title: Woman Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for Robbing West Hartford Bank

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JALANIA PANTANO, 28, formerly of Middletown, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for robbing a West Hartford bank last year. According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 20, 2022, Pantano and her boyfriend, Gino Rizzo, entered the People’s United Bank located inside the Stop & Shop at 176 Newington Road in West Hartford and presented to two different tellers notes stating “Give us the money with no dye packs or GPS.” The tellers provided Pantano and Rizzo with approximately $1,599 in cash and they exited the bank and supermarket. Rizzo, using notes demanding cash, had previously robbed People’s United Bank branches located in Stop & Shop supermarkets in Glastonbury on July 16, 2022, and in Newington on July 18, 2022. Rizzo was arrested on July 21, 2022, and Pantano was arrested on August 30, 2022. On April 11, 2023, while on pre-trial release, Pantano and Rizzo each disconnected their GPS electronic monitoring bracelets and absconded from their court-mandated rehabilitation centers. Pantano has been detained since her rearrest on May 24, 2023. On August 23, 2023, she pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery. Rizzo has been detained since his rearrest on May 22, 2023. He pleaded guilty on July 25, 2023, and is awaiting sentencing. This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Middletown, Glastonbury, Newington, and West Hartford Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and Robert S. Dearington.


title: Man Sentenced for Sexually Abusing a Child

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: A Tulsa man was sentenced today to 13 years in prison for sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge Gregory L. Frizzell sentenced Ronald Paul Phillippe, 59, of Tulsa to 156 months imprisonment, followed by lifetime supervised release. According to court documents, from Sept. 2018 through Oct. 2021, Phillippe knowingly sexually abused a child under 12 years old. Phillippe is an enrolled member of Cherokee Nation. He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie N. Ihler prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter While Armed

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Jordan Jones, 23, of Silver Spring, Maryland,, pleaded guilty today in Superior Court to voluntary manslaughter while armed for the fatal shooting of Noel Nicol on October 11, 2021 in the 2000 block of Savannah Place Southeast, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The plea was entered before Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe who scheduled sentencing for March 15, 2024. According to court documents, Jones arranged to meet Nicol on October 11, 2021, the day after he purchased a 9mm handgun (the same caliber as murder weapon). Detectives obtained surveillance video footage from the date and time when Mr. Nicol was last seen by family and friends until October 14, 2021, when his body was found by the police in the driver’s seat of his car which was parked on Savannah Place. Jones admitted to the police in his post-arrest interview that he was in the car during the shooting. The medical examiner’s findings and the physical evidence recovered by the police were consistent with the shots being fired from the passenger side of the vehicle. This case was investigated by the Criminal Investigation Division / Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Interrante.


title: Dixon Woman Sentenced to 23 Years for Meth Trafficking

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Dixon, Mo., woman has been sentenced in federal court for possessing methamphetamine to distribute. Connie M. Gonzales, 53, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Aug. 31, 2023, to 23 years in federal prison without parole. On Nov. 17, 2022, Gonzales pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in a premises where a minor resided. According to court documents, multiple criminal investigations were conducted between January 2017 and August 2021 by state agencies, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol and law enforcement personnel in Pulaski County, which implicated Gonzales in one or more drug-trafficking schemes. Investigators learned that Gonzales obtained large quantities of methamphetamine from a supplier in Arizona by traveling to and from Arizona while concealing contraband in a spare tire, or by arranging for the methamphetamine to be mailed to her. One confidential informant told investigators he/she received one or two pounds of methamphetamine from Gonzales every one to three weeks. The informant reported having witnessed 10 to 15 pounds of methamphetamine in Gonzales’s residence on several occasions. Gonzales was on state probation during this period, having pleaded guilty to the felony offense of possessing methamphetamine in 2016. Federal agents seized two packages that had been mailed to Gonzales in September 2021. The first package was mailed from a non-existent children’s toy business in Mesa, Arizona, to a St. Roberts, Mo., address. It contained approximately 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in six separate bundles concealed inside plush children’s toys. The second package was addressed to Kathleen Kubes (Gonzales’s deceased mother) at Gonzales’s residence. It contained approximately 1.2 kilograms of methamphetamine in five separate bundles concealed inside plush children’s toys. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Gonzalez’s residence on March 21, 2022. Gonzales was present, along with her adult daughter and her three children (ages seven to 11), who also lived at the residence. Investigators found a safe in the master bedroom that contained a large bag of crystal methamphetamine, three small baggies of crystal methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia. Investigators also found a cellophane-wrapped package on the bed, under the sheet, that contained a large quantity of methamphetamine. In total, officers seized approximately 848 grams of methamphetamine. Gonzales told investigators she made multiple trips to Arizona, where she would obtain one or two pounds of methamphetamine per trip. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John D. Hatcher. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Pulaski County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the South Central Drug Task Force, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.


title: Kanawha County Man Sentenced for Embezzlement

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gary F. Fridley II, 41, of Cross Lanes, was sentenced today to three years of federal probation and ordered to pay $19,732.88 in restitution for embezzlement of labor union assets. According to court documents and statements made in court, from about December 20, 2018, until about June 12, 2019, Fridley was a union officer in Nitro while employed by American Electric Power (AEP). As the union’s elected financial secretary, Fridley was the union’s chief financial officer and was responsible for preparing and co-signing union checks and maintaining financial records. Fridley was one of three signatories on the union’s checking account at Huntington National Bank in Nitro. As financial secretary, Fridley was entitled to an officer’s salary as well as reimbursement for lost time or wages from his employment when he took off from work for union business. On about June 12, 2019, Fridley received a check for $1,321.55 as reimbursement for lost time. Fridley admitted that he had not lost any time with AEP during that pay period. Fridley submitted a false voucher to receive an unauthorized lost time payment and forged the signature of another union official in order to cash the check for the fictitious lost time. Fridley submitted additional false vouchers to receive unauthorized lost time payments from the union and forged the signatures of other union officials to cash the union checks he wrote payable to himself for the fictitious lost time payments. Fridley admitted that he improperly received $19,732.88 through his wrongful actions as the union’s financial secretary. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS). Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Kathleen Robeson, Andrew J. Tessman and Holly Wilson prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-138. ###


title: Kaufman, Texas Man convicted of Drug Free Zone Offense Sentenced to 97 Months in Federal Prison

component: USAO - Texas, Northern

body_text: A Kaufman man who distributed methamphetamine near a drug free zone, Kaufman High School, was sentenced Monday to 97 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton. Kenneth Russell Barr, Jr., 55, pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. The offense occurred within 1000 feet of the real property comprising Kaufman High School, a public secondary school. He was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay. According to plea papers, law enforcement seized methamphetamine the defendant delivered during the weeks of May 2, and May 16, 2022. As a result of these seizures officers executed a search warrant at Barr’s residence. During the search officers located approximately 353 grams of methamphetamine. Multiple firearms were found at the residence as a result of the search (as seen in the Government’s Detention Hearing Exhibit below). As part of his guilty plea, Barr also admitted he was a convicted felon and that he knew he was not supposed to possess any firearms. Barr further admitted the place he distributed methamphetamine from is within 1000 feet of Kaufman High School. The Texas Department of Public Safety investigated the case with assistance from the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department and the Kaufman Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney George Leal prosecuted the case.


title: Missouri Man Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for Sexually Exploiting Boy

body_text: CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a man from Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri to 210 months in prison for producing photos of the sexual abuse of a young boy. Noah Church, 22, pleaded guilty in September to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. Church admitted sending images containing child sexual abuse material to an undercover FBI agent. In April of 2022, the FBI began investigating the use by Church of an online chat forum on Kik Messenger. Church, who used the username “LittleBois123,” shared pictures of a child and discussed sexually abusing the child. The FBI traced LittleBois123 to a home in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri and conducted a court-approved search of the home on June 8, 2022. They found photos of the child on Church’s phone, which contained hundreds of images containing child pornography, his plea agreement says. After his release from prison, Church will be on supervised release for 20 years. The FBI and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Local felon heads to prison for possessing loaded firearm and drugs

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A 28-year-old Houston resident has been sentenced to federal prison for illegally possessing two firearms while a felon and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Sidney Rachal pleaded guilty July 6. U.S. District Judge Hittner has now ordered Rachal to serve 105 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Additionally, he agreed to forfeit the two firearms and magazines. At the hearing, the court heard that Rachal also possessed several other illegal substances, such as marijuana, alprazolam and other pills along with the material to distribute them. In handing down the sentence, Judge Hittner noted his criminal history. On Jan. 21, 2022, authorities found Rachal’s motor vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. They took him into custody for driving while intoxicated and for an outstanding felony warrant. Upon his arrest, a search of his person revealed two plastic bags weighing approximately 68 grams that contained cocaine as well as $22,905 in cash. Subsequently, a search of his vehicle also resulted in the discovery of two magazines and two firearms, one of which - a Glock Model 26 pistol - was loaded. The investigation revealed Rachal had been previously convicted of aggravated robbery. As such, he is prohibited from possession firearms or ammunition per federal law. Rachal will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rodolfo Ramirez prosecuted the case.


title: Southfield Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing $300,000 in Unemployment Insurance Benefits

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT – A Southfield woman pleaded guilty today to wire fraud arising out of a scheme to defraud the State of Michigan out of more than $300,000 in pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. Ison was joined in the announcement by Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and Special Agent in Charge John Marengo of the United States Secret Service’s Detroit Field Office. Katrina Maddox, 47, entered her guilty plea this afternoon, before United States District Judge Terrence G. Berg. According to court records, beginning as early as April 2020 and continuing through at least September 2021, Maddox filed approximately 65 fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims seeking pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) benefits. Maddox submitted the fraudulent claims in the names of multiple individuals, using their Social Security Numbers and other personal identifying information, without those individuals’ authorization or consent. The fraudulent UI benefits were paid out via debit cards, which Maddox then used to repeatedly withdraw the funds from ATMs. United States Attorney Ison stated, “This case reflects our ongoing commitment to prosecute those who took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic by stealing funds intended for those in need. My office will remain vigilant in the pursuit of those who cheat the government and their fellow citizens.” “Katrina Maddox engaged in an unemployment insurance fraud scheme targeted at the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency by filing false UI claims in the names of identity theft victims to obtain debit cards containing stolen UI benefits. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to safeguard the UI system from those who exploit these benefit programs,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. “We are thankful to the Department of Labor and the US Attorney’s Office for partnering with us in the investigation and prosecution of this case. We will continue to work with our partners to protect our nation’s financial infrastructure. We will continue to work with our federal and state partners to bring these perpetrators to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Marengo. Maddox faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment on the charge of wire fraud. Per the terms of her plea agreement, Maddox will also be required to pay restitution to the victim states in the total amount of $311,440. Sentencing is set for April 25, 2024 at 2pm. This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General and the U.S. Secret Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah Youngblood and Ryan A. Particka.


title: Missouri Man Sentenced to 88 Months in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

body_text: CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced an Iron County, Missouri man to 88 months in prison for the possession of over 900 images containing child pornography. Judge Limbaugh also ordered Timon Odell Mouser, 54, to be placed on supervised release for life after his release from prison. In July of 2022, the FBI was assisting the Phelps County Sheriff's Department with a cyber tip received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an IP address used to trade child sexual abuse material. They traced it to Mouser’s home, and a search of his computer found over 900 images containing child pornography, including images of infants and toddlers and other prepubescent minor children. Mouser pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in August to one count of possession of child pornography. The FBI and the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Morganza Man Sentenced to 210 Months for Production and Attempted Production of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Louisiana, Middle

body_text: United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced Norman Antoine LeBlanc, age 34, of Morganza, Louisiana, to 210 months in federal prison following his conviction for production and attempted production of child pornography. LeBlanc must serve six years of supervised release upon completing his term of imprisonment, and he must complete sex offender treatment. The Court also ordered LeBlanc to pay $15,000 in restitution. As a result of this conviction, LeBlanc will be required to register as a sex offender. LeBlanc produced videos and images of a minor child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Specifically, LeBlanc secretly recorded videos of a minor in the bathroom and made sexually explicit still shots from the video. LeBlanc then used a mobile application and a smartphone to send images and videos of the minor to an undercover agent in North Carolina. LeBlanc also used the mobile application to distribute approximately 97 videos and 9 images of child pornography. This matter was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward H. Warner. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Tucson Man Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Illegal Possession of Firearm

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: TUCSON, Ariz. – Michael Elton Tillman, 55, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 63 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Tillman pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm on March 27, 2023. On May 5, 2022, Tillman, a convicted felon, sold a loaded Arsenal 7.62x39 mm pistol and 100 rounds of ammunition for $1,000 to a federal agent. After the sale, agents executed a search of Tillman’s apartment and found a loaded Taurus 9 mm pistol, 9 mm ammunition, .380 caliber ammunition, 7.62x39 mm ammunition, narcotics, narcotics paraphernalia, and bulk United States currency. Analysis of the firearms and ammunition confirmed they passed through interstate commerce. Prior to possessing and selling the pistol to the agent, Tillman had been convicted of multiple Arizona felonies, including manslaughter. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Bolling, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. CASE NUMBER: CR 22-01262-RM-AMM RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-193_Tillman # # # 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: Pittsburgh Resident Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Fraud Laws

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal fraud laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. Corey Mizell, age 51, formerly of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to four-counts of embezzlement by an officer or employee of the United States and one-count of mail fraud before United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer. In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that in April 2020, Corey Mizell began working as an agent cashier at the H. John Heinz III Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. In that capacity, patients would bring him veteran benefit checks to be deposited into their patient accounts. When the veterans wanted to withdraw cash from their patient accounts, they would physically appear before Mizell at his teller window to request a withdrawal. To effectuate the transaction, Mizell would call a disbursing officer, who would confirm for Mizell that the veteran had an account and provide him a transaction number. Mizell would then complete a Patient Funds Form to document the withdrawal and hand the patient the requested cash. In January 2021, the sister of a deceased veteran called the VA Police after reviewing the balance in her brother’s patient account. According to the sister, her brother was essentially bedridden due to his disability and the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, he could not spend the amount of cash withdrawn from his account. Subsequently, the VA Police opened an investigation into the account activity and questioned the teller who conducted each withdrawal – Mizell. Mizell initially informed the VA Police that someone must have misrepresented their identity to him in order to fraudulently obtain the funds. Mizell also opined that he was an easy target for such a scheme since he recently became an agent cashier. The investigation revealed that Mizell would call for authorization to withdraw funds from patients who were either on COVID lockdown or who could not leave their room without an escort due to their disabilities. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG), confronted Mizell after driving by his residence to find a remodel of the backyard and exterior of his home. Subsequently, Mizell participated in an interview with the VA-OIG. He provided a written confession in which he admitted to “fraudulently taking money . . . from accounts of veterans.” He attributed his conduct to losing income during the pandemic and unpaid bills. Mizell identified taking money from three veterans. He estimated the total amount embezzled as $17,660. Mizell resigned from the VA on April 20, 2021. Following Mizell’s resignation, one veteran reported that he noticed over $1,000 missing from his patient account. Law enforcement determined that $1,175 in cash withdrawals occurred from that veteran’s account between November 2020 and January 2021. While Mizell did not identify this person in his written statement, the evidence supports that Mizell embezzled from that account as well. For each withdrawal, Mizell was the cashier, and he withdrew money from that account on four occasions when he embezzled money from other patients accounts. In addition, the VA-OIG determined that the amount of cash deposited by Mizell into his bank account was consistent with the total amount embezzled. As part of the VA’s investigation, a digital forensic examination was completed on Mizell’s VA computer. The examination revealed that Mizell, on numerous occasions, visited an unemployment compensation website maintained by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As a result, the United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, conducted a separate investigation into Mizell related to filing for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC). Individuals are only eligible for these pandemic benefits if they are unemployed for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic and are available to work. Therefore, individuals must certify on an electronic application that they are unemployed due to the pandemic and are available to accept work. After submission, the application is transmitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor for review. If approved for pandemic benefits, individuals are notified of the amount they will receive. In addition to the initial application, and in order to continue receiving pandemic benefits, individuals must certify on a weekly basis that they are still eligible to receive benefits. Of note, individuals are able to certify that they were unemployed for prior weeks in the pandemic and receive benefits for those weeks. The government transported the resulting payment of benefits in the form of checks and debit cards via the mail. The Department of Labor’s investigation into Mizell revealed that he filed an electronic application for pandemic benefits on April 24, 2020. Despite working for the VA since 2016, Mizell falsified that he was not a federal employee on a VA computer using the VA medical center’s IP address. Beginning in May 2020, Mizell falsified that he was not working fulltime. During that time, he was working fulltime as an agent cashier. In April 2021, Mizell resigned from the VA. Nevertheless, in his weekly unemployment certifications, he represented that he was unemployed due to the pandemic. These falsifications allowed Mizell to collect pandemic benefits. Mizell collected a total of $38,400 in unemployment pandemic benefits from April 2020 until September 2021. He initially received checks, but pandemic benefits were then disbursed via a debit card, which was reloaded with additional money by the government following Mizell’s weekly certifications. On June 5, 2020, the United States Postal Service transported the debit card in Mizell’s name to an address associated with him in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Judge Fischer scheduled sentencing for March 18, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Pending sentencing, the court continued Mizell on bond. Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General and Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Mizell.


title: Two Busby residents sentenced to prison for meth trafficking, firearm crimes on Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation

body_text: BILLINGS — Two Busby residents convicted of methamphetamine and firearms crimes after the drug and guns were found in a vehicle in which they were traveling were sentenced to prison terms today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Jamesey Maria Jefferson, 33, was sentenced to seven years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. Co-defendant Ivan Eaglefeathers, 21, was sentenced to six years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Both defendants pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to distribute meth and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. In court documents, the government alleged that on Sept. 12, 2021 on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, law enforcement officers stopped a car that had run two stop signs, was traveling at a high rate of speed and was believed to have been seen at an earlier shooting. Officers detained Jefferson, Eaglefeathers and two others who were in the car. A federal search warrant was served on the car, and officers found approximately 48 grams of meth, $2,000 in cash, drug paraphernalia, ammunition and three firearms. The guns were a .17-caliber rifle, an AR-style 5.56mm rifle and a 9mm handgun. Jefferson admitted to investigators that she possessed the meth, the .17-caliber rifle and the 9mm handgun. A video of Eaglefeathers and a co-defendant shows Eaglefeathers outside of the vehicle on the same day with a gun in his hand. Eaglefeathers admitted to having one of the rifles in the car and to having shot it in the air. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Arizona Woman Is Sentenced To Prison For Defrauding Medicaid Programs In Two States

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – An Arizona woman was sentenced to prison today for participating in a scheme that defrauded the Medicaid programs in North Carolina and Georgia of more than $3.7 million, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell sentenced Bree’Anna Harris, 32, of Phoenix, Arizona, to 36 months in prison and two years of supervised release and ordered the defendant to pay $3,971,649 in restitution. U.S. Attorney King is joined in making today’s announcement by Ryan K. Buchanan, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, Charlotte Division, Donald “Trey” Eakins, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (IRS- CI), Charlotte Field Office, and Attorney General Josh Stein, who oversees the North Carolina Medicaid Investigations Division (MID). The criminal charge filed against Harris in federal court in the Northern District of Georgia was transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina in November 2022. In December 2022, Harris pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Medicaid fraud in connection with both federal prosecutions. Harris also pleaded guilty to a money laundering conspiracy offense in the Western District of North Carolina. According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, Harris and her co-conspirators, Markuetric Stringfellow and Glenn Pair, operated an after-school and youth mentoring program known as Do-It-4-The Hood Corporation (D4H). From January 2016 through November 2018, Harris, Pair, and Stringfellow paid individuals to recruit at-risk youths, in particular children who were Medicaid eligible in North Carolina, for D4H’s programs. Once enrolled, children were required to submit urine specimens for drug testing. Harris, Pair and Stringfellow conspired with certain laboratories - including United Diagnostics Laboratory (UDL) in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Aspirar Labs in Cary, North Carolina - to perform the drug testing of the enrolled children’s urine specimens and received kickbacks once the laboratories were reimbursed by the North Carolina Medicaid. Harris incorporated BPollini Consulting, LLC to receive and conceal fraudulent kickback payments and distribute them to her coconspirators. In 2017, Harris and Pair moved to Georgia, where they and Stringfellow expanded the fraudulent scheme to defraud Georgia’s Medicaid program. Harris is currently released on bond. She will be ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. Glenn Pair was sentenced in July 2022 to 70 months in prison, and Markuetric Stringfellow was sentenced in February 2021 to 78 months in prison, and both defendants were ordered to pay more than $5 million in restitution. Donald Booker, the owner of UDL, was convicted after a jury trial in January 2023 and was sentenced to 200 months in prison. Booker was also ordered to pay more than $11 million in restitution. Aspirar Labs and its owner, Pick Chay, agreed to pay $1,951,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly billing North Carolina Medicaid for urine drug tests that were not medically necessary and tainted by illegal kickbacks. In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney King thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Georgia, the FBI in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and the Medicaid Investigations Division in the three states for their investigative efforts and coordination throughout case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael E. Savage and Graham Billings of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Sistla of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta prosecuted the case, assisted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jermaine Sellers formerly with the Medicaid Fraud Investigation Division of the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office.


title: Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Cares Act Fraud

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ERNEST X. TAYLOR, JR ., of Laplace, LA, age 38, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion to two counts of making false statements related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). On March 27, 2020, The CARES Act became effective and established several new temporary programs and expanded others to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these programs, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) authorized forgivable loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to small businesses to retain workers, maintain payroll, and make mortgage interest payments, lease payments, and utility payments. The PPP allows the interest and principal on the PPP loan to be forgiven if the business spends the loan proceeds on these expense items within a designated period of time after receiving the proceeds and uses at least a certain percentage of the PPP loan proceeds on payroll expenses. According to the charging documents, TAYLOR made false statements to an approved lender on or about March 2, 2021, to fraudulently obtain a PPP loan. TAYLOR falsely claimed in his PPP application that he had not been convicted of any felony involving “fraud, bribery, embezzlement, or a false statement in a loan application or an application for federal financial assistance” within the last 5 years. In truth, TAYLOR pleaded guilty on July 15, 2016, in the Eastern District of Virginia, criminal matter no. 16-118, to conspiracy to commit federal student loan fraud in a stolen identity mail fraud scheme. TAYLOR thereafter received approximately $18,500 based upon the misrepresentations. TAYLOR then made the same false statements to an approved lender on or about April 21, 2021, when he applied for a second draw PPP loan. TAYLOR received approximately $18,500 for the second loan. Sentencing will occur on March 26, 2024. TAYLOR faces up to five years in prison, up to $250,000 in fines, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each false statements count. For more information on the Department of Justice’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 . U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Secret Service in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.


title: Arizona Man Charged with Defrauding Local Physician Out of $207,000

body_text: PHOENIX, Ariz. – A federal grand jury in Phoenix returned an indictment against Jeremie Sowerby, 45, of Fountain Hills, Arizona, on November 14, 2023, for wire fraud and transactional money laundering. The indictment alleges that Sowerby scammed a victim-investor, an Arizona physician, out of $207,000 under the guise of a purported risk-free investment opportunity called “Justice Capital.” Sowerby convinced the victim to invest in what he claimed to be an exclusive hedge fund investment opportunity that supposedly used a “bot” algorithm to invest in a product tied to the stock market. Sowerby claimed that the investment and its guaranteed rates of return could be withdrawn in cash or Bitcoin at any time. Instead, however, Sowerby stole the money and used it for himself, including for an $83,000 cashier’s check made out to an entity he owns and controls. Sowerby was previously charged in a separate case, along with co-defendant Luis Ortega, in a 55-count indictment alleging that Sowerby and Ortega scammed hundreds of victims out of millions of dollars in a cryptocurrency investment scheme under the guise of three entities: Now Mining, VIP Mining, and Millennium Technologies. That case remains pending. A conviction for wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000, or both. A conviction for transactional money laundering carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000, or both. An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS-Criminal Investigation have conducted the investigation in this case. Further investigation remains ongoing. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution. The FBI and IRS-CI believe that additional victims of Sowerby’s investment fraud schemes remain unidentified. Anyone who believes they were defrauded by the defendant in this case should contact the Victim Witness Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona at usaaz.victimassist@usdoj.gov or fill out the questionnaire at this link: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/seeking-potential-victims-of-jeremie-sowerby-luis-ortega-fraud-schemes . CASE NUMBER: CR-23-01586-PHX-SMB RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-194_Sowerby # # # 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: Richmond County man convicted at trial for trafficking heroin, illegally possessing a firearm

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

body_text: AUGUSTA, GA: A Richmond County man has been convicted at trial on drug trafficking and gun possession charges. Kelvin Laron Howard , 68, of Augusta, was convicted by a U.S. District Court jury after a two-day trial on charges of Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The conviction subjects Howard to a statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison on the drug charge, with an additional mandatory minimum of five years in prison for gun possession in conjunction with drug trafficking. There is no parole in the federal system. “Kelvin Howard viewed Augusta as a wide-open market where he could profit from illegal drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Working with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to identify and shut down those who would endanger our communities with illicit drugs and illegal guns.” The jury deliberated for less than an hour before finding Howard guilty on all charges brought in an indictment filed in U.S. District Court in May 2020. As described in court documents and testimony, the charges stemmed from an investigation by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office that identified Howard as a heroin distributor in the Augusta area. During a search of Howard’s apartment in August 2019, investigators found enough heroin for more than 700 individual doses, along with drug scales and packaging materials, nearly $1,000 in cash and a loaded semiautomatic pistol. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall will schedule a sentencing hearing for Howard after U.S. Probation Services completes a presentence investigation. The case was investigated by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia G. Rhodes and L. Alexander Hamner.


title: Washington Parish Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Violations

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – KELVIN WARREN, age 30, a resident of Bogalusa, Louisiana, pled guilty on Thursday November 30, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Barry Ashe to possession with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine and over 40 grams of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A). He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to a maximum sentence of life. He also faces a fine of up to $10,000,000.00, at least 5 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee. The sentencing will be held on March 14, 2024. According to court documents, on January 27, 2022, WARREN was in a vehicle that was stopped by police. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, police located a bag containing approximately 1.7 pounds of methamphetamine, 5.8 ounces of fentanyl, a scale, and other drug paraphernalia on the front passenger floorboard near WARREN’s feet. 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Maurice E. Landrieu, Jr. of the Narcotics Unit.


title: Grain hauler driver sent to prison for illegally transporting people

body_text: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 43-year-old Florida man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction for transporting undocumented aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Joan Rincon pleaded guilty July 27. U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Rincon to serve 25 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard how Rincon had transported aliens in a grain hauler, including an unaccompanied minor. In handing down the sentence, the court remarked on the severity of the conduct and noted that the 15 aliens who had been transported in the grain hauler “deserved better.” On May 7, Rincon approached the primary inspection lane at the U.S. Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint near Sarita. A K-9 soon alerted to the grain hauler he was driving. Upon further inspection, authorities discovered 15 undocumented aliens inside the hauler as well as an additional five in the cabin. One individual described how hot it was inside the grain hauler. She claimed they were not allowed to take water, were all sweating profusely and were afraid they would pass out due to the heat. Rincon was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. BP and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Foster prosecuted the case.


title: Dallas Importer and Two Chinese Companies to Pay $2.5 Million to Resolve Allegations of Underpaying Customs Duties

body_text: ADCO Industries (a/k/a Dallco Marketing, Inc.), a Dallas-based importer of industrial products, along with two Chinese companies and two individuals, has agreed to pay $2.5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to pay customs duties on imports from China, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton. Customs laws require importers to pay duties on the price paid for imported goods. This settlement resolves allegations that ADCO, its owner Raymond E. Davis, customs broker Calvin Chang, and Chinese companies Xiamen Atlantis MFC Co., Ltd. and Xiamen Taft Medical Co., Ltd. conspired to underreport the value of imported goods delivered to ADCO in the United States. Specifically, the government alleged that for customs valuation purposes, falsified invoices were created and submitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) containing false, lower values for the goods ADCO was receiving from China. It contended that a second set of correct invoices—invoices that were not submitted to CBP—were then used to ensure that ADCO paid its Chinese suppliers for the actual value of the goods. The government further alleged that this false invoicing practice resulted in the undervaluation of goods upon entry into the United States, which resulted in the loss of revenue in the form of customs duties and other fees. “Customs laws are an important component of national security and, among other things, protect the public and American businesses from unfair competition,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton. “This office will continue to aggressively investigate and hold accountable anyone it believes has tried to cheat the government and the public at large through the manipulation of customs duties.” “CBP’s Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising Center of Excellence and Expertise worked in collaboration with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to identify and review over 1,000 import entry lines entered by ADCO, as relevant to the underreporting allegations,” said Director Gregory Alvarez of the CBP Atlanta Field Office. “CBP is proud of the investigative work done by its experienced Import Specialists on the case and will continue to work collaboratively with inter-agency stakeholders to safeguard our nation’s economic security.” The settlement resolved a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the FCA, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The qui tam lawsuit is captioned United States ex rel. Reznicek et al. v. Dallco Marketing, Inc. et al., No. 3:22-CV-332-L (N.D. Tex.). The relators (whistleblowers), Donald Reznicek and Collen McFarland, will receive a $500,000 share as part of the settlement. The matter was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys William Admussen and Brian Stoltz. The civil claims settled by the settlement agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.


title: Readout of Joint Task Force Alpha Summit

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division convened a meeting with five U.S. Attorneys and the department’s key leaders, prosecutors, and contributors to Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) in Washington, D.C., yesterday to discuss JTFA’s work dismantling human smuggling and trafficking networks operating along the Southwest Border. Acting Assistant Attorney General Argentieri was joined by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez for the District of New Mexico, U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona, and U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath for the Southern District of California, who are key partners in JTFA. “Human smuggling and trafficking are insidious crimes,” said Attorney General Garland. “Human smugglers and traffickers prey on vulnerable migrants’ dreams of better lives. They endanger and exploit people for profit. And human smuggling and trafficking networks threaten the safety of our communities and our national security. So far, Joint Task Force Alpha’s work has resulted in over 260 domestic and international arrests; more than 170 convictions; significant jail sentences; and substantial seizures and forfeitures of assets and contraband – including hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, property, vehicles, firearms, ammunition, and drugs.” During the meeting, Acting Assistant Attorney General Argentieri highlighted JTFA’s work to hold accountable those who prey on migrants’ desperation, put migrants in danger, and undermine the rule of law through human smuggling. She expressed appreciation for the continued commitment from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and law enforcement partners to JTFA’s critical mission. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of New Mexico, District of Arizona, and Southern District of California are detailed to JTFA to investigate and prosecute human smugglers operating in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section leads JTFA in partnership with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and with dedicated support from the Office of International Affairs; Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training; Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; Office of Enforcement Operations; and Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. JTFA coordinates closely with foreign law enforcement partners on cross-border investigations, arrests of foreign targets, and extraditions. At the meeting, JTFA leaders discussed ways to use limited resources to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts to combat the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras and strengthen our relationships with our foreign partners in those countries. Acting Assistant Attorney General Argentieri reaffirmed the Criminal Division’s commitment to leading and supporting JTFA’s critical work to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks who exploit migrants and threaten public safety. From left to right: U.S. Attorney Restaino, U.S. Attorney Uballez, Acting Assistant Attorney General Argentieri, Attorney General Garland, U.S. Attorney McGrath, U.S. Attorney Hamdani, and U.S. Attorney Esparza.


title: Resumen de la Cumbre de la Fuerza Operativa Conjunta Alfa

body_text: La fiscal general adjunta en funciones Nicole M. Argentieri, de la División Penal del Departamento de Justicia, convocó ayer en Washington, D.C., una reunión con cinco fiscales de los EE. UU. y los principales dirigentes, fiscales y colaboradores del departamento en la Fuerza Operativa Conjunta Alfa (JTFA, por sus siglas en inglés) para hablar sobre la labor de la JTFA en el desmantelamiento de las redes de tráfico y trata de personas que operan cerca de la frontera sudoccidental. La fiscal general auxiliar en funciones Argentieri estuvo acompañada por el fiscal general Merrick B. Garland, el fiscal Alamdar Hamdani del distrito sur de Texas, el fiscal Jaime Esparza del distrito oeste de Texas, el fiscal Alexander M.M. Uballez del distrito de Nuevo México, el fiscal Gary Restaino del distrito de Arizona y la fiscal Tara K. McGrath del distrito sur de California, quienes son socios claves de la JTFA. “El tráfico y la trata de personas son delitos insidiosos”, declaró el fiscal general Garland. “Los traficantes de personas se aprovechan de los sueños de una vida mejor de los inmigrantes vulnerables. Ponen en peligro y explotan a las personas con fines lucrativos. Y las redes de tráfico y trata de personas amenazan la seguridad de nuestras comunidades y nuestra seguridad nacional”. Hasta la fecha, la labor de la Fuerza de Tarea Operativa Conjunta Alfa ha dado como resultado más de 260 aprehensiones nacionales e internacionales, más de 170 condenas, importantes penas de prisión y cuantiosas incautaciones y decomisos de bienes y contrabando, incluidos cientos de miles de dólares en efectivo, bienes, vehículos, armas de fuego, municiones y drogas”. Durante la reunión, la fiscal general auxiliar en funciones Argentieri destacó la labor de la JTFA para exigir responsabilidades a quienes se aprovechan de la desesperación de los migrantes, los ponen en peligro y socavan el estado de derecho mediante el tráfico de personas. Expresó su agradecimiento por el continuo compromiso de las fiscalías estadounidenses y de las autoridades del orden público con la misión fundamental de la JTFA. Fiscales estadounidenses del distrito sur de Texas, del distrito oeste de Texas, del distrito de Nuevo México, del distrito de Arizona y del distrito sur de California están asignados a la JTFA para investigar y procesar a los traficantes de personas que operan en México, Guatemala, Honduras y El Salvador. La Sección de Derechos Humanos y Enjuiciamientos Especiales de la División Penal dirige a la JTFA en colaboración con las Fiscalías de los Estados Unidos y con el apoyo especializado de la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales; la Oficina de Desarrollo, Asistencia y Capacitación de la Fiscalía; la Sección de Estupefacientes y Drogas Peligrosas; la Sección de Lavado de Dinero y Recuperación de Activos; la Oficina de Operaciones de Aplicación de la Ley; y la Sección de Crimen Violento y Delincuencia Organizada. La JTFA también cuenta con una importante inversión en la aplicación de la ley por parte del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, el FBI, la Administración para el Control de Drogas y otros socios. La JTFA coordina estrechamente con las autoridades del orden público extranjeras las investigaciones transfronterizas, las aprehensiones de objetivos extranjeros y las extradiciones. En la reunión, los líderes de la JTFA hablaron sobre las formas de utilizar los recursos limitados para mejorar los esfuerzos de aplicación de la ley de EE. UU. para combatir las redes de tráfico y trata de personas más prolíficas y peligrosas que operan en México, Guatemala, El Salvador y Honduras, y fortalecer nuestras relaciones con nuestros socios extranjeros en esos países. La fiscal general auxiliar en funciones Argentieri reafirmó el compromiso de la División Penal de dirigir y apoyar la labor fundamental de la JTFA para desarticular y desmantelar las redes delictivas que explotan a los migrantes y amenazan la seguridad pública. De izquierda a derecha: fiscal de los EE. UU. Restaino, fiscal de los EE. UU. Uballez, fiscal general auxiliar en funciones Argentieri, fiscal general Garland, fiscal de los EE. UU. McGrath, fiscal de los EE. UU. Hamdani y fiscal de los EE. UU. Esparza.


title: Tech Company’s Tip Leads to Guilty Plea of Lake St. Louis Man

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A Lake St. Louis, Missouri man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday and admitted taking pictures of his sexual abuse of a young girl. Steve G. Flores, 51, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to one count of production of child pornography. Authorities were initially alerted by a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by a cloud storage company about two files that appeared to contain child sexual abuse material. Court approved searches of Flores’ Google and cloud storage accounts revealed hundreds of pictures and videos he’d produced of the victim. A search of his home on Nov. 8, 2022, found electronic devices that contained similar images, as well as other images containing child pornography. Flores is scheduled to be sentenced March 5, 2024. The charge carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 15 years, with a maximum of 30. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson will ask for 25 years, the plea agreement says. The FBI, the St. Charles County Police Department and St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Prolific mail thief who stole postal vehicles and postal keys pleads guilty to federal charges

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Seattle – A man who committed a series of mail vehicle and mail key thefts plead guilty to theft of government property, mail theft, illegal transactions on access devices, and illegally possessing a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman. Johny Mixayboua, 27, committed a string of mail theft incidents involving stolen postal vehicles, stolen postal keys, mail theft and associated crimes. The postal service had to halt deliveries in the zip code 98118 for about a week while investigators worked to track down and arrest Mixayboua. Mixayboua will be sentenced in U.S. District Court by Judge Richard A. Jones in Seattle on March 8, 2024. According to the plea agreement, between December of 2022 and May of 2023, Mixayboua unlawfully gained access to cluster mailbox units in various locations throughout King County. He repeatedly stole mail from the cluster mailbox units that were addressed to others. During this time, Mixayboua stole credit cards from the mail he unlawfully collected and used the stolen credit cards to make purchases for himself. He also stole and operated a United States Postal Service Vehicle. When law enforcement executed an arrest warrant on Mixayboua in May of 2023, he was found with a firearm. Mixayboua is prohibited from possessing any firearms because of previous felony convictions in King County Superior Court. This case was investigated by U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). Theft of Government Property is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Mail Theft is punishable by up to 5 years in prison. Access Device – Illegal Transactions is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Unlawful Possession of a Firearm is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elyne Vaught.


title: Sharon Resident Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Drug Trafficking

body_text: PITTSBURGH, PA – Sylvia Ferguson was sentenced to 15 months in prison for drug trafficking, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. Ferguson, age 43, of Sharon, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon. Judge Bissoon ordered Ferguson to serve three years of supervised release following her prison sentence. Ferguson pled guilty earlier this year to conspiring to distribute morphine from July 2019 to November 2021 in Sharon, Mercer County. She was on probation at that time as a result of a prior conviction in state court. Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the conviction and sentence in this case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Missouri Postal Employee Accused of Stealing from Mail

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A U.S. Postal Service mail carrier in Moberly, Missouri has been federally indicted and accused of stealing from the mail. Dawn Dowling, 58, was indicted November 29 on one felony count of embezzlement of mail by a Postal Service employee. The indictment accuses Dowling of taking mail from about July 2023 to August 2023, including rebates from the home improvement store Menards that she was supposed to deliver. Dowling appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. The U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.


title: Pennsylvania plumbing and heating company settles allegations it failed to properly subcontract with disabled veteran owned companies

body_text: Seattle – A heating and plumbing business headquartered in Boothwyn, Pennsylvania will pay $1.35 million to settle allegations it failed to follow the terms of a contract for servicing fire and life safety systems at seven Veteran’s Affairs (VA) facilities nationwide. Media Plumbing and Heating, dba Kinetix, participates in the VA’s service-disabled veteran owned small business program. Under terms of its contracts with the VA, Media was supposed to hire sub-contractor companies that also qualified as service-disabled veteran owned to service the fire and life safety systems. However, between January 2016 and December 31, 2022, it failed to do so. “Part of the VA’s mission is to assist veterans with the transition to life after their service. This program helps support service-disabled veterans as they seek to grow their businesses,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “Media had agreed to find those similarly situated companies across the country to make the program work for other veterans. The failure to do that limited the impact of the program.” “It is critical that companies who agree to hire service-disabled veteran-owned businesses honor those commitments. Many of our nation’s veterans depend on these contracts for their livelihoods,” said Jason Root, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northwest Field Office. “We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their efforts in this case.” According to the settlement agreement, Media had agreed to find service-disabled veteran owned companies to service the fire and life safety systems at VA facilities in Seattle, Palo Alto, California, Louisville, Kentucky, West Palm Beach, Florida, Oklahoma City, Hines, Illinois, and Bedford, Massachusetts. If the company could not find such subcontractors, it was to do the work itself. Instead, it hired non-compliant subcontractors to do the work. Of the $1.35 million settlement amount, $592,231 is restitution. The matter was investigated by the Veteran’s Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG). The investigation and settlement were handled Assistant United States Attorney Matt Waldrop for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington.


title: Jefferson County Man Accused of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A man from Pevely, Missouri accused of recording his sexual abuse of a minor was arrested and appeared in federal court in St. Louis Tuesday. Matthew Gamel, 36, was indicted November 8 on one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of receipt of child pornography. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday. The indictment accuses Gamel of coercing a minor into producing child pornography between Jan. 1, 2021 and Feb. 22, 2023, and receiving child pornography between Jan. 1, 2021 and Aug. 1, 2023. A motion seeking to have Gamel held in jail until trial says he recorded his sexual abuse of the minor when she was under the age of 14. The sexual exploitation of a minor charge is punishable by 15 to 30 years in prison. The receipt of child pornography charge is punishable by five to 20 years in prison. Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. The Pevely Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Martinsburg man sentenced to prison for falsifying passport

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Bobby Allen Stark, age 52, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 12 months in federal prison for falsifying his passport. According to court documents and statements made in court, Stark was charged with sexual assault of a child in El Paso County, Colorado in April 2022 and ordered to surrender his passport. Upon returning to his home in Martinsburg, Stark applied for a new passport, claiming on the application form that he had lost the old one. He was able to obtain a new passport and shortly before his scheduled plea hearing in the Colorado case, Stark flew to Guyana, a country on South America’s North Atlantic coast, where he was later apprehended. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Kane and Kimberley Crockett prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service investigated. The U.S. Marshals Service assisted. U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.


title: Burlington Man Pleads Guilty to Gun Possession and Fraud Charges

component: USAO - Vermont

body_text: Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office stated Leon Delima, 35, of Burlington, Vermont, pleaded guilty today to gun possession and fraud charges in two cases before U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss. According to the stipulated facts in the agreement between the parties, in the Spring of 2021, Leon Delima devised a plan to fraudulently obtain COVID-relief funds from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). In April 2021, Delima successfully obtained a $17,833 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan from the SBA by claiming that he operated a marketing consulting business from which he had earned $85,600 annually. In fact, Delima had no such business. He spent the loan funds over a two-week period for consumer goods, life expenses, and non-business items, including high-end sneakers. With the April 2021 loan funds exhausted, in July 2021, Delima applied for a second SBA loan, this time claiming he operated a 45-employee pet-grooming business with gross revenues of $300,000 for the year prior to January 2020. SBA denied the second loan application. Additionally, according to the stipulated facts, on July 2, 2022, Delima, who was previously convicted of a felony offense, possessed a firearm that he fired into the air as he was walking along North Avenue in Burlington, Vermont. Delima threw the gun aside before law enforcement could respond to the gunshots. Delima pleaded guilty today to three offenses—wire fraud, which carries a maximum 20-year sentence; making a false statement in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the U.S. government, which carries a 5-year maximum sentence; and being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years. The actual sentences will be determined by the court with reference to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and the United States Code. If accepted by the court, the plea agreement signed by Delima and the government recommends a sentence of 37 to 55 months. The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Division (IRS CID), and the Burlington Police Department for their work on the two investigations of Leon Delima. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia Cowles has handled the case for the government. Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara Puls represents Leon Delima. 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 . This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn .


title: District Man Sentenced to 64 Months in Prison  For Unlawful Possession of a Firearm

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Hakeem Remy, 34, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 64 months in prison term on Nov. 30, 2023, for unlawfully possessing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly ordered Remy to serve three years of supervised release. On Mar. 6, 2023, Remy escaped from a halfway house while serving a sentence for gun possession and drug distribution convictions. There was a warrant out for his arrest. Remy previously had been convicted of a crime punishable by a term exceeding one year in Superior Court the District of Columbia. On Apr. 24, 2023, MPD officers were patrolling the 1900 block of 19th Place, SE. Remy spotted the police and fled on foot, eventually throwing a firearm into the woods before being arrested. Police recovered a Glock 9mm semi-automatic gun that was armed with one round in the chamber and 17 bullets in a high-capacity magazine. The firearm had been reported stolen in 2021 out of Fairfax Co., Va. In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and MPD.


title: Former Executive Director of Alabama Association for Career and Technical Education  Sentenced for Embezzling Federal Funding

component: USAO - Alabama, Middle

body_text: Montgomery, Alabama – Today, Acting United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross announced the sentencing of a former executive director for the Alabama Association for Career and Technical Education for embezzlement of federal funds and tax crimes. On December 1, 2023, a federal judge sentenced Doris Joann Gilmore, 62, a resident of Montgomery, Alabama, to 37 months in prison. In addition, the judge ordered that Gilmore serve three years of supervised release following her prison term. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole. According to the plea agreement and other court records, while serving as the executive director of Alabama Association for Career and Technical Education, Gilmore embezzled federal grant funds received by the association. Statements made during her sentencing hearing indicated that the embezzlement may have taken place for more than a decade. She also failed to send to the Internal Revenue Service payroll taxes that had been withheld during the first quarter of 2022. Gilmore pleaded guilty to the charges on May 11, 2023. Due to the financial losses caused by Gilmore’s crimes, the judge ordered her to pay $2,832,486.33 in restitution to the Alabama Association for Career and Technical Education and $802,508.88 to the IRS. “The United States Attorney’s Office prioritizes protecting federal funds,” said Acting United States Attorney Ross. “Gilmore’s actions harmed the members of the association and prevented tax dollars from being put to a public use. I commend the hard work and countless hours put forth by all the law enforcement agencies involved.” “Doris Gilmore was placed in a position of trust and should have directed these federal funds to their intended programs,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “When these funds are illegally earmarked for personal use the citizens of Alabama suffer, and the FBI along, with our state, local, and federal partners, will hold those responsible accountable.” “Doris Gilmore took advantage of her position as executive director to commit financial crimes against her organization and its employees,” said Demetrius Hardeman, acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “The sentence she received should serve as a warning to others contemplating doing similar acts, that IRS Criminal Investigation will work diligently to identify and hold them accountable.” “An important part of the U. S. Postal Inspection Service mission is to ensure public trust in the mail and to defend the nation’s mail system from illicit financial gain,” said Scott Fix, Inspector in Charge of the Houston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “The arrest and sentencing of Doris Joanne Gilmore are a direct result of the collaborative efforts between the USPIS, FBI and IRS. The USPIS will continue to work with fellow law enforcement agencies to target those who would seek to commit similar fraud schemes." The FBI, IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division, and the United States Postal Inspection Service investigated this case, with Assistant United States Attorney Joel Feil prosecuting.


title: Former Owner of New Jersey Marketing Company Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Role in $6 Million Compounded Prescription Drug Scheme

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – The former owner of a New Jersey marketing company was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud public and private health benefits programs of over $6 million for the billing of medically unnecessary compounded prescriptions, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Michael Drobish, 46, of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court. “This defendant exploited the health care system by taking advantage of reimbursements for compounded medications that were enormously expensive but medically unnecessary. This defendant has now been held accountable for his role in the criminal conspiracy. These compounding fraud schemes cause millions in losses to the health care system with zero benefit to beneficiaries. We will continue to combat this kind of health care fraud with our law enforcement partners.” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger “The sentencing announced today demonstrate our commitment to investigate individuals who defraud TRICARE, the healthcare system for military members and their families,” Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty in the Northeast Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the law enforcement arm of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, said. “Schemes to bill TRICARE for medically unnecessary services put our beneficiaries at risk and burden the TRICARE program. We will continue to partner with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI to protect the integrity of the TRICARE system.” According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Compounding is a practice in which a pharmacist or physician combines, mixes, or alters ingredients of a drug to create a medication tailored to the needs of an individual patient. The Food and Drug Administration does not approve compounded drugs and thus does not verify the safety, potency, effectiveness, or manufacturing quality of compounded drugs. Generally, a physician may prescribe compounded drugs when an FDA-approved drug does not meet the health needs of a particular patient. From April 2014 to January 2017, Drobish conspired with others to submit fraudulent prescriptions for compounded medications to public and private insurance plans. The scheme centered on the discovery that certain insurance plans paid for prescription compounded medications – including scar creams, wound creams, and metabolic supplements/vitamins – at exorbitant reimbursement rates. Drobish hired sales representatives through his marketing company to target individuals who had insurance plans that covered compounded medications. The sales representatives then convinced those individuals to obtain prescriptions for compounded medications, regardless of medical necessity, often by providing them with cash payments. The individuals were then directed to certain telemedicine companies, which the marketing company or its affiliates paid to issue the prescriptions. The prescribing physicians at the telemedicine companies would then write the prescriptions without performing any examination or after deliberately conducting cursory examinations that were insufficient to legitimately deem a compounded drug medically necessary. Once the prescriptions were written, they were filled by certain compounding pharmacies with which Drobish conspired. The compounding pharmacies would then receive reimbursement from the insurance plans, and would pay Drobish’s marketing company a percentage of the reimbursement amount. Drobish would retain a portion of the payment and provide a “commission” payment to the relevant sales representative. In addition to the prison term, Judge Hayden sentenced Drobish to three years of supervised release. As part of his plea agreement, Drobish must forfeit $532,650 in criminal proceeds and pay restitution of approximately $6.1 million. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, and the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Hegarty, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordann Conaboy of the Opioid Abuse and Prevention Unit in Newark.


title: Keshena Man Indicted for Theft on Menominee Indian Reservation

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Eastern

body_text: Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on November 28, 2023, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Merwin J. “Pete” Wynos, Jr., a 35-year-old man from Keshena, with theft on the Menominee Indian Reservation. The indictment charged Wynos with Theft in Indian Country, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 661 and 1153(a). If convicted, Wynos would face a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. According to filed court documents, on or about September 23, 2023, Wynos stole more than $1,000 worth of property belonging to four separate companies from a construction site on the Menominee Indian Reservation. The Menominee Tribal Police Department, Menominee County Sheriff’s Office, and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, which Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier will prosecute. An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. # # # For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov 414-297-1700 Follow us on Twitter


title: Wausau Man Indicted for Drug Offenses In Two North-Central Wisconsin Tribal Communities

body_text: Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on November 28, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Charles A. Parham a/k/a “Red,” a/k/a “Cuzzo,” with drug crimes taking place on the Menominee Indian Reservation and at a tribal casino on land owned by the Ho-Chunk Nation. The indictment charged Parham, a 41-year-old formerly of Wausau, as follows: COUNT DATE CHARGE PENALTY One On or about September 29, 2023 Distribution of Heroin, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C) Maximum of 20 years in prison; up to $1 million fine Two On or about October 12, 2023 Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(b) Mandatory minimum 5 years, up to 40 years in prison; up to $5 million fine Parham also faces terms of supervised release and special assessments of $100 per count if convicted. According to filed court documents, on or about September 29, 2023, Parham distributed heroin to another person at a location on the Menominee Indian Reservation. Count Two relates to Parham’s possession with intent to distribute at least 40 grams of a mixture and substance containing Fentanyl, which was at a tribal casino in western Shawano County. The case was investigated by multiple agencies as part of the Safe Trails Task Force (STTF) and Native American Drug and Gang Initiative (NADGI). NADGI and STTF allow federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement to partner in an effort to combat drug trafficking and violent crime on the Menominee Indian Reservation. STTF members are deputized federal officers who identify and target for prosecution individuals who are involved in distribution of dangerous drug on the Menominee Indian Reservation. Coordination of state resources through NADGI permits efficient communication and evidence processing, which are essential to swift but fair prosecution of offenders. The Menominee Tribal Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, with assistance from the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force, Shawano County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier will prosecute the case in U.S. District Court in Green Bay. An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. # # # For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov 414-297-1700 Follow us on Twitter


title: New York City Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison  in a Family-Run $4 Million Extortion Scam

body_text: WASHINGTON – Corry Blue Evans, 31, of New York, N.Y. was sentenced today to 41 months in prison for his role in an elaborate fraud, extortion, and money laundering scheme, which involved one of his brothers pretending to be a New York mobster to get a Maryland man to embezzle more than $4 million from his Washington, D.C., employer. Evans is the fifth defendant to be sentenced in the case. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division. Evans pleaded guilty in January 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan ordered Evans to serve three years of supervised release. Consistent with his plea agreement, Evans also must pay $4,217,542.86 in restitution and $772,500 in a forfeiture money judgment. In April 2018, a federal grand jury indicted Evans and his older brothers Tony John Evans and Robert Evans, their parents Archie Kaslov and Candy Evans, and Robert Evans’ common-law ex-wife, Gina Rita Russell, on various charges. According to the government’s evidence, a New York woman conspired with the Evans brothers, Kaslov, and Russell to extort money and gold bars from a Maryland man. The scheme caused the Maryland man to embezzle funds from his employer between January and March 2017. The Maryland man converted embezzled funds to cash and gold bars which he delivered to New York drop-off locations, including a hotel room, believing the funds were going to mobsters to whom the New York woman owed money. At one point during the scheme, Tony John Evans spoke to the man on the phone and threatened him by asking if he needed to remind the man where his kids went to school and where the man lived. In reality, all of the funds the man embezzled and delivered to New York went to members of the Evans-Kaslov family. Among other things, in January 2017, Corry Evans helped facilitate the cashing of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cashier’s checks obtained with stolen funds. He admitted that he called a check cashing store employee multiple times for the purpose of convincing him that the New York woman, who was attempting to cash the checks, wanted money for her own purposes even though Corry Evans knew that was false and that he and his family members would ultimately take the cash. Indeed, after the New York woman successfully cashed hundreds of thousands of dollars in checks at the check cashing store, she provided all of the money to the Evans brothers. Archie Kaslov then drove the brothers to the New York diamond district where Kaslov and others used criminal proceeds to purchase luxury watches. In late January 2017, the Maryland man traveled to New York to deliver approximately $500,000 in cash. In conjunction with that delivery, members of the Evans/Kaslov family briefly followed the Maryland man’s vehicle and took a photo of it, which was then shared with the Maryland man to terrify him into believing he was being actively surveilled by the mafia. After the Maryland man delivered the $500,000 in cash to a hotel room, some of the money ended up being transported to Corry Evans’ residence. Towards the end of March 2017, the Maryland man delivered well over $1 million in gold bars to a hotel room in New York. Corry Evans, his brothers, and father all discussed the need to sell the gold. Corry Evans subsequently went to a jewelry store in New York with a sample of the gold, trying to sell it. Later, his brothers, father, and he all sold gold to that jeweler. In May 2017, Corry Evans and his father traveled to Texas, where Kaslov used proceeds from the crime to pay $315,000 in cash for a Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead. Corry Evans is the latest Evans/Kaslov family member to be sentenced. Gina Russell, Tony John Evans, and Robert Evans all pleaded guilty to interference with interstate commerce by extortion. The Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan, who presided over this case before it was transferred to Judge Chutkan, sentenced Tony John Evans, 35, and Robert Evans, 36, to five years in prison. Russell, 35, has not yet been sentenced. Archie Kaslov, 57, pleaded guilty in September 2020 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Judge Sullivan sentenced him to 30 months in prison. Candy Evans, 54, pleaded guilty in September 2020 to tampering with a witness by corrupt persuasion or misleading conduct. Judge Sullivan sentenced her to one year and a day in prison. This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman and former Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Kent, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane Lucas and Arvind Lal and Paralegal Specialist Angela De Falco, who assisted with forfeiture issues, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Oliver McDaniel and Melissa Goforth Koenig, who assisted with restraining funds.


title: Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Possess  with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: Gulfport, MS – A Fremont, Ohio man pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. According to court records, Trayvion Joaquin Scott, 25, pled guilty to his involvement in a large-scale drug trafficking organization that began operating in Picayune, MS as far back as 2015. Scott’s primary involvement in the conspiracy was making drug payments via Walmart to Walmart money transfers on behalf of the trafficking organization. Scott will be sentenced on March 28, 2024. He faces up to twenty years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose is prosecuting the case.