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23 October 2023
Readout of Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta’s Trip to Alaska to Meet with Tribal Leaders and Speak at the Alaska Federation of Natives 2023 Annual ConventionRead the Press Release
From Tuesday, Oct. 17 through Friday, Oct. 20, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta traveled to Alaska to speak at the Alaska Federation of Natives’ annual convention, meet with Alaska Native and local partners, and reaffirm the Justice Department’s commitment to promoting Tribal sovereignty and to keeping all Alaskans safe. The Associate Attorney General was joined on the trip by Director Tracy Toulou of the Office of Tribal Justice and Director Rosemarie Hidalgo of the Office on Violence Against Women, as well as by U.S. Attorney Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. The Associate Attorney General’s travel to Alaska continues a series of meetings with Tribal governments and follows recent remarks at the Justice Department’s 18th Annual Government-to-Government Violence Against Women Tribal Consultation. It also follows an August visit to Alaska by the Attorney General and is part of the Justice Department’s continued efforts to engage with American Indian and Alaska Native leaders.
Outlining Justice Department Commitments to Support Tribal Jurisdiction and Safety: Alaska Federation of Natives 2023 Annual Convention
In remarks to the 2023 Annual Convention of the Alaska Federation of Natives, the Associate Attorney General announced the launch of the Justice Department’s Alaska Pilot Program, along with other Justice Department initiatives, litigation, and grants to support Tribal sovereignty and keep all Alaskans safe.
The 2022 Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA 2022) provides a path for Alaska Tribes to exercise special Tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians who commit certain crimes, including crimes of sexual or domestic violence, in Native Villages. Through the Alaska Pilot Program, the Justice Department will provide Tribes with guidance and resources to consider exercising this jurisdiction. The Associate Attorney General also announced that the Justice Department’s Office of Tribal Justice is releasing a memorandum confirming Tribes’ inherent civil and criminal jurisdiction over Natives present in their Villages.
The Associate Attorney General also unveiled nearly $97 million in new Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) grant funding for American Indian and Alaska Native communities. These grant awards will help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses, improve the handling of child abuse cases, combat domestic and sexual violence, support Tribal youth programs, and fund an array of services for American Indian and Alaska Native crime victims. The awards are part of the Justice Department’s commitment to providing funding to advance public safety in rural Alaska, as well as to ensuring that the Department’s grant resources are as accessible as possible to Tribes and Native organizations. The Associate Attorney General also outlined ongoing efforts by the Justice Department’s grantmaking offices to engage directly with Alaska Native communities and make grant and technical assistance resources more accessible.
In addition to these announcements, the Associate Attorney General reaffirmed the Justice Department’s commitment to supporting Tribal sovereignty and Tribal issues through litigation, including in the Department’s successful defense of the Indian Child Welfare Act at the Supreme Court, and in ongoing litigation against the State of Alaska to protect subsistence resources from depletion.
Meetings with Tribal and Community Leaders, Public Safety Officials, and Advocates in Nome, Alaska
The Associate Attorney General began her trip by traveling to Nome to meet with leaders from local Tribal nonprofit Kawerak, Inc., which represents the 20 Tribes in the Bering Strait Region; the City of Nome; and surrounding Tribal Villages.
The Associate Attorney General met with Kawerak’s leadership, discussed the organization’s work to enhance Tribal justice systems, heard about the region’s subsistence-use needs, and learned about Kawerak and other organizations’ work to support survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. The Associate Attorney General also toured Kawerak’s child advocacy center, which provides resources for minors who are victims of physical or sexual abuse. Kawerak receives grant funding from the Justice Department for its work to prevent and respond to domestic and sexual violence in Alaska Native communities throughout the Bering Strait Region.
The Associate Attorney General also met with officials from the Nome region’s Tribal governments and Tribal associations. She heard from a representative of the Village of Solomon about the importance of addressing the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). And she spoke with a Village Public Safety Officer from the Village of Shishmaref about the unique challenges of ensuring public safety in rural Alaska. Finally, the Associate Attorney General visited Norton Sound Regional Hospital and met with the supervisor of the hospital’s sexual assault medical forensic examination program. Norton Sound receives Justice Department funding to partner with other members of the Bering Strait Sexual Assault Response Team to increase access to forensic exams for sexual assault survivors in the region’s remote Villages.
In addition, the Associate Attorney General met with leadership in the City of Nome, including the police chief and city manager, as well as the superintendent of the Anvil Mountain Correctional Center, a local facility. The Associate Attorney General engaged with these officials about the importance of recruiting and retaining police officers and other public-safety officials, as well as the need to ensure reentry services for the correctional facility’s incarcerated population.
Meetings with Justice Department Officials, Native Leaders, and Local Legal Community in Anchorage, Alaska
On Thursday, Oct. 19, the Associate Attorney General spent time in Anchorage visiting with the U.S. Attorney’s Office leadership, attorneys, and staff. During her visit, the Associate Attorney General was briefed on civil and criminal issues arising in Alaska. She also participated in a fireside chat with U.S. Attorney Tucker at an event hosted by the Federal Bar Association’s Alaska chapter.
In addition, Associate Attorney General Gupta met with leaders of the Alaska Court System’s Eviction Diversion Program, which is employing strategies to avoid contested landlord-tenant litigation. The program was established with a grant through the National Center for State Courts, which followed a letter that the Associate Attorney General sent to state court administrators in June 2021 encouraging them to consider novel solutions “that can help families avoid the disruption and damage that evictions cause.”
Associate Attorney General Gupta also attended the second meeting of the Alaska Tribal Public Safety Advisory Committee. Created by VAWA 2022, the Advisory Committee includes representatives from Alaska Tribes, federal, Tribal, State, and local law enforcement, and Tribal nonprofit organizations. The Associate Attorney General delivered remarks recognizing the region’s public-safety challenges and expressing the Justice Department’s commitment to partnering with Tribes and Native groups.
On Friday, Oct. 20, the Associate Attorney General held additional meetings with Native leaders, including with representatives from the Association of Village Council Presidents, a nonprofit Tribal consortium supporting the 56 Tribes of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, and the Alaska Native Justice Center, which recently received a Justice Department grant to provide technical assistance to Tribes seeking to exercise the special Tribal criminal jurisdiction authorized in VAWA 2022. The Associate Attorney General also met with family members of Alaska Natives who were victims of the MMIP crisis and who died in state custody.
Associate Attorney General Gupta addresses the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Convention. Justice Department officials meet with the supervisor of the Norton Sound Regional Hospital’s sexual assault medical forensic examination program. Associate Attorney General Gupta meets with attorneys and staff of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska. The Associate Attorney General is briefed by U.S. Attorney Lane Tucker (left) and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Vogel (right) on issues affecting Alaska Native communities. Associate Attorney General (right) and U.S. Attorney Tucker speak at the Alaska Tribal Public Safety Advisory Committee. Associate Attorney General Gupta, U.S. Attorney Tucker, and OTJ Director Toulou (far right) meet with leaders and advocates from the Association of Village Council Presidents and the Alaska Native Justice Center.Readout of Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke’s Trip to FloridaRead the Press Release
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division traveled to Jacksonville, Florida, on Oct. 19 to continue the division’s tour to engage with stakeholders in underserved communities and reaffirm the department’s commitment to protecting the civil rights of all Americans.
In the morning, Assistant Attorney General Clarke joined Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida to announce a $9 million agreement with Ameris Bank to resolve allegations that the bank engaged in a pattern or practice of redlining predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Jacksonville, Florida. Since 2021, the department has secured 10 resolutions and over $107 million in relief for communities of color nationwide. Read her full remarks here.
After the announcement, Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Handberg held a meeting with community leaders and stakeholders to discuss the agreement with Ameris Bank, as well as other civil rights issues, including hate crimes, law enforcement accountability, voting rights and LGBTQI+ rights.
In the afternoon, Assistant Attorney General Clarke visited the Pace Center for Girls, a nationally recognized day program that offers counseling, academic and life-skills services for girls ages 12-17 who are at risk of entering the juvenile justice system or experiencing difficulties at home or school. There, she spoke to a group of young girls about the Justice Department’s work to protect civil rights, efforts to advance equity for women and girls and her career in public service. She encouraged the girls to continue to strive for academic excellence and also toured the campus with Executive Director Chantell Miles and other program leadership.
Assistant Attorney General Clarke concluded her trip at Edward Waters University, the state of Florida’s first historically Black college. There, she and U.S Attorney Handberg met with President Dr. Zachary Faison Jr. and student leaders. She commended the school leadership, faculty, campus officers and the students for their resilience during the moments preceding the tragic Aug. 26 shooting at a nearby Dollar General store. Assistant Attorney General Clarke also detailed the department’s efforts to prosecute hate crimes through the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and underscored efforts to promote prevention and education through the department’s United Against Hate initiative.
Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Handberg at a meeting with Jacksonville community leaders and stakeholders. Assistant Attorney General Clarke addressing students at the Pace Center for Girls. Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Handberg with students and faculty of Edward Waters University.Polk City Man Sentenced to 30 Years’ Imprisonment for Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, IA – A Polk City man was sentenced on October 6, 2023, to 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor.
According to public court documents, Daniel Todd Little, 44, produced child sexual abuse material when he videorecorded himself sexually abusing a minor child.
The Court imposed the 30-year sentence to be served consecutively to Little’s sentence for his 2022 convictions in the Iowa District Court for Polk County for sexual abuse, controlled substance, and firearm charges. After completing his term of imprisonment, Little will be required to serve 10 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Little was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Department of Homeland Security and the Ankeny Police Department investigated 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 the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Placerville Man Sentenced to 15-Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jordan T. Piper, 38, of Placerville, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison to be followed by seven and a half years of supervised release for sexual exploitation of a minor, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in 2019, Piper made approximately 30 surreptitious recordings of a minor victim while living in Groveland. Piper created screenshots from surreptitious video recordings that focused on the minor victim’s genitals and pubic area. During the execution of a search warrant, law enforcement found approximately 433 nude images of the minor victim on Piper’s cellphone.
This case was the product of an investigation by the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Yang prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Parma Man Indicted for Child Pornography CrimesRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A Parma man was indicted for child pornography crimes. Brandon N. Crites, 32, of Parma, was indicted on one count each of receipt and distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
Crites, between 2022 and 2023, received and distributed numerous images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and possessed a laptop and hard drives that contained child pornography in September 2023, according to the indictment. At the time of the offenses, Crites was employed as a patrolman with the Cleveland Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer King following an investigation by the FBI.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Orange County Man Sentenced to 7½ Years in Prison for Firearms Crimes and Check Fraud Scheme That Illicitly Sought $1.2 MillionRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A convicted felon from Orange County who used social media to instruct his Instagram followers on how to defraud banks was sentenced today to 90 months in federal prison for conspiring with a bank employee and others to commit a check fraud scheme in which they sought $1.2 million.
Meshach Samuels, 26, of Placentia, was sentenced by United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney, who also ordered him to pay $423,087 in restitution.
Samuels pleaded guilty on May 25 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.
From May 2021 to March 2022, Samuels urged his Instagram followers to join his Telegram chat groups, where – for a fee of up to thousands of dollars – he would provide instructions on how to recruit accomplices and commit check fraud to steal money from banks.
Samuels and his accomplices would create fraudulent checks drawn on victim accounts, frequently using stolen information obtained from a bank teller and other sources. Samuels’ co-conspirators, with Samuels’ help, would deposit the fraudulent checks into third-party accounts.
Once the check amounts were credited to the third-party accounts, Samuels’ co-conspirators, again with Samuels’ assistance, fraudulently withdrew money in amounts below $10,000 to avoid triggering bank scrutiny. The corrupt bank teller was paid a portion of the cash the conspirators obtained from negotiating fraudulent checks.
This check fraud scheme attempted to obtain at least approximately $1.2 million and caused actual losses of at least $423,087.
Samuels also participated in a scheme in 2021 to defraud the California Employment Development Department (EDD) through the submission of fraudulent applications for pandemic-related unemployment insurance that contained stolen identity information. Those fraudulent applications included information from individuals who resided outside California, were deceased, or who otherwise were not eligible for unemployment insurance. Members of the scheme provided EDD with a set of common mailing addresses they controlled for multiple applications.
After EDD approved the fraudulent applications and disbursed the pandemic benefits to EDD debit accounts, Samuels and his co-schemers used the debit cards to withdraw cash at ATMs.
In total, Samuels caused at least $14,250 in actual losses to EDD.
In addition, Samuels, whose criminal history includes felony convictions in Florida for aggravated battery on a law enforcement official, admitted to unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition. Specifically, during an August 2021 traffic stop in Costa Mesa, police officers found a firearm and ammunition concealed on his person. In March 2022, federal agents searched Samuels’ residence and seized five firearms and ammunition.
“As reflected by the voluminous actual and intended losses, [Samuels’] conduct was not the product of a short-term lapse in judgment but was calculated behavior that was mass-marketed on social media and engaged in for months, affecting scores of victims,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “The proceeds of the fraud were used to purchase luxury and high-end items and firearms.”
In a related case, Sasha Lizette Jimenez, 26, Samuels’ former girlfriend, pleaded guilty on May 22 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud for running the EDD fraud scheme in which Samuels participated. Jimenez, who was the conspiracy’s bookkeeper, caused the issuance of at least $2.8 million in fraudulent UI benefit debit cards – and at least $2.3 million was withdrawn from those debit cards. Judge Carney has scheduled a December 4 sentencing hearing for Jimenez.
The investigation into this scheme was conducted by the Los Angeles El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, a multi-agency task force led by Homeland Security Investigations that includes federal and state investigators who are focused on financial crimes in Southern California. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration also participated in this investigation. The Costa Mesa Police Department, the Inglewood Police Department, the Placentia Police Department, the New York City Police Department, and the Miami Beach Police Department provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Rachel N. Agress of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section prosecuted this case.
Anyone with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Edward Daniel Walker Jr., also known as “Jetty,” 38, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced today to six years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute heroin.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from about April 2022 to about September 25, 2022, Walker participated in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in the Leon area of Mason County. Walker admitted to selling heroin to customers directly and distributing quantities of heroin to other individuals for them to sell at his direction.
On September 25, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 64 in Hurricane of a vehicle in which Walker was a passenger. Officers searched the vehicle and found approximately 105 grams of suspected heroin and a firearm. Walker admitted to intending to sell the heroin.
Following the traffic stop, officers executed a search warrant that same day at a Barboursville motel room where Walker was staying. Officers seized approximately 204 grams of suspected heroin, two firearms and $1,000 during that search. Walker admitted to intending to sell the heroin, and further admitted that the cash was proceeds from previous drug sales.
On March 31, 2023, officers executed a search warrant at a Durham Road residence in Leon where they arrested Walker. Officers seized approximately 135 grams of suspected heroin found at the residence and $2,000 on Walker’s person. Walker admitted to intending to sell the heroin. Walker further admitted that the cash was proceeds from previous drug deals.
Co-defendant Jordan Lee Jobe, 29, of Leon, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin on July 10, 2023 and awaits sentencing.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police and the Drug and Violent Crime Task Force West.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-40.
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Nurse Practitioner Pleads Guilty to $6.1 Million Health Care Fraud Conspiracy in IdahoRead the Press Release
BOISE – Kristen Bolling, 40, of Sheridan, Wyoming, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud in Idaho, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.
According to court records, from April 2017 through October 2019, Bolling conspired to commit health care fraud. Bolling accepted pre-filled medical orders from companies, signing the orders without seeing the patients or making a medical necessity determination and returning the signed orders to the companies in exchange for compensation. During this time, Bolling was licensed and practiced as a nurse practitioner in Idaho. She was also licensed in Wyoming, Colorado, and Washington.
Bolling was recruited to work for multiple companies to generate fraudulent medical orders for durable medical equipment (DME), including braces, and cancer genomic testing (CGx). Bolling received kickbacks of approximately $15-$30 per “consult” performed, with the expectation that a “consult” would result in a signed medical order. During the conspiracy, Bolling received at least $204,007 in kickbacks for fraudulent medical orders. The medical orders that Bolling signed, and which the companies sold, were used to fraudulently bill Medicare resulting in payments of over $6.1 million for DME and CGx tests that were not medically necessary and for which the medical orders were procured through the payment of kickbacks and bribes.
“Ensuring the integrity of Medicare and other federal health care programs is a priority for my office,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “It’s about protecting taxpayer funds and, ultimately, patient well-being. We will continue to hold accountable anyone who engages in illegal kickback schemes like the one uncovered through this investigation.”
“By engaging in kickback arrangements, this defendant knowingly put personal profit before legitimate patient needs. This illegal behavior undermines the integrity of federal healthcare programs and costs taxpayers millions of dollars,” said Steven Ryan, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
Bolling is scheduled to be sentenced on January 9, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the work of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, which led to the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Darci Crane is prosecuting the case.
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Norway Man Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Obtaining $240K in PPP Loans During PandemicRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Norway man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to filing fraudulent applications for loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
According to court records, between May 2020 and January 2021, Merton Weed Jr., 51, filed eight fraudulent PPP loan applications with different lenders and received over $240,000 in PPP funds. The applications listed false average monthly payrolls and numbers of employees and were supported by false payroll records and bank records.
Weed faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI investigated the case.
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): The PPP was a COVID-19 pandemic relief program administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) that provided forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses. The PPP permitted participating third-party lenders to approve and disburse SBA-backed PPP loans to cover payroll, fixed debts, utilities, rent/mortgage, accounts payable and other bills incurred by qualifying businesses during, and resulting from, the COVID-19 pandemic. PPP loans were fully guaranteed by the SBA.
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New York Resident Pleads Guilty to Charges of Access Device Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of New York, New York, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of Access Device Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Erick Cottrell, age 54 pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Christy Wiegand.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that in February 2022, Cottrell withdrew $23,000 from the bank account of an individual, using that individual’s bank account information, his personal identification information, and a counterfeit driver’s license in that individual’s name, but with the image of Cottrell. He later attempted another withdrawal from the same bank in Baltimore, Maryland, where he was arrested. A search incident to arrest revealed the counterfeit driver’s license. Cottrell was released on bond from his Baltimore arrest, and he continued to engage in access device fraud.
In April 2023, he was arrested after using a counterfeit’s driver’s license and counterfeit credit cards and debit cards to rent a hotel room and a U-Haul vehicle and to make various purchases throughout the Pittsburgh area. He was arrested in connection with this activity by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and a search incident to his arrest revealed a counterfeit driver’s license.
Judge Wiegand scheduled sentencing for February 26, 2024. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than two years in prison and not more than twelve years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court detained the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The United States Secret Service in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Cottrell.
Missouri Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Crossing U.S. – Canada BorderRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Missouri man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to failing to present at a border crossing point.
According to court records, in April 2023, Clayton Dehaven, 39, was observed walking with a flashlight down a road on the Canadian side of the border in the Union Corners area of Hodgdon. A minivan was observed parked on the U.S. side of the border. A person, later identified as Dehaven’s wife, was observed crouching in the bushes and then running across the border to the van. Dehaven was then also seen running across the border and entering the driver’s side of the van. After being apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol, Dehaven admitted that he had illegally crossed from Canada into the U.S. without going through a designated border crossing point.
Dehaven faces up to one year in prison and up to a $100,000 fine followed by up to one year of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.
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Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Abusive Sexual Contact in Sequoia National ParkRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Luis Eduardo Sanchez-Azpeitia, 46, a Mexican national who was working in Sequoia National Park on a work visa, pleaded guilty today to abusive sexual contact with a female co-worker, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on July 31, 2023, Sanchez-Azpeitia entered the victim’s cabin in Sequoia National Park and committed non-consensual acts of abusive sexual contact, including touching her breasts, inner thighs, and vagina. The victim did not consent to any of the defendant’s sexual conduct, repeatedly told the defendant no, and tried to make him stop his sexual advances.
This case is the product of an investigation by the National Park Service with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katrina Brownson and Karen Escobar are prosecuting the case.
Sanchez-Azpeitia is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on Feb. 26, 2024. Sanchez-Azpeitia faces a maximum statutory penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Mexican National Arrested in Gulfport Transporting Nine Kilograms of FentanylRead the Press Release
Gulfport, MS – A Mexican National was arrested today in Harrison County, Mississippi, on criminal charges related to his alleged transportation of 9 kilograms of fentanyl while driving on Interstate 10 in Gulfport.
According to court documents, Jose Gilberto Rodriguez-Hernandez, 32, was pulled over on I-10 when Border Patrol Agents recognized him as a known illegal alien who had previously been removed from the United States. During the traffic stop, Rodriguez-Hernandez was found to be in possession of nine kilogram bricks of fentanyl.
Rodriguez-Hernandez is charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. If convicted, Rodriguez-Hernandez faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Acting Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Border Patrol are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Mexican National and Repeat Immigration Offender Sentenced to 30 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Ismael Blanco-Garcia (43, Mexico) to 30 months in federal prison for illegally re-entering the United States without authorization by federal immigration officials. Blanco-Garcia had pleaded guilty in June 2023.
According to court documents, on March 15, 2023, Blanco-Garcia was arrested in Collier County on state criminal charges and found to be present in the United States without legal authorization. Blanco-Garcia has previously been convicted on two occasions for illegal reentry to the United States after deportation, in 2016 and 2017, and has been deported from the United States to Mexico on three occasions.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick L. Darcey.
Martinsburg Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing, Manufacturing, and Trafficking FirearmsRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Martinsburg, PA pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of possession, manufacturing, and trafficking firearms, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Harry Miller, age 47, of Martinsburg, PA, pleaded guilty to Counts One, Two, Four, Five, Seven, Eight, and Nine of the Information before United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that in and around May 2022 and continuing thereafter until on or about April 27, 2023, Miller, knowingly and willfully conspired to engage and engaged in the business of manufacturing or dealing in firearms without a license, possessed a machinegun, trafficked firearms, and engaged in the business of manufacturing and dealing in firearms without having paid the special occupational tax required by 26 U.S.C. Sec. 5801. Further, on or about March 21, 2023, and March 22, 2023, Miller unlawfully possessed a firearm after knowing he had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, and knowingly and unlawfully transferred firearms that were not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Records.
Judge Haines scheduled sentencing for March 11, 2024. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 70 years in prison, a total fine of $1,270,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Miller.
This case was prosecuted under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted, and the President signed in June 2022. The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Martine Protas Sentenced for Unlawfully Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office stated that on October 20, 2023, Martine Protas, 44, of Springfield, Vermont, was sentenced to a prison term of time-served, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release following her guilty plea to being an illegal user of controlled substances in possession of a firearm. Protas had been detained in the custody of the United States Marshals Service from her November 30, 2022, arrest through March 30, 2023, when she was released from custody to attend a treatment program. However, Protas never reported to the program. An arrest warrant issued and she was re-arrested on April 6, 2023. She had been in custody since then.
According to court records, on November 30, 2022, investigators were searching for an individual who was the subject of a federal arrest warrant. Law enforcement located the wanted individual in the driver’s seat of a vehicle that was parked at the Springfield Hospital. Protas was in the passenger seat, in possession of a holstered semiautomatic pistol in her waistband. At the time that Protas and the other person were found by law enforcement, they appeared to be smoking cocaine base. Investigators found drug paraphernalia inside of the car and cocaine base on the ground outside of the passenger side door of the vehicle.
U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory and collaborative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Vermont State Police, the Vermont Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Springfield Police Department, and the Windsor County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Stendig. Martine Protas is represented by Michael Shklar, Esq.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.
Lawrence Man Sentenced for Possessing Fentanyl Intended for DistributionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lawrence man was sentenced on Oct. 20, 2023 for attempting to distribute fentanyl while already on pretrial release for a separate fentanyl offense.
Anyelo Aybar-Franco, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to time served (three years in prison) and three years of supervised release. On July 21, 2023, Aybar-Franco pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl.
Aybar-Franco was arrested in Lawrence in October 2020 after he was observed attempting to conduct a hand-to-hand drug deal. During the arrest, over 65 grams of fentanyl was seized from Aybar-Franco’s person.
At the time of the conduct, Aybar-Franco was on state pretrial release for a separate fentanyl distribution offense he was charged with just two months prior.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Essex County Sheriff’s Department, Homeland Security Investigations in Boston and the Lawrence Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Dell’Anno of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Lancaster County Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Trafficking Cocaine with A Mexican Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Dwayne Sherman, age 49, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on October 20, 2023, to 262 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, in September 2022, a jury convicted Sherman on all charges, including money laundering and drug trafficking conspiracy.
Sherman conspired with Mexican cartel members from 2012 to 2018, and was caught by the FBI in 2015-2016, in an undercover sting operation where Sherman tried to send $550,000 in cash back to Mexico. Sherman was also captured by police in Los Angeles, California smuggling two kilograms of cocaine. Evidence was introduced at trial that Sherman regularly travelled to Mexico and developed a relationship with a Mexican drug trafficking group. Money owed was smuggled across the border and then deposited into corrupt Casa de Cambio or money exchanges in Tijuana, Mexico. The drugs were then smuggled back into the United States through a variety of means.
At sentencing, Judge Wilson found that Sherman was responsible for approximately 46 kilograms of cocaine, and with smuggling hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash. She also made the finding that Sherman possessed guns as part of the drug trafficking activities.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hawthorne (California) Police Department, the San Diego County Sherriff’s Office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Consiglio and Carlo Marchioli prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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Kissimmee Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Attempting to Entice and Meet A 13-Year-Old Child to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Gabriel Almenas Carrasquillo (35, Kissimmee) to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. Almenas was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and forfeit his cellphone. A federal jury had found Almenas guilty on July 12, 2023, and he has been in custody since the return of the guilty verdict.
According to evidence and testimony admitted during the three-day trial, on August 11, 2022, an undercover agent (UC) with the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation in Orlando was posing as a 13-year-old child on a social media application (app) in an effort to identify individuals who were seeking to sexually exploit children. Almenas initiated an online conversation with the UC, typing “You r really beautiful.” When Almenas asked if “he” was 18, the UC advised that “he” was “a little younger,” and stated, “I’ll be fourteen in a few months …” Almenas responded, “Oh wow you look really quite develop,” and “… I’m down to keep getting to know you more …” The two discussed meeting and Almenas confirmed that the “child” would be alone without adult supervision for that entire evening. At Almenas’s suggestion, their online conversation moved to another social media app. Almenas then described the sexual acts that he wanted to perform on the “child,” and he sent the UC a video depicting Almenas’s genitalia. Almenas drove to an agreed-upon location in Orlando where he believed that the “child” was staying and was arrested. In an interview, Almenas stated, among other things, that he knew that the “child” was underage when he came to meet “him,” and acknowledged that he was arrested because he “tried to have sex with somebody that was not legal age.” Almenas also admitted that he brought the lubricant found in his backpack to use during sexual acts with the “child.”
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Orlando. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Kalamazoo Man Charged with Possessing Machine Gun, Being A Felon in Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Mark Totten announced the unsealing of an indictment charging 31-year-old Juwara Jawan Compton, Jr., of Kalamazoo, with possessing a machine gun and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
"A fully automatic firearm in the hands of a convicted felon is a dangerous and potentially deadly combination,” stated U.S. Attorney Mark A. Totten. “My office is committed to getting these weapons off of our streets and prosecuting those who possess them illegally.”
The indictment alleges that, on September 2, 2023, Compton, a previously convicted felon, possessed a Glock .40 caliber pistol with an extended magazine. A separate count charges that the same firearm also had a conversion device that made the weapon into a machine gun.
Compton made his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Sally J. Berens on October 19, 2023. He is next due in court for a detention hearing on October 24, 2023 before United States Magistrate Phillip J. Green.
This case was investigated by the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). AUSA Stephanie Carowan is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Justice Department awards more than $16 million to support criminal justice initiatives in the Western District of New YorkRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, NY – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that the Justice Department has awarded grant funding to 26 municipalities, school districts and human service organizations totaling $16,440,491 to support criminal justice initiatives across the Western District of New York.
“Agencies in the Western District of New York have been granted a total of $16,440,491, including school districts, police departments, social service agencies, and local governments across the 17 counties in the district,” stated U.S. Attorney Ross. “This funding will address several issues impacting our communities, including gun violence, domestic violence, sexual assaults, and the mental health needs of children. Of significant importance, more than $7,000,000 will be spent on addressing the needs of victims of crimes, including $3,889,303, which will be used to provide services to those directly impacted by the Tops mass shooting tragedy that resulted in the deaths of 10 members of our community.”
Grants have been awarded to address the following areas:
Victims Services:
- The Community Health Center of Buffalo has been awarded $3,889,303 to provide services to those impacted by the mass shooting on May 14, 2022, in Buffalo.
- Monroe County has been awarded $800,000 to continue improving the county’s criminal justice system response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
- The YMCA of Jamestown has been awarded $600,000 to support the Justice for Families Program. The YWCA Jamestown will collaborate with the Unified Court System Eighth Judicial District, and the Salvation Army New Center, to support supervised visitation and safe exchange efforts.
- The Family Justice Center of Erie County, Inc has been awarded $450,000 to continue improving the organization’s response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
- Coordinated Care Services, Inc. of Rochester has been awarded $400,000, which will be used to support Rise Up Rochester and its efforts to ensure safe housing for victims of gun violence and their families, and provide advocacy throughout the court process.
- Niagara University has been awarded $400,000 to collaborate with the YWCA of the Niagara Frontier, Pinnacle Community Services, the Seven Dancers Coalition, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, and the New York State Police in combatting domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campus.
- The Research Foundation for the State University of New York at Geneseo has been awarded $400,000 to work in collaboration with RESTORE, Chances & Changes, Inc., the Village of Geneseo Police Department, and the Livingston County District Attorney’s Office to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campus.
- D’Youville College has been awarded $399,728 to collaborate with Suicide Prevention & Crisis Services, Inc., and the New York State Police to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campus.
Services for Youth:
- The Sodus Central School District has been awarded $1,000,000 to work with the Wayne County Partnership and Ibero to better support migrant farmworkers and their families in Wayne County.
- The Lyons Central School District has been awarded $998,874 for its Resiliency, Equity, and Safety Initiative, which will address the daily challenges of youth face in a high needs rural region.
- The Wayne-Finger Lakes Board of Cooperative Educational Services has been awarded $999,987 to serve at-risk students and their educators in 25 school districts across Wayne, Seneca, and Ontario Counties, with a focus on social-emotional and mental health risks.
- The North Rose-Wolcott Central School District has been awarded $998,826 for the Improving School Safety through Early Intervention Initiative, a program that will focus on 9th and 10th grade students at risk of not graduating on time or dropping out of high school.
- The Elba Central School District has been awarded $625,000 to hire a social worker to expand mental and behavioral health services.
- The Frontier Central School District has been awarded $125,774 for anti-violence training programs for staff, administrators, and students at six school sites, four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school.
Law Enforcement Initiatives:
- Monroe County has been awarded $526,741 and Erie County has been awarded $819,884 to address of backlog of DNA analysis cases in the Monroe County Crime Laboratory the Erie County Forensic Laboratory.
- Niagara County has been awarded $500,000 to address the backlog of cases in the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Laboratory. Since 2017, the Toxicology – Postmortem caseload has increased 45% and the Firearms caseload has increased 126%.
- Wayne County has been awarded $299,907 to hire a community resource officer in the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, who will guide the development of collaborations to reduce violence, especially intimate partner violence, drug-related violence, and youth violence.
- The City of Buffalo has been awarded $284,913, which will be used to support additional police patrols at select large-scale events to protect attendees from terroristic threats and/or gun violence. The funds will also be used by Erie County to support an Assistant District Attorney for juvenile justice prosecution, the Town of Amherst to purchase technology upgrades for police vehicles, and the Town of Cheektowaga to provide extra police patrols in hot spot areas to reduce crime.
- The City of Rochester has been awarded $175,205, which will be used by the City of Rochester and Monroe County to support the efforts of the Crisis Intervention Services unit.
- The Rochester Institute of Technology has been awarded $143,958, which will be used to reduce gun violence in the City of Buffalo through the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, which is administered by RIT.
- The University of Rochester has been awarded $64,003 for research efforts into AI-powered audio generation and the use of deepfakes for criminal activities, as well as the development of audio deepfake detection.
- The City of Niagara Falls has been awarded $38,562, which will be used to continue to support two part time police liaisons to enhance communication between the community and the police, and to replace outdated handheld radios.
- The City of Jamestown has been awarded $20,694, which will be used by the Jamestown Police Department to purchase and implement an additional deployable pole camera system.
Reentry and Recidivism Initiatives:
- PathStone of Rochester has been awarded $750,000 to develop and implement a comprehensive community-based adult reentry program to serve incarcerated individuals incarcerated eligible for release within 90 days. These individuals will be served by the transition to Tomorrow (T2T) program.
- The Ontario County Economic Development Corporation has been awarded $729,132, to support the Finger Lakes Treatment Court, which is a post-plea, presentence court serving veterans and drug court participants.
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Justice Department Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint Against $300 Million SuperyachtRead the Press Release
The United States today filed a civil forfeiture complaint in the Southern District of New York against the motor yacht Amadea – a 348-foot luxury vessel reportedly worth more than $300 million and beneficially owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov – which was seized in 2022 at the request of the United States.
Today’s filing alleges that the superyacht was improved and maintained in violation of applicable sanctions against Kerimov and those acting on his behalf. According to the complaint, the Amadea is forfeitable based on violations of U.S. law, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and money laundering violations. The burden to prove forfeitability in a civil forfeiture proceeding is upon the government, and proceedings involving this property and its claimants remain ongoing.
“The United States brings this action today after a careful and painstaking effort to develop the necessary evidence showing Suleiman Kerimov’s clear interest in the Amadea and the repeated misuse of the U.S. financial system to support and maintain the yacht for his benefit,” said Task Force KleptoCapture co-director Michael Khoo. “Getting to this point required extensive cooperation across the U.S. government and with foreign partners. It underscores our resolve to undertake challenging, cross-border investigations and to send a message to Russian oligarchs and their enablers: if you flout the rule of law, you can expect to pay real and meaningful consequences.”
“The filing of this complaint exemplifies that the United States takes sanction evasion seriously and will use all tools at its disposal to ensure that sanctioned individuals are held accountable for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “I thank our partners with Task Force KleptoCapture as well as the dedicated prosecutors of this office for their important work holding Russian oligarchs responsible and aiding our allies in Ukraine.”
According to court documents, on April 6, 2018, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Kerimov as a Specially Designated National (SDN) under IEEPA in connection with its finding that the actions of the Government of the Russian Federation in Ukraine constituted an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. In imposing sanctions, OFAC determined that Kerimov was an official of the Government of the Russian Federation. As alleged, Kerimov never sought a license from OFAC authorizing any transactions including any transactions in connection with expenditures related to the yacht. On or about Sept. 30, 2022, OFAC redesignated Kerimov as an SDN.
In September 2021, following Kerimov’s designation by OFAC, Kerimov arranged to purchase the superyacht Amadea, contracting with the seller to receive use rights to the vessel even before he completed payment or obtained title to the vessel. Kerimov gained beneficial ownership of the vessel in or about September 2021 through a series of transfers between shell companies designed to conceal his ownership of the yacht. Beginning in October 2021 through its seizure, Kerimov and/or his family members took multiple trips aboard the Amadea, planned extensive renovations to the Amadea, made long-term plans for the Amadea’s travel schedule, and assumed all liability and responsibility for the Amadea’s upkeep.
During that time, individuals or entities acting on Kerimov’s behalf accrued U.S. dollar-denominated costs for the Amadea’s upkeep and sent or caused to be sent through the U.S. financial systems, payments in violation of applicable sanctions.
The Amadea is currently under the control of the U.S. government in San Diego, pursuant to a seizure warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which was enforced by a court order issued by the Republic of Fiji following a mutual legal assistance request from the United States. The United States is deeply grateful to the Fijian police and prosecutors whose perseverance and dedication to the rule of law made this action possible.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York, and Task Force KleptoCapture co-directors Michael W. Khoo and David H. Lim made the announcement.
The FBI New York Field Office’s Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, as well as the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Embassy Suva, and the Diplomatic Security Service, provided valuable assistance and cooperation in this investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Mortazavi for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorneys Joshua L. Sohn of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Andrew D. Beaty of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are litigating the case.
This case was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls, and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the Department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.
A civil forfeiture complaint is merely an allegation that money or property was involved in or represents the proceeds of a crime. These allegations are not proven until a court awards a judgment in favor of the United States.
Amadea civil forfeiture complaintJustice Department Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Federal Government Pro Bono WeekRead the Press Release
To kick off Federal Government Pro Bono Week 2023, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco joined Justice Department employees at the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center Advice & Referral Clinic at Bread for the City on Saturday, Oct. 21. At the clinic, she announced the launch of the DOJ Pro Bono Portal, a new initiative to expand the DOJ Pro Bono Program, led by the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ). Deputy Attorney General Monaco announced the access to an online platform that will deliver screened pro bono opportunities directly to every Justice Department attorney. Deputy Attorney General Monaco and ATJ Director Rachel Rossi thanked the Department attorneys and other volunteers who donated their time and experience to provide pro bono service to the Washington, D.C., community.
“In 1996, Attorney General Janet Reno established the DOJ’s pro bono policy and in so doing strengthened our communities by expanding access to justice,” said Deputy Attorney General Monaco. “All attorneys bear a unique responsibility to use their expertise, skills, and training in service for those most in need. As we modernize and expand access to the DOJ’s Pro Bono Program, the Department strengthens its commitment to what Attorney General Reno started. Engaging in pro bono work and serving the communities around us are in the best tradition of this Department.”
ATJ houses the DOJ Pro Bono Program, which connects Justice Department employees with pro bono opportunities, and leads the Federal Government Pro Bono Program, which facilitates pro bono engagement by all federal attorneys government-wide. The DOJ Pro Bono Portal is an innovative approach to encouraging pro bono engagement that will make it easier for Department attorneys to participate in volunteer legal services in their individual capacities, by providing quick and simple access to pro bono opportunities. The platform will include opportunities which do not pose conflicts of interest for Justice Department attorneys and will include guidance about the rules governing their involvement.
“Our laws are only as meaningful as the ability of communities to access their promises, and too many people cannot do so because they don’t have legal help,” said ATJ Director Rossi. “This new resource will allow us to more broadly mobilize the federal government attorney workforce to engage in pro bono assistance and stand in the justice gap.”
“For over two decades, the Federal Government Pro Bono Program has connected federal government lawyers to pro bono opportunities,” said Chair Laura Klein of the Federal Government Pro Bono Program. “For the first time, through the DOJ Pro Bono Portal, DOJ attorneys will be able to easily access these opportunities through the click of a mouse, modernizing the Program, promoting greater volunteerism, and expanding help for those with critical legal needs.”
The Deputy Attorney General’s announcement of the DOJ Pro Bono Portal coincides with the 20th anniversary of Federal Government Pro Bono Week, an annual celebration and promotion of pro bono work by federal government attorneys and legal staff. Over 50 federal agencies participate in the Federal Government Pro Bono Program, working together to bring the talent and skills of their attorneys to Americans who cannot afford to pay for legal assistance. The theme of this year’s Government Pro Bono Week is Expanding Access to Pro Bono and features a keynote address by Legal Services Corporation President Ronald Flagg, opportunities to volunteer in legal clinics around the country, and panel presentations highlighting pro bono opportunities for federal legal staff and ways that attorneys can provide legal assistance to victims of disasters.
Officially started in 1996, the Federal Government Pro Bono Program currently has branches in eight cities: Washington, D.C., Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, Denver, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Federal government volunteers provide legal assistance on issues such as housing, family law, domestic violence, estate planning, and employment law.
The Deputy Attorney General addresses volunteers. Photo credited to the DC Bar Pro Bono Center. The Deputy Attorney General talks with DOJ employees volunteering their time. Photo credited to the DC Bar Pro Bono Center. The Deputy Attorney General and Director Rossi talk with DOJ employees volunteering their time.Jury Convicts Florida Man Who Tampered with Witnesses While Pending Trial with Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering, Obstruction of Justice, Suborning Perjury, and Contempt of CourtRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Javier Monserrate Vazquez (46, Wesley Chapel) guilty of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy against the United States, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, suborning perjury, and contempt. He faces a maximum sentence of 100 years’ imprisonment. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 11, 2024.
Monserrate Vazquez was indicted on December 12, 2018. On April 20, 2021, he was arrested again while on pretrial release and awaiting trial for witness tampering and was subsequently detained.
According to evidence presented at trial, Monserrate Vazquez was a supplier of cocaine in Pasco County. The drugs were received through the mail from Puerto Rico. Coconspirators would receive the packages for further distribution. In October 2018, agents discovered a package containing two kilograms of cocaine addressed to one of Monserrate Vazquez’s coconspirators. In a controlled delivery, a third coconspirator picked up the package and a search of his cellphone showed that Monserrate Vazquez had coordinated the pickup. In June 2018, Monserrate Vazquez also delivered more than $171,000 in cash to an undercover agent for the purpose of laundering the funds to Colombia through the Black Market Peso Exchange.
In the summer of 2018, agents obtained recordings of Monserrate Vazquez threatening to kill an associate over an unpaid drug debt. The threats included claims that Monserrate Vazquez would burn the associate alive, cut off his head, and chop off his hands. In the spring of 2020, Monserrate Vazquez induced two people – including the person he threatened to kill – to sign affidavits claiming that Monserrate Vazquez had no involvement in drug trafficking. One of these affidavits was then relied on in court filings to exclude evidence and accuse the agents of misconduct. Monserrate Vazquez kept in contact with potential witnesses against him through an encrypted phone application and a contraband cellphone, as well as aided a witness in leaving Tampa while trial was pending to avoid a subpoena to testify. He also paid as much as $10,000 for the attorney of his codefendant in exchange for his silence.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Tampa Police Department and the Largo Police Department. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Baeza and Diego Novaes.
Jacksonville Beach Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Diandre Murel (29, Jacksonville Beach) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine. Murel faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years, and up to 40 years, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the court documents, Murel and another individual were investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration for distributing cocaine in the Jacksonville Beach area. As part of the investigation, DEA agents tracked Murel to Atlanta where he purchased almost a kilo of cocaine. Murel was stopped in Baker County on his way back from Atlanta. Deputies from the Baker County Sheriff’s Office searched Murel’s car and located the cocaine. DEA agents and officers from the Jacksonville Beach Police Department then executed a search warrant at the condominium where Murel was renting a room. Law enforcement recovered additional cocaine, three firearms, and more than 100 rounds of ammunition from inside Murel’s room. As part of his plea agreement, Murel has agreed to forfeit the firearms and ammunition seized by law enforcement.
This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Beach Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The State Attorney’s Office for the Eighth Judicial Circuit also provided assistance with the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Talbot. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.
Inmate Serving A 30-Year Sentence in Florida State Prison Sentenced for Mailing Threatening Letters to Florida JudgesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Aaron Thompson (43, Raiford) to three years and five months in federal prison for mailing interstate threats. Thompson, who is currently serving a 30-year state sentence for kidnapping, was ordered to serve his federal and state sentences consecutively. The court also ordered Thompson to serve three years of supervised release and have no contact with the victims of his offense or any judges in the 2nd District Court of Appeals in Florida. Thompson had pleaded guilty on July 28, 2023.
According to court documents, in 2004 in Sarasota County, Thompson was convicted at trial of aggravated battery, kidnapping, robbery, and aggravated assault. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. While incarcerated at the Union Correctional Institute in Raiford, Thompson hand-wrote various letters that included death threats and white supremacy statements. Thompson mailed the letters from the correctional institution directly to sitting judges on the Second District Court of Appeals in Lakeland.
Thompson specifically referenced committing acts of violence upon the completion of his state sentence in 2034. For example, he wrote:
“I AM AN EXPERT WITH THE NRA GUNS, ESPECIALLY WITH A SCOPE. YOU WENT BEYOND ANY RESPECT FOR MY SERVICE RECORD TO SLOW THIS DOWN, XXXX YOU! AND-I’M VERY CLOSE, 2034 TO ERADICATE YOUR WHOLE FAMILY”
“I WILL EXECUTE YOUR WHOLE FAMILY PERSONALLY IN 2034. I WOULD LIKE TO DO WHAT MOST JUDGES EXPERIENCE IN 3RD WORLD CIVILIZATION.”
“Those who devote their career to service and the American system of justice should not be subjected to threats of violence, especially through the U.S. Mail,” said Juan Vargas, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is proud of its work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in this case. The conviction and sentence demonstrate our society will not tolerate efforts to erode the rule of law.”
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit.
Huntington Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Robert Lee Taylor, 42, Huntington, was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 8, 2022, a law enforcement officer encountered Taylor asleep in the driver’s seat of his running vehicle, parked at a Milton gas station. The officer saw controlled substances in Taylor’s lap. Taylor admitted that he possessed approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine and 16 grams of fentanyl that he intended to distribute. Taylor further admitted to possessing $24,724 in drug proceeds.
Taylor also admitted to conspiring with Phillip Antoine Rucker and Marshall Luther Williams to distribute heroin in the Southern District of West Virginia from around February 2021 to around September 2022. Taylor was provided heroin and fentanyl on consignment at the direction of Williams. Taylor gave the proceeds from selling the controlled substances to Williams.
Rucker, also known as “Chocolate,” 43, of Proctorville, Ohio, previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Williams, also known as “Chuck” and “Chubs,” 41, of Chicago, Illinois, previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Rucker and Williams await sentencing.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Milton Police Department and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Courtney L. Finney and Joseph F. Adams prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 3:23-cr-58 (Taylor) and 3:22-cr-34 (Rucker and Williams).
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Hope Man Sentenced to Twenty-Five Years in Federal Prison for Online Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
TEXARKANA, ARKANSAS – A Hope, Arkansas, man was sentenced on October 19, 2023, to 300 months in federal prison, with credit for time served on a related state court conviction, for using the internet to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. The Honorable Judge Susan O. Hickey, Chief United States District Judge, announced the sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, Jonathan Tyrell Haney, age 36, used the online social media service “Badoo” to entice a 12-year-old Ashley County girl to meet him for sexual intercourse. The victim disappeared from her mother’s home in April 2021, reappearing alone the next day at a Columbia County gas station. Haney’s DNA was later found on the victim’s clothing. Haney was apprehended near Sulphur Springs, Texas, the same day the victim was found, after learning that Arkansas authorities were looking for him.
Upon completing his prison sentence, Haney will be supervised by the United States Probation Office for the next 20 years. He is also required to register as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes, of the Western District of Arkansas, made the announcement.
The Crossett, Arkansas, Police Department, Magnolia, Arkansas, Police Department, Hopkins County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case for the United States.
This case was prosecuted 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.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov.
Georgia emissions inspector pleads guilty to fraudulent emissions testsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Mehboobhusain Malik, who performed thousands of fraudulent emissions tests, has pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act.
“The Georgia emissions program exists to protect our community’s air quality,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “With his guilty plea, Malik admits that he essentially sold his position as a licensed emissions inspector by issuing fake emissions certificates for cars that should have failed the test.”
“This case demonstrates how local, state, and federal agencies work together to uphold and enforce laws designed to protect human health and the air that we breathe,” said Sara Lips, Director of Communications and Community Engagement for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. “It further underscores EPD’s emphasis on compliance and enforcement in the Enhanced Inspection and Maintenance Program to ensure Georgia and Metro Atlanta continues to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Under the Clean Air Act (the “Act”), states with areas that exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standards must implement a vehicle inspection and maintenance program. In Georgia, implementation of the Act requires motor vehicle emissions testing in multiple counties, including Fulton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett. To perform the tests, a licensed emissions inspector logs into the Georgia Analyzer System (“GAS”) using biometric technology, inputs the Vehicle Identification Number and license plate number, and conducts the emissions inspection. Once the test is complete, the GAS uploads the test record to allow the vehicle to be registered if the test is passed, or blocked if the test is failed.
Since May 1, 2002, Georgia has been testing 1996 and newer vehicles by using their On Board Diagnostic (“OBD”) systems to check for emissions compliance. The OBD II is accessed through a 16-pin data connector, generally located beneath the vehicle’s dashboard. Simulators have been developed to allow auto manufacturers to simulate different conditions when they design new engines and/or vehicles. Because the simulators are designed to work with vehicle diagnostic tools, these simulators have the same 16-pin data connection as a vehicle’s actual OBD II system and can be used fraudulently to perform an emissions test.
Mehboobhusain Malik was an emissions inspector for Georgia who used his biometric login to initiate emissions tests. For vehicles that could not pass the emissions test, Malik and his confederates programmed a simulator with the vehicle information of the non-passing vehicle. The emissions test was run while the system was attached to the simulator in order to pass the test. That way, Malik falsely attributed the passing test to the vehicle that was programed into the simulator, allowing the vehicle to be improperly registered.
Malik performed thousands of these fraudulent emissions tests at multiple testing locations in the Atlanta metro area.
Mehboobhusain Malik, 72, of Lilburn, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Clean Air Act. Sentencing is scheduled for January 18, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-Criminal Investigation Division and the Georgia State Environmental Protection Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Huber is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Fresno Man Sentenced to Prison for Cyberstalking the Father of a Parkland VictimRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On Oct. 20, U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola sentenced James Catalano, 62, of Fresno, California, to 12 months in prison for sending hundreds of harrowing messages to a local activist against gun violence whose daughter was murdered during the 2018 mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
On March 28, 2023, Catalano pled guilty to cyberstalking. According to the court record, beginning in or around December 2021 and continuing through July 2022, Catalano sent the victim hundreds of disparaging messages, which graphically described the victim’s daughter’s death, and focused on the debate surrounding gun control and the victim’s activism against gun violence.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Arielle Klepach prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-20356.
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Former Postal Employee Pleads Guilty to Desertion of MailRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Michael Burdette, 34, of St. Albans, pleaded guilty today to desertion of mail. Burdette admitted that he discarded mail in a dumpster behind a Winfield business on two occasions while employed by the United States Postal Service.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in January 2023, the United States Postal Service hired Burdette as a Rural Carrier Associate. In this position, Burdette was routinely assigned to deliver mail to residents in the Putnam County area. Burdette admitted that he abandoned his route on March 27 and April 1, 2023. Each time, Burdette was running late for a personal matter and discarded all remaining mail assigned to him for delivery in the dumpster to ensure he arrived at his personal obligation on time. Burdette admitted that he knowingly and intentionally deserted more than 200 individually addressed parcels of mail that he was entrusted to deliver.
Burdette is scheduled to be sentenced on January 29, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison, one year of supervised release, and a $100,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Postal Service and the U.S. Postal Service-Office of Inspector General (OIG).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander A. Redmon and Ryan Blackwell are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-153.
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Former NSA Employee Pleads Guilty to Attempted EspionageRead the Press Release
Jareh Sebastian Dalke, 31, of Colorado Springs, pleaded guilty today to six counts of attempting to transmit classified National Defense Information (NDI) to an agent of the Russian Federation (Russia).
According to court documents, from June 6, 2022, to July 1, 2022, Dalke was an employee of the National Security Agency (NSA) where he served as an Information Systems Security Designer. Dalke admitted that between August and September 2022, in order to demonstrate both his “legitimate access and willingness to share,” he used an encrypted email account to transmit excerpts of three classified documents to an individual he believed to be a Russian agent. In actuality, that person was an FBI online covert employee. All three documents from which the excerpts were taken contain NDI, are classified as Top Secret//Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) and were obtained by Dalke during his employment with the NSA.
On or about Aug. 26, 2022, Dalke requested $85,000 in return for all the information in his possession. Dalke claimed the information would be of value to Russia and told the FBI online covert employee that he would share more information in the future, once he returned to the Washington, D.C., area.
Dalke subsequently arranged to transfer additional classified information in his possession to the purported Russian agent at Union Station in downtown Denver. Using a laptop computer and the instructions provided by the FBI online covert employee, Dalke transferred five files, four of which contain Top Secret NDI. The other file was a letter, which begins (in Russian and Cyrillic characters) “My friends!” and states, in part, “I am very happy to finally provide this information to you. . . . I look forward to our friendship and shared benefit. Please let me know if there are desired documents to find and I will try when I return to my main office.” The FBI arrested Dalke on Sept. 28, moments after he transmitted the files.
As part of his plea agreement, Dalke admitted that he willfully transmitted files to the FBI online covert employee with the intent and reason to believe the information would be used to injure the United States and to benefit Russia.
Dalke faces a maximum penalty of up to life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for April 26, 2024. A U.S. district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan for the District of Colorado and Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI's National Security Branch made the announcement.
The FBI Washington and Denver Field Offices are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julia K. Martinez and Jena R. Neuscheler for the District of Colorado and Trial Attorneys Christina A. Clark and Adam L. Small of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
Dalke plea agreementFormer HSI Special Agent Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Prison on Tax, Structuring, and Concealment ChargesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A former special agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for tax, structuring, and concealment offenses.
A jury in May convicted ANTHONY SABAINI, 41, of Naperville, Ill., of illegally structuring financial transactions, concealing material facts from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and filing false federal tax returns. In addition to the 74-month prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood on Thursday ordered Sabaini to pay $93,422 in restitution to the IRS.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago, Joseph V. Cuffari, Inspector General for DHS, and Michael K. Finerty, Resident Agent-in-Charge of the Office of Professional Responsibility at DHS. Valuable assistance was provided by the DEA.
“Corrupt law enforcement strikes at the heart of our system of government,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Hasten and Jonathan Shih argued in the prosecution’s sentencing memorandum. “When individuals in law enforcement break the law, it makes the job of legitimate law enforcement that much harder because it erodes public trust.”
Sabaini was assigned to the Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. field office of HSI, a criminal investigative unit within DHS. Evidence at trial revealed that Sabaini maintained a corrupt relationship with an HSI confidential informant and tipped off the informant to sensitive investigations conducted by other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and DEA. In exchange for Sabaini’s protection, the informant paid Sabaini at least $50,000. Sabaini also stole cash from drug dealers and pocketed money from HSI that had been earmarked for investigative activity.
Sabaini deposited more than $250,000 into a bank account for which he was the sole signatory. He made the deposits in more than 160 transactions, with the amount of each deposit being less than $10,000. The deposits were structured in an effort to evade federal reporting rules, which require financial institutions to notify the U.S. Department of the Treasury about transactions of more than $10,000.
The evidence also showed that Sabaini lied on official HSI memoranda in 2017 and 2018 to protect his corrupt relationship with the informant. In the memoranda, Sabaini knowingly concealed material facts, including that the informant was a target of ongoing criminal investigations conducted by other law enforcement agencies, and that the informant had recently engaged in unauthorized criminal conduct that Sabaini knew would have affected his suitability as a paid HSI informant.
Sabaini also underreported income in federal tax returns from 2014 to 2018.
A separate federal jury in 2021 convicted Sabaini’s partner, FERNANDO ZAMBRANO, of lying to investigators during the Sabaini probe. Zambrano was a Palos Heights Police Officer assigned to an HSI task force. Zambrano was sentenced to three months in federal prison.
Former Executive Convicted at Trial of Mail Fraud and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that on October 20, 2023, a federal jury found SHAWN RAINS guilty of three counts — conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering — in connection with a scheme to steal over $4 million from a White Plains company where he was formerly a high-ranking executive. The defendant was found guilty following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román. Sentencing is scheduled for January 31, 2024, before Judge Román.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Shawn Rains, a former executive at a White Plains healthcare claims processing company, betrayed the trust of his employer by stealing millions of dollars. Rains was the ringleader of a scheme in which he and his co-conspirators created fake vendors, submitted fake invoices, charged their company for work that was never done, and then disguised the proceeds of the fraud. A federal jury has now convicted Rains of fraud and money laundering. This verdict should remind those in positions of trust that if you engage in fraud, we will catch you and hold you accountable.”
According to the Indictment, statements made in public court proceedings and filings, and the evidence at trial:
SHAWN RAINS was an executive at OrthoNet, a healthcare claims processing company based in White Plains, New York. Between approximately 2009 and 2017, RAINS and JOSEPH MAHARAJ, another OrthoNet executive, designed and executed a scheme to defraud OrthoNet of over $4 million and to launder the fraud proceeds. RAINS conspired with MAHARAJ and others to create fake vendors that purported to do work on behalf of OrthoNet. RAINS, MAHARAJ, and their co-conspirators then signed invoices approving payment for the fake work, and OrthoNet sent payments to the fake vendors. RAINS, MAHARAJ, and their co-conspirators then converted the money to cash to hide the source of the fraud proceeds and split it up amongst themselves.
On March 22, 2023, MAHARAJ pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Román on December 4, 2023.
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RAINS, 57, of Le Bouscat, France, was convicted of (i) one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison; (ii) one count of mail fraud, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison; and (iii) one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison.
MAHARAJ, 42, of Goldens Bridge, New York, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison.
The statutory maximum sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by Judge Román.
Mr. Williams thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their outstanding work on the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Simon, Benjamin Klein, Jim Ligtenberg, and Jamie Bagliebter are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Shannon Becker.
Dialysis Providers Settle Civil Fraud Claims for More Than $9.5 MillionRead the Press Release
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced agreements with several entities that provide dialysis treatment and services to patients suffering from chronic kidney failure, also known as end-stage renal disease or ESRD. The defendants have agreed to pay a total of more than $9.5 million to settle civil fraud allegations that they caused double-billing to the Medicaid Program for certain medications. Under the terms of the agreements, these providers, including DaVita Healthcare Partners, Inc., Bay Ridge Sunset Park Dialysis Center, Inc., Midwood Chayim Aruchim Dialysis Associates, Inc., New York Artificial Kidney Center, Inc., The Rogosin Institute, for itself and as successor-in-interest to Nephrology Foundation of Brooklyn, Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center, New York Renal Associates, Inc., and Dialysis Clinic, Inc., have paid $3,967,083.38 to the United States under the federal False Claims Act and $5,629,151.20 to New York State under New York State’s False Claims Act. The agreements were approved by United States District Judge Allyne R. Ross.
“No patients, especially those suffering from chronic diseases, should ever be used by health care providers to defraud Medicaid,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This settlement sends a strong message that our office will vigorously prosecute anyone whose practices jeopardize Medicaid for their own enrichment.”
Mr. Peace thanked the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the New York Sate Attorney General for partnering in the Government’s investigation and resolution of this important case.
The Government’s investigation revealed that, from 2000 through 2010[1], the dialysis clinics and management companies improperly caused claims to be made to Medicaid by retail pharmacies for certain injectable drugs that were administered during the course of dialysis treatment for ESRD. The injectable drugs had already been paid for by Medicaid as part of the composite dialysis payments received by the dialysis clinics and management companies for dialysis treatments.
The civil settlement resolved allegations brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the federal and state False Claims Acts against these entities. Under the qui tam provisions of these Acts, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the settlement if the government takes over the case and reaches a monetary agreement with the defendant. The qui tam case is captioned United States and the State of New York ex rel. Island Rehabilitative Services, Corp. v. South Brooklyn Nephrology Center, Inc. et al, Civil Action No. 09-CV-1549 (E.D.N.Y).
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
The government’s case was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Anjna Kapoor and John Vagelatos.
[1] With regard to defendant Dialysis Clinic, Inc., the alleged conduct occurred between 2006 and 2010.
Defendant Admits to Attempting to Transmit National Defense Information to an Agent of a Foreign GovernmentRead the Press Release
Jareh Sebastian Dalke, 31, of Colorado Springs, pleaded guilty today to six counts of attempting to transmit classified National Defense Information (NDI) to an agent of the Russian Federation (Russia).
According to court documents, from June 6, 2022, to July 1, 2022, Dalke was an employee of the National Security Agency (NSA) where he served as an Information Systems Security Designer. Dalke admitted that between August and September 2022, in order to demonstrate both his “legitimate access and willingness to share,” he used an encrypted email account to transmit excerpts of three classified documents to an individual he believed to be a Russian agent. In actuality, that person was an FBI online covert employee. All three documents from which the excerpts were taken contain NDI, are classified as Top Secret//Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) and were obtained by Dalke during his employment with the NSA.
On or about Aug. 26, 2022, Dalke requested $85,000 in return for all the information in his possession. Dalke claimed the information would be of value to Russia and told the FBI online covert employee that he would share more information in the future, once he returned to the Washington, D.C., area.
Dalke subsequently arranged to transfer additional classified information in his possession to the purported Russian agent at Union Station in downtown Denver. Using a laptop computer and the instructions provided by the FBI online covert employee, Dalke transferred five files, four of which contain Top Secret NDI. The other file was a letter, which begins (in Russian and Cyrillic characters) “My friends!” and states, in part, “I am very happy to finally provide this information to you. . . . I look forward to our friendship and shared benefit. Please let me know if there are desired documents to find and I will try when I return to my main office.” The FBI arrested Dalke on Sept. 28, moments after he transmitted the files.
As part of his plea agreement, Dalke admitted that he willfully transmitted files to the FBI online covert employee with the intent and reason to believe the information would be used to injure the United States and to benefit Russia.
Dalke faces a maximum penalty of up to life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for April 26, 2024. A U.S. district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan for the District of Colorado and Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI's National Security Branch made the announcement.
The FBI Washington and Denver Field Offices are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julia K. Martinez and Jena R. Neuscheler for the District of Colorado and Trial Attorneys Christina A. Clark and Adam L. Small of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
Case Number: 22-cr-313-RM
Corrections Officer Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Richland, Washington – United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced Leticia Rodriguez,44, to 60 months in federal prison after her guilty plea to Conspiracy to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine, 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, and 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine. Rodriguez also will serve 5 years of federal supervision after she is released from federal custody.
According to information disclosed in court documents and proceedings, Rodriguez was part of a large drug trafficking organization that involved a legitimate landscaping business to cover up the organizations drug trafficking activities. Investigators developed information that Rodriguez would act a courier for cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine as well large amounts of money between Eastern Washington, Arizona and California. She was arrested at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary, where she worked as a corrections officer.
Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, stated, “Ms. Rodriguez violated the trust of the public she had been sworn to serve. Her criminal conduct undermines the respect many of our law enforcement officials earn on a day-today basis. Our community must remain confident that no one is above the law.”
“This case demonstrates how corrosive drug trafficking, and specifically fentanyl, has become in society. This makes DEA and our federal, state and local partners’ obligation to confront its corrupting influence on our communities even more vital,” said Ronald A.Deist, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, DEA Spokane District Office.
This case was investigated by the DEA Drug Task Force, USCBP, Walla Walla Federal Penitentiary, Walla Walla Police Department, Metro Drug Task Force, and the Milton-Freewater Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Van Marter.
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Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison on Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A convicted sex offender was sentenced on child exploitation charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.
Chief U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced Austin Jeremy Bobo, 34, of Trussville, to 180 months in prison followed by a lifetime term of supervised release. Bobo pleaded guilty to transportation of child pornography in May.
According to the plea agreement, on October 30, 2020, a social media outlet submitted a CyberTip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) relating to an account that uploaded images containing child sexual abuse materials. The investigation revealed that the account belonged to Bobo. Between November 2019 and October 2020, Bobo uploaded numerous images of child pornography to the account. Bobo was convicted in the Circuit Court for Lee County, Alabama, of an offense related to child pornography in March 2016.
FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF), Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John M. Hundscheid prosecuted the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Columbus man pleads guilty to crimes related to armed robberies, I-70 shootoutRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man pleaded guilty in federal court here today to crimes related to the July 6 shooting of a Columbus police officer. Parties involved have recommended a sentence of 20 to 30 years in prison.
Faisal M. Darod, 23, pleaded guilty to all nine counts charged against him in a superseding indictment that was returned in September 2023. The crimes include aiding and abetting robberies and aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during the robberies.
His co-defendant, Aden Abdullahi Jama, 20, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Oct. 11.
The two central Ohio men were involved in the July 6 shooting of a Columbus police officer. Jama admitted in court today to participating in related crimes on July 5 and July 6.
According to his plea agreement, on June 21, Darod aided in the robbery of a GameStop store on Hilliard-Rome Road in Hilliard. Darod and another man initially planned to rob a bank that day, but mistakenly thought the bank would be open until 6pm. When they realized the bank was closed, they shifted focus to the GameStop instead, and, at approximately 6:15pm, robbed the store at gunpoint using a handgun with an extended magazine.
Darod helped the other man obtain the firearm, extended magazine and ammunition, and served as a lookout during the robbery.
On July 3, Darod drove the other man to the Auto Gallery on Westerville Road in Minerva Park, where the man robbed the car dealership owner at gunpoint. The man stole a 2016 Corvette Stingray. Over the next two days, Darod had others record several videos of him driving the Corvette around the parking lot of the Baymont Inn and Suites at Morse Road, where he had rented a room.
On July 5, Darod arranged for Jama to pick up him and another individual after they robbed at gunpoint the Fifth Third Bank on Fishinger Road in Upper Arlington. Following the bank robbery, Darod texted Jama and instructed him to meet up with them on West Sixth Avenue in Columbus and drive them to the Baymont Inn and Suites.
While at the hotel, Darod and Jama recorded a video on Darod’s cell phone showing Darod lying on the bed surrounded by the recently stolen cash. In the video, Darod raps about “cheese” – i.e., money, being in the air and everywhere.
The next day, on July 6, Darod aided and abetted an armed robbery at Byers Imports in Whitehall. He and Jama drove a third individual to the car dealership to commit the robbery.
Shortly after the robbery, Darod and Jama met up with the car thief at townhomes on the southeast side of Columbus. The three men then drove the stolen Porsche Cayenne, sometimes exceeding 100 miles per hour, to Hilliard to commit another armed bank robbery.
Darod and Jama again served as the lookout and aided and abetted the armed robbery and the use of a firearm during that robbery at Fifth Third Bank on Hilliard-Rome Road in Hilliard.
Unbeknownst to the three men, Whitehall police detectives had been tracking their movements using the Porsche Cayenne’s onboard GPS system. The detectives surrounded the stolen car at Fifth Third Bank and ordered the men to stop the vehicle. The now-deceased driver drove the stolen Porsche through a gap in the detectives’ cars and fled over a grass embankment onto Hilliard-Rome Road, and, eventually, out to Roberts Road and the freeway.
Columbus police officers then located the stolen vehicle on I-70 traveling eastbound. The men reached speeds more than 125 miles per hour near rush hour while attempting to flee law enforcement.
The vehicle became damaged and came to an abrupt stop before Darod and Jama both fled on foot. The third man used a handgun with an extended magazine to ambush the responding officers. He opened fire from close range and struck one officer. That officer suffered life-threatening injuries. The driver of the stolen vehicle was struck several times and died of his gunshot wounds soon after.
Following the gun battle on I-70, a coordinated manhunt ensued for Jama and Darod. Darod was arrested in Columbus on the evening of July 7. By then, he had conducted several internet searches for flights out of Columbus to Somalia. U.S. Marshals and Homeland Security Investigation agents arrested Jama at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on July 8, bound for Turkey, with an ultimate destination of Somalia.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; the United States Marshals in Columbus and Chicago; ICE and HSI Chicago; the Whitehall, Minerva Parka and Upper Arlington police departments; and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin announced the guilty plea entered this afternoon before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton is representing the United States in this case.
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Clermont Man Sentenced to 80 Years in Prison for Production and Distribution of Child Sex Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Michael VanNess, Jr. (Clermont, 39) to 80 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for production and distribution of child sex abuse material. The court also ordered VanNess, Jr. to forfeit a cellphone, which was used to commit the offense. VanNess, Jr. had pleaded guilty on July 21, 2023.
According to court documents, the investigation began when VanNess, Jr. uploaded child sex abuse material involving young children to a social media group. Subsequently, a search warrant was executed on his phone. Evidence recovered from the phone showed that VanNess, Jr. had sexually abused a 14-year-old victim over a seven-month span. VanNess, Jr. recorded the sexual abuse and threatened the child victim to ensure his illegal conduct remained a secret.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Courtney D. Richardson-Jones and Shannon Laurie.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Civil Forfeiture Complaint Filed Against $300 Million Superyacht Amadea Involved in Sanctions EvasionRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael Khoo and David Lim, Co-Directors of Task Force KleptoCapture, announced today the filing of a civil forfeiture complaint against the Motor Yacht Amadea, a 348-foot luxury vessel reportedly worth over $300 million. The Complaint alleges that the superyacht, which is beneficially owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, was improved and maintained in violation of applicable sanctions against Kerimov and those acting on his behalf. The Complaint alleges that the Amadea is forfeitable based on violations of U.S. law, including International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”), and money laundering violations.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The filing of this complaint exemplifies that the United States takes sanction evasion seriously and will use all tools at its disposal to ensure that sanctioned individuals are held accountable for their crimes. I thank our partners with Task Force KleptoCapture as well as the dedicated prosecutors of this office for their important work holding Russian oligarchs responsible and aiding our allies in Ukraine.”
Co-Director of Task Force KleptoCapture Michael Khoo said: “The United States brings this action today after a careful and painstaking effort to develop the necessary evidence showing Suleiman Kerimov’s clear interest in the Amadea and the repeated misuse of the U.S. financial system to support and maintain the yacht for his benefit. Getting to this point required extensive cooperation across the U.S. government and with foreign partners. It underscores our resolve to undertake challenging, cross-border investigations and to send a message to Russian oligarchs and their enablers: if you flout the rule of law, you can expect to pay real and meaningful consequences.”
According to the allegations in the Complaint filed in Manhattan federal court today:[1]
On April 6, 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) designated Kerimov as a Specially Designated National (“SDN”) under IEEPA in connection with its finding that the actions of the Government of the Russian Federation in Ukraine constituted an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. In imposing sanctions, OFAC determined that Kerimov benefited from the regime of Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and played a key role in advancing Russia’s malign activities. As alleged, Kerimov never sought a license from OFAC authorizing any transactions including any transactions in connection with expenditures related to the yacht. On or about September 30, 2022, OFAC redesignated Kerimov as an SDN.
In September 2021, following Kerimov’s designation by OFAC, Kerimov arranged to purchase the superyacht Amadea, contracting with the seller to receive use rights to the vessel even before Kerimov had completed payment or obtained title to the vessel. Kerimov gained beneficial ownership of the vessel in or about September 2021 through a series of transfers between shell companies conducted in a manner designed to conceal his ownership of the yacht. Between in or about July 2021 and in or about September 2021, beneficial ownership of the Amadea was transferred from the former title holder, Nereo Management Ltd., to Millemarin Investments Ltd., which was incorporated approximately 30 days before the sale. Ownership of the Amadea was then transferred to Errigal Marine Limited, another newly incorporated company, which was used to obscure Kerimov’s beneficial ownership of the Amadea. Beginning in October 2021 through the date the yacht was seized by Fijian authorities in April 2022, Kerimov and/or his family members took multiple trips aboard the Amadea, planned extensive renovations to the Amadea, made long-term plans for the Amadea’s travel schedule, and assumed all liability and responsibility for the Amadea’s upkeep and running costs.
During that time period, individuals and/or entities acting on Kerimov’s behalf accrued U.S. dollar-denominated costs necessary for the upkeep of the Amadea and sent or caused to be sent through the U.S. financial systems payments in satisfaction of those expenses, in violation of applicable sanctions.
The Amadea is currently under the control of the U.S. Government in San Diego, California, pursuant to a seizure warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which was enforced by a court order issued by the Republic of Fiji following a request from the United States. The United States is deeply grateful to the Fijian police and prosecutors whose perseverance and dedication to the rule of law made this action possible.
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Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI New York Field Office’s Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force. Mr. Williams further thanked the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, as well as the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Embassy Suva, and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, for their assistance and cooperation in this investigation.
On March 2, 2022, the Attorney General announced the launch of Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions, and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed, along with allies and partners, in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. The Task Force will leverage all the Department’s tools and authorities against efforts to evade or undermine the economic actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit in partnership with the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and the National Security Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Mortazavi and Trial Attorneys Joshua L. Sohn and Andrew D. Beaty are handling the investigation.
A civil forfeiture complaint is merely an allegation that money or property was involved in or represents the proceeds of a crime. These allegations are not proven until a court awards a judgment in favor of the United States.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Chicago Attorney Indicted on Immigration Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago attorney has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly providing false and fraudulent information to U.S. authorities to obtain immigration benefits for his foreign national clients.
MOHAMMAD REZA BANIASSADI owned and operated The Law Offices of Reza Baniassadi, which had offices in Chicago. From 2013 to 2020, Baniassadi conspired with two employees of his firm and others to knowingly provide false and fraudulent information to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on behalf of his foreign national clients who were seeking U.S. immigration benefits, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Baniassadi advised clients to enter into sham marriages with U.S. citizens or lawful permanent U.S. residents in order to obtain benefits, the indictment states. Among other schemes charged in the indictment, Baniassadi allegedly helped clients cheat on oral civics exams, falsified claims of spousal abuse purportedly suffered by clients, and fabricated job offers from U.S. companies that would purportedly sponsor clients for residency.
The indictment charges Baniassadi, 65, of Chicago, with one count of conspiracy to commit immigration fraud and five individual counts of falsifying applications for immigration benefits. Baniassadi is considered a fugitive. A warrant for his arrest has been issued.
The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Joseph V. Cuffari, Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey B. Rubenstein.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each count of visa fraud is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison, while the conspiracy count carries a maximum sentence of five years.
Baniassadi indictmentCape Coral Man Sentenced to Prison for COVID Relief FraudRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Denis Casseus (44, Cape Coral) to two years in federal prison for bank fraud and an illegal monetary transaction. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $298,875, the proceeds of the bank fraud. Casseus had pleaded guilty on May 23, 2023.
According to court documents, between February 22 and March 4, 2021, Casseus submitted two fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) applications to a financial institution federally insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) with branches in Lee County. In each application, Casseus falsely represented that the PPP funds would be used only for business-related purposes, as specified in the loan applications. Casseus falsely represented and certified that the PPP funds acquired from the requested loans would be used to retain workers and maintain payroll or make mortgage payments, lease payments, and utility payments on behalf of his purported businesses. In total, Casseus’s false and fraudulent representations caused the financial institution to approve and fund a total of $298,875 in PPP loans for his businesses.
On March 4, 2021, Casseus made a wire payment of $110,000 to a title company for the purchase of a residence in Cape Coral. That money was an illegal monetary transaction as Casseus used more than $10,000 in the PPP loan funds towards the purchase of his residence.
In March of 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted as a federal law, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through a program referred to as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
Cape Coral Man Sentenced to More Than 21 Years in Federal Prison for Manufacturing Counterfeit Pills Containing Fentanyl and Bank FraudRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Brandon Albanito (37, Cape Coral) to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison for possession of a controlled substance (fentanyl) with the intent to distribute it, possessing counterfeit drugs for sale, possessing equipment used to manufacture counterfeit drugs, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and bank fraud. The court also ordered Albanito to pay a $500,000 fine, forfeit $97,146 to the United States, and make full restitution to a victim of his bank fraud. Albanito had pleaded guilty in June 2023.
According to court documents, in 2016, agents with the Food and Drug Administration—Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI) began investigating a series of packages destined for Cape Coral and North Fort Myers residences that had been intercepted from the mail stream. The packages contained prescription drugs (in bulk powder form, like sildenafil, commonly known as “Viagra”), drug precursors (such as tryptamine, a substance used in the manufacture of hallucinogens), and controlled substances (including methamphetamine). Ultimately, the investigation revealed that each of the addresses was associated in some way with Albanito.
To determine how Albanito might be connected to the seized packages, the United States Secret Service (USSS) initiated a financial investigation into Albanito. Amongst other things, the investigation revealed an array of bank, crypto, and gambling accounts controlled by Albanito. The accounts showed suspicious history of purchases from companies based in China and frequent transfers of money, consistent with money laundering techniques employed by criminals.
Additionally, federal investigators linked together other pieces of evidence demonstrating that Albanito was running a large-scale drug manufacturing operation. For instance, in January 2021, Albanito’s former federal cellmate was stopped by the Florida Highway Patrol in Alachua County. The vehicle contained a package of cocaine as well as parts for a pill press (i.e. a machine used to compress materials into a pill form). Ultimately, federal investigators determined that the cocaine and press had been destined for Albanito’s Cape Coral home.
In January 2023, the USSS, FDA-OCI, and the Cape Coral Police Department executed a search warrant at Albanito’s home. Almost immediately upon entry, law enforcement found a large, commercial-grade pill press in the garage and hundreds of counterfeit oxycodone pills on a nearby shelf. The counterfeit pills, which appeared identical to prescription oxycodone pills, were found by the FDA to contain fentanyl. Law enforcement also found a found a five-gallon bucket containing more than 40,000 counterfeit Xanax pills (which actually contained the designer drug clonazolam), a five-gallon bucket containing approximately 20 pounds of pill binding agent, pill dies (i.e. tooling used by a pill press to create pills), and two firearms within the residence. DNA testing arranged by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted on the seized firearms demonstrated that Albanito had possessed them, which he was prohibited from doing because he was a convicted felon.
Law enforcement also gathered other items and information from his residence demonstrating that, in 2021, Albanito had defrauded an online bank out of nearly $100,000, making lavish purchases with the proceeds, including a luxury vehicle and a luxury watch.
This case was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration – Office of Criminal Investigations, the United States Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Cape Coral Police Department, with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael V. Leeman.
Bloomington Man Sentenced to over Three Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Steal over $669,000 from Businesses and COVID-19 ProgramsRead the Press Release
EVANSVILLE- Robert K. Hall, 73, of Bloomington, Indiana, has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to court documents, from September 2019 to December 2020, Hall conspired with others to defraud multiple businesses through business email compromise schemes, and to defraud multiple states and the Small Business Administration by taking advantage of COVID-19 loan and unemployment programs. Hall also worked with his co-conspirators to launder the stolen money through his bank accounts.
In September 2019, an employee of Victim Business 1 received a fraudulent email purporting to be a recognized vendor that the business previously worked with. The purported vendor explained that due to an audit involving its’ primary bank account, future payments should be made to a different account. The account that was named belonged to Hall under the guise of an electric company. This fraudulent email caused Business 1 to unknowingly transfer $113,550 into Hall’s personal account.
In July 2020, following the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), a fraudulent application was submitted to the Small Business Administration for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan without the knowledge or consent of the purported beneficiaries. Instead, the proceeds of the loans were deposited into an account controlled by Hall. Hall conducted a similar scheme when his co-conspirators fraudulently applied for three Economic Injury Disaster Loans using the names of an individual and two businesses, directing benefits to again be deposited into Hall’s personal accounts.
Additionally, between May 2020 and December 2020, applications for unemployment benefits were submitted to the states of Washington, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Colorado, and Arizona on behalf of more than a dozen individuals whose identities had been stolen. The unemployment benefits were deposited into accounts controlled by Hall and then disbursed to his co-conspirators.
After receiving the fraudulent deposits in his accounts, Hall retained roughly 20% of the funds as compensation for his role in the schemes. He transferred the remaining money to his co-conspirators via checks and Bitcoin purchases.
In total, Hall attempted to steal $668,746.14. Some of the fraudulent transactions were blocked or reversed, and Hall only successfully received $399,868.36 in proceeds of the fraud schemes.
“This defendant played a critical role in multiple fraud schemes, including stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from vital relief programs created to support individuals and businesses in the midst of a global pandemic,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who defrauded COIVD-19 relief programs. My thanks to the U.S. Secret Service and our prosecutors for their efforts to hold fraudsters accountable and recover money stolen from the American public during this unprecedented crises.”
“Hall and his co-conspirators took advantage of government programs intended to assist small businesses and individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jeffrey R. Adams, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Indianapolis Field Office. “The Secret Service remains committed to aggressively pursuing fraudsters who target the financial infrastructure of the United States."
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Young. Judge Young also ordered that Hall be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Matthew B. Miller, who prosecuted this case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID 19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID 19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.###
Beaumont Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A Beaumont man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 420 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
According to court documents, Kevin Ritchie, 34, directed others to continue his drug distribution of cocaine and heroin in Eagle Pass, Texas on a weekly basis while incarcerated on federal charges. Ritchie was a lieutenant in the Partido Revolucionario Mexicano (PRM) gang, an illicit prison-based gang with cells located throughout the United States, including Del Rio, Eagle Pass and San Antonio. The PRM gang cooperates with Mexican drug cartels, such as the Gulf Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel, to import and distribute various narcotics from Mexico into the United States. A search warrant granting access to a Facebook account revealed Ritchie orchestrated drug trafficking through social media correspondence. Under Ritchie’s direction, the individuals deposited the proceeds to his prison commissary account. Ritchie was sentenced as a career offender due to his numerous other federal felony convictions.
“This defendant, associated with a large drug trafficking network, has proven his tendency to place personal profit above the law,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “His dedication to criminal activity while in confinement has led to another much lengthier 35 years in federal prison. My office will aggressively prosecute criminals who continue to support the illicit activities of cartels while incarcerated.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, Maverick County Sheriff’s Office, El Paso Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Holly Pavlinski and Izaak Bruce prosecuted the case.
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Armed Fort Myers Drug Trafficker Sentenced to over 26 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Manuel Alfredo Dickerson Copland (30, Fort Myers) to 26 years and 10 months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of MDMA, possession of oxycodone, and attempted possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. The court also ordered Copland to forfeit firearms, ammunition, and a vehicle, which were used to facilitate the offenses. A federal jury had found Copland guilty on July 21, 2023.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on December 30, 2021, Copland was stopped in his vehicle by members of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Narcotics Team. Detectives recovered nearly 1,500 fentanyl pills, MDMA, oxycodone, and three firearms from Copland’s truck. Forensic evidence linked Copland to the drugs and firearms found in the vehicle. During the subsequent investigation, information was obtained that revealed Copland was associated with mail packages that were believed to contain drugs that were being shipped to him in the Fort Myers area. As a result, the investigation identified a package containing approximately four pounds of methamphetamine sent through the U.S. Mail from California. The package was seized by the United States Postal Inspection Service. The intercepted package containing methamphetamine was linked to Copland.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark R. Morgan and Patrick L. Darcey.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Affinity Acupuncture Agrees to Pay $250,000 to Resolve False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee announced today that Affinity Acupuncture, LLC (“Affinity”) has agreed to pay the United States $250,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (“FCA”).
The United States contends that Affinity violated the FCA by submitting false claims to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) for non-reimbursable acupuncture for which the claims were not authorized, not allowed as coded, or lacked supporting documentation. The settlement covers conduct for the period from January 2015 through December 2020, during which the VA reimbursed Affinity for claims arising from its false statements.
“The VA audit revealed that millions of dollars were improperly paid to non-VA acupuncture providers around the country for procedures that were not authorized, not allowed as coded, or lacked supporting documentation,” said United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis. “This settlement is in keeping with our commitment to working with the VA and its Office of Inspector General to identify, and, whenever possible, recover improper payments.”
This investigation follows an internal audit by the VA’s Office of Inspector General and its published report issued in December 2021 that found that the VA made an estimated $137 million in improper payments for acupuncture nationwide during Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019.
“VA’s Community Care programs provide veterans and their families the ability to obtain critical healthcare services locally,” said Special Agent in Charge Kim R. Lampkins of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “Today’s civil settlement demonstrates the VA OIG’s ongoing efforts to protect the integrity of VA’s programs and services.”
The civil claims resolved by this settlement are allegations. There has been no determination or admission of liability in this matter.
This case was investigated by the VA-Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Tackeff represented the United States.
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20 October 2023
Woman Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Obstruction of Justice in So-Called “Blind Mule” CaseRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – October 20, 2023
SAN DIEGO – Victoria Carmona of San Antonio, Texas, pleaded guilty in federal court this week to a four-count indictment charging her and an unnamed codefendant with importation of cocaine, conspiracy to import controlled substances, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice. The obstruction charges stem from Carmona’s extensive efforts to concoct a cover story beforehand if she was caught smuggling drugs and paint herself as a so-called “blind mule.”
According to the indictment and plea agreement, Carmona conspired with her codefendant and others to import illicit narcotics into the United States from Mexico. The conspiracy culminated in Carmona’s arrest at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on February 20, 2023, after she imported 19.22 kilograms (42.37 pounds) of cocaine into the United States in her vehicle.
After her arrest, as part of the planned cover story, Carmona claimed she was unaware of the hidden drugs and said she recently accepted a job offer on Facebook to pick up cash in the United States and transport it to Mexico. According to Carmona, earlier that day she was instructed to give her vehicle to others to install a GPS device as an added security measure for the cash Carmona would be transporting. Carmona suggested those individuals planted drugs in her car without her knowledge.
Carmona showed investigators detailed Facebook Messenger conversations purportedly between herself and the individual who offered her the job that supposedly confirmed her account.
In her plea agreement, however, Carmona admitted she and her codefendant fabricated the Facebook Messenger communications to make it appear she was tricked into smuggling narcotics. In the communications, the codefendant played the part of the fictitious person who supposedly hired Carmona to transport cash to Mexico. Carmona admitted she smuggled drugs into the United States seven times and, with the aid of her codefendant, falsified Facebook Messenger communications before each trip that purportedly corroborated the account she planned to tell investigators if she was caught.
“Ms. Carmona went to extraordinary lengths to try to conceal over 40 pounds of cocaine from customs officers,” said U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath. “But her concocted story did not fool them or the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Ms. Carmona’s guilty plea today reflects the serious charges drug smugglers face when they try to bring dangerous drugs into this country.”
“HSI is committed to investigating criminal organizations that smuggle dangerous drugs into the United States and ultimately into our communities,” said Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego. “I commend the work of our special agents and the U.S. Attorney’s office for uncovering this conspiracy and disproving this fabricated story used by the defendant to conceal her involvement in this smuggling conspiracy.”
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 29, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Miller.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 23cr1119-GPC
Victoria E. Carmona Age: 25 San Antonio, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Import Cocaine – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 952, 960 and 963
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $1,000,000 fine
Importation of Cocaine – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 952 and 960
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $1,000,000 fine
Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 371 and 1519
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
Obstruction of Justice – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1519
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
AGENCY
Homeland Security Investigations
Virginia Beach Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Firearms, Silencers and ExplosivesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man pleaded guilty today in federal court to possessing unregistered silencers and explosives while being an unlawful drug user.
According to court documents, on July 14, 2022, Daniel Burky, 33, was being evicted from an apartment in Virginia Beach when law enforcement discovered explosives, silencers, firearms, and drugs in the apartment. During the search, law enforcement found, among other firearms, an AK-47 style firearm. Additional items found in the apartment include boxes of firearm suppressors, a ballistic helmet, a ballistic vest, a gas mask, and multiple rifle magazines. The Virginia Beach Fire Department, Fire Marshal, and Bomb Squad were called to the scene. Located throughout the apartment were chemicals that, when combined, become homemade explosives that are known to be extremely unstable and hazardous.
A subsequent review of the seized electronic devices showed numerous videos of Burky shooting both handguns and rifles outfitted with the silencers. Burky did not possess, and has never possessed, either a Federal Explosives License (FEL) or a Federal Firearms License (FFL).
Burky also pleaded guilty and was sentenced for drug and firearms charges in the Virginia Beach Circuit Court this past summer.
Burky is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2024. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jason Miyares, Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia; Colin Stolle, Virginia Beach Commonwealth Attorney; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Doulas E. Miller accepted the plea.
Significant assistance was provided by the Virginia Beach Fire Department and Fire Marshals and the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin M. Comstock and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc W. West are prosecuting the case.
The Office of the Attorney General prosecuted the case in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-116.