title: Justice Department Announces It Will Provide Technical Assistance to Uvalde Police Department Under COPS Office’s Collaborative Reform Initiative

component: Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)

body_text: The Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) announced today it will engage with the Uvalde Police Department (UPD) through the COPS Office Collaborative Reform Initiative’s Critical Response program. The COPS Office, in conjunction with Jensen Hughes, a Critical Response provider, will provide a range of technical assistance services and opportunities associated with UPD’s training, leadership, and community partnerships. The goal of this technical assistance is to enhance UPD’s strategic training plan, leadership development programs, and community trust-building initiatives. “Since releasing its report ‘Critical Incident Review: Active Shooter at Robb Elementary’, the Justice Department has continued to work with the Uvalde community, offering a range of technical assistance on topics that were identified in the report,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “Today’s announcement will formalize that effort and enable the Department to enhance its efforts to help both the community and the police department implement the recommendations contained in the report.” “The COPS Office remains committed to the Uvalde community and the Uvalde Police Department on the issues, challenges, and deficiencies the report identified,” said Director Hugh T. Clements, Jr. of the COPS Office. “I know that the work we are going to do moving forward will be a tremendous resource as the UPD continues with the important work they are dedicated to carrying out.” The Collaborative Reform Initiative encompasses three programs offering expert services to state, local, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement agencies: the Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center, Critical Response, and Organizational Assessment programs (complete details of these programs can be found at www.cops.usdoj.gov/collaborativereform ). Managed out of the COPS Office, this continuum of services is designed to build trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve; improve operational efficiencies and effectiveness; enhance officer safety and wellness; build agencies’ capacity for organizational learning and self-improvement; and promote community policing practices nationwide. The Critical Response program is designed to provide targeted technical assistance (TA) to state, local, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement agencies experiencing high-profile events, major incidents, or sensitive issues of varying need. Critical Response is highly customizable by providing flexible assistance to law enforcement agencies that have recently experienced a critical incident or identified an issue of significant community concern in their department’s operations. The TA generally falls into three categories: (1) immediate delivery of TA to address a pressing and acute need, (2) data analysis, and (3) after-action reviews to understand and learn from law enforcement and public safety responses to critical incidents or issues. The COPS Office is the federal component of the Justice Department responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Justice Department agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served. The COPS Office has been appropriated more than $20 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 138,000 officers.


title: Man Sentenced For Tampering And Vandalism At Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

component: USAO - Michigan, Western

body_text: GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Andrew Blair Howard, 63, of Sparta and Frankfort, Michigan, was sentenced to 60 months’ probation and ordered to pay $22,472.22 in total restitution to the National Park Service and U.S. Coast Guard, along with $3,947.71 in costs related to the court proceedings. U.S. Magistrate Judge Ray Kent further banned Mr. Howard as a term of his probation from being on National Park Service property, including Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The government did not seek a sentence of imprisonment for Mr. Howard. Judge Kent imposed the sentence after previously finding Mr. Howard guilty at trial. U.S. Attorney Mark Totten issued the following statement: “Mr. Howard had a policy dispute with the National Park Service over whether to dredge the Platte River. Reasonable people can disagree on the best course of action, but Congress gave NPS the power to decide. While Mr. Howard had the right to disagree and advocate for his position, he did not have the right to take the law into his own hands and force his favored result. Doing so was a misdemeanor, and this sentence holds Mr. Howard accountable for his offense.” Howard was previously convicted at trial in February 2024 of two federal misdemeanors for tampering and vandalism at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in connection with an August 15, 2022, diversion of the Platte River. In August 2022, National Park Service law enforcement officers investigated reports of a diversion of the Platte River near its mouth where it meets Lake Michigan. Evidence at trial showed that on August 15, 2022, Howard used a shovel to dig sediment and rocks from the river basin and stacked large rocks on a dam to divert the river’s natural water flow toward a newly created channel out to Lake Michigan, contrary to a decision by the National Park Service to let the river follow its natural course. The National Park Service expended significant resources by deploying NPS personnel and Coast Guard resources to evaluate the impact on the National Lakeshore, including on the Platte River, adjoining habitats, and affected wildlife. The Platte River area is home to protected wetlands, coastal dunes, plants, and wildlife. Several endangered animal species and threatened plant species make the Platte River area their home, including the piping plover, a small migratory bird that nests along the sand and shore of Lake Michigan, and Pitcher’s thistle, a native thistle that grows along the sand dunes of Lake Michigan. Due to the significant decrease in—and the partial absence of—water levels after the diversion, as well as changes to the flow and speed of the river, NPS staff observed wetland vegetation drying and ultimately dying within and along the river. Overall, the change in water levels caused by the diversion drained the wetlands and negatively impacted many plants and aquatic invertebrates in the process. Given the volume and power of water moving through the diversion, and after careful consideration of impacts to affected ecosystems and wildlife, NPS concluded that major remediation to restore the area to its natural state was not advisable because the remediation would involve substantial disturbance to the fragile ecosystems of the area. NPS continues to monitor and assess the damage and situation. The diversion also created an unauthorized access for large boats to enter Platte Bay. Within days, the natural power of the water and the dam caused the new channel to reach approximately 200 feet wide. The following aerial photograph on the left, taken in May of 2022, shows the natural flow of the Platte River running parallel to Lake Michigan. The photograph on the right taken by the U.S. Coast Guard shows the same area approximately three days after the diversion, with the channel emptying directly into Lake Michigan. May 2022 August 2022 “Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was created in 1970 to preserve and protect this amazing place,” said Superintendent Scott Tucker. “The National Park Service appreciates the support of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in enforcing the laws that help protect this place for future generations.” The National Park Service investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Lauren F. Biksacky prosecuted it on behalf of the United States. ###


title: U.K. National Sentenced for Fraudulent Wine and Whiskey Scam  that Targeted Older Americans

component: USAO - Ohio, Northern

body_text: Casey Alexander, 27, of London, England, was sentenced to three years of probation by U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Alexander was ordered to pay $202,195.58 in restitution for his role in the scam to the victim investors. According to court documents, Alexander and others involved, engaged in a cold-calling scheme to target elderly investors throughout the United States. They used aggressive and deceptive tactics and promised large returns if the victims participated in wine and whiskey investments. They told victims that they could buy a portfolio of fine wines and whiskeys on their behalf, and then hold the purchase in a bonded warehouse located in Europe until sold for a profit. Alexander and his team were able to convince the victims across the country to wire funds or make checks out to one or more suspect companies to participate in the investment opportunities. After the initial investments were made, victims were encouraged, and eventually convinced, to continue investing in order to secure larger returns. In 2020, a victim’s son notified the Highland Heights Police Department (HHPD) to report the scam which defrauded the victim out of more than $300,000 over an 18-month period. HHPD then discovered similar complaints from others throughout the United States who reported being victims of a “wine scam” after being asked to purchase wine as an investment. This case was investigated by the FBI. To date, investigators have identified over 150 victims within the United States who collectively invested more than $13 million in the wine and whiskey fraud scheme. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian McDonough for the Northern District of Ohio. The investigation and prosecution of this case is in response to the Elder Justice Initiative Program originating from the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017 (EAPPA). The mission of the EAPPA and Elder Justice Initiative is to support and coordinate the Department of Justice’s enforcement efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect, financial fraud, and scams that target the nation’s elderly population. If you observe something that you believe might be fraudulent conduct involving an older adult, contact the dedicated National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or 1-833-372-8311 and visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center at IC3.gov to report it. Related Links: U.S. Attorney's Office Recognizes Elder Abuse Awareness Month Public Service Announcement from U.S. Attorney Lutzko Stay Aware of the Latest Scams


title: U.S. Attorney Announces Settlement Of Civil Fraud Lawsuit Against VNS Health And Related Entities For Billing For Services They Failed To Provide Or Document

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Naomi Gruchacz, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Regional Office of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”), announced today that the United States has settled a civil fraud lawsuit against VISITING NURSE SERVICE OF NEW YORK d/b/a VNS HEALTH, VISITING NURSE SERVICE OF NEW YORK HOME CARE II d/b/a VISITING NURSE SERVICE OF NEW YORK HOME CARE, and VNS HEALTH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, INC. (collectively, “VNS”). VNS, which operates one of the largest non-profit home and community-based health care organizations in the U.S., is licensed by the New York State Office of Mental Health (“OMH”) to serve as an Assertive Community Treatment (“ACT”) Program provider. The settlement resolves claims that VNS violated the False Claims Act by fraudulently billing Medicaid for services that it either failed to provide or failed to document to persons with serious mental illness at the ACT Program VNS operated in Far Rockaway, Queens (the “VNS Far Rockaway ACT Program”). Specifically, the settlement resolves claims that from January 1, 2014, through December 31, 2018, VNS submitted or caused to be submitted false claims to Medicaid for monthly payments for 103 patients at the VNS Far Rockaway ACT Program who did not receive the full array of services that VNS was required to provide under the ACT Program or for whom VNS did not adequately or timely document provision of such services in accordance with applicable regulations or the ACT guidelines. Under the settlement approved June 25, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, VNS will pay the U.S. $381,766.59 and has admitted and accepted responsibility for conduct alleged in the U.S. Complaint. VNS has also agreed to pay the State of New York $572,649.89 to resolve state law claims for a total combined recovery of $954,416.48. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The patients with serious mental illness who were receiving services from VNS’s Far Rockaway location deserved better. These individuals needed, and Medicaid agreed to pay for, a full suite of monthly support services so that they could better manage their disabilities. This Office will hold health care providers accountable when they fail to provide the necessary services that the federal and state governments are paying for.” HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz said: “As an Assertive Community Treatment Program in the State of New York, the defendants obtained funds from the Medicaid program to which they were not entitled because they did not record or provide appropriate services to a vulnerable patient population. Individuals and entities that participate in the federal health care system are required to obey the laws meant to preserve the integrity of program funds and the provision of appropriate, quality services to patients.” As alleged in the Complaint filed in Manhattan federal court: VNS, as an ACT Program provider, receives monthly payments from Medicaid for each patient enrolled in its ACT Program. In order to receive these payments, VNS must comply with certain regulations and guidelines promulgated by OMH, as well as their own contractual agreements with OMH. However, in violation of these regulations, guidelines, and contractual agreements, VNS repeatedly failed to provide or document essential services to 103 patients at the VNS Far Rockaway ACT Program. Specifically, VNS repeatedly failed to complete intake forms and/or conduct initial assessments, failed to complete immediate needs assessments, failed to complete service plans, failed to provide and/or record monthly psychiatric visits, and failed to record progress notes. As part of the settlement, VNS admitted and accepted responsibility for certain conduct alleged by the U.S. in its Complaint, including the following: ▪ Intake Forms and Initial Assessments: Intake forms and initial assessments record necessary background information about the patient, inform subsequent treatment, and set a baseline for improvement while the patient is in the program. In multiple instances and contrary to the ACT guidelines, VNS failed to complete intake forms and/or initial assessments for patients enrolled in the VNS Far Rockaway ACT Program, failed to complete intake forms and/or initial assessments in a timely manner, or failed to provide the necessary supervisory review and approval of intake forms and/or initial assessments. ▪ Immediate Needs Assessments: Immediate needs assessments are used to determine patient needs as to safety/dangerousness, food, clothing, shelter, and medical needs. In multiple instances and contrary to the ACT guidelines, VNS failed to complete immediate needs assessments for patients enrolled in the VNS Far Rockaway ACT Program, failed to complete immediate needs assessments in a timely manner, or failed to provide the necessary supervisory review and approval of immediate needs assessments. ▪ Comprehensive Assessments: Comprehensive assessments provide a necessary baseline to provide services and are updated to reflect the patient’s changing needs over time. In multiple instances and contrary to the ACT guidelines, VNS failed to complete comprehensive assessments for patients enrolled in the VNS Far Rockaway ACT Program, failed to complete comprehensive assessments in a timely manner, or failed to provide the necessary supervisory review and approval of comprehensive assessments. ▪ Service Plan: Service plans set forth specific objectives and planned services necessary to facilitate achievement of the patient’s recovery goals. In multiple instances and contrary to the ACT guidelines, VNS failed to complete service plans for patients enrolled in the VNS Far Rockaway ACT Program, failed to complete service plans in a timely manner, or failed to provide the necessary supervisory review and approval of service plans. ▪ Psychiatric Visits: In multiple instances and contrary to the ACT guidelines, VNS failed to document psychiatric visits for patients enrolled in the VNS Far Rockaway ACT Program. ▪ Progress Notes: Progress notes document service contacts and attempted contacts, progress or lack of progress toward goals, and significant events. In multiple instances and contrary to the ACT guidelines, VNS failed to record progress notes for patients enrolled in the VNS Far Rockaway ACT Program until several days or even weeks after the contact with the patient. In addition, VNS sought and received payment at the full monthly level even though, based on the progress notes, they were entitled only to partial payment based on the number of documented contacts with the patient. In connection with the filing of the lawsuit and settlement, the Government joined a private whistleblower lawsuit that had been filed under seal pursuant to the False Claims Act. * * * Mr. Williams thanked HHS-OIG and the New York Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their assistance with this case. The case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Frauds Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Kennedy is in charge of the case.


title: Members of a Cargo Theft Ring Sentenced to Prison

component: USAO - Georgia, Northern

body_text: ROME, Ga. – Yunior Hernandez a/k/a “Yunior Hernandez Guzman,” Roberto Quesada Lopez, Carlos Alberto Valdes, and Yubani Millares Vera have been sentenced to prison for multiple cargo thefts throughout the Southeastern United States totaling more than $1.7 million. “Thefts of interstate shipments disrupt the production and delivery of needed goods and result in detrimental financial impact on businesses, consumers, and the U.S. economy generally,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “The sentencing of these defendants is an example of our office’s commitment to prosecute these criminals as well as a warning to others that these offenses are an investigative priority for our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.” “The FBI takes cargo theft very seriously, due to the significant impact it has on the United States economy, and the potential for stolen goods to be used to fund other criminal organizations,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This theft conspiracy did not stop at our state border, and neither did our investigation. Thanks to our partnership with Miami agencies, we tracked these thieves across the entire southeast, and now they will be held accountable for their crimes.” According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Throughout 2019, the defendants, Yunior Hernandez, Roberto Quesada Lopez, Carlos Alberto Valdes, and Yubani Millares Vera, operated a cargo theft ring throughout the Southeastern United States. In total, the defendants stole cargo worth more than $1.7 million. The stolen goods were then taken to Florida and sold. The defendants stole over: •$500,000 worth of computers in Macon, Georgia, on May 18, 2019; •$640,000 worth of computers meant for the Centers for Disease Control in Emerson, Georgia, on June 11, 2019; •$110,000 worth of copper in Denmark, Tennessee, on July 21, 2019; •$110,000 worth of copper in Glade Springs, Virginia, on September 2, 2019; •$110,000 worth of copper in Fairview, Tennessee, on October 6, 2019; and •$340,000 worth of apparel in Kingsland, Georgia, on November 16, 2019. Yunior Hernandez, 50, of Homestead, Florida, was sentenced to two years, nine months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $880,857.43 in restitution. Hernandez was convicted of conspiracy on December 20, 2022, after he pleaded guilty. Carlos Alberto Valdes, 55, of Hialeah, Florida, was sentenced to three years, 10 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $1,543,890.60 in restitution. Valdes was convicted of conspiracy on January 19, 2023, after he pleaded guilty. Roberto Quesada Lopez, 44, of Hialeah, Florida, was sentenced to two years, six months in prison. He was ordered to pay $1,229,888.32 in restitution. Lopez was convicted of conspiracy on July 18, 2023, after he pleaded guilty. Yubani Millares Vera, 49, of Hialeah, Florida, was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay at least $1,760,479.12 in restitution. Millares Vera was convicted of conspiracy on March 14, 2024, after he pleaded guilty. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistance was provided by the Miami-Dade County Police Department, Economic Crime Bureau, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Miami Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Huber prosecuted the case. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga .


title: Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to Ten Years and One Day in Prison for Possessing Obscene Images of the Sexual Abuse of Children

component: USAO - Illinois, Central

body_text: PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, Jack Lee Nimrick, 43, was sentenced on June 24, 2024, to a total of ten years and one day in federal prison for possession of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children. Nimrick was previously convicted of distribution of child pornography in 2015 and was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release. He was also required to register as a sex offender. While serving his term of supervised release, United States Probation Officers found Nimrick in possession of an unmonitored and unapproved cellphone capable of connecting to the internet. Further investigation and forensic investigation of the cellphone by Homeland Security agents revealed over 150 computer-generated images and over 50 computer-generated animated videos depicting the sexual abuse of children ranging in age from approximately four years old to teenagers. Nimrick was arrested in October 2023 on supervised release revocation charges, and a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with possession of obscene images in November 2023. He entered a guilty plea to the possession of obscene images charge in March 2024. At the sentencing hearing this week, Nimrick also admitted that he had violated his conditions of supervised release by possessing the illegal images, failing to register his cellphone in accordance with the Sex Offender Registration Notification Act, and failing to comply with the U.S. Probation Office’s Computer and Internet Monitoring Program. Nimrick has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals since his arrest. He will serve a three-year term of supervised release upon completion of the term of imprisonment. Based on Nimrick’s prior conviction for a sex offense, he faced an enhanced statutory penalty of ten to twenty years’ imprisonment, followed by up to a three-year term of supervised release. The United States Department of Homeland Security investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov .


title: Chittenden County Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Fraud and Gun Cases

component: USAO - Vermont

body_text: Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on June 25, 2024, Leon Delima, 35, of Burlington and South Burlington, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 46 months in prison, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Delima previously pleaded guilty in two separate federal cases to wire fraud and false statements in connection with his 2021 false applications for COVID relief funds and his 2022 possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. He is also required to pay over $20,000.00 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). According to court records, between April and July 2021, Delima devised a scheme to obtain COVID relief funds to which he was not entitled by submitting false applications seeking Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the SBA. Delima successfully obtained a $17,833.00 PPP loan which he spent over the course of approximately two weeks on consumer goods, life expenses, and other non-business items. Having exhausted the initial loan, he then sought an additional $350,000.00 EIDL, which was denied. Approximately a year later, on July 2, 2022, Delima, who had previously been convicted of a felony offense and was precluded from possessing firearms under federal law, discharged a .40 caliber pistol as he walked along North Avenue in Burlington, Vermont. Delima knew the firearm had been stolen. He was also in possession of over 35 grams of cocaine at the time he fired the gun. He threw the gun aside before law enforcement could apprehend him. The gun was recovered approximately two weeks later and linked back to the shooting incident using ATF technology. United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest praised the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Burlington Police Department for their collaboration and excellent work investigating Leon Delima’s many crimes. “Utilizing technology is a key part of ATF’s strategy to identify and prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge James M. Ferguson of the ATF Boston Field Division. “The combination of NIBIN and good police work has resulted in the arrest and conviction of a convicted felon who illegally possessed a firearm and crack cocaine.” The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia A. P. Cowles. Delima was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara M. Puls. This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballisticinformation-network-nibin . Addressing pandemic-related fraud is a priority of United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest and of the Department of Justice. For information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN .


title: Repeat Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Over 8 Years for Fentanyl Distribution

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Western

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jarrell Knight, 38, Hammond, Indiana, was sentenced on June 20, 2024 by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 8 ¼ years in federal prison for distributing 40 or more grams of fentanyl. Knight pleaded guilty to this charge on March 26, 2024. Knight committed the instant offense while under federal supervision for a previous drug trafficking conviction. Judge Conley revoked that supervision and imposed an additional 18-month sentence to run consecutive to the sentence on the new conviction. On March 16, 2023, Knight met with an individual in Beloit to sell two ounces of fentanyl. Police monitoring the transaction observed and recorded Knight’s meeting with the individual and the substance obtained in the purchase tested positive for fentanyl. Knight was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2023, and subsequently arrested in Hammond, Indiana. At the sentencing, Judge Conley noted that Knight spent most of his adult life profiting from the suffering of others by exploiting their drug addictions. Judge Conley also considered it an aggravating factor that Knight sold drugs while under federal supervised release from his 2013 drug trafficking conviction. The charge against Knight was the result of an investigation conducted by the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, Beloit Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Anderson prosecuted this case.


title: Box Elder man sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing two children on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: GREAT FALLS — A Box Elder man convicted by a federal jury of sexually abusing two children at a residence on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation was sentenced on June 25 to 30 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today. After a two-day trial, a jury found Shawn Saddler, Sr., 57, guilty on Feb. 7 of aggravated sexual abuse and two counts of abusive sexual contact. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. “Saddler sexually abused little girls who were too young to understand what he was doing and too small to stop him. Saddler’s crimes inflicted serious trauma on them, and their lives will never be the same due to his abuse. I hope they find a small degree of comfort knowing he will rightfully spend the next 30 years in federal prison, where he will be unable to hurt them or any other children again,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said. The government alleged in court documents and at trial that in 2022 in a residence in Box Elder, on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, Saddler sexually molested and abused two girls multiple times. Both victims were under the age of 12 years at the time. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Rocky Boy’s Police Department conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Five Employees of Juvenile Detention Center Charged With Smuggling Contraband in Exchange for Bribes

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Five criminal complaints were unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging current New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) employees Da’Vante Bolton, Roger Francis, Christopher Craig and Nigel King, and former ACS employee Octavia Napier, with conspiracy to commit Travel Act bribery. All five defendants were Youth Development Specialists at the Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brownsville, Brooklyn (Crossroads). All five were arrested this morning, and their initial appearances are scheduled for this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Marutollo. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Jocelyn E. Strauber, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) and James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the charges. “As alleged, these so-called ‘Youth Development Specialists’ violated their duty to the City and the residents at Crossroads by smuggling in weapons, drugs, and other contraband in exchange for bribes, placing young people and other staff members at an alarming risk of serious harm,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “Today’s arrests demonstrate that this Office remains committed to rooting out corruption and cleaning up our city’s jails and juvenile detention facilities.” DOI Commissioner Strauber said, “As Youth Development Specialists at ACS, these defendants were trusted to ensure the safety and security of residents in the City’s youth detention facilities. They betrayed that trust when, as charged, they accepted cash payments in exchange for smuggling drugs, weapons, and other contraband, into the Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brooklyn, destabilizing the facility and increasing the risk of violence to residents and staff alike. I thank ACS for reporting information to DOI, which prompted, in part, the work that led to this investigation with our law enforcement partners in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the FBI, and the charges we announce today.” “These five defendants, each Youth Development Specialists at the Crossroads Juvenile Center, are alleged to have repeatedly smuggled dangerous contraband into the facility in exchange for bribes. Youth development specialists are entrusted to help troubled youth get back on the right path, instead these individuals allegedly strayed themselves, placing personal gain above the safety and rehabilitation of the juveniles under their watch. The arrests today highlight the FBI’s continued dedication to eradicating public corruption and holding those responsible accountable in the criminal justice system,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge James Smith. Approximately 120 residents, ranging from ages 14 to 20, are detained at Crossroads. Residents at Crossroads are prohibited from possessing narcotics, cellular telephones, cigarettes, weapons, and alcohol, among other items. ACS employees at Crossroads are trained to confiscate any contraband they find and must notify a supervisor if any contraband is discovered. Although staff members are supposed to undergo a security screening whenever they enter the facility, a significant amount of contraband has recently been recovered from Crossroads residents. Between approximately March 2022 and May 2024, at least 75 cell phones and more than 340 scalpels or blades were recovered from the facility, as well as narcotics and tobacco. The defendants either are or were Youth Development Specialists at Crossroads, which required them to supervise residents. Their responsibilities are similar to those of a correction officer at a jail facility. As alleged in the complaints, the defendants accepted bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband and violating their duties as staff members. The Defendants and the Alleged Criminal Conduct Da’Vante Bolton has been employed by ACS since March 2020. As alleged, Bolton accepted more than $20,000 from Crossroads residents or their associates and smuggled in razor blades and marijuana in exchange for those bribes. Roger Francis has been employed by ACS since July 2018. As alleged, Francis received more than $17,000 in bribes from Crossroads residents and their associates for smuggling in contraband, including marijuana and phone accessories. Christopher Craig has been employed by ACS since August 2018. As alleged, Craig received more than $5,000 in bribes to smuggle in contraband, including marijuana and tobacco. Nigel King has been employed by ACS since October 2021. As alleged, King accepted more than $6,800 in bribes for smuggling in marijuana, prescription pills and alcohol. Octavia Napier was employed by ACS from June 2022 to May 2023. As alleged, Napier received more than $2,000 in bribes to both smuggle in contraband and allow a Crossroads resident to use her Cash App account to run his contraband distribution business from within Crossroads. * * * * * The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Philip Pilmar and Andrew D. Grubin, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Cassie Perez of the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Legal Assistant Thomas Englert. The Defendants : DA’VANTE BOLTON Age: 31 Queens, NY E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-MJ-435 ROGER FRANCIS Age: 58 Brooklyn, NY E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-MJ-432 CHRISTOPHER CRAIG Age: 37 Brooklyn, NY E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-MJ-433 NIGEL KING Age: 45 Queens, NY E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-MJ-431 OCTAVIA NAPIER Age: 26 Brooklyn, NY E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-MJ-434


title: Businessman Sentenced to More Than a Year in Federal Prison for Scheming to Embezzle Funds From Client

body_text: CHICAGO — A businessman who operated two companies in a Chicago suburb has been sentenced to more than a year in federal prison for scheming to embezzle more than $950,000 from a client. DONALD E. MUDD, 66, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., pleaded guilty earlier this year to a mail fraud charge. U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo on June 21, 2024, sentenced Mudd to 15 months in federal prison. Judge Bucklo also fined Mudd $60,000 and ordered him to pay $951,755 in restitution. Mudd was the president of Mudd-Lyman Sales and Services and the manager of Simply Service LLC, both of which were based in Skokie, Ill. The businesses helped to market their clients’ products and facilitated the placement of goods in national hardware store chains. One of Mudd’s clients was a New York-based sealant manufacturer where co-defendant RODNEY HAWKINS worked as a vice president. Mudd admitted in a plea agreement that he schemed with Hawkins to embezzle funds from Hawkins’s employer by fraudulently inflating commissions and submitting false invoices for services that were never rendered. After receipt of the funds from the false invoices, Mudd and Hawkins split the proceeds. Hawkins, 57, of Newton, N.C., pleaded guilty last year to a mail fraud charge and admitted his role in the scam. Hawkins is awaiting sentencing. Mudd’s sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Petersen.


title: Pensacola Man Sentenced To 150 Months In Federal Prison for Possession Of Drugs

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Darnell Devaughn Burnett, 40, of Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to serve 150 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, 100 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing heroin, a quantity of fentanyl, and a quantity of cocaine. Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence. “Our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners work tirelessly to keep us safe and serve a critical role in removing addictive and deadly controlled substances from our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “Through their efforts, this defendant – a prior offender currently serving a probationary sentence – will face the significant consequences of his continued criminal conduct. We will continue to support our law enforcement partners as we work together to investigate and prosecute criminals distributing drugs in North Florida.” On June 13, 2023, a state search warrant was executed at Burnett’s residence in Pensacola, Florida. During the search of the residence, law enforcement located and seized 829 grams of methamphetamine, 137.9 grams of heroin, small quantities of fentanyl and cocaine, a digital scale and bags used for drug distribution. Evidence introduced at the sentencing hearing established that at the time the search warrant was executed at his residence, Burnett was on state probation for drug distribution charges. “This case is another example of how our strong law enforcement partnership enhances public safety in Pensacola,” said Pensacola Police Chief Eric Randall. “We are committed to utilizing every resource available to hold accountable those responsible for the distribution of dangerous drugs in our community.” “The DEA Miami Field Division remains committed to pursuing those who continue to put personal profits over the lives of our citizens by distributing this poison in our communities and hold them accountable for their actions,” said DEA Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne Reuter. “With the support and cooperation from our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, we will continue to succeed in our mission of keeping our Florida communities safe and healthy.” Burnett’s prison sentence will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. This sentencing resulted from a joint investigation by the Pensacola Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Ryan Love. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening New Mexico District Attorney

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Ohio man pleaded guilty in federal court to making interstate threats after he left a threatening voicemail message for the District Attorney in Dona Ana County, New Mexico. According to publicly available court documents, on October 26, 2023, Donald Walter Fowler , 47, left a voicemail conveying a threat to the African American elected District Attorney for the 3 rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office in New Mexico. In the voicemail, Fowler said “There should be a noose in your future.” The Court ordered that Fowler remain on conditions of release pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, Fowler faces up to 3 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Fowler will be subject to up to three years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the FBI Cleveland Field Office and the 3 rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niki Tapia-Brito is prosecuting the case. View the Plea Agreement # # #


title: Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking

component: Criminal Division

body_text: WASHINGTON - A Tennessee man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. According to court documents, from December 2021 through March 2022, Charles Cunigan, 31, and his girlfriend, Latesha Gardner, transported the victim, who was a minor throughout the timeframe of the conspiracy, across state lines from Tennessee to Illinois, Louisiana, and Texas for the purpose of causing her to engage in commercial sex acts. Cunigan advertised the victim for commercial sex on websites, kept the money the victim made from commercial sex transactions, required the victim to earn a daily quota from commercial sex, and restricted the victim’s access to food. Cunigan also tracked the victim’s location using a cell phone application and told her that he would find and kill the victim if she ever tried to leave. Cunigan used violence to accomplish the scheme. For example, if the victim did not comply with Cunigan’s demands, he would beat the victim, which Cunigan did when he punched and kicked the victim during an altercation in February 2022. On occasion, Cunigan also directed Gardner to use physical force against the victim. Cunigan is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 24. If the court accepts the guilty plea, the government and Cunigan have agreed that Cunigan will be sentenced to 22 years and six months’ imprisonment. Cunigan has also agreed to pay $48,750 in restitution to the victim. As a result of his conviction, Cunigan must participate in the sex offender registration and notification program upon his release from custody. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana; and Deputy Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans made the announcement. HSI New Orleans investigated the case. Trial Attorney Melissa E. Bücher of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria M. Carboni for the Eastern District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case.


title: Juan Orlando Hernandez, Former President Of Honduras, Sentenced To 45 Years In Prison For Conspiring To Distribute More Than 400 Tons Of Cocaine And Related Firearms Offenses

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Merrick B. Garland, the Attorney General of the United States; and Anne Milgram, the Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced that JUAN ORLANDO HERNANDEZ, a/k/a “JOH,” was sentenced today to 45 years in prison for cocaine importation and related weapons offenses. HERNANDEZ is the former two-term president of Honduras and was in office until weeks before his extradition to the U.S. in April 2022. HERNANDEZ was convicted on March 8, 2024, following a three-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel, who imposed today’s sentence. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As the former two-term president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez had every opportunity to affect positive change for his country. Instead, Hernandez helped to facilitate the importation of an almost unfathomable 400 tons of cocaine to this country: billions of individual doses sent to the United States with the protection and support of the former president of Honduras. Now, after years of destructive narco-trafficking of the highest imaginable magnitude, Hernandez will spend 45 years where he belongs: in federal prison.” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said: “As President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez abused his power to support one of the largest and most violent drug trafficking conspiracies in the world, and the people of Honduras and the United States bore the consequences. Thanks to the diligent work of the Justice Department’s agents and prosecutors, Hernandez will now spend more than four decades in prison. The Justice Department will hold accountable all those who engage in violent drug trafficking, regardless of how powerful they are or what position they hold.” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said: “DEA is relentlessly focused on dismantling drug trafficking organizations that threaten the safety and health of the American people. Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez financed his political career with drug trafficking profits and abused his authority as President of Honduras to traffic hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States. Let me be clear, political actors who use their power to traffic in drugs and corruption will be brought to justice in the United States.” As reflected in the Superseding Indictment, other filings in Manhattan federal court, evidence at trial, and statements made in court proceedings: From at least in or about 2004, up to and including in or about 2022, HERNANDEZ, the former two-term president of Honduras and former president of the Honduran National Congress, was at the center of one of the largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies in the world. During his political career, HERNANDEZ abused his powerful positions and authority in Honduras to facilitate the importation of over 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S. HERNANDEZ’s co-conspirators were armed with machine guns and destructive devices, including AK-47s, AR-15s, and grenade launchers, which they used to protect their massive cocaine loads as they transited across Honduras on their way to the U.S., protect the money they made from the eventual sale of this cocaine, and guard their drug-trafficking territory from rivals. HERNANDEZ received millions of dollars of drug money from some of the largest and most violent drug-trafficking organizations in Honduras, Mexico, and elsewhere, and used those bribes to fuel his rise in Honduran politics. In turn, as HERNANDEZ rose to power in Honduras, he provided increased support and protection for his co-conspirators, allowing them to move mountains of cocaine, commit acts of violence and murder, and help turn Honduras into one of the most dangerous countries in the world. During his time in office, HERNANDEZ publicly promoted legislation and the efforts he purported to undertake in support of anti-narcotics measures in Honduras. At the same time, he protected and enriched the drug traffickers in his inner circle and those who provided him with cocaine-fueled bribes that allowed him to obtain and stay in power in Honduras. For example, HERNANDEZ selectively upheld extraditions by supporting and taking credit for extraditions to the U.S. of certain drug traffickers who threatened his grip on power, while at the same time promising drug traffickers who bribed him and followed his instructions that they would remain safe in Honduras. In addition, HERNANDEZ and his co-conspirators abused Honduran institutions, including the Honduran National Police and Honduran military, to protect and grow their conspiracy. Among other things, members of the conspiracy used heavily armed Honduran National Police officers to protect their cocaine loads as they transited through Honduras towards the U.S. for eventual distribution. Members of the conspiracy also turned to violence and murder to protect and grow their drug trafficking enterprise, attacking and murdering rival traffickers and those who threatened their grip on the Honduran cocaine trade. Several of HERNANDEZ’s co-conspirators have already been convicted and sentenced in connection with this investigation. Among others, HERNANDEZ’s brother, Juan Antonio Hernandez Alvarado, a/k/a “Tony Hernandez,” was convicted after trial in October 2019 and sentenced to life in prison, and Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez, a violent cocaine trafficker who met with HERNANDEZ on multiple occasions to discuss their drug trafficking partnership, was convicted after trial in March 2021 and sentenced to life in prison. Juan Carlos Bonilla Valladares, a/k/a “El Tigre,” the former chief of the Honduran National Police, pled guilty to his participation in the cocaine importation conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 1, 2024, and Mauricio Hernandez Pineda, a former member of the Honduran National Police and HERNANDEZ’s cousin, pled guilty to his participation in the cocaine importation conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 2, 2024. In total, HERNANDEZ and his co-conspirators trafficked more than 400 tons of U.S.-bound cocaine through Honduras during HERNANDEZ’s tenure in the Honduran government. * * * In addition to the prison term, HERNANDEZ, 55, of Honduras, was sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $8 million. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces’ (“OCDETF”) New York Strike Force, and Tegucigalpa Country Office, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The OCDETF New York Strike Force provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the New York Strike Force is to target, disrupt, and dismantle drug trafficking and money laundering organizations, reduce the illegal drug supply in the U.S., and bring criminals to justice. This case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob H. Gutwillig, David J. Robles, Elinor L. Tarlow, and Kyle A. Wirshba are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Andrea Broach and Jessica Fender of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.


title: Federal Inmate and Eight Co-Conspirators Indicted for International Drug Trafficking

body_text: An indictment was unsealed in the District of North Dakota today charging a federal inmate and eight co-conspirators with international methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl trafficking. According to court documents, since January 2022, Jesus Amurahaby Celestin-Ortega, also known as Flaco, 26, allegedly engaged in drug-related and money laundering conspiracies, and a continuing criminal enterprise, while incarcerated at a federal prison on unrelated drug and firearm charges. Celestin-Ortega allegedly operated a criminal network using a contraband cellphone from inside the federal prison to import and distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, more than one kilogram of heroin, and more than 400 grams of fentanyl. Celestin-Ortega allegedly directed and coordinated the importation of the substances into the United States and their distribution within North Dakota, Minnesota, California, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Arizona, and elsewhere. Celestin-Ortega also allegedly conspired to launder drug proceeds from the United States to Mexico. Celestin-Ortega’s eight co-conspirators—Trinidad Torres Meraz, 58, of Riverside, California; Edgar Hernandez, also known as Ivan Edgar Hernandez Vasquez, 43; Maria De La Cruz Estrada Moreno, 40, of El Paso, Texas; Jesse Rocha, 25, of Denver; Rafael Bueno-Nava, 49, of Fridley, Minnesota; Ryan James Stevens, 41, of Arvada, Colorado; Christian Ivan Gonzalez, 31, of Phoenix; and Martina Lucia Mendez, 26, of Gilbert, Arizona—are charged with participating in the distribution conspiracy. Five of the co-conspirators—Torres Meraz, Estrada Moreno, Bueno-Nava, Stevens, and Mendez—also allegedly conspired to import methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl from Mexico into the United States. Three of the conspirators—Torres Meraz, Estrada Moreno, and Bueno-Nava—are charged with additional money laundering conspiracy charges. Celestin-Ortega and six of the co-conspirators have been arrested on the indictment and have made their initial appearances in court. Hernandez and Mendez remain fugitives. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison on the drug distribution conspiracy counts and the importation conspiracy counts, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the money laundering conspiracy counts. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider for the District of North Dakota; Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Special Agent in Charge Steven T. Bell of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Field Division; Inspector in Charge Bryan S. Musgrove of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Denver Division; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Murdock of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement. This case is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation. HSI, DEA, USPIS, IRS-CI, Grand Forks Narcotics Task Force, North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and Grand Forks Police Department are investigating the case, with critical support from the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ National Gang Unit. The Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Special Operations Unit and the Office of Enforcement Operations also provided essential support and coordination. Trial Attorneys Lernik Begian and Tara Arndt of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher C. Myers and Matthew P. Kopp for the District of North Dakota are prosecuting the 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: Russian National Charged for Conspiring with Russian Military Intelligence to Destroy Ukrainian Government Computer Systems and Data

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: Note: Concurrent with the return of the indictment, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on Stigal’s location or his malicious cyberactivity. Anyone possessing such information should contact Rewards for Justice here . A federal grand jury in Maryland returned an indictment yesterday charging Amin Timovich Stigal (Амин Тимович Стигал), 22, a Russian citizen, with conspiracy to hack into and destroy computer systems and data. In advance of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, targets included Ukrainian Government systems and data with no military or defense-related roles. Later targets included computer systems in countries that were providing support to Ukraine, including the United States. Stigal remains at large. “As alleged, the defendant conspired with Russian military intelligence on the eve of Russia’s unjust and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine to launch cyberattacks targeting the Ukrainian government and later targeting its allies, including the United States.” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will continue to stand with Ukraine on every front in its fight against Russia’s war of aggression, including by holding accountable those who support Russia’s malicious cyber activity.” “The GRU has repeatedly applied in cyberspace Russia’s statecraft of indiscriminate destruction and intimidation,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen. “The Department will do its part to prevent and disrupt such malicious behavior that relies upon online services or infrastructure in the U.S., or that targets U.S. victims. We will also identify, pursue, and eventually hold to account those responsible for Russia’s malicious actions, including the cybercriminals that the Russian government cultivates in furtherance of its malign agenda.” “Amin Timovich Stigal attempted to leverage malware to aid the Russian military in the invasion of Ukraine,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. “Today’s indictment demonstrates the FBI’s unwavering commitment to combat malicious cyber activities by our adversaries, and we will continue to work with our international partners to thwart attempts to undermine and harm our allies.” “Malicious cyber actors who attack our allies should know that we will pursue them to the full extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “Cyber intrusion schemes such as the one alleged threaten our national security, and we will use all the technologies and investigative measures at our disposal to disrupt and track down these cybercriminals.” “The indictment of Amin Stigal is yet another example of the FBI’s commitment to combating cyber threats both at home and internationally,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “To those adversaries who seek to compromise our international partners’ systems, know you will be identified and you will face consequences for your actions. The FBI vows to continually pursue justice and disrupt malicious cyber actors.” According to court documents, in Jan. 2022, Stigal and members of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff (GRU) of the Russian Federation (the Conspirators) conspired to use a U.S.-based company’s services to distribute malware known in the cybersecurity community as “WhisperGate” to dozens of Ukrainian government entities’ computer systems and destroy those systems and related data in advance of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The United States government previously joined with allies and partners in May 2022 to attribute this cyber-attack to the Russian military and to condemn the attack and similar destructive cyber activities against Ukraine. On Jan. 13, 2022, the Conspirators attacked multiple Ukrainian government networks, including the Ukrainian Ministry of International Affairs, the State Treasury, the Judiciary Administration, the State Portal for Digital Services, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, the Ministry of Energy, the Accounting Chamber for Ukraine, the State Emergency Service, the State Forestry Agency, and the Motor Insurance Bureau. The Conspirators infected computers on these and other networks with malware called WhisperGate, which was designed to look like ransomware. However, as the indictment alleges, WhisperGate was actually a cyberweapon designed to completely destroy the target computer and related data. In conjunction with these attacks, the Conspirators compromised several of the targeted Ukrainian computer systems, exfiltrated sensitive data, including patient health records, and defaced the websites to read: “Ukrainians! All information about you has become public, be afraid and expect the worst. This is for your past, present and future.” That same day, the Conspirators offered the hacked data for sale on the internet. The effort was aimed at sowing concern among the broader Ukrainian population regarding the safety of government systems and data. In August 2022, the Conspirators also hacked the transportation infrastructure of a Central European country that was supporting Ukraine. The indictment further alleges that from Aug. 5, 2021, through Feb. 3, 2022, the Conspirators leveraged the same computer infrastructure they used in the Ukraine-related attacks to probe computers belonging to a federal government agency in Maryland in the same manner as they had initially probed the Ukrainian Government networks. If convicted, Stigal faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The FBI’s Baltimore Field Office is investigating the case with the support of the FBI’s Milwaukee and Boston Field Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron S.J. Zelinsky and Robert I. Goldaris for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Indictment


title: Janesville Man Sentenced for Theft of Social Security Benefits

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that David Beyer, 66, Janesville, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson, to 3 years of probation for theft of social security retirement benefits. Beyer pleaded guilty to the charge on April 4, 2024. The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General (SSA OIG) received an anonymous tip in December 2021 that Beyer continued to receive social security checks from his mother-in-law’s Title II retirement benefits after she passed away in June 2016. As a retirement beneficiary, Beyer’s mother-in-law was paid $1007 a month through direct deposits to her account at a bank in Janesville. Beyer had a duty to inform SSA OIG when the beneficiary passed away. Beyer did not and continued unlawfully collecting these benefits from July 2016 until January 2022. SSA OIG determined the total amount overpaid to the account was $62,210.10. At sentencing, Judge Peterson emphasized the seriousness of Beyer’s theft, and noted the irony that Beyer now relies on social security, the very program that he stole from. Judge Peterson imposed a court-ordered payment plan for Beyer to pay restitution to SSA, making clear that paying restitution was not part of Beyer’s punishment, but instead that it is fair “to pay back the money he stole.” The charge against Beyer was the result of an investigation conducted by Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Ginsberg prosecuted this case.


title: Uzbekistan man extradited from Ukraine and arraigned on charges of stealing millions of dollars in cryptocurrency

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: Buffalo, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced that Nikita Andreevich Sklyuev a/k/a Valeriy Dorojkin, 37, of Uzbekistan, was extradited from Ukraine and arraigned today on an indictment charging him with wire fraud and fraudulent use of unauthorized access device. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas A. C. Penrose, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, in June 2018, Sklyuev submitted a computer software application, “EOSIO Wallet Explorer,” to Apple to be sold through the Apple App Store. The EOSIO Wallet Explorer purported to be a cryptocurrency wallet, but was in fact a malicious computer software application designed to steal the cryptocurrency user’s private key, thereby giving Sklyuev access to the user’s cryptocurrency funds. In September 2018, an individual in the Western District of New York (Victim) purchased the EOSIO Wallet Explorer application and then installed it on his iPhone. Once the Victim entered his private key following the installation, Sklyuev had unauthorized access to the Victim’s cryptocurrency wallet, which contained approximately 2,092,395.5356 EOS cryptocurrency, which at the time was valued at approximately $11.8 million dollars. On September 25, 2018, Sklyuev changed the private key to the Victim’s wallet, which resulted in the Victim losing all control and access to his wallet. In February 2019, Sklyuev transferred the EOS cryptocurrency from the Victim’s wallet to numerous other online wallets that were under his control. Sklyuev was arraigned this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and is being held pending a detention hearing on July 3, 2024. Today’s arraignment follows the successful June 20, 2024, extradition of Sklyuev from Ukraine. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Romanian and Ukrainian authorities to secure his arrest and extradition. The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia and the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. # # # #


title: St. Louis Woman Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Aiding $291,000 Pandemic Fraud

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced a St. Louis woman to 24 months in prison for conspiring to defraud a COVID-19 pandemic relief program. Jeannine Buford, 46, changed the name of an existing company to Couture Trading Inc. with the Montana Secretary of State’s Office in April of 2020. She listed herself as the company president and Porshia L. Thomas as the director, vice president, secretary and treasurer. On July 15, 2020, Thomas, with Buford’s help, completed and submitted a fraudulent PPP loan application for Couture Trading. Buford and Thomas falsely claimed the company was an operating business located in California, had 15 employees and an average monthly payroll of $120,000. They claimed the loan would be used for salaries and business expenses and submitted fake company bank records. The bank issued a $291,000 PPP loan on Sept. 8, 2020. Thomas then wired $10,000 to Buford and wrote her a $65,000 check. Buford spent the money on personal expenses, including food, clothes, the $14,000 deposit on a 2017 BMW X6, a $5,000 couch and other furniture and $1,855 to rent a luxury apartment in downtown St. Louis. Photo from a sentencing memo. The bank, realizing that something was amiss, recovered $206,000 of the loan money. “For too many Americans, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unprecedented time of financial hardship, turmoil, and suffering. But for the defendant, it constituted a lucrative opportunity to line her pockets with relief payments earmarked for struggling Americans,” a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek J. Wiseman says. Buford’s crime was “motivated purely by greed,” the memo says. Buford has been engaging in persistent fraud since 1999, including six felony fraud convictions for crimes including forging checks and selling counterfeit handbags, the memo says. Buford pleaded guilty in February to wire fraud conspiracy. Thomas, now 33, pleaded guilty to a bank fraud charge. She has been sentenced to five years of probation. Both were ordered to repay the money. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek J. Wiseman is prosecuting the case.


title: Mercer County Man Admits to Multiple Narcotics Distribution and Firearms Charges

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: TRENTON, N.J. – A Mercer County, New Jersey, man today admitted possession of fentanyl and cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking offenses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Jamal Wilson, aka “Vill,” 49, of Trenton, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner in Trenton federal court to a superseding information charging him with one count of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In August 2022, Wilson and 12 other individuals were charged by criminal complaint with drug trafficking and firearms offenses. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: In July 2020, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies began an investigation of individuals engaged in unlawful drug-trafficking and firearms activities in the area of Garfield, Cleveland, and Logan avenues, a Trenton neighborhood known for high levels of narcotics activity and gun violence. The investigation revealed that Wilson was a significant drug trafficker of fentanyl and cocaine, including the area of the Grand Court Villas apartment building, East State Street and South Olden Avenue and the Garfield Avenue Playground. The investigation also revealed the scope of Wilson’s unlawful drug-trafficking activities, including Wilson’s customers and co-defendants. Law enforcement recovered from Wilson’s residence and his stash house 2,106 grams of cocaine, approximately 450 grams of cocaine base, 1,085 grams of fentanyl, four firearms, and two suppressors. The charge of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and a maximum fine of $10 million. The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine carries a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years in prison and a maximum fine of $5 million. The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life in prison, which must run consecutively to any term of imprisonment imposed on any other count, and a $250,000 fine. The charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon each carry a maximum of 15 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 6, 2024. The status of the charges filed against Wilson’s co-defendants is as follows: Defendant Theodore Meekins, aka “Meech” Pleaded guilty on Nov. 16, 2023, to a three-count information, which charged him with two counts of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Sentenced on March 20, 2024, to 165 months in prison, three years of supervised release. Louis Williams, aka “Bake” Pleaded guilty on Nov. 8, 2023, to an information, which charged him with three counts of possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl. Sentenced on May 22, 2024, to 18 months in prison, three years of supervised release. Clinton Rodriguez, aka “C-Rod” Pleaded guilty on June 13, 2023, to a one-count Information, which charged him with possessing with intent to distribute cocaine. Sentenced on April 24, 2024, to 15 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release. Rashied McKines Pleaded guilty on May 24, 2023, to one-count Information, which charged him with distributing and possessing with intent to distribute cocaine. Sentenced on March 19, 2024, to time served and three years’ supervised release. Michael Williams, aka “Ice” Pleaded guilty on September 7, 2023, to a one-count Information, which charged him with possessing with intent to distribute cocaine. Sentenced on March 20, 2024, to three years’ probation. Derrick Jiles Pleaded guilty on June 7, 2023, to a three-count Information, which charged him with three counts of possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl. Sentenced on April 17, 2024, to 21 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release. Dion Morris Pleaded guilty on November 30, 2023, to an Information, which charged him with four counts of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute cocaine. Sentenced on April 30, 2024, to 8 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release. Jerry Farmer Pleaded guilty on June 6, 2023, to a one-count Information, which charged him with possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl. Sentencing scheduled for September 17, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. James Edwards Pleaded guilty on June 27, 2023, to a one-count Information, which charged him with possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl. Sentencing scheduled for June 20, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. Alterrick Livingston Pleaded guilty on June 7, 2023, to a one-count Information, which charged him with unlawful possession of ammunition as a convicted felon. Sentenced on December 13, 2023, to time served and three years’ supervised release. Kai Bowman, Jr. One count of possessing with intent to distribute heroin, remains pending on criminal complaint. Glenn Moore One count of possessing with intent to distribute heroin, remains pending on criminal complaint. These convictions and sentences are the result of an investigation by the Greater Trenton Safe Streets Task Force. Led by the FBI, the Task Force is comprised of various federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, and its mission is to combine the resources and intelligence of the participating agencies to enhance the identification, apprehension, and prosecution of individuals involved in gang-related activities, violent crime, and drug distribution in and around the greater Trenton area. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division, Trenton Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy; special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, Trenton Satellite Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Ross A. Marchetti; officers of the Trenton Police Department, under the direction of Director Steve Wilson; and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri, with the investigation leading to the conviction and sentencing. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Super Pitts and Tracey Agnew of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton. The defendants for whom charges remain pending are presumed innocent, unless and until proven guilty. wilson.sinformation.pdf


title: Russian National Charged For Conspiring With Russian  Military Intelligence To Destroy Ukrainian Government  Computer Systems And Data

component: National Security Division (NSD)

body_text: Greenbelt , Maryland – A federal grand jury in Maryland yesterday returned an indictment charging Amin Timovich Stigal [Амин Тимович Стигал], age 22, a Russian citizen, with conspiracy to hack into and destroy computer systems and data. In advance of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, targets included Ukrainian Government systems and data with no military or defense-related roles. Later targets included computer systems in countries that were providing support to Ukraine, including the United States. Stigal remains at large. The indictment was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office. “Malicious cyber actors who attack our allies should know that we will pursue them to the full extent of the law” said U.S. Attorney Barron. “Cyber intrusion schemes such as the one alleged threaten our national security, and we will use all the technologies and investigative measures at our disposal to disrupt and track down these cybercriminals.” “As alleged, the defendant conspired with Russian military intelligence on the eve of Russia’s unjust and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine to launch cyberattacks targeting the Ukrainian government and later targeting its allies, including the United States.” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will continue to stand with Ukraine on every front in its fight against Russia’s war of aggression, including by holding accountable those who support Russia’s malicious cyber activity.” “The indictment of Amin Stigal is yet another example of the FBI’s commitment to combating cyber threats both at home and internationally,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office. “To those adversaries who seek to compromise our international partners’ systems, know you will be identified and you will face consequences for your actions. The FBI vows to continually pursue justice and disrupt malicious cyber actors.” The indictment alleges that in January 2022, Stigal and members of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff (“GRU”) of the Russian Federation (the “Conspirators”) conspired to use a U.S.-based company’s services to distribute malware known in the cybersecurity community as “WhisperGate” to dozens of Ukrainian government entities’ computer systems and destroy those systems and related data in advance of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The United States government previously joined with allies and partners in May 2022 [ https://www.state.gov/attribution-of-russias-malicious-cyber-activity-against-ukraine/ ] to attribute this cyber attack to the Russian military and to condemn the attack and similar destructive cyber activities against Ukraine. As alleged in the indictment, on January 13, 2022, the Conspirators attacked multiple Ukrainian government networks, including the Ukrainian Ministry of International Affairs, the State Treasury, the Judiciary Administration, the State Portal for Digital Services, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, the Ministry of Energy, the Accounting Chamber for Ukraine, the State Emergency Service, the State Forestry Agency, and the Motor Insurance Bureau. The Conspirators infected computers on these and other networks with malware called WhisperGate, which was designed to look like ransomware. However, as the indictment alleges, WhisperGate was actually a cyberweapon designed to completely destroy the target computer and related data. In conjunction with these attacks, the Conspirators compromised several of the targeted Ukrainian computer systems, exfiltrated sensitive data, including patient health records, and defaced the websites to read: “Ukrainians! All information about you has become public, be afraid and expect the worst. This is for your past, present and future.” That same day, the Conspirators offered the hacked data for sale on the internet. The effort was aimed at sowing concern among the broader Ukrainian population regarding the safety of government systems and data. In August 2022, the Conspirators also hacked the transportation infrastructure of a Central European country that was supporting Ukraine. The indictment further alleges that from August 5, 2021, through February 3, 2022, the Conspirators leveraged the same computer infrastructure they used in the Ukraine-related attacks to probe computers belonging to a federal government agency in Maryland in the same manner as they had initially probed the Ukrainian Government networks. Concurrent with the return of the indictment, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on Stigal’s location or his malicious cyberactivity. Anyone possessing such information should contact Rewards for Justice here . An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. If convicted, Stigal faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Barron and Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen commended the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office for its outstanding work and thanked the FBI’s Milwaukee and Boston Field Offices for their support in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron S.J. Zelinsky and Robert I. Goldaris for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Assault, strangulation of partner sends Browning man to prison for more than four years

body_text: GREAT FALLS — A Browning man who admitted to strangling and beating a dating partner, causing serious injury, was sentenced today to four years and two months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today. The defendant, Emerson John No Runner, Jr., 48, pleaded guilty in February to assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault of a dating partner by strangulation and suffocation. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The government alleged in court documents that in March 2022 in Browning, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, No Runner and his then-girlfriend, identified as Jane Doe, had been drinking together and had slept at a relative’s trailer. The two were alone when No Runner started arguing with Jane Doe about perceived infidelity. No Runner straddled Jane Doe on a mattress, placed his hands around her neck and applied pressure. Jane Doe lost consciousness and woke up in a pool of blood. Jane Doe also found pieces of wood in her hair. Officers seized a piece of wood with apparent blood and hair. Jane Doe suffered a brain injury and bruising on her neck. In a Facebook message to Jane Doe in December 2023, No Runner referenced the assault, stating, “the plan was to kill you that day should of, so bye bitch.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and FBI conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Ex-BLM employee sentenced to prison for stealing money by forging government checks

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: MISSOULA — A former Bureau of Land Management employee who admitted to stealing thousands of dollars by forging a co-worker’s signature on government checks was sentenced today to two years and seven months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. The defendant, Adrian Anthony Aragon, 53, of Butte, pleaded guilty in February to theft of government money and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. The court also ordered $8,600 restitution. In court documents, the government alleged that Aragon worked for the BLM in 2019 and 2020 until he was federally prosecuted for repeatedly using his employee travel card for personal expenses. After being released from custody and while on federal supervised release, Aragon forged the signature of a former co-worker on stolen BLM checks and incurred more than $10,000 in losses in the co-worker’s name. Aragon used the stolen money for personal expenses including cash withdrawals, bills, restaurants, grocery stores and Amazon purchases. The former co-worker said Aragon had access to her checks during his employment and made schedule changes that resulted in him being the first or last person to leave the office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Department of Interior Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Texas Business Owner Sentenced for Evading Income Tax

component: Tax Division

body_text: A Texas man was sentenced today to 37 months in prison, three years of supervised release and to pay $529,551 in restitution to the United States for evading taxes on income he earned from his business. According to court documents, John L. Petrone owned and operated a business that sold an herbal extract known as “kratom,” along with other related products. Petrone did not file individual income tax returns for 2014 through 2019, nor did he pay income taxes for those years, despite earning hundreds of thousands of dollars from his business. During that time period, Petrone attempted to evade his income taxes by opting not to withhold federal taxes from his paychecks, operating the business under different names, dealing in cash, using business bank accounts to pay for personal expenses and lying to the IRS during an audit. In addition, Petrone did not pay his business’s employment taxes. Through his actions, Petrone caused a tax loss to the IRS of over $529,000. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant Chief David Zisserson and Trial Attorney Andres Chinchilla of the Tax Division prosecuted the case, with assistance and support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.


title: Freedom Resident Pleads Guilty to Receiving Material Depicting Sexual Exploitation of Minor

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Freedom, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court on June 25, 2024, to a charge of receipt of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. Mark Kriss, 64, pleaded guilty to one count before Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak. In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that Kriss made contact with a 14-year-old minor over an online adult dating site targeted at extramarital affairs and, on May 22, 2021, received digital photographs from the minor depicting her sexual exploitation. Kriss also acknowledged responsibility for meeting the minor for the purpose of engaging in sex acts at a local motel. Chief Judge Hornak scheduled sentencing for October 29, 2024. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than five years and up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Northern Regional Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Kriss.


title: Former Local 98 President Brian Burrows Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Embezzlement of Union Funds, Filing False Government Reports, and Tax Fraud

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Brian Burrows, 64, of Mount Laurel, NJ, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl to 48 months’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, forfeiture of $135,689.11, an $1,800 special assessment, and restitution to be determined later, for crimes arising from his embezzlement of funds belonging to Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (“Local 98”). Burrows had served as the President of Local 98 since 2008. The only person who held a higher office in the union was his codefendant, Business Manager John Dougherty. In January 2019, a federal grand jury indicted Dougherty, Burrows, and other union officers and employees with conspiracy and embezzlement arising from their theft and improper use of approximately $600,000 in Local 98 funds from April of 2010 through August of 2016. The indictment also charged Dougherty and Burrows with concealing the embezzlement of Local 98’s funds by causing false labor management reports, known as LM-2s, to be filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, and with filing false federal income tax returns by failing to report the funds they stole on their tax returns. In December 2023, a federal jury convicted Dougherty and Burrows of conspiracy to embezzle the funds of Local 98. Burrows was also convicted of 13 counts of embezzlement of funds from Local 98, two counts of causing false statements to be made on the form LM-2 that Local 98 was required to file annually with the Department of Labor for 2015 and 2016, two counts of causing false information to be reflected in the books and records of Local 98 for those years, and three counts of filing false federal income tax returns. The charges of which Burrows was convicted included the illegal use of approximately $391,000 in union funds to improve and repair his home, the homes of codefendants Dougherty and Michael Neill, commercial properties owned by him and his codefendants, and the homes of Dougherty’s relatives. Dougherty was convicted of 33 counts of embezzlement of funds from Local 98, 24 counts of wire fraud by participating in a scheme to defraud Local 98 of its money, two counts of causing false statements to be made on the form LM-2 that Local 98 was required to file annually with the Department of Labor for 2015 and 2016, two counts of causing false information to be reflected in the books and records of Local 98 for those years, and three counts of filing false federal income tax returns. The other officers and employees of Local 98 charged in the indictment pleaded guilty in 2022 to charges related to their embezzlement of Local 98’s funds and were sentenced earlier this year. They are Michael Neill, former Director of Local 98’s Apprentice Training Fund; Marita Crawford, former Political Director of Local 98; Niko Rodriguez, an employee of the Apprentice Training Fund and Local 98; and Brian Fiocca, an employee of Local 98. Dougherty is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11. “The members of a union should be able to trust their leadership,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “They have every right to expect that their officers will act in their best interests and that their dues will be used for their benefit. That wasn’t the case at Local 98, where Brian Burrows violated his duty to his members for his own benefit and allowed his codefendants to do the same. Burrows stole from the hardworking electricians whose dues paid his salary, took deliberate steps to conceal it, and is now being held appropriately accountable.” “In serving himself over the members of Local 98, Brian Burrows abused his position as the president of the Union and breached the trust of those whom he was elected to serve. Today's sentence makes it clear that this kind of self-dealing at the expense of others will not be tolerated,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain unwavering in our commitment to upholding the integrity of labor unions for the members who rely on them, and bringing to justice those who exploit them.” “Anyone contemplating cheating on their taxes should know that IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agents work tirelessly, year-round, to investigate tax and financial crimes,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Denise Leuenberger. “The outcome today is due to the dedicated efforts of IRS Criminal Investigation special agents and our law enforcement partners.” "When a union official embezzles union funds, not only are they violating the law, they are also betraying the trust of the union membership who rightfully expect their officials to protect and safeguard their union’s funds and assets," said U.S. Department of Labor Office of Labor-Management Standards Acting District Director Nicole Spallino. "There are consequences for union officials who breach their fiduciary responsibilities to the members they represent. The Office of Labor-Management Standards remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to protect the financial integrity of labor unions." “The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to protecting employee benefits for America's workers,” said Cristina O’Brien, Philadelphia Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration. “EBSA appreciates the collaborative work with our law enforcement partners to hold Brian Burrows criminally accountable for violating the law.” “Brian Burrows, the former President of IBEW Local 98, conspired with other former union officials to enrich himself at the expense of the union’s dues-paying members by embezzling union funds. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards and Employee Benefits Security Administration to safeguard union assets,” said Syreeta Scott, Special Agent in Charge, Mid-Atlantic Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration; the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Labor Management Standards; the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; and the Pennsylvania State Police, with assistance from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Frank Costello, Chief of the Corruption & Civil Rights Unit; Bea Witzleben, Co-Chief of Trials; Jason Grenell, and Anthony Carissimi.