title: Pittsburgh Man Sentenced for Possession of Machine Gun

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. – On January 25, 2024, a Pittsburgh resident was sentenced in federal court to 15 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release in connection with his possession of a machine gun, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. United States District Judge William S. Stickman imposed the sentence on Dontrel Bentley, age 34. According to information presented to the court, during a traffic stop on October 24, 2022, an officer with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police recovered a loaded AR-15 style rifle next to the driver, Dontrel Bentley. A search of Bentley’s person revealed that he had in his pocket a .223 caliber round and an auto sear device, which, when installed within the trigger group of a semiautomatic rifle, renders the rifle fully automatic. Bentley admitted that he personally modified the rifle at his home and that the auto sear device belonged to him. The investigation revealed that the seized rifle fired as a fully automatic weapon. Federal law prohibits the possession of machine guns. Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. United States Attorney Olshan commended the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Bentley. 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: Indiana County Man Sentenced for Possession of Material Depicting the Exploitation of Minors

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa.- A resident of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 60 months in prison, five years of supervised release, restitution of $2,000, and an assessment pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of $5000 on his conviction of possession of material depicting the exploitation of minors, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Jeffrey Allen Sink, 57, formerly of Commodore, Pennsylvania. According to information presented to the Court, in February of 2018, as a result of an ongoing investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, HSI Pittsburgh was advised that Sink, who was a convicted sex offender, was obtaining child sexual abuse material from a mobile communication application. In March of 2018, investigators seized Sink’s electronic devices, including a cellphone, and located videos and images of material depicting the sexual exploitation of minor children. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Lieber Smolar prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. United States Attorney Olshan commended the Department of Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Sink. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Alleged Drug Trafficker Wilder Emilio Sanchez Farfan Extradited from Colombia

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – January 26, 2024 SAN DIEGO – Wilder Emilio Sanchez Farfan, aka Gato, an Ecuadorian national and alleged drug trafficker, made his first appearance in federal court today following his extradition to the United States from Colombia yesterday. At the hearing, Sanchez Farfan entered a not guilty plea. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara L. Major ordered him detained pending trial. The next hearing is scheduled for March 4, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel. On October 30, 2019, a federal grand jury in the Southern District of California returned an indictment charging Sanchez Farfan with participating in a transnational conspiracy to traffic substantial quantities of cocaine from Colombia, through Ecuador, and into the United States. Sanchez Farfan’s organization is alleged to have been a major source of supply for the Sinaloa Cartel and the New Generation Jalisco Cartel in Mexico. Sanchez Farfan was apprehended by Colombian authorities at the request of the United States in February 2023 while traveling in Colombia. “We thank Colombian and Ecuadorian law enforcement authorities for their significant assistance,” said U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Judicial Attaché’s office at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota provided critical assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Sanchez Farfan. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Martin and Ashley Goff. DEFENDANT Case 19cr1610-GPC Wilder Emilio Sanchez Farfan Age: 43 Ecuador SUMMARY OF CHARGES International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances– Title 18, U.S.C., Section 959, 960, and 963 Maximum penalty: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison INVESTIGATING AGENCIES Drug Enforcement Administration Federal Bureau of Investigation Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations U.S. Marshals Service *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: Imperial County Dentist Sentenced to Over Three Years in Prison and Nearly $8.5 Million in Restitution for Medicare Fraud

body_text: NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – January 26, 2024 SAN DIEGO – Imperial County dentist Javad Aghaloo was sentenced in federal court today to 37 months in prison for defrauding Medicare and then covering it up. His former billing manager, Melissa Rosas, was sentenced to three years of probation with one year of home confinement for obstructing Medicare’s efforts to audit Aghaloo’s dental offices by providing false information. The pair, along with others, conspired to commit health care fraud by billing Medicare for procedures that were not covered, not performed, or otherwise not necessary. Aghaloo pleaded guilty on October 2, 2023 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud; Rosas pleaded guilty on October 13, 2023 to obstructing a federal audit. “Doctors should treat patients, not exploit them,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This office is committed to protecting vulnerable patients from doctors who take advantage of them, particularly when they do so with no regard for patient safety.” U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta also ordered Aghaloo to forfeit more than $1 million in property purchased with money obtained from the fraud and pay restitution to Medicare in the amount of $8,476,466.23. According to court records, Aghaloo and others recruited Medicare beneficiaries to get dental work done at one of Aghaloo’s two dental offices in Imperial County. To recruit Medicare patients, Aghaloo and his employees marketed their dental services as being covered by Medicare. Aghaloo and his employees knew this was untrue since Medicare does not cover dental services. Once a Medicare beneficiary was in one of Aghaloo’s offices, Aghaloo and others performed some type of procedure (usually a tooth extraction) and submitted false claims to Medicare for the dental work using the person’s Medicare beneficiary number. Since tooth extractions are not covered by Medicare, Aghaloo’s offices submitted false claims for procedures like bone grafts that were never performed. Between March 1, 2016 and October 18, 2018, Aghaloo’s dental offices submitted more than 7,000 false claims totaling over $18 million to Medicare, for which Aghaloo’s offices received $8,476,466.23. To conceal the fraud, between April of 2017 and October of 2018, Rosas and Theresa Flores, Aghaloo’s office manager, submitted false documents to Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC., a Federal auditor for the Medicare program. Flores, who also pleaded guilty to obstructing an audit, is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, March 8, 2024. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Alexander. DEFENDANT Case Numbers 23cr0616-JO; 23cr2127-JO Javad Aghaloo Age: 50 Indio, CA Melissa Rosas Age: 42 Calexico, CA SUMMARY OF CHARGES Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud, a felony, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Obstructing a Federal Audit, a felony, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1516. Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. INVESTIGATING AGENCIES Federal Bureau of Investigation U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General


title: United States and State of Washington File False Claims Act Complaint Against MultiCare for Knowingly Endangering Patients and Fraudulently Billing for Spinal Surgery Procedures

component: USAO - Washington, Eastern

body_text: Spokane, WA – Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that the United States and State of Washington filed a Complaint in federal district court against MultiCare Health System, a Tacoma-based hospital and healthcare system that owns and operates MultiCare Deaconess Hospital (Deaconess) and MultiCare Rockwood Clinic in Spokane, alleging that MultiCare knowingly endangered patient safety and falsely and fraudulently billed Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health care programs for spinal surgery procedures performed at Deaconess between 2019 and 2021 by Jason Dreyer, a former neurosurgeon. Between 2013 and 2019, Dr. Dreyer practiced at Providence St. Mary’s Medical Center in Walla Walla, Washington, a hospital owned and operated by Providence Health & Services (Providence). In 2019, amidst allegations that he was performing medically-unnecessary surgeries, harming patients, and falsifying diagnoses, Providence permitted Dr. Dreyer to resign. The Complaint against MultiCare announced today alleges that, following Dr. Dreyer’s resignation from Providence, MultiCare hired him to perform neurosurgery services at Deaconess. The Complaint alleges that during MultiCare’s hiring process, it became aware of concerns and “red flags” about Dr. Dreyer and his surgical judgment from his time at Providence, but, recognizing that he was a “workhorse”, made the decision to hire him and allow him to begin seeing patients and performing surgery at Deaconess Hospital in July 2019. The Complaint further alleges that in October 2019, MultiCare recognized that Dr. Dreyer was performing a high volume of surgeries and generating significant revenue for MultiCare, and so placed Dr. Dreyer on an incentive compensation structure, meaning that the greater volume and complexity of surgeries performed by Dr. Dreyer, the more money he would make. The Complaint also alleges that in February 2020, the United States Attorney’s Office specifically informed MultiCare that it was investigating concerns that Dr. Dreyer was harming patients, falsifying diagnoses, and performing medically-unnecessary surgeries. According to the Complaint, despite receiving this information, as well as multiple internal complaints and concerns that Dr. Dreyer was performing medically unnecessary surgeries at MultiCare and endangering patients, MultiCare made the decision to allow Dr. Dreyer to continue seeing patients and performing surgery until the Washington Department of Health summarily suspended Dr. Dreyer’s ability to perform surgery in March 2021. The Complaint alleges that MultiCare not only endangered patients through its conduct, but falsely and fraudulently claimed and received reimbursement for millions of dollars from federal health care programs between July 2019 and March 2021. The federal health care programs are: (1) Medicare, which provides health coverage to elderly and disabled Americans; (2) Washington State Medicaid, which is jointly administered and funded by the United States and the State of Washington, and which provides health coverage to low-income Washingtonians; (3) the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Care program, which provides health insurance coverage for veterans for certain specialized services that cannot be performed at VA facilities; (4) the TRICARE program, which provides health insurance coverage for active duty and retired military servicemembers, reserves, and their families; and (5) the Federal Employee Health Benefits program, which provides health insurance coverage to federal civilian employees. “As alleged in the Complaint, MultiCare was aware of serious concerns that Dr. Dreyer was putting patients in danger,” said United States Attorney Waldref. “The Complaint alleges that MultiCare nonetheless made the decision to allow him to treat and operate on patients, even after it became aware of the federal investigation. This is an egregious breach of the public trust.” In April 2022, Providence agreed to pay approximately $22.7 Million and implement a standard of care corporate integrity agreement to resolve its liability concerning surgical procedures performed by Dr. Dreyer and another neurosurgeon that Providence billed to federal health care programs. In April 2023, Dr. Dreyer agreed to pay approximately $1.2 Million to resolve his individual liability under the False Claims Act. “Health care providers that perform medically unnecessary procedures undermine the public’s trust in the health care system and exploit taxpayer-funded programs,” stated Special Agent in Charge Steven J. Ryan of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Working with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG is committed to protecting patients and the integrity of federal health care programs.” “VA’s Community Care programs provide veterans and their families the ability to obtain critical healthcare services from providers within their own communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason Root of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northwest Field Office. “This enforcement action underscores the VA OIG’s commitment to safeguarding the integrity of VA’s healthcare programs and operations and preserving taxpayer funds." “The filed complaint is a constructive step forward in holding MultiCare accountable for putting profit ahead of patient care and safety by willfully ignoring the dubious practices of one of its doctors,” said Bryan D. Denny, Special Agent-in-Charge for the Department of Defense (DoD), Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Western Field Office. “DCIS remains committed to working with its partners to identify and eliminate fraudulent schemes that endanger patient safety and corrupt the integrity of the DoD’s health care program.” “I’m grateful for the close collaboration we have had with our partners at the Washington Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General,” continued U.S. Attorney Waldref. “It was that close collaboration and teamwork throughout these investigations that made the Providence and Dr. Dreyer results possible. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect patient safety and to hold accountable those who put profits ahead of patient safety.” According to court documents, while the United States’ and State of Washington’s investigation of Providence began in February 2020, in April 2022, a former patient of Dr. Dreyer’s at MultiCare filed a qui tam complaint under seal in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. 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. Over the past decade, recoveries in the Eastern District of Washington in False Claims Act cases have exceeded $400 million. The filed complaint can found below us_and_wa_complaint_in_intervention.pdf The joint investigation was conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Seattle Field Office ; the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Spokane Resident Office; the Office of Personnel Management, Office of Inspector General, Seattle Field Office; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Seattle Field Office; and the State of Washington Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Tyler H.L. Tornabene of the Eastern District of Washington are handling this matter on behalf of the United States. Case No: 2:22-cv-00068-SAB (E.D. Wash.)


title: Earlsboro Man Sentenced to Serve 30 Years in Federal Prison for Child Exploitation and Possession of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Western

body_text: Defendant Ordered to Pay $12,000 in Restitution to Victims OKLAHOMA CITY – ALEXANDER WILLIAM SANTIAGO , 26, of Earlsboro, has been sentenced to serve 30 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. On March 9, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a Superseding Indictment against Santiago, charging him with sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography. In April 2023, Santiago was tried by a federal jury and found guilty on both counts. Evidence presented at trial indicated that in July 2021, authorities with the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office became aware of Santiago sexually abusing a minor. Following Santiago’s arrest, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a federal search warrant of his cell phone and discovered thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography, including images that Mr. Santiago produced using the minor he had sexually abused. “The stiff punishment cannot undo the damage done to the innocent child victims, but it will certainly keep this defendant from harming other children,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. “This sentence should also serve as a warning to those who seek to sexually exploit children that such despicable behavior will not be tolerated in a civilized society. I commend law enforcement and the prosecutors who work these difficult and challenging cases.” “This sentence is proof that this defendant’s deviant behavior of victimizing children will not go unpunished,“ said Robert Melton, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, HSI Dallas - Oklahoma, and Texas Panhandle Division. “Thanks to the assistance of the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office, this predator is behind bars, preventing him from ever abusing a child ever again.” At the sentencing hearing on January 26, 2024, U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick sentenced Santiago to serve 30 years in federal prison, followed by supervised release for life, and $12,000 in restitution. Judge Wyrick also ordered Santiago to pay $16,700.00 in special assessments to funds that assist victims of sexual exploitation. In announcing his sentence, Judge Wyrick noted the “vile, horrifying” images found on Santiago’s phone, adding that “our most vulnerable members of society were taken advantage of” as a result of Santiago’s actions. This case is the result of an investigation by HSI and the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys D.H. Dilbeck and Brandon Hale prosecuted the case. This case is the result of an investigation by the Tornado Alley Child Exploitation Task Force. Members of the Task Force in the Western District of Oklahoma include Homeland Security Investigations, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma City Police Department, and Comanche County Police Department. The Tornado Alley Child Exploitation Task Force is an implementation of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Lee County Man Sentenced To 10 Years’ Imprisonment For Drug Distribution Offenses

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Fort Myers, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Alanzo Lamart Edison, a/k/a “Nuely,” (42, Cape Coral) to 10 years in federal prison for distributing and possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl and cocaine. The court ordered that Edison’s federal sentence be served consecutive to a 15-year Florida state sentence previously imposed for unrelated criminal conduct. Edison had pleaded guilty on October 10, 2023. According to court records, Edison sold fentanyl to an FBI informant on three occasions between November 2022 and January 2023. During the transactions, Edison was wearing a GPS monitor in connection with his pre-trial release for a pending Lee County felony criminal case. In April 2023, the FBI executed a search warrant at a residence in Lehigh Acres associated with Edison and recovered more than a half-kilogram of controlled substances, including fentanyl and cocaine. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Fort Myers Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.


title: Port Charlotte Man Sentenced To 20 Years In Federal Prison For Producing Child Sexual Abuse Images

body_text: Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber today sentenced Doron Markowitz (50, Port Charlotte) to 20 years in federal prison for producing images depicting the sexual abuse of a child. The court also sentenced Markowitz to a lifetime of supervised release and ordered him to register as a sex offender. Markowitz had pleaded guilty on August 16, 2023. According to court documents, between August 23 and September 2, 2022, Markowitz produced images of a minor being sexually abused. In September 2022, the mother of a 13-year-old minor learned of the sexual abuse and contacted law enforcement to report Markowitz. The minor described an incident in which the minor believed that Markowitz had used his cellphone to take a photo of the minor being sexually abused. Shortly thereafter, Markowitz was located in Port Charlotte and his cellphone was seized by law enforcement. On September 6, 2022, during an interview with law enforcement, Markowitz admitted that he had sexually abused the minor at least 10 times. The following day, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Markowitz’s cellphone. A subsequent forensic analysis of his cellphone revealed four images depicting the sexual abuse of the minor. The images had been taken on August 23 and September 2, 2022. This case was investigated the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava. This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: Fort Myers Felon Sentenced To Prison For Unlawfully Possessing A Loaded Firearm And Cocaine

body_text: Fort Myers, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Keith Dewayne Drayton, Jr. (27, Fort Myers) to four years and one month in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon and possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine. The court also ordered Drayton to forfeit the firearm and ammunition possessed during the offense. Drayton had pleaded guilty on August 29, 2023. According to court records, on the night of June 17, 2023, officers from the Fort Myers Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Drayton was the front-seat passenger. The vehicle did not stop, and by the time the officers caught up to the vehicle, both the driver and Drayton had fled from the vehicle on foot. On the ground near the front passenger door of the vehicle, officers found a loaded Glock handgun. Inside the vehicle, officers located a satchel which contained a prescription pill bottle bearing Drayton’s full name, as well as a baggie containing almost a half-ounce of crack cocaine. Drayton was later located by officers hiding in a nearby dumpster. As a convicted felon who previously served time in federal prison for a firearm offense, Drayton is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Fort Myers Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth. 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: Lehigh Acres Man Sentenced To Prison For Possessing A Firearm During Drug Transaction

body_text: Fort Myers, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber today sentenced Mar’tavoius Martel Brown (25, Lehigh Acres) to five years in federal prison for possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Brown had pleaded guilty on September 14, 2023. According to the plea agreement, on August 19, 2022, Brown sold a pistol and cocaine to an undercover agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Fort Myers. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan. 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: Former Rogers Company Owner and Former CEO Sentenced in Workers’ Comp Fraud/Kickback Conspiracy

component: USAO - Arkansas, Western

body_text: FAYETTEVILLE - The former owner of a Rogers-based medical supply and billing company and its former chief executive officer were both sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court for their roles in leading a conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and also private workers’ compensation insurers by way of a billing and kickback fraud scheme with multiple physicians and medical clinics, and schemes with two Louisiana physicians to ship medications to them from Arkansas and distribute those medications from their clinics in violation of Louisiana laws. U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks sentenced company owner Hunter Matthew Burroughs, age 44, to four years’ (48 months’) incarceration in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Judge Brooks further ordered Burroughs to pay a total of $3,525,219.77 in restitution, primarily to the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, which handles workers’ compensation claims on behalf of federal employees, to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $4,022,873.00 representing his unlawful gain from the criminal scheme and issued him an additional $25,000 fine. Judge Brooks sentenced company CEO Stephen Keith Andrews, age 50 , to two and a half years’ (32 months’) incarceration, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Judge Brooks further ordered Andrews to pay a total of $2,353,591.84 in restitution, primarily to the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, and to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $508,838.57 . According to the defendants’ guilty pleas, Burroughs, who in 2011 founded the Rogers company, and Andrews, who first served as a sales manager for the company, and later as its chief executive officer, defrauded both federal and private workers’ compensation insurers in schemes that ran until 2017. The basic premise of the health care fraud scheme was that Burroughs, Andrews, and other individuals associated with the Rogers company recruited physicians to dispense pain creams and patches to their workers’ compensation patients by offering them a split of the profits collected from successfully billing insurers, typically 50 percent. After signing contracts with physicians, Burroughs and Andrews caused the Rogers company to supply them with pain creams and patches, and to act as the billing agent for the physicians, handling all of the paperwork and submitting fraudulent claims to both the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, which covers all federal employees, and to private insurers as well. The company billed insurers at markups of anywhere from 15 to 20 times what the medications actually cost, and then paid the physicians unlawful kickbacks on amounts collected. The company’s former billing director, Amanda Dawn Rains , pleaded guilty to her role in the same conspiracy on October 6, 2021. Additionally, Burroughs and Andrews conspired with Louisiana physicians Robert Dale Bernauer, Sr. and Robert Clay Smith to have the Rogers company ship medications to the doctors, and bill insurers for their prescriptions, despite knowing neither physician had the required Louisiana license to dispense medications from his clinic. Bernauer, who ran a clinic in Lake Charles, La., pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy on July 30, 2021. Smith, who ran a clinic in Alexandria, La. pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy on March 29, 2022, but later attempted to withdraw that guilty plea, failed, and was sentenced to four years’ (48 months’) incarceration. These two sentencing hearings bring to a close the criminal cases against Burroughs and Andrews, which began Feb. 28, 2022, when a federal grand jury in Fort Smith returned a 12-count indictment, charging with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud. On Jan. 11, 2023, a second federal grand jury, also in Fort Smith, returned a superseding indictment, adding detail to the criminal allegations. And on Sept. 20, 2023, both Burroughs and Andrews waived further indictment and entered pleas of guilty to a criminal information charging the above-described conspiracy. Because the restitution obligations are shared amongst all defendants in these related cases, the total Burroughs and Andrews must pay in restitution plus forfeitures is $8,081,931.34. This does not include a $664,176.30 payment Bernauer made in 2021 to the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs for his portion of the loss but does include Smith’s shared responsibility for $827,083.40 of the total restitution due in the cases. Rains and Bernauer still await sentencing for their roles in the criminal conspiracy. U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement. The case is being investigated by the Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of the Louisiana Department of Justice, the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, and the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hunter Bridges and Steven Mohlhenrich are prosecuting the case for the United States. Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov .


title: Idabel Resident Sentenced For Murder In Indian Country

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Dakota Shay Fox, age 27, of Idabel, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 210 months in prison for Murder in Indian Country—Second Degree. The charges arose from investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. On October 11, 2022, Fox plead guilty to one count of Murder in Indian Country—Second Degree. On January 4, 2018, Fox shot the victim at an Idabel intersection. The victim was later pronounced dead at an area hospital. The crime occurred in McCurtain County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearings. Fox will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant United States Attorneys Jarrod Leaman and Joshua Satter represented the United States.


title: Sequoyah Resident Sentenced For Federal Firearm Crime

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

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Gregory Allen Talley, age 53, of Muldrow, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for possessing a firearm after a domestic violence conviction. The charges arose from investigations by the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. On February 9, 2023, Talley pleaded guilty to one count of Possession of a Firearm After Conviction of a Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violence. According to court documents, Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office deputies executed a search warrant on the Talley’s residence on October 24, 2022, and discovered Talley to be in possession of a 12-gauge pump-action shot gun. In 2021, Talley was convicted by an Oklahoma district court on two counts of misdemeanor domestic violence. The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearings. Talley will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a sentence of incarceration. Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Geizura represented the United States.


title: Ada Resident Sentenced For Theft In Indian Country

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Steven Esquivel Martinez, age 48, of Ada, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for Theft in Indian Country, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Martinez was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims. The charges arose from investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Coal County Sheriff’s Office. On November 1, 2022, Martinez pleaded guilty to one count of Theft in Indian Country. According to investigators, between April 2018 and February 2020, Martinez, the appointed Personal Representative over his deceased grandmother’s estate, intentionally moved over $350,000 from the estate’s account into his personal bank account. Martinez then used the transferred estate funds for his own benefit. The crimes occurred in within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. “This sentencing demonstrates that individuals like Mr. Martinez, who commit financial crimes to enrich themselves, will be held accountable,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “The FBI is dedicated to working with our law enforcement partners to identify and investigate those who illegally profit at the expense of others.” “Financial crime can be devastating to victims,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting those like Mr. Martinez who defraud others.” The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearings. Martinez will self-report to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility on February 23, 2024, to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant United States Attorney Kara Traster represented the United States.


title: Gore Resident Sentenced For Accessory After The Fact To Kidnapping

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Tristen Riley Cawhorn, age 26, of Gore, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 38 months in prison for Accessory After the Fact to Kidnapping. The charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Muskogee Police Department. On March 21, 2023, Cawhorn pleaded guilty to one count of Accessory After the Fact to Kidnapping. According to investigators, in September 2021, Cawhorn assisted Patrick Wayne McHenry in a kidnapping, allowing McHenry to lock the victim in a shed on her property and alerting McHenry when the victim attempted to escape. On December 21, 2022, McHenry was convicted by a federal jury in the Eastern District of Oklahoma for Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping, Kidnapping, Carjacking, Robbery in Indian Country, and the Carry/Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. The crime occurred in Muskogee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Cawhorn will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant United States Attorney Erin Cornell represented the United States at sentencing.


title: Ardmore Resident Sentenced For Assault With A Dangerous Weapon

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that David Lawrence Hudson, age 67, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to Cause Bodily Harm in Indian Country. The charge arose from investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Ardmore Police Department, and the Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police. On February 7, 2023, Hudson pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on April 9, 2022, Hudson struck the victim in the head with a wooden club, intending to cause bodily harm. The crime occurred in Carter County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Hudson will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.


title: Westville Resident Sentenced For Robbery And Assault Resulting In Serious Bodily Injury

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Mitchell Dale Thompson, age 26, of Westville, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for one count of Robbery in Indian Country and 51 months in prison for one count of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country. The sentences will run concurrently. The charges arose from investigations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Adair County Sheriff’s Office. On April 17, 2023, Thompson pleaded guilty to the charges. According to investigators, on July 19, 2021, Thompson demanded car keys from the victim at gunpoint, then drove off in the victim’s car. On April 8, 2022, while incarcerated at the Adair County Detention Center on separate charges, Thompson beat a fellow inmate, causing multiple skull fractures. The crimes occurred in Adair County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Thompson will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Gross represented the United States.


title: Des Moines Man Arrested on Federal Complaint in Possession of 30,000 Fentanyl Pills

body_text: DES MOINES, Iowa – A Des Moines man was arrested on Sunday, January 21, 2024, and made his initial appearance before a United States Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa on Wednesday, January 24, 2024. Sharmarke Omar Mohamed, 35, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of Iowa with one felony drug offense: possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. According to the allegations in the unsealed complaint, as part of a Des Moines Police Department investigation, Mohamed was located traveling toward Des Moines from Arizona when the Iowa State Patrol conducted a traffic stop of his vehicle in Decatur County, Iowa. Pursuant to a federal search warrant for Mohamed’s vehicle, approximately 30,000 counterfeit pills suspected of containing fentanyl, weighing approximately 3,182 grams, were located in the luggage area of the vehicle. This case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Des Moines Police Department is investigating the case, with the assistance of the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Iowa State Patrol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Ankeny Police Department, and the Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force. A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Burlington Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

component: USAO - Iowa, Southern

body_text: DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Burlington man was sentenced on January 23, 2024, to 60 months in federal prison for possessing child pornography. According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Donald Dale Ping, 53, was found to be in possession of child sexual assault material. Law enforcement received a cybertip that Ping had uploaded child sexual assault material to a social media platform. Due to the cybertip, a search warrant was executed on Ping’s social media account and cellular phone. The search warrant uncovered child sexual assault material including images of prepubescent children. After completing his term of imprisonment, Ping will be required to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the McHenry, Illinois Police Department. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.


title: Iowa City Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Federal Prison for Prohibited Possession of Ammunition Charge

body_text: DAVENPORT, Iowa – An Iowa City man was sentenced on January 22, 2024 to 180 months in federal prison for being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition. On June 28, 2023, Antonio Mashawn Airhart, 33, was found guilty following a three-day jury trial. According to public court documents and evidence presented at trial, on July 2, 2022, Airhart was involved in a dispute that culminated in an exchange of gunfire with another subject. During this exchange, Airhart fired at least thirteen shots, and injured the victim. Airhart had been previously convicted of felony offenses and was prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition. After completing his term of imprisonment, Airhart will be required to serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department. 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.


title: Four Indicted in Interstate Child Sex Trafficking Conspiracy

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a 10-count indictment charging four Columbia-area defendants in a child sex trafficking conspiracy: Antonio Marquis Nicholson , 32, of West Columbia, was charged with human trafficking conspiracy, three counts sex trafficking of a minor, three counts coercion and enticement of a minor, interstate travel to promote illegal sexual activity, interstate transportation of a minor for illegal sexual activity, and one count of witness tampering. Monesha Tatayana Lapri Gary , 24, of Clinton, was charged with human trafficking conspiracy, three counts of sex trafficking of a minor, and three counts of coercion and enticement of a minor. Rebecca Melanie Perry , 30, of Columbia, South Carolina and Augusta, Georgia, was charged with human trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking of a minor, coercion and enticement of a minor, and interstate travel to promote illegal sexual activity. Terrell Counts , 33, of Columbia, was charged with three counts coercion and enticement of a minor. The indictment alleges the following: Between December 2022 and July 2023, the conspiracy that included Nicholson, Gary, and Perry enticed, transported, harbored, and maintained in the commercial sex trade at least three minor victims. The conspirators recruited victims who were minors and runaways, then provided lingerie, obtained photographs, and advertised minor victims on the internet for commercial sex. Members of the conspiracy communicated with customers and arranged commercial sex for customers with the minors and then confiscated proceeds. The conspiracy exercised supervision, violence, and control, including force, fraud, and coercion, to obtain commercial sex. The indictment further alleges that Nicholson and Perry travelled across state lines, and that Nicholson transported a minor from North Carolina to South Carolina, for the purposes of illegal sexual activity. Nicholson, Gary, and Perry face a mandatory 15 years in prison, Counts faces a mandatory 10 years, and each defendant faces up to life in prison. The defendants also face life terms of supervision by the federal court following any term of imprisonment, sex offender registration, and mandatory restitution payable to victims. United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon will preside over the case. Gary and Counts were ordered detained by United States Magistrate Judge Paige J. Gossett pending any trial or bond hearing. Nicholson and Perry will be arraigned on Jan. 30 at 10:00 a.m. at the Matthew J. Perry Courthouse. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc . The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, with assistance from the Columbia Police Department, Richland County Sheriff’s Department, West Columbia Police Department, Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, Horry County Sheriff’s Office, Myrtle Beach Police Department, and Jefferson County (Alabama) Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott B. Daniels and Ariyana N. Gore are prosecuting the case. U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs stated that all charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ###


title: Agreement with Greater Providence YMCA Resolves Allegations of Disability Discrimination

component: USAO - Rhode Island

body_text: PROVIDENCE, RI –The United States has reached an agreement with the Greater Providence YMCA (“YMCA”) to resolve allegations that the organization violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) by denying a child the opportunity to participate in its Camp Fuller summer program because of his disability, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. The settlement resolves a complaint filed by the parent of a child with cystic fibrosis, alleging that the YMCA refused to make a reasonable modification of its medication administration policy so that her child could attend Camp Fuller. The United States’ investigation determined that the parent had enrolled her child at Camp Fuller, administered by YMCA, in the summer of 2022. At that time, the parent informed YMCA that her son needed to take pancreatic enzyme supplements before every meal, as treatment for his cystic fibrosis, and requested that he be permitted to self-administer the enzyme supplements. The staff at YMCA allowed the accommodation and the child attended Camp Fuller. In the summer of 2023, the parent re-enrolled her child at Camp Fuller, and made the same accommodation request. However, unlike the summer of 2022, the YMCA did not allow the child to self-administer his medication, purportedly on the basis of a medication administration policy that it refused to modify. As a result, the child, as well as his brother, were unable to attend Camp Fuller. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, YMCA will take certain remedial measures, including: Training its staff on the requirements ADA; Evaluating accommodation requests for children applying to attend the camp on a case-by-case basis, and making reasonable modifications to permit children with disabilities to attend; Adopting a non-discrimination policy; Paying $10,000 in compensation to the complainant and allowing her son to attend Camp Fuller for all summers in which he is eligible; and, Report to the United States Attorney’s Office on its compliance annually for two years. This is the third settlement agreement that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has entered into with a camp regarding violations of the ADA. Under the ADA, summer camps, whether private or run by municipalities, must afford reasonable modifications to ensure that children with disabilities can participate fully in camp programs and activities. Camps must evaluate each child on an individual basis and train their staff in the requirements of the ADA. When a parent and a child’s physician determine that it is appropriate for a child to self-administer medication or for a trained layperson to assist a child with care, a camp or childcare program must provide this as a reasonable modification under the ADA, unless doing so would fundamentally alter the program. The United States’ case was handled by AUSA Amy Romero. For more information on the ADA, visit www.ada.gov or call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD). Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that a place of public accommodation or public entity in Rhode Island is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (401) 709-5010. Attachment: doj_ymca_ada_settlement_agreement.pdf ###


title: U.S. Attorney Will Thompson and Law Enforcement Officials to Hold Press Conference in Counterfeit Pill Case

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson will hold a press conference with law enforcement officials on Thursday, January 25, 2024, at 4 p.m. in a case involving the creation of thousands of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and other dangerous opioids. WHAT: Press Conference WHEN: Thursday, January 25, 2024, at 4 p.m. WHERE: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse, Charleston A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. ###


title: California Businessman Pleads Guilty to Securities Fraud Involving Penny Stock Company

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A California businessman pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to engaging in a fraudulent scheme to obtain and profit from the sale of penny-stock shares that were later sold for millions of dollars during a sophisticated market manipulation scheme. Kevin C. Dills, 67, of Carlsbad, Calif., pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud. Sentencing will be scheduled for a later date before U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns. Dills was charged in March 2023 along with co-defendant Joseph A. Padilla, who previously pleaded guilty to securities fraud and other charges and has been sentenced . Between October 2020 and July 2021, Dills engaged in a fraudulent scheme to obtain and profit from the sale of unrestricted free-trading shares in the company Oncology Pharma, Inc., a thinly traded company that traded on the over-the-counter securities market under the ticker symbol ONPH. Specifically, Dills fraudulently induced Oncology Pharma’s transfer agent to issue three million unrestricted free-trading ONPH shares to two entities under Dills’ control by, among other means, secretly controlling one of the entities through his girlfriend and not disclosing that control to Oncology Pharma’s transfer agent. Dills then sold the three million shares to two individuals who deposited the shares with the Cayman Islands broker Valor Capital, with which Padilla had a close, unofficial association. Padilla then engaged in manipulative trading in ONPH designed, at least in part, to artificially drive up the company’s stock price, after which Padilla began dumping the ONPH shares—which were under common control—to unsuspecting investors in Massachusetts and throughout the United States during a promotional campaign, generating tens of millions of dollars in illicit profits. Over $6 million from those illicit profits was then transferred to Dills via his two entities between March and June 2021. The charge of securities fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant United States Attorneys James R. Drabick and Ian J. Stearns of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.


title: New River Valley Drug Dealer Sentenced to More than 11 Years in Prison

component: USAO - Virginia, Western

body_text: ROANOKE, Va. – A Dublin man who engaged in drug dealing in Roanoke while armed with a weapon was sentenced this week to 11 and a half years in federal prison. Nicholaus Francois Wines, 39, pleaded guilty in August 2023 to possessing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to unlawfully possessing a firearm after having been previously convicted of a felony offense. According to court documents, on November 19, 2021, Wines was a fugitive who had warrants for his arrest out of Roanoke County and Pulaski County. On that date, law enforcement utilized a source to order a quantity of methamphetamine from Wines, and when Wines arrived in Roanoke to make the delivery, he was arrested on his outstanding charges. Incident to his arrest, law enforcement discovered that not only did Wines have a semi-automatic pistol tucked into his pants, he also was in possession of 503 grams of methamphetamine as well as approximately $9,500 in U.S. Currency. United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division Stanley M. Meador, and Superintendent Gary T. Settle of the Virginia State Police announced the sentence today. The Virginia State Police, Roanoke City and County Police Departments, Salem City Police Department, the Botetourt-Rockbridge Drug Task Force, which consists of Botetourt County Sheriff's Office, Rockbridge County Sheriff's Office and Buena Vista Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation participated in the investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Coleman Adams prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: San Antonio Man Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Bribery Charges

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man pleaded guilty yesterday to charges stemming from two separate indictments – one charging fraud and the other charging bribery. According to court documents, Javor McCoy, 42, while trying to avoid a civil court appearance in Dallas, transmitted a criminal summons to an employee with the Dallas County Court showing he had to appear in court for a Western District of Texas federal indictment. The summons contained a false and fraudulent electronic signature of a United States magistrate judge and was altered to display a fictious appearance date for McCoy. McCoy was previously charged on another case involving bribery of a public official. McCoy owned Ready 2 Go Transport Central LLC (R2G Central), a purported Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, providing transportation for veterans, including ambulance and wheelchair transportation. His co-defendant on the bribery case, Glenn Dartone Johnson, 49, of San Antonio, was the contracting officer with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA). McCoy paid Johnson approximately $100,000 for information regarding the VA bid process and for Johnson’s assistance in influencing the VA bid process to help R2G Central win competitive bids from the VA. McCoy pleaded guilty to one count of fraud in connection with identification documents or authentication features and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official. A sentencing date has not been set. McCoy faces a maximum prison term of 15 years on the fraud count and a maximum prison term of five years on the bribery charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Johnson pleaded guilty on December 20, 2023, to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official. Johnson is set for sentencing on March 14, 2024. U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas and Acting Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson for the FBI San Antonio Division made the announcement. The FBI and VA-OIG are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Chung and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Porier are prosecuting the case. ###


title: Trigger Man in Wilmington Funeral Home Shooting Sentenced to More Than 19 Years for Drug and Gun Charges

component: USAO - North Carolina, Eastern

body_text: WILMINGTON, N.C. – Charles Gilbert Green, age 29 of Leland, was sentenced to 232 months in federal prison for drug trafficking and firearm charges after he was identified as the shooter who fired multiple shots in broad daylight near a Wilmington funeral home. One person was injured in the shooting. On September 12, 2023, Green pled guilty to two counts of distribution of cocaine base (crack) and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. “We will continue to go after individuals involved in violent crime and will aggressively seek prosecution,” said Wilmington Police Chief Donny Williams. “I am proud of the continued work of our women and men and the partnerships we have with other agencies as well. We take the opportunity to serve and protect our community very seriously and will stop at nothing to do our part to help ensure our citizens have a safe place to live and work.” According to court documents and other information presented in court, on April 2, 2022, at approximately 1:30 p.m. officers with the Wilmington Police Department were dispatched to the area of 6 th and Red Cross Streets after receiving a ShotSpotter alert and multiple 911 calls about shots fired. Upon arrival, officers located one person suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and he was immediately transported to the hospital where he received treatment and recovered from his injuries. During their investigation, officers located almost a dozen fired shell casings. Officers were able to locate security camera footage which showed Charles Green firing multiple shots from the southeast corner of Red Cross Street towards a group of individuals standing near the funeral home and then get into a white Ford Flex and flee the scene. After reviewing the video from the shooting and hearing evidence, the court found Mr. Green used a firearm in an attempted murder, which resulted in serious bodily injury to the victim. At the time of the shooting, Mr. Green was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Mr. Green has prior convictions for assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, common law robbery, assault inflicting serious injury, resisting a public officer, and possession with intent to sell or deliver marijuana. Members of the Brunswick County Vice and Narcotics Unit received information that a man that went by “CJ” was distributing narcotics in Leland. Law enforcement was able to identify “CJ” as Charles Gilbert Green, and then utilize a confidential informant to conduct controlled purchases of cocaine base (crack) from Green. Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The FBI’s Coastal Carolina Safe Street’s Gang Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Brunswick County Vice and Narcotics Unit, the Wilmington Police Department, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wilmington Police Department’s Gun Crime Task Force investigated the case and Special Assistant United States Attorney William Van Trigt prosecuted the case. Van Trigt is a prosecutor with the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal violent crimes and other criminal matters. This has been made possible by a grant funded by New Hanover County. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:23-cr-00014-M-001.


title: Federal Judge Sentences San Antonio Cell Tower Arsonist to 78 Months in Prison

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced yesterday in a federal court in San Antonio to six and a half years in prison for felon in possession of a firearm and arson affecting interstate and foreign commerce. According to court documents, Sean Aaron Smith, 30, maliciously attempted to damage and destroy, by means of fire, multiple cellular telephone towers around San Antonio between April 2021 and May 2022. Smith was arrested in a traffic stop on May 13, 2022. During the traffic stop, law enforcement officers located a handgun on the floorboard in front of the driver’s seat. Executing a search warrant for Smith’s apartment on May 15, 2022, investigators found additional firearms. Smith knowingly possessed the firearms after being previously convicted of two felony crimes where he served more than a year imprisonment on each. Smith pleaded guilty on Aug. 17, 2023 to six counts of arson of cellphone towers and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm. “My office will not tolerate attacks on our critical infrastructure seeking to shut down our cellular telephone system and endangering our citizens who need to use our 911 emergency systems,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “An attack on the infrastructure of a community has the potential for devastating effects,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson for the FBI San Antonio Division. “Sean Smith tried multiple times to burn cell phone towers down around San Antonio, in support of his anti-5G ideology. When he was caught, he had a handgun in his vehicle, despite his status as a convicted felon. We want to thank the San Antonio Fire Department Arson squad, FBI, San Antonio Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Texas Rangers for their continued assistance in keeping our communities safe.” The San Antonio Fire Department Arson Squad, FBI, San Antonio Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Texas Rangers investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Roomberg prosecuted the case. ###


title: Four Individuals Charged in $44.6 Million Scheme to Defraud Indiana Department of Education

body_text: INDIANAPOLIS- A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging three individuals for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to defraud the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) through their operation of two online charter schools, Indiana Virtual School (IVS) and Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy (IVPA): Defendant Charges Tom Stoughton Sr., 74, of Carmel, Indiana 1 count, conspiracy to commit wire fraud 16 counts, wire fraud 57 counts, money laundering Phillip Holden, 62, of Middletown, Indiana 1 count, conspiracy to commit wire fraud 16 counts, wire fraud Percy Clark, 81, of Carmel, Indiana 1 count, conspiracy to commit wire fraud. 16 counts, wire fraud 11 counts, money laundering In addition, Christopher King, 61, of Green Fork, Indiana, has entered a plea of guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to the indictment, between the at least the summer of 2016 and 2018, the defendants allegedly submitted false numbers to IDOE representing the enrollment of over 4,500 students that they knew were not attending IVS or IVPA. Like other public and charter schools, IVS and IVPA received funding from the State of Indiana based upon the number of students a school claimed to be enrolled and attending the school. In general, the more students enrolled, the more funding IVS and IVPA received from the State of Indiana. The indictment alleges the defendants manipulated this process to inflate enrollment numbers and ultimately receive more funding. As a result of these false submissions, IDOE paid in excess of $44,000,000 to IVS/IVPA. The defendants allegedly caused students to be enrolled or remain enrolled in IVS/IVPA who should not have been, by directing employees to stop verifying student interest before they were enrolled or reenrolled , and by making incomplete student applications available so that the student information could be used to enroll students for the 2017 and September 2018 Count Days. Most of these “students” never actually attended either school. Shortly before the September 2018 Count Day, the defendants allegedly directed their information technology contractor to compile a list of students who were not listed in the Indiana Department of Education database as attending another school and who had previously been unenrolled from IVS or IVPA due to inactivity. Upon receiving a list of approximately 600 such students, the defendants directed employees to reenroll many of these students and be counted on the September 2018 Count Day. After IVPA was created in 2017, the defendants allegedly transferred hundreds of students who had not been attending any classes from IVS to IVPA to continue to “count” and receive money for these students but also “protect” IVS from being held accountable by the IDOE for the students’ non-performance. In the spring of 2017, Holden and Clark allegedly fired an employee who sent an email to IDOE attempting to inform the department of fraud that was occurring at IVS. IVS and IVPA allegedly paid money received from the State of Indiana to fraudulent for-profit companies, many of which were controlled or operated by Stoughton. After the money was funneled through these for-profit companies, millions of dollars were paid out to Stoughton and members of his family, Clark, King, and others. The Indiana State Board of Accounts performed an audit on IVS and IVPA in 2019. The SBOA referred the audit findings to the FBI, U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General, Indiana State Police, and Indiana Office of Inspector General, who investigated this case. A trial for the three defendants who have not pleaded guilty will be scheduled later. If convicted, each defendant faces between 10 and 20 years in federal prison per count. U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley P. Shepard and Samantha Spiro, who are prosecuting this case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Sinaloa Cartel Associate Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Kilogram Quantities of Cocaine

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – An Elloree, South Carolina man was sentenced to 151 months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possessing with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. On October 13, 2023, Ricardo Baltazar-Aguirre pled guilty to the charges. According to court documents and other information presented in court, Baltazar-Aguirre, 52, conspired with Oscar Nunez-Cortes, 26, of Saint Matthews, South Carolina to distribute ten kilograms of cocaine to an individual in Fayetteville. On January 6, 2023, Nunez-Cortes drove to meet Baltazar-Aguirre at a house in Elloree, South Carolina. There, Baltazar-Aguirre and another man loaded 10 kilograms of cocaine into an SUV driven by Nunez-Cortes. Nunez-Cortes and his girlfriend then traveled to an agreed upon location in Fayetteville to meet the buyer. As they traveled Baltazar-Aguirre and his companion trailed their vehicle. North Carolina State Highway Patrol conducted traffic stops on both vehicles as they crossed into Cumberland County on Interstate 95. A search of Nunez-Cortes’s car revealed 10 kilograms of cocaine packaged in kilogram quantities in a large duffel bag in the back seat. A search of Baltazar-Aguirre’s truck revealed a handgun in the glovebox. An examination of Baltazar-Aguirre’s phones revealed that he frequently communicated with a Mexican phone number that was saved in his contacts as “Sinaloa” that belongs to a suspected Sinaloan Cartel member. Baltazar-Aguirre discussed the sale and distribution of narcotics with “Sinaloa” ultimately receiving permission to conduct the deal with Nunez-Cortes. Nunez-Cortes was a heavy user of cocaine and would purchase an ounce or two a week from Baltazar-Aguirre before meeting the buyer and attempting to set up his own drug deal. Nunez-Cortes previously pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Nashville Police Department, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, and the NC State Highway Patrol investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Blondel and Phil Aubart prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on our website . Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:23-cr-00016-BO. ###


title: Former Special Education School Employee Sentenced to Federal Prison for Attempting to Entice a Minor

component: USAO - Illinois, Southern

body_text: BENTON, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a former paraprofessional at Tri-County Special Education Center in Murphysboro to spend 10 years in federal prison for attempted sex crimes against a minor. Jon P. Crawford, 45, of Pinckneyville, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of solicitation of child pornography. “Convicting school employees of sex crimes against minors furthers our mission to keep vulnerable children protected from harm,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold criminals accountable.” According to court documents, an agent with Homeland Security Investigations conducted an undercover operation online and created an account for a purported 13-year-old child in April 2023. Law enforcement began speaking with Crawford online, and he asked for photos and videos of sexual acts from the purported 13-year-old child. “Individuals who prey on children, especially those in positions of public trust, should expect to be held fully accountable for their actions,” said HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Sean Fitzgerald. “I commend the prosecutors and agents who worked to ensure that this offender is off our streets and away from children in our communities.” HSI led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Bloodworth prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood , a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.


title: Former President of MGM Grand Pleads Guilty to Violating the Bank Secrecy Act for Allowing Man Involved in Criminal Conduct to Gamble

component: Criminal - Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section

body_text: LOS ANGELES – The former president of the MGM Grand casino has pleaded guilty to a federal criminal charge for failing to file reports of suspicious transactions his casino was required to make pursuant to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), the Justice Department announced today. In related matters that resolve an investigation into alleged violations of money laundering laws and the BSA, MGM Grand and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas casinos have entered into settlements that require them to pay a combined $7.45 million, undergo external review, and enhance their anti-money laundering (AML) compliance program. Scott Sibella, 61, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty late Wednesday afternoon to one count of failure to file reports of suspicious transactions required to be made by casinos. According to his plea agreement , Sibella was the president of the MGM Grand from at least August of 2017 until February of 2019, during which time he knew that a casino patron, Wayne Nix, ran and operated an illegal bookmaking business. Despite this knowledge, Sibella allowed Nix to gamble at MGM Grand and affiliated properties with illicit proceeds generated from the illegal gambling business without notifying the casino’s compliance department. Not only did Sibella allow Nix to gamble at the casino, he also authorized Nix to receive complimentary benefits at the casino, including meals, room, board and golf trips with senior executives and other high net-worth customers of the casinos to further encourage Nix to patronize the casino and/or other affiliated properties. Despite being trained and having knowledge of his duties, Sibella failed to report to MGM compliance personnel that Nix was an illegal sports bookmaker. Because of Sibella’s failure to report the suspicious activity by Nix, MGM Grand failed to file at least one suspicious activity report regarding Nix’s source of funds in relation to Nix’s cash payments to MGM Grand. According to court documents unsealed today, Sibella admitted to law enforcement in 2022 that he believed Nix was involved in illegal sports bookmaking, but “didn’t want to know because of my position,… If we know, we can’t allow them to gamble…. I didn’t ask, I didn’t want to know I guess because he wasn’t doing anything to cheat the casino.” Sibella pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Dolly M. Gee, who scheduled a May 8 sentencing hearing, at which time Sibella will face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Nix pleaded guilty in April 2022 to one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and one count of subscribing to a false tax return. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 6. “Financial institutions have a duty under the law to report criminal or suspicious activity occurring at the institution though SARs,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Joseph McNally. “Our office will aggressively prosecute corporate executives and employees who turn a blind eye to criminal actors depositing illegal funds at casinos and financial institutions.” “Turning a blind eye to laundering of illicit funds and knowingly avoiding reporting requirements puts public safety at risk,” said HSI Los Angeles Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Reyes. “The El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force is uniquely prepared to investigate, disrupt, and prosecute the bad actors, holding them accountable for their actions.” “Mr. Sibella’s willful violation of Bank Secrecy Act obligations to report suspicious activities put the credibility of the MGM Grand at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office. “The BSA mandates reporting of suspicious activities to protect financial institutions from becoming participants in money laundering activities often benefitting criminal or terrorist organizations. While president of MGM Grand, Mr. Sibella undermined the trust and confidence of his employees, customers and regulating agencies, and for that he will be held accountable. Additionally, the non-prosecution agreements with MGM Grand Hotel, LLC and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas should serve as notice to other casinos and financial institutions that evading BSA obligations can carry severe consequences, and we will investigate suspected non-compliance.” The MGM Grand and The Cosmopolitan casinos have entered Non-Prosecution Agreements (NPAs) to resolve a related investigation into alleged money laundering and violations of the BSA. In their respective NPAs, MGM Grand and the Cosmopolitan each accepted responsibility for laundering Nix’s illicit funds and failing to properly file suspicious activity reports (SARs) on Nix, who conducted numerous transactions involving millions of dollars at the casinos between 2017 and 2020. MGM Grand also accepted responsibility for failures by the casinos’ compliance department to use all available information when performing “know your customer” (KYC) reviews of Nix. Under the BSA, casinos like MGM Grand and The Cosmopolitan are required to implement and maintain programs designed to prevent criminals from using casinos to launder the large sums of cash that illegal activity can generate. For example, the BSA requires casinos to file reports documenting suspicious activity, such as instances where a client’s source of funds cannot be determined or are suspected to be related to crime. As part of its NPA, MGM Grand admitted that Sibella and two casino hosts knew about Nix’s illegal gambling business, allowed Nix to continue to gamble with MGM Grand and affiliate properties, allowed Nix to present and use illicit proceeds at the casino properties, and provided Nix complementary benefits to encourage him to spend his illicit proceeds at the casino. MGM Grand also admitted that Nix at times used the golf trips with MGM Grand’s high-net-worth customers to solicit new customers for his illegal gambling business. By 2020, MGM Grand had accepted $4,079,830 in cash that were illicit proceeds from Nix’s illegal gambling business. MGM Grand also admitted that its anti-money laundering compliance program failed to instruct the compliance team to use all available information, as required by the BSA, when performing KYC reviews to determine whether to file SARs, or to identify and verify customer information, including source of funds, for transactions found to be suspicious. Compliance personnel did not regularly reach out to the marketing hosts, even where the compliance team could not substantiate or identify the customer’s source of funds, despite the fact that other departments would routinely reach out to hosts in connection with, for example, the collection of funds owed to the casino. Because of the deficiencies in the AML compliance program, MGM Grand failed to detect and report the extent of Nix’s suspicious activities in SARs and failed to prevent Nix’s money laundering. The Cosmopolitan admitted in its NPA that one of its hosts was aware that Nix ran an illegal gambling business, allowed Nix to present and use illicit proceeds at The Cosmopolitan without notifying the casino’s compliance department, and provided Nix complementary benefits to encourage Nix to spend his illicit proceeds at the casino. By 2020, The Cosmopolitan had accepted $928,600 in cash in illicit proceeds from Nix’s illegal gambling business. While The Cosmopolitan’s AML compliance program was designed to use all available information, it did not do so with respect to Nix. The Cosmopolitan host failed to report to compliance personnel or law enforcement the source of the illicit proceeds that Nix used while gambling at the casino. Because of this failure, The Cosmopolitan failed to file one or more SARs regarding the source of Nix’s funds. In their NPAs, both casinos agreed to enhance their joint compliance program and to implement additional review and reporting requirements to ensure future BSA compliance. This includes spending at least $750,000 over two years on an external compliance reviewer, who will provide reporting to the United States Attorney’s Office. They will also amend internal audit protocols and review certain prior SARs, related customer files and transactions. The agreements also require MGM Grand and The Cosmopolitan to cooperate with law enforcement in any additional investigations or proceedings arising from the conduct described in the agreement’s statement of facts. Federal prosecutors entered into the NPAs in recognition of the casinos’ remedial efforts to strengthen their AML programs, their acceptance of responsibility, their cooperation with authorities during the investigation, their agreement to pay fines, and their agreement to invest an additional $750,000 for an external compliance review and further reporting requirements designed to prevent future violations of federal law. Under the NPAs, MGM Grand agreed to pay a monetary fine of $6,527,728, and to forfeit $500,000 in proceeds traceable to the violation, which will be counted towards the fine. The Cosmopolitan agreed to pay a monetary fine of $928,600, and to forfeit $500,000 in proceeds traceable to the violation, which also will be counted towards the fine. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter as part of HSI’s El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force. The Justice Department’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Bank Integrity Unit provided assistance during the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Jeff Mitchell of the Major Frauds Section; Rachel N. Agress of the International Money Laundering, Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section; and Dan G. Boyle of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section are prosecuting Sibella and negotiated the settlement agreements with the two casinos.


title: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky Collects Over $17 Million in Fiscal Year 2023

component: USAO - Kentucky, Western

body_text: Louisville, KY- U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky announced today that the United States Attorney’s Office collected more than $17.17 million in Fiscal Year 2023, including $11,887,384.70 in civil actions, $3,786,402.45 in criminal cases, and $1,456,855 in asset forfeiture matters. The District also worked with other U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $39,419.63 in jointly-pursued criminal cases. “Our pursuit of justice does not end when the court proceedings are over,” said U.S. Attorney Bennett. “Our Office is committed to collecting restitution for victims of crime and monies owed to federal, state, and local agencies. That commitment is evidenced by our tremendous recoveries in the last fiscal year. I commend the work of our collection teams and their dogged dedication to uncovering every possible dollar for crime victims and federal agencies.” Notable criminal restitution recoveries within the Western District of Kentucky include $250,100 from the voluntary liquidation of real property in United States v. Mackie Shelton , Case No. 1:21-cr-16-2 and $204,817.69 in forfeited funds in United States v. Hatem Kaisi , Case No. 3:18-cr-215. Significant civil recoveries include the collection of over $1,750,000 from providers who received kickbacks for ordering medically unnecessary lab tests and a final $6 million settlement payment in a False Claims Act settlement in United States, ex rel. v. Agendia, Inc., Case No. 5:15-cv-50. The Office also recovered more than $2.6 million for federal agencies in bankruptcies and judicial foreclosures and worked to forfeit $1,270,163 to the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund, which will be used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the Department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the United States and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid directly to victims, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs. ###


title: Man Who Killed Victim with a Water Meter Key was Sentenced to Life

body_text: A Tulsa man was sentenced today for First Degree Murder in Indian Country after being convicted by a federal jury in Nov. 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge John F. Heil, III, sentenced Kyle Edwin Freeman, 37, member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, to life imprisonment. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial , Freeman had been staying with the victim, Donald Thomas in the days leading up to the murder. Freeman and his girlfriend were in a physical altercation. Witnesses said that Thomas was successful in breaking up the altercation and even exchanged a hug with Freeman, who appeared to be calm. Approximately 20 minutes later, Freeman entered the room with a water meter key and struck Thomas over the head several times killing him. Freeman will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility. The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Department, and the Creek County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Elmore and John E. Brasher prosecuted the case.


title: Brevard County Felon Charged With Drug And Firearm Offenses

body_text: Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Shawndell Johnson (31, Melbourne) with distribution of controlled substances, possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. If convicted on all counts, Johnson faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Johnson that the United States intends to forfeit the firearms and ammunition which are alleged to have facilitated some of the offenses. According to the indictment, on September 1 and September 8, 2022, Johnson distributed a mixture containing fentanyl. Then, on March 16, 2023, Johnson possessed with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, 400 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl, and 500 grams or more of a mixture containing cocaine. Johnson is also charged with possessing multiple firearms and ammunition despite his previous felony convictions for third-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and with possessing a firearm in furtherance of his March 16, 2023, drug offenses. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman. 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: Maryland Man Found Guilty of Assault with Intent to Kill While Armed and Other Charges for Road Rage Shooting

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Kenneth Miles Davis, Jr., 45, of Maryland, was found guilty by a jury late yesterday of multiple charges arising from the May 19, 2021 road rage shooting directed at a woman and her two children, ages 11 and 5, as well as a bystander, in Northeast Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith. The Honorable Rainey Brandt scheduled sentencing for March 29, 2024. The jury returned its verdict after a three-week trial in the Superior Court, finding Davis guilty of one count of assault with intent to kill while armed, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 5:00 pm on May 19, 2021, the defendant was driving his Maserati GranTurismo in heavy rush-hour traffic at the intersection of Kenilworth Avenue NE and Eastern Avenue NE when he suddenly got out of his car with a handgun. Davis fired seven times into the car in front of him, which was occupied by a woman and her two children, then turned and fired six more shots at bystanders. The woman suffered a gunshot wound to her upper arm and the 5-year-old child was cut by broken automobile glass. Fortunately, the 11-year-old child and the bystanders were not injured. Metropolitan Police Department investigators uncovered video evidence that was disseminated to local news outlets, the broadcast of which generated a tip that led to the identification of Davis as the owner of the Maserati, and ultimately, as the shooter. This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. Invaluable assistance was provided by the United States Marshals Service from the inception of the case and through trial. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Bartz and Gregory Evans of the Major Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.