2007 Ayatollahi purchased a 50 percent interest in the Car Store, a used car dealership located in Virginia Beach.  From then until May 2008, when the Car Store closed, Ayatollahi conspired with others, including Car Store personnel, to defraud Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU).  Ayatollahi and his co-conspirators engaged in fraudulent practices that included using individuals as straw buyers/borrowers to apply to NFCU for car loans because the actual buyers were not sufficiently creditworthy to qualify for a car loan.  Ayatollahi also submitted fraudulent car loan applications to NFCU with false supporting documents; made telephone calls to NFCU impersonating buyers applying for car loans; provided false employer telephone numbers to NFCU and then impersonated the employer while verifying the applicant’s employment and wages; and fraudulently inflated the true purchase price of vehicles and split the excess with the buyers.  In total, Ayatollahi fraudulently caused NFCU to issue 61 car loans with a total loan amount of $1,168,904.97.  Most of these loans went into default, resulting in a loss to NFCU of approximately $867,448.43.  Additionally, Ayatollahi filed false tax returns with the IRS that underreported his income for tax years 2005-2007, resulting in a tax loss of $113,093. 

Ayatollahi will be sentenced on July 13, 2016, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on the financial institution fraud charge and three years in prison on the charge of filing a false tax return.  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 S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Thomas Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge, Washington D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after sentencing by made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan M. Salsbury 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. 2:10cr15.

NORFOLK, Va. – Chris Arthur Perry, Jr., 26, of Chesapeake, and Gregory Paul Wingard, Jr., 27, of Norfolk, were sentenced today for their roles in a conspiracy to steal valuable items from passengers’ bags at the Norfolk International Airport.  Perry was sentenced to 17 months in prison and Wingard was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison.

Perry and Wingard pleaded guilty Nov. 18, 2015. According to court documents, from approximately December 2013 to June 4, 2015, Perry and Wingard used their positions as baggage handlers to break into checked baggage in the secure area of the Norfolk International Airport.  They removed money, electronics, and other valuable items and then sold the items to members of the community or to pawn shops in the Tidewater area.  Perry and Wingard specifically targeted firearm containers while searching for bags to break into.  Part of the conspiracy was to steal firearms by switching baggage tags, causing firearm containers to be transported away from the original intended destination and preventing detection from law enforcement.

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 Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar.  This case was investigated by the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office with the assistance of Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Airways.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph E. DePadilla prosecuted 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. 2:15-cr-131.

NORFOLK, Va. – Garth Salkey, 65, of Suffolk, was sentenced today to 135 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin.

Salkey pleaded guilty on Nov. 17, 2015. According to court documents, from the summer of 2012 through May 2015, Salkey conspired with his son, Christopher, to distribute heroin in Suffolk and Portsmouth. Garth Salkey, who has been convicted of drug crimes on three prior occasions, received a significant quantity of heroin from his supplier on a regular basis.  Garth Salkey would then add chemical cutting agents to the heroin, cap the drug into capsules, sell the capsules from two residences he owned and other locations, and collect drug proceeds.  Garth Salkey recruited his son and others to help him in these activities.

According to court documents, four controlled purchases were made at Salkey’s Suffolk residence in April and May of 2015.  Based on the controlled purchases, the Suffolk Police Department and federal agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) executed a search warrant on May 20, 2015, at Salkey’s residence in Suffolk.  Law enforcement recovered a quantity of heroin and packaging material used for distribution. During the execution of the search warrant, Salkey threw about an ounce of heroin out of his bedroom window in an attempt to hide it from law enforcement.  Additionally, agents also discovered a sophisticated marijuana grow operation with 129 marijuana plants belonging to Salkey’s son.  During the course of the conspiracy it is estimated that Salkey and his son distributed at least eight kilograms of heroin, while Garth Salkey was personally responsible for more than four kilograms of heroin. 

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the DEA’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Muhr 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. 2:15-cr-146.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Mohammed Ali, 54, of Herndon, and Obdayel Hoque, 49, of Alexandria, who owned and operated multiple Subway restaurant franchises in Washington, D.C. and Arlington,  pleaded guilty today to aiding and assisting in the filing of false tax returns. Mohammed Rahman, 43, and Mohammed Siddique, 53, both of Alexandria, also pleaded guilty in the case.

“Individuals who provide false information for the preparation of fraudulent corporate tax returns will be caught and held responsible,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The guilty pleas today represent exactly that. My thanks to our partners at IRS-Criminal Investigations for their efforts on this case.”

“Today’s guilty pleas send a clear message that business owners and operators who seek to evade their tax obligations and avoid paying their fair share will be held accountable,” said Caroline D. Ciraolo, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.  “Individuals engaged in this criminal conduct will face prosecution and substantial penalties, including incarceration.”

According to court documents, Ali owned and operated multiple Subway restaurant franchises in Washington, D.C. and Arlington with Hoque.  Ali ran the day-to-day operations of the Subway franchises located on 10th Street North, Arlington, and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C.  These franchises were operated under the name Subway Sandwich & Salad, Inc.  Rahman was a working partner with Ali and Hoque and the day-to-day manager of a Subway franchise located on 7th Street, NW, Washington, D.C.  This Subway franchise was operated under the name 7th Street Sub Shop LLC.  Siddique was a working partner with Hoque and the day-to-day manager of a gas station in Alexandria called Skyhill Shell.

As part of their guilty pleas, Ali, Rahman and Siddique admitted that at Hoque’s direction they did not deposit all of the Subway franchises’ or the gas station’s gross receipts into the corporate or partnership bank accounts.  Instead, Hoque, Ali, Rahman and Siddique retained a portion of the gross receipts for their personal benefit.  Ali, Rahman and Siddique maintained detailed records of the Subway franchises’ and gas station’s total sales, the amounts deposited into the bank accounts and the amounts distributed to each of them for their personal benefit.  Ali and Rahman admitted that, at Hoque’s direction, they destroyed these records.

Ali, Rhaman and Siddique further admitted that they were directed by Hoque to provide false information about the Subway franchises’ and gas station’s gross receipts to the accounting firm that prepared corporate and partnership tax returns for the businesses.    For the period of 2008 through 2013, point of sales records for the Subway Sandwich and Salad franchises reflected total sales of $6,439,832.  However, Ali provided false monthly sales figures to the accounting firm to prepare Subway Sandwich and Salad’s corporate tax returns.  As a result, Ali caused false corporate tax returns to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for Subway Sandwich and Salad, which reported sales of only $3,749,142.  For the period of 2008 through 2013, point of sales records for the 7th Street Sub Shop franchise reflected total sales of $4,949,266.  However, Rahman provided false monthly sales figures to the accounting firm to prepare 7th Street Sub Shop’s partnership tax returns.  As a result, Rahman caused false partnership tax returns to be filed for 7th Street Sub Shop, which reported sales of only $3,193,212.  For the period 2008 through 2012, Siddique provided false monthly sales figures to the accounting firm to prepare Skyhill Shell’s corporate tax returns.   As a result, Siddique caused false corporate tax returns to be filed for Skyhill Shell for 2008 and 2009, which failed to report at least $572,000 of net income from the business.  Skyhill Shell failed to file corporate tax returns for 2010, 2011, and 2012.  

Ali, Rahman and Siddique admitted that they failed to report to the IRS on their individual income tax returns their receipt of unreported gross receipts.  Ali admitted that his conduct caused a tax loss of more than $550,000 but less than $1.5 million.  Rahman admitted that his conduct caused a tax loss of more than $250,000 but less than $550,000.  Siddique admitted that his conduct caused a tax loss of more than $100,000 but less than $250,000. 

Hoque pleaded guilty on Jan. 27 to conspiracy to defraud the United States and admitted that his conduct caused a tax loss to the IRS of between $1.5 million and $3.5 million.  Hoque is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13.

Rahman, Ali and Siddique each face a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine when sentenced on July 15.  As part of their plea agreements, Rahman, Ali and Siddique agreed to pay restitution to the IRS for their personal tax liabilities.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Caroline D. Ciraolo, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye is prosecuting the case along with Assistant Chief Caryn Finley and Trial Attorney Kimberly Shartar 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-cr-9.

RICHMOND, Va. – Tramaine Standberry, 21, and Joshua Wright, 22, of Richmond, were sentenced today to 192 and 276 months in prison, respectively, for a robbery and brandishing a firearm during a robbery.

Standberry and Wright were found guilty on Dec. 9, 2015. According to court documents, Standberry and Wright were under surveillance for suspicion of having committed several robberies in and around Richmond in April 2015.  While under surveillance on April 29, 2015, the men robbed a 7-Eleven at 3600 Mechanicsville Turnpike stealing money and lottery tickets.  Officers gave pursuit on the ground and from the air and arrested the men hiding in a neighborhood near the 7-Eleven.  One of the firearms found was directly connected by forensic evidence to a robbery on April 4, 2015, where one of the men fired at a safe containing lottery tickets.  Officers also later discovered the men on film cashing lottery tickets stolen during the April 4 robbery, and found event tickets stolen from the April 4 robbery in Standberry’s home. 

At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson found that the men also participated in robberies which occurred on April 4, 2015, and April 19, 2015, in Henrico.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Hudson.  This case was investigated by officers and detectives with the ATF; Henrico County Police Division; Chesterfield County Police; and the Richmond Police Department in conjunction with the FBI’s Central Virginia Violent Crime Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen E. Anthony 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. 3:15-CR-102.

RICHMOND, Va. – Marcel Joshua Kiza, 58, of Richmond, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for engaging in a sophisticated scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Program. Kiza was ordered to pay $35,187.80 in restitution.

Kiza was found guilty by a federal jury on Oct. 6, 2015.  According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, upon entering the United States in 1991, Marcel Kiza applied for a Social Security number under a name he was using at the time, Amuri Kiza. During this time Marcel Kiza was also using the name Ntambwe Amuri, which he used on his U.S. Customs and Immigration paperwork. After being assigned a valid Social Security number for the name Amuri Kiza, Marcel Kiza applied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in 2005 and was denied.  In May 2007, he attempted to obtain Disability Insurance Benefits from SSA and was again denied.  Marcel Kiza became a naturalized U.S. citizen in April 2007, and at that time he petitioned for and was granted a name change to Marcel Joshua Kiza.

Evidence at trial proved that Marcel Kiza then created a scheme to use his new legal name to create a new identity and receive government benefits.  He applied for a new Social Security number under the name Marcel Joshua Kiza, and represented on the application that he had not previously been assigned a Social Security number, which was untrue. Then, in 2010, Marcel Kiza applied for SSA Survivors Benefits for his children, by representing that their father, Amuri Kiza, was deceased.  He named himself the representative payee on behalf of the children, and as a result of this fraud he received $51,608 in SSA’s Survivors Benefits to which he was not entitled. 

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Michael McGill, Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather L. Hart and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Reed 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. 3:15-cr-46.

A Virginia man who served as a volunteer with the music program at Grace E. Metz Middle School in Manassas, Virginia, was found guilty today by a federal jury of four counts of production of child pornography, one count of attempted coercion/enticement of a minor, one count of distribution of child pornography and two counts of receipt of child pornography.

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, Special Agent in Charge Clark E. Settles of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., and Chief Douglas Keen of the Manassas City Police Department made the announcement.

According to evidence presented at trial, David Alexander Battle II, 24, of Manassas, used his home computer to share images of child sexual exploitation via webcam on a chat website in April 2015.  Battle also posed as a minor girl on another chat platform and chatted with minor boys, including two boys he personally knew, coercing and enticing them to send him sexually explicit images of themselves.  The trial evidence also showed Battle’s laptop contained gigabytes of child sexual exploitation files. 

Trial Attorney Lauren Britsch of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Prabhu of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.  HSI and the Manassas City Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Herndon, Virginia, Police Department and the Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C., Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. 

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.

RICHMOND, Va. – Jeremy Blanchard, 35, and Erik Pittman, 35, both of Memphis, Tennessee, pleaded guilty today to charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return.

In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Blanchard, Pittman, and others prepared numerous false tax returns for the 2011 tax year for customers of their tax return preparation business.  Blanchard, who pleaded guilty yesterday, and Pittman, who pleaded guilty today, were preparers in Mo Money Taxes, which operated three locations in Richmond.  Blanchard and Pittman admitted that they created and inflated fictitious and fraudulent tax credits, including the Earned Income Credit and the American Opportunity credit, to claim tax refunds that customers were not entitled to receive.  As part of their guilty pleas, Blanchard and Pittman admitted that their conduct caused a loss to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of more than $250,000, but less than $550,000.

Blanchard and Pittman each face a maximum penalty of a total of eight years in prison and a $500,000 fine when sentenced on June 8, 2016. 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, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division; and Thomas Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigations, Washington D.C. Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney.  This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigations, the FBI's Richmond Field Office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Miller, and Trial Attorneys Kevin F. Sweeney and Todd Kostyshak of the Tax Division 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. 3:15-cr-136.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – David Alexander Battle II, 24, who served as a volunteer with the music program at Grace E. Metz Middle School in Manassas, was convicted today by a federal jury on four counts of production of child pornography, attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, receipt of child pornography, and distribution of child pornography.

Battle was arrested by the Manassas City Police Department on June 16, 2015, after law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence and discovered evidence of child pornography, including two gigabytes of videos that appeared to be child pornography involving infants. Other evidence found at Battle’s residence included child pornography primarily of young boys and girls.

Battle was initially charged on Aug. 6, 2015, and was charged by superseding indictment on Feb. 11, 2016.  According to court records and evidence at trial, an Internet Protocol address linked to Battle was used to share child sexual exploitation via webcam on a chat website in April 2015.  Battle also posed as a minor girl on another chat platform and chatted with minor boys, coercing and enticing them to send him sexually explicit images of themselves, according to evidence presented at trial.  The evidence demonstrated that the defendant personally knew two of the boys he chatted with on this platform.

Battle faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison when sentenced on June 10, 2016.  The 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; Douglas W. Keen, Manassas City Chief of Police; and Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Prabhu and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Britsch are prosecuting the case. The Herndon Police Department and the Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C. Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) assisted in the investigation.

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. 1:15-cr-274.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Victor R. DeAnthony, Jr., 47, of Leesburg, was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for wire fraud for embezzling over $2.9 million from a business based in Herndon.  DeAnthony was also ordered to pay $2,902,868 in restitution and forfeiture as well as serve three years of supervised release. 

DeAnthony, pleaded guilty on Dec. 22, 2015. According to court documents, DeAnthony admitted to stealing $2,902,868 from Insequence, Inc., a systems engineering and integration company headquartered in Herndon, where he served as president until his termination in 2013.  From 2004 through 2013, DeAnthony used corporate funds to make personal purchases and paid himself additional salary and bonus without approval.  For instance, DeAnthony caused approximately $556,000 to be paid from Insequence’s corporate bank account to his mortgage lender to pay his monthly mortgage.  DeAnthony used the embezzled funds to, among other things, purchase real estate, an automobile, personal watercraft, and a recreational vehicle. 

According to court records, in order to conceal the fraud DeAnthony made false entries into the company’s accounting software.  For example, in January 2012, DeAnthony wire transferred $59,612.83 from Insequence’s bank account to a title company in order to pay for expenses related to the sale of his personal residence in Leesburg.  Later, in accounting records, DeAnthony falsely represented the transaction as a corporate “Facilities: Moving Expense.”  Moreover, in May 2012, DeAnthony wire transferred $38,241.62 from Insequence to an account belonging to a law firm in South Carolina that assisted DeAnthony with a personal real estate purchase.  In order to disguise the payment, DeAnthony falsely identified the payee as a northern Virginia law firm that the company had hired to negotiate a corporate income tax issue.

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 James C. Cacheris.  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. 1:15-cr-364.

NORFOLK, Va. – Benjamin Lloyd Fisher, 42, of Chesapeake, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for illegally receiving imported firearms, namely silencers.

Fisher pleaded on Nov. 17, 2015. According to court documents, Fisher admitted that in the spring of 2014 he purchased a homemade .22 caliber suppressor (silencer) from a Canadian source he had met online.  The parties arranged that the silencer would be shipped to Fisher in two separate packages, in order to avoid detection by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.  Based on email correspondence between Fisher and his Canadian source, as well as other evidence, in May 2015 ATF agents executed a search warrant on the home in Chesapeake that Fisher shared with his mother.  During the search agents recovered 13 firearms, eight silencers, and crates of ammunition.  One month later, 5 additional firearms associated with Fisher were recovered.  Fisher is a convicted felon and unable to possess a firearm.  After the search warrant and prior to his arrest, the Chesapeake Police received a phone call from one of Fisher’s relatives which caused the police to conduct a welfare check on Fisher. When the police arrived, Fisher hid inside his bedroom and told the police that his door was booby trapped with an explosive device and that he had a bomb around his neck. After a stand-off lasting several hours, Fisher finally surrendered. No bombs or explosive devices were found.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Charles E. Smith,  Special Agent in Charge of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Muhr 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. 2:15cr117.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Josiah John Weiss, 36, of Suitland, Maryland, was convicted today by a federal jury on charges of possession of firearms as a convicted felon.

Weiss was indicted on Dec. 10, 2015. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on April 25, 2015, Weiss purchased two semiautomatic pistols and an AR-15 rifle, along with magazines and gun cases for each, from a private seller at The Nation’s Gun Show in Chantilly. Weiss was observed doing so by Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Due to his suspicious behavior, he was followed by ATF agents as he drove away from the parking lot of the Dulles Expo Center, where the gun show was being held.  When Weiss discovered that he was being followed, he began driving erratically and at high speeds and eventually eluded the agents.  Later that day agents executed a search warrant at an apartment Weiss had been living in at the time in Alexandria. Neither Weiss nor the three firearms were found there.  Law enforcement remained unaware of Weiss’ whereabouts until Nov. 10, 2015, when he was arrested outside one of his two apartments in Suitland. Despite a search of those two apartments, the firearms were not recovered. Weiss had been convicted of aggravated identity theft and passport fraud, both felonies, in 2011, and thus was prohibited from possessing firearms. 

Weiss faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when sentenced on May 27, 2016.  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 F. Boxler, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carina A. Cuellar and Michael E. Rich 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. 1:15-cr-354

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Roosevelt Fox, aka Unc, 54, of Newport News, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution heroin.

In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Fox admitted to participating in a conspiracy involving between one kilogram and three kilograms of heroin that were distributed in Newport News and Hampton. On Aug. 27, 2015, Fox supplied heroin to an individual who overdosed and suffered serious bodily injury.  The individual survived the overdose and Fox continued to sell the individual heroin.

Fox was indicted by a federal grand jury on Feb. 10, 2016, and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison sentenced on June 17, 2016. 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; Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; and Richard W. Myers, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard J. Zlotnick and Lisa McKeel 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-96.

RICHMOND, Va. – Nelson Watts Broadie, Jr., 21, of Henrico County, was sentenced today to 447 months in prison for six separate offenses, including, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a previously convicted felon, possession and distribution of crack cocaine, and possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Broadie, Jr., was found guilty by a federal jury on Dec. 3, 2015. According to court documents, on June 27, 2015, Broadie participated in an armed robbery of a person at his home and discharged his 9mm firearm during that robbery attempt.  Evidence presented also confirmed that between July 15 and July 24, 2015, Broadie possessed the same loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol.  On July 15, 20, and 21, 2015, Broadie sold crack cocaine to a confidential informant while under surveillance, and during the July 20, and 21, 2015 sales, Broadie sold the crack cocaine to the confidential informant while under surveillance, and while unlawfully possessing and brandishing the same firearm identified above, in order to intimidate that drug customer.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Douglas A. Middleton, Chief of Police for the Henrico County Police Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. 

This case was investigated by officers and detectives with the Henrico County Police Division in conjunction with the FBI’s Central Virginia Violent Crime Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney S. David Schiller 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. 3:15-cr-137.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Thomas A. Kopec, 48, of New Lenox, Illinois, was sentenced today to 25 months in prison for wire fraud for cheating a Panamanian investor out of $500,000. Kopec was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay $500,000 in restitution.

Kopec pleaded guilty on Dec. 11, 2015. According to court documents, Kopec admitted to soliciting $500,000 from the victim for a purported investment vehicle for purchasing securities and acquiring a bank.  Kopec took steps in pursuing the purported investment in order to lull the victim into thinking the investment was proceeding as planned.  In truth, Kopec misappropriated the moneys and spent them on personal and other expenses at retail establishments including Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and the Apple Store.  Kopec started the scheme in Illinois, but relocated it to the Eastern District of Virginia, and caused the issuance of interstate wires originating in the Eastern District of Virginia in order to obtain and misappropriate the victim’s money.

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 T.S. Ellis, III.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kosta S. Stojilkovic 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. 1:14-cr-204.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – James Aubrey Brown, IV, 40, of Woodbridge, was convicted today by a federal jury on charges of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.

According to court records and evidence at trial, Brown responded to a Craigslist ad purportedly posted by a 13 year-old girl living on Marine Corps Base Quantico.  Over a period of 12 days and an exchange of over 275 emails, Brown repeatedly pressed the girl to meet and engage in sexual acts, including oral and vaginal sex. He also solicited nude photos of the girl.  Ultimately, he arranged to come to Marine Corps Base Quantico to have sex with the girl.  Over email, he directed her as to what to wear and what do when he arrived.  On the morning of Sept. 14, 2015, Brown arrived at the meeting location where he was arrested for attempting to persuade a person he believed to be a 13 year-old to engage in sexual activity that would be criminal under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Brown was indicted on Dec. 1, 2015, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on June 24, 2016.  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 Darrell Gilliard, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Washington D.C. 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 Joseph Longobardo 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. 1:15-cr-342.

RICHMOND, Va. – Stephen T. Callis, 47, of Richmond, pleaded guilty today to charges of coercion and enticement of a minor, and sex trafficking of children. 

In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Callis admitted that he posed online via KIK Messenger as a 15-year-old girl, “Kayla,” in order to initiate communication with the juvenile victim.  Posing as “Kayla” on KIK Messenger, Callis discussed engaging in prostitution with older men with the juvenile victim, and said that “Kayla” would introduce the juvenile to older men for the purpose of prostitution.  Callis then used the “Kayla” persona to introduce the juvenile to “Mark,” another alias Callis used online.

According to court documents, Callis and the juvenile then engaged in sexual conversations via KIK Messenger.  The juvenile and Callis arranged to meet for the first time in approximately November 2014.  Callis rented a hotel room for their first meeting and paid the juvenile $60 for sexual services.  Callis and the juvenile engaged in sex acts in a hotel room approximately seven times, and Callis paid the juvenile for sexual acts on approximately five of those occasions.  Callis was aware that the juvenile was a minor.  Throughout this time, Callis and the juvenile continued to engage in sexual conversations via KIK Messenger, and the juvenile sent Callis naked pictures via KIK Messenger. 

Callis was indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 5, 2016, and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on June 2, 2016. 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 Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather L. Hart 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-003.

RICHMOND, Va. – Fernando Josue Chang-Monroy, 36, of Guatemala City, Guatemala, pleaded guilty today 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 admitted today to participating in an international drug-trafficking conspiracy involving the transportation of thousands of kilograms of cocaine across Central and South America using aircraft purchased within the Eastern District,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.  “I commend our partners in state, federal, and international law enforcement for their cooperative efforts to unravel this massive drug conspiracy.”

“The plea agreement received from Chang-Monroy, a cocaine transporter in the international drug trade, is a reminder that justice will be served,” said Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division.  “The DEA will continue to pursue the highest level of drug traffickers and work with our international and domestic partners to dismantle these criminal enterprises that threaten to bring these dangerous drugs inside our borders.  As a result of the extraordinary efforts of U.S. law enforcement working together with our Guatemalan law enforcement partners, a significant drug trafficker in Central America has been brought to justice.  This case serves as an example that there are no borders when it comes to prosecuting international narco-traffickers.”

“I am exceptionally proud of the teamwork with our federal partners,” said Colonel David R. Hines, Hanover County Sheriff.  “This case is a perfect example of commitment and dedication among local and federal agencies working toward a common goal of serving our communities.  I could not be more proud of the agencies and individual officers who worked so diligently to bring this case to a successful conclusion.”

In 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 Oct. 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 Sept. 10, 2015, Chang-Monroy was arrested in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and extradited to the United States on Dec. 1, 2015.

Chang-Monroy was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 6, 2015, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison sentenced on July 18, 2016. 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; 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 the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

This case was investigated by the DEA and IRS-CI in partnership with the FBI, Richmond Police Department, Virginia State Police, the DEA Guatemala Country Office, and the DEA Bogota Country Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik S. Siebert, Dominick S. Gerace, and Peter S. Duffey 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. 3:14-cr-75.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The U.S Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Justice Department filed a lawsuit today alleging that the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office fired a former deputy sheriff after failing to reassign her to a vacant position for which she was qualified, in violation of Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 

The employee, who had worked as a deputy for approximately 10 years, asked to be reassigned to an available civilian position after a heart condition rendered her unable to continue as a deputy. Title I of the ADA prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals on the basis of disability in various aspects of employment.  These prohibitions include failing to provide reasonable accommodations, including reassignment, where such an accommodation does not pose an undue hardship to the employer.

“Employment is a vital part of life for all individuals and the ADA ensures that qualified individuals who develop disabilities are able to stay employed,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

“The ADA guarantees people with disabilities the right to earn a living and advance their careers free from workplace discrimination,” said Vanita Gupta, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce the ADA and ensure that when employees develop disabilities that interfere with their job, employers reassign them to a different vacant position that matches their qualifications.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Harker is working on this matter in conjunction with the Disability Rights Section of the Civil Rights Division.

Those interested in finding out more about the ADA may call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov

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

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today alleging that the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office in Richmond, Virginia, fired a former deputy sheriff after failing to reassign her to a vacant position for which she was qualified, in violation of Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  The employee, who had worked as a deputy for approximately 10 years, asked to be reassigned to an available civilian position after a heart condition rendered her unable to continue as a deputy.

Title I of the ADA prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals on the basis of disability in various aspects of employment.  These prohibitions include failing to provide reasonable accommodations, including reassignment, where such an accommodation does not pose an undue hardship to the employer.

“The ADA guarantees people with disabilities the right to earn a living and advance their careers free from workplace discrimination,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce the ADA and ensure that when employees develop disabilities that interfere with their job, employers reassign them to a different vacant position that matches their qualifications.”

“Employment is a vital part of life for all individuals and the ADA ensures that qualified individuals who develop disabilities are able to stay employed,” said U.S. Attorney Dana J Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia.

Those interested in finding out more about the ADA may call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov.

The complaint can be found at the following link: Richmond City Sheriff’s Office.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Richard Robinson, 58, of Alexandria, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison and five years of supervised release for receipt of child pornography. Robinson was also ordered to register as a sex offender upon release from prison.

Robinson pleaded guilty on Dec. 7, 2015. According to court documents, from October 2010 to May 2015, Robinson used a peer-to-peer file sharing program to receive and collect child pornography videos and images, including videos of children as young as five years old being sexually abused. In total, Robinson’s child pornography collection included 326 images and 202 videos of children being sexually exploited, including images and videos depicting sadistic or masochistic conduct.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Washington, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

This case was investigated by HSI with assistance from the Northern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kellen S. Dwyer 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. 1:15-cr-329.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Michael Newman, 37, of Richmond, was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for conspiring to distribute marijuana and ethylone.

Newman was found guilty on Oct. 22, 2015. According to court documents, James City County Police encountered Newman and another individual parked at a closed gas station in James City County on May 10, 2015, and found Newman to be in possession of marijuana, ethylone, drug scales and more than $3,000 in cash. The marijuana and ethylone were both intended for distribution, and Newman admitted to federal agents that he had been selling drugs since his release from state custody. Newman is responsible for a converted drug weight of between 80 and 100 kilograms of marijuana.

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; David G. Bowers, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Services’ Washington Division; and Bradley Rinehimer, Chief of James City County Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric M. Hurt 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. 4:15cr56.

NORFOLK, Va. – Sherrod Cannon, 24, of Portsmouth, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by means of robbery and to brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The charge stems from three separate armed robberies Cannon committed in Portsmouth and Chesapeake in April 2015. 

Cannon was indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 22, 2015. According to court documents, videotape surveillance at the third 7-Eleven that was robbed showed Cannon’s co-conspirator casing the store just minutes before Cannon entered and pointed a revolver at the employees.  Shortly after the robbery, officers identified two suspects matching the description provided by the victim, who later identified Cannon as the gunman.  Police found cash matching the amount taking from the registers evenly split between Cannon and his co-conspirator.  Cannon also had a $2 bill, which the victim confirmed was stolen from the cash register during the robbery.  Police later recovered the loaded .38 caliber revolver that was used during the armed robbery.

The date and location of each robbery is listed below:

Date

Location

April 10, 2015

7-Eleven, 5001 Portsmouth Boulevard, Portsmouth

April 13, 2015

7 Eleven, 3445 Western Branch, Chesapeake

April 27, 2015

7-Eleven, 3500 Deep Creek Boulevard, Portsmouth

 

Cannon faces a mandatory minimum penalty of seven years in prison, and a maximum penalty of life in prison when he is sentenced on June 2, 2016.  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; Charles E. Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division; Kelvin L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police; and Tonya D. Chapman, Chief of Portsmouth Police, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew C. Bosse and Joseph E. DePadilla, 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. 2:15-cr-121.

RICHMOND, Va. – Jonathan Xavier Thorne, 21, of Richmond, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for his role in the theft of firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer.  Thorne was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2500 in restitution.

Thorne pleaded guilty on Sept. 9, 2015. According to court documents, on May 22, 2015, Thorne, along with his brother, Jerell Markes Broadie, 23, and co-conspirators Meleke Daquan Osborne, 22, and William Grieger, 23, made plans to break into the American Family Pawn shop located in Powhatan. During the early morning hours of May 25, 2015, Thorne, Broadie and Osborne traveled to the American Family Pawn Shop and broke in to the store through a back window and smashed several glass cases, stealing 31 firearms, 11 of which were high capacity and capable of holding more than 15 rounds of ammunition. While leaving the store one of the men dropped a firearm in the parking lot before making their getaway.

Of the 30 firearms the men stole, Thorne and Broadie each kept one, sold 11 to Grieger, and sold the remaining 17 to an alleged family member located in the Tidewater area. Grieger kept one of his 11 firearms, and sold the remaining 10 to an alleged gang member from New York. All of the firearms sold within a matter of hours after the robbery. 

Grieger was sentenced on Nov. 3, 2015, to 78 months in prison. Osborne was sentenced on Dec. 1, 2015, to 70 months in prison.  Broadie was sentenced on Jan. 12, 2016, to 84 months in prison.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Charles E. Smith, 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 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. 3:15-cr-115 and 3:15cr116.

RICHMOND, Va. – Michael Manning, 52, of Ashland, who operated two masonry contractor construction companies, pleaded guilty today to charges of failing to collect, account for and pay over employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

According to court documents, Manning was the president of Manning Construction and Manning-Carhen Construction.  Manning controlled the businesses’ finances and was responsible for filing the Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Returns, Forms 941 and paying over to the IRS the federal income, social security and Medicare taxes withheld from the wages of the businesses’ employees.  For the third and fourth quarters of 2014, Manning willfully failed to comply with these legal obligations by failing to pay over more than $800,000 in withheld taxes to the IRS.  Additionally, as part of his plea, Manning admitted that Manning Construction regularly and deliberately created false financial statements for submission to financial institutions in order to comply with that business’s existing loan covenants, to encourage banks to lend new funds to the company, or to enable the renewal of existing loans. 

Manning faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when sentenced on May 31, 2016. 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, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck. 

The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Garnett and Jasmine Yoon, along with Trial Attorney Melanie Smith 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. 3:16-cr-17.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – William Rollie Armstrong, 50, of Hampton, pleaded guilty today to charges of coercion and enticement of a child, and receipt of child pornography.

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.

Armstrong faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on May 19, 2016. He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison on the coercion and enticement of a child charge, and a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison on the receipt of child pornography charge due to the fact that he is a convicted sex offender.  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 John S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa R. McKeel 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. 4:15-cr-85.

NORFOLK, Va. – Amin Jason Carl Garcia, 27, of New York, New York, a convicted serial rapist and former U.S. Navy sailor, was sentenced today to 240 months in prison for attacking a former Army officer while she was taking a shower at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait in 2010.  This sentence is to be served consecutive to the state prison sentence Garcia is currently serving.

According to court documents, on April 29, 2010, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division (CID) Kuwait, was contacted regarding the assault and attempted rape of a U.S. Army officer in the female shower trailer on board Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. According to the victim, approximately three minutes into her shower, an unknown black male whose face was almost fully covered by a military tan undershirt, pulled her from the shower to the opposite end of the trailer and ordered her to face away from him. The victim resisted her attacker, who subsequently cut her numerous times with a box cutter type knife and punched her several times in the head.  At one point during the attack, the attacker stated that he “guessed” he would have to kill her. Eventually, the victim complied with her attacker and stated that she would do what he wanted to do, but begged that he not cut her any more.  Shortly after the comment, the attacker fled the scene on foot and the victim ran to her tent to get help before being transported to the medical facility in Camp Arifjan where she received numerous stitches to her face, arm and hand. 

According to court documents, while processing the crime scene, investigators recovered a shirt covered in what appeared to be blood. That shirt was believed to be the shirt that was covering the face of the attacker.  Also discovered at the crime scene was what appeared to be a trail of blood that led from the female shower trailer to a male washroom.  Army CID collected blood from the trail.  U.S. Criminal Investigative Laboratory (USACIL) tested the blood samples and determined that they came from two different DNA profiles: one DNA profile was that of the known female victim, and the other was identified as from an unknown male with Type A blood. 

According to court documents, the unknown male’s DNA also was a match for DNA recovered at the scene of a sexual assault on a Norfolk woman in 2008.  The same rapist returned to the victim’s home one month after the initial assault and raped the victim’s daughter.  In addition to the DNA, the Norfolk Police Department (NPD) also recovered latent fingerprints from the crime scenes.  NCIS and NPD began to work together to try to identify the rapist. 

According to court documents, subsequent investigative steps identified Garcia as a possible suspect in the assaults.  These steps included a check of military records, which confirmed that Garcia was in the U.S. Navy Reserves, lived approximately one mile from the 2008 Norfolk victims during the time of their attacks, and was assigned to Camp Arifjan at the time of the 2010 attack. 

According to court documents, in December 2013, Garcia was still in the U.S. Navy Reserves.  On the weekend of Dec. 14, 2013, when Garcia was serving his reserve drill period at the Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC), Bronx, New York, NCIS investigators shadowed him.  After Garcia ate lunch on base, agents seized the fork, two cups, and banana to recover swabs for DNA analysis.  The analysis of the DNA seized by investigators revealed that it matched the DNA that was obtained from the assault of the victim at Camp Arifjan in April 2010 and the 2008 assaults in Norfolk.  Further analysis revealed that the latent fingerprints recovered from the 2008 Norfolk crime scenes matched Garcia’s fingerprints.

Garcia pleaded guilty in federal court to the Kuwait assault on Nov. 20, 2015.  In August 2014, Garcia was convicted of the 2008 rapes in Norfolk Circuit Court and was sentenced to life in prison.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and [NCIS], made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth M. Yusi and Benjamin L. Hatch 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. 2:14-cr-134.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Eric Noe Araujo Flores, aka Eric Araujo Orellano, 34, a citizen of El Salvador who lives in Ashburn, was convicted today by a federal jury on charges of sex trafficking of a child, foreign travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and harboring an alien for an immoral purpose, and coercion and enticement.

Araujo Flores was indicted on Nov. 19, 2015.  According to court records and evidence at trial, Araujo Flores contacted his former nanny in El Salvador in an effort to find a teenage Salvadoran girl.  The nanny put Araujo Flores in touch with her 14-year-old niece, who informed Araujo Flores that a gang had threatened to harm her and her family and that she needed help.  Araujo Flores obtained photographs of the girl and then promised to help the girl if she would have sex with him.  Beginning in July 2013, Araujo Flores made three trips from Dulles International Airport to El Salvador to have sex with the victim.  Araujo Flores paid cash for some of the sex acts.  He also provided the victim and her family with jewelry, food, and clothing, paid to have them move residences, and paid her family’s rent.

Seeking immediate access to the victim, Araujo Flores arranged and paid to have the victim and her mother smuggled into the United States through Texas in June 2014.  He then harbored them at a house he owned in Sterling.  Araujo Flores allowed them to live there rent-free in exchange for sex with the victim, who was then 15-years-old.  Araujo Flores provided the victim with a counterfeit permanent resident card which included a false birthdate indicating she was over the age of 18.  He also continued to provide food and jewelry to the victim.

Araujo Flores will be sentenced on June 3, 2016, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life 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.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Thomas Haycraft, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Diplomatic Security Service of U.S. Department of State; Michael L. Chapman, Loudoun County Sheriff; and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler, Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michel J. Frank 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. 1:15-cr-320.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Michelle M. Borzillo, 59, of Bristow, was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for defrauding Wells Fargo Bank in connection with the sham short sale of her home to her live-in boyfriend.  She was also ordered to pay $288,497 in restitution and to forfeit the proceeds of her offense.

Borzillo pleaded guilty on Nov. 17, 2015 to committing bank fraud.  According to court documents, the defendant was a senior attorney at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) until September 2014.  In 2007, she purchased a home in Nokesville for $850,000, with mortgages totaling $807,500 from Wells Fargo Bank.  In 2013, she engineered the short sale of her Nokesville home to her boyfriend, who had been living with her at the property for several years. 

In order to induce Wells Fargo Bank to approve the short sale and relieve the defendant of her mortgage obligations, the defendant falsely represented to her lender that the sale of the property was an arm’s-length transaction to someone with whom she had no close personal relationship. She also falsely certified that she was moving out of the property, and claimed she was suffering a financial hardship due to the then-federal pay freeze.  In reality, as the defendant has admitted, she had no intention of moving out of the property, despite accepting $3,000 in relocation assistance in connection with a federal program designed to assist financially distressed short sellers.  As a senior FDIC employee, the defendant also had not been subject to the federal pay freeze, and her base annual pay had steadily increased during the time she owned the home, to $230,000 at the time of the short sale.  As a result of the fraudulent short sale transaction, Wells Fargo Bank was required to write off nearly $300,000 in losses. 

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Fred Gibson, Acting Inspector General of the FDIC; and Rene Febles, Deputy Inspector General for Investigations, Office of the Inspector General for the Federal Housing Finance Agency, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha P. Bateman and Paul J. Nathanson 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. 1:15-cr-135.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – William Delonta Granberry, 37, of Hughesville, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone.

The plea follows a multi-year, multi-jurisdictional, and multi-agency Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation designated “Operation Circuit Breaker.”  Operation Circuit Breaker focuses upon the illegal procurement and sale of prescription pain medication across the mid-Atlantic region.  Five other defendants are currently facing charges and eight defendants have pleaded guilty as part of the investigation to date. 

In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Granberry acknowledged that beginning in or around 2010, and continuing until December 2015, he fabricated prescriptions of oxycodone utilizing legitimate prescription paper delivered to his residence. He also admitted to fabricating the prescribing information of legitimate physicians obtained from the website DEANumber.com, and using primarily fictitious patient names.  Granberry then recruited a network of co-conspirators who used individuals called “runners” to fill these fraudulent prescriptions at various pharmacies.  After acquiring the fraudulently obtained oxycodone from his co-conspirators, Granberry distributed the oxycodone to other individuals for a high profit.  Since approximately 2010, the criminal organization has fraudulently obtained approximately 65,000 oxycodone pills.

Granberry was charged by criminal complaint on Dec. 9, 2015, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on May 20, 2016.  The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based upon the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Hayden and Anna G. Kaminska, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Gene Rossi are prosecuting the case.

The U.S. Attorney thanked the Department of Defense–Office of the Inspector General, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Charles County Sheriff’s Office, Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, Virginia State Police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office for their assistance in this matter.

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 Nos. 1:14-cr-284, 1:14-cr-340, 1:14-cr-389, 1:15-cr-29, 1:16-cr-16, 1:16-cr-26, and 1:16-cr-28.

RICHMOND, Va. – Patrick Lawrence Raines, 41, of Sandston, was sentenced today to 78 months in prison and five years of supervised release for distribution of child pornography.  Raines was also ordered to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

Raines pleaded guilty on Nov. 10, 2015.  According to court documents, Raines was identified after the FBI learned that a computer user was using a cellular device to make child pornography files available to other users for download.  Based on this information, the FBI went to the Raines’s residence in Milford to speak with him.  Raines agreed to be interviewed, during which he admitted searching for and downloading child pornography from the Internet. He also admitted allowing other users to download files from his computer.  At the conclusion of the interview, Raines gave the FBI consent to search his computer and cell phone.  A forensic examination of these items revealed the presence of 466 images and 38 videos of child pornography.   

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Virginia Attorney General; and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.  Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas K. Johnstone IV 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. 3:15-cr-84.

NORFOLK, Va. – Gregory Hatt, 28, of Virginia Beach, pleaded guilty today to charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin, distribution of heroin resulting in death, distribution of heroin, possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine, and the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

“Hundreds of people die each year in the Commonwealth from heroin and opioid overdoses, and the Tidewater area leads the state in heroin overdose deaths, with 87 fatalities in the first nine months of 2015,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Make no mistake, arrests and criminal prosecutions will not alone solve this problem, but they are an important part of the solution. We are committed to working with the Virginia Office of the Attorney General and our partners across federal, state, and local law enforcement to combat the abuse of heroin and prescription opiates, which can have devastating effects on victims, their families, and our communities.”    

“The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who are driving this deadly heroin wave, taking lives and destroying families in the Tidewater area,” said Timothy Quick, Special Agent in Charge of the NCIS Norfolk Field Office. “NCIS will use our unique authorities, resources and capabilities in combatting this growing problem, to help protect Sailors, Marines, Department of the Navy civilians, DON families, and the communities in which we work and live.”

“This case is indicative of the popularity and prevalence of heroin in the Tidewater Area of Virginia, and the longstanding, effective partnerships between the  Local, State, and Federal agencies in the region, tasked with these investigations,” said William Dean, Deputy Chief of Virginia Beach Police.

In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Hatt allegedly sold heroin, cocaine, and other narcotics to local residents out of a house he rented in Virginia Beach from December 2014 through July 2015. On Dec. 26, 2014, Hatt distributed heroin at his house to Monica Beaudry, a 23-year-old Virginia Beach woman, who later overdosed.  Hatt’s roommate implored him to call 911, but Hatt refused. After some delay, Hatt drove her to Chesapeake Regional Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.  Hatt was aware of Beaudry’s death, but continued to distribute heroin from his residence and from other Virginia Beach locations through July 2015. On July 24, 2015, law enforcement agents with NCIS and Virginia Beach Police Department executed a search warrant on Hatt’s residence.  The agents found over 36 grams of heroin, 17 grams of cocaine, various drug paraphernalia, and multiple firearms including a fully loaded sawed-off shotgun. 

Hatt was charged via superseding indictment on Dec. 18, 2015, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on May 19, 2016. 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; Timothy Quick, Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Norfolk; and William Dean, Deputy Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alyssa Nichol and John 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. 2:15-cr-140.

NORFOLK, Va. – Marian Lewis, 49, of Courtland, was sentenced today to 28 months in prison for mail fraud and ordered to pay $176,780 in restitution.

Lewis pleaded guilty on Nov. 12, 2015, to five counts of mail fraud. According to evidence presented and court documents, Lewis was employed as a book keeper at a non-profit retirement community in Franklin.  Over the course of at least four years, Lewis routinely used the retirement community’s credit cards to purchase items for her own personal use, such as a TV, computer, digital cameras and tools.  She also used the credit cards, along with over $130,000 in cash that she stole from the retirement community, to make home improvements, such as redoing her kitchen and building a deck around a pool at her residence in Courtland.  In total, Lewis is responsible with stealing over $176,780 from the retirement community.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Superintendent of Virginia State Police; Douglas Mease, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service Richmond Office; and George Purefoy, Resident Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service Norfolk Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Yusi and Kevin Hudson 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. 2:15-cr-64.

Defendant Charged with Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to ISIL

Nisreen Assad Ibrahim Bahar, aka Umm Sayyaf, 25, an Iraqi citizen and wife of Abu Sayyaf, a senior leader within the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) until his death last year, was charged by criminal complaint today for her role in a conspiracy that resulted in the death of American citizen Kayla Jean Mueller in February 2015.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.

“The charges filed today allege that Umm Sayyaf and others conspired to provide material support to ISIL and that this conspiracy resulted in the death of Kayla Jean Mueller,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.  “Sayyaf is currently in Iraqi custody for her terrorism-related activities.  We fully support the Iraqi prosecution of Sayyaf and will continue to work with the authorities there to pursue our shared goal of holding Sayyaf accountable for her crimes.  At the same time, these charges reflect that the U.S. justice system remains a powerful tool to bring to bear against those who harm our citizens abroad.  We will continue to pursue justice for Kayla and for all American victims of terrorism.”

“Kayla Mueller’s kidnapping and death is a tragic reminder of the dangers that ISIL poses to Americans,” said U.S. Attorney Boente.  “We will continue to work alongside the FBI to investigate this case and remain steadfast in our pursuit of justice for the Mueller family.” 

“The FBI continues to work tirelessly alongside our partners to hold accountable those who are responsible for the kidnapping and death of Kayla Mueller,” said Assistant Director in Charge Abbate.  “This criminal complaint is another step toward achieving justice in the case.  We will always be relentless in our efforts to identify, locate and arrest those who are responsible for the kidnappings and murders of American citizens.”

According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, in August 2013, on their second full day in northern Syria, Mueller and Individual 1 were kidnapped at gunpoint by masked ISIL soldiers.  Mueller remained an ISIL hostage until her death on or about Feb. 7, 2015.

According to the affidavit, in August 2014, Individual 2 and Individual 3, two young Kurdish women of Yazidi heritage, were forcibly kidnapped by ISIL from their village in northern Iraq.  After their capture, Individual 2 and Individual 3 were taken to a prison in Syria maintained by ISIL where they were held with Mueller.

According to the affidavit, on or about Sept. 24, 2014, Mueller, Individual 2 and Individual 3 were transferred from the ISIL prison to the custody of Abu and Umm Sayyaf.  Abu Sayyaf, who reported directly to ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was ISIL’s minister of oil and gas, and was previously responsible for ISIL’s media program.  The Sayyafs maintained several residences where they forcibly held Mueller, Individual 2 and Individual 3, along with other female captives.  The captives were at various times handcuffed, held in locked rooms, and Mueller was sexually abused by Baghdadi, who forced her to have sex with him.  Umm Sayyaf knew how Mueller was treated by Baghdadi when Mueller was held against her will in Sayyaf’s home.

The Sayyaf residences featured ISIL flags and other ISIL-branded items, and often had numerous firearms open and visible to captives.  For a period of time, a large supply of weapons was maintained in a room of one of the residences for use by ISIL fighters.

According to the affidavit, the Sayyafs held young women who were sold or traded to ISIL men, and the women were characterized as being “owned” by the ISIL men who acquired them.  While Mueller, Individual 2 and Individual 3 were held captive by the Sayyafs, Umm Sayyaf threatened the women, telling them she would kill them if they did not listen to her.

According to the affidavit, on or about May 15, 2015, the U.S. military conducted an operation targeting one of the Sayyaf residences.  During the operation, Abu Sayyaf was killed when he engaged with U.S. military forces and Umm Sayyaf was captured.  Firearms stored at the residence at the time of the operation were seized and are currently in the custody of the FBI.

According to the affidavit, beginning on or about June 17, 2015, Umm Sayyaf was interviewed by FBI agents and admitted that her family belonged to the al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) terrorist organization, the predecessor group to ISIL, and remained members of the terrorist organization when its name changed to ISIL.  The defendant admitted to holding Mueller, Individual 2, Individual 3 and others hostage on behalf of ISIL.  Umm Sayyaf also admitted she had sole responsibility for Mueller, Individual 2, Individual 3 and others in captivity while her husband travelled on ISIL business.  In addition, she admitted to hosting ISIL members, including al-Baghdadi, at her residence.

According to the affidavit, Sayyaf admitted that al-Baghdadi “owned” Mueller during her captivity at the Sayyaf residence and admitted that “owning” is equivalent to slavery. 

If convicted, Sayyaf faces a maximum penalty of life 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 charge in the complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Fitzpatrick of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorneys Bridget Behling and John Gibbs of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. 

Sayyaf Complaint

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Nisreen Assad Ibrahim Bahar, aka Umm Sayyaf, 25, an Iraqi citizen and wife of Abu Sayyaf, a senior leader within the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) until his death last year, was charged by criminal complaint today for her role in a conspiracy that resulted in the death of American citizen Kayla Jean Mueller in February 2015.

“Kayla Mueller’s kidnapping and death is a tragic reminder of the dangers that ISIL poses to Americans,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We will continue to work alongside the FBI to investigate this case and remain steadfast in our pursuit of justice for the Mueller family.”  

“The charges filed today allege that Umm Sayyaf and others conspired to provide material support to ISIL and that this conspiracy resulted in the death of Kayla Jean Mueller,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.  “Sayyaf is currently in Iraqi custody for her terrorism-related activities.  We fully support the Iraqi prosecution of Sayyaf and will continue to work with the authorities there to pursue our shared goal of holding Sayyaf accountable for her crimes.  At the same time, these charges reflect that the U.S. justice system remains a powerful tool to bring to bear against those who harm our citizens abroad.  We will continue to pursue justice for Kayla and for all American victims of terrorism.”

“The FBI continues to work tirelessly alongside our partners to hold accountable those who are responsible for the kidnapping and death of Kayla Mueller,” said Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  “This criminal complaint is another step toward achieving justice in the case.  We will always be relentless in our efforts to identify, locate, and arrest those who are responsible for the kidnappings and murders of American citizens.”

According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, in August 2013, on their second full day in northern Syria, Mueller and Individual #1 were kidnapped at gunpoint by masked ISIL soldiers.  Mueller remained a hostage of ISIL until her death on or about Feb. 7, 2015.

According to the affidavit, in August 2014, Individual #2 and Individual #3, two young Kurdish women of Yazidi heritage, were forcibly kidnapped by ISIL from their village in northern Iraq.  After their capture, Individual #2 and Individual #3 were taken to a prison in Syria maintained by ISIL where they were held with Mueller.

According to the affidavit, on or about Sept. 24, 2014, Mueller, Individual #2 and Individual #3 were transferred from the ISIL prison to the custody of Abu and Umm Sayyaf.  Abu Sayyaf, who held a senior leadership position within ISIL and reported directly to ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was ISIL’s minister of oil and gas, and was previously responsible for ISIL’s media program.  The Sayyaf’s maintained several residences where they forcibly held Mueller, Individual #2, and Individual #3, along with other female captives.  The captives were at various times handcuffed, held in locked rooms, and Mueller was sexually abused by Baghdadi, who forced her to have sex with him. Umm Sayyaf knew how Mueller was treated by Baghdadi when Mueller was held against her will in Sayyaf’s home.

The Sayyaf residences featured ISIL flags and other ISIL-branded items, and often had numerous firearms open and visible to captives.  For a period of time, a large supply of weapons was maintained in a room of one of the residences for use by ISIL fighters.

According to the affidavit, the Sayyaf’s held young women who were sold or traded to ISIL men, and the women were characterized as being “owned” by the ISIL men who acquired them.  While Mueller, Individual #2, and Individual #3 were held captive by the Sayyaf’s, Umm Sayyaf threatened the women, telling them she would kill them if they did not listen to her.

According to the affidavit, on or about May 15, 2015, the U.S. military conducted an operation targeting one of the Sayyaf residences.  During the operation, Abu Sayyaf was killed when he engaged with U.S. military forces, and Umm Sayyaf was captured.  Firearms stored at the residence at the time of the operation were seized and are currently in the custody of the FBI.

According to the affidavit, beginning on or about June 17, 2015, Umm Sayyaf was interviewed by FBI agents and admitted that her family belonged to the al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) terrorist organization, the predecessor group to ISIL, and remained members of the terrorist organization when its name changed to ISIL.  The defendant admitted to holding Mueller, Individual #2, Individual #3, and others hostage on behalf of ISIL.  Umm Sayyaf also admitted she had sole responsibility for Mueller, Individual #2, Individual #3, and others in captivity while her husband travelled on ISIL business.  In addition, she admitted to hosting ISIL members, including al-Baghdadi, at her residence.

According to the affidavit, Umm Sayyaf admitted that al-Baghdadi “owned” Mueller during her captivity at the Sayyaf residence, and admitted that “owning” is equivalent to slavery. 

Umm Sayyaf has been charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, and faces a maximum penalty of life 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; John P. Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Fitzpatrick and Trial Attorneys Bridget Behling and John Gibbs 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-mj-63.

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.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Dylan Allen Jeffries, 26, of Clifton Forge, pleaded guilty today to charges of coercion or enticement of a minor.

In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Jeffries, who previosuly attended college in Norfolk, acknowledged using two social networking accounts to communicate with at least two underage girls, then ages 12 and 13.  The communication revealed that Jeffries was aware of their age at the time he communicated with them.  Jeffries also acknowledged possessing a hard drive on which he illegally stored photos and videos of underage girls. Jeffries admitted to receiving many of the images from the girls depicted in them through social media and email communications.

Jeffries was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 16, 2015.  He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on May 10, 2016.  The maximum and mandatory minimum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are 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 John S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin C. Gratton and Lisa R. McKeel 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. 4:15cr83

RICHMOND, Va. – David Solomon, aka David Chityal, 39, of Budapest, Hungary, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

Solomon pleaded guilty on Nov. 30, 2015. According to court documents, Solomon admitted that he was incarcerated in a federal correctional facility with an individual identified as Conspirator 1, from approximately September 2009 to March 8, 2010.  Conspirator 1 previously was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia of a $126 million fraud scheme, sentenced to 100 years in prison, and was ordered to pay approximately $128 million in restitution to victims of his fraud.  Conspirator 1 previously had conveyed certain assets to his Bankruptcy Estate for this restitution, including approximately $2 million in tax refunds.  When Solomon was released from prison and deported to his native Canada, he remained in touch with Conspirator 1, and together they engaged in a scheme to obtain these approximately $2 million in tax refunds so that Conspirator 1 could obtain a particular New York attorney for his criminal appeal.  Using this attorney, Solomon and Conspirator 1 changed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) power of attorney forms so that the tax refund checks would be sent to the New York attorney, not Conspirator 1’s Bankruptcy Estate for his victims.  In September 2010, the IRS sent the $2 million tax refund checks to the New York attorney, who in turn sent the checks to an attorney in Canada.  The Canadian attorney flew to the federal correctional facility in which Conspirator 1 was incarcerated and Conspirator 1 endorsed the checks.  The Canadian attorney then flew with the negotiated checks to the Turks and Caicos Islands to deposit them in a trust account.  He was within hours of depositing the checks when the lawyer for Conspirator 1’s Bankruptcy Estate trustee learned what had happened and contacted the Canadian attorney.  The tax refunds were returned to the Bankruptcy Estate and paid to Conspirator 1’s fraud victims.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; Thomas M. Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Washington D.C. Field Office; David Bowers, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); and  J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica D. Aber and Thomas A. Garnett 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. 3:12cr44.

A Stafford, Virginia, man was sentenced today to 87 months in prison for attempting to coerce an individual to engage in unlawful sexual activity. 

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 and Supervisory Special Agent in Charge Darrell K. Gilliard of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Washington, D.C., Field Office made the announcement.

Ricardo Cordero Torres, 43, pleaded guilty on Oct. 28, 2015, and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton of the Eastern District of Virginia.  Torres will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to the plea agreement, in May 2015, Torres, a Defense Security Service employee, responded to a Craigslist ad posted by an undercover agent posing as a 13-year-old girl living on Marine Corps Base Quantico.  In June 2015, he communicated with her through online chat and e-mail, discussed sex with her and sent her a sexually explicit picture of himself.  On June 18, 2015, they planned to meet at a specific location on base, the defendant left his place of employment and was arrested shortly before arriving at the predetermined location. 

NCIS investigated the case.  Trial Attorney Lauren Britsch of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Angelissa Savino of the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.

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

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Ricardo Cordero Torres, 43, of Stafford, was sentenced today to 87 months in prison for attempting to coerce an individual to engage in unlawful sexual activity.  Torres was also sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Torres pleaded guilty on Oct. 28, 2015. According to court documents, Torres responded to a Craigslist ad purportedly posted by a 13-year-old girl living on Marine Corps Base Quantico.  He began communicating with her through online chat and e-mail.  He discussed sex with her and sent her a pornographic picture of himself.   They planned to meet at a specific location on base. The defendant left his place of employment and was arrested shortly before arriving at the predetermined location on June 18, 2015.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Darrell K. Gilliard, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Washington, D.C. Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Britsch and Angelissa Savino 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. 1:15-cr-260.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Juan M. Lopez, 52, of Virginia Beach, was convicted today by a federal jury on charges of aggravated sexual assault and making a false statement to a federal agent.

Lopez was indicted on July 22, 2015. According to court records and evidence presented during three days of trial, on September 20, 2014, Lopez was a nurse in the emergency department of the Hampton Veteran’s Administration Hospital. The victim, who suffers from PTSD related to a prior military rape and two traumatic brain injuries sought treatment in the emergency room for a leg injury. Lopez was responsible for the victim’s treatment and administered morphine against her wishes. While the victim was under the effect of the morphine, Lopez sexually assaulted the victim multiple times. When questioned by federal agents five days later he lied about the event.

Following the trial Lopez was taken into custody.  Lopez faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on May 19, 2016.  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 made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric M. Hurt and Jeremy Jehangiri from the Organized Crime and Gang Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case. The case was investigated by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Office of Inspector General.

 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. 4:15cr14.

A Bronx, New York, man was sentenced to 216 months in prison today for his participation in two websites that were operated for the purpose of coercing and enticing minors as young as eight years old to engage in sexually explicit conduct on web camera. 

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 and Section Chief Calvin Shivers of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children Section (VCACS) made the announcement.

Karlo Hitosis, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis of the Eastern District of Virginia, who also ordered Hitosis to serve 10 years of supervised release.  Last year, Hitosis pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography.  The investigation, Operation Subterfuge, identified more than 300 minor victims in the United States and an estimated 1,600 minor victims were lured to the websites. 

In connection with his guilty plea, Hitosis admitted that members of the conspiracy created false profiles on social networking sites, such as YouTube, posing as young teenagers to lure children to the websites they controlled.  Once on the conspirators’ websites, the conspirators showed the children pre-recorded videos of prior minor victims, often engaging in sexually explicit conduct, to make the new victims think that they were chatting with another minor.  Using these videos, the conspirators coerced and enticed children to engage in sexually explicit activity on their own web cameras, which the website automatically recorded.  Conspirators earned points based on their contribution to the success of website objectives, which allowed them access to the sexually exploitative videos of children.  Law enforcement agencies have disabled both websites.

Trial Attorney Lauren Britsch of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick prosecuted the case.  CEOS Trial Attorney Ravi Sinha assisted with the prosecution.

VCACS special agents led the investigation with the assistance of the FBI’s Operation Rescue Me and the FBI’s Digital Analysis and Research Center.  The South Africa Police Service, Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offenses, Gauteng; Dutch Police Service Agency, KLPD; Royal Canadian Mounted Police, National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre; and the Australian Federal Police, Child Protection Operations, Sydney were active partners in the investigation.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York also contributed to the investigation and the prosecution. 

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

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Karlo Hitosis, 32, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for participation in two websites that were operated for the purpose of coercing and enticing minors, as young as eight years old, to engage in sexually explicit conduct on web camera. Hitosis was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender. 

Hitosis pleaded guilty on Oct. 30, 2015.  According to court records, members of the conspiracy to which these men belonged created false profiles on social networking sites, such as YouTube, which portrayed themselves as young teenagers.  They used these profiles to lure children to the websites they controlled. Once a child was on the websites, conspirators played pre-recorded videos of prior minor victims, often engaging in sexually explicit conduct, to make the new victims think that they were chatting with another minor.  Using these videos, conspirators coerced and enticed children to engage in sexually explicit activity on their own web cameras, which the website automatically recorded.  Based on their contribution to the success of website objectives, conspirators earned access to additional sexually exploitative videos of children.  During the FBI’s investigation, named Operation Subterfuge, an estimated 1,600 minors were lured to the two websites. More than 300 minor victims have been identified by U.S. law enforcement, and an additional 43 victims have been identified in Canada by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre.  Law enforcement has disabled both websites.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Calvin Shivers, Section Chief, FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Section, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick and Trial Attorney Lauren Britsch of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the U.S. Department of Justice prosecuted the case.  Trial Attorney Ravi Sinha of CEOS assisted with the prosecution.

The FBI’s Major Case Coordination Unit (MCCU) led the investigation with the assistance of Operation Rescue Me, and the FBI’s Digital Analysis and Research Center.  Other active partners in the investigation include the South Africa Police Service, Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offenses, Gauteng; Dutch Police Service Agency, KLP; Royal Canadian Mounted Police, National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre; and the Australian Federal Police, Child Protection Operations, Sydney.  Also contributing to the investigation and prosecution was the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. 

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-172; 1:15-cr-42.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Paul Laing, 31, of Sandy Bay, Jamaica, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, in connection with his leadership role in an extensive Jamaican lottery fraud scheme.  Laing was also ordered to pay $705,500 in forfeiture and restitution to victims of his offense.

Laing pleaded guilty on Oct. 16, 2015.  According to a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, Laing admitted to defrauding numerous elderly victims, including an 85-year-old woman who resided in Great Falls.  Laing would contact his victims via phone calls and faxes and falsely inform them that they had won the lottery.  He would then tell them that in order to collect their winnings they would need to send money to him and his co-conspirators to pay various alleged taxes and fees.  Laing instructed victims to send funds through wire transfers, the US Mail and other means directly to him in Jamaica, or to co-conspirators in the United States.  Those co-conspirators would keep a portion of the proceeds and then transfer the remainder to Laing.

Through this scheme, Laing received hundreds of thousands of dollars from his victims, several of whom depleted their life savings to satisfy his repeated demands for payment.  Meanwhile, none of the victims ever received the lottery winnings that Laing had promised them.

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; Maria L. Kelokates, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Terence S. Opiola, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha P. Bateman, Karen Ledbetter Taylor, and Gene Rossi 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. 1:14cr416.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Robert W. Gannon, 54, of Bangkok, the former director of operations of a Department of Defense contracting company in Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in prison for soliciting and receiving $193,665 in kickback proceeds in return for steering U.S. government subcontracts to a U.K. company. Gannon was also ordered to depart the U.S. immediately following completion of his prison sentence; not return to the U.S. without permission; pay a fine of $193,665; and is prohibited from employment with or work with the U.S. military.

Gannon pleaded guilty on Nov. 4, 2015. According to court documents, Gannon’s job responsibilities included identifying, evaluating and monitoring subcontracts.  Gannon admitted that he used his position to arrange with executives of a U.K.-based company that they would make kickback payments to Gannon in return for a series of purchase orders Gannon’s company awarded in August 2009 with a total value of nearly $6 million.  Those orders called for the provision of explosive ordinance disposal equipment to U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.  In return for his efforts, Gannon admitted that the U.K. company wired funds with a total value of almost $200,000 from bank accounts in the United Kingdom to Gannon’s account in Singapore.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; John F. Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Robert Craig, Special Agent in Charge for Defense Criminal Investigative Service Mid-Atlantic Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris. 

This case was investigated by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service Mid-Atlantic Field Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Lytle of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Wade Weems of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section 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. 1:15-cr-277.

NORFOLK, Va. – Cindy Hall, 41, of Monroe, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today to charges of mail fraud and unlawful monetary transactions.  Hall’s mother, Stephanie Almond, 61, of Franklin, pleaded guilty on Jan. 27, 2016, to charges of mail fraud.

According to statements of facts filed with the plea agreements, Cindy Hall ran a non-profit organization known as Send Thee Community Outreach, allegedly to administer the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which is a USDA federally-funded program to feed children during the summer when free-lunch programs end at the conclusion of the school year.  The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) administers the SFSP in Virginia.  In 2012 and 2013, Hall submitted fraudulent claims to VDH for reimbursement, resulting in at least $150,000 in overpayment to Hall.  Almond previously ran her own non-profit organization, Neighborhood Pride, which was a SFSP sponsor approximately 2008 to 2011, when she was disqualified by VDH.  Almond continued to be involved with the program with Hall, until Hall was told she was disqualified by VDH from receiving funds in 2014.

Hall and Almond were indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 8, 2015.  Hall and Almond face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on May 4, 2016. 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; Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Superintendent of Virginia State Police; June W. Jennings, Inspector General of Virginia; and Phyllis K. Fong, Inspector General for U.S. Department of Agriculture, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Krask.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth M. Yusi 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. 2:15cr132.

RICHMOND, Va. – Marcus Deante Bennett, 32, of Richmond, was sentenced today to 324 months in prison for robbery and brandishing a firearm.

Bennett pleaded guilty on Aug. 11, 2014. According to court documents, on Jan. 9, 2015, Bennett and another individual robbed a McDonald’s restaurant in Henrico. Bennett, who entered the restaurant armed with a black revolver and wearing a mask, approached the restaurant manager and brandished the firearm, ordering the manager to hand over the money in the safe.  Bennett then went to the drive through window cashier and forced the cashier to hand over an additional sum of money.  In addition to this crime, Bennett admitted to committing three additional armed robberies.  Bennett was also given additional prison time for having violated the terms of his federal supervised release related to a series of armed robberies he participated in 12 years ago.    

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond 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. 3:15cr134.

NORFOLK, Va. – Anthony Charles Hunter, 57, of Norfolk, was sentenced today to a total of 156 months in prison for interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Hunter was also ordered to pay $10,396.01 in restitution.

Hunter pleaded guilty on Oct. 28, 2015. According to court documents, Hunter committed approximately 12 commercial armed robberies in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk and Virginia Beach between Sept. 29, 2007 and Oct. 18, 2007.    

On Oct. 15, 2007, Hunter entered the Acredale Center Citgo in Virginia Beach.  Hunter paid a clerk employed at the business $3 for gasoline and left the store.  Moments later, Hunter re-entered the store and approached the clerk at the front counter.  Hunter brandished a firearm at the clerk and ordered her to be quiet.  The clerk, who was in the process of counting the store’s proceeds from the previous weekend with the store safe open, activated a silent alarm.  Hunter then walked behind the counter.  Fearing for her safety, the clerk struck Hunter in the head, whereupon Hunter struck the clerk upon her head with the firearm.  Hunter forced the clerk to the floor behind the counter and stood over her.  Hunter instructed the clerk to be quiet and struck her again.  Hunter collected approximately $8,000 in cash belonging to the business and left the store. 

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 Raymond A. Jackson. 

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office with the assistance of the Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Suffolk and Chesapeake Police Departments.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darryl J. Mitchell and Andrew Bosse 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. 2:12-cr-124.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Mohsin Raza, 51, along with his wife, Humaira Iqbal, 39, and her two brothers, Farukh Iqbal, 41, and Mohammad Ali Haider, 33, all of Chantilly, were convicted today by a federal jury on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution and various counts of wire fraud affecting a financial institution.

The defendants were indicted on April 23, 2015.  According to court records and evidence at trial, in 2005, Raza, then employed at Bank of America, was hired by SunTrust Mortgage (STM) as a vice president tasked with opening an office in Annandale.  Raza hired his wife, another former loan officer from Bank of America, and her brothers, Farukh Iqbal and Haider, to work as loan officers.   From 2006 until 2007, they falsified loan applications for borrowers and purchased fake tax documents to support the false loan applications.  Sun Trust Mortgage underwriters in Richmond approved the loans based in large part upon the fake documents in the files, and borrowers were given loans to buy homes that they could not afford.

Each defendant convicted yesterday will be sentenced on April 29, 2016, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on each of the charges.  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; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Laura Wertheimer, Inspector General for the Federal Housing Finance Agency,  made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Hanly and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph A. Capone 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. 1:15-cr-109.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Myrick Clift Beasley, 56, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty today to mail fraud charges in connection with a scheme to obtain goods and services on credit using the stolen identities of legitimate, inactive businesses.

In a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, Beasley admitted that from 2010 through 2015, he assumed the identity of at least 70 legitimate businesses nationwide, and used those stolen identities to obtain, on credit, at least $550,000 in goods and services from various victims.  Beasley admitted that, as part of the scheme, he would identify inactive, legitimate businesses that had previously been located in office buildings where virtual office providers were also located.  Beasley admitted that we would assume the inactive businesses’ identities by renting virtual office space in the buildings in the names of the legitimate businesses, creating internet domain names and email addresses in the identified businesses’ names, obtaining phone numbers previously identified with the businesses when available, and, at times, supplementing state corporate filings and commercial credit records with fraudulent information designed to further the scheme.  Beasley admitted that he concealed his true identity throughout the fraud by using false names and paying for the costs of operating his scheme with prepaid debit cards.  Once he would assume a business’s identity, Beasley admitted that he would then order goods and services — particularly, smart phones, computers, and other electronics — from retailers on credit and have the items shipped to the virtual office location, which would then, at his direction, re-ship the items to rented mailboxes elsewhere in the country.  Beasley admitted he would then retrieve the items from the rented mailboxes and sell them.

Beasley was indicted by a federal grand jury on Dec. 17, 2015.  Beasley faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on April 29, 2016.  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; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Chief of the Fairfax County Police Department, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Fenton and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul J. Nathanson 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. 1:15-CR-353.