title: DEA Investigations Result in Three Southern Oregon Drug Traffickers Pleading Guilty in Federal Court

component: USAO - Oregon

body_text: MEDFORD, Ore.—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced today that three southern Oregon drug traffickers, including the head of a Klamath Falls, Oregon, drug trafficking organization, have pleaded guilty in federal court following investigations by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Medford resident office. Juan Jessie Martinez-Gil, 59, a former resident of Reno, Nevada, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Candice Nadine Mckee, 31, a distributor in Martinez-Gil’s network and resident of Lakeview, Oregon, pleaded guilty Monday to possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl. Also on Monday, in a separate criminal case, Jessie Cole Merkel, 31, of Redding, California, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing fentanyl. U.S. v. Martinez-Gil et al. According to court documents, between August 2019 and September 2021, Martinez-Gil, the head of a Klamath Falls area drug trafficking organization, conspired with various associates, including McKee, to possess and distribute large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl, in the form of counterfeit Oxycodone pills, in and around Klamath Falls. A coordinated law enforcement operation conducted in September 2021 led to the arrests Martinez-Gil and several of his co-conspirators. Federal search warrants were executed on five locations and two vehicles. Over the course of the investigation, DEA special agents, working with other southern Oregon law enforcement agencies, seized approximately 17 pounds of methamphetamine and 700 counterfeit Oxycodone pills. Martinez-Gil will be sentenced on February 22, 2024, by U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. McShane. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence. Mckee will be sentenced the same day and faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. U.S. v. Merkel According to court documents, between February and April 2022, Merkel, a known northern California drug dealer responsible for trafficking quantities of fentanyl from California to Oregon, sold fentanyl to undercover law enforcement officers on two separate occasions. On April 14, 2022, Merkel was arrested while traveling from California to Oregon. Merkel will be sentenced on February 22, 2024, by Judge McShane. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine, and three years’ supervised release. Martinez-Gil et al. was investigated by the DEA Medford Resident Office with assistance from the Basin Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team (BINET), a Klamath Falls area narcotics task force comprised of Oregon State Police, the Klamath Falls Police Department, and Oregon National Guard. Merkel was investigated by the DEA Medford Resident Office with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Oregon State Police, and the Central Point Police Department. Both cases were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.


title: Albany Man Indicted in Federal Court for Sexually Abusing a Toddler

body_text: EUGENE, Ore.—An Albany, Oregon man has been indicted in federal court for sexually abusing a toddler on at least five separate occasions, announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. Kevin Walter Taylor, 33, has been charged with five counts of using a child to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct, four counts of distributing child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography. According to court documents, on the morning of September 8, 2023, special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) discovered material online depicting child sexual abuse and determined that Taylor was likely committing the abuse from his home in Albany. Within hours, HSI agents and officers from the Albany Police Department obtained and executed a federal search warrant on Taylor’s residence. The same night, HSI and Albany Police arrested Taylor and rescued the toddler victim. When taken into protective custody, the toddler victim was still wearing the same clothes as those depicted in the abuse images allegedly produced and distributed by Taylor hours earlier. Taylor was arraigned in federal court today by a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered detained pending a jury trial scheduled to begin on December 27, 2023. Using a child to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct is punishable by up to 30 years in federal prison with a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence. Distributing and possessing child pornography are punishable by up to 20 years in prison with a 5-year mandatory minimum sentence. This case was investigated by HSI in conjunction with the Albany Police Department. It is being prosecuted by William M. McLaren, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org . Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, they re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org . 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Kenai man arrested for threatening U.S. Senator

component: USAO - Alaska

body_text: ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Kenai man was arrested Monday on charges of making interstate threats to kidnap and injure a current U.S. Senator. According to court documents, Arther Graham, 46, sent a web form submission to a U.S. Senator on Sept. 28, 2023, threatening to injure the Senator. Congressional staff members reported the threat to the U.S. Capitol Police and an investigation was launched. The defendant identified himself in the threat. Law enforcement later confirmed the sender was Graham and lived in Kenai. He was taken into custody by special agents from the U.S. Capitol Police and FBI on Oct. 30, 2023. He is scheduled to make an initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge on Nov. 3. Graham is charged with using interstate communications with a threat to kidnap and injure in violation of 18 U.S.C. §875(c). If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska made the announcement. The U.S. Capitol Police, with assistance from the FBI Anchorage Field Office, the Kenai Police Department and the Alaska State Troopers, is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Vandergaw is prosecuting the case. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: District Man Indicted on First Degree Murder and Other Charges for a Shooting Rampage on WMATA System

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Isaiah Trotman, 32 of Washington, D.C., was indicted on October 25, 2023, on 52 charges, including first degree murder while armed, for a fatal shooting rampage on February 1, 2023, that claimed the life of 63-year old Robert Cunningham and left two other people injured, at and inside the Potomac Avenue Metro Station, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The indictment charges Trotman with multiple counts, each, of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping while armed, destroying property, and carrying a pistol without a license. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty. This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Branch and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jackson.


title: Arrest Made in Bakersfield Firearms Trafficking Investigation Involving over 100 Guns Found at Crime Scenes

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Joshua Ruic Kimball, 40, of Bakersfield, was arrested today on a criminal complaint for unlawful trafficking of firearms controlled by the National Firearms Act and for unlawful trafficking of firearms in violation of state law, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. “Under the guise of operating a legal firearms shop, Kimball was selling firearms in bulk without recording transactions through the ATF or complying with state background check or waiting period requirements,” U.S. Attorney Talbert said. “Over one hundred firearms traced to his operation have been recovered at crime scenes throughout the district, California, and other states. Our office is grateful for the strong federal, state, and local partnerships that made this investigation successful.” “There is no higher priority than protecting our communities from firearms violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Cicolani of the ATF. “Crime gun intelligence was a key factor in being able to identity the firearms dealer in this investigation, and we will continue in our collaborative efforts with the Central Valley Crime Gun Task Force to strategically target and identify illegal firearms sales, trafficking patterns, and sources of crime guns.” “The results of Operation Last Member are not only impressive, but they highlight the profound impact of combating illegal and indiscriminate sales of firearms to criminals,” Fresno Police Department Chief Paco Balderamma said. “The recovery of at least 102 firearms used in crimes from a single source in the western United States is a significant achievement. These guns will no longer pose a threat to our community, and the individual responsible for their distribution will be held accountable. I commend the Central Valley Crime Gun Task Force, a collaboration between the Fresno Police Department and the ATF, for successfully conducting this large-scale and complex investigation. I am also very appreciative of the work by our US Attorney’s Office for taking this case on and prosecuting it at the federal level. I look forward to future investigations by this task force which will work closely with our federal partners to eradicate illegally purchased firearms from the hands of criminals. This type of proactive enforcement will undoubtedly enhance the safety of our community, making it a better place to live.” According to court documents, the investigation began when law enforcement began discovering firearms traced to Kimball that had been seized in connection with crimes. Over 100 such firearms have been traced to Kimball since 2021. Undercover agents then contacted Kimball at his place of business, Show Off Sports LLC, at which point Kimball sold undercover agents multiple weapons, including a short-barreled rife and several silencers. All of the weapons were sold without background checks or documentation as required by law. This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert L. Veneman-Hughes and Stephanie M. Stokman are prosecuting the case. If convicted, Kimball faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine for trafficking in firearms; 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for unlawfully trafficking in controlled firearms; and five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for unlawfully trafficking in firearms in violation of state law. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. 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.


title: Bay Area Doctor Convicted Of Health Care Fraud And Kickback Scheme For Referrals To Medicare-Funded Home Health Services

component: USAO - California, Northern

body_text: SAN FRANCISCO – Henry Geoffrey Watson, a medical doctor residing in Oakland, California, was convicted by a federal jury today of charges that included accepting kickbacks for patient referrals to home health agencies, health care fraud, and false statements relating to a health care matter, announced Attorney for the United States Thomas A. Colthurst, Robert K. Tripp, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge, and Steven J. Ryan, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG). The jury found that Watson, 67, engaged in three health care kickback schemes from 2013 to 2019, using his position as a licensed medical doctor. The first scheme involved a conspiracy in which Watson agreed to refer patients to home health agency Amity Home Health Care in exchange for illegal kickback payments. The evidence at trial proved that Watson and employees of Amity and its CEO, Amanda Singh, conspired to pay Watson regular and recurring amounts, sometimes in the form of cash payments of $3,000 a month, to ensure that Watson referred Medicare patients to Amity each month. Title 42, United States Code, Section 1320a-7b, the Anti-Kickback Statute, makes it a crime for any person to knowingly solicit, offer, or pay a kickback, bribe, or rebate for furnishing services under a Federal health care program including Medicare. In the second scheme proved at trial, Watson accepted kickback payments from an undercover FBI agent posing as a home health agency representative seeking Watson’s agreement to refer his patients to a particular Bay Area home health agency. The evidence at trial included video recordings of Watson accepting envelopes of cash, for a total of more than $10,000, at four meetings in 2017. The jury heard evidence that Watson also suggested other doctors who he believed would be willing to accept illegal payments for referrals from the undercover agent. The third scheme proved at trial involved a conspiracy between Watson and others to repeatedly and falsely certify individuals for Medicare-funded home health services that the individuals did not seek and did not need. The evidence at trial showed that Watson and co-conspirators arranged for Watson to briefly meet large numbers of unwitting elderly residents of Bay Area retirement homes. After these meetings, held in common areas or recreation rooms, Watson certified that each and every resident he met was homebound, meaning they had a normal inability to leave the home. In fact, according to the evidence and the jury’s verdict, Watson knew that the patients were not homebound and did not need the services he prescribed. Watson did not conduct any tests or conduct any inquiry about whether they were homebound, according to trial evidence, but he nevertheless made fraudulent referrals to the three home health agencies. During time periods that Watson repeatedly certified that certain individuals were homebound, testimony from these individuals and their regular primary care doctors showed that the individuals were generally healthy and active, engaging in activities such as traveling internationally, shopping, walking stairs, and jogging. The evidence proved Watson falsely billed Medicare for certifying these individuals for home health and for supervising their home health care, despite the fact that the individuals did not need that care. As part of the conspiracy, Watson was paid illegal kickbacks of $100 per patient referral by a co-conspirator working for the three home health agencies. “Henry Watson engaged in a scheme to enrich himself and his co-conspirators by falsely certifying patients needed expensive home health care services, causing Medicare to pay millions in unnecessary and fraudulent claims,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. “The FBI and its law enforcement partners will continue to pursue and prosecute medical professionals who cheat our critical healthcare programs like Medicare.” HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Steven J. Ryan said: “Violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute harm patients by taking away their choice and by depriving them of a doctor committed to doing what is best for them. Kickbacks also can result in medically unnecessary services billed to Medicare, which can affect the availability of services and drive up the cost of health care for everyone. Individuals and entities that participate in the federal health care system must obey the laws meant to preserve the integrity of those programs.” Criminal charges against Watson were unsealed on September 5, 2019, when the United States Attorney’s Office announced charges by criminal complaint against 30 defendants in a wide-ranging, patients-for-kickback scheme. Those charges included criminal kickback charges against Amity Home Health Care, which was then the largest home health care provider in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Advent Care, a provider of hospice care. In relation to the investigation that led to the charges and conviction of Watson, other individuals and doctors were also convicted of illegal kickbacks: • Amity’s CEO, Ridhima Amanda Singh pled guilty to charges of conspiracy to pay kickbacks for the referrals of Medicare beneficiaries on August 5, 2022, in Court Case No. 22-CR-267 CRB. • Dr. Bhupinder Bhandari pled guilty to violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute on June 6, 2022, in Court Case No. 20-CR-374 JD. • Dr. Zheng Zhang pled guilty to violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute on April 25, 2022, in Court Case No. 22-CR-090 VC. • Dr. Gerald Myint pled guilty to violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute on November 18, 2020, in Court Case No. 20-CR-408 CRB. • Dr. Juan Posada pled guilty to violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute on January 27, 2021, in Court Case No. 20-CR-420 RS. All those defendants have been sentenced by the judges assigned to those cases. Watson was charged by a federal grand jury in a Superseding Indictment dated March 9, 2021, that included the following counts, with the following maximum penalties: NO. OF COUNTS VIOLATION DESCRIPTION MAXIMUM PENALTIES FOR EACH COUNT Two 18 U.S.C. § 371 Conspiracy to Pay and Receive Health Care Kickbacks 5 years in prison $250,000 fine Seven 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)(1)(A) Anti-Kickback Statute 10 years in prison $100,000 fine Eight 18 U.S.C. § 1347 Health Care Fraud 10 years in prison $250,000 fine Eight 18 U.S.C. § 1035 False Statements Relating to Health Care Matters 5 years in prison $250,000 fine Watson remains released on bond pending sentencing. Watson’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 28, 2024, before Judge Breyer in San Francisco. Any sentence will be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristina Green and Katherine Lloyd-Lovett, and the Corporate and Securities Fraud Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Helen Yee and Laurence Macaraeg. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and HHS-OIG.


title: United States Attorney Freedman Announces First-Ever Settlement of False Claims Act Whistleblower Case Involving Grants for Restaurants and Similar Businesses Struggling During the COVID-19 Pandemic

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Feast American Diners LLC and Dawood “David” Beshay, the corporate owner and managing member of multiple Denny’s restaurants throughout Arizona and New York, including locations in Syracuse, Auburn, Camillus, Cicero, and Watertown, will pay $2 million to resolve allegations that Beshay falsely certified that Feast American Diners was eligible for a Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) grant when he knew or should have known that his company owned and operated too many locations to qualify for the funding, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman. United States Attorney Freedman stated: “The Restaurant Revitalization Fund was meant to provide a financial lifeline to restaurants and other eligible entities that were struggling to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. Feast American Diners and Dawood Beshay are paying a steep price for falsely certifying their eligibility for these funds.” Congress enacted the American Rescue Plan Act, in March 2021, as a continuation of the federal government’s efforts to provide relief to American individuals and businesses suffering the economic and public health effects of the pandemic. The Act allocated $28.6 billion toward an RRF, to be administered by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), that could grant qualifying restaurants and other “eligible entities” monetary awards equal to revenue losses caused by the pandemic. Any restaurant that owned or operated more than 20 locations as of March 13, 2020 was not eligible for an RRF grant. In April 2021, SBA released guidelines for completing RRF applications. The guidance reiterated that an entity was not an “eligible entity” if it owned or operated more than 20 locations as of March 13, 2020. At various points throughout the guidance, SBA explained that a restaurant was in “operation” if it was “making sales.” In the settlement agreement, Feast American Diners and Beshay admit, acknowledge, and accept responsibility for the following facts: In May 2021, Beshay applied for an RRF grant on behalf of Feast American Diners, in the amount of $928,554. One of the questions on the application asked whether Feast American Diners owned or operated more than 20 locations as of March 13, 2020, to which Feast American Diners responded “no.” That same question indicated that an applicant who responded “yes” would not be eligible for the grant. Later in the application, Beshay affixed his initials next to the following statement: “The Applicant, together with its affiliates, does not own or operate more than 20 locations.” In fact, Feast American Diners owned 21 Denny’s locations as of March 13, 2020 and each of those locations made sales that day, facts that Beshay acknowledges that he should have known. “Those who provide false information for the purpose of receiving and retaining SBA program funds meant for eligible small businesses will be held accountable,” said SBA Office of Inspector General (OIG) Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “Today’s settlement sends a strong message that those responsible will be brought to justice. I want to thank the U.S. Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.” The investigation began in December 2022, when a whistleblower filed a qui tam complaint under seal in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York. When a whistleblower, or “relator,” files a qui tam complaint, the False Claims Act requires the United States to investigate the allegations and elect whether to intervene and take over the action or to decline to intervene and allow the relator to go forward with the litigation on behalf of the United States. The relator is generally able to then share in any recovery. Pursuant to the settlement agreement, the relator will receive $200,000 of the settlement. The investigation and settlement were the result of a coordinated effort between the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, SBA-OIG, and SBA’s Office of General Counsel. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Katz. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across the federal government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form .


title: Decatur, Illinois, Man Convicted of Possession of Child Pornography

component: Department of Justice

body_text: PEORIA, Ill. – A federal jury returned a guilty verdict on October 31, 2023, against Brian R. Lewis, 45, of Decatur, Illinois, for possession of child pornography. Sentencing for Lewis has been scheduled for March 15, 2024, in front of Senior United States District Judge Michael M. Mihm at the U.S. Courthouse in Peoria, Illinois. In a half day of testimony, the government presented evidence to establish that Lewis possessed on his cellular phone nearly one hundred images depicting child pornography. Lewis also emailed himself several child pornography images. The images depicted children as young as four to six years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Lewis was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshals Service. At sentencing, Lewis faces up to ten years’ imprisonment; a fine of up to $250,000; and up to a lifetime term of supervised release. The case investigation was conducted by the Decatur Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shannon O’Brien Ranck and Sierra Senor-Moore represented the government at trial. The case against Lewis was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov .


title: Atlanta-Based Fentanyl, Meth Supplier to Central Georgia Pleads Guilty

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: MACON, Ga. – An Atlanta resident supplying large quantities of controlled substances, including fentanyl, to distributors in the Milledgeville, Georgia, community pleaded guilty to his crime in federal court this week; other members of the conspiracy were also sentenced. Lagary Williams aka “Frog,” 40, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances on Oct. 30. Williams faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to a maximum of life in prison to be followed by at least five years of supervised release and a $10,000,000 fine. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 7, 2024. The following co-defendants, all residents of Milledgeville, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and were sentenced to prison on Oct. 31: Damon Hayes aka “D-5” was sentenced to serve 275 months in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release; Derek Ingram was sentenced to serve 190 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release; Quintavius Horton aka “Bloody Bae” was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release; and Travarious Davis aka “D Red” was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Co-defendant, Billy Harper, of Milledgeville, was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison on Oct. 31 after he previously pleaded guilty to maintaining a drug involved premises. Chief U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell is presiding over the cases. The defendants are not eligible for parole. “This Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case ultimately prevented enough fentanyl to kill hundreds of thousands of people from hitting the streets, undoubtedly saving Georgia lives,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Stopping armed fentanyl trafficking and holding those associated with its distribution accountable is a top priority for our office and our law enforcement partners.” “Fentanyl and methamphetamine have taken a terrible toll on our communities,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Atlanta Division. “This drug distributor and his associates will now face the consequences of their actions.” “A large amount of deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine was taken off the streets of Central Georgia, and a key supplier has been stopped,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “Partnering with law enforcement at every level, GBI will continue to dedicate resources to investigating armed drug distribution activity in a collective effort to make the communities we serve safer.” “Our main supply of drugs into Central Georgia is coming from Atlanta. The work of local, state and federal law enforcement linked this Baldwin County drug trafficking network to a significant supplier in Atlanta,” said Ocmulgee Drug Task Force retired Commander Wesley Nunn. “Anytime we catch a fentanyl supplier means we are saving many lives.” According to court documents, agents with the DEA Macon Resident Office (MRO), Ocmulgee Drug Task Force (ODTF) and the GBI received credible and reliable information from multiple confidential sources regarding illegal drug activities occurring in the Milledgeville area in July 2020. Hayes was identified as a multi-kilogram distributor of methamphetamine, powder cocaine and crack cocaine with Williams as his supply source. Through surveillance, agents observed Hayes acquire bulk quantities of narcotics from Williams’ luxury high-rise apartment in downtown Atlanta. On Sept. 10, 2021, after intercepts on the wiretap indicated that Hayes was travelling to Atlanta to meet Williams for a drug re-supply meeting, a federal search warrant issued in the Northern District of Georgia was executed at Williams’ apartment. Agents encountered Williams and another person, who both jumped off the apartment’s balcony to evade capture. Both individuals were subsequently captured. Agents recovered 2.5 kilograms of fentanyl in the apartment, as well as one kilogram of methamphetamine, two kilograms of cocaine, approximately 50 grams of cocaine base, approximately seven pounds of marijuana, a Glock 19 9mm pistol and a Ruger model 57 handgun. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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 . The case was investigated by DEA, GBI, the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force, the Baldwin County Sherriff’s Office, the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office, the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, the Atlanta-Carolina’s HIDTA Office and the Gwinnett Metro Task Force. Deputy Criminal Chief Will Keyes is prosecuting the cases for the Government. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Kalim previously prosecuted the case.


title: Strawberry Point Man Convicted of Firearm Possession

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A man who was found in a park after hours with a short-barreled shotgun pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids. Scott Wesley Timmerman, age 56, from Strawberry Point, Iowa, was convicted of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. In a plea agreement, Timmerman admitted that he was in a state park after it had closed, and had a short-barreled shotgun in his vehicle. Timmerman admitted that due to a prior felony conviction he was not allowed to legally possess firearms. The vehicle was searched by law enforcement officers after Timmerman was arrested for unrelated charges. 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. Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Timmerman remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Timmerman faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Reinert and was investigated by the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 23-CR-02054. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Bucks County Man Pleads Guilty to “Ponzi” Schemes, Money Laundering, and Stealing Over $6 Million in Federal Pandemic Relief Funds

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Stanislav Bril, 40, a/k/a “Stan Bril,” a/k/a “Slava Bril,” a resident of Jamison, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty on October 30, 2023 before United States District Judge Gene E.K. Pratter to three counts of mail fraud, eleven counts of wire fraud, five counts of bank fraud, and five counts of money laundering, all arising from Bril’s operation of two different Ponzi schemes, his false applications for bank loans, his defrauding of the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program, and related conduct. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue leading the charge with our law enforcement partners to hold Stanislav Bril and other fraudsters accountable for their schemes,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “These fraud schemes impact us all, from individual investors to taxpayers. We also appreciated the public’s assistance and cooperation in bringing these cases.” “Over the course of ten years, Bril perpetrated multiple fraud schemes, stealing variously from investors, a bank, and the U.S. government,” said Richard Langham, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Fortunately, the FBI and our partners are experts at ensuring criminals like him are held accountable.” “IRS-Criminal Investigation is proud to have provided its financial expertise in this investigation,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “We, along with our law enforcement partners and the Department of Justice, are committed to aggressively investigating individuals who engage in money laundering, tax fraud, or other types of white-collar crimes.” From October 2011 to August 2014, Bril operated a “Ponzi” scheme through his company, Mortgage Consultant Group (“MCG”), obtaining over $1 million from investors and using much of these funds for his own benefit and to perpetuate the scheme. Bril approached investors and persuaded them to make capital loan investments in MCG. In his marketing materials and his sales pitches to investors, Bril falsely claimed that these investments would enable MCG to make loans on real estate and construction projects or enable MCG to make short-term, high interest loans. Bril falsely promised that investors would obtain regular returns, or “interest,” on their capital loan investments in MCG. Rather than use investors’ funds as promised, Bril used the vast majority of the funds to pay himself, his family, and his personal expenses – including his gambling losses at casinos – and to perpetuate his scheme by occasionally making “interest” payments to some investors. From October 2018 to June 2021, Bril fraudulently obtained a $750,000 line of credit from a bank headquartered in Scranton, Pennsylvania for another company he created, The Bril Group, Inc. (“TBG”). In order to secure the line of credit, Bril made false statements about TBG’s business, the number of TBG employees he was hiring, and the intended use of the line of credit. Once he obtained the line of credit, Bril caused those funds to be spent on unauthorized purchases and laundered a significant portion of those funds through various bank accounts. From April 2020 to March 2021, Bril fraudulently obtained over $6.7 million from the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) and Paycheck Protection Programs (“PPP”) by making false statements about the number of employees of, the wages and payroll taxes paid by, and the intended use of the loan proceeds by several companies that Bril created. Bril falsely claimed that these companies – TBG, MCG LOAN, and SAB Services LLC – had several hundred employees when in fact none of these companies had more than one employee. In his PPP and EIDL applications, Bril submitted allegedly historical tax forms with inflated payroll information for nonexistent employees that had never actually been filed. In addition, Bril falsely denied that there were criminal charges pending against him at the time of his applications. In fact, federal charges were already pending against Bril for his perpetration of the Ponzi scheme detailed above. Once he fraudulently obtained these funds, Bril wired them to other individuals, cryptocurrency platforms, and a title company towards a purchase of a Los Angeles condominium. Bril also laundered a significant portion of those funds through various bank accounts and transactions. From July 2019 to at least August 2021, Bril revived MCG and used it to perpetrate yet another “Ponzi” scheme, obtaining millions of dollars in loans from several investors and using these funds for his own benefit and to perpetuate the scheme. Bril initially took short-term loans from investors and repaid investors with high interest rates to lull them into a false sense of security and to obtain larger loans from them. In his sales pitches to investors, Bril falsely claimed that their loans would enable MCG to make loans on real estate and construction projects and/or enable MCG to make short-term, high-interest loans. However, Bril provided investors with few details of these purported projects and declined to identify his purported borrowers. Bril often encouraged investors to “rollover” their loans into new deals rather than take their payouts per their agreements with Bril. When investors asked Bril whether he had any claims, lawsuits, or legal proceedings filed against him, Bril falsely answered in the negative despite his knowledge that federal charges were already pending against him for his perpetration of the earlier Ponzi scheme. When Bril began missing the agreed repayments to investors, Bril provided bogus explanations for his theft of their loans, including that he was waiting for a wire to clear, that he waiting for a check to be mailed from his bank, that he was looking for a new bank, that his new bank was giving him a “hard time,” and that he was suffering from a variety of health emergencies and personal tragedies that were somehow preventing him from making timely paying to the investors. Rather than use investors’ funds as promised, Bril used the funds to pay himself, his family, and his personal expenses – including trading in digital currencies – and to perpetuate his schemes by occasionally making “interest” payments to some investors. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Vineet Gauri and Matthew T. Newcomer.


title: THREE PUERTO RICAN MEN PLEAD GUILTY TO COCAINE CONSPIRACY

component: USAO - Virgin Islands

body_text: St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Pedro Ramos Ramirez, 28, Gerald Cruz, 26, and Johnny Arias Rodriquez, 28, all of Puerto Rico, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Ruth Miller and Chief District Judge Robert Molloy to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine onboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. According to court documents, on December 29, 2022, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations interdicted a go-fast vessel with the defendants onboard. The vessel was operating without navigational lights north of Stumpy Bay, St. Thomas. The officers also observed a flashing light onboard the vessel and a simultaneous flashing light on the shoreline of Stumpy Bay. While pursuing the vessel, Ramos Rivera, the caption of the vessel, took sharp, erratic turns to evade the officers while Cruz and Arias Rodriquez tossed bales of cocaine from the vessel into the oceans. The vessel was disabled and the bales which totaled 75 kilograms of cocaine were recovered from the ocean. For their convictions, the defendants face a possible mandatory sentence of 10 years to life imprisonment and a maximum fine of $10,000,000.00. A district judge will determine the appropriate sentence after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other sentencing factors. This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everard E. Potter.


title: CHINESE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGALLY ENTERING THE UNITED STATES

body_text: St. Thomas, VI –United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Xiaoling Li, 32, of China, pleaded guilty to Illegal Entry into the United States before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller and was sentenced to time served. According to court documents, Xiaoling Li was arrested after being inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection before he attempted to board a Delta flight to New York on August 2, 2023. During his inspection, officers determined that Li traveled from China to Suriname, and on July 26, 2023, Li paid $7,500.00 to his traffickers to illegally transport him by boat to St. Thomas. Li’s inspection also confirmed that no record exists that authorized his legal entry into the United States, and no evidence exists that Li applied for, sought, or received prior permission to enter or reside in the United States. This case was investigated by United States Customs and Border Protection and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz.


title: DOMINCAN REPLUBLIC MAN SENTENCED TO 168 MONTHS ON COCAINE CONSPIRACY CONVICTION

component: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

body_text: St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Yefri Martinez-Herrera, 31, of the Dominican Republic, was sentenced to 168 months imprisonment by Chief District Judge Robert A. Molloy after pleading guilty on March 6, 2023, to conspiracy to possess and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. According to court documents, Martinez-Herrera and co-defendant Kelly Bruney, agreed to sell 200 kilograms of cocaine to an undercover agent at a cost of $11,500.00 per kilogram. The investigation concluded on February 3, 2022, when federal agents executed a search warrant at Martinez-Herrera’s home in French Town. From the search, agents recovered 87 kilograms of cocaine and a firearm in Martinez-Herrera’s bedroom. Agents also discovered Martinez-Herrera hiding in a closet. This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Payne.


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Recognizes National Domestic Violence Awareness Month; Announces Justice Department Funding for Community-Based Responses

component: USAO - Rhode Island

body_text: PROVIDENCE, RI – The Department of Justice joins survivors, victim service providers, advocates, and communities nationwide in recognizing National Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). This is a time to center the experiences of survivors, honor those who have lost their lives to domestic violence; express gratitude to the countless individuals in the movement to end violence; and raise awareness about issues of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. As it concludes its month-long observance of DVAM, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island is proud to announce that the Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) has awarded approximately $1.25 million to Rhode Island service providers to bolster coordinated community responses aimed at bringing an end to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Data from the most recent National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey indicate that about 41% of women and 26% of men experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner and reported an intimate partner violence-related impact during their lifetime. Domestic violence rates are even higher for American Indian and Alaska Native populations, Black individuals, people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ individuals. Nationally, the announced grants will reach Tribal nations, historically marginalized communities, underserved communities, college and university campuses, rural towns, culturally specific communities, and more. The funding prioritizes increasing access to justice, improving survivor safety, holding perpetrators accountable, and offering training and technical support to professionals addressing these crimes. Community-based agencies in the District of Rhode Island received the following funds for the 2023 fiscal year: OVW awarded $232,584 to Day One and $108,034 to the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence under the State and Territory Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions Program to enhance the coordination between courts, child protective services agencies, advocates, law enforcement, and community programs to encourage trauma-informed, survivor-centered responses to domestic violence and sexual assault. OVW awarded $400,000 to Progresso Latino under the Sexual Assault Services Culturally Specific Program (SAS Culturally Specific Program) to support communities in establishing or expanding culturally appropriate services that address the needs of sexual assault survivors from culturally specific communities. OVW awarded $500,000 to Sojourner House under the Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Program (Transitional Housing Program) to support programs that provide 6 to 24 months of transitional housing or housing assistance to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. “These grant funds from the Office on Violence Against Women are a critical part of the Department’s effort to assist our Rhode Island community partners as they support survivors and stand up for victims across our state, not just in court, but throughout their courageous efforts to carry on with their lives in the wake of violence,” commented U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “Every day, a vast network of dedicated individuals helps domestic violence survivors access multiple pathways to safety, justice, and healing,” said OVW Director Rosie Hidalgo. “OVW understands that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to addressing domestic violence. These funds will enable communities to increase capacity and strengthen a coordinated community approach to prevent and address violence in more comprehensive ways tailored to their communities. Together, with our grantees, we are building a future where individuals and families can live and thrive without the threat of intimate partner violence.” OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through implementing VAWA and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities nationwide that are developing programs, policies, and practices to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw . ###


title: Former North Dakota State Senator Indicted for Child Sex Tourism and Child Pornography

component: USAO - North Dakota

body_text: Fargo - A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Raymon Everett Holmberg, a/k/a Sean Evans, for Child Sex Tourism and Receipt of Child Pornography. Holmberg, age 79, from Grand Forks, ND, a former North Dakota State Senator, was indicted on October 26, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota and appeared for an initial appearance and arraignment today. The Indictment alleges that beginning in June 2011 through November 2016, Holmberg repeatedly traveled from North Dakota to Prague, Czech Republic, for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts (Child Sex Tourism) with a person under the age of 18 years. It also alleges that on November 24, 2012, and continuing until March 4, 2013, Holmberg received and attempted to receive child pornography depicting a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Holmberg has entered a not guilty plea to matters alleged in the Indictment and an initial trial date has been scheduled for December 5, 2023. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The charges announced today are the result of a federal investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigation and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the nation, Project Safe Childhood, in conjunction with Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), help federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies enhance their investigative responses to offenders who use the Internet, online communications systems, or computer technology to sexually exploit children . The ICAC Program is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces engaging in proactive investigations, forensic investigations, and criminal prosecutions. Project Safe Childhood also helps to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . For additional resources for survivors or victims, help is available at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) and CyberTipline URL https://report.cybertip.org . Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 515, Associate Deputy Attorney General at Department of Justice Bradley Weinsheimer has directed and authorized the First Assistant United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota to have the status and perform all the authorized functions of a United States Attorney with respect to the matter. This case will be prosecuted by the First Assistant US Attorney, and Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the United States Department of Justice. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in the case. Anyone with information concerning this investigation is encouraged to contact the Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 866-347-2423 . Tips can be anonymous. NOTE : Because this investigation is ongoing, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota will have no additional statements or comment at this time .


title: Quincy Man Arrested for Hiding Over $10 Million in Corporate Income

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Quincy man was arrested yesterday in connection with his alleged involvement in filing false tax returns on behalf of his company that hid over $10 million in corporate income. Su Nguyen, 60, was charged with aiding and assisting the filing of false tax returns. Nguyen was released on conditions following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston yesterday afternoon before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley. According to the charging documents, between 2016 and 2020, Nguyen was the owner and operator of General Employment Services (GES), a temporary employment agency operating in Massachusetts. Clients paid GES by check for the work performed by GES employees. Nguyen deposited a small number of client checks in a bank account that Nguyen used for GES business and reported that income to the IRS. However, Nguyen allegedly cashed the majority of client checks at a check casher located in Worcester and used that cash on himself and to pay some employees’ wages. It is alleged that in total, Nguyen cashed over $10 million in client checks and did not report that income or the wages paid in cash to the IRS. By doing so, Nguyen and GES failed to pay over $2 million in taxes. Each count of aiding and assisting the filing of false tax returns provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, up to one year 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. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Markham of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is 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.


title: Former President of Asphalt Paving Company Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging

component: Antitrust Division

body_text: The former president of a Michigan-area asphalt paving company pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a conspiracy to rig bids for asphalt paving services contracts in Michigan. According to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court in Detroit, Daniel Israel, along with other individuals working for the company where Israel was formerly the president, conspired with another asphalt paving company and its employees to rig bids in each other’s favor. The conspiracy began at least as early as March 2013 and continued until at least as late as November 2018. Under the terms of the conspiracy, the co-conspirators coordinated each other’s bid prices so that the agreed-upon losing company would submit intentionally non-competitive bids. These bids gave customers the false impression of competition when, in fact, the co-conspirators already had decided among themselves who would win the contracts. Israel pleaded guilty to one count of violating Section One of the Sherman Act. The maximum penalty for individuals who violate Section One of the Sherman Act is 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Israel is the third individual to plead guilty as a result of an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the asphalt paving services industry being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office and the Offices of Inspectors General for the Department of Transportation and U.S. Postal Service. Over a two week span in August, a company and two of its executives also pleaded guilty in this investigation. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations .


title: District Man Sentenced for the June Killing of a 62-year-Old Man

body_text: WASHINGTON – Demarcus Barnett, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on October 27, 2023, to eight and a half years in prison and five years of supervised release for voluntary manslaughter while armed. The charge stems from the shooting of 62-year-old Lasanta Qumar McGill, on June 8, 2023, in the Westminster neighborhood. Barnett pleaded guilty to the offense on August 27, 2023, admitting that after being robbed by two individuals, he chased after them and fired wildly down the sidewalk. In doing so, he struck and killed Mr. McGill, an innocent bystander. The government requested a sentence of 15 years, the top of the range provided by the Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, given Barnett’s criminal history. This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Gibbons.


title: Court Sentences Mobile County Woman for Methamphetamine Trafficking

component: USAO - Alabama, Southern

body_text: MOBILE, AL – On October 24, 2023, United States District Court Judge, Terry F. Moorer, sentenced Brittany Theresa Pugh, of Wilmer, Alabama, to 35 months imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Documents filed with the Court established that on December 26, 2020, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office on-call detective for narcotics was called to an area of Eight Mile, Alabama where he learned that other deputies from the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department had been engaged in an extended pursuit of a black Chevrolet pick-up, occupied by the two persons. Pugh was a passenger in the vehicle, and she fled on foot during the pursuit from law enforcement. Pugh was caught by law enforcement and found to be in possession of twenty-six grams of ICE methamphetamine, $7,878.00 in U.S. Currency, a small baggie of marijuana, multiple packages of suboxone stripes, a glass pipe with tubing, and digital scales commonly used to weigh drugs. On March 4, 2021, the defendant was again stopped in a vehicle by deputies of the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. This time Pugh was driving the vehicle and she had two passengers. Found in the vehicle were approximately thirty grams of ICE methamphetamine, a small baggie of marijuana, and a glass pipe with tubing. One of the passengers in the vehicle admitted that she had been purchasing methamphetamine from Pugh. Court documents also revealed that Pugh was a passenger in another vehicle stopped in June of 2020 in Mobile County where law enforcement found methamphetamine in the vehicle. The case was investigated by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.


title: Former North Dakota State Senator Charged for Traveling with the Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with a Minor and Receiving Child Pornography

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A former North Dakota state senator made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota yesterday to face charges for traveling to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and receipt and attempted receipt of child pornography. According to court documents, from June 2011 through November 2016, Raymon Holmberg, 79, of Grand Forks, is alleged to have repeatedly traveled from North Dakota to Prague, Czech Republic, for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts with a person under the age of 18 years. Holmberg is also charged with receiving material depicting a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. If convicted, Holmberg faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison. Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl for the District of North Dakota, and Special Agent in Charge Jamie Holt of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) St. Paul made the announcement. HSI, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations are investigating the case. Trial Attorney Charles Schmitz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Puhl are prosecuting the case. This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood, in conjunction with ICAC, marshals federal, state, and local law enforcement resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. The ICAC Program is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces focused on investigations of online child sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . Anyone with information concerning this investigation is encouraged to contact the HSI Tip Line, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 866-347-2423. Tips can be anonymous. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Former Police Chief Convicted for Cyberstalking and Threats in Multi-Victim Sextortion Scheme

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: COLUMBIA, S.C. — William Bruce Parker, a/k/a “Parker,” a/k/a “Willie Boner,” a/k/a “John Wayne,” of West Columbia, pled guilty of Cyberstalking Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury and Communicating Threats with the Intent to Extort victims for the production of pornography and coerced sex acts. At the plea hearing, Parker, the 66-year-old former Chief of Police of the Town of Pine Ridge, SC, a retired 35-year veteran of law enforcement in South Carolina, who was a state constable at the time of the offenses, admitted to sending a series of threatening emails, texts, and voice messages in 2021 and 2022 from spoofed accounts and phone numbers to numerous female victims. His messages demanded his victims produce and send pornographic videos and photographs or he would harm the victims and their families, including physical and sexual violence directed at his victims and their spouses, children, and grandchildren, if they did not comply with his demands. In his threats, he named particular communities in which his victims engaged, he threatened specific family members, and he promised harm if they went to the police. After receiving the demands, victims reached out to Parker for advice and help given his law enforcement background. Parker lied to the victims about working with law enforcement agencies on investigating the threats, and he instructed the victims to produce and send the pornography. He also falsely promised victims that by responding, police would be able to track the emails and identify the extortionist. Once Parker had the coerced pornography, he then threatened to leak the same to obtain more. His threats culminated with demands that the victims engage in sexual acts with Parker, record the conduct, and send to the extortionist accounts. Parker admitted to engaging or attempting to engage in nonconsensual sexual acts with these victims. At the bond hearing, the Government indicated there is evidence that there are additional victims beyond the two listed in the charging document. Individuals with information related to this case are encouraged to contact FBI Columbia at (803) 551-4200. Parker faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Parker was ordered detained pending sentencing by United States Magistrate Judge Shiva V. Hodges. United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Parker on Jan. 31, 2024 at the Matthew J. Perry Federal Courthouse in Columbia. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott B. Daniels and Elle E. Klein are prosecuting the case. ###


title: Murder in death of child sends Wolf Point woman to prison for more than 16 years

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: GREAT FALLS — A Wolf Point woman who admitted to a murder charge in the death of child on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation was sentenced on Oct. 30 to 16 years and three months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Heather Dawn Smith, aka Heather Dawn Yellow Owl, 33, pleaded guilty in May to second degree murder. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The government alleged in court documents that on Nov. 8, 2020 in Wolf Point, Smith beat the victim, a two-year-old child identified as Jane Doe. When Smith checked on the victim on Nov. 12, the child was unresponsive. The child was transported to the hospital in Wolf Point, where she was pronounced dead. The cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lori Harper Suek and Ryan G. Weldon prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Peck Tribes Criminal Investigation and Wolf Point Police Department conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Three Sentenced for Paycheck Protection Program Loan Fraud Schemes in the Northern District of Oklahoma

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Northern

body_text: Three Tulsa-area residents who fraudulently applied for Paycheck Protection Program loans were sentenced last week in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. First, on Oct. 23, 2023, U.S. District Judge Paul M. Arias-Marxuach sentenced William Mark Sullivan , 50, to 36 months in prison. Sullivan’s wife, Michelle Cadman-Sullivan , 43, was sentenced on Oct. 25, 2023, to 24 months in prison. The Sullivans pleaded guilty in June of 2022 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. As a part of this case, the Sullivans fraudulently applied for approximately $2.7 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans from area banks. Judge Arias-Marxuach also ordered William Mark Sullivan and Michelle Cadman-Sullivan to serve 5 years of supervised release following their terms of imprisonment and to pay $743,776.98 in restitution to the Small Business Administration, the federal agency that guaranteed the loans. In their plea agreements, the Sullivans stated that between April 8, 2020, and May 11, 2020, they conspired together to submit false statements and reports to Arvest Bank and Exchange Bank when they applied for numerous Paycheck Protection Program loans, totaling approximately $2.7 million. The Sullivans submitted false information, false W2s, false Form 941s and false 2019 IRS Schedule Cs (Form 1040) in six Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. They further stated that they had knowingly certified all the information in the applications and supporting documents were true and correct when they knew the information to be incorrect. The couple admitted to transferring the $742,926.50 in funds they received through various bank accounts and using the funds for personal expenses. Mr. Sullivan also stated in his plea agreement that he had represented on applications that “Oklahoma Paving” had an average monthly payroll of $50,546.41 on April 8, 2020, and “USA-1 Construction” had an average monthly payroll of $143,483.00 on April 30, 2020. Similarly, Mrs. Sullivan stated that in their PPP loan applications, she falsely represented that “U.S. Central Construction” had an average monthly payroll of $26,053.00 on April 28, 2020; “Oklahoma Energy” had an average monthly payroll of $279,101.66 on May 4, 2020; “Oklahoma Paving” had an average monthly payroll of $279,101.66 on May 4, 2020; and “Oklahoma Energy” had an average monthly payroll of $251,458.00 on May 11, 2020. The indictment further alleges that the Sullivans misrepresented the number of businesses they owned and operated, the duration of operation for each business, the number and names of employees, the monthly payroll for each business, and the way in which the loan proceeds would be used. Second, on Oct. 24, 2023, U.S. District Judge Paul M. Arias-Marxuach sentenced Ladawn Shazzelle Pinkney to 6 months in federal prison followed by 6 months of home confinement and 2 years of supervised release for her participation in a Paycheck Protect Program loan fraud scheme. Judge Arias-Marxuach further ordered Pinkney to repay the U.S. Small Business Administration $41,828.46 in restitution. As a part of her plea agreement entered in July of 2022, Pinkney plead guilty to wire fraud. She admitted that between March 20, 2021, and April 21, 2021, she made two fraudulent loan applications on behalf of a business that did not exist before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the indictment in the case, Pinkney also received forgiveness for 100 percent of the PPP loans. In her applications for loan forgiveness, Pinkney falsely stated that she used the loan proceeds for payroll and other eligible uses of PPP loan proceeds. “All three of these individuals repeatedly lied to banks to obtain government funds intended to retain employees at legitimate businesses during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “My office will continue to hold fraudsters accountable for misusing federal emergency assistance.” “ These sentencings send a clear warning that you will be brought to justice if you defraud the federal government of pandemic relief funds,” said Jon Ellwanger, Special Agent in Charge, Western Region, Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. “We are proud to have worked with our federal law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in this endeavor to hold fraudsters accountable for their crimes.” “Conspiring to fraudulently obtain federal funds that are meant to provide assistance to nation’s small businesses is unacceptable,” said SBA OIG’s Central Region Special Agent-in-Charge Brady Ipock. “These sentences demonstrate that those responsible will be held accountable. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s office and our law enforcement partners for their support and dedication to pursuing justice in this case.” The Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cymetra M. Williams and Matthew Feeley prosecuted these cases. To learn more about the Justice Department’s COVID response, visit: https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . For further information on the Criminal Division’s enforcement efforts on PPP fraud, including court documents from significant cases, visit the following website: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/ppp-fraud . To report a COVID-19-related fraud scheme or suspicious activity, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by calling the NCDF Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form


title: New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery Charges

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on October 27, 2023, COREY LEWIS , a/k/a “Co,” pled guilty to robbery in Counts 1, 2, and 3 of the superseding bill of information pending against him before U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo. Count 1 charged LEWIS with conspiring to interfere with commerce through robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951. Count 2 charged LEWIS with Hobbs Act Robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951. Count 3 charged LEWIS with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 924(c)(1)(A)(i) and 2. As to Counts 1 and 2, LEWIS faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to three years of supervised release. As to Count 3, LEWIS faces a mandatory minimum term of five years imprisonment up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to five years of supervised release. Count 3 must be served consecutively to any other sentence. LEWIS also faces a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each count. His sentencing is scheduled for February 21, 2024. According to public documents, in 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated a group for committing various violent crimes and illegal drug trafficking, primarily in New Orleans East and the Ninth Ward section of New Orleans. Thereafter, LEWIS, along with nine others, were indicted, for conspiring to possess firearms, traffic drugs and commit armed robberies of drug dealers. LEWIS’s charges specifically stemmed from his participation in the robbery of a drug dealer’s home on September 25, 2019, in St. Bernard Parish. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice Landrieu of the Narcotics Unit and Elizabeth Privitera, Chief of the Violent Crime Unit, are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Defiance man Sentenced to 30 years for Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Coercion and Enticement and Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Ohio, Northern

body_text: TOLEDO – Martin Lee Wilcoxon, age 31, of Defiance, Ohio was sentenced to thirty years imprisonment by U.S. District Judge James R. Knepp III after earlier pleading guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, coercion and enticement of a minor and receipt and distribution of child pornography. Judge Knepp also ordered Wilcoxon to pay a $45,000 restitution, a $300 special assessment and to serve 10 years of supervised release. According to court documents, beginning February 2022, Defendant used the social media application, KiK to chat with an Online Covert Employee portraying the persona of a 13-year-old girl. During the chats, Wilcoxon, requested the purported 13-year-old send him naked photos and videos of herself. Wilcoxon tried to arrange various meetings with the purported 13-year-old girl to have sex with her. On June 16, 2022, a search warrant was executed at Wilcoxon’s residence. Several electronic devices were seized from his home. A forensic examination of his devices revealed more than 11,000 images of child pornography, most of which involved prepubescent females, including toddlers. Wilcoxon was also found to be the moderator of several child pornography chat groups on KiK. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Al-Sorghali and Tracey Tangeman.


title: Brooklyn Resident and Two Russian-Canadian Nationals Charged with Massive Sanctions Evasion and Export Control Scheme

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: A criminal complaint was unsealed yesterday in Brooklyn charging Nikolay Goltsev, Salimdzhon Nasriddinov and Kristina Puzyreva, with conspiracy and other charges related to a global procurement scheme on behalf of sanctioned Russian entities, including companies affiliated with the Russian military. Some of the electronic components and integrated circuits shipped by the defendants have been found in seized Russian weapons platforms and signals intelligence equipment in Ukraine. Nasriddinov, a Brooklyn resident and dual citizen of Russia and Tajikistan, was arrested this morning in Brooklyn. Goltsev and Puzyreva were arrested at a hotel in Manhattan this morning during a trip to New York to visit Nasriddinov. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations New York (HSI), James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Matthew S. Axelrod, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement (BIS) announced the charges. “As alleged, the defendants evaded sanctions, shipping equipment to Russia vital for their precision-guided weapons systems, some of which has been used on the battlefield in Ukraine,” stated U.S. Attorney Peace. “Individuals and companies in the Eastern District should know that our Office will use all tools available to prosecute those who evade sanctions to aid hostile nation states.” U.S. Attorney Peace thanked U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for their valuable assistance to the investigation. “With these defendants in U.S. custody, we have disrupted a sophisticated procurement network allegedly used to procure critical technologies for the Russian military’s advanced weapons systems,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department is committed to imposing accountability and exposing tactics used by hostile nation-states to illicitly acquire items they need to perpetuate their brutal campaigns.” “These defendants are alleged to have illegally exported millions of dollars in electronics to support the Kremlin in its ongoing attacks of Ukraine. Over the course of a year, this criminal organization evaded U.S. sanctions and laws, managing to dispatch over 300 shipments of restricted items, valued at approximately $7 million USD, to the Russian battlefield. This unlawful activity would have persisted if not for the law enforcement collaborative efforts that led to today's charges," said Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, New York. "HSI New York remains committed to utilizing its unique authorities to relentlessly pursue individuals who seek to exploit U.S. export control laws for financial gain.” “The arrests announced today demonstrate our sustained focus on targeting illicit Russian procurement networks, especially those attempting to acquire sensitive U.S. technologies that BIS has identified as critical high priority items for Russia’s military,” said Matthew S. Axelrod, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement. “To be clear: it doesn’t matter if those networks use a front company or transship these items using intermediaries in places like Turkey, Hong Kong, India, China and the United Arab Emirates, with final destination in Russia. We will use all of our tools to hold such actors to account.” "The defendants allegedly were part of a global procurement scheme designed to evade United States’ sanctions and export controls. This case, once again, shows the willingness of Russia to ignore the laws of the United States, using illegal procurement networks to provide for their military. FBI New York and our partners will hold anyone attempting to procure sanctioned equipment accountable in the criminal justice system in order to protect our national security,” said James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, FBI. As alleged, the defendants used two corporate entities registered in Brooklyn, SH Brothers Inc. and SN Electronics Inc., to facilitate the scheme. These entities unlawfully sourced, purchased and shipped millions of dollars in dual-use electronics from U.S. manufacturers to sanctioned end users in Russia. Many of the electronic components and integrated circuits shipped by the defendants through SH Brothers were, according to the Department of Commerce, “of the highest concern due to their critical role in the production of advanced Russian precision-guided weapons systems, Russia’s lack of domestic production, and limited global manufacturers.” As described in the complaint and other court filings, some of the electronic components and integrated circuits with the same make, model and part number shipped by the defendants through SH Brothers have been found in seized Russian weapons platforms and signals intelligence equipment in Ukraine, including the Torn-MDM radio reconnaissance complex, the RB-301B “Borisoglebsk-2” electronic warfare complex, the Izdeliye 305E light multi-purpose guided missile, the Vitebsk L370 airborne counter missile system, Ka-52 helicopters, Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and T-72B3 battle tanks. During the period charged in the complaint, SH Brothers made hundreds of shipments valued at over $7 million to Russia. Goltsev received orders from Russian end users in the defense and technology sectors who sought to acquire a particular item or part from the United States. Goltsev then communicated directly with U.S. manufacturers and distributors, typically using aliases such as “Nick Stevens” or “Gio Ross.” Nasriddinov and Goltsev purchased electronic components from U.S. manufacturers and distributors under the auspices of SH Brothers and SN Electronics, and arranged for the items to be sent to various locations in Brooklyn. Nasriddinov and Goltsev then unlawfully shipped the items to a variety of intermediary corporations located in other countries, including Turkey, Hong Kong, India, China and the United Arab Emirates, where they were rerouted to Russia. Puzyreva operated numerous bank accounts and conducted financial transactions in furtherance of the scheme. As described in the complaint, the defendants were aware that the electronics being exported had potential military applications. For example, in a message exchange on or about and between November 8, 2022 and November 15, 2022 between Nasriddinov and Goltsev, Goltsev commented how shipping to Russia had become “dangerous” and discussed a shipment of electronic components that had been detained by U.S. officials at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York. Nassridinov responded that “Ukrainians alleged that they’re being bombed from parts from there [the U.S. manufacturer], maybe that’s why they started investigating everything?” Goltsev responded that, “we need to figure out why they keep holding the package ... I don’t really understand how they figured [it] out.” In a subsequent message, on or about November 9, 2022, Goltsev commented that, “in the future we will need to load from several companies, not to attract attention ... for now large packages will be dangerous until we understand what they figured out ... we will need to think of diversifying the load ... so that not everything is not moving from the same deck.” In a February 23, 2023 message, Nasriddinov wrote to Goltsev, “Happy Defender of the Fatherland,” referring to the holiday in Russia and parts of the former Soviet Union celebrating those who served in the armed forces. Goltsev responded, “happy holiday to you too my friend, we are defending it in the way that we can [smile emoji].” The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Artie McConnell and Ellen H. Sise are in charge of the prosecution, along with Trial Attorney Christopher M. Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, with assistance from Litigation Analyst Mary Clare McMahon. Assistant United States Attorney Laura Mantell of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters. Today’s actions were coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force and the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation states. Task Force KleptoCapture is an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed, along with its allies and partners, in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. The Defendants : NIKOLAY GOLTSEV AGE: 37 MONTREAL, CANADA SALIMDZHON NASRIDDINOV AGE: 52 BROOKLYN, NY KRISTINA PUZYREVA AGE: 32 MONTREAL, CANADA E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-M-956


title: Cheshire Woman Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Tax Offenses Stemming from Nearly $1 Million Embezzlement Scheme

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, today announced that ERIN SULLIVAN, 53, of Cheshire, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday in New Haven federal court to fraud and tax offenses stemming from an embezzlement scheme. According to court documents and statements made in court, Sullivan was employed as the office manager for a family-owned construction business, identified in court documents in “Company A,” based in Orange. Beginning at least as early as 2016, Sullivan made false entries into Company A’s payroll and accounting system that caused the system to generate hundreds of fraudulent checks payable to her or to “Petty Cash.” Almost immediately after she generated a fraudulent check, Sullivan changed the reference in the payroll and accounting system to show that it had been issued to a different payee. Sullivan sometimes generated checks in the name of Company A’s owner, forged the signature of Company A’s owner on the checks, and either cashed the checks or deposited them into her bank account. She also altered the payroll and accounting system in other ways, which resulted in her receiving additional pay to which she was not entitled. Through this scheme, Sullivan embezzled $955,960.71 from Company A. In addition, Sullivan failed to pay $233,738 in federal income taxes on her embezzled income for the 2016 through 2021 tax years. Sullivan pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of tax evasion, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. Sullivan is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing, which is not scheduled. This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, with the assistance of the Orange Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. McGarry.


title: Jacksonville Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Possessing A Short-Barreled Rifle

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Jonathan Donte Rogers, Jr. (22, Jacksonville) to 21 months in federal prison for possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle. Rogers had pleaded guilty on June 1, 2023. According to court documents, on September 5, 2022, the personal vehicle of an officer from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer (JSO) was burglarized, and his rifle was stolen. The firearm was highly customized to include being a federally regulated short-barreled rifle with the officer’s name engraved on the lower receiver of the rifle. On September 6, 2022, JSO detectives viewed an Instagram video that showed the rifle and depicted Rogers armed with the rifle and filming himself on a phone in the bathroom mirror. Further investigation led to the execution of search warrant at the residence where Rogers resided. The firearm was found in a gym bag located on Rogers’s bed. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro. 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.


title: Florida Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Impersonating Federal Officers  in Nationwide Elder Fraud Scheme

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that CHRISTOPHER L. KEEL , age 53, of Tampa, Florida, was sentenced on October 25, 2023 to 125 months in prison by United States District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle. KEEL was sentenced for his role in a nationwide elder fraud scheme in which KEEL, and his co-conspirators, falsely represented themselves to be U.S. Department of Treasury agents, in order to defraud victims of their savings. According to court documents, KEEL was arrested on April 4, 2022, by Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies in Hammond, Louisiana, while attempting to defraud a 77-year-old woman identified as “Victim A.” Deputies had received an earlier report from the victim’s son, that his mother had been contacted by people posing as U.S. Department of Treasury agents. These “agents” told Victim A that she should withdraw money from her bank accounts and send it to them for safekeeping because her accounts had been allegedly implicated in fraud or money laundering. Beginning in early March 2022, Victim A transferred approximately $60,000 via Green Dot cards to the “agents.” The “agents” also instructed Victim A to give an additional $60,000 to another “agent” on April 3rd. Victim A complied and handed over this sum to the “agent”, later identified as KEEL , at a mall in Hammond. The next day, the perpetrators called Victim A and instructed her to withdraw the remaining funds from her accounts and hand them over as well. Victim A’s bank contacted her son, who then called the police. While deputies met with Victim A on April 4th, the “agents” called her again and gave her instructions to hand over the rest of her money. Deputies arranged a sting operation and arrested KEEL after he approached Victim A in the mall parking lot. Victim A identified KEEL as the same man she met with the prior day. Deputies seized a cell phone and hotel receipts from KEEL . Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) continued the investigation and learned that KEEL and a co-conspirator, had traveled to New Orleans from Seattle within the past 48 hours using plane tickets purchased with the same credit card. HSI Agents identified another victim (“Victim B”), a 76-year-old woman, who had been defrauded out of $300,000. A search of KEEL’S phone showed that he sent a photograph of a box with Victim B’s name and address on it. Victim B said she used this box to deliver her money to the “agent” she met with in Tukwila, Washington. HSI Agents also identified another victim (“Victim C”), an 80-year-old woman living in Bossier Parish, Louisiana. HSI Agents learned that Victim C had withdrawn $36,000 from her account because purported federal “agents” called and told her that her accounts had been compromised. However, prior to delivering the money, local police were contacted and waited at her home. Police observed a vehicle circle near Victim C’s house then depart. An officer recorded the vehicle’s license plate. Later, HSI Agents obtained rental records showing that the vehicle had been leased by a co-conspirator at the time of the attempted fraud. The search of KEEL’S cell phone revealed his contacts with other co-conspirators, dating back to 2021, and his travel to other states, including Texas and Oklahoma, to further the conspiracy. HSI and Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents determined that, since October 2021, KEEL and his co-conspirators caused approximately $4,498,327 in losses, actual and attempted, to 31 victims located throughout the United States. KEEL previously had pleaded guilty to both counts of the superseding indictment pending in this case. As to Count 1, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, Judge Lemelle sentenced KEEL to 125 months in prison and three years of supervised release. As to Count 2, false impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States, KEEL was sentenced to 36 months in prison and one year of supervised release, both terms to be served concurrently. KEEL was also ordered to pay $200 in mandatory special assessment fees. Judge Lemelle ordered that a restitution hearing be set on December 6, 2023. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 1-877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office of Victims of Crime at www.ovc.gov. Additional elder justice resources, training, and outreach materials can be found at the Elder Justice Website at www.elderjustice.gov. If you need assistance or to report elder abuse, please contact your local adult protective services agency through the Eldercare Locator or by call the helpline at 1-800-677-1116 Monday – Friday 9am - 8pm EST. To report elder fraud, please visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center or contact the dedicated National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833–FRAUD–11 or 833–372–8311 Monday – Friday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm EST. U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Homeland Security Investigations, New Orleans Field Office, in investigating this matter. U.S. Attorney Evans also thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Detroit Field Office,) the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan, Homeland Security Investigations (Seattle Field Office,) the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office, for their assistance in this successful prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Payne, Senior Litigation Counsel, is in charge of the prosecution.