Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
6 July 2023
Dion Oliver Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison Following Convictions for the Shooting of a Wilmington 6-Year-Old Boy and the Death of a Newark WomanRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that Dion Oliver, age 43, was sentenced today to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole after he was convicted of Stalking, Kidnapping Resulting in Death, and Conspiracy following a 7-day federal trial that concluded on November 16, 2022. U.S. District Judge Joshua D. Wolson pronounced the sentence.
According to evidence and witness testimony, the Defendant worked with at least five coconspirators - Ryan Bacon, Donte Sykes, Teres Tinnin, Maurice Cooper, and Michael Pritchett - to search for a man, listed in the Indictment as M.S., in an attempt to kill him. On June 6, 2017, in furtherance of their continuing pursuit of M.S., Oliver and his confederates kidnapped M.S.’s girlfriend, Keyonna Perkins, and used her to find M.S. Ms. Perkins was held at gunpoint by Oliver. She was then forced into the trunk of a car. After locating M.S., Oliver and his coconspirators fired multiple shots at M.S., but failed to hit him. Following that shooting, Ms. Perkins was forced into the trunk of a second car and driven by co-conspirators to Elkton, Maryland where she was murdered.
Oliver continued his pursuit of M.S. after the first failed shooting. He located M.S. at Probation & Parole Offices in New Castle. Oliver, working with Pritchett, waited for M.S. to leave Probation & Parole. They followed M.S. into Wilmington until M.S. got out of his car. Pritchett then drove alongside M.S., while Oliver reached out the front passenger window of Pritchett’s truck and fired multiple shots at M.S. The gunfire missed M.S., but one of the bullets ripped through a passing SUV and struck a six-year-old boy in the head, causing the child severe and permanent injuries.
“I don’t think I can overstate how horrific this offense is” Judge Wolson commented as he handed down Oliver’s sentence. Oliver’s crime was “selfish, ignorant, and the consequences were devastating,” he continued. “There is no mercy for this type of conduct.”
In discussing Oliver’s mandatory life sentence, U.S. Attorney Weiss stated, “Oliver and his co-defendants’ heinous conduct caused the death of Keyonna Perkins, and severely and permanently injured an innocent then-six-year-old boy. The lives of the victims’ families and their respective communities have been forever changed, and as a result, the Defendant will be spending the rest of his life in federal prison. My office will continue its work with federal, state, and local law enforcement to aggressively investigate and prosecute the violent crime that plagues our communities.”
“The FBI is committed to removing dangerous criminals like Dion Oliver from our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI's Baltimore field office. “Because of Oliver’s callous and despicable actions, an innocent woman was murdered, and a child’s life will never be the same. The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue working every day to make our neighborhoods safer from those seeking to commit violence and bring harm to our citizens.”
This case was investigated by FBI’s Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Taskforce, with assistance from the Wilmington Police Department, New Castle County Police Department, Delaware State Police, and the Elkton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jesse S. Wenger and Eli H. Klein prosecuted the case along with former Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:18-cr-75.
Crow Agency woman accused in large-scale, drug trafficking probe admits to distributing methRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Crow Agency woman charged in large-scale, multi-state drug trafficking investigation centered on the Crow Indian Reservation admitted today to distributing methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Keilee Shamrae Diaz, 34, pleaded guilty to distribution of meth. Diaz faces a mandatory minimum of five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Diaz was detained pending further proceedings.
In court documents, the government alleged that federal law enforcement, in a collaborative effort with local and tribal law enforcement, investigated a large-scale, multi-state narcotics trafficking operation centered on multiple properties on the Crow Indian Reservation. The properties, including one known as Spear Siding, were a source of supply of meth for both the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservations. Law enforcement arrested Diaz and others during a take down in April.
The government further alleged that in September 2022, law enforcement conducted a controlled purchase of meth from Diaz and others. A controlled source communicated with Diaz through Facebook and arranged to buy an ounce of meth. The source met Diaz and co-defendant 1 in Hardin, and the group drove to the Spear Siding property. After a phone conversation at Spear Siding with co-defendant 2, a Spear resident, the group went back to Hardin. In Hardin, the group met up with co-defendant 2. Following this meeting, the source purchased the meth for $710 directly from co-defendant 1, who was with Diaz.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys are prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI conducted the investigation.
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
XXX
Court Orders Maryland Pharmacy to Pay $120,000 Penalty in Case Alleging Unlawful Opioid DistributionRead the Press Release
A federal court enjoined a Cumberland, Maryland, pharmacy and its owner and pharmacist from dispensing controlled substances, including opioids, without taking specific steps to help ensure the drugs will not be abused or diverted, and ordered them to pay a $120,000 civil penalty.
The court’s order, entered pursuant to a consent decree of permanent injunction, resolves a complaint filed by the United States on June 16 alleging that Beckman’s Greene Street Pharmacy and its owner and pharmacist-in-charge, John A. Beckman, filled hundreds of prescriptions in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The complaint alleges that the defendants ignored obvious “red flags” of drug abuse, drug diversion, and drug-seeking behavior. For example, according to the complaint, the defendants repeatedly filled prescriptions for dangerously large doses and high-risk combinations of controlled substances known to be sought by drug abusers and which significantly increase the risk of overdose. The complaint alleges that the defendants frequently filled prescriptions for an opioid known as buprenorphine in a form that did not include the abuse-deterrent component with which it is ordinary prescribed. The complaint further alleges that the defendants often dispensed controlled substances to patients who lived long distances from the pharmacy or who paid in cash despite the availability of insurance. According to the complaint, at least 10 patients died within 10 days of having controlled substance prescriptions filled at Beckman’s Greene Street Pharmacy.
“Pharmacies and pharmacists have an obligation to prevent the illegal dispensing of controlled substances,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will work with its law enforcement partners to hold responsible those who dispense potentially dangerous prescription drugs in violation of the law.”
“Those who fill and dispense controlled substances prescriptions, including for opioids, without fulfilling their responsibilities, fan the flames of the ongoing opioid epidemic,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland will use all tools at its disposal — criminal and civil — to hold responsible those who violate the CSA.”
“The devastating effects of opioid overdoses and poisonings have affected many lives in our local communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the DEA Washington Division. “Health care providers have a great responsibility as it relates to dispensing medications to meet the health needs of our citizens. This includes being vigilant for any signs of controlled substance diversion or misuse. Our team is committed to protecting the safety and health of all Americans, which includes ensuring that all licensed professionals comply with the law and report dangerous behaviors.”
Beckman and Beckman’s Greene Street Pharmacy agreed to be bound by the consent decree. The injunction entered by U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby for the District of Maryland prohibits the defendants from filling certain “red flag” prescriptions and requires the defendants to fill other prescriptions only with documentation justifying those prescriptions.
DEA Special Agent Thomas W. Adams of the Washington Division’s Hagerstown Resident Office investigated the case along with the Washington Division’s Baltimore Diversion Group. Senior Litigation Counsel Donald R. Lorenzen of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan C. Lazerow for the District of Maryland handled the case.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
The claims made in the complaint are merely allegations that the United States would need to prove if the case proceeded to trial.
Consent Decree Approved Among the United States and Cumberland, Maryland Based Pharmacy and Pharmacist Alleged to Have Illegally Dispensed Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Lydia K. Griggsby approved the United States’ consent decree with John A. Beckman, a Cumberland, Maryland based pharmacist, and Beckman’s Greene Street Pharmacy, Inc. (“Beckman’s Pharmacy”), resolving the United States’ civil allegations that Beckman and Beckman’s Pharmacy violated the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) in illegally dispensing controlled substances.
The consent decree was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, of the Justice Department’s Civil Division; and Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration – Washington Field Division.
“Irresponsible pharmacies and pharmacists fan the flames of the ongoing opioid epidemic,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “Our office intends to use all tools at our disposal—criminal and civil—to hold accountable those at every step in the supply chain who violate the CSA.”
“Pharmacies and pharmacists have an obligation to help stop the illegal distribution of controlled substances,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will work with its law enforcement partners to hold responsible those who dispense potentially dangerous prescription drugs in violation of the law.”
“The devastating effects of opioid overdoses and poisonings have affected many lives in our local communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget for the DEA Washington Division. “Healthcare providers have a great responsibility as it relates to dispensing medications to meet the health needs of our citizens. This includes being vigilant for any signs of controlled substance diversion or misuse. Our team is committed to protecting the safety and health of all Americans, which includes ensuring that all licensed professionals comply with the law and report dangerous behaviors.”
The Government alleges that at least since 2017, Beckman and Beckman’s Pharmacy knowingly filled fraudulent prescriptions for controlled substances, ignoring red flags that should have acted as warning signs that the prescriptions were not legitimate. More specifically, the Government alleges that, since at least 2017, Beckman and Beckman’s Pharmacy would often dispense dangerous combinations of controlled substances which are known to be pursued by drug abusers, but which seriously increase the risk of respiratory distress, overdose, and death, and did so without noting any reasonable explanation for these dangerous combinations. These combinations included the extremely dangerous “holy trinity,” which combines an opioid, a benzodiazepine, and carisoprodol. Additionally, Beckman and Beckman’s Pharmacy often dispensed a combination of an opioid and buprenorphine, a drug which is generally used to treat opioid dependence and regularly filled prescriptions for controlled substances that were paid for with cash even though the patient had insurance available to pay for the patient’s prescriptions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention generally recommends that individuals should avoid daily dosages of opioids over 90 morphine milligram equivalents (MME), but Beckman and Beckman’s Pharmacy routinely dispensed prescriptions to patients causing their MME levels to be many times that amount—and upwards of 1000 daily MME. The Government alleges that Beckman and Beckman’s Pharmacy dispensed opioids to more than ten patients who subsequently died within ten days of the date of the prescription for those opioids.
Under the consent decree, Beckman and Beckman’s Pharmacy agree to pay a $120,000 civil monetary penalty and are required to identify certain red flags—including when a patient has traveled a long distance to the pharmacy, and when a patient is receiving an opioid and a benzodiazepine. Before filling prescriptions bearing those and other red flags, the consent decree requires Beckman and Beckman’s Pharmacy to document in detail any indications of abuse or diversion and the steps they took to ensure that the prescription was valid and was issued for a legitimate medical purpose, and that the prescription would not be abused or diverted for illegitimate purposes. Additionally, under the consent decree, Beckman and Beckman’s Pharmacy are prohibited from filling certain prescriptions, including when a patient presents prescriptions that, if filled, would cause the patient to take more than 90 daily MME; a combination of an opioid, a benzodiazepine, and carisoprodol; most prescriptions for buprenorphine without naloxone; any controlled substance paid for with cash even though the patient has insurance available to pay for the patient’s prescriptions; and any prescription for a controlled substance if the patient is an employee of Beckman’s Pharmacy.
Under the consent decree, if the DEA determines that Beckman or Beckman’s Pharmacy have violated any provision of the consent decree or if Beckman or Beckman’s Pharmacy do not implement the corrective action the DEA orders, the DEA can order Beckman and Beckman’s Pharmacy to cease ordering or dispensing controlled substances immediately.
The consent decree is not an admission of liability by Beckman or Beckman’s Pharmacy, nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded.
The Court’s approval of this consent decree—the fourth such consent decree in the District of Maryland in the past two years—should again remind pharmacists and pharmacies of their corresponding responsibility to confirm the legitimacy of the prescriptions that they fill and that the Department of Justice intends to use all tools at its disposal—both criminal and civil—to combat the controlled substances epidemic which continues to plague our country, including here in Maryland.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton commended the DEA Baltimore Division’s Office of Diversion Control and Tactical Diversion Squad for its work in the investigation. Mr. Barron and Mr. Boynton thanked Assistant United States Attorney Alan C. Lazerow and Donald R. Lorenzen, Senior Litigation Counsel with the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, who handled the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
# # #
Colorado Businessman Sentenced to Prison for Employment Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
A Colorado man was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for evading the payment of more than $700,000 in employment taxes he owed to the IRS.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Frank Stevens of Bow Mar, Colorado, co-owned restaurants and an oil production business, which had employees from whose paychecks he withheld income and Social Security and Medicare taxes. Starting in approximately 2002 and continuing for many years, Stevens did not pay over the withheld payroll taxes to the IRS or file the required quarterly employment tax returns for his businesses. After failing to collect from the businesses, the IRS assessed the tax against Stevens personally. To prevent the IRS from collecting through bank levies the taxes he owed, Stevens kept the balances of his personal and business bank accounts low, often leaving them with only $0.01. Stevens transferred, or directed employees to transfer, just enough funds to cover expenses and then moved any remaining money to a bank account not subject to IRS levy. In total, Stevens caused a tax loss of approximately $737,128.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Domenico ordered Stevens to serve three years of supervised release and to pay a $10,000 fine and $1,096,138.14 in restitution to the United States.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Peter Anthony and Julia Rugg of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
Busby man sentenced to prison for strangling womanRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Busby man who admitted to strangling a woman while in a vehicle on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 22 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Tysawn Dantae Pine, 25, pleaded guilty in February to an indictment charging him with strangulation.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Pine and the victim, identified as Jane Doe, had been in a dating relationship. On April 9, 2022, Pine went to Jane Doe’s house at approximately 5:30 a.m. and demanded she open the door. Jane Doe refused and told Pine to leave because he was drunk. Pine then forced his way into the house and demanded she give him a ride to his grandmother’s house. Scared of Pine’s threats, Jane Doe drove him to his grandmother’s house and parked. The two argued inside the vehicle, and Pine began assaulting and strangling Jane Doe. Later that day, Jane Doe was examined for injuries at the hospital.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted the investigation.
XXX
Browning man admits shooting, wounding man on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Browning man accused of shooting and wounding a man at a residence on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation admitted to an assault crime today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Lane Dale Spotted Eagle, 27, pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Spotted Eagle faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Nov. 30. Spotted Eagle was ordered to inpatient treatment pending sentencing.
The government alleged in court documents that in the afternoon of July 12, 2022, Spotted Eagle, armed with a 9mm pistol, entered a bedroom in a Browning house and shot the victim, identified as John Doe. Spotted Eagle is a schizophrenic and was experiencing paranoia at the time of the assault. Law enforcement detained Spotted Eagle shortly after the assault in a vehicle in the driveway. Spotted Eagle was covered in blood and armed with an AR-15 rifle.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah A. Paisley is prosecuting the case. The FBI and Blackfeet Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.
XXX
Brooklyn Man Convicted of Strongarm Extortion SchemeRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Brooklyn man was convicted of conspiring with others in a week-long strongarm extortion scheme in 2019, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Endrit Kllogjeri, 29, was convicted on June 27, 2023, of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act extortion and attempt to commit Hobbs Act extortion following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in Trenton federal court. On June 13, 2023, co-defendant Francis Garzon pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court to his role in the scheme.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial:
From Dec. 1, 2019, through Dec. 9, 2019, Kllogjeri and Garzon conspired and attempted to extort a resident of Monmouth County, New Jersey, and the resident’s son, who lived in Brooklyn, New York. The victim was threatened with physical harm if the victim did not recover a bag containing property allegedly valued at $100,000 from the victim’s son. Kllogjeri and Garzon further demanded an additional payment of $100,000 as “interest” for the son’s possession of the bag. In connection with issuing threats against the victim, including threats to the victim’s family members, Garzon additionally brandished a revolver, pointing the weapon at the victim and cocking the revolver’s hammer. Over the ensuing week, Kllogjeri and Garzon communicated regularly with the victim telephone, continuing to threaten victim. Kllogjeri and Garzon were arrested together in a vehicle on Dec. 9, 2019 in Brooklyn. Moments before the arrest, Garzon had attempted to send the victim a text message confirming the victim’s plan to pay the demand.
Kllogjeri faces a maximum potential penalty of 20 years on each count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act extortion and attempted Hobbs Act extortion. Each count also carries a potential $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents with the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the conviction. He also thanked the Marlboro Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Peter Pezzullo; and the New York City Police Department for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric A. Boden, Attorney-in-Charge of the Trenton Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian D. Brater of the Trenton Office.
Angelina County Man Sentenced for Trafficking Methamphetamine in East TexasRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas – The final defendant has been sentenced in an East Texas drug trafficking operation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs today.
Darrell Lynell Horace, Jr., 29, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle.
According to information presented in Court, Horace and four others admitted to selling methamphetamine in Cherokee County, Texas. Horace also admitted to possessing a firearm as well as methamphetamine. One of Horace's co-defendants, Pablo Antonio Sandoval, 24, of Bakersfield, California, admitted to transporting large quantities of methamphetamine from California-based suppliers to Jacksonville. Upon delivery, the methamphetamine was repackaged and sold by Hunter Chase Davlin, 27, of Jacksonville, Sissy Gail Parks, 39, of Bullard, and Joshua Ryan Starkey, 30, of Jacksonville.
Davlin was sentenced to 108 months in prison on February 22, 2023; Parks was sentenced to 70 months in prison on December 14, 2022; Starkey was sentenced to 130 months in prison on November 4, 2022; and Sandoval was sentenced to 170 months in prison on April 18, 2023.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Cherokee County Sheriff's Department, and the Jacksonville Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek.
###
American headed back to prison after trying to export 5,680 rounds of ammunitionRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 32-year-old U.S. citizen has been ordered to federal prison for attempting to smuggle thousands of rounds of ammunition to Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Jesus Alberto Olivares pleaded guilty May 2 to attempting to export 5,680 rounds of pistol ammunition.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo has now ordered Olivares to serve 75 months in federal prison less than one year after he served a sentence for a drug distribution conspiracy.
While imposing the sentence, Judge Garcia Marmolejo noted there was likely only one purpose for this ammunition: to be delivered into the hands of cartel members in Mexico for their use, including killing people.
“This sentence sends a clear message: the Justice Department will be relentless in bringing to justice those responsible for smuggling illegal firearms and ammunition across our southern border,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “We will continue to take aggressive action to combat the gun violence that endangers law enforcement and devastates communities in both Mexico and the United States.”
“The Mexican drug cartels are a threat to the residents and communities of the Southern District of Texas, in part because of their access to illicit firearms and ammunition,” said Hamdani. “Olivares’ decision to hide almost 6,000 rounds of ammunition in the panels of a truck as he attempted to cross a bridge into Mexico will send him to a federal prison for over six years and is a cautionary tale for anyone else who feels compelled to follow in his footsteps.”
On Feb. 27, Olivares drove his black PT Cruiser to the Lincoln Juarez International Bridge on his way home to Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Authorities noted one of the vehicle’s doors seemed unusually heavy and rattled slightly as if something was hidden in them.
A subsequent search of all four of the Cruiser’s door panels yielded a total of 5,680 live rounds of pistol ammunition in assorted calibers - 3,600 rounds of .40 caliber S&W, 900 rounds of .380 caliber, 900 rounds of .45 caliber, 100 rounds of 9-millimeter and 180 rounds of .38 SPL +P ammunition.
Olivares admitted he had agreed to smuggle the ammunition into Mexico and had just received the ammunition a few hours prior. He personally hid the ammunition throughout the vehicle’s door and rear panels.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) assigned to the HSI-Laredo Border Enforcement Task Force, working in coordination with the Laredo Police Department’s Texas Anti-Gang Task Force (TAG) conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Homero Ramirez prosecuted this case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old, evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
5 July 2023
Young man sent to prison for over 30 years for crime spreeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 22-year-old Houston man has been ordered to federal prison for robbery and brandishing a firearm during a one-man crime spree that lasted approximately 12 hours, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Jose Luis Perez Jr. pleaded guilty Jan. 19 to four counts each of interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Today, Judge Alfred H. Bennett sentenced Perez to 36 months in prison for the robberies. He also received an additional 336 months for the firearms charges which must be served consecutively. The total 372-month prison term will be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard Perez is also alleged to have committed several robberies of individuals during the crime spree.
“This young man has thrown his most of his life away,” said Hamdani. “At 22 now, he will likely be an old man before his release from federal prison. Crime does not pay. Jose Luis Perez terrorized the Houston area for 12 long hours, robbing convenient stores and a gas station at gun point. Thanks to brave victims who relayed concise and expeditious information, law enforcement was able to stop his reign of terror before it became even worse.”
The charges stem from numerous commercial aggravated robberies that began on March 2, 2021, at approximately 11:15 p.m. and ended the following day before 1 p.m. During that 12-hour spree, Perez robbed at gunpoint a Circle K in Friendswood, a Cindie’s Number One in Fantasy and Fun adult novelty shop in Webster, the same Circle K in Friendswood for a second time and a Chevron gas station in Friendswood.
During the robberies, Perez would enter the commercial businesses armed with a rifle, point it at the store clerks and demand money from the registers. He would then leave in his vehicle which was a dark color Chevrolet. The clerks were able to give authorities a description of the vehicle along with a license plate number.
Law enforcement was on alert located him driving the described vehicle after he committed the Chevron robbery. A pursuit ensued. It eventually ended, at which time Perez exited the vehicle with the assault rifle. Authorities took him into custody without incident.
At the time of his plea, Perez admitted he robbed the commercial businesses with the assault rifle.
Perez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Friendswood Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department and Task Force officers with the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Stotts prosecuted the case.
Young adult guilty of producing child pornographyRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 21-year-old Laredo resident has admitted he recorded sexual material and posted it on social media, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
On June 5, 2022, Victor Antonio Puente rented a motel room in Laredo. There, he engaged in sexual activity with a 15-year-old female victim. He used his personal cell phone to record and photograph sexually explicit conduct between him and the minor and then uploaded the content via social media.
A forensic analysis of Puente’s cell phone revealed videos of him engaging in intercourse with the victim. Other videos showed him fondling her while both are naked or were of her naked body while she slept.
The minor victim’s family was able to discover Puente’s location from a third-party and contacted law enforcement.
Puente denied that the minor victim was in the room. However, they located her and took her to a local hospital for observation and treatment.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentencing Sept. 28. At that time, Puente faces a minimum of 15 and up to 30 years in federal prison.
He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) Homero Ramirez and Michael P. Makens and former AUSA April Ayers-Perez prosecuted the case.
It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
U.S. Attorney Elected to Serve as Co-Chair of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves was elected to serve a two-year term as Co-Chair of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for the District of Columbia, beginning in July 2023. The CJCC, chaired by the District’s Mayor, is an independent District agency focused on enhancing public safety and the fair administration of justice in the District of Columbia. Mr. Graves was elected to this position by fellow members of the CJCC, which include the Mayor, members of the D.C. Council, the Chief Judge of D.C. Superior Court, the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, the Attorney General of the District of Columbia, and other federal and District justice system agency leaders.
“I am deeply humbled and honored that a council of the stakeholders responsible for keeping our community safe—our elected officials, the Metropolitan Police Department, and other federal and local justice leaders—has elected me to help steer the important work of the CJCC,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The safety of our community is our highest priority, and successful coordination among the officials and agencies responsible for protecting our community is critical to our mission.”
For more on the history of the CJCC, visit: https://cjcc.dc.gov/page/history-cjcc
Two New Orleans Men Sentenced in Connection with Jung Hotel ShootingRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DARIUS DANNEL, age 28, and TERRELL MOORE, age 25, both of New Orleans, were sentenced on June 28, 2023 by United States District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. DANNEL received a total sentence of 360 months imprisonment, while MOORE received a total sentence of 330 months imprisonment. In addition, both defendants received five years of supervised release following their term of imprisonment, along with a $400 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents, DANNEL and MOORE previously pled guilty to attempted Hobbs Act Robbery, conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute quantities of marijuana, using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
This prosecution stems from a December 28, 2020 shootout that occurred at the Jung Hotel in New Orleans. DANNEL and MOORE, along with four other co-defendants, entered the Jung Hotel in an attempt to rob drug dealers (hotel occupants) of significant amounts of marijuana. During the attempted robbery, a shootout ensued with over 80 shots fired and three people wounded. These events were documented by video footage from Jung Hotel security cameras. Three of the marijuana distributors involved in the shootout, Clarence Santiago, Brian Jacob, and Malik Fernandez, pled guilty to similar crimes before United States District Court Judge Greg G. Guidry. On March 7, 2023, Judge Guidry sentenced Santiago to a 30-year term of imprisonment. Defendants Everson, Batiste, Ross, Howard, and Fernandez are scheduled to be sentenced on July 12, 2023 and Brian Jacob will be sentenced on October 31, 2023.
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.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice Landrieu of the Narcotics Unit and Elizabeth Privitera, Chief of the Violent Crimes Unit.
Theft of Social Security Funds Result in Federal Prison Sentence for Eunice ManRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. – A Eunice, Louisiana man has been sentenced in the Western District of Louisiana for theft of funds from the Social Security Administration, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown.
Scotty Paul Fournerat, 50, was sentenced by United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. to two 37-month terms of imprisonment to run concurrently, followed by two 3-year terms of supervised release which will also run concurrently. In addition, Fournerat was ordered to pay restitution to the SSA in the amount of $49,792.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) reported that M.V., a Title XVI Supplemental Security Income Disability (SSID) program participant and the aunt of Fournerat, failed to appear for a redetermination hearing in October 2017. The SSA subsequently suspended payments to M.V. due to her failure to cooperate with the redetermination. Through their investigation, the SSA learned that M.V. had died on January 2, 2012, some five years earlier, but they were not made aware of her death. SSA determined that two days following M.V.’s death an unidentified individual changed the bank account associated with her account so that the payments would route to Comerica Bank and the payments could be accessible by debit card.
Fournerat admitted to using the debit cards to access the SSID funds for his own personal use by making purchases and ATM withdrawals at various locations in St. Landry and Evangeline Parishes. He admitted that he had not applied for the program funds and that he knew the funds were for the sole use of M.V. while she was alive, but yet he willingly and knowingly used the funds for his own personal benefit. Fournerat pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of government money on March 22, 2023.
This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Danny Siefker.
# # #
Statement from United States Attorney Jane E. Young on the Rainbow Family GatheringRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Special sessions of the U.S. District Court’s Central Violations Bureau were convened by U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea K. Johnston at the Littleton District Courthouse in Littleton on Friday, June 30, 2023, and the Warren B. Rudman United States Courthouse in Concord on Wednesday, July 5, 2023.
The purpose of these special sessions was to process violation notices that were issued by the U.S. Forest Service at the Rainbow Family Gathering, being held in the White Mountain National Forest. There were 121 violations issued by the U.S Forest Service, of which 37 were resolved by the defendants agreeing to pay a fine, ranging between $25-$200 per violation. Circumstances, or the evidence, warranted a dismissal of 58 violations. 24 were unresolved and will be rescheduled for the next hearing date, as the individuals failed to appear. Bench trials have been scheduled for two defendants on September 23, 2023, and November 13, 2023.
“The orderly resolution of these violations was a testament to the coordination of this office, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. District Court, who agreed to host these two special sessions,” U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young said.
Any additional violations issued during the Rainbow Family Gathering will be processed during the U.S. District Court’s normal business.
###
Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man who pleaded guilty in federal court today is the final defendant convicted for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in Greene County, Mo.
James D. Elbert, 41, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin.
By pleading guilty today, Elbert admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to distribute at least 100 grams of heroin in Greene County from Oct. 2, 2015, to Nov. 13, 2017. Elbert admitted that, on three separate occasions, he sold a total of 6.86 grams of heroin to a law enforcement undercover informant in Springfield.
Elbert is the final defendant to be convicted in this case. Five additional defendants have been sentenced and three additional defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
Dangelo P. Moore, 35, of Willard, Mo., was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in federal prison without parole. Jerry R. Blue, 34, of Springfield, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole. Kevin D. Paine, 33, of Cahokia, Ill., was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole. Keilan A. Murray, 30, of Springfield, was sentenced to four years in federal prison without parole. Presley A. Pike, 31, of Springfield, was sentenced to time served.
Michael K. Johnson, Jr., 36, of Ozark, Mo., Rodriguez R. Bradley, 40, of Fordland, Mo., and Kewan J. Rogers, 39, of St. Louis, Mo., also have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
Under federal statutes, Elbert is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randall D. Eggert and Cameron A. Beaver. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Ozark, Mo., Police Department.
Serial Robbers Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Robbery and Pair of Commercial Armed Robberies in South Tampa and Ybor CityRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Antonio Brown (55, Tampa) and Steve Jackson (41, Tampa) have each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, two counts of robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Each faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 7 years for the firearm offense, and up to 20 years in federal prison on the conspiracy count and each count of robbery. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreements, Brown and Jackson conspired to commit armed robberies of two auto parts stores in the Tampa area. On August 29, 2021, at around 7:00 p.m., Brown and Jackson drove from Jackson’s residence to an auto parts store on South Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa. Surveillance video captured the pair leaving Jackson’s residence in a white pickup truck with distinctive damage to the rear passenger portion of the vehicle. Brown wore dark clothing, a tan face mask, a distinctive straw hat, and brandished a revolver. Jackson wore a surgical mask, a black baseball cap, and brandished a semi-automatic pistol.
At the auto parts store, Brown and Jackson brandished their firearms and demanded money from the store employees. Brown instructed one employee to empty the cash registers in the front of the store and ordered the other employees to go to back of the store and open a safe. Brown and Jackson obtained approximately $300 from the cash registers. Jackson and Brown then returned to the pickup truck and drove to another auto parts store located near 50th Street North in Ybor City, via the Selmon Expressway, wearing the same clothing and carrying the same firearms.
At around 7:50 p.m., Jackson and Brown entered the Ybor City auto parts store, brandished their firearms, and demanded the store employees retrieve cash from the registers. The pair stole approximately $1,140. Nearby surveillance footage captured Brown and Jackson leaving the store, entering the white pickup truck, and driving away.
At around 10:00 p.m., officers from the Tampa Police Department (“TPD”) conducted a traffic stop of the pickup truck which Brown was driving. Inside the vehicle, officers located the straw hat that Brown had worn during the armed robberies, approximately $900 in cash, and Jackson’s wallet containing his identification.
Further investigation corroborated Brown and Jackson’s proximity to the Tampa and Ybor City auto parts stores at the times of the robberies. TPD officers also collected disposed items from Jackson’s garbage outside his residence and recovered the clothes he had worn during the armed robberies.
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.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A. Chee and Charlie D. Connally.
Portland Man Charged with Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A local man is facing federal charges today after he assaulted and injured a court security officer at Pioneer Federal Courthouse in downtown Portland.
Jett Avery Thomas, 39, a Portland resident, has been charged by criminal complaint with assaulting an employee of the United States with a dangerous weapon and causing bodily injury.
According to court documents, on the morning of July 3, 2023, Thomas threw an object at the Pioneer Federal Courthouse in downtown Portland. After a court security officer attempted to address him, Thomas charged up the front steps of the courthouse. The officer retreated into the courthouse and attempted to secure the door behind him. Before he could do so, Thomas grabbed the door, forced it open, and assaulted the officer. The struggle continued outside the door, where Thomas continued assaulting the officer, striking him with a hard object and placing him in a chokehold. The officer accessed his service weapon and fired two shots into Thomas’ torso.
Thomas was apprehended, provided first aid, and transported to a local hospital where he underwent surgery for his injuries. The officer was also transported to a local hospital where he was treated for his injuries and later released.
Thomas will make his first appearance in federal court at a later date. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service with assistance from the Federal Protective Service and Portland Police Bureau. It is being prosecuted by Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Unemployment Insurance FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK –Thomas Brace, a/k/a “Justice,” age 62, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, pled guilty today to conspiring to defraud the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) by obtaining unemployment insurance benefits under the names of seven other people, including benefits funded by the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang; Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge, Northeast Region, United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG).
Brace admitted that he provided Jamie Johnson with the personal identifying information of seven other people, which Johnson used to file false claims via the NYSDOL website. Brace further admitted that as a result of the seven fraudulent applications submitted by Johnson, the NYSDOL paid $299,553 in unemployment insurance benefits. As part of his plea agreement, Brace agreed to pay $299,553 in restitution to the State of New York. Johnson previously pled guilty to fraudulently obtaining $701,441 in unemployment insurance benefits as part of the scheme. Brace’s two co-defendants, Taliek Lanier and Errol Murray, previously pled guilty to conspiring with Johnson to defraud the NYSDOL of $113,936 and $69,954 in unemployment insurance benefits, respectively.
Murray faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years when he is sentenced on October 26, 2023 by Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn.
This case was investigated by the New York State Inspector General’s Office, HSI, USPIS, and USDOL-OIG, with assistance from the NYSDOL Office of Special Investigations, the Capital Region Crime Analysis Center, and the Albany County Department of Social Services. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua R. Rosenthal and Joseph S. Hartunian are prosecuting the 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, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
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.
Operation Smoke and Mirrors Update: Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Charles Norman Pannell, 43, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Pannell admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston area.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from about December 2022 to around March 2023, Pannell conspired with other individuals to distribute quantities of cocaine in the Charleston area. Pannell regularly obtained cocaine from a co-conspirator, sometimes multiple times per day, and would typically obtain one-half to 1 ounce of cocaine at a time. Pannell often had a third-party customer waiting to purchase the cocaine before he obtained it.
On March 20, 2023, law enforcement officers watched Pannell meet with his co-conspirator to obtain cocaine. Shortly after the meeting, officers conducted a traffic stop of Pannell’s vehicle and found approximately 1 ounce of cocaine in his possession.
Pannell is scheduled to be sentenced on October 30, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
Pannell is among 30 individuals indicted as a result of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that has yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history. Law enforcement has seized of well over 200 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 28 pounds of cocaine, 20 pounds of fentanyl, 18 firearms and $747,000 in cash.
A dozen of the defendants have pleaded guilty. Indictments against the other defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
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. 2:23-cr-31.
###
North Easton Contractor Agrees to Plead Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The owner of a concrete company was charged today and has agreed to plead guilty to a multi-year scheme to underreport income on his tax returns.
Cleber Gomes Pecanha, 48, of North Easton, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of tax evasion. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court.
According to the charging document, Pecanha, the owner of CGP General Construction, Inc., cashed customer checks and did not deposit the receipts in his business bank accounts. Pecanha did not tell his tax preparer that he was cashing large numbers of checks from customers and only gave the tax preparer his bank statements as support for his tax filings. By hiding his income in this manner, Pecanha underreported income from the business on his personal tax returns, resulting in an income tax loss of more than $1,862,033 for the tax years 2017 to 2021. Pecanha used the proceeds of his income tax evasion scheme to fund an off-the-books cash payroll.
The charge of tax evasion provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil of Levy’s Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
New York Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Offenses Related to Robbery and Murder of Stamford JewelerRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PAUL PROSANO, also known as “Tony Pro,” 63, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 360 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for offenses stemming from the robbery of Marco Jewelers in Stamford in March 2020. During the robbery, the owner of Marco Jewelers was shot and killed.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 28, 2020, at approximately 2:48 p.m., Stamford Police Officers responded to Marco Jewelers, located at 16 Sixth Street in Stamford. When officers arrived, they found evidence of a robbery and encountered the storeowner, Mark Vuono, lying on the ground in front of an open safe. Emergency medical personnel arrived and pronounced Vuono deceased.
Investigators collected and analyzed surveillance video from Marco Jewelers, surrounding businesses and Stamford city cameras. Video obtained from Marco Jewelers revealed that, on March 28, 2020, Prosano drove Robert Rallo and Thomas Liberatore in a black Jaguar to Marco Jewelers. Rallo and Liberatore then entered the store. Rallo, armed with a handgun, engaged in a physical altercation with Vuono, while Liberatore stole items from the display cases. Vuono, who also possessed a firearm, and Rallo struggled next to a large open safe. During the more than three-minute struggle, Rallo reached into the safe and pulled out a third firearm, a .357 Magnum revolver. Rallo subsequently shot and killed Vuono with the .357 revolver.
Between $360,000 and $430,000 worth of jewelry was stolen during the robbery.
Following the robbery, law enforcement located the black Jaguar in Staten Island and maintained surveillance on the vehicle. On March 31, 2020, at approximately 5:30 p.m., a black BMW X3, driven by Prosano, pulled up beside the black Jaguar. Rallo exited the rear door of the BMW and entered the driver’s door of a black Jaguar. The two vehicles then left the area and rapidly accelerated. The Jaguar crashed on Tompkins Street. Rallo attempted to flee on foot, but was quickly apprehended. The BMW crashed into a tree and parked car at the intersection of Daniel Low Terrace and Corson Avenue. Prosano also attempted to flee and was apprehended.
A search of the BMW revealed 63 rings, eight bracelets, two tie pins, an earring and a cufflink, and a search of Prosano’s residence revealed 23 pairs of earrings and three rings. These items were stolen from Marco Jewelers.
Liberatore was arrested on April 1, 2020.
Prosano has been detained since his arrest. On December 19, 2022, a jury found Prosano and Liberatore guilty of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery) and interstate transportation of stolen property. Liberatore was also found guilty of aiding and abetting the use of a firearm to cause a death during a robbery.
Prosano’s criminal history, which includes multiple robbery convictions, spans more than 40 years. He met Rallo and Liberatore while incarcerated within the New York State Department of Corrections.
On April 5, 2022, Rallo pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery, interstate transportation of stolen property, and using a firearm to cause a death during a robbery. On March 1, 2023, he was sentenced to 40 years of imprisonment.
Liberatore awaits sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Stamford Police Department and Greenwich Police Department, with the assistance of the New York Police Department, Yonkers (N.Y.) Police Department and New Rochelle (N.Y.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis, Rahul Kale and Margaret Donovan.
Mastermind of $10 million Amazon fraud scheme sentenced to 16 years in federal prisonRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Kayricka Wortham has been sentenced for stealing more than $9.4 million from Amazon.com while employed as a manager for the company. Seven individuals, including Wortham, have now been charged in connection with the scheme.
“The defendant abused her position of trust at Amazon to steal nearly $10 million from the company based on a brazen fraud scheme involving fake vendors and fictitious invoices,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “She then committed new crimes while on bond, even creating a fake dismissal document purporting to be from the court and that included the forged signature of the Chief U.S. District Judge, all for the purpose of misleading a franchising company about the status of her criminal charges. Her prison sentence recognizes the magnitude of her fraud and serves to protect the integrity of our courts and justice system.”
“The Secret Service takes cases of fraud extremely seriously,” said Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Atlanta Field Office Steven R. Baisel. “This individual stole millions from a business that employed her – exploiting not only their trust, but our nation’s financial systems. Thanks to the hard work of our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s office, her sentence reflects the seriousness of her crimes and sends a message that this kind of fraudulent activity will not be tolerated.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Kayricka Wortham abused her position at Amazon to submit more than $10 million in fictitious invoices for fake vendors, causing Amazon to pay approximately $9.4 million to Wortham and her co-conspirators.
From about August 2020 to March 2022, Wortham worked as an Operations Manager at the Amazon Warehouse in Smyrna, Georgia. In her position, Wortham supervised others and acted with the authority to approve both new vendors and the payment of vendor invoices for Amazon.
Wortham, who was the leader of the scheme, provided fake vendor information to unknowing subordinates and asked them to input the information into Amazon’s vendor system. Once the information was entered, Wortham approved the fake vendors, enabling them to submit invoices. Wortham and co-conspirators then submitted fictitious invoices to Amazon, falsely representing that the vendors had provided goods and services to Amazon. Wortham approved the invoices, causing Amazon to transfer millions in fraudulent proceeds to bank accounts controlled by her and her co-conspirators.
Wortham conspired with others, including Brittany Hudson, in the scheme. Hudson was in a relationship with Wortham and owned a business, Legend Express LLC, that contracted with Amazon to deliver packages to customers. Hudson allegedly worked with Wortham to submit millions in fictitious invoices for fake vendors to Amazon. Wortham and Hudson purchased expensive real estate and luxury cars, including a nearly $1 million home in Smyrna, Georgia, a 2019 Lamborghini Urus, a 2021 Dodge Durango, a 2022 Tesla Model X, a 2018 Porsche Panamera, and a Kawasaki ZX636 motorcycle, all with fraudulent proceeds from the scheme.
Wortham also recruited co-conspirators Demetrius Hines, who was in Loss Prevention at Amazon, and Laquettia Blanchard, who worked as a Senior Human Resources Assistant at the company. Hines and Blanchard provided names and Social Security numbers to Wortham to create additional fake vendor accounts. Blanchard provided names of relatives and associates. Hines provided stolen personal identifying information that he purchased from JaQuan Frazier, who in turn allegedly purchased the information from Darrel J. Burgo, also known as “Fleet.” Hines and Blanchard were paid in fraudulent proceeds. Hines also recruited Jamar L. James, Sr., another Operations Manager at Amazon’s location in Duluth, Georgia, into the scheme. Like Wortham, James allegedly approved fake vendors and fictitious invoices, including after Wortham left Amazon in March 2022.
While on bond, Wortham and Hudson committed new criminal conduct that resulted in the revocation of their bonds. In January 2023, they were working with CRU Franchising Company to open a hookah lounge in Midtown Atlanta. During the due diligence to close the deal, CRU discovered and asked about the Amazon fraud charges against them. In response, Wortham and Hudson allegedly lied to CRU, claiming that their Amazon-related criminal charges were dismissed. The two then emailed fraudulent court documents to CRU that purported to show dismissal of the charges and contained forged signatures of Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. and forged seals and signatures of the Clerk of the Court. Hudson also allegedly emailed CRU doctored bank statements and personal financial statements that fraudulently inflated the balances in her accounts to support the franchise deal.
Kayricka Wortham, also known as “Kayricka Dupree” and “Kayricka Young,” 32, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr., to 16 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution to Amazon in the amount of $9,469,731.45. More than $2.7 million in fraudulent proceeds seized from multiple bank accounts, the residence in Smyrna, and the vehicles purchased with fraudulent proceeds were forfeited. Wortham was convicted of the Amazon fraud charges on November 30, 2022, after she pleaded guilty. She has been indicted for defrauding CRU and forging the signature of a federal judge and seal of the Court. Those charges remain pending.
On June 20, 2023, a federal grand jury indicted Brittany Hudson, 37, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Jamar L. James, Sr., 47, of Calera, Alabama, for conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering, and Hudson for forging the signature of a federal judge and seal of the Court. Darrel J. Burgo, 32, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was charged in the same indictment with conspiracy, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft. These charges are pending.
For their roles in the scheme, on November 30, 2022, Demetrius Hines pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy; on June 27, 2023, Laquettia Blanchard pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy; and on June 27, 2023, JaQuan Frazier pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony. Judge Batten will sentence these three defendants at a later date.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen H. McClain and Norman L. Barnett are prosecuting the cases.
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.
Jacksonville Convicted Sex Offender Indicted for Committing Multiple Child Sexual Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Kevin John Merritt (61, Jacksonville) with the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse materials. If convicted, Merritt faces a minimum mandatory 25 years, and up to 110 years, in federal prison. Merritt is a registered sex offender. In 2011, he was convicted in federal court in Jacksonville of possessing child sexual abuse materials. Merritt was arrested on March 16, 2023, and has been in custody since that time.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
High-Speed Police Chase Ends with Guilty Plea to Federal Drug Distribution ChargesRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that De’Andre Swain (26, Ocala) today pleaded guilty to possession of controlled substances (fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin) with the intent to distribute them. Swain faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison. Swain had been indicted on May 24, 2022.
According to court documents, on April 22, 2020, Swain and an accomplice led police on a high-speed car chase through the City of Ocala. After crashing their vehicle, Swain and his accomplice fled on foot. Swain was apprehended by police after a brief pursuit. Officers found a discarded leather bag nearby containing more than $36,000 in cash, a cellphone, 197.56 grams of fentanyl powder, and more than 60 grams of a mixture of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine. All of the drugs were intended for distribution. A forensic analysis of the cellphone revealed that Swain was the owner of both the phone and the leather bag containing the drugs.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ocala Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.
Hattiesburg Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – A Hattiesburg man was sentenced to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Christopher Myers, Jr., 21, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Hattiesburg.
According to court records, in February 2022, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force began an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of Christopher Myers, Jr. and others, occurring in Laurel, Mississippi. Agents conducted two controlled buys from Myers. In each instance, 10lbs of methamphetamine were purchased.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. 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.
Hattiesburg Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – A Hattiesburg man pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Jamarquis Vasean Tate, 25, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Hattiesburg.
According to court records, on December 3, 2021, Tate was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by the Hattiesburg Police Department after a reported disturbance at an area hotel. Tate fled from the vehicle, and an officer chased and caught Tate on foot. During the chase, Tate discarded a firearm, which was observed by the officer and recorded on video. Tate was detained and the firearm recovered. Tate has a previous felony conviction, and it is a violation of federal law for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
Tate is scheduled to be sentenced on October 4, 2023, and he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The ATF and Hattiesburg Police Department investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen is prosecuting.
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.
Dane County Woman Charged with Money Laundering & Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – A Windsor, Wisconsin woman is charged with money laundering and possessing fentanyl for distribution in an indictment returned on June 28, 2023 by a federal grand jury sitting in Madison, Wisconsin. The indictment is announced by Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.
The indictment charges Alicia M. Allen, 37, with 4 counts of money laundering and 1 count of possessing 40 grams or more of fentanyl with intent to distribute. The indictment alleges that Allen caused proceeds from the distribution of controlled substances to be deposited in her business banking account on four occasions in June 2022, July 2022, and January 2023. The alleged drug proceeds deposited were in the amounts of $5,000, $4,000, $4,000, and $104,332.88. The indictment also alleges that on November 28, 2022, Allen possessed 40 grams or more of fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
Allen made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Madison on Friday, June 30 and her arraignment is scheduled for tomorrow.
If convicted, Allen faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each money laundering charge. The fentanyl charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years and a maximum of 40 years. The charges against her are the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Dane County Narcotics Task Force, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Anderson is handling the prosecution.
You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
D.C. Man is Fifth Defendant to Admit Role in Conspiracy That Sold Drugs Near a SchoolRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –The fifth of five defendants engaged in a drug trafficking conspiracy entered a guilty plea today in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia.
Kurtis Mathes, 33, of Washington, D.C, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, acknowledging that the drug distribution transactions took place within 1,000 feet of a school. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2023.
The investigation focused on a drug trafficking organization that operated outside a gas station and within 1,000 feet of a school on South Capitol Street.
The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon, of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, of the Washington Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Mathes was charged with Tayion Hamiel-Ward, 25, of Washington, D.C.; Karl Dunn, 45, of Suitland; Brian Williams, 27, of Largo, Maryland; and DeShawn Barnes, 28, also of Washington, D.C., all of whom have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
According to court documents, the defendants were operating an open-air drug market near a gas station and tobacco store in the 4600 block of South Capitol Street S.W. Several shootings in that area, dating back to at least March 2021, sparked an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police Department, focusing on violent crime and drug trafficking activities near the Exxon Gas Station (“Exxon”) and the SC Discount Tobacco and Grocery Store (“Tobacco Store”), located at 4665 South Capitol Street SW and 4675 South Capitol Street SW, Washington D.C., respectively. The Exxon and the Tobacco Store, which are next to each other, are located within 1,000 feet of Ingenuity Prep Public Charter School, a public charter school in the District of Columbia. Law Enforcement observed individuals loitering in front of and inside the Exxon and Tobacco Store and selling controlled substances to gas station customers.
Through the investigation, Law Enforcement identified five defendants, including Mathes, as being involved in this drug trafficking operation. As part of the conspiracy, Mathes and his co-defendants sold narcotics in a coordinated manner at various locations. Such coordination included the co-conspirators’ having common sources of supply, re-supplying or helping each other fill orders for narcotics, and referring customers to each other. Members of the conspiracy also possessed firearms in furtherance of the conspiracy. Law Enforcement executed controlled purchases of marijuana from members of this drug trafficking group. These purchases were recorded and monitored.
On or around July 13, 2022, Law Enforcement executed a search warrant at Mathes’ residence, where they found: 3,056 grams of marijuana, assorted packing materials, and ammunition. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement also recovered firearms, magazines, marijuana, and more than $79,000 in cash.
The case is being investigated by the ATF’s Washington Field Division, the DEA’s Washington Division, and the Metropolitan Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Prince George’s County, Maryland Police Department, and the U.S. Secret Service.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah J. Rasalam of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section (VRTO). Former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison McGuire and Brian Lynch previously worked on the case. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to Four Years for Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Anthony Quantarius Brooks (21, Winter Park) to four years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Brooks to forfeit a Glock 9-millimeter handgun and ammunition, which were used to commit this offense. Brooks had pleaded guilty on January 24, 2023.
According to court documents, Brooks possessed a loaded black Glock 9-millimeter handgun inside of a black shoulder bag just one day after he was convicted in a local robbery case. Law enforcement learned that the firearm had previously been reported stolen.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Winter Park Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Richardson-Jones.
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.
Chicago Man Convicted of $2.7 Million COVID-Relief FraudRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a Chicago man of fraudulently obtaining more than $2.7 million in small business loans and grants under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
From April to November of 2020, QUAMDEEN AMUWO, 41, participated in a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. The EIDL program was intended to provide loan assistance and grants to cover working capital and other operating expenses for legitimate businesses suffering the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. As part of the scheme, Amuwo submitted to the SBA numerous applications for loans on behalf of businesses that he and others purportedly owned. The applications contained false statements and misrepresentations concerning the purported entities’ owners, employees, revenues, costs, and dates of establishment. In an attempt to support his applications, Amuwo provided false business registration forms and bogus personal identifying information of the purported owners.
Amuwo caused the SBA to disburse at least $2.7 million in EIDL loans and grants into bank accounts that he and others controlled. He used the money to make cash withdrawals, transfers, and purchases for his personal benefit.
After a trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Amuwo was convicted June 29, 2023, of all twelve wire fraud counts against him. The jury also found that approximately $120,000 seized from accounts held by Amuwo should be forfeited to the government.
Each count of wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang set sentencing for Oct. 10, 2023.
The conviction was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Substantial assistance was provided by the SBA’s Office of Inspector General. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heidi Manschreck and Matthew Moyer.
Cairnbrook Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison and 3 Years of Supervised Release for Violating Federal Narcotics and Firearms LawsRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Cairnbrook, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 33 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release on his convictions of possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and unlawfully possessing a firearm, United States Attorney Eric Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge Stephanie Haines imposed the sentence on Travis Emert, age 44, of Cairnbrook, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, on or about November 9, 2021, Emert knowingly, intentionally, and unlawfully, possessed with the intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance. Further, on or about November 9, 2021, Emert knowingly, intentionally, and unlawfully, possessed firearms and ammunition, after having previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.
Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard, Jr. prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Mr. Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Laurel Highlands Resident Agency, the Pennsylvanian State Police, and the Somerset County District Attorney’s Office for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Emert.
Bridgeport Gun Trafficker Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DAQUAN LAMONT WRIGHT, 26, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to a firearm offense stemming from his illegal trafficking of firearms.
According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation determined that Wright was illegally selling firearms without a license. In January and February 2023, investigators made three controlled purchases of handguns from Wright. One of the handguns had been reported stolen in North Carolina. During the investigation, Wright indicated that he possessed, and had access to, other firearms and firearm parts.
Wright was arrested on March 13, 2023. On that date, a search of his Bridgeport residence revealed a Glock Model 43 handgun, ammunition, and various gun parts.
Wright was previously convicted in state court of theft of a firearm, and possession with intent to sell narcotics. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Wright pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
Wright has been detained since his arrest.
This investigation has been conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Fairfield, and Stamford Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis through the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program.
PSN, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Bowling Green State University Student Charged with FACE Act ViolationRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko, Wood County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Dobson, and Bowling Green Police Chief Tony Hetrick announced today that a federal misdemeanor charge under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, was filed by information against Whitney M. Durant, a.k.a. Soren Monroe, age 20.
The FACE Act (18 U.S.C. § 248(a)(3)), prohibits a person from intentionally damaging or destroying the property of a facility because that facility provides reproductive health services. According to the information, on April 15, 2023, Durant intentionally damaged the property of HerChoice, a pregnancy care center located in Bowling Green, Ohio, by defacing the clinic’s building with spray paint because the clinic provides reproductive health services. Durant is a Bowling Green State University Student.
An information is only an allegation 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.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum of one year incarceration.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angelita Cruz Bridges and Wood County Prosecutor Paul Dobson, who is also a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, following a joint investigation by the Bowling Green Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
3 July 2023
Three Members of Drug Trafficking Organization Plead Guilty to Importing and Distributing NarcoticsRead the Press Release
Two members of a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) pleaded guilty today in the District of Columbia to importing and distributing narcotics.
A third member of the DTO pleaded guilty to the same charges on June 16.
According to court documents, from January 2020 through April 2022, Angel Adan Valenzuela, 25, of Rio Rico, Arizona; Benjamin Soto Jr., 47, of Nogales, Arizona; and Refugio Veronica Quintero Moreno, 46, of Rio Rico, Arizona, worked with others to routinely transport narcotics from Mexico through the port of entry in Nogales by car and ship those narcotics across the United States. After importing the narcotics into the United States, Valenzuela and other couriers moved them to a shipping facility in Nogales, prepared the packages for shipment, and had them distributed to cities across the United States.
Soto and Quintero Moreno, who at the time were employed at a commercial shipping company in Nogales, routinely accepted narcotics-laden packages from couriers without requesting identification or payment and mailed the packages fraudulently by using existing business accounts. Valenzuela paid the shipping company employees on behalf of the DTO for their role in shipping controlled substances, including Soto and Quintero Moreno, who received weekly payments in Mexico for their role in facilitating narcotics shipments.
From September 2021 to November 2021, agents identified and intercepted 21 packages sent in this manner, resulting in the seizure of more than 30 kilograms of methamphetamine, 20 kilograms of cocaine, seven kilograms of fentanyl, and four kilograms of heroin.
Valenzuela, Quintero Moreno, and Soto all pleaded guilty to a two-count indictment charging each with conspiring to import five kilograms or more of cocaine, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and conspiring to distribute those amounts of those substances and Ritalin. Soto and Quintero Moreno are scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 15 and Valenzuela is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 16. Each faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge David G. Nanz of the FBI Springfield Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Springfield Field Office is investigating the case with substantial assistance from Homeland Security Investigations - Arizona and the FBI Tucson Field Office.
Trial Attorneys Douglas Meisel, Mingda Hang, Kate Naseef, and Samantha Thompson of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case.
The case is supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF).
Tampa Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Deandre Riviera Lopez (33, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Lopez faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison under the Armed Career Criminal Act. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the court documents, on May 15, 2022, officers with the Tampa Police Department (“TPD”) arrested Lopez on an active felony warrant from the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County. During Lopez’s arrest, the officers observed Lopez reach for an item near his waist. A search of Lopez revealed a Century Arms “Canik” TP9 Elite Combat Semi-Automatic Pistol tucked near Lopez’s waist. The firearm was loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition. Lopez later admitted that he always carries a firearm for personal protection and that he had owned the pistol for several months. At the time, Lopez had multiple prior felony convictions and had served time in Florida State Prison. As a convicted felon Lopez is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
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.
This case was investigated by Tampa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee.
Tampa Felon Who Led Police on A Chase Through Tampa Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Federal for Possessing Two Firearms and Extended MagazineRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Shawn Lanier Lowman, Jr. (23, Tampa) to six years and six months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Lowman had pleaded guilty on March 23, 2023.
According to court documents, at approximate 11 p.m. on November 1, 2022, Lowman was a passenger in a black sedan that fled after officers from the Tampa Police Department (TPD) had attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The sedan led the officers on a vehicle chase through the Old Seminole Heights and Sulphur Springs neighborhoods in Tampa. The chase continued on foot as Lowman ran through a residential neighborhood. A TPD Air Service helicopter tracked Lowman using a Forward Looking InfraRed (“FLIR”) camera as he fled through the neighborhood and into the backyard of a residence where he hid in a shed. The helicopter’s FLIR camera captured the thermal signature of Lowman inside the shed. TPD officers converged on the shed and arrested Lowman. The officers later recovered 10.9 grams of bagged cocaine from inside the shed.
TPD officers retraced Lowman’s path of flight and located a backpack containing two loaded firearms: (1) a Glock 9mm pistol; and (2) a Smith & Wesson Model 659 9mm pistol (loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition, with one in the chamber). Lowman’s fingerprints were found on both pistols. The backpack also contained a digital scale, an extended magazine (black Pro Mag-brand, with 11 rounds), and a black ski mask. In an interview following his arrest, Lowman admitted that the fingerprints found on the firearms belonged to him and that he had possessed the firearms.
At the time, Lowman had previously felony convictions for armed carjacking with a deadly weapon and armed burglary. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
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.
This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee.
Kentucky Man Arrested on Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Kentucky man was arrested yesterday on child exploitation charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.
A four-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court charges Aden Willis Yeager, 21, of Louisville, Kentucky, with one count of production of child pornography, one count of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of transportation of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography arising out of events that occurred between April 2020 and October 2020 in Tuscaloosa County.
“Summer is here, and children will have an increased online presence. I encourage parents to have open and ongoing conversations about safe and appropriate online behavior,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “My office, in collaboration with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, will continue in our efforts to protect our most vulnerable victims – our children.”
If you suspect or become aware of possible sexual exploitation of a child, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.
For information on the FBI’s guidance on child exploitation and protecting children visit https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/protecting-your-kids.
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.
The maximum penalty for production of child pornography is thirty years, and the penalty for coercion and enticement of a minor is ten years to life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for transportation and possession of child pornography is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF)investigated the case along with the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force and the University of Alabama Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White is prosecuting the case.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Jury returns guilty verdict in murder-for-hire plotRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A federal jury sitting in McAllen has convicted a 32-year-old man for conspiracy to commit murder for hire, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
The jury deliberated for just over an hour before convicting Christopher Andrade, Oxnard, California, following a four-day trial.
The jury heard that in 2018, Mexican Mafia gang members arranged for the murder of an individual residing in Mission.
Andrade was a Colonia Chiques gang member on parole who recruited and conspired with three additional individuals to execute the murder in exchange for $20,000. The others included his mother Viola Garcia, Noah Solis and Ronaldo Gallegos. Testimony revealed the co-conspirators agreed to travel from California to Texas to commit the murder in exchange for payment.
On Aug. 30, 2018, Garcia and co-conspirators attempted to forcibly entered the victim’s residence. The murder attempt was unsuccessful. They then tried to flee from the scene. At that time, Garcia led responding law enforcement officers on a high speed chase until she crashed the vehicle.
The jury heard testimony regarding text messages and phone calls that Andrade had made from his phone coordinating the murder attempt.
The jury also heard that in July 2018, the group had attempted to murder the same victim.
Andrade attempted to convince the jury he was not in fact the user of the phone and was unaware of any agreement or attempt to commit murder. The jury did not believe those claims and found him guilty as charged.
U.S. District Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa presided over trial and set sentencing for Sept. 7. At that time, Andrade faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
Andrade has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Noah Solis, 24, and Ronaldo Gallegos, both 24 and from Oxnard, had previously pleaded guilty, while Garcia, 52, also of Oxnard, California, was convicted by a jury in November 2022. All are also pending sentencing.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and police departments in Mission and Oxnard, California. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cahal P. McColgan and Peter I. Brostowin are prosecuting the case.
Four Men Charged in a Superseding Indictment with Conspiring to Launder Funds from Various Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in Puerto Rico returned a superseding indictment charging four men with one count of conspiracy to launder funds from wire, mail, and access device fraud schemes. One defendant, Oluwasegun Baiyewu, was previously charged on Oct. 21, 2021.
According to court documents, Oluwaseun Adelekan 40, and Temitope Omotayo, 40, both of Staten Island, New York; Ifeoluwa Dudubo, 37, of Austin, Texas; and Temitope Suleiman, 37, and Oluwasegun Baiyewu, 37, of Richmond, Texas, conspired to launder funds from different international organized fraud schemes, including romance, pandemic relief unemployment insurance fraud, and business email compromise scams. These fraud schemes disproportionately impacted elderly or otherwise vulnerable Americans.
“Fraud that targets seniors is reprehensible, and money laundering networks like the one alleged in this case allow fraudsters to profit from their unlawful schemes,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to pursuing investigations and prosecutions of those who victimize the elderly and other vulnerable members of our community.”
“These charges reflect the Department’s ongoing commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold criminals accountable, especially those who prey on vulnerable victims,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico. “We remain steadfast in our resolve to prosecute individuals who target seniors who have been victimized for far too long by individuals who hide in the shadows and in foreign nations to commit their crimes.”
“This case shows what true coordination and teamwork looks like, and it speaks to our Cyber mission to bring risk and consequence to cyber criminals wherever they may be,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph Gonzalez of the FBI San Juan Field Office. “The FBI’s commitment to protect the people and uphold the Constitution is not limited to the subjects' or victims' location. This is only possible thanks to our strong working relationships with our state and federal partners and our FBI colleagues across the nation and the globe. Special thanks to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico for their continued support and our FBI San Antonio and Houston colleagues for their assistance in this investigation.”
The superseding indictment alleges that in 2020 and 2021, the defendants worked together to profit from efforts to “clean” money from scams involving victims, many of whom were older adults, in California, Illinois, Washington, and Nevada, and business email compromise schemes affecting victim companies in Puerto Rico and Missouri. After receiving the proceeds, the defendants or their co-conspirators conducted hundreds of transactions with the funds, including by obtaining cashier’s checks and money orders, and then using the cashier’s checks and money orders to purchase used cars that were shipped overseas to Nigeria.
Adelekan, Baiyewu, Dudubo, Omotayo, and Suleiman are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and Federal Bureau of Investigation San Juan Cyber Task Force are investigating this case, with assistance from the National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force supporting the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force teams.
Trial Attorneys Emily C. Powers and Brandon Robers of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Edwin G. Mercado for the District of Puerto Rico are prosecuting the case.
The department’s extensive and broad-based efforts to combat elder fraud seek to halt the widespread losses seniors suffer from fraud schemes. The best method for prevention, however, is by sharing information about the various types of elder fraud schemes with relatives, friends, neighbors, and other seniors who can use that information to protect themselves. The agencies involved in this effort urge consumers to be on the lookout for signs someone is trying to recruit them to receive and transmit fraud proceeds. Do not agree to receive money or checks mailed to you or sent to your bank account for someone you have met over the phone or online. Do not open a bank or cryptocurrency account at someone else’s direction. Fraudsters will lie to persuade you to help them. They may falsely tell you that they are helping you get a lottery prize, initiate a purported romantic relationship and then tell you that they need money, or pretend to offer you a job, an opportunity to invest in a business venture, or the chance to help in a charitable effort.
The department urges individuals to be on the lookout for unauthorized debits to their accounts. Regularly check your bank, credit card, and other financial statements and contact your financial institution if you see a charge you do not recognize. Report any fraudulent debit you identify to law enforcement. Reports may be filed with the FTC at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico visit their website at www.justice.gov/usao-pr. Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice. Information about the Justice Department's COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force is available at www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
Four Men Charged in a Superseding Indictment with Conspiring to Launder Funds from Various Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Puerto Rico returned a superseding indictment charging four men with one count of conspiracy to launder funds from wire, mail, and access device fraud schemes. One defendant, Oluwasegun Baiyewu, was previously charged on Oct. 21, 2021.
According to court documents, Oluwaseun Adelekan 40, and Temitope Omotayo, 40, both of Staten Island, New York; Ifeoluwa Dudubo, 37, of Austin, Texas; and Temitope Suleiman, 37, and Oluwasegun Baiyewu, 37, of Richmond, Texas, conspired to launder funds from different international organized fraud schemes, including romance, pandemic relief unemployment insurance fraud, and business email compromise scams. These fraud schemes disproportionately impacted elderly or otherwise vulnerable Americans.
“Fraud that targets seniors is reprehensible, and money laundering networks like the one alleged in this case allow fraudsters to profit from their unlawful schemes,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to pursuing investigations and prosecutions of those who victimize the elderly and other vulnerable members of our community.”
“These charges reflect the Department’s ongoing commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold criminals accountable, especially those who prey on vulnerable victims,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico. “We remain steadfast in our resolve to prosecute individuals who target seniors who have been victimized for far too long by individuals who hide in the shadows and in foreign nations to commit their crimes.”
“Cases like this demonstrate the FBI’s commitment to protecting the American people and defending them against financial fraud schemes,” said Executive Assistant Director Tim Langan of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch. “The FBI will continue to hold anyone accountable who seeks to exploit vulnerable Americans, including the elderly.”
The superseding indictment alleges that in 2020 and 2021, the defendants worked together to profit from efforts to “clean” money from scams involving victims, many of whom were older adults, in California, Illinois, Washington, and Nevada, and business email compromise schemes affecting victim companies in Puerto Rico and Missouri. After receiving the proceeds, the defendants or their co-conspirators conducted hundreds of transactions with the funds, including by obtaining cashier’s checks and money orders, and then using the cashier’s checks and money orders to purchase used cars that were shipped overseas to Nigeria.
Adelekan, Baiyewu, Dudubo, Omotayo, and Suleiman are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and FBI San Juan Cyber Task Force are investigating this case, with assistance from the National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force supporting the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force teams.
Trial Attorneys Emily C. Powers and Brandon Robers of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Edwin G. Mercado for the District of Puerto Rico are prosecuting the case.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico visit their website at www.justice.gov/usao-pr. Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice. Information about the Justice Department's COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force is available at www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Miami-Dade Police Officer Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief FraudRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Samuel Harris, 43, who was a police officer with the Miami-Dade Police Department (“MDPD”), has pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent applications for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”), and an EIDL advance. Harris entered his guilty plea in Miami today before U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola Jr.
According to the facts admitted at the change of plea, Harris, who was a full-time MDPD police officer, also was the owner and president of Oregen Digital, Inc. (“Oregen”). Working with an associate, on June 29, 2020, Harris submitted and caused to be submitted a false and fraudulent PPP loan application falsely claiming that Oregen had 10 employees and a monthly payroll of over $50,000 per month. In support of this application, Harris submitted a fraudulent IRS Form W-3 falsely claiming that Oregen had paid 10 employees over $602,000 in wages during 2019. As a result of this false and fraudulent application, Harris obtained a $125,579 PPP loan from a Georgia-based SBA-approved PPP lender.
Harris also admitted that on June 30, 2020, he caused to be submitted to the SBA a false and fraudulent EIDL application in the name of Oregen, seeking both an EIDL and an EIDL advance. In this fraudulent application, Harris falsely claimed that for the twelve-month period prior to January 31, 2020, Oregen had gross revenues of over $859,000 and 10 employees. As a result of this fraudulent application, Oregen obtained from the SBA a $10,000 EIDL advance that did not need to be repaid and $149,900 in EIDL loan proceeds.
Harris is scheduled for sentencing on September 25 at 8:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Scola in Miami, where he faces a possible maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, and SBA OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Investigations Division’s Eastern Region, announced the guilty plea.
The FBI’s Miami Area Corruption Task Force, which includes task force officers from the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Professional Compliance Bureau, IRS-CI, and SBA OIG investigated the case. U.S. Attorney Lapointe thanked the Miami-Dade County Office of Inspector General for their invaluable assistance with this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm is prosecuting the case.
In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred. EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.
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, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.
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.
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 23-cr-20189.
###
Former Malibu Resident Pleads Guilty to Bilking Investors out of $3M with False Promises of Discounted, Pre-IPO Shares of AlibabaRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former Malibu resident who defrauded several individuals out of more than $3 million with bogus claims he had access to stock shares of Alibaba prior to its initial public offering has pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, the Justice Department announced today.
Frank Harold Rosenthal, 48, who currently resides in New York City, pleaded guilty Friday before United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha.
Rosenthal admitted making false claims of having inside connections at Goldman Sachs that would provide him with special access to purchase discounted shares of Alibaba, a Chinese e-commerce company, before its initial public offering.
Rosenthal carried out his scheme through a middleman, David Kunkle, by making fraudulent representations and pressuring Kunkle to solicit funds from his relatives and acquaintances for the purportedly lucrative investment opportunity.
To lend legitimacy to his fraudulent scheme, Rosenthal negotiated and drafted loan agreements and promissory notes with the victims that promised the victims significant returns on their loans and investments.
After obtaining their money, Rosenthal lulled his victims by, among ways, falsely stating that Alibaba shares had been purchased and sold. Rosenthal paid his earlier victims with money from later victims’ funds.
Instead of using victims’ funds to purchase shares of Alibaba, Rosenthal used the money to support his lavish lifestyle, which included the $16,000 monthly rent of a Malibu home.
Judge Aenlle-Rocha has scheduled a sentencing hearing on October 13, at which time Rosenthal will face a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison, as well as restitution.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter.
Trial Attorney Sara Henderson of U.S. Department of Justice’s Tax Division and Assistant United States Attorneys Steven M. Arkow and Mark Aveis of the Major Frauds Section are prosecuting this case.
Delaware Man Sentenced for Violation of National Firearms ActRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Attorney Davis C. Weiss announced that Mark Nepi, 46, of Wilmington, was sentenced on June 29, 2023, to 60 months in federal prison for a violation of the National Firearms Act. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika pronounced the sentence.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in July 2022, Homeland Security Investigations – Philadelphia (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Delaware State Police executed a federal search warrant at Nepi’s home based on a Delaware State Police arrest where Nepi was in possession of illegal explosives. Found inside Nepi’s home during the search warrant were eleven firearm silencers, a grenade, explosives in various stages of completion, flash powder chemicals, and remote firing devices and switches.
The silencers recovered during the search qualified as a firearm under National Firearms Act and were not registered to Nepi, a requirement pursuant to federal law.
Commenting on the case, U.S. Attorney Weiss stated, ‘Identifying and prosecuting individuals who illegally possess the weapons found in Mr. Nepi’s home is a priority for my office. I wish to recognize the successful investigative efforts of HSI Philadelphia, ATF and the Delaware State Police. Their efforts resulted in a significant federal prison sentence, which helps to keep our communities safe.”
“Weapons such as those seized from Mark Nepi pose real threats and dangers to our communities,” said William S. Walker Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia. “The exploitation of international shipping avenues to import these dangerous weapons is illegal. HSI is dedicated to stopping the illicit trade in these items that pose a very serious risk to the safety of the American public.”
“Illegally importing and illegally possessing firearms is a potential precursor to violent acts and can create environments that can put law-abiding citizens at risk,” said ATF Baltimore Field Division Assistant Special Agent in Charge Joseph Persails. “ATF is proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners every day to identify and investigate those individuals who continue to use and acquire firearms through the illegal market, threatening the safety of Delaware communities.”
This case was investigated by HSI, ATF, and Delaware State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel S. Frey and former District of Delaware Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruth Mandelbaum prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 23-44.
Customs and Border Protection Officer Indicted for Receiving Bribes, Allowing Drug-laden Vehicles to Enter the U.S.Read the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – July 3, 2023
SAN DIEGO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Leonard Darnell George was charged in an indictment unsealed today with accepting bribes to allow vehicles containing drugs such as fentanyl and methamphetamine to pass through the border into the U.S.
In addition, George is charged along with Mario Angel Gutierrez, Esteban Galvan and four other unnamed defendants with conspiracy to import and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances in the Southern District of California and elsewhere. According to the indictment and other public records, the defendants allegedly coordinated the smuggling of methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin from Mexico with an ultimate destination of the United States.
Officer George is charged separately with receiving bribes. The indictment alleges that he did directly and indirectly corruptly demand, seek, receive, accept, and agree to receive items of value in return for being induced to permit narcotics laden vehicles entry into the United States in violation of his official duties, that is failing to enforce controlled substances and customs laws of the United States.
Gutierrez is charged separately with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
“The indictment alleges that Officer George broke the very drug trafficking laws that he was supposed to enforce,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our agency partners in the Southern District of California are committed to rooting out and punishing corruption.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and investigating agencies for their excellent work on this case.
“This significant arrest demonstrates great teamwork and coordination by HSI and its federal law enforcement partners to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and root out alleged corruption in our government,” said Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge for HSI San Diego. “HSI is committed to protecting our homeland and the people of this country.”
“The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate all allegations of corruption. Today’s arrest reinforces our commitment to protecting the integrity of DHS personnel, programs, and operations,” said Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D.
“It is the responsibility of all government employees to operate with the utmost integrity and do their best to foster and maintain the public's trust,” said FBI San Diego Field Office Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “Anyone who violates that trust will be held accountable for their actions.”
“The vast majority of CBP officers are highly skilled, hard-working professionals dedicated to our mission of protecting the American public and we do not stand for those that would tarnish our badge,” said Sidney Aki, Director of Field Operations for CBP in San Diego. “The San Diego Field Office will cooperate fully as the case proceeds.”
A detention hearing is scheduled for July 6, 2023, at 10 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Major.
SUMMARY OF CHARGES Case Number 23CR1291
Receiving Bribe by Public Official – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 201
Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison
Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances – Title 21 U.S.C., Sections 952, 960, 963
Maximum penalty: Life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances – Title 21 U.S.C., Sections 841(a)(1), 846
Maximum penalty: Life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum
Possession of Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime – Title 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)
Maximum penalty: Consecutive five-year mandatory minimum
AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG)
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
Customs and Border Protection – Office of Professional Responsibility (CBP OPR)
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
21 Year Old Lincoln Gang Member Sentenced for His Role in the Murder of Officer Mario HerreraRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Senior United States District Judge John Gerrard ruled today that Orion J. Ross of Lincoln, Nebraska should be punished for the actions he took that helped bring about the murder of Lincoln Police Department Officer Mario Herrera. Judge Gerrard specifically found that Ross told his accomplice, Felipe Vazquez, where to get a stolen firearm that was stashed in the bedroom where the two were barricaded together. LPD officers issued repeated commands for Vazquez to surrender and exit the bedroom peacefully, but instead, Vazquez cocked the firearm Ross made available to him. Ross then shattered the window of the bedroom in an action intended to distract officers so that Vazquez could escape through the window while firing the weapon. Vazquez shot Officer Herrera during his escape with the stolen handgun that Ross made available to him. Judge Gerrard found these actions were part of ongoing conspiracies between Ross, Vazquez, and other members of the No Name Demons gang to possess firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence and drug trafficking. As a result, Judge Gerrard sentenced Ross to 30 years in federal prison for what the Court called a “senseless and brutal murder.” The Court further described its familiarity with the No Name Demons gang overall as a gang that espoused “extreme violence,” a “code of silence,” and the Court noted that there were many other victims of this gang’s violent acts. Ross is subject to 6 years of supervised release following the 30-year term of imprisonment.
Ross was charged in his indictment with eleven other members of the No Name Demons gang. Many of those defendants were previously sentenced by Judge Gerrard to include:
Isaiah James Dorsey, sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for his role in a gang rape and for firearms conspiracy in furtherance of crimes of violence.
Krysean Reynolds, sentenced to 200 months in federal prison for his role in a gang rape and for firearms conspiracy in furtherance of crimes of violence.
Lorenzo Anderson, sentenced to 102 months in federal prison for firearms conspiracy.
Yuko Gusko, sentenced to 90 months in federal prison for firearms conspiracy.
Rice Hill, sentenced to 88 months in federal prison for firearms conspiracy.
Kyce Davis, sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for firearms conspiracy.
Kallam Yiel, sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for firearms conspiracy.
Bryan Castillo, sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for firearms conspiracy.
Three other defendants have yet to be sentenced. Tang Lian is the next defendant set to be sentenced in the case on July 19, 2023, at 10:30 a.m.
Following the sentencing today, FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said, "As a member of a violent gang, Orion Ross terrorized Lincoln neighborhoods; ultimately leading to the death of one of our own. Ross may not have pulled the trigger, but his actions make him just as responsible for the killing of Officer Mario Herrera. While no sentence will bring Officer Herrera back or end his family’s pain, the FBI, and our federal, local, and state partners in the Lincoln Safe Streets Gang Task Force, hope they can take some comfort in the fact this violent gang has been dismantled and its members are behind bars. “
This case was primarily investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lincoln Police Department with operational assistance from the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and the Nebraska State Patrol.
30 June 2023
Willoughby Hills Couple Indicted for Insurance-Fraud ArsonRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – Rebecca C. Lutzko, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio announced today that a federal grand jury sitting in Cleveland returned a three-count indictment charging a Willoughby Hills couple with conspiring to set fire to rental properties in order to collect insurance money.
Lonnie White, 46, and Lisa Ogletree, 46, of Willoughby Hills, Ohio, face one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, and one count of conspiracy to use fire in commission of a felony.
The indictment charges that from April 2013 through March 2019, White and Ogletree devised a scheme to defraud several insurance companies by setting houses on fire and falsely collecting insurance proceeds. White and Ogletree agreed to purchase ownership rights in houses, recruit additional people to act as nominal owners and renters, and obtain insurance on the houses. White and Ogletree then arranged for the houses to be set on fire while staging the fires to appear accidental. White and Ogletree recruited nominal owners to submit fraudulent loss claims to the house insurers for the fire damage and after payment would distribute the funds to White and Ogletree. White and Ogletree agreed with others to transfer proceeds obtained from the insurance payouts to different accounts. White and Ogletree agreed to use fire to defraud insurance companies.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio would like to acknowledge and thank the Cleveland Fire Investigation Unit; the Cuyahoga County Fusion Center; the Ohio State Fire Marshal; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation; and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General for their cooperation with this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian M. McDonough and Adam J. Joines.
ATF is the federal agency with jurisdiction for investigating fires and crimes of arson. Anyone having information about an incidence of arson should contact ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS (888-283- 8477). Individuals may also email ATFTips@atf.gov, or contact ATF through its website at www.atf.gov/contact/atf-tips. Tips may also be submitted to ATF using the ReportIt® app, available on both Google Play and the Apple App Store, or by visiting www.reportit.com.
Waterloo Man Convicted of Multiple Methamphetamine CrimesRead the Press Release
A man who conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine was convicted by a jury on June 28, 2023, after a three-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Jeffery Turner, age 48, from Waterloo, Iowa, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and two counts of distribution of methamphetamine. The verdict was returned following about an hour and a half of jury deliberations.
The evidence at trial showed that Turner distributed methamphetamine out of his home in Waterloo. Turner worked with various other people who helped him get ice methamphetamine from various sources of supply in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, and California. Law enforcement eventually purchased methamphetamine from Turner in two controlled buys.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Turner remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Turner faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick J. Reinert and Dillan Edwards and was investigated by the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force consisting of the Waterloo Police Department, Cedar Falls Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Department, Evansdale Police Department, Waverly Police Department, Hudson Police Department, La Porte City Police Department, and the Bremer County Sheriff’s Department; the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-CR-02059-CJW.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Violent Gang Member Convicted of Drug and Firearms Conspiracy Involving Six ShootingsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The last remaining defendant in a multi-phase investigation targeting drug trafficking and gang violence in communities north of Boston was found guilty yesterday of operating a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy that manufactured and distributed kilograms of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in Maine. The trial evidence also included proved his participation in six shootings. The defendant served as a supplier for multiple large-scale drug dealers in Maine and participated in the acquisition of over 40 firearms for gang members.
Armani Minier-Tejada, a/k/a “Shotz,” a/k/a “Gustavo,” 23, was convicted by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, cocaine, and other controlled substances; one count of conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during and in relation to, and possess a firearm in furtherance of, a drug trafficking crime; and one count of use and carrying, brandishing and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of, a drug trafficking crime.. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Oct. 5, 2023. Based upon the charges for which he was convicted, Minier-Tejada faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 40 years in prison.
The investigation began in 2020 in direct response to an increasing number of shootings in communities north of Boston committed by street gangs whose violence is fueled by drug distribution. The investigation resulted in the arrest and charging of Minier-Tejada and his co-conspirators Shelby Kleffman, Jaiir Coleman and Christina Bernbaum in early 2021. All three of Minier-Tejada’s co-conspirators pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.
Minier-Tejada was a member of a street gang known as the Tiny Rascal Gangsters (TRG), one of the largest and most violent criminal street gangs in the country that operates on a decentralized structure via local groups or “sets.” TRG is involved in street-level distribution of powdered cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy and methamphetamine and members are known for their involvement in gun violence, including drive-by shootings of residences of rival gang members.
The government introduced evidence at trial that Minier-Tejada and his co-conspirators participated in a long-running conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in Boston, the North Shore and Bangor, Maine. At trial, the government introduced evidence that Minier-Tejada served as the supplier for multiple large-scale drug dealers in Maine and, in total, he and his co-conspirators were responsible for trafficking more than 10 kilograms each of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine into Maine.
Minier-Tejada and his coconspirators produced numerous videos and images in which they were depicted brandishing and holding firearms, including multiple machine guns. Evidence was introduced at trial that in 2019 and 2020, Minier-Tejada and co-conspirator Coleman committed six shootings in Boston and surrounding communities in furtherance of the drug conspiracy. One of the shootings, which took place in Cambridge in July 2020, was in response to a video being live-streamed from a parking lot accusing Minier-Tejada and Coleman of cooperating with law enforcement. Minier-Tejada and Coleman travelled to the streaming location with two firearms – including a machine gun – and together fired at least 30 rounds into a large crowd of people gathered in the parking lot.
Additionally, evidence was introduced that the drug conspiracy of which Minier-Tejada was a leader acquired over 40 firearms and multiple “selector switches” for TRG members. “Selector switches,” or auto sears, are aftermarket parts that convert a semi-automatic firearm into a machine gun.
“The highest calling for the Department of Justice is to keep our communities safe. This case should send a clear and unequivocal message to those who chose to pump fentanyl and other deadly drugs into our streets and brazenly brandish highly dangerous firearms to protect their trade – you will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We will spare no resources working with our federal, state and local partners to make sure that people who terrorize their communities and who show a callous disregard for human life will spend decades behind bars,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy.
“Armani Minier-Tejada stands convicted of numerous shootings committed in furtherance of his large-scale drug trafficking ring that polluted the streets of Maine with everything from deadly fentanyl to cocaine, crack cocaine & methamphetamine,” said Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division. “The FBI’s North Shore Gang Task Force will continue to work diligently to remove violent criminals from our communities, and we thank the jury for their swift verdict in this case.”
“DEA is committed to investigating and dismantling violent poly drug trafficking organizations like this operating in Massachusetts led by Armani Minier-Tejada,” said Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Office. “As we all know, drug trafficking in our communities, along with the gun and physical violence that often accompanies it, is a serious threat to public safety. This is unacceptable and we will not allow it to happen. DEA and its local, state and federal partners are dedicated to bringing to justice those that commit these crimes. This verdict not only holds Mr. Minier-Tejada accountable for his crimes but serves as a warning to those traffickers who are contributing to the drug crisis in Massachusetts.”
“ATF’s deepest gratitude goes out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for pursuing this investigation, as well as the state and local partners who diligent assisted with this investigation, which included a cavalier act of shooting a machine gun into an open public area. Our community can rest tonight, knowing our streets are safer with Armani Minier-Tejada being found guilty for his crimes,” said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to our officers, and law enforcement partners, who worked collaboratively to bring justice following a very concerning series of events in Cambridge and across our region,” said Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow. “This conviction is yet another example of how working together can make our streets and communities safer. It also demonstrates the collective action we all are deeply committed to taking, particularly when addressing important issues like gun violence and drug trafficking that can cause great harm and trauma to our communities.”
“The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency continues to coordinate our enforcement efforts with our local, State and Federal partners to combat the lethal drug epidemic in Maine. This case underscores how dangerous these criminal drug traffickers are and how vital it is to shut down these criminal enterprises. We want to recognize and thank the many law enforcement professionals who participated in complex case and the successful prosecution,” said Rick Desjardins, Director of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Minier-Tejeda is the 18th and final federal defendant to be convicted in this case. Over the past three years, the investigation has resulted in the arrest, conviction and imprisonment of multiple drug traffickers and violent offenders in the greater Boston area, including Vincent Caruso, a/k/a “Fatz;” his mother Laurie Caruso and co-conspirator Ernest Johnson, a/k/a “Yo Pesci;” Malden-based drug trafficker Phillips Charles, a/k/a “Phon C;” and large-scale methamphetamine supplier and TRG leader David Oth, a/k/a “Baby Bouncer.”
The charge of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, cocaine, and other controlled substances, provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least 10 years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during and in relation to, and possess a firearm in furtherance of, a drug trafficking crime provides for a sentence of up to life in prison because a machine gun was involved in the offense, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge use and carrying, brandishing and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of, a drug trafficking crime provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years and up to life to be served consecutively to the penalty for the underlying drug trafficking crime, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. As such, based on the crimes for which Minier-Tejada was convicted, he faces a mandatory 40 years in federal prison. Sentences are imposed by a federal district judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Levy, FBI SAC DiMenna, DEA SAC Boyle, ATF SAC Ferguson, Commissioner Elow and MDEA Director Desjardins made the announcement today. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine; Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; Middlesex and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices; Essex and Hancock (Maine) County Sheriff’s Department; and the Chelsea, Everett, Lynn, Malden, Salem, Somerville, Bangor (Maine), Portland (Maine) and Westbrook (Maine) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip A. Mallard and Kaitlin R. O’Donnell of Levy’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit are prosecuting 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.
UPDATE: This press release was amended on July 25, 2023.