title: Tucson Man Sentenced for Attempted Ammunition Trafficking to Mexico

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: TUCSON, Ariz. – Victor Acosta, 47, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge James A. Soto to 24 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Acosta pleaded guilty to one count of Smuggling Goods from the United States. On March 23, 2022, Acosta attempted to exit the United States and enter Mexico at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona. During a search of his vehicle, Customs and Border Protection officers found 19,000 rounds of 7.62x39mm ammunition and 3,000 rounds of .223 caliber ammunition. Acosta admitted that he had the ammunition in his vehicle. Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Brandon M. Bolling, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. CASE NUMBER: CR-22-00680-JAS-EJM RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-031_Acosta # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Spokane Man Sentenced to 42 Months for Failing to Register as a Sex Offender and Violating Supervision

component: USAO - Washington, Eastern

body_text: Spokane – On March 8, 2023, U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Jason Cory Moore, 42, of Spokane, Washington, to 30 months in federal prison for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Moore pleaded guilty on September 14, 2022. Judge Rice also ordered Moore to serve an additional 12 months in prison for Moore’s eight violations of supervised release in a related case. In total, Moore will serve 42 months in federal prison; he also will serve an additional five years on federal supervision after Moore is released from prison. According to court documents, Moore was convicted of Attempted Sexual Abuse 1 in Oregon in 2011, for having victimized a five-year old girl. As a result, Moore is federally required to register as a sex offender for fifteen years. Moore has since been convicted of failing to register twelve times. Court documents indicate that most recently, after being released from prison and registering in Washington in August 2021, Moore left his Airway Heights residence and travelled to Oregon, where he was eventually arrested in March 2022. Moore had twice been contacted by law enforcement in Oregon; both times Moore used his brother’s name in an effort to avoid arrest. At no time after relocating to Oregon did Moore update his sexual offender registration or register in any state. United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, Vanessa R. Waldref, noted that Moore’s total 42-month sentence reflects both Moore’s history as a repeat violator and the seriousness of his crime. “The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act exists for a reason, as well as, similar state laws requiring registration of those who commit sexual crimes like the one for which Moore was previously convicted. Offenders who choose to disobey their registration requirements will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Waldref. United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Washington Craig Thayer stated, “The requirement that is placed on sexual offenders to register is an essential element in order to best protect our communities. The public is afforded this added level of protection when requirements to register are followed by those who have been ordered to comply with such requirements. When an individual ignores this requirement not only once, but numerous times, and goes to extraordinary lengths to avoid accountability, a lengthy sentence, such as the one handed down by U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice, underscores the seriousness of the offense.” This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and prosecuted by Ann T. Wick, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. 2:22-CR-090-TOR


title: Fifteen Years in Federal Prison for Sisseton Man Convicted of  Abusive Sexual Contact

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Sisseton, South Dakota, man, convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact. The sentencing took place on March 3, 2023 in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Conrad Brown, age 44, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $300 as a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Brown was indicted for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child and Abusive Sexual Contact by a federal grand jury in July of 2022. He pleaded guilty to Abusive Sexual Contact on October 25, 2022. According to court documents, between approximately 2019 through 2021, Brown engaged in abusive sexual contacts with minor victims. The victims were threatened or placed in fear in order for Brown to perpetrate the abusive sexual contacts. The abuse took place in Northeastern South Dakota and within the tribal lands of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Sioux Tribe. This case was investigated by the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe’s Law Enforcement and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri prosecuted the case. Brown was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to continue serving his sentence.


title: Rapid City Man Charged with Illegal Possession of Firearm

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Rapid City, South Dakota, man for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. Jonah Burning Breast, age 29, was indicted in February of 2023. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on March 8, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 15 years in federal custody and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered. The charges stem from Burning Breast knowingly possessing an unregistered and short-barreled 12-gauge, pump-action shotgun in Rapid City in January of 2023. Burning Breast has a prior felony conviction and, as a result, cannot legally possess firearms. The charges are merely accusations and Burning Breast is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama is prosecuting the case. Burning Breast was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.


title: Martin Woman Indicted for Larceny and Embezzlement

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Martin, South Dakota, woman for Larceny and Embezzlement and Theft from an Indian Tribal Organization. Madonna Peterson, age 57, was indicted in February of 2023. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollman on March 8, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment. The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered. Between January of 2017 and July of 2021, Peterson stole more than $100,000 from her employer. The charge is merely an accusation and Peterson is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case. Peterson was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been scheduled.


title: Sandy Ridge Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Sandy Ridge, PA pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. David Richard Smith, age 45, of Sandy Ridge, PA, pleaded guilty to Count Two of the Superseding Indictment before Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson. In connection with the guilty plea, from July 2019 to June 2020, Smith did conspire to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for July 6, 2023. The law provides for a minimum of 10 years in prison to a maximum of life in prison, a fine of up to $10,000,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Smith. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Millcreek Police Department, Erie Bureau of Police, and other local law enforcement agencies. This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Stockton Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Illegal Possession of Ammunition

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Clayton Howard, 47, of Stockton, was sentenced today to seven years and two months in prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, on April 10, 2020, a search warrant executed at Howard’s residence found him to be in possession of 13 different types of ammunition, spent shell casings, various firearm parts, bulletproof vests, firearm silencers, and 11 grams of methamphetamine. Howard, who had previously been convicted of 16 felonies, was prohibited from possessing ammunition. This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Stockton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron L. Desmond prosecuted the case. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.


title: Chicago Felon Sentenced to 70 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – A Chicago man has been sentenced to 70 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for illegal possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to the defendant’s guilty plea and court documents, on June 21, 2022, a St. Paul police officer responded to an apartment after receiving a 911 call reporting a domestic incident. The officer encountered Allen Denzel Oliver-Hall, 28, who attempted to get the officer to turn his back to him so that he could hide a gun, a stolen American Tactical 92 9mm pistol with an extended magazine. The officer saw the gun and tried to remove it from Oliver-Hall’s possession. During the struggle, the firearm was pointed towards the officer. Eventually, the officer was able to disarm Oliver-Hall. Because Oliver-Hall has multiple prior felony convictions in Cook County, Illinois, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. On October 25, 2022, Oliver-Hall pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. Oliver-Hall was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura M. Provinzino prosecuted the case.


title: Muscatine Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Wire Fraud

component: USAO - Iowa, Southern

body_text: DAVENPORT, IA – A Muscatine woman was sentenced on March 8, 2023, to 24 months’ imprisonment for Wire Fraud. According to court documents, Kimberly Nicole Hollingshed, 37, of Muscatine, intentionally and deliberately defrauded an insurance company under materially false pretenses. In February 2022, Hollingshed accessed her neighbor’s term-life insurance policy and created an online profile for the policy without permission of the neighbor. With online account access, Hollingshed made changes to the victim’s policy and added herself as a policy beneficiary. The fraud continued in April 2022 when Hollingshed falsely reported the victim died and initiated the process to claim death benefits. In fact, the victim was alive in April 2022 when Hollingshed electronically uploaded and submitted a falsified death certificate to the insurance company and was paid $100,138.87 by the life insurance company. In the same period, Hollingshed used the fraudulent funds to purchase three motor vehicles and other personal property. Hollingshed was ordered to pay restitution and serve three years of supervised release at the conclusion of her prison sentence. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Iowa Insurance Fraud Bureau and the Muscatine Police Department investigated the case.


title: Springfield, Illinois, Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for Drug and Firearm Offenses

component: Department of Justice

body_text: SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois, man, Alonzo Hampton 50, of the 1300 block of North Peoria Road, was sentenced on March 9, 2023, by Senior U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough to 84 months in prison, to be followed by a six-year-term of supervised release, for possession with the intent to distribute heroin and for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. At sentencing, the government presented evidence that Hampton was responsible for possessing 45.7 grams of heroin and 75.9 grams of cocaine with the intent to distribute those substances and that he possessed a Keltec .32 handgun. Hampton has a lengthy criminal history that includes a federal drug conviction in 1992. He was on supervised release at the time of the offenses following his release from the Illinois Department of Corrections in 2019. Hampton was indicted in February 2020 and pleaded guilty in October 2022. He has been in the custody of the United States Marshals Service since February 2020. The statutory penalties for possession with intent to distribute heroin are not more than 30 years in prison, not more than a $2,000,000 fine, and not less than six years of supervised release. The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm as a convicted felon are up to ten years in prison, not more than a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. The Springfield Police Department, Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police, and Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution. The case against Hampton is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Urbana, Illinois, Women for Wire Fraud Related to COVID Relief Funds

body_text: URBANA, Ill. – A grand jury returned an indictment on March 8, 2023, against two Urbana, Illinois, women, Tasheena White, 32, of the 2400 block of Goodfield Drive, and Uniqua Whitaker, 26, of the 1200 block of Clifford Drive, charging each with one count of wire fraud related to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The indictment alleges that both White and Whitaker, United States Postal Service employees, engaged in a scheme to submit falsified loan applications and supporting documentation to acquire PPP loans in Spring 2021. White and Whitaker each obtained approximately $20,000 in PPP loans funds. Both have been issued a summons to appear in federal court in Urbana. If convicted, the statutory penalties for wire fraud are a maximum of 30 years’ imprisonment, up to a three-year term of supervised release, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and restitution. Agencies participating in the investigation include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office; the United States Postal Inspection Service; the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General; the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; and the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Bertrand is representing the government in the prosecution. COVID-19 disaster relief benefits are intended to help people and businesses suffering as a result of the pandemic. If members of the public suspect that anyone fraudulently obtained or misused benefits, they should contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NDCF) Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or submit the NCDF Web Complaint Form. The NCDF is a national coordinating agency within the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division dedicated to improving the detection, prevention, investigation, and prosecution of criminal conduct related to natural and man-made disasters and other emergencies, such as the coronavirus (COVID-19). Hotline staff will obtain information regarding complaints, which will then be reviewed by law enforcement officials. More information is available at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud . Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.


title: Former Employee Sentenced to 3+ Years in Prison for Embezzling $339,000 from St. Louis County Company

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a man from Waterloo, Illinois who embezzled $339,844 from his employer to three years and five months in prison and ordered him to repay the money. Ronald Scott Miller, who was the warehouse and labor supervisor for a small floor covering business in St. Louis County, worked for the company for 25 years. Beginning March 27, 2014, he used several schemes over the next six and one-half years to steal, “again and again and again,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman said in court Thursday. Miller submitted false timesheets for his partner, who did not work for the company. He then collected his partner’s paycheck and forged his partner’s signature to deposit the money in his own account, his plea agreement says. Miller falsely inflated the hours worked by his son without his son’s knowledge and did the same for himself by falsely claiming he was working on installation projects. Miller also submitted fraudulent invoices claiming he’d made purchases at two fake companies and paid himself with company credit cards or caused the company to issue checks to pay the fake invoices. Finally, Miller altered and inflated receipts for legitimate purchases that he made and then sought reimbursement from his company. Miller, then 54, pleaded guilty in September to one count of wire fraud. The FBI and the Maryland Heights Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.


title: Lawrence Man Sentenced for Fentanyl Distribution

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Lawrence man was sentenced today for his role in distributing fentanyl. Albert Ventura, 23, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 32 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In November 2022, Ventura pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Ventura has been in federal custody since June 9, 2022. On several occasions between September 2020 and March 2022, Ventura sold over 70 grams of fentanyl – including to undercover law enforcement. United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of Rollins’ Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: KC Man Sentenced in Two Indictments for Illegal Firearms

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today in two separate indictments for illegally possessing firearms. Yacub E. Williams, 38, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 14 years in federal prison without parole. The court sentenced Williams to 10 years on the indictments plus four years on the revocation of his supervised release in a prior conviction. On Sept. 22, 2022, Williams pleaded guilty to two separate federal indictments. Williams pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. In a second case, Williams pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of being a violent felon in possession of body armor. Williams admitted that he was in possession of a Kel-Tec 5.56-caliber rifle on Dec. 27, 2019, while he was in a white 2015 Ford Fusion parked at his Kansas City residence. On June 16, 2020, members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force were conducting surveillance on a residence in Thibodaux, Louisiana, in order to serve a federal arrest warrant on Williams for violating the terms of his supervised release for a prior federal conviction. Williams left the residence and got into the driver’s seat of the same 2015 white Ford Fusion. He appeared to retrieve something from the vehicle, then got out and walked to the back yard of the residence. Officers approached the residence and found Williams, carrying a Beretta .40-caliber pistol, running from the property. Williams barricaded himself behind a detached water heater next to a nearby shed for several hours before he surrendered. Officers found the pistol behind the water heater. Officers also searched the Ford Fusion and found the body armor. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Williams has prior felony convictions for assault, armed criminal action, being a felon in possession of a firearm, aiding and abetting a bank robbery, and use of a firearm during a violent crime. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Jackson County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department. Project Safe Neighborhoods This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Nurse at St. Louis County Hospital Sentenced to Four Years of Probation for Fraudulently Obtaining Fentanyl

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a former nurse at a St. Louis County, Missouri hospital to four years of probation for fraudulently obtaining fentanyl for her own use. From Jan. 18, 2020 to Feb. 2, 2020, Lindsay J. Maupin, of Cape Girardeau, fraudulently obtained fentanyl from a Pyxis machine for her own use on multiple occasions. Maupin was working at Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis County at the time. Pharmacy staff flagged Maupin for withdrawing two to three times more fentanyl than her peers, and she tested positive for fentanyl, court documents say. Maupin, 31, pleaded guilty in October to one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric prosecuted the case.


title: Gladstone Couple Pleads Guilty to Producing, Distributing Child Pornography

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Gladstone, Mo., husband and wife pleaded guilty in federal court today to producing and distributing pornographic images of two child victims. Joshua Paul Goodspeed, 47, and Jennifer Goodspeed, 38, pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes. Joshua Goodspeed pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography, one count of attempting to distribute child pornography over the internet, and one count of receiving child pornography over the internet. Jennifer Goodspeed pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to distribute child pornography over the internet. By pleading guilty today, Joshua Goodspeed admitted he used two child victims to produce child pornography from Jan. 1, 2011, to March 12, 2012. Goodspeed also admitted that he attempted to distribute child pornography on Nov. 17, 2020, and that he received child pornography over the internet on Feb. 29, 2012. Jennifer Goodspeed admitted that she attempted to distribute an image of child pornography over the internet on Feb. 29, 2012. Joshua Goodspeed pleaded guilty without a plea agreement. According to Jennifer Goodspeed’s plea agreement, an FBI undercover investigation identified a social media file-sharing platform, which was knowingly accessing, importing, and maintaining video files that depicted the sadistic sexual exploitation, torture, and abuse of a toddler. Joshua Goodspeed was linked to an account on this social media site. On June 16, 2012, the FBI executed a search warrant at the Goodspeeds’ residence. Federal agents seized Joshua Goodspeed’s iPhone, laptop and one computer hard drive, and interviewed both defendants. According to the plea agreement, Joshua and Jennifer Goodspeed admitted they took nude photos of two child victims. Jennifer Goodspeed told investigators she sometimes sent some of the photos to her husband via cell phone or email while he was traveling. Forensic examiners found hundreds of images of child pornography on the devices seized by agents, including photos of the two child victims that were produced by the Goodspeeds. Under federal statutes, Joshua Goodspeed is subject a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 70 years in federal prison without parole. Jennifer Goodspeed is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office. Under the terms of her plea agreements, Jennifer Goodspeed must pay $5,000 in restitution to each of 12 victims, or $3,000 to each victim if paid within 30 days of the sentencing hearing. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine A. Connelly. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo, Police Department. Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."


title: Former 21st Century Fox Executive and Argentina-Based Sports Marketing Company Full Play Group S.A., Convicted of Bribing Soccer Officials in FIFA Case

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Former 21 st -Century Fox Executive Hernan Lopez and Argentine sports marketing company Full Play Group S.A., were convicted today by a federal jury in Brooklyn on all counts of a superseding indictment charging them with wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies for their participation in schemes to bribe executives of soccer’s highest governing bodies—FIFA, CONMEBOL, and, in Full Play’s case, CONCACAF—for the media and broadcasting rights to lucrative soccer tournaments. The verdict followed a seven-week trial before United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen. When sentenced, Lopez faces up to 40 years in prison and millions of dollars in penalties to be determined by Judge Chen. Full Play faces millions of dollars in financial penalties. Co-defendant Carlos Martinez was acquitted on both counts. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Tyler Hatcher, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office (IRS-CI), announced the verdict. “Today’s verdict is a resounding victory for justice and for soccer fans around the world. The defendants cheated by bribing soccer officials to act in their own greedy interests rather than in the best interests of the sport,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The verdict today reflects this Office’s ongoing commitment to rooting out corruption at the highest levels. Companies and individuals alike should understand that, regardless of their wealth or power, they will be brought to justice if they use the U.S. financial system to further corrupt ends.” Mr. Peace extended his thanks to the agents and other investigative personnel at the FBI New York Eurasian Joint Organized Crime Squad, the FBI’s Integrity in Sport and Gaming Initiative and the IRS-CI Los Angeles Field Office, as well as their colleagues and law enforcement partners in the United States and abroad. “The many bribery schemes that the beautiful game has endured are brought one step closer to justice by the convictions of Mr. Lopez and Full Play Group S.A.. Soccer fans around the world had a front row seat to these schemes as we watched tournaments by FIFA, CONMEBOL, and, in Full Play’s case, CONCACAF, through the media and broadcasting rights procured by fraud,” stated IRS-CI Special Agent-in-Charge Hatcher. “The defendants hid their corrupt acts behind middlemen, offshore bank accounts, and a facade of respectability, but they could not hide from justice. The IRS and our partners at the FBI and the Department of Justice work tirelessly to expose these corrupt acts, and today these defendants were held accountable for their actions.” The international soccer federation known as FIFA is comprised of six continental confederations, including the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), headquartered in the United States, and the Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL). As proven at trial, the defendants used their positions in the world of international soccer to engage in schemes involving the solicitation, offer, acceptance, payment and receipt of bribes and kickbacks, principally to obtain lucrative broadcast rights to various international soccer tournaments and events. Full Play, a sports marketing company incorporated in Uruguay, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and owned by father-and-son defendants Hugo Jinkis and Mariano Jinkis, participated in numerous schemes to pay bribes to officials of CONMEBOL and CONCACAF in exchange for media and marketing rights to various soccer events, including World Cup qualifier and friendly matches, the Copa Libertadores, and multiple editions of the Copa América, a national team tournament administered by CONMEBOL. Hugo and Mariano Jinkis, charged in the first indictment in the case unsealed on May 27, 2015, remain fugitives. Lopez, a formerly high-ranking executive of Fox subsidiaries responsible for developing and carrying out Fox’s sports broadcasting businesses in Latin America, joined Full Play and other co-conspirators in a scheme involving the annual payment of millions of dollars in bribes to officials of CONMEBOL in exchange for the lucrative broadcasting rights to the Copa Libertadores, the region’s most popular club tournament, among other events. Lopez also relied on loyalty secured through the payment of bribes to certain CONMEBOL officials to advance the business interests of Fox, including to obtain confidential bidding information for the rights to broadcast the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments in the United States, rights that Fox successfully obtained. Today’s conviction is the latest accomplishment in the investigation of corruption in international soccer being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York, the FBI’ s New York Field Office and the IRS-CI Los Angeles Field Office. Criminal charges have been brought against more than 50 defendants from more than 20 countries, resulting to date in guilty pleas by more than 30 individual and corporate defendants and trial convictions of 3 individuals and 1 corporation. In addition, 2 corporations have resolved via deferred prosecution agreements and 3 corporations have resolved via non-prosecution agreements. Each has agreed to pay substantial financial penalties. The government’s case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kaitlin T. Farrell, Robert T. Polemeni, Victor Zapana and Eric Silverberg, with key assistance provided by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Mace and Brian D. Morris, paralegals Matthew Flink, Jordi Martinez and Kavya Kannan, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Organized Crime and Gang Section. The Defendants : HERNAN LOPEZ Age: 52 Los Angeles, California FULL PLAY GROUP S.A. Buenos Aires, Argentina E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 15-CR-252 (S-3) (PKC)


title: 3 Mexican Nationals Charged in Federal Criminal Complaint  Alleging They Possessed 1 Million Fentanyl Pills in Their Car

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – Three Mexican men arrested in El Monte on Wednesday for allegedly possessing 1 million fentanyl pills have been charged in a criminal complaint with violating federal drug laws, the Justice Department announced today. The complaint filed today charges the following defendants – each of whom is from Sinaloa, Mexico – with one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances: Florencio Camacho Allan, 28; Gerardo Gaixola-Patino, 29; and Alex Valdez Oroz, 25. The defendants are expected to make their initial appearances this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, the defendants met with two buyers at a restaurant in El Segundo on Tuesday to discuss a 10,000-fentanyl-pill sample sale which would be followed by a deal for 1 million fentanyl pills. During the meeting, Allan and Gaixola met with the buyers while Oroz remained in the car, a white Volkswagen Jetta, the affidavit states. After the meeting, Allan and Gaixola went to the parking lot where they allegedly sold 10,000 fentanyl pills to the buyers for $7,500. The defendants then left the restaurant under the surveillance of law enforcement. Later that day, Allan allegedly confirmed with one of the buyers that they were interested in doing the 1 million pill deal later that day and showed one buyer the pills, which appeared to be in the Jetta’s trunk, via a WhatsApp video call. Upon receiving information about the pills’ location, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on the Jetta, which was stationed in a lot at an El Monte hotel, searched the car, and allegedly found approximately 1 million fentanyl pills in the car’s body and trunk. Law enforcement then arrested the three defendants on Wednesday morning. A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, each defendant would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison. The Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating this matter as part of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program with Homeland Security Investigations, the Hawthorne Police Department, the Fullerton Police Department, the El Monte Police Department, and the California National Guard providing assistance. Assistant United States Attorneys Lyndsi C. Allsop of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and K. Afia Bondero of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.


title: California Woman Pleads Guilty to Embezzling More Than $1 Million from Her Employer

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – A California woman has pleaded guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and filing a false tax return after embezzling more than $1 million from her employer, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to the guilty plea and court documents, Mai Houa Xiong, 47, of Fresno, California, was employed as a financial manager for a Minneapolis-based property management company that provided financial services to homeowners’ associations (HOAs) throughout the Twin Cities metro area. Xiong’s duties included bookkeeping, and as a manager she had access to the victim associations’ financials, bank accounts, vendor and contractor payments, and bookkeeping systems. Between February 2015 and February 2022, Xiong devised and executed a fraud scheme to embezzle funds directly from the accounts to which she had access. These funds were HOA fees collected from residents intended to pay for maintenance, construction, and other costs incurred by the victim associations. As part of the scheme, Xiong repeatedly accessed bank accounts and conducted electronic transfers of funds directly into her personal bank accounts. Xiong disguised these transfers by mislabeling them to make it appear as if they were legitimate homeowner association expenses. Xiong also used her authority as a signatory to make cash withdrawals directly from the HOAs’ accounts, including making withdrawals after she was fired from her position in July 2021. After her termination, Xiong began collecting Unemployment Insurance (UI) funds. However, even after Xiong found new employment, she continued to wrongfully obtain public UI benefits. Xiong pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz to one count of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of making and subscribing a false tax return. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the IRS – Criminal Investigations, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minneapolis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison K. Ethen is prosecuting the case.


title: Former Tax Return Preparer Pleads Guilty to Making False Statement on a Tax Return

component: USAO - Mississippi, Southern

body_text: Hattiesburg, Miss. – A former Laurel, Mississippi, tax return preparer pled guilty to knowingly making a false statement on an income tax return, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge James Dorsey of IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. Kakeia Latiece Williams, 38, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Hattiesburg. According to documents and information provided to the court, Williams owned and operated a tax return preparation business with activity in the Laurel and Stringer, Mississippi, area known as Massive Tax or Massive Tax Corporation. The business also had various other names that included KBG Enterprises or KBG Enterprises, LLC. Between at least 2014 and 2015, KBG Enterprises, doing business as Massive Tax, prepared and filed client tax returns. Williams personally prepared client tax returns as well as her own personal tax returns. An Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation review revealed that Williams knowingly and intentionally made false material statements in her own personal tax returns for 2014 and 2015, which were filed by Williams with the IRS under penalty of perjury. In her personal federal income tax returns, Williams willfully failed to report substantial income that she had earned as a tax return preparer for her business. Williams will be sentenced on June 14, 2023 and faces a maximum sentence of three years in federal prison and a $250,000. Williams also could be ordered to pay restitution to the federal government for unpaid taxes. In her publicly filed plea agreement, Williams agreed to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $98,000. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris.


title: Former Bureau of Prisons Nurse Pleads Guilty to Contraband Smuggling and Bribery Conspiracy

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – Miami-Dade resident Ruben Montanez-Mirabal, 33, has pled guilty in federal district court to conspiring to commit bribery, conspiring to provide contraband in a federal prison, and providing contraband in a federal prison. According to the two-count information and facts admitted at the change of plea hearing, from around November 2021 through late August 2022, Ruben Montanez-Mirabal, who was a registered nurse working for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) at the Federal Detention Center – Miami (“FDC-Miami”) in downtown Miami, solicited and obtained illegal payments from FDC-Miami inmates in exchange for bringing in and delivering to them prohibited objects, including controlled substances that had been soaked into sheets of paper. In exchange for violating his official duties by providing these drug-soaked papers and other prohibited items, Montanez-Mirabal accepted thousands of dollars in bribes from these inmates and their associates. Along with these payments, Montanez-Mirabal also solicited and received other things of value from inmates, including the free use of a Lamborghini and a Rolls-Royce. Montanez-Mirabal would bring these prohibited items into FDC-Miami and then either deliver them directly to the inmates or hide them in places where the inmate paying him would be able to recover the contraband. Those inmates would then re-sell the pages to other inmates at a rate of $1,500 per page. As admitted at the change of plea, Montanez-Mirabal made a number of these deliveries for inmates, including one delivery where he was observed hiding thirty-seven drug-soaked pages underneath a shelving unit in a mop closet accessible to the inmate paying him. Investigators were able to recover these pages from the closet and laboratory testing revealed that the pages were laced with a synthetic cannabinoid-controlled substance and had the defendant’s fingerprints on them. Montanez-Mirabal also admitted that during the charged conduct, he was aware that inmates were reselling the pages for $1,500 each, and that he delivered between 100 and 140 such pages to inmates inside FDC-Miami in exchange for the bribes he received. United States District Judge Jose E. Martinez will sentence Montanez-Mirabal in Miami on May 16, at 11:30 a.m. Montanez-Mirabal faces up to 15 years in prison. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, acting Special Agent in Charge Maged Behnam of the FBI Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge James Boyersmith, Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, Miami Field Office, announced the guilty plea. FBI Miami and DOJ-OIG Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm is prosecuting it. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 23-cr-20051. ###


title: Tribe Member Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For The Death Of A Child

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: RENO – An enrolled member of the Ely Shoshone Tribe was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Larry R. Hicks to 15 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release, the maximum sentence, for voluntary manslaughter of a three-year-old girl. Colon Jackson (31) pleaded guilty in December 2022 to one count of voluntary manslaughter within Indian Country. According to court documents and facts presented in court, on January 9, 2019, on the Ely Shoshone Indian Reservation, the victim’s mother picked her up from day care and took her home so Jackson could care for her while her mother was at work. While the three-year-old girl was in Jackson’s care, he shook and threw the victim’s body. Jackson called the victim’s mother to tell her that the girl was unconscious. The mother came home from work and took the child to the emergency room in Ely. The girl was then flown from Ely to Salt Lake City. She died from the injuries caused by Jackson. “The defendant’s senseless act resulted in the death of a child,” said United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada. “Today’s sentence sends a clear message that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are working steadfast to seek justice for victims. In collaboration with state, local, Tribal, and federal law enforcement partners, we are committed to investigating reports of missing and murdered Indigenous people, also prioritizing the disproportionately high rates of violence against women and girls.” “I am extremely proud of the collaborative effort put forth to hold the defendant accountable for his actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI. “The FBI stands strongly with tribal and law enforcement partners in our joint commitment to bring justice for victims. Violent crimes, such as this horrendous act, will never go unchallenged.” The case was investigated by the FBI, BIA, the White Pine County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ely Shoshone Tribal Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Penelope Brady, Megan Rachow, and Richard Casper prosecuted the case. If you have information concerning a missing or murdered person in Indian Country, please contact your local FBI office or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov (tips can remain anonymous). ###


title: Two Former Directors of Boston Nonprofit Indicted on Additional Fraud Charges

body_text: BOSTON – The former founder and chief executive of the local nonprofit Violence in Boston (VIB) and her husband, also a former founding director of the organization, have been charged in a superseding indictment today charging additional schemes to defraud the City of Boston out of COVID-19 relief funds and rental assistance money. Monica Cannon-Grant, 42, and Clark Grant, 39, both of Taunton, have been charged by a federal grand jury in a 27-count superseding indictment, returned today with three counts of wire fraud conspiracy; 17 counts of wire fraud; one count of conspiracy; and one count of making false statements to a mortgage lending business. The new wire fraud charges center on alleged schemes to obtain and utilize pandemic assistance funds from the Boston Resiliency Fund for purposes not disclosed to the City, including for their own personal benefit, as well as to fraudulently obtain rental assistance payments from Boston’s Office of Housing Stability. Cannon-Grant was also charged with mail fraud, filing false tax returns, and failing to file tax returns. Cannon-Grant and Clark Grant were previously charged in an 18-count indictment in March 2022. The defendants will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. Cannon-Grant was the founder and CEO of VIB, an anti-violence nonprofit formally established in 2017, the stated purpose of which is to reduce violence, raise social awareness and aid community causes in Boston, among other purposes. Grant is Cannon-Grant’s husband, a founding director of VIB and, beginning in July 2018 until recently, was a full-time employee for a commuter services company. According to the superseding indictment, the defendants allegedly conspired to use VIB to defraud the Boston Resiliency Fund, a charitable fund established by the City of Boston to provide aid to Boston residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. After receiving approximately $53,977 in pandemic relief funds, the defendants allegedly withdrew approximately $30,000 in cash from the VIB bank account, some of which the defendants kept. After depositing the COVID-19 relief grant check, the defendants are also alleged to have used VIB funds to pay their auto loan and auto insurance bills. In addition, the superseding indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to defraud Boston’s Office of Housing Stability by concealing thousands of dollars of household income in order to obtain $12,600 in rental assistance from the City of Boston. Instead of truthfully reporting that Clark Grant was receiving pandemic unemployment assistance (in addition to his salary), and that other family members were gainfully employed and receiving pandemic unemployment (in the case of one other family member), the defendants allegedly misrepresented their actual household income to obtain rent relief funds that were intended to aid Boston residents who were facing housing insecurity. It is further alleged that the defendants conspired to defraud the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance by submitting a forged employment document so that another family member could receive approximately $43,893 in unemployment assistance, bringing the total amount of fraudulent unemployment assistance received by the defendants and their co-conspirators to approximately $145,269. Finally, the superseding indictment alleges that Cannon-Grant filed false tax returns for 2017 and 2018 and that she failed to file tax returns for 2019 and 2020, failing to report tens of thousands of dollars that Cannon-Grant received from VIB and an entity with which she contracted to provide consulting services. If you believe you are a victim of or have information pertaining to the crimes alleged against the defendants, you may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts at: 617-748-3663. The charges of wire fraud conspiracy each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of wire fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of making false statements to a mortgage lending business provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of filing false tax returns provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000. The charge of failure to file a tax return provides for a sentence of up to one year of prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $25,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigation; Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; Matthew M. Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General; and Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Deitch and Dustin Chao of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Two San Xavier Men Charged with Carjacking and Using a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

number: 2023-032_Moreno et al.

body_text: TUCSON, Ariz. – James Moreno, 18, and Christopher Rodriguez, 18, both of San Xavier, Arizona, were charged by criminal complaint on Monday with Carjacking, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence. Moreno and Rodriguez had been arrested the day before. In the early morning hours of March 5, 2023, in San Xavier, Arizona, on the Tohono O’odham Nation, Moreno and Rodriguez are alleged to have stolen a Jeep Cherokee from an Uber driver by threatening the driver with a firearm. The driver ran for several hours to a gas station on Valencia Road near Interstate 19, where an employee called 911. That same morning, Moreno and Rodriguez also allegedly stole a Toyota Camry from a second individual at gunpoint, at a Circle K gas station in Marana, Arizona. Rodriguez is alleged to have pointed a gun at the driver’s lower abdomen and legs. Marana Police Department officers located the Toyota Camry and attempted to stop the vehicle. The vehicle allegedly failed to yield and fled from the officers before crashing near Interstate 10 and Miracle Mile. Moreno and Rodriguez fled from the vehicle on foot before being apprehended. Inside the Camry, officers located a 9mm firearm. The Uber driver’s Jeep Cherokee was located less than a mile from the Circle K on Sandario Road with a flat tire and its license plate removed. A conviction for Carjacking carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. A conviction for Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence carries a penalty of no less than 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The Marana Police Department, in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Southern Arizona Violent Crime and Gang Task Force, along with assistance from the Tohono O’odham Nation Police Department and the Tucson Police Department, conducted the arrests in this case. The FBI is conducting the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Rossi, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution. CASE NUMBER: MJ-23-08583-N/A-DTF RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-032_Moreno et al. # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Okmulgee Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Second Degree Murder

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Northern

body_text: A defendant who pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a man at a north Tulsa convenience store parking lot was sentenced today in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “The defendant callously chased down, shot and killed the victim, who was simply sweeping trash from a convenience store parking lot,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Marquelon Johnson will serve a 25-year prison sentence for taking this man’s life. I’m thankful to our law enforcement partners and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward Snow and Nathan Michel for ensuring Johnson was brought to justice for this heinous crime.” U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Marquelon Dakarai Johnson, 22, of Okmulgee, to 300 months in federal prison for second degree murder . Following his release from prison, he will serve five years on supervised release. Johnson previously admitted that he shot and killed victim Austin Martin and intended to do so. On Oct. 4, 2021, Tulsa Police Department was dispatched to the 3200 block of E. Pine Street in Tulsa in response to shots fired. They located the victim in the street. During a review of security footage, officers found that the incident began at a nearby convenience store and continued through a shopping strip parking lot. The footage showed the victim cleaning a business parking lot when the defendant approached him. The two briefly interacted then Johnson walked away while the victim continued to clean the lot. Less than a minute later, the suspect reapproached and interacted with the victim, who then began running east bound through the parking lot. The suspect could be seen reaching under his shirt and chasing the victim. Footage from another location showed the victim running from Johnson who was firing at him. The victim eventually collapsed on the ground and the suspect fled the scene. Officers were later notified of a man transported to St. Johns Medical Center after he was caught breaking into a vehicle near the crime scene shortly after the shooting. The man had been injured by the vehicle’s owner and others. He refused to answer questions. Officers eventually tied him to the shooting when they recognized his clothing from the surveillance video that captured the murder. They were then able to identify him as Marquelon Johnson. The Tulsa Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward Snow and Nathan E Michel prosecuted the case.


title: Buffalo Man Going To Prison On Multiple  Drug, Gun And Covid-19 Fraud Crimes

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Joseph Bella, 50, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, being a drug user in possession of a firearm, and wire fraud, was sentenced to serve 42 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Rudroff and Nicholas T. Cooper, who handled the case, stated that on April 23, 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at Bella’s residence and recovered drug paraphernalia and quantities of cocaine, MDMA, and marijuana. Investigators also recovered a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition. At that time, Bella was an unlawful user of controlled substances, including marijuana and cocaine. In addition, Bella defrauded a Salt Lake City, Utah, corporation (Victim) that developed and manufactured COVID-19 test kits, by falsely representing that his company, Medcor Staffing, Inc., was laboratory certified to perform high-complexity molecular testing, that Medcor Staffing was an “end-user” of the tests, and that Medcor Staffing would not attempt to resell them. As a result, the Victim sold Bella 5,000 COVID-19 tests that he could not safely and accurately process, could not provide end-user support for, and, in fact, intended to re-sell at a substantial mark-up. In March 2020, Bella advertised on his personal Facebook account that he was selling “FDA approved COVID-19 Test Kits.” In April 2020, Bella communicated with an undercover federal agent by telephone, text message, and email, falsely telling the agent that he had 50,000 COVID-19 tests for sale; that the COVID-19 tests were being stored in a warehouse in San Diego, California at -20 degrees Celsius; that Medcor Staffing was an “exclusive licensed reseller” of the tests; and that Medcor Staffing employed doctors and scientists to answer customers' questions. Bella attempted to sell the tests to the agent for $30 per test, or more, after fraudulently obtaining the tests for only $8 apiece. Bella also fraudulently obtained a loan from the Small Business Association under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program, which is designed to provide low-interest loans to qualifying small businesses to help them meet financial obligations and operating expenses in the event of a disaster. At Bella’s direction, a subordinate submitted a falsified application for a loan under the EIDL Program for another business Bella owns called BuyMyCard, a purchaser and re-seller of gift cards. The application grossly inflated BuyMyCard’s annual revenue, grossly underreported BuyMyCard’s annual expenses, and falsely stated that Bella was not subject to formal criminal charges at the time of the application. As a result of the falsified application, the SBA approved and funded a $149,900 loan to BuyMyCard under the EIDL Program. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino; Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy; U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations, under the direction of Brian Manaher; U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Patrol Agent in Charge Jeffrey T. Wilson; the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward of the Boston Division; the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito, New York Field Division; and Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia. # # # #


title: Honduran National Who Had Been Previously Deported Four Times Sentenced to Time Served  For Illegal Re-Entry After Deportation

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – SANTOS RAMOS-CASTILLO , a/k/a “Santos Ramos-Espinoza” , age 36, was sentenced on March 8, 2023 for illegal reentry of a removed alien in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a) on March 8, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. According to court documents, SANTOS RAMOS-CASTILLO (“ RAMOS-CASTILLO ”) admitted reentering the United States after being previously deported on November 16, 2015. He had been deported three times prior to the fourth removal. RAMOS-CASTILLO was sentenced by the Honorable Ivan L. R. Lemelle, U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Louisiana, to time served, which was over 6 months. U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carter K. D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.


title: New Orleans Man Sentenced to Over Five Years in Federal Prison for Violating the Federal Gun Control Act

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

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On March 8, 2023 United States Senior District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle sentenced JOHNNY WALSH , age 25, a resident of New Orleans, to serve 64 months in prison for violating the Federal Gun Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. According to court records, WALSH pleaded guilty to two different counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one from March 2022 and the other from August 2022. During each incident, WALSH had a handgun with a 50 round drum magazine attached. Judge Lemelle ordered that WALSH serve 64 months on each count, with the sentences to be run concurrently. WALSH will also be placed on supervised release for three years after his release from prison. Judge Lemelle also ordered WALSH to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 per count. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. This case was investigated by the the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller of the Violent Crime. * * *


title: New Orleans Man Sentenced  to 15 Years for Federal Drug Trafficking And Firearms Offenses

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – On March 8, 2023, United States District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle sentenced SEAN ESPRIT , age 27, of New Orleans, to serve 15 years in federal prison for violations of the Controlled Substances Act and the Gun Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. According to court records, ESPRIT admitted to jointly possessing with the intent to distribute over a kilogram of heroin, over 400 grams of fentanyl, and a quantity of cocaine hydrochloride, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846. ESPRIT also admitted to jointly possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(ii). The drug count carried a mandatory minimum penalty of at least 10 years, and the gun charge added an additional mandatory minimum 5 years that had to run consecutive to any other count. ESPRIT will also have to serve 5 years on supervised release when he finishes serving his prison sentence. Judge Lemelle also ordered Esprit to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 per count. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney David Haller of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.


title: Former CEO Of Medical Device Company Indicted For Creating And Selling A Fake Medical Component That Was Implanted Into Patients

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Fernando P. McMillan, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – Office of Criminal Investigations (“FDA-OIC”), announced today the filing of a two-count Indictment (the “Indictment”) charging Laura PERRYMAN, the former Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of STIMWAVE LLC, a Florida-based medical device company, in connection with a scheme to create and sell a non-functioning dummy medical device for implantation into patients suffering from chronic pain, resulting in millions of dollars in losses to federal healthcare programs. PERRYMAN was arrested this morning in Delray Beach, Florida, and will be presented later today in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. In addition, Mr. Williams announced the unsealing of a non-prosecution agreement (the “Agreement”) with STIMWAVE LLC ("STIMWAVE"), which filed for bankruptcy on June 15, 2022. The Agreement was entered into on October 29, 2022, and was sealed by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, pending the Government’s ongoing investigation. Under the terms of the Agreement, STIMWAVE has accepted responsibility for its conduct by, among other things: (i) making admissions and stipulating to the accuracy of an extensive Statement of Facts; (ii) paying a $10,000,000 monetary penalty; and (iii) maintaining an adequate compliance program, to include employing a Chief Compliance Officer and holding regular compliance committee meetings. STIMWAVE is also required to cooperate fully with the Government. STIMWAVE’s obligations under the Agreement will continue for a period of three years from the date of execution of the Agreement. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also unsealed a civil fraud lawsuit filed against STIMWAVE under the False Claims Act (“FCA”), and the parties’ settlement of that suit (the “FCA Settlement”). The settlement has been submitted to United States District Judge George B. Daniels for approval. In connection with the FCA Settlement, STIMWAVE admitted and accepted responsibility for conduct alleged in the Government’s civil complaint and agreed to pay $8,600,000 to the United States. This payment will be credited towards the $10,000,000 monetary penalty discussed above. The civil complaint also brings claims against PERRYMAN under the FCA, which are pending. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, at the direction of its founder and CEO Laura Perryman, Stimwave created a dummy medical device component — made entirely of plastic — designed to be implanted in patients for the sole purpose of causing doctors to unwittingly bill Medicare and private insurance companies more than $16,000 for each implantation of the piece of plastic. The defendant and Stimwave did this so that they could charge medical providers many thousands of dollars for purchasing their medical device. Our Office will continue to do everything in its power to bring to justice anyone responsible for perpetuating health care fraud, which in this case led to patients being used as nothing more than tools for financial enrichment.” FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll said: “Ms. Perryman, as the Chief Executive Officer of Stimwave, allegedly led a scheme to sell medical devices that contained a non-functioning component that doctors unwittingly implanted into patients suffering from chronic pain. As a result of her illegal actions, not only did patients undergo unnecessary implanting procedures, but Medicare was defrauded of millions of dollars. Today’s action demonstrates the FBI’s continuing commitment to protect Medicare and other government programs from financial fraud and abuse.” FDA-OIC Special Agent in Charge Fernando P. McMillan said: “Individuals and companies that manufacture and distribute medical devices with non-functional components put the health of patients at significant risk. We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who jeopardize the health of their patients and of the public.” According to the documents unsealed today in Manhattan federal court and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware: [1] STIMWAVE was a medical device company that manufactured and distributed implantable neurostimulation devices designed to treat intractable, chronic pain. Founded in 2010 by PERRYMAN and others, STIMWAVE was headquartered in Pompano Beach, Florida. STIMWAVE was founded on the premise that its products would provide non-opioid alternatives to chronic pain management. As the founder and CEO of STIMWAVE, PERRYMAN oversaw the design of the StimQ PNS System (the “Device”), a neurostimulator medical device that treated chronic pain by producing electrical currents to target peripheral nerves outside the spinal cord. From at least in or about 2017 up to and including her termination in or about 2019, PERRYMAN, as STIMWAVE’s CEO, engaged in a multi-year scheme (the “Scheme”) to design, create, manufacture, and market an inert, non-functioning component of the Device — called the “White Stylet” — that served no medical purpose but was included with the Device through in or about 2020 in order to make the product financially viable for doctors to purchase. When STIMWAVE originally brought the Device to market in or about 2017, it contained three primary components: (i) an implantable electrode array (the “Lead”) that stimulated the nerve; (ii) an externally worn battery that sat outside the body and wirelessly provided power to the Lead through the patient’s skin (the “Battery”); and (iii) a separate implantable receiver measuring approximately 23 centimeters in length with a distinctive pink handle — called the “Pink Stylet.” The Pink Stylet contained copper and, unlike the White Stylet, functioned as a receiver to transmit energy from the Battery to the Lead. STIMWAVE sold the Device to doctors and medical providers for over approximately $16,000. Medical insurance providers, including Medicare, would reimburse medical practitioners for implanting the Device into patients through two separate reimbursement codes, one for implantation of the Lead and a second for implantation of the Pink Stylet. The billing code for implanting the Lead provided for reimbursement at a rate of between approximately $4,000 and $6,000, while the billing code for implanting a receiver, like the Pink Stylet, provided for reimbursement at a rate of between approximately $16,000 and $18,000. Soon after the Device was released, physicians informed STIMWAVE that they were having trouble implanting the Pink Stylet in certain patients because the Pink Stylet was too long. STIMWAVE and PERRYMAN knew that the Pink Stylet could not be cut or trimmed to shorten it without interfering with the functionality of the Pink Stylet as a receiver, and without a receiver component for doctors to implant and seek reimbursement for, doctors would incur a substantial financial loss with every purchase of the Device, thereby making it more difficult for STIMWAVE to sell the Device to doctors and medical providers at the approximately $16,000 price. However, STIMWAVE — at the direction of PERRYMAN — did not lower the price of the Device so that its cost to doctors and medical providers could be covered by reimbursement for the implantation of only the Lead, nor did PERRYMAN recommend that doctors not implant the Device or its receiver component in cases where the Pink Stylet could not fit comfortably. Instead, PERRYMAN directed that STIMWAVE create the White Stylet — a dummy component made entirely of plastic that served no medical purpose but which STIMWAVE misrepresented to doctors as a customizable receiver alternative to the Pink Stylet. The White Stylet could be cut to size by the doctor for use in smaller anatomical spaces and was created solely so that doctors and medical providers would continue to purchase the Device for use in those scenarios and continue to bill for the implantation of a receiver component. To perpetuate the lie that the White Stylet was functional, PERRYMAN oversaw training that suggested to doctors that the White Stylet was a “receiver,” when, in fact, it was made entirely of plastic, contained no copper, and therefore had no conductivity. In addition, PERRYMAN directed other STIMWAVE employees to vouch for the efficacy of the White Stylet, when she knew that the White Stylet was actually non-functional. As a result of these misrepresentations regarding the functionality of the White Stylet, PERRYMAN caused doctors and medical providers to unwittingly implant the non-functional White Stylet into patients and submit fraudulent reimbursement claims for implantation of the White Stylet to Medicare, resulting in millions of dollars in losses to the federal government. On June 15, 2022, STIMWAVE filed for bankruptcy in Delaware under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, through which it sold substantially all of its assets to a third-party through an auction. * * * PERRYMAN, 54, of Delray Beach, Florida, has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of health care fraud, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the FBI and thanked the FDA for its assistance. The criminal case is being handled by the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit of the Office’s Criminal Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Louis A. Pellegrino, Jacob M. Bergman, and Mónica P. Folch are in charge of the prosecution. The civil case against STIMWAVE and PERRYMAN is being handled by the Civil Frauds Unit of the Office’s Civil Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob M. Bergman and Mónica P. Folch are in charge of the civil case. The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment constitutes only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.


title: Justice Department’s Ongoing Section 8 Enforcement Prevents More Potentially Illegal Interlocking Directorates

component: Antitrust Division

body_text: The Justice Department announced today that five more directors resigned from four corporate boards and one company declined to exercise board appointment rights in response to the Antitrust Division’s enforcement efforts around Section 8 of the Clayton Act (Section 8). Section 8, which Congress made a per se violation of the antitrust laws, prohibits directors and officers from serving simultaneously on the boards of competitors, subject to limited exceptions. Today’s announcement brings the number of interlocks unwound or prevented as a result of the division’s recent efforts to at least thirteen directors from ten boards. “Enforcement of Section 8 will continue to be a focus for the division just as Congress intended,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “We will continue to enforce the antitrust laws when necessary to address illegal board interlocks.” The following companies and directors unwound interlocks or declined to appoint board members, without admitting liability: Qualys, Inc., SumoLogic, Inc., and F5, Inc. – Qualys, SumoLogic, and F5 are providers of cloud security assessments, audit and compliance services, and firewall and monitoring products and services. One director served simultaneously on the boards of all three companies. After the division expressed concerns about the alleged interlock, the director recently resigned from Qualys’s board and declined to stand for reelection to F5’s board. N-able, Inc., Dynatrace, Inc., and SolarWinds Corp. – N-able, Dynatrace, and SolarWinds are software companies. Representatives of the investment firm Thoma Bravo sat on all three companies’ boards. As the department previously announced in October 2022, three Thoma Bravo representatives resigned from the SolarWinds’s board in response to the division’s concerns about the alleged interlock between Dynatrace and SolarWinds. Shortly thereafter, in November 2022, two separate Thoma Bravo designees resigned from the N-able board. Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and American Equity Investment Life Holding Company (AEL) – AEL and a Brookfield Asset Management subsidiary’s wholly-owned company American National are both insurance companies. Brookfield and/or its subsidiary appointed the officers or directors on the American National board. Additionally, the Brookfield subsidiary has the contractual right to appoint a director to the AEL board, and in December 2022, the Brookfield subsidiary announced that it would exercise that right. After the division raised concerns regarding the potential interlock, the Brookfield subsidiary announced it had changed course and it was withdrawing its proposed nomination to the AEL board. Sun Country Airlines Holdings, Inc. and Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. – Sun Country and Atlas Air both provide crew, maintenance, and insurance for domestic air freight routes. In August 2022, an investment group led by Apollo Global Management, Inc. proposed acquiring all of Atlas Air’s outstanding shares. At the time, two Apollo-affiliated individuals sat on the Sun Country board of directors. After the division raised concerns regarding a potential interlock arising from Apollo’s proposed acquisition of Atlas Air, the two Apollo-affiliated directors resigned from the Sun Country board. Anyone with information about potential interlocking directorates or any other potential violations of the antitrust laws is encouraged to contact the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 1-888-647-3258 or antitrust.complaints@usdoj.gov.


title: Leader of International Drug Trafficking Organization Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy

component: Criminal Division

body_text: The leader of an international drug trafficking organization pleaded guilty yesterday to international cocaine trafficking conspiracy. According to court documents, between 1998 and approximately 2012, Jaime Antonio Mandujano Eudave, 61, worked with the Sinaloa Cartel, to transport cocaine. Mandujano Eudave coordinated the transportation of cocaine by boat from Colombia to Culiacan, Los Cabos, and elsewhere in Mexico. He communicated GPS coordinates to the boat’s crew members to facilitate a meeting in the Pacific Ocean. There, the cocaine-laden boat from Colombia would meet another boat under the control of the Sinaloa Cartel and offload the cocaine. These boats transported multi-kilogram amounts of cocaine. Once the cocaine arrived in Mexico, other members of Sinaloa Cartel would transport the cocaine to the United States for sale. Mandujano Eudave knew that the cocaine subsequently would be transported into the United States for further distribution. In August 2014, Spanish authorities arrested Mandujano Eudave at the request of the United States. He was extradited from Spain to the United States in February 2015. Mandujano Eudave pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, knowing and intending that it would be imported into the United States. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 15 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Field Office made the announcement. The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) supported this case. The HSI New York Field Office is investigating the case with assistance from the DEA Phoenix Field Division. Trial Attorneys Kirk Handrich and Melanie Alsworth of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS) are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance. The NDDS thanks Spanish authorities for their assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Mandujano Eudave.


title: Providence Resident Sentenced For Pandemic-Related Benefits Fraud and Aggravated ID Theft

component: USAO - Rhode Island

body_text: PROVIDENCE – A Providence man who, with others, fraudulently applied for over $90,000 in pandemic-relief unemployment benefits, and who actually received over $30,000 of those benefits, some of which he boasted that he used to purchase firearms, an iPhone and marijuana, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha. According to court documents, Rashaad Hill, 23, who had been employed in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts prior to the start of the pandemic, fraudulently applied for and received $31,540 in pandemic-relief benefits from the states of Arizona and California. Hill and others shared stolen identities - including names, dates of birth, addresses, and Social Security numbers – when filing some fraudulent benefits claims. According to court filings, Hill used some of his ill-gotten unemployment benefits to purchase, among other things, four firearms, boasting in text messages to his friends, “I got an iPhone and my stimmy went to weed and guns.” Hill pleaded guilty on July 27, 2022, to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud; wire fraud; aggravated identity theft; and theft of government funds. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to 24 months of incarceration to be followed by 12 months of supervised release. Hill was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $34,500. These matters and other cases of alleged criminal activity related to fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance benefits due to the pandemic are being investigated jointly by the FBI and Rhode Island State Police, with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Labor. Cases are jointly reviewed, charged, and prosecuted by a team of prosecutors to include Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stacey A. Erickson, Denise M. Barton, G. Michael Seaman, and Rhode Island Assistant Attorney General John M. Moreira, chief of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Public Integrity Unit. Rhode Islanders who believe their personal identification has been stolen and used to fraudulently obtain unemployment benefits are urged to contact the Rhode Island State Police at financialcrimes@risp.gov or the FBI Providence office at (401) 272-8310. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID- 19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . ###


title: Former President Of International Aircraft Parts Distributor Sentenced To 84 Months In Prison For Role In Multi-Million-Dollar Fraud Scheme

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that STEFAN GILLIER, a/k/a “Stephan Gillier,” a/k/a “Stefan R.R. Gillier,” a/k/a “Roland Gillier,” a/k/a “Roland Van Gorp,” was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court by United States District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer to 84 months in prison for engaging in a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain over six million dollars’ worth of aircraft parts. GILLIER was convicted in September 2022 following a one-week jury trial. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “With today’s sentence, Stefan Gillier’s aircraft parts fraud scheme has been grounded. As the sentence for this extradited defendant shows, those who flee justice will be held accountable for their crimes, no matter how long it takes.” According to the Indictment, documents previously filed in the case, and evidence introduced at trial: GILLIER was the president and ran the day-to-day business activities of RTF International Inc. (“RTF”), a broker of aircraft parts. RTF began obtaining aircraft parts from Honeywell International, Inc. (“Honeywell”) in June 2004. Starting in 2005, RTF began increasing the number of parts it ordered from Honeywell, paying for them by check. RTF paid with checks written in foreign currency and for amounts well above the cost of the parts, which created an apparent credit balance in RTF’s favor in Honeywell’s accounting system. RTF wrote approximately $17 million worth of checks to Honeywell but stopped payment on approximately $15 million worth of checks. In particular, GILLIER signed checks to Honeywell on behalf of RTF but repeatedly caused stop payment orders to be placed after Honeywell shipped the parts to RTF. When questioned by Honeywell’s employees about these stop payment orders, GILLIER, using the alias “Roland Van Gorp,” falsely represented that the stop payment orders were the result of a misunderstanding with the bank and that he would check with RTF’s finance department. In fact, as GILLIER knew, he had issued the stop payment orders, and RTF did not have a finance department. In total, GILLIER was able to obtain over $6 million worth of aircraft parts from Honeywell without paying for the parts. In June 2006, Honeywell executed a civil attachment order and recovered some of the aircraft parts stolen by GILLIER. Following the execution of the civil attachment order by Honeywell, GILLIER caused various large transfers of fraud proceeds into bank accounts controlled by him, his relatives, and a co-conspirator (“CC-1”). The day after making those transfers, on June 15, 2006, GILLIER left the United States for Canada. After Honeywell discovered that it was being victimized by RTF, GILLIER and CC-1 continued their fraud scheme through a new corporate entity, “UN Air Services, Inc.” (“UAS”) (which had no relation to the United Nations). In 2006, UAS began obtaining aircraft parts from Pratt & Whitney Component Solutions, Inc. (“Pratt & Whitney”). Like RTF, UAS began stopping payment on checks it had written to Pratt & Whitney for the aircraft parts after Pratt & Whitney delivered the aircraft parts to UAS. GILLIER was arrested and extradited from Italy in 2019. * * * In addition to the prison sentence, GILLIER, 49, a citizen of Belgium, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service. The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dina McLeod, Micah F. Fergenson, and Michael Neff are in charge of the prosecution.