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11 October 2022
Louis Coleman III Sentenced to Life in Prison for Kidnapping Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Louis D. Coleman III was sentenced to life in prison today for the kidnapping and killing of Jassy Correia.
Coleman, 36, of Providence, R.I., was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to life in prison without the possibility of parole. On June 1, 2022, Coleman was convicted by federal jury in Boston of the federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death.
“Jassy Correia was a vibrant and beautiful 22-year-old woman and mother of a toddler daughter. Louis Coleman, a total stranger to her, abducted her, raped her and strangled her to death. The pain and suffering Louis Coleman inflicted on Jassy Correia that night and her loving family – her mother, her father, her brother and so many others every single day since Feb. 24, 2019 – will never be relieved by this sentence. By his depravity and his horrific disregard for Ms. Correia’s life, Louis Coleman forfeited his right to live free in society,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “To this day, Louis Coleman has shown no remorse. After he lured 22-year-old Ms. Correia into his car, sexually assaulted her and violently killed her, Louis Coleman did not once consider turning himself in – rather he concocted a gruesome plan to conceal the assault and murder he just committed. Today’s sentence of life in prison is a just punishment. Our office is incredibly grateful for the courage of Jassy Correia’s family. I also want to commend the unprecedented cooperation demonstrated in this case by federal, state and local law enforcement partners across multiple states from the moment this investigation started.”
“This crime was gut-wrenching and there is no question today’s sentence is just. Louis Coleman took Jassy Correia’s life—a life full of promise, away from her. No sentence can bring solace to her family, and it cannot erase the harm he inflicted, but thanks to the tireless efforts of our Violent Crimes Task Force along with the Boston, Providence, and Delaware State Police Departments, we were able to remove this dangerous threat from our community so he can’t hurt anyone else,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division.
In the early morning hours of Feb. 24, 2019, Ms. Correia went out with friends to a nightclub in downtown Boston to celebrate her upcoming birthday. Just after 2 a.m., Ms. Correia became separated from her friends and tried to get a ride home from an Uber driver who was idling in front of the nightclub. The driver was waiting for a larger group and refused to give Ms. Correia a ride. Seconds later, video surveillance captured Coleman approach Ms. Correia. According to evidence presented at trial, Coleman tricked Ms. Correia into believing he would give her a ride back to her friend’s apartment.
After getting into the vehicle with Ms. Correia, video surveillance showed Coleman make a series of short turns before pulling over, just a few blocks from where he had originally parked, for approximately 12 minutes. Coleman then began driving south to his apartment in Providence.
Surveillance footage from Coleman’s Providence apartment building showed Coleman, at about 4:15 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, parking and exiting the vehicle, and then returning a short time later carrying a blanket. He then walked from the car to the front of the building carrying the Ms. Correia’s lifeless body over his shoulder. Once he entered the building, surveillance video showed Coleman dragging her towards the elevator and subsequently towards his apartment.
In the days that followed, Coleman visited two car washes and his internet search history reveled that he Googled things such as “how to pull a tooth out that’s not loose;” “can a person fit inside a suitcase;” “buy dumpster;” “oil barrel;” “how to clean for embalming;” “turkey baster;” and “target sanitizing bleach.” In addition, Coleman purchased a $150 air purifier, 36 pounds of baking soda, duct tape, 50-gallon trash bags, personal protective equipment including full-body coveralls, an odor respirator, protective masks, safety goggles, a 600-lb rated dolly, three Tyvek suits and a large suitcase.
At 1:15 a.m., on Feb. 28, 2019, Coleman wheeled a suitcase containing the victim’s body out of his apartment and into the parking lot where his vehicle was parked. Coleman struggled to lift the suitcase containing Ms. Correia’s body into the trunk of his car, before driving away at 4 a.m.
On the afternoon of Feb. 28, 2019, Coleman’s vehicle was stopped by Delaware authorities on Interstate 95 South near Wilmington, Del. Officers ordered Coleman out of the vehicle and asked him if anyone else was in the vehicle with him, to which Coleman replied, “She’s in the trunk.”
Officers discovered the Ms. Correia’s body in the trunk of Coleman’s vehicle, bound with duct tape and in the fetal position inside a sofa cushion cover, which was inside of a black trash bag, stuffed inside the suitcase Coleman was seen bringing into his apartment on Feb. 27, 2019. Police also recovered a duffle bag, a pair of new long-handled loppers, plastic garbage bags, clothing, a red plastic gas container, a green butane lighter, black gloves, charcoal air purifiers, air fresheners, tinted safety glasses, plastic bags, work towels, cloth work-gloves, a new set of DeWalt pliers, a laptop, the computer hard-drive/tower he used to conduct his Google searches and disinfectant from the vehicle.
Additionally, two large cracks in the windshield on the passenger side were later found to contain both Coleman and Ms. Correia’s DNA.
Ms. Correia had significant bruising, a bloodied face, was bound with gray duct tape and was covered in baking soda. According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, the medical examiner determined the cause of death to be strangulation and that there was evidence consistent with a sexual assault.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Levy; FBI Boston SAC Bonavolonta; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; Douglas Bartlett, Acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden; Colonel Melissa A. Zebley of the Delaware State Police; and Providence Police Chief Hugh T. Clements Jr. made the announcement today. The U.S. Attorney’s Office acknowledges the cooperation and assistance of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth G. Shine, Robert Richardson and Elianna Nuzum of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Local woman sentenced to prison for embezzling from employerRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 47-year-old woman residing in Houston has been sent to prison following her conviction of mail fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Noor Clements pleaded guilty Nov. 15, 2021.
Today, U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes ordered Clements to serve 18 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. She is also required to pay $250,000 in restitution to her employer.
Clements worked in the Houston office of a California-based company as a chief financial officer and head of human resources from April 2016 to May 2018. In her role, she managed all accounting functions of the office including payroll and banking.
As part of her plea, she admitted to paying herself unearned vacation and overtime pay. She also made unauthorized payments with company funds to pay her student loans, credit card and personal vehicle bills. In addition, she used her company credit card towards personal expenses such as travel, income taxes, car repairs and tickets to sporting events and concerts.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and IRS-Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles J. Escher prosecuted the case.
Leader of Large-Scale Cocaine Trafficking Ring Sentenced to 11½ Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A former Florida resident has been sentenced in federal court to 138 months of incarceration on his conviction of Conspiracy to Distribute Five Kilograms of More of Cocaine, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Hector Forbes, age 48, formerly of Sunrise, Florida.
According to information presented to the court, Forbes was one of the leaders of a large-scale cocaine distribution network that smuggled substantial quantities of cocaine from Mexico into California and then distributed that cocaine throughout the United States, including to the Western District of Pennsylvania. He was convicted of a drug trafficking offense in 2012 and deported in 2015, only to re-enter the United States illegally in 2016, where he quickly re-established himself as a drug trafficker. He arranged for shipment of cocaine, typically sent through the United States Mail to addresses in Florida, Ohio, Pittsburgh, and New Castle, among others. His customers typically sent cash back to Forbes, also through the United States mails.
Assistant United States Attorneys Brendan T. Conway and Marnie Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the New Castle Police Department, the Lawrence County District Attorney’s Office, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Forbes.
Las Vegas Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Raymond Jaquette Howard, 34, of Las Vegas, Nevada, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Howard admitted to selling approximately 1.01 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant at a Huntington motel on September 22, 2021. On November 16, 2021, law enforcement officer’s searched Howard’s motel room and found approximately 4.6 pounds of fentanyl and a loaded Glock 43x pistol hidden in the ceiling. Howard admitted that he intended to sell the fentanyl.
Howard further admitted to directing co-defendant David Anthony Wellman, 38, of Huntington, to sell quantities of fentanyl between September 2021 and December 2021. Wellman pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl on September 28, 2022.
On December 24, 2021, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Howard was a passenger. Officers searched the vehicle and found approximately 399.6 grams of fentanyl in a backpack. Howard admitted that he intended to sell the fentanyl or direct others to sell the fentanyl on his behalf.
Howard is scheduled to be sentenced on January 17, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $10 million fine.
“This case resulted in the seizure of a massive amount of fentanyl and removed an out-of-state supplier of this poison from our streets,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “I commend the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West, and the West Virginia State Police.”
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor is prosecuting the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), an enforcement surge that has sought to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-102.
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Lansing Real Estate Developer Sentenced to Prison for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Scott Chappelle Concealed Income and Assets to Avoid Paying More than $1.6 Million in Taxes, While Maintaining a Lavish Lifestyle
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — Scott Chapelle, 61, of Okemos and East Lansing, was sentenced to 38 months in prison today after engaging in a sophisticated, nearly decade-long effort to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from collecting unpaid taxes from him and his businesses – including employment taxes withheld from the wages of his employees – all while funding a lavish lifestyle that included multiple houses, a yacht, and plastic surgery.
“Rather than working hard and playing by the rules, Scott Chappelle broke the law,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. He continued: “Chapelle spent cash that wasn’t his – funds withheld from his workers as employment taxes, which he then hid from the IRS – to support an extravagant lifestyle he didn’t earn. Now and always, my office will hold individuals and businesses accountable who refuse to follow the rules.”
“Scott Chappelle spent nearly ten years evading taxes he owed to the IRS,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division. “At the same time he was falsely claiming financial hardship, Chappelle was spending money on multiple homes, payments toward a luxury yacht, and elective plastic surgery. His prison sentence imposed today reaffirms a fundamental principle – those who lie to IRS collection agents and criminal investigators will be held accountable.”
According to court documents, Chappelle was an attorney and former CPA who operated Terra Management Company, Strathmore Development Company Michigan LLC, and Terra Holdings LLC, all of which were involved in real estate development and property management in the East Lansing area. Chappelle admitted as part of his guilty plea that he failed to pay over to the IRS employment taxes that were withheld from the wages of the companies’ employees. After the IRS began trying to collect the unpaid taxes, Chappelle attempted to evade the payment of those taxes by making false statements to the IRS about his and his companies’ assets and income, concealing his vacation house on Lake Michigan, and purchasing real property in the names of companies instead of his own name to hide them from the IRS.
Court documents also reveal that Chappelle falsely told IRS employees that he and his companies could not afford to pay their tax debts because of financial hardships, all the while paying substantial personal expenses from bank accounts in the names of at least six different businesses he controlled, including mortgage payments on three houses and a condominium, payments toward the purchase of a yacht, college tuition for his children, plastic surgery, personal credit card bills, life insurance premiums, car payments for himself and one of his children, and expenses associated with boats he owned.
Chappelle also admitted as part of his guilty plea that he made false statements to special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation who were investigating his misconduct. Chappelle failed to tell the agents about real property that he purchased – including a house in Ohio he had purchased just one month earlier – and he concealed the source of the funds used to pay a mortgage on a condominium in East Lansing. Also during the criminal investigation, Chappelle filed a false employment tax return for one of his companies on which he claimed that the company had no employees and paid no wages during the time period covered by the return. In fact, Chappelle knew the company had employees and paid wages during that period because he approved submissions to the company’s payroll provider.
Chappelle further admitted to making false statements on a loan application when he refinanced the mortgage on his Lake Michigan vacation house in Harbor Springs. According to court filings, Chappelle submitted fabricated bank statements to the mortgage company to make it appear as if his company had substantially more money in its account than it actually had, and then falsely blamed another employee of his company for fabricating them.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Jane M. Beckering ordered Chappelle to serve three years of supervised release and pay a fine of $150,000 and $1,233,836 in restitution to the United States.
This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigations. Prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy P. VerHey and Trial Attorney Melissa S. Siskind of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
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Kuwaiti Diplomat and Wife Charged with Forced Labor of Domestic Workers and Related Fraud OffensesRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Carlos F. Matus, Director of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (“DSS”), announced today that BARRAK ABDULMOHSEN ALHUNAIF, a former diplomatic attaché assigned to the Permanent Mission of the State of Kuwait to the United Nations, and his wife KHALEDAH SAAD ALDHUBAIBI were charged in Manhattan federal court with forced labor, visa fraud, fraud in foreign labor contracting, and conspiracy to commit visa fraud and fraud in foreign labor contracting, in connection with their hiring and subsequent abuse of three domestic workers from India and the Philippines. Both ALHUNAIF and ALDHUBAIBI remain at large.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Today’s indictment makes clear that no one is above the law. Barrak Abdulmohsen Alhunaif and his wife Khaledah Saad Aldhubaibi are alleged to have lied to obtain visas to bring three domestic workers to the United States and then exploited and abused those workers upon their arrival. This Office is committed to investigating and prosecuting those individuals who commit this type of fraud and abuse of particularly vulnerable foreign workers – no matter the title of the alleged offender.”
DSS Director Carlos F. Matus said: “As the lead agency in this investigation, the Diplomatic Security Service demonstrated its commitment to maintaining the integrity of U.S. travel documents and the rights of visitors to the United States. Our strong relationship with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York continues to be essential in the pursuit of justice.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment filed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]
From in or about 2017, up to and including in or about 2020, ALHUNAIF, a Kuwaiti national and diplomatic attaché assigned to the Permanent Mission of the State of Kuwait to the United Nations, and ALDHUBAIBI, ALHUNAIF’s wife, conspired to fraudulently procure visas for three foreign domestic workers, who were from India and the Philippines, to provide household help to their family in Manhattan. ALHUNAIF and ALDHUBAIBI obtained the visas through the submission of fraudulent employment contracts, which, among other things, vastly overstated the domestic workers’ salaries, understated their hours, and falsely guaranteed other benefits, such as paid holidays and private living accommodations.
Once the domestic workers arrived in the United States, ALHUNAIF and ALDHUBAIBI paid the domestic workers far less than what was specified in their contracts and what was the minimum salary required by law. In order to conceal this scheme, ALHUNAIF provided payments to the domestic workers for the amounts set forth in their employment contracts but required the domestic workers to withdraw a portion of their paycheck in cash and to return the cash to either ALHUNAIF or ALDHUBAIBI. As a result, ALHUNAIF and ALDHUBAIBI paid at least two of the domestic workers as little as $700 per month. ALHUNAIF and ALDHUBAIBI also regularly compelled each of the domestic workers to work far in excess of 40 hours per week and without a regular day off.
Further, ALHUNAIF and ALDHUBAIBI subjected the domestic workers to other abusive conditions, including requiring two of them to surrender their passports upon arrival in the United States, restricting their ability to leave their employment, and controlling the domestic workers’ movements by prohibiting them from leaving their residence without their express permission. ALHUNAIF and ALDHUBAIBI also denied two of the domestic workers timely medical care for medical conditions caused by or contracted during their employment.
In addition, ALDHUBAIBI verbally abused each of the domestic workers and physically abused one of the workers. ALHUNAIF and ALDHUBAIBI also threatened at least one domestic worker on several occasions. These threats included, among other things, that ALHUNAIF and ALDHUBAIBI would falsely report the domestic worker to law enforcement for stealing from them or mistreating their children.
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ALHUNAIF, 36, and ALDHUBAIBI, 34, both of Kuwait City, Kuwait, are charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; conspiracy to commit fraud in foreign labor contracting, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and forced labor, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
In addition, ALHUNAIF is charged with three counts of visa fraud, which each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and three counts of fraud in foreign labor contracting, which each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Diplomatic Security Service.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Unit in the Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Jamie Bagliebter and Mitzi S. Steiner are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Kennewick Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, Lying to the FBI, and for his role in a Staged Accident SchemeRead the Press Release
Defendant Attempted to Make the Case Go Away by Falsely Accusing an FBI Agent and Another Individual Defendant Suspected was an FBI Informant of Soliciting a $20,000 Bribe
Spokane, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Ali Abed Yaser, age 52 of Kennewick, Washington pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, making false statements to the FBI, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, and two counts of mail fraud. Yaser faces the following possible maximum statutory sentences: 20 years for each count of mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and conspiracy to obstruct official proceedings; 10 years for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud; and 5 years for making a materially false statement to the FBI. The court also may impose a fine up to $250,000, the payment of restitution, and a 5-year term of court supervision. United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Yaser is scheduled to be sentenced on January 16, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. in Richland, Washington.
U.S. Attorney Waldref stated, “Staging an automobile accident to enrich yourself negatively impacts the entire community by raising insurance rates for law-abiding drivers. Worse still, after learning he was under investigation for staging an automobile accident and defrauding insurance companies, Mr. Yaser repeatedly chose to obstruct official proceedings and conceal his violations of federal law by lying to investigators, falsely accusing an FBI agent of soliciting a $20,000 bribe, threatening a potential witness, and tampering with evidence. Yaser’s corrupt conduct threatened the integrity of the proceedings and was designed to prevent his criminal activities from ever being uncovered.”
According to court documents, in February 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) opened an official investigation into allegations that several individuals were involved in a scheme to defraud insurance companies by staging automobile accidents, and filing false and fraudulent claims with insurance companies, in violation of federal criminal laws. As part of the investigation, the FBI used a confidential human source (CHS) who covertly recorded conversations with individuals suspected of being involved in the staged accident scheme. A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Washington later convened to further investigate Yaser and his co-defendants’ scheme.
During the investigation, the FBI discovered that on May 28, 2019, Yaser staged an automobile accident on County Route 12 in Benton County, Washington. The staged accident involved a Hyundai Sonata, driven by another individual being purposely driven into a Lexus IS driven by Yaser. At the time, a credit union had a lien of approximately $30,018.78 on the Lexus. Yaser subsequently filed fraudulent insurance claims representing that he was involved in an accident and suffered bodily injury and wage loss. Yaser was never injured because he was not even in the vehicle at impact. An insurance company paid Yaser and others approximately $126,990.
In May 2020, the FBI executed warrants to search several residences in Washington and California for evidence of federal crimes. Afterward, Yaser held a meeting at his residence because he suspected someone was providing information to the FBI and warned the CHS to be careful of that person.
In August 2020, Yaser told the CHS that he learned that the individual Yaser suspected was an FBI informant recently visited the CHS. Yaser admonished the CHS for not calling him when the suspected informant visited the CHS. Yaser told the CHS that he would have come over to his residence, closed the garage door, shut off the security system cameras, and killed the individual he suspected was the FBI informant. Yaser told the CHS “they would not have recognized his face from his foot.”
Yaser further encouraged the CHS to call the person Yaser thought was the FBI informant and to convince the person to meet with Yaser at his residence. Yaser directed the the CHS to send an audio-recording of a conversation between the CHS and the suspected informant. Yasir told the CHS, “the recording, you know, will not go to the government.” A few days later, Yaser met with the CHS and discussed plans to file a false, fictitious, and fraudulent complaint against the FBI case agent and the suspected FBI informant. Yaser also sought to persuade others to support this plan to make false allegations against the FBI case agent and the suspected informant. Specifically, Yaser wanted an audio recording of the suspected informant that Yaser could exploit and use to discredit the FBI agent in the case against Yaser.
In late August 2020, Yaser discussed fabricating a story to communicate to the local police and the FBI in furtherance of the scheme to discredit the FBI case agent and the individual Yaser suspected was an FBI informant and to make them unavailable as witnesses. Yaser’s ultimate goal was to have the FBI agent removed from the case. Yaser stated in sum and substance, “We will file a complaint with the police and the police will forward it to them [FBI]” and “[t]he police will turn it upside down on them, it won’t take half an hour and it would reach them.”
In September 2020, when interviewed by the FBI, Yaser tried to make the case against him go away by falsely accusing the FBI case agent, and the individual Yaser suspected of being an FBI informant, of soliciting approximately a $20,000 bribe from a third person. In doing so, Yaser engaged in misleading conduct toward the FBI agents with the intention of hindering, delaying, and preventing communication to these officers and a judge of the United States, of information relating to the commission and possible commission of federal offenses. He also attempted to corruptly obstruct, influence, and impede an official proceeding, that is, a federal grand jury proceeding and a criminal proceeding before a judge and court of the United States.
“Yaser and his co-conspirators went to great lengths, not only in committing crimes, but also covering them up and attempting to impugn the integrity of agents and the judicial process,” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle Field Office. “There are no victimless crimes. This fraud creates a financial burden for insured drivers as their rates increase from staged accidents.”
“Yaser’s deceitful actions violated laws spanning the jurisdictions of several federal agencies. The fraud the defendant perpetrated, in part, exploited federal health care programs,” said Steven J. Ryan, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our agency diligently, working alongside fellow law enforcement agencies, pursues bad actors who target HHS programs.”
“Mr. Yaser took assertive actions to thwart this investigation, but, those actions ultimately failed thanks to the diligent efforts of the case agents, who investigated this case,” said Special Agent in Charge Bret Kressin, IRS Criminal Investigation, Seattle Field Office. “Mr. Yaser even lied and bullied others in hopes he could make his crime disappear. Unfortunately for him, Mr. Yaser learned that our law enforcement team does not back down when it comes to holding fraudsters accountable for their actions.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, with the assistance of the National Insurance Crime Bureau. This case is being prosecuted by George J.C. Jacobs, III, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Justin Rivera Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Commit Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JUSTIN RIVERA, a/k/a “Denzel Rivera,” a/k/a “Bangout,” a/k/a “Jackie Chan,” was sentenced to 21 years in prison for conspiring to sex traffic two victims. RIVERA was convicted following an eight-day jury trial in June 2021 before United States District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Justin Rivera was responsible for terrorizing young women and coercing them into engaging in commercial sex acts. After Rivera was convicted and in jail, he hatched a plan to subvert the judicial process by attempting to coerce one of his victims—who courageously testified at trial—into recanting her testimony. Today’s sentence holds Rivera accountable for his horrific crimes.”
According to court documents, the evidence presented trial, and the evidence presented at sentencing:
In 2015, RIVERA and his co-conspirators squatted at an abandoned house in Bohemia, New York, where they worked in concert to coerce the young women to engage in commercial sex acts, using false promises of romance, narcotics, violence, threats of violence, and psychological abuse. RIVERA physically assaulted one victim (“Victim-1”) on multiple occasions, pointed a gun at her head, and manipulated her heroin addiction by controlling her access to the drug. RIVERA also played the role of the conspiracy’s enforcer, including on one occasion threatening the mother of a victim (“Victim-2”) who came to the house in Bohemia in an attempt to rescue her daughter.
Both Victim-1 and Victim-2 testified at trial. Following RIVERA’s conviction, RIVERA engaged in witness tampering by conspiring to offer bribes and threaten Victim-1 to induce her to recant her testimony and falsely state that the Government coerced Victim-1 into falsely testifying at trial.
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In addition to today’s prison sentence, RIVERA, 32, of Amityville, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York City Police Department, Suffolk County Police Department, and the Special Agents from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their assistance on this case.
The case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel H. Wolf and Thomas S. Burnett are in charge of the prosecution.
Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Shawn Anthony Graves, 29, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, also known as “crack.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 7, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a 14th Street residence and found approximately 15.4 grams of crack and 4.5 grams of cocaine. Graves admitted that he possessed and intended to distribute the crack and cocaine located inside the 14th Street residence.
Graves further admitted to selling quantities of crack at the 14th Street residence on September 26, 2019 and October 28, 2019, each time to a confidential informant.
Graves is scheduled to be sentenced on January 17, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
Officers also found three loaded firearms during the November 7, 2019 search of the 14th Street residence: an Eagle Arms AR15 .223-caliber rifle; a Springfield XDS 9mm pistol; and a Taurus Judge Public Defender, .45/.410-caliber pistol. Co-defendant Marshall Lee Graves II, 38, of Huntington, was sentenced to six years and four months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm on August 24, 2022.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force, and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Cremeans is prosecuting the case.
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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-181.
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Houston-Area Woman Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of the Enforcement of Federal Criminal Sex Trafficking StatuteRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that DAJANAE DRAKE, age 29, from Missouri City, Texas, pleaded guilty on October 6, 2022, before United States District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon to a one-count bill of information charging her with obstruction, attempted obstruction, and interference with the enforcement of the federal criminal sex trafficking statute, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1591(d).
According to court documents, Person 1, then approximately sixteen years old, met Randi Lewis in about early 2020. Lewis recruited Person 1,a female, to engage in commercial sex acts under his direction, and she complied. In about June 2021, Lewis and Person 1 met the minor victim, who was thirteen years old, in the Houston, Texas area. At Lewis’s direction, Person 1 recruited the victim to perform commercial sex acts, which would also be under Lewis’s direction. Thereafter, Lewis arranged for he, Person 1, and the minor victim to travel to New Orleans on a Greyhound bus for the purpose of his co-conspirator and the victim to engage in commercial sex acts. Between June 22, 2021, and June 24, 2021, Person 1 and the minor victim performed multiple commercial sex acts in the New Orleans area. On June 24, 2021, law enforcement authorities recovered the victim and arrested Person 1 and Lewis at a hotel in Terrytown, Louisiana. Thereafter, Person 1 and Lewis were charged criminally and incarcerated.
Between June 25, 2021, and about November 28, 2021, DRAKE held numerous telephone conversations with Person 1 and Lewis, including several conversations during which DRAKE knowingly encouraged Person 1 to sign a false affidavit saying that Lewis played no role in recruiting and trafficking the minor victim. DRAKE did so with the purpose of obstructing the enforcement of criminal law, including Title 18, United States Code, Section 1591.
DRAKE faces a maximum term of twenty-five (25) years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to five (5) years of supervised release after imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee per count. Sentencing before Judge Lemmon has been scheduled for January 19, 2023.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg is in charge of the prosecution.
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Highland County man pleads guilty to attempting hate crimeRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A local, self-identified “Incel” pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to attempting to conduct a mass shooting of women.
Tres Genco, 22, of Hillsboro, Ohio, admitted he plotted to commit a hate crime, namely, a plan to shoot women at a university in Ohio. He was arrested by federal agents in July 2021 and has remained in custody since.
“Genco formulated a plot to kill women and intended to carry it out. Our federal and local law enforcement partners stopped that from happening,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Hate has no place in our country – including gender-based hate – and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute any such conduct.”
“Thankfully, law enforcement partners working closely together prevented a deadly killing spree targeting women,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “Genco’s hate-filled beliefs and actions were extremely dangerous and could have resulted in irreparable harm to our community and many precious lives. We urge the public to report concerning behavior to the FBI and local police to help prevent future violence.”
Genco identified as an Incel or “involuntary celibate.” The Incel movement is an online community of predominantly men who harbor anger towards women. Incels advocate violence in support of their belief that women unjustly deny them sexual or romantic attention to which they believe they are entitled.
According to court documents, Genco maintained profiles on a popular Incel website from at least July 2019 through mid-March 2020 and posted hundreds of times on the site.
In one post, Genco detailed spraying “some foids and couples” with orange juice in a water gun. Foids is an Incel term short for “femoids,” referring to women. Genco compared his “extremely empowering action” to similar conduct by known Incel Elliot Rodger. In May 2014, Rodger killed six people and injured 14 others, including shooting individuals outside a University of California, Santa Barbara sorority house. Prior to his mass attack, Rodger shot a group of college students with orange juice from a water gun.
Genco also wrote a manifesto, stating he would “slaughter” women “out of hatred, jealousy and revenge…” and referring to death as the “great equalizer.”
As part of this investigation, law enforcement agents discovered a note of Genco’s that indicated he hoped to “aim big” for a kill count of 3,000 people with a reference to the same date as Elliot Rodger’s attack and intended to attend military training. The investigation revealed that the day he wrote his manifesto, he searched online for sororities and a university in Ohio.
In 2019, Genco purchased tactical gloves, a bulletproof vest, a hoodie bearing the word “Revenge,” cargo pants, a bowie knife, a skull facemask, two Glock 17 magazines, a 9mm Glock 17 clip, and a holster clip concealed carry for a Glock.
Genco attended Army Basic Training in Georgia from August through December 2019. He was discharged for entry-level performance and conduct.
In January 2020, Genco wrote a document entitled “isolated” that he described as “the writings of the deluded and homicidal.” Genco signed the document, “Your hopeful friend and murderer.”
Genco’s court documents detail that he conducted surveillance at an Ohio university on Jan. 15, 2020. That same day, he searched online for topics including “planning a shooting crime” and “when does preparing for a crime become an attempt?”
On March 12, 2020, Highland County sheriff’s deputies responded to Genco’s residence. At the residence, in the trunk of Genco’s vehicle, police officers found, among other things, a firearm with a bump stock attached, several loaded magazines, body armor and boxes of ammunition. Inside the residence, police officers found a modified Glock-style 9mm semiautomatic pistol, with no manufacturer’s marks or serial number, hidden in a heating vent in Genco’s bedroom. As part of his plea, Genco admitted that he possessed both firearms in furtherance of his plot.
Genco pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to commit a hate crime, which, because it involved an attempt to kill, is punishable by up to life in prison.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cincinnati Division; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Megan Gaffney Painter and Timothy S. Mangan are representing the United States in this case.
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Hartford Man Who Trafficked Guns from South Carolina to Connecticut Sentenced to 10 YearsRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALBERTO VAZQUEZ, 39, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven 120 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally trafficking firearms from South Carolina to Connecticut.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2020, ATF and Hartford Police recovered multiple firearms that had been purchased in South Carolina. In July 2020, one of the firearms was found in the possession of a convicted felon. In September and October 2020, additional firearms were recovered at the scenes of two separate homicides in Hartford. The investigation revealed that Vazquez, a felon who cannot lawfully purchase or possess firearms, conspired with individuals in South Carolina, including Joshua Bentz and Tywonda Bentz, to purchase firearms from a licensed gun dealer in Columbia, South Carolina, transport them to Connecticut, and sell them to felons and other customers in the Hartford area. Vazquez and his co-conspirators purchased approximately 37 firearms through this scheme.
Vazquez’s criminal history includes convictions for felony weapon possession, robbery and larceny offenses.
Vazquez has been detained since his arrest on March 15, 2021. On March 25, 2022, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deal in firearms without a license and to unlawfully transport firearms, unlawful transportation of firearms, and unlawful possession of firearms by a felon.
Joshua Bentz and Tywonda Bentz pleaded guilty to related charges and await sentencing. In addition, Vazquez’s former girlfriend, Julitza Garcia, pleaded to making false statements to law enforcement officers during the investigation and, on May 2, 2022, was sentenced to three years of probation.
This investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the Hartford Police Department; the Columbia (S.C.) Police Department; and the Richland County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara E. Levens through 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. In May 2021, the Justice 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.
Fresno Man Sentenced to 12.5 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl from the Fresno County JailRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Maria Garcia, 27, of Fresno, was sentenced today to 12.5 years in prison for conspiring to distribute over 40 grams of fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between October and December 2020, Garcia was incarcerated at the Fresno County Jail awaiting trial on a state offense. While in custody, he used the jail’s telephones to discuss with his brother, Isaiah Garcia (who was not incarcerated) a plan for Isaiah Garcia to sell fentanyl pills. During the calls, Mario Garcia advised his brother on how to store and deal his fentanyl pills and referred customers to him. In December 2020, law enforcement officers searched Isaiah Garcia’s residence and found over 1,000 fentanyl pills. Isaiah Garcia had been charged, has pleaded guilty, and is sent for sentencing on Oct. 31, 2022.
The case is the result of an investigation by the FORT (a multi-agency team composed of Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Fresno Police Department) and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio is prosecuting the case.
Four Men Sentenced for Tobacco Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Four men have been sentenced in U.S. District Court in Springfield for their roles in a conspiracy to traffic in contraband tobacco and evade taxes.
Ravinder Arora, 60, of East Longmeadow, was sentenced on Oct. 7, 2022 by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to one year probation and restitution to be determined at a later hearing. In August 2015, Arora pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit contraband smokeless tobacco trafficking and three counts of contraband smokeless tobacco trafficking; aiding and abetting.
Jugjeev Kharbanda, 37, of Seymour, Conn., was sentenced on Oct. 5, 2022 by Judge Mastroianni to one year probation and restitution to be determined at a later hearing. In January 2015, Kharbanda pleaded guilty to conspiracy and three counts of contraband smokeless tobacco trafficking.
Sukhdev Singh, 69, of West Hartford, Conn., was sentenced by Judge Mastroianni on Oct. 4, 2022 to one year probation and restitution to be determined at a later hearing. In May 2016, Singh pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
Jaspal Singh, 59, also of Seymour, Conn., was sentenced on Oct. 3, 2022 by Judge Mastroianni to one year probation and restitution of to be determined at a later hearing. In October 2014, Singh pleaded guilty to conspiracy and three counts of contraband smokeless tobacco trafficking.
In 2008, the defendants owned or assisted in the operation of wholesale warehouses in Springfield and Connecticut that sold tobacco products, including cigars and smokeless tobacco, as well as other non-tobacco items, to convenience stores, gas stations and other retail businesses. From 2008 to 2012, the defendants conspired with co-conspirator Syed I. Bokhari and others to avoid paying large amounts of tobacco excise taxes on smokeless tobacco and cigars sold from the warehouses.
On Aug. 11, 2022, Bokhari was sentenced to one year of probation. The government recommended a sentence of 18 months in prison. In a related civil forfeiture action, Bokhari agreed to forfeit seized tobacco, currency, and other assets, which resulted in the recovery of $2,197,985 by the government. The government has also filed an additional forfeiture motion for $30,315.51 seized in connection with Jaspal Singh’s criminal activity. The final order has not yet been issued by the Court.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Massachusetts Department of Revenue Commissioner Geoffrey E. Snyder made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher L. Morgan and Michael J. Mazur of Rollins’ Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the cases.
Former Robins Air Force Base Daycare Employees Indicted for Cruelty to Children, Simple Battery, Failure to Report Suspected Child AbuseRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A federal grand jury has returned a 30-count indictment charging two former employees and the former director of a daycare facility located on Robins Air Force Base, Warner Robins, Georgia, with charges related to the alleged abuse of children in their care.
Zhanay Kiana Flynn, 27, of Centerville, Georgia, is charged with 18 counts of cruelty to children in the first degree, six counts of cruelty to children in the second degree, three counts of simple battery and one count of failure to report suspected child abuse.
Antanesha Mone Fritz, 29, of Tanner, Alabama, is charged with 18 counts of cruelty to children in the first degree, six counts of cruelty to children in the second degree, three counts of simple battery and one count of failure to report suspected child abuse.
Latona Mae Lambert, 51, of Kissimmee, Florida, is charged with one count of failure to report suspected child abuse.
If convicted, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years of imprisonment up to a maximum of 20 years of imprisonment for each count of cruelty to children in the first degree; a minimum of one year of imprisonment up to a maximum of ten years of imprisonment for each count of cruelty to children in the second degree; a maximum of one year of imprisonment for each count of simple battery; and a maximum of one year of imprisonment for failure to report suspected child abuse.
The indictment alleges a variety of felony cruelty to children actions committed by Flynn and Fritz, two former Robins Air Force Base daycare employees, during Jan. and Feb. 2021. The charges allege various forms of abuse, to include striking children, causing children to fight each other, forcing children to hit one another, spraying children in the face with a cleaning liquid, seizing and shaking a child while threatening to strike them, striking a child in the head with a book, kicking a child into a wall, and stepping on and applying weight to a child’s leg. Flynn and Fritz are also accused of committing simple battery against children, with the indictment alleging that they lifted a cot with a child sleeping on it, causing the child to fall on the ground, struck a toy out of a child’s hand and then forced the child into a small enclosure, and sprayed two children in the head and face with a cleaning solution. Lambert, the former daycare director, Flynn and Fritz are each charged with one count of failing to report suspected child abuse when they did not notify the proper authorities of the abuse after allegedly witnessing it or having reason to suspect that abuse was occurring.
This is an ongoing investigation. Parents and guardians of children who were under the care of the defendants and have concerns about their child are encouraged to contact the Robins Air Force Base Family Advocacy Program at 478-327-8398 during regular business hours.
The case is being investigated by the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations and Air Force Security Forces, with support from the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom is prosecuting the case for the Government.
An indictment is only an allegation of criminal conduct, and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.
Former Prisoners Thankful for CARE Court and Lessons it Taught ThemRead the Press Release
About 25 percent of released prisoners in Florida end up reoffending. The transition from incarceration to the community is full of challenges and unanticipated impediments. That's where a Court-Assisted Re-Entry (CARE) Initiative can help—by teaching former prisoners different ways of thinking so they don't fall back into bad habits.
One such CARE Court program is found in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of Florida. It is designed to help moderate to high-risk returning citizens navigate barriers like employment, housing, education, substance abuse, medical and mental health care, reuniting with family, and social networks.
"When I got out of prison, everything detoured when I came back to the free world," said a CARE Court graduate. "It was rough. It's easy to blame others for your mistakes. I'm very thankful for CARE Court."
CARE Court also teaches participants life skills and illustrates the power of choices.
"It taught me how to be honest," said a second CARE Court graduate. "It also taught me how to help people. When you take on a responsibility like this, it motivates you to stay on the path. My journey doesn't stop. It will continue beyond this."
At a recent graduation ceremony for successful CARE Court participants, mentors beamed with pride as graduates spoke about their journeys to those in attendance.
“We, the CARE Court team, are ridiculously proud of all you’ve accomplished and I hope that one day you will come back and share your experiences with future CARE Court participants,” said Judge Kathleen Williams of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Several of those in attendance were former graduates there to pay it forward and provide a guiding hand to those currently in the program. One thing they all shared was the realization that reintegration into society is really difficult.
"I got out of confinement 16 months ago," said another program graduate. "It was tough reintegrating. I figured I'd get a job pretty easily, but it wasn't easy at all."
Instead, he entered the Miami-Dade College culinary program.
"CARE Court steered me in the right direction," he said. "The culinary class was full, but CARE Court was able to make sure I was admitted. They helped me a lot, but it's tough. They hold you accountable. They stay on you."
It takes at least a year to complete the program, which uses Moral Reconation Therapy. This focuses on enhanced moral reasoning, better decision making, and more appropriate behavior.
Melissa Fife, a Senior United States Probation Officer with five years of CARE Court experience, has seen amazing growth and transformations made by participants.
"It's inspiring to see how much progress they can make," said Fife. "They learn to slow down and process their decision making. They explore their options and think of how their decisions affect other people. They gain much more than they realize. I've had people tell me they didn't think they needed help until they received it."
Sometimes all one needs is a little assistance.
“We should do everything we can to invest in the people who need it most,” said Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. “And that’s exactly what CARE Court is … an investment.”
CARE Court is a voluntary program. The history of a returning citizen is reviewed to see if he or she would be a viable candidate. That individual then observes a CARE Court session and meets with current participants. It takes a serious commitment to graduate CARE Court, but after listening to recent graduates speak, it seems well worth the effort.
“CARE Court is the best kept secret in the Southern District of Florida for returning citizens recently released from prison and on federal supervision," said J.D. Smith, Chief of law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section, United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida. "It helps empower those who have paid their debts to society with the skills and opportunities to change their lives for the better."
Judge Kathleen Williams of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida expresses how proud she is of the latest CARE Court graduates during a recent ceremony. CARE Court works to make the transition from incarceration to freedom an easier journey.
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Former Financial Controller Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Embezzling over $1.8 Million from Montgomery County Multinational Technology CompanyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Donna Laansma, 58, of Fairless Hills, PA, was sentenced to three years in prison, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay full restitution by United States District Court Judge Michael M. Baylson for her scheme to embezzle over $1.8 million from her former employer, and for failing to report these fraudulently obtained earnings to the IRS.
In February 2022, the defendant was charged by Information with wire fraud and tax evasion in connection with this scheme. At the time of the charged conduct, Laansma was the Financial Controller of Astea, a global management software company based in Horsham, PA, and managed the company’s finances worldwide. According to court documents, Laansma obtained a corporate credit card that she kept hidden from senior management. Between November 2014 and November 2020, the defendant used this secret card to spend over $1.8 million on personal expenditures such as her son’s college tuition, monthly payments on her personal bank accounts, vacations, shoes, groceries, furniture, and gift cards. She also utilized her position as Financial Controller to pay down the corporate card bills, falsely recording these payments as legitimate business expenses in company books. The secret corporate credit card was discovered in 2020, after Astea was acquired by another global enterprise software company. Laansma, who was a Certified Public Accountant and familiar with the tax code, failed to report her extra, fraudulently obtained income as earnings on her tax forms.
“Donna Laansma cheated her former employer out of nearly two million dollars, and covered her tracks to hide her fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Instead of doing the right thing and performing her job honestly as the company’s controller, she chose the greedy path. Our Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect innocent individuals and businesses from being victimized by financial fraud.”
“For years, Donna Laansma stole from her employer and omitted her earnings on her tax returns, said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “Today she has been held accountable for her actions. The sentence she received today is a costly reminder that engaging in such criminal behavior will result in dire consequences such as a loss of liberty and being branded a felon for life.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Jeanette Kang.
Former Comptroller of Investment Adviser Firm Sentenced to 80 Months in Multimillion-Dollar Investment FraudRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that VANIA MAY BELL, the former comptroller of Executive Compensation Planners, Inc. (“ECP”), a registered investment adviser and financial planning firm located in New City, New York, was sentenced to 80 months in prison for participating in a conspiracy with her father, HECTOR MAY, the former president of ECP, to defraud certain investment advisory clients (the “Victims”) out of more than $11 million. BELL was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Roman.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Over two decades, Bell and her father Hector May ruthlessly orchestrated a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. They pilfered the retirement savings of over 15 victims, including vulnerable aging couples, close friends, relatives, and an employment pension plan of a construction company. Bell now joins her father in prison to be held accountable for this devastating crime”
According to Count One of the Indictment, to which BELL pled guilty, and other statements and submissions made in Court:
Beginning in 1982, HECTOR MAY was the president of ECP and provided financial advisory services to numerous clients. In 1993, BELL joined ECP, where she held various titles including comptroller and chief compliance officer. ECP worked with a broker dealer (“Broker Dealer-1”), of which MAY became a registered representative in 1994.
In order to obtain money from the Victims’ securities accounts with Broker Dealer-1, MAY advised the Victims, among other things, that they should use money from those accounts to have ECP, rather than Broker Dealer-1, purchase bonds on their behalf. With BELL’s assistance, MAY guided the Victims, first, to withdraw their money from their Broker Dealer-1 accounts, and second, to send that money to the ECP Custodial Account by wire transfer or check. At times, when ECP was running out of cash and desperately needed to make supposed bond interest payments to avoid exposing the Ponzi scheme, BELL reached out to Victims directly. After the Victims sent their money to the ECP Custodial Account, MAY and BELL did not use the money to purchase bonds. Instead, BELL and MAY transferred the money to ECP’s “operating” account and spent it on business expenses, personal expenses, and to make payments to certain Victims in order to perpetuate the scheme and conceal the fraud. In this way, from the late 1990’s through March 9, 2018, BELL and MAY induced Victims to forward them more than $11,400,000.
To help perpetuate the fraud, BELL and MAY created phony “consolidated” account statements that they issued through ECP and sent to the Victims. These “consolidated” account statements purported to reflect the Victims’ total portfolio balances and included the names of bonds MAY falsely represented that he purchased for the Victims and the amounts of interest the Victims were supposedly earning on the bonds. In order to create the phony consolidated account statements, MAY provided BELL with bond names and false interest earnings, and BELL created ECP computerized account statements and had them distributed to the Victims. As part of the scheme, MAY personally drove to the home of a stroke victim he and BELL had been defrauding of millions of dollars in order to retrieve the legitimate statements being sent by Broker Dealer-1 and later replace them with BELL’s fake consolidated statements purporting to show the victim’s investments had been growing.
BELL was instrumental to the scheme in multiple ways. BELL processed and spent client money from ECP’s custodial and operating accounts, watching the money dwindling and helping her father achieve more thefts at many months’ ends; BELL faked account statements that made people believe that they held millions, even when she knew that their money was gone; and BELL wielded her role as Chief Compliance Officer and Comptroller to help conceal the fraud from Broker Dealer-1.
In an audio recording made in 2016, after more than sixteen years in the scheme, BELL said the following about MAY: “I am his daughter, I am his confidante, I am the backbone that saves his butt in every promise he makes out of there. . . . The virtue of my knowledge is just by the presence of time here. There is nothing in this office that I don’t know, haven’t touched, haven’t seen, haven’t done, haven’t taught. Everyone is always intimidated by the time I come in or the things I get to do personally that I’ve earned over time based on my life circumstances. It’s what we call the perk of being the boss’s daughter.” At the end of that year, MAY thanked BELL in a handwritten note: “My Dearest Vania: you have always been there for me. You always watch my back. I couldn’t do it without you[.] Love, Daddy”.
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In addition to her prison term, BELL, 57, of Montvale, New Jersey, was ordered to serve three years of supervised release, pay $8,041,233 in restitution, and forfeit $589,942.
MAY, who pled guilty in a separate case in December 2018 to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and investment advisor fraud, was sentenced on July 31, 2019, to 13 years in prison by Judge Vincent Briccetti. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release, pay $8,041,233 in restitution and forfeit $11,452,185.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The criminal case is being prosecuted by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vladislav Vainberg, Margery Feinzig, and Derek Wikstrom are in charge of the prosecution.
Former Beaverton Mayor Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—Dennis “Denny” Doyle, the former mayor of Beaverton, Oregon, pleaded guilty today in federal court to illegally possessing child pornography.
Doyle, 73, a Beaverton resident, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a single count of possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, between November 2014 and December 2015, Doyle knowingly and unlawfully possessed digital media containing child pornography. Several of the images Doyle possessed were of children under the age of 12 who had been identified as known sexually exploited minors by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
On March 3, 2022, Doyle was charged by criminal information with one count of possession of child pornography.
Doyle will be sentenced on January 24, 2023, by U.S. District Court Judge Michael W. Mosman.
This case was investigated by FBI Portland’s Child Exploitation Task Force (CETF). It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. Child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, child victims suffer re-victimization each time the image of their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the NCMEC’s website at www.missingkids.org.
The FBI CETF conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former Angels Communications Director Eric Kay Sentenced to 22 Years in Tyler Skaggs Overdose CaseRead the Press Release
Ex- Los Angeles Angels employee Eric Kay was sentenced today to 22 years in federal prison in connection with the 2019 overdose death of Angles pitcher Tyler Skaggs, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham.
In February, a federal jury found former Angels Communications Director Eric Prescott Kay guilty of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. He was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means.
According to evidence presented at trial, Mr. Kay distributed the pills that killed Mr. Skaggs.
The investigation began on July 1, 2019, when the Southlake Police Department received a 911 call stating that Mr. Skaggs, then just 27 years old, had been found dead in his hotel room at the Southlake Town Square Hilton. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office later determined that Mr. Skaggs had a mixture of ethanol, fentanyl, and oxycodone in his system at the time of his death..
Inside Mr. Skaggs’s hotel room, investigators discovered a number of pills, including a single blue pill with the markings M/30. An analysis of the pill – which closely resembled a 30-milligram oxycodone tablet – revealed it had been laced with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opiate.
In an initial interview with law enforcement, Mr. Kay denied knowing whether Mr. Skaggs was a drug user. He claimed the last time he’d seen Mr. Skaggs was at hotel check-in on June 30. However, a search of Mr. Skaggs’s phone revealed text messages from June 30 suggesting that he had asked Mr. Kay to stop by his room with pills late that evening. Investigators later learned that, contrary to what he’d told law enforcement the day Mr. Skaggs’s body was discovered, Mr. Kay had admitted to a colleague that he had, in fact, visited Mr. Skaggs’s room the night of his death.
In the course of their investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration determined that Mr. Kay allegedly regularly dealt the blue M/30 pills – dubbed “blue boys” – to Mr. Skaggs and to others, dolling out the pills at the stadium where they worked.
Several former Angels players, including Matt Harvey, C.J. Cron, Mike Morin, and Cameron Bedrosian testified at trial that Eric Kay distributed blue 30 milligram oxycodone pills to them as well. They further testified that he was the only source of these pills and would conduct transactions in the Angels Stadium.
At Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, prosecutors introduced into evidence jailhouse calls and emails demonstrating the nature of Mr. Kay’s crime and his lack of remorse.
Mr. Kay repeatedly insulted Tyler Skaggs, his deceased victim:
“I hope people realize what a piece of sh*t he is,” he told his mother in a recorded jailhouse call. “Well, he’s dead, so f*ck ‘em.”
He also mocked the Skaggs family, calling them “dumb” and “white trash” and suggesting his mother plant negative stories about them in the media.
“All they see are dollar signs,” he said of the Skaggs family. “They may get more money with him dead than he was playing because he sucked.”
He even demeaned the jurors that convicted him, calling them “fat, sloppy, toothless, and unemployed.”
“The Skaggs family learned the hard way: One fentanyl pill can kill. That’s why our office is committed to holding to account anyone who deals in illicit opioids, whether they operate in back alleyways or world class stadiums,” U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham said following today’s hearing. “Mr. Skaggs did not deserve to die this way. No one does. We hope this sentence will bring some comfort to his grieving family.”
“Today’s sentencing of Eric Kay will not ease the suffering that the Skaggs’ family have experienced since 2019,” said Eduardo A. Chavez, Special Agent in Charge of DEA Dallas. “What the guilty verdict and sentencing proves is even if you sell only a small number of pills and one of those pills causes the death of an individual, you will be held responsible and sentenced to the fullest extent allowed by our judicial system.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Fort Worth Field Division and the Southlake Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Errin Martin, Lindsey Beran (fmr), and Joe Lo Galbo are prosecuting the case with the help of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Bradshaw.
Final Defendant Pleads Guilty to Role in Murder and Assault on the Red Lake Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Duluth woman has pleaded guilty to her role in a murder that took place in August 2019 on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on August 12, 2019, Mia Faye Sumner, 21, and her co-defendants Alexia Gah Gi Gay Mary Cutbank, 21, and Daniel Charles Barrett, 31, armed with at least one handgun, entered the garage of a residence where Daniel Alan Johnson was known to reside. Once inside, Cutbank fired multiple gunshots, fatally wounding Johnson and seriously injuring a second victim, T.B.S. The three defendants returned to the waiting vehicle and left the scene. To assist the defendants in avoiding arrest, Rose Celeste Siewert, 50, drove Cutbank, Barrett, and Sumner off the Red Lake Indian Reservation.
Sumner pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge Susan Richard Nelson to one count of aiding and abetting murder in the second degree. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department, the FBI, the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, the Duluth Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minnesota Department of Corrections, in collaboration with the United States Attorney’s Office Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad is prosecuting the case.
Federal Jury Finds Tennessee Man Guilty of Robbing Five Louisville Area BanksRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal jury convicted a Tennessee man on Friday, October 7, 2022, of robbing five Louisville area banks.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) Chief Erika Shields made the announcement.
According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, on April 2, 2021, Salvador Jones, 36, of Tennessee, entered the Fifth Third Bank located at 401 South 4th Street in Louisville, Kentucky, and presented a demand note and robbed the bank. Additionally, beginning on April 8, 2021, and continuing until May 5, 2021, Jones entered four Louisville-area U.S. Banks and a U.S. Bank in New Albany, Indiana, and robbed each bank by presenting a demand note. Evidence presented at trial detailed how the Robbery Unit with LMPD coordinated with area law enforcement to determine Jones’ getaway vehicle, which eventually led to his apprehension in Nashville, Tennessee.
At the time of his arrest, Jones provided a statement admitting to some of the robberies. However, during the trial, Jones testified and attempted to deflect blame for the robberies on his now deceased stepson. After three hours of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict on all five charged counts of bank robbery in the Western District of Kentucky.
Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on January 12, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. before a U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Kentucky. Jones faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty years. There is no parole in the federal system. Jones remains in federal custody.
The LMPD investigated the case and was assisted by the Shively Police Department, the New Albany Police Department, and the Nashville Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia P. Gomez and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Lantz prosecuted the case with the assistance of paralegal Adela Alic.
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Federal Felon Indicted for Illegally Possessing a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal firearms law, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Isaiah Pridgen, age 25, as the sole defendant.
According to Indictment, on or about Aug. 17, 2022, Pridgen was found to be in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Pridgen was previously convicted in the Western District of Pennsylvania of felony crimes including possession with intent to distribute a quantity of heroin and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, as part of the Safe Streets Task Force, conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
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.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Escape from Federal Custody and Illegal Possession of a Firearm Charges Land Two Defendants in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the resolution of two cases in the Western District of Louisiana today. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. sentenced the two defendants as follows:
John Robert Stevens, Jr., 35, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was sentenced to 51 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for illegal possession of a firearm. Stevens pleaded guilty to the charge on May 25, 2022 which stemmed from an incident that occurred in Lake Charles when officers with the Lake Charles Police Department were dispatched regarding complaints about a suspect named “John.” Officers arrived at the location and after an encounter with Stevens, found a Lorcin L25 in his front pants pocket, along with a glass tube with white residue wrapped in bubble wrap. Officers learned that Stevens was a convicted felon, and he was arrested. Their further investigation determined that Stevens had been walking along the street looking for his girlfriend when he encountered another couple. Stevens told officers he held the gun in his front pocket and gestured with it toward the couple and they were able to see the imprint of the gun through his jacket. Because Stevens has prior felony convictions, he is prohibited from having a firearm in his possession.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lake Charles Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. McCoy.
Derrick Nathaniel Hartfield, 55, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release for escaping from federal custody. Hartfield was previously convicted on federal charges of aggravated identity theft and wire fraud in July 2012. He served his 84-month federal prison sentence and was released in March 2019. On January 8, 2020, his supervised release was revoked due to a violation, and he was sentenced to serve an additional 27 months in prison. During his sentence on the revocation, he was transferred to a CINC facility, also referred to as a halfway house, in Lake Charles to complete his sentence. On August 26, 2021, Hartfield stated he was enroute to the facility returning from work. However, an hour passed, and Hartfield never returned. CINC staff made several attempts to contact Hartfield, but he did not respond.
On September 20, 2021, officers with the San Bernadino County, California, Sheriff’s Office responded to a local pizza restaurant in connection with a theft. Hartfield was identified as the suspect and taken into custody. A complaint was filed on September 23, 2021 charging Hartfield with escape from federal custody without permission.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshal’s Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog.
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Department of Justice Announces More than $1.6 Million in Federal Funding for the Yakama Nation to Address Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
Yakima, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, today announced two Department of Justice grant awards to the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. The first grant allocates $1,000,000 to target violent crimes against women. The second provides $609,751 in additional federal funding to provide services to crime victims on the Yakama Nation. Both grants were awarded on September 21, 2022.
Funding for the $1,000,000 grant was awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, Indian Tribal Governments Program, which provides funds to Tribal nations to develop and enhance strategies for curtailing violent crimes and increasing the safety of Native American women. The Yakama Nation is one of just thirty tribes to receive funding in 2022 through the Indian Tribal Governments Program.
The second grant, totaling $609,751, was awarded through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). OVC is charged by Congress with administering the Crime Victims Fund, which supports a broad array of programs and services that focus on helping victims in the immediate aftermath of crime and continuing to support them as they rebuild their lives. Millions of dollars are invested annually in victim compensation and assistance in every U.S. state and territory.
In announcing these awards, U.S. Attorney Waldref stated, “It is critical that we work together – with our federal, state, local and Tribal partners – to address violent crime on the Yakama Nation. The citizens of the Yakama Nation deserve nothing less.” She continued, “These latest grant awards demonstrate the federal government’s continued commitment to combatting violent crime in Indian country. In fact, in the year since I became the United States Attorney, the FBI has devoted significant increased resources and personnel to fighting violent crime in the Yakima area. For example, we established an FBI Task Force targeting violent crime and drug distribution in the Yakima County. My office also works closely with federal, state, and Tribal law enforcement to diligently investigate – and where appropriate to prosecute – homicides, violent criminal offenses, suspicious deaths, and reports of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. These combined efforts, along with the grant awards announced today, are a further indication the Department of Justice is doing its part to keep all citizens in Eastern Washington safe and strong.”
Additional information about grants and funding through the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs is available at https://www.ojp.gov. Information regarding the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence against Women is available at https://www.justice.gov/ovw. Information about OVC is available at https://ovc.ojp.gov/.
Department of Justice Announces More than $1 Million in Grants Awarded to Kalispel TribeRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, today announced two Department of Justice grant awards to the Kalsipel Tribe of Indians – $ 609,751 in funding to provide services to crime victims on the Kalispel reservation and a $450,000 award to enhance advocacy on behalf of abused and neglected children involved in dependency proceedings within the Kalispel Tribal Court as well as in state court proceedings. Both grants were awarded on September 21, 2022.
Funding for the $609,751 grant was awarded through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). OVC is charged by Congress with administering the Crime Victims Fund (the Fund). Through OVC, the Fund supports a broad array of programs and services that focus on helping victims in the immediate aftermath of crime and continuing to support them as they rebuild their lives. Millions of dollars are invested annually in victim compensation and assistance in every U.S. state and territory. The award to the Kalispel Tribe is intended to provide services for crime victims that meet the needs identified by the community, while reflecting Tribal values and traditions.
Funding for the $450,000 grant was awarded through the U.S. Department of Justice Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation. The purpose of the grant is to enhance the Tribe’s ability to advocate on behalf of abused and neglected children involved in dependency proceedings within the Kalispel Tribal Court and Pend Oreille County Court. Funding is expected to be used to retain a program manager, conduct volunteer recruitment, and to provide appropriate training. Funding also will be used to procure legal counsel and representation to protect the interests of children involved in complex legal proceedings.
In announcing these awards, U.S. Attorney Waldref stated, “For many years the Department of Justice and the Kalispel Tribe have enjoyed a strong, cooperative relationship. I’m grateful for the Tribe’s leadership in Eastern Washington and its contributions to the Spokane community. These grants will help the Tribe continue to devote resources to protecting victims, especially abused and neglected children. By allocating these resources now, we are helping future generations build safer and stronger communities on the Kalispel Reservation and throughout Eastern Washington.”
Additional information about grants and funding through the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs is available at https://www.ojp.gov. Information about OVC is available at https://ovc.ojp.gov/.
Department of Justice Announces Grant Award to Kittitas County to Address Mental Health and Substance Abuse NeedsRead the Press Release
Yakima, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, today announced a $483,552 Department of Justice grant to the Kittitas County Sherriff’s Office. The grant provides funding to address mental health needs at the Kittitas County Jail.
The grant, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, was awarded on September 28, 2022. Funding is being made available pursuant to the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP), which distributes resources to assist individuals with mental health and substance abuse disorders that come into contact with the justice system. JMHCP provides federal funding to achieve the following goals:
1. Enhance, expand, and operate mental health drop-off crisis stabilization treatment centers providing 24/7, year-round support for law enforcement, criminal justice agencies, and people who come in contact with the justice system;
2. Increase community workforce and capacity for certified mental health peer support specialists and increase the availability of wraparound services for supporting people with mental health disorders and co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders; and
3. Build and expand existing mental health collaboration programs across people and places in any part of the criminal justice system – e.g., jails, courts, and prosecutors’ offices – to mitigate the risks of recidivism for individuals with mental health and co-occurring substance abuse disorders.
The award to Kittitas County is intended to address increasing mental health needs at the Kittitas County Jail, which is located in Ellensburg, Washington. Funding will be used to hire additional staff with expertise in treating mental health disorders, to add additional training in this area for existing staff, and to provide additional resources to inmates who suffer from mental health and co-occurring substance abuse disorders. By devoting additional resources to addressing mental health needs, Kittitas County is seeking to decrease the likelihood of recidivism when inmates are released from custody.
In announcing the award, U.S. Attorney Waldref stated, “The United States Justice Department is committed to helping people that suffer from mental health challenges, who come in contact with the criminal justice system.” She continued, “The nearly $500,000 award will help ensure that inmates in Kittitas County have additional resources to get their lives on track and address what – in certain cases – is the root cause of their criminal behavior. To keep Eastern Washington safe and strong, we need to recognize and treat mental health disorders so that those who reenter our communities have the resources they need to become productive citizens.”
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) administers the JMHCP. BJA was created in 1984 to reduce violent crime, create safer communities, and reform aspects of our criminal justice system. BJA works with communities, governments, and nonprofit organizations to reduce crime, recidivism, unnecessary confinement, and promote a safe and fair criminal justice system. More information about BJA is available at https://bja.ojp.gov/about. Information specific to JMHCP is available at https://bja.ojp.gov/program/justice-and-mental-health-collaboration-program-jmhcp/overview.
Additional information about grants and funding through the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs is available at https://www.ojp.gov/.
Co-Defendant in Cross Country Methamphetamine Conspiracy SentencedRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A former California woman, who recently relocated to Southwest Virginia, was sentenced today to 87 months in federal prison on drug distribution charges.
Sally Mae Carr, 42, of Meadowview, Va., formerly of Pomona, Calf., pled guilty in June 2022 to one count of distributing or possessing with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.
According to court documents, law enforcement began an investigation concerning drug trafficking by Carr and her co-defendant, Guy Benjamin Bowman, in early 2021. The investigation revealed Carr and Bowman trafficked crystal ice methamphetamine from Bowman’s sources in Chino Hills, California into various locations in Southwest Virginia for redistribution. The organization operated primarily in Washington County from January 2021, through April 2022. When the defendants were arrested, over two pounds of crystal ice methamphetamine was seized.
Bowman was convicted following a jury trial in July 2022 and is scheduled for sentencing on November 28, 2022.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares made the announcement today.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Holston River Regional Drug Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Virginia State Police, and task force officers from both the Lebanon Police Department and the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Virginia Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ramseyer are prosecuting the case for the United States.
Chicopee Company Controller Sentenced for Stealing $1.4 Million from Company FinancesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A West Springfield man was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield for embezzling over $1.4 million from his employer.
Gerald Burke, 70, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark A. Mastroianni to 31 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Burke was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims and the Internal Revenue Service. On April 13, 2022, Burke pleaded guilty to eight counts of bank fraud, two counts of mail fraud and three counts of filing a false tax return.
Burke was employed as the controller of a privately owned metal stamping company in Chicopee and was responsible for the company’s finances, including directing payroll and signing checks on behalf of the company. From October 2011 until his termination in 2018, Burke embezzled $1.4 million by authorizing additional payroll payments to himself and by writing checks to himself and his credit card company from the company account. He failed to report $1.2 million of his illegal income to the IRS over the nearly seven-year duration of the embezzlement scheme, thereby evading more than $160,000 in federal taxes.
United States Attorney Rachel S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Morgan of Rollins’ Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.
Charleston Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Role in Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Maylik Watson, 29, of Charleston, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 6, 2020, Watson sold approximately 174.9 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Charleston for $5,600.
Watson and 11 other individuals have pleaded guilty to charges arising from a long-term investigation dubbed the “Woo Boyz.” The investigation targeted a drug trafficking organization (DTO) with ties to the Bloods and Gangster Disciples criminal gangs that distributed large quantities of methamphetamine in the Charleston area from July 2020 until February 2021.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charleston Police Department, and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), and the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the West Virginia State Police, and the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman prosecuted the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF 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. Today, 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. 2:21-cr-32.
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Canton Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Distribution and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – Daniel Joseph Kitlak, 37, of Canton, Ohio, was sentenced on Friday, Oct. 10, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to receipt and distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, in October 2021, law enforcement authorities executed a search warrant at Kitlak’s Canton-area residence after receiving information that Kitlak had distributed approximately 252 images and videos of child pornography online. During the search, authorities obtained multiple electronic devices later found to contain hundreds of files of child pornography, including at least one image involving a minor under the age of 12.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret A. Kane.
Canadian drug-runner sentenced to ten years in prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 51-year-old resident of Alberta, Canada, was sentenced today to ten years in prison for his attempt to smuggle nearly 1,432 pounds of methamphetamine from the U.S. into Canada, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Ted Karl Faupel was arrested on May 25, 2022, in a small boat on Puget Sound near the San Juan Islands. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered the boat riding low in the water near Stuart Island. Law enforcement seized 28 locked duffle bags loaded with 539 packages of highly pure methamphetamine. Faupel also had a loaded firearm within reach.
“This huge load of methamphetamine represents hundreds of thousands of doses on the streets of Canada,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “We know violent criminal gangs get rich off the pain of addiction. I am glad this shipment is off the streets and not furthering addiction and the gang violence that is part and parcel of the drug trade.”
According to records filed in the case, officers with CBP’s Office of Field Operations, Air and Marine, encountered the 18’ Bayliner Capri
Boat loaded with methspeedboat as it was headed towards Canada. The boat had Canadian registration numbers. The Customs and Border Protection vessel used lights and siren to get the watercraft to stop. The officers noted that the speedboat was riding very low in the water. Faupel was taken into custody and the boat was taken to the Bellingham Coast Guard Station where a drug dog alerted to the presence of narcotics.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James L. Robart noted that gang paraphernalia was found in the boat. “You don’t start transporting drugs for (a violent street gang) if you fear for your family…. This is a very dangerous group and (Faupel) chose to gamble with his family’s safety.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, Office of Field Operations, and Border Patrol.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Watts Staniar.
Duffle bags of drugsBuffalo Man Pleads Guilty to Gun Charge and Failing to Appear in CourtRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Edwin Colon, 28, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and failure to appear after pre-trial release before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz W. Wright, who is handling the case, stated that on March 19, 2018, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Colon’s Hickory Street residence in Buffalo, recovering a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, multiple rounds of ammunition, and a quantity of cocaine. Colon was subsequently indicted on charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Following his arraignment, Colon was released on conditions, with orders to return to federal court on April 16 and May 7, 2019. However, Colon failed to appear as required, and an arrest warrant was issued. Colon was arrested on the warrant in October 2019.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Jeremy Bell.
Sentencing is scheduled for February 8, 2023, before Judge Sinatra.# # # #
Buffalo Man Going to Prison for His Role in Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Louis Gilbert, 44, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute, and distributing, 500 grams or more of cocaine, was sentenced to serve 36 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Antoine and Laura A. Higgins, who handled the case, stated that between July 2019, and January 10, 2020, the defendant conspired with others to sell cocaine. On January 10, 2020, Gilbert, and co-defendant Saan Thompson engaged in a text communication regarding a drug sale. Thereafter, investigators set up surveillance in the vicinity of 189 May Street and observed Thompson and Gilbert meet inside of the residence. Afterwards, Erie County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle Gilbert was driving and he was found in possession of suspected cocaine. Saan Thompson was previously convicted.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino; the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Jeremy Bell; the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito.
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Brooklyn Center Man Pleads Guilty to Insurance Fraud After Staging a Politically Motivated Arson AttackRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Brooklyn Center man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after filing fraudulent insurance claims for a staged arson, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on September 23, 2020, Denis Vladmirovich Molla, 30, falsely reported to law enforcement that someone had lit his camper on fire and that three unknown males were near his home when he heard an explosion. Molla also reported that his garage door was vandalized with spray painted graffiti stating, “Biden 2020,” “BLM,” and an Antifa symbol, and that his camper was targeted because it had a Trump 2020 flag displayed on it. In reality, Molla started his own property on fire and spray painted the graffiti on his own garage.
According to court documents, Molla submitted multiple insurance claims seeking coverage for the damage to his garage, camper, vehicles, and residence caused by the fire. When Molla’s insurance company denied some of those claims, Molla submitted a written complaint to the insurance company claiming that it was defrauding him and threatened to report the company to the Department of Commerce and to the Attorney General. Molla also created and allowed others to create two GoFundMe accounts to benefit Molla and his family. In total, Molla submitted more than $300,000 in fraudulent insurance claims, and he received approximately $61,000 from his insurance company. Molla also received more than $17,000 from individual donors via GoFundMe.
Molla pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge David S. Doty to one count of wire fraud. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Brooklyn Center Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela M. Munoz and Kimberly A. Svendsen are prosecuting the case.
Boulder County Veterinarian Indicted for Fentanyl FraudRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Lindsay Oklesh, 37, of Boulder County has been indicted by a federal grand jury for fraudulently obtaining fentanyl, which is a controlled substance.
According to the indictment, between March 10, 2020 and September 22, 2021, Oklesh, a doctor of veterinary medicine, utilized her Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration number to purchase controlled substances from a distributor while misrepresenting that they were for the use of legitimate veterinary patients, rather than for her personal use.
Oklesh made her initial appearance before Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews on October 11, 2022.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Alyssa Mance.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Case Number: 22-cr-316
Boston Man Sentenced for Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced today for distributing methamphetamine from his condominium in Boston’s Back Bay area.
Corey Goldberg, 47, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr., to 30 months in prison and six years of supervised release. Goldberg was also ordered to pay forfeiture of $282,604. In September 2020, Goldberg pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, two counts of distribution of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine.
In August 2019, investigators became aware that Goldberg was distributing crystal methamphetamine to customers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, some of whom were then reselling the drugs to retail customers. On three different dates between Aug. 23, 2019 and Sept. 18, 2019, Goldberg sold between one and two ounces of methamphetamine to a cooperating witness. These sales all took place in Goldberg’s Back Bay condominium. During a search of Goldberg’s residence in October 2019, investigators seized approximately 39.2 grams of 97% pure methamphetamine from the kitchen and approximately 246.6 grams of 100% pure methamphetamine from a safe in Goldberg’s bedroom.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; Merrimack (N.H.) Police Chief Brian Levesque; and Portsmouth (N.H.) Police Chief Mark Newport made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Arnold of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Dapcic of Rollins’ Asset Forfeiture Unit prosecuted the case.
Baldwin Felon Indicted for Firearms Law ViolationRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of suburban Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal firearm laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Maurice White Jr., age 21, formerly of Baldwin, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about September 21, 2022, White Jr. knowingly, possessed a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
For White Jr., the law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 15 years in prison, a fine of no greater than $250,000, a term of supervised release of not more than 3 years, or a combination thereof. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.
Assistant United States Attorney Katherine C. Jordan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
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.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Bakersfield Relatives Plead Guilty to Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Charles Abieanga, 31, Viviana Cervantes, 23, and Simon Abieanga, 28, all of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to separate fraud charges, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Charles Abieanga and Viviana Cervantes, husband and wife, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft for their roles in two different fraud schemes. The first scheme involved submitting false claims to the California Employment Development Department and obtaining benefits associated with those claims. The second scheme involved impersonating a supplier of personal protective equipment (PPE) and defrauding hospitals by selling non-existent medical supplies including surgical gowns and N-95 protective masks. Charles Abieanga also pleaded guilty separately to a scheme involving the sale of non-existent pets, horses, and vehicles to victims online. Charles Abieanga and Viviana Cervantes’s conduct caused actual losses of over $210,000.
Simon Abieanga, Charles’s brother, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in a two separate, but similar, fraud schemes. The first scheme involved submitting false claims to the California Employment Development Department and obtaining benefits associated with those claims. Simon Abieanga’s second scheme involved the sale of non-existent pets, horses, and vehicles to victims online. Simon Abieanga’s conduct caused actual losses of over $105,000.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, the California Employment Development Department, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandre Dempsey and Joe Barton are prosecuting the case.
The brothers are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ana de Alba Jan. 17, 2023, and Cervantes is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2023. Charles Abieanga and Viviana Cervantes face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy to commit wire fraud and a mandatory two years in prison consecutive to any other sentence for the aggravated identity theft. Simon Abieanga faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Bakersfield Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Possession of Ammunition and Possession of a Counterfeit Postal KeyRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Michael Marcum, 46, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of ammunition and possession of a counterfeit postal key, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Marcum was being investigated for his involvement in breaking into multiple community mailboxes. While executing a search warrant at Marcum’s residence, law enforcement officers found a semi-automatic firearm with no serial number, rounds of 9 mm ammunition, stolen mail, and a counterfeit postal key that was subsequently discovered to have been forged by Marcum. Marcum is a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandre Dempsey is prosecuting the case.
Marcum is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ana de Alba on Jan. 23, 2023. Marcum faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
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 U.S. Department of Justice 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.
Armed Wilmington Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 12 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Massimo Campana, 31, of Wilmington, was sentenced last week to 144 months in prison for armed drug trafficking. On May 25, 2022, Campana pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of a Substance containing Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. The investigation uncovered that from August 2021 until the time of his arrest, Campana took part in a conspiracy that was responsible for the distribution of more than 3 kilograms of methamphetamine. Campana was on federal supervised release at the time he committed these offenses.
“This is yet another example of the collaboration between federal, state and local law enforcement to disrupt the drug trafficking organizations that are engaged in violence in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “We are successfully investigating and prosecuting these cases to put violent criminals behind bars.”
“Fighting the threat of illegal firearms and dangerous narcotics is always a joint effort,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “ATF’s work with our local law enforcement partners, along with our U.S. Attorney, continues to take these threats out of our communities and better public safety.”
“I am very proud of the men and women of the Wilmington Police Department for making this arrest and getting this violent criminal off the streets. I also would like to thank the United States Attorney’s Office and our partner agencies both local, state, and federal who work with us consistently to put these individuals behind bars. We are committed to reducing violence within our community and will continue to work tirelessly to get drugs off of our streets to create a safe environment for all,” said Wilmington Police Chief Donny Williams.
According to court documents and other evidence presented in court, on September 15, 2021, an ATF undercover agent made a controlled purchase of an ounce of methamphetamine from Campana at a business in Brunswick County. During the deal Campana bragged about the potency of his methamphetamine.
On October 20, 2021, a Wilmington Police Officer observed Campana driving a car with a fictious tag leaving a hotel on Market Street. The officer attempted to stop the car. Campana refused to stop and traveled at speeds in excess of 70 miles an hour on the city streets in an attempt to elude law enforcement. When law enforcement finally boxed in Capana at the intersection of Wrightsville and South College Road, Campana put his car in reverse and rammed a police vehicle. An officer had to break the driver side window to remove Campana from his car at gun point as he attempted to flee the scene. During of a search of Campana, officers found a quantity of methamphetamine and a loaded .380 caliber handgun.
This is part of operation “Golfer” which is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, 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.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Drug Enforcement Administration, the New Hanover and Brunswick County Sheriffs’ Offices and the Wilmington Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabe Diaz and Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:22-CR-00027-BO.
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Anderson Community School Corporation Bookkeeper Charged with Embezzling nearly $1 Million over More than Five YearsRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Carla Burke, 62, of Anderson, Indiana, has been charged with wire fraud, and will make her initial appearance before a Magistrate Judge in federal court in Indianapolis in the coming weeks.
The Anderson Community School Corporation (“ACSC”) is a public school corporation in charge of at least ten public schools in Anderson, Indiana. As part of its operations, ACSC employs teachers, administrators, coaches, custodians, and other professionals, and is responsible for the education of more than 6,000 children. Burke was the ACSC Food Service Department’s Bookkeeper. As part of her duties, Burke maintained the financial records for the Food Service Department. Burke was also responsible for issuing checks on behalf of ACSC approved by her supervisor.
According to court documents, between January 1, 2014, and June 30, 2019, Burke used her position as a bookkeeper for ACSC to embezzle nearly $1 million from the school corporation. Rather than submit legitimate vendor expenses, Burke issued approximately 312 checks to herself from ACSC totaling $976,773.29. To conceal her theft, Burke falsified ACSC records making it appear that the payments were to an ACSC vendor. Burke used the stolen funds for her own personal expenditures, including gambling at several casinos. Burke also willfully failed to report approximately $225,381 in income she derived from the scheme on her tax returns and lied to federal agents when questioned about her illegal conduct.
If convicted, Burke faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Actual sentences are determined by a federal district court judge and are typically less than the maximum penalties.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana; Herbert J. Stapleton, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Indianapolis Field Office; and Paul Joyce, State Examiner of the Indiana State Board of Accounts; made the announcement.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany J. Preston, who is prosecuting this case.
An Information is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
30-Year-Old Tucson Woman Sentenced to 18 Months for Smuggling Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – On September 29, 2022, Dominque Trinidad Valdez-Velasquez, 30, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 18 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. Valdez-Velasquez previously pleaded guilty to Transporting Illegal Aliens, Placing in Jeopardy the Life of Any Person.
Valdez-Velasquez was arrested on December 29, 2021, during an immigration checkpoint traffic stop near Amado, Arizona. At the checkpoint, a United States Border Patrol canine alerted agents to the trunk of Valdez-Velasquez’ vehicle. When the agents asked Valdez-Velasquez to open the trunk, they discovered four undocumented noncitizens from Mexico. According to court documents, after traveling for an hour, the noncitizens were left in the trunk, unable to move or leave, for more than four hours while Valdez-Velasquez slept in a hotel.
Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-0173-TUC-RM-LCK
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-173_Valdez-Velasquez# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
23 Ohioans indicted as part of narcotics distribution ring involving bulk amounts of fentanyl, crack cocaine, cocaine, methamphetamine & other narcoticsRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The government added 12 defendants and 28 new charges to a federal narcotics conspiracy case that now charges 23 total individuals.
A multi-agency law enforcement task force initially announced the case in July after a federal grand jury indicted 11 defendants for distributing bulk amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine in central Ohio within 1,000 feet of a Columbus elementary school.
A superseding indictment unsealed Friday now charges additional co-conspirators with distributing those same drugs in addition to methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, Xanax and Oxycodone.
According to the 42-count superseding indictment, from at least January 2008 until 2022, the drug trafficking organization sold drugs out of local West side Columbus residences to customers and distributed larger amounts to regional drug traffickers who then trafficking those narcotics to places such as West Virginia and the Northern District of Ohio.
Most of the alleged drug dealing took place within 1000 feet of Burroughs Elementary School in Columbus.
The indictment also alleges two defendants distributed fentanyl and crack cocaine that initially resulted in serious bodily harm to the victim, who ultimately died of an overdose.
As part of this case, local, state, and federal law enforcement officers have executed more than 20 search warrants at various locations throughout Central Ohio and seized more than $1.7 million in alleged drug proceeds. For example, while executing a search warrant at Car-Go storage units, law enforcement officials discovered at least $1.2 million in cash. Searches of residences yielded 47 firearms, diamonds, Rolex watches and additional bulk amounts of cash.
Those originally charged include:
Name
Age
City of Residence
Cordell A. Washington, aka Corey, Dub, Bro
35
Columbus, Ohio
Patrick M. Saultz, aka White Boy Pat
44
Columbus, Ohio
David E. Price, aka DP
53
Columbus, Ohio
Allison E. Smith, aka Alli
27
Columbus, Ohio
Tavaryyuan Johnson, aka Gucci
22
Columbus, Ohio
Tyler N. Bourdo
28
Columbus, Ohio
Alexis C. Lewis
30
Columbus, Ohio
Michael Fowler
45
Canton, Ohio
Carmela Brooks
48
Canton, Ohio
Dustin A. Speakman, aka Dawg
32
Columbus, Ohio
Danny G. Mullins
53
Columbus, Ohio
Defendants added in the superseding indictment unsealed today include:
Name
Age
City of Residence
Robert E. Tinsley, III, aka Cam
22
Columbus, Ohio
Priscilla L. Washington
58
Columbus, Ohio
Lauren E. Brezney
29
Shallotte, N.C./Columbus, Ohio
Brittany A. Williams
36
Columbus, Ohio
Gabriel R. Smith, aka Gabe
34
Canal Winchester, Ohio
Robert L. Pyles, aka Pork
45
Columbus, Ohio
Mitchell A. Powers
33
Columbus, Ohio
Vincent T. Griffin
50
Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Caitlin R. Duff
27
Columbus, Ohio
Michael D. Burton
39
Columbus, Ohio
Brian K. Long, II
32
Columbus, Ohio
Anthony B. Frierson, aka Royal
31
Columbus, Ohio
Twenty-two defendants are charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, Xanax and Oxycodone. The narcotics conspiracy is punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker commended the investigation coordinated by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission task force, which includes Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant; Angie Salazar, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations; and Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Other agencies that have assisted the task force with the investigation include the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, HIDTA Task Force, IRS-Criminal Investigation, FBI, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), Ohio National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, Pickerington Police Department, New Albany Police Department, and the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team.
Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Prichard and Emily Czerniejewski are representing the United States in this case.
This investigation 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.
Indictments merely contain allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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10 October 2022
U.S. Attorney hosts public safety Tribal ConsultationRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – On Oct. 5, Alexander M.M. Uballez, the United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, hosted delegations from the Pueblo of Acoma, Pueblo of Isleta, Pueblo of Laguna, Pueblo of Nambé, Pueblo of Pojoaque, Ohkay Owingeh, Pueblo of Sandia, Pueblo of Santa Ana, Pueblo of San Felipe, Pueblo of Zuni, Mescalero Apache Tribe, Navajo Nation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women in a Special Session Tribal Consultation held in Albuquerque.
The Special Session was the beginning of an ongoing conversation with Tribal law enforcement partners about public safety efforts in Tribal Territories. The Tribal delegations provided comment and recommendations regarding the demand for additional resources to combat violence against women, youth and children, the necessity of more flexible intake criteria and support for drug trafficking investigations, and the need for additional training.
“On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and every day, the United States Attorney’s Office is committed to working alongside, and learning from our Tribal partners, with respect, sincerity and a shared interest in the wellbeing of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Uballez. “Indigenous knowledge through Tribal consultation is at the heart of this effort. Our approach will be victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community and confident that law enforcement will be vigilant in the investigation of crimes against community members.”
One of the new initiatives to address public safety in Indian Country is the assignment of an individual AUSA liaison to each Tribal community in the state of New Mexico. The Special Session was an opportunity for Tribal leaders and law enforcement to meet with their Tribal liaison and address the U.S. Attorney. Representatives from each Pueblo, Tribe and Nation in attendance provided comments relating to issues unique to their communities as well as issues common throughout the District of New Mexico.
U.S. Attorney Uballez, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Aja Brooks, Criminal Chief Kristopher Houghton, Indian Country Crimes Section Supervisor Elisa Dimas along with Tribal Liaisons Kyle Nayback, Eliot Neal, Alexander Flores, Nicholas Marshall, Brittany DuChaussee, Mark Pfizenmayer, Matthew McGinley, and Novaline Wilson, as well as Law Enforcement Coordinator Alyssa Skrepcinski received the comments. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will incorporate the comments into an Operational Plan to address public safety in Indian Country.
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Homeland Security Investigations Recognizes Asheville Federal Prosecutor for Her Work Combating Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has awarded Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Alexis I. Solheim the agency’s “Assistant U.S. Attorney of the Year” award, for her exemplary work in child exploitation cases investigated and prosecuted in the Western District of North Carolina. HSI’s recognition ceremony was held on Friday, October 7, 2022.
“The protection of the most vulnerable among us is a priority for my Office and the Justice Department,” said U.S. Attorney King. “AUSA Solheim is tasked with bringing to justice individuals who harm innocent children, which are often some of the most difficult and challenging cases handled by federal prosecutors. Through her legal work and advocacy, AUSA Solheim has demonstrated exemplary legal skill and professionalism, advocating for crime victims and holding offenders accountable for their actions. I am proud of AUSA Solheim’s achievement and I commend her for her legal successes and her work focusing on prevention and intervention.”
AUSA Solheim is a federal prosecutor in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville and serves as the Western District’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator. In this capacity, AUSA Solheim is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of cases involving the sexual exploitation and abuse of minors. Launched by the Department of Justice in 2006, Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual abuse and exploitation. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Justice Department’s 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, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
The HSI award recognizes AUSA Solheim for her outstanding work in numerous federal criminal prosecutions involving the production, receipt and distribution of child pornography, “traveler” or enticement crimes, and online child exploitation cases, among others. In addition to prosecuting federal matters, as the District’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, AUSA Solheim conducts trainings of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies on how to investigate and prosecute computer-facilitated crimes against children. AUSA Solheim also participates in community education programs, in order to raise awareness about the threat of online sexual predators and to provide the tools and information to children and parents on how to protect children and report possible violations.
AUSA Solheim began her career in public service in 2014, when she joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA), working on criminal and civil matters in federal court. Ms. Solheim then became an Assistant District Attorney in Buncombe County, where she prosecuted state criminal offenses. In 2018, Ms. Solheim returned to federal prosecution as a SAUSA with North Carolina’s 43rd Prosecutorial District until 2021, when she was hired to serve as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
AUSA Solheim received her undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina and her law degree from the Campbell University School of Law.
7 October 2022
Yukon Man Pleads Guilty to Computer Access Fraud in Connection with Scheme to Misrepresent FAA Mechanic Certification to Local Aviation CompanyRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – GORDON BELLAMY, JR., 42, of Yukon, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty earlier this week to computer access fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On August 17, 2022, a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Bellamy for alleged offenses while he was employed by Ally Aerospace Services as a contractor for AAR Corporation. The Indictment alleged that Bellamy worked as an aircraft maintenance mechanic at the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City and that he supervised mechanic crews responsible for removing and reattaching panels as part of the maintenance of commercial aircraft. Under Federal Aviation Administration ("FAA") regulations, supervising employees must be certified Airframe and Powerplant mechanics. According to the Indictment, in October of 2018, Bellamy illegally accessed an FAA database that contained records of all Airframe and Powerplant mechanic’s certificates, obtained a certificate belonging to another licensed mechanic, and falsely presented it to his employer as his own.
Count 1 charged Bellamy with wire fraud, and Count 2 charged him with computer access fraud. Count 3 alleged Bellamy committed aggravated identity theft.
On October 3, 2022, Bellamy pleaded guilty to computer access fraud before U.S. District Judge Jodi W. Dishman. As part of the plea hearing, Bellamy admitted that he intentionally accessed an FAA computer and obtained information from the FAA in furtherance of his scheme to defraud his employer, by misrepresenting himself as a certified Airframe and Powerplant mechanic.
At sentencing, Bellamy will face up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000, followed by up to three years of supervised release. As part of the plea agreement, the government has agreed to dismiss at sentencing the remaining counts of the indictment. A sentencing date will be set by the court. Bellamy has been in federal custody since his arrest on August 23, 2022.
This case is a result of an investigation by the United States Department of Transportation-Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle London.
Reference is made to court filings for further information.
Westfield Woman Indicted for Alleged Hoax Bomb Threat Made to Boston Children's HospitalRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Westfield woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a hoax bomb threat made against Boston Children’s Hospital.
Catherine Leavy, 37, was indicted on one count of making a false bomb threat and one count of intentionally conveying false or misleading information that a bomb was on the way to Boston Children’s Hospital. Leavy was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint on Sept. 15, 2022 with one count of explosive materials - willfully making a false bomb threat. She will appear in federal court at a later date.
According to the charging documents, in August 2022, agents began monitoring threats made against Boston Children’s Hospital and its employees. Among the wide range of healthcare services it provides, Boston Children’s Hospital is home to the Gender Multispecialty Service (GeMS) program – the first major healthcare program in the United States to focus on gender-diverse and transgender adolescents.
On Aug. 30, 2022, Boston Children’s Hospital received a telephonic bomb threat. As a result of the call, the hospital and surrounding area was placed on lockdown status and a bomb squad was dispatched. An investigation determined no explosive devices were located at the Hospital. Law enforcement obtained subscriber and call detail records and location information for the phone number that called in the bomb threat. According to court documents, the phone number was subscribed in Leavy’s name and cell tower data indicated the phone was nearby Leavy’s residence at the time the bomb threat was made.
During a search of Leavy’s residence on Sept. 15, 2022, the phone allegedly used to make the threat from Leavy’s residence was recovered.
The charge of making a false bomb threat provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of intentionally conveying false or misleading information provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. 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.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Westfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nadine Pellegrini and Jared C. Dolan, Chief and Deputy Chief of Rollins’ National Security Unit, respectively, are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Waupaca Man Sentenced to 9 Years for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WI. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Justin Baumgardt, 37, formerly of Waupaca, Wisconsin was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 9 years in federal prison for possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. This prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Baumgardt pleaded guilty to these charges on June 29, 2022.
On May 26, 2021, Baumgardt traveled to Barron County, Wisconsin after agreeing to sell three ounces of methamphetamine to a confidential informant. When Baumgardt arrived at the location of the anticipated drug deal, law enforcement officers made contact with him and searched his car. Inside the car, officers found bags containing a total of 116 grams of methamphetamine.
At the time he was arrested, Baumgardt was on active state extended supervision for robbery with use of force and was also out on bond for an open state drug trafficking case from 2019.
Baumgardt was later interviewed by law enforcement officers. He admitted to trafficking methamphetamine and estimated distributing approximately 40 pounds of methamphetamine in Wisconsin.
At sentencing, Chief Judge Peterson noted Baumgardt’s methamphetamine dealing was very destructive to the community. Chief Judge Peterson highlighted Baumgardt’s prior criminal history, which included acts of violence and poor performance while on supervision.
The charge against Justin Baumgardt was the result of an investigation conducted by the Barron, Rusk, and Washburn County Sheriffs’ Offices and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary J. Corey and Steven P. Anderson prosecuted the case.
Watertown Woman Pleads Guilty to Bank FraudRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Carrie Wetherell, 44, of Watertown, New York, pled guilty to one count of bank fraud related to her scheme to withdraw and spend the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits of a deceased relative.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Sharon B. MacDermott, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Office.
As part of her guilty plea, Wetherell admitted to using her deceased relative’s identity and ATM card to withdraw SSI benefits that had been deposited into the relative’s bank account after her death. At the same time Wetherell withdrew these funds, she was also receiving Temporary Assistance and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from the Jefferson County Department of Social Services. However, she failed to disclose the money she withdrew from her deceased relative’s account knowing that such disclosure would disqualify her from receiving those benefits. As part of her plea, Wetherell agreed to pay $85,980.05 in restitution to the Social Security Administration and the Jefferson County Department of Social Services and agreed to a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $6,194.00.
At sentencing, currently scheduled for February 9, 2023, Wetherell faces a maximum term of imprisonment of thirty years, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and a term of supervised release of up to five years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case is being investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul J. Tuck and Assistant United States Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle.