title: Plains man sentenced to five years in prison for possessing firearm with obliterated serial number

body_text: MISSOULA — A Plains man who admitted to a firearms crime after trying to sell a gun with an obliterated serial number was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. The defendant, Zen York Lowther, 36, pleaded guilty in August to possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided. The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement learned Lowther was in possession of firearms and controlled substances and was on state parole for felony burglary and theft. Law enforcement also received information that Lowther was engaged in the sale of firearms. Agents arranged for a confidential source to meet with Lowther to purchase firearms. Lowther agreed to sell two pistols and a shotgun on Aug. 2, 2023 in St. Regis. When Lowther arrived, he was taken into custody. In a search of his vehicle, law enforcement located a 9mm pistol with an obliterated serial number in a bag along with 9mm ammunition. In addition, there was a 12-gauge shotgun on the center bench seat and $5,257. In a search of Lowther’s residence, agents recovered 19 more firearms and two silencers. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Plains Police Department, Mineral County Sheriff’s Office, Montana Highway Patrol and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN . XXX


title: Monongalia County Woman Sentenced to 14 Years for Drug Trafficking

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Anette Sanabria-Velez, 40, of Morgantown and Granville, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 168 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride. According to court documents and statements made in court, Sanabria-Velez was trafficking cocaine in Monongalia County, sometimes from her home. She would travel to Puerto Rico to order drugs that would then be shipped to various locations in West Virginia and Maryland for distribution. Through the course of the investigation, more than four kilograms of cocaine was seized from Sanabria-Velez’s vehicle and residence. Sanabria-Velez will serve three years of supervised release following her prison sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.


title: Fourteen North Korean Nationals Indicted for Carrying Out Multi-Year Fraudulent Information Technology Worker Scheme and Related Extortions

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: Note : View the indictment here and FBI Wanted Posters here . A federal court in St. Louis, Missouri, yesterday indicted 14 nationals of the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRK or North Korea) with long-running conspiracies to violate U.S. sanctions and to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. Specifically, the conspirators, who worked for DPRK-controlled companies Yanbian Silverstar and Volasys Silverstar, located in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Russian Federation (Russia), respectively, conspired to use false, stolen, and borrowed identities of U.S. and other persons to conceal their North Korean identities and foreign locations and obtain employment as remote information technology (IT) workers for U.S. companies and nonprofit organizations. The conspirators, some of whom were ordered by their superiors to earn at least $10,000 per month, generated at least $88 million throughout the approximately six-year conspiracy. In multiple instances, the conspirators supplemented their employment earnings by stealing sensitive company information, such as proprietary source code, and then threatening to leak such information unless the employer made an extortion payment. Ultimately, the conspirators used the U.S. and PRC financial systems to remit the proceeds of their activity to accounts in the PRC for the ultimate benefit of the DPRK government. “To prop up its brutal regime, the North Korean government directs IT workers to gain employment through fraud, steal sensitive information from U.S. companies, and siphon money back to the DPRK,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “This indictment of 14 North Korean nationals exposes their alleged sanctions evasion and should serve as a warning to companies around the globe — be on alert for this malicious activity by the DPRK regime.” “Yesterday’s indictment is the latest in a series of actions under a National Security Division initiative launched earlier this year to disrupt North Korea’s efforts to generate revenue by duping American companies into hiring its citizens for remote work,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s for National Security Division. “This indictment and associated disruptions highlight the cybersecurity dangers associated with this threat, including theft of sensitive business information for the purposes of extortion.” “The fourteen conspirators indicted yesterday victimized companies across the United States, as well as many Americans whose identities they stole, to generate revenue for the North Korean regime,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “The FBI will continue to work with our partners to expose and mitigate these fraudulent IT schemes and provide unwavering support to victims of North Korean cyber actors.” “North Korean IT workers pose a sophisticated and persistent threat, especially to businesses seeking to employ large numbers of contract workers quickly,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “North Korean IT workers continue to find ways to evade detection, so businesses need to closely vet employees to avoid having their sensitive data stolen and unwittingly funding North Korea’s government.” “While we have disrupted this group and identified its leadership, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The government of North Korea has trained and deployed thousands of IT workers to perpetrate this same scheme against U.S. companies every day,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Field Office. “Protect your business by thoroughly vetting fully remote IT workers. One of the ways to help minimize your risk is to insist current and future IT workers appear on camera as often as possible if they are fully remote.” Today’s charges are the most recent step in an ongoing, two-year Department effort to disrupt this specific group of conspirators, one of multiple such DPRK groups attempting to generate revenue for the DPRK government through such schemes. Prior Department actions against this group include: (i) a January court authorized seizure of approximately $320,000 (unsealed today); (ii) a July court authorized seizure of approximately $444,800 (unsealed today); (iii) previously announced October 2022 and January 2023 court-authorized seizures of approximately $1.5 million; and (iv) previously announced October 2023 and May 2024 court-authorized seizures of 29 internet domains used by the same group to increase the bona fides and appeal of their assumed identities to prospective employers. In addition to these actions, the State Department announced today a reward offer of up to $5 million for information on these companies, the individuals identified, their illicit activities, and/or those of associated individuals and entities. The identified individuals are: Jong Song Hwa (정성화), Ri Kyong Sik (리경식), Kim Ryu Song (김류성), Rim Un Chol (림은철), Kim Mu Rim (김무림), Cho Chung Pom (조충범), Hyon Chol Song (현철성), Son Un Chol (손은철), Sok Kwang Hyok (석광혁), Choe Jong Yong (최정용), Ko Chung Sok (고충석), Kim Ye Won (김예원), Jong Kyong Chol (정경철), and Jang Chol Myong (장철명). The State Department’s Rewards for Justice program has a standing rewards program for information that leads to the disruption of financial mechanisms of persons engaged in certain activities that support the North Korean government, including work by highly skilled North Korean nationals sent abroad whose income generates funds for the DPRK regime. The DPRK has dispatched thousands of skilled IT workers around the world, earning revenue that contributes to the North Korean regime with the aim of deceiving U.S. and other businesses worldwide into hiring them as remote IT workers to generate revenue in violation of U.S. and U.N. sanctions. DPRK IT worker schemes involve the use of pseudonymous email, social media, payment platform and online job site accounts, as well as false websites, proxy computers, virtual private networks, virtual private servers and unwitting third parties located in the United States and elsewhere. As described in a May 2022 tri-seal public service advisory released by the FBI and its partners, which was updated in October 2023 , such IT workers can individually earn up to $300,000 annually, generating hundreds of millions of dollars collectively each year, on behalf of designated entities, such as the North Korean Ministry of Defense and others directly involved in the DPRK’s UN-prohibited weapons of mass destruction programs. The indictment alleges that the 14 conspirators worked for sanctioned North Korean-controlled companies Yanbian Silverstar and Volasys Silverstar in capacities ranging from senior company leaders to IT workers. These two organizations collectively employed at least 130 North Korean IT workers — referred to within these organizations as “IT Warriors.” As alleged in the indictment, Yanbian Silverstar and Volasys Silverstar organized periodic “socialism competitions” for their employees. During these competitions, IT workers would compete to generate money for the DPRK. Bonuses and other prizes were awarded to the top performers during these competitions. As part of their scheme, North Korean IT workers obtained salaried employment at numerous U.S.-based companies and nonprofit organizations. In some instances, U.S. employers unwittingly employed North Korean IT workers for years and paid them hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary. The conspirators used many techniques to conceal their North Korean identities from employers. These included using stolen identities belonging to U.S. persons and others to apply for jobs; paying U.S. persons to attend job interviews and work meetings remotely under fake identities; and registering web domains and designing phony websites to convince prospective employers that the false identities were experienced, qualified, and previously employed by reputable contracting firms. As described in court documents, these websites contained indicia that should have aroused suspicion about their bona fides. For example, some of the physical addresses listed on the websites were home addresses, not office buildings; contact telephone numbers listed on the fake companies’ websites did not correspond to area codes of business locations; and the websites’ content included disjointed or nonsensical phrases, such as, “Nor, moreover, is there anyone who loves pain because it is pain, pursues it, wants to gain it, but.” The conspirators also sought to avoid detection by paying U.S. persons to receive, set up, and host laptops sent from employers to the U.S. persons’ home addresses (often referred to as laptop farms). After these laptops were set up, the conspirators instructed the U.S. persons to install software that allowed them to access the laptops from overseas. By arranging to have laptops physically located in the United States, conspirators made it appear as if the fake U.S.-based employees were accessing laptops to do work, when in fact the IT workers were located outside the United States. In some instances, the conspirators leveraged their access to proprietary corporate information to extort their U.S.-based employers for additional payments. These threats were not empty — IT workers would at times publish the business’s information online if they were not paid. One employer, for example, sustained hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages after it refused the extortion demand of a conspirator who then publicly released the employer’s proprietary information. All 14 conspirators are charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to commit identity theft. Eight conspirators are charged with aggravated identity theft. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum statutory penalty of 27 years in prison. The FBI St. Louis Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the FBI Cyber Division. Trial Attorneys Jacques Singer-Emery and Alexandra Cooper-Ponte of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Drake for the Eastern District of Missouri are prosecuting the case. Substantial assistance was also provided Trial Attorney Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman for the Eastern District of Missouri. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.


title: Detroit Man, Morgantown Man Sentenced for Federal Drug Crimes

body_text: CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Two men have been sentenced for their roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy that stretched from Michigan to Monongalia County, West Virginia. Dorian Myles, 26, was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. John Thomas, 46, of Morgantown, West Virginia, was sentenced to 100 months for aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine. According to court documents and statements made in court, Myles was a source of supply in a drug trafficking conspiracy in Monongalia County that sold methamphetamine, cocaine base, and fentanyl. Thomas was one of the drug runners. Investigators searched a Morgantown residence and recovered nearly 1100 grams of methamphetamine. Myles has prior firearms convictions. Thomas has a criminal history which includes drug trafficking and fraud. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government. The Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.


title: Postal Employee Sentenced for Mail Theft

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – SHAKEITHA WILEY (“WILEY”) , age 41, of New Orleans, was sentenced on December 5, 2024 to 3 years probation, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. WILEY previously pled guilty to unauthorized opening of mail, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1703(b). Additionally, WILEY was ordered to pay a $25.00 mandatory special assessment fee and restitution and fine in the amounts of $210.00 respectively. According to court documents, on or about August 25, 2023, WILEY , a mail handler at the New Orleans Processing and Distribution Center, opened a parcel of mail not directed to her and removed two gift cards totaling $210. WILEY later used the stolen gift cards for her own benefit. The case was investigated by the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Christine Calogero of the General Crimes Unit was in charge of the prosecution.


title: Drug trafficker who assisted stepson with trafficking ring tied to Aryan prison gangs sentenced to over six years in prison

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Tacoma – A 66-year-old Tacoma man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 75 months in prison for his leadership role in a drug distribution ring tied to the white supremacist Aryan Family prison gang, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Ronnie Griffin is the stepfather of drug ring leader Jesse Bailey. The two were documented in multiple wiretapped phone calls discussing their distribution of dozens of pounds of methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl pills. Griffin acted as a redistributor and confidant for Bailey and is documented as a member of the Peckerwoods prison gang. At the sentencing hearing Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo told Griffin, “You have a terrible history, there’s no doubt about it.” According to records filed in the case, over a two-year investigation of the drug trafficking ring, agents seized an estimated 223 pounds of methamphetamine, an estimated 830,000 fentanyl pills, multiple-pound quantities of fentanyl powder, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, $338,000 of suspected drug proceeds, and 48 firearms from members of the conspiracy. In addition, during the coordinated arrests of the DTO members in March 2023, law enforcement seized approximately 22 pounds of methamphetamine, 26 pounds of fentanyl in pill and powder form, six pounds of heroin, more than $330,000 of suspected drug proceeds, and 177 additional firearms. Two of those firearms were seized from Griffin. They were found hidden in a toilet at his residence. Asking for a ten-year sentence, prosecutors noted that Griffin has been in and out of prison most of his adult life, but shorter sentences do not seem to have deterred his criminal conduct. “This history includes convictions for theft, obstructing a public servant, possession of stolen property, forgery, possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, attempting to elude police vehicles, unlawful possession of a weapon, identity theft, harassment, and fourth degree assault,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo. In imposing the sentence, Judge Estudillo told Griffin, “You’ve been in front of a judge on many occasions…. I’m sure they’ve offered you assistance of some sort…. It is kind of scary someone in their 50’s doing something someone in their 30’s would do, like running from law enforcement.” On August 1, 2024, Griffin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. He has been in custody at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac since his arrest in March 2023. Griffin is the sixth member of the drug ring to be sentenced. Some defendants have received prison sentences of as much at 13 years in prison. Less culpable defendants have been sentenced to 20-50 months in prison. Drug ringleader Jesse James Bailey pleaded guilty last month and is scheduled for sentencing on February 28, 2025. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. This investigation was led by the FBI with critical investigative teamwork from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Washington State Department of Corrections and significant local assistance from the Tacoma Police Department, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force, led by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. Throughout this investigation the following agencies assisted the primary investigators: Washington State Patrol, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine, Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, Lakewood Police Department, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Max Shiner and Zach Dillon.


title: Russian National Assisted Sanctioned Oligarch In Schemes To Employ An American Citizen To Launch And Operate Russian Television Network

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Menno Goedman, the Co-Director of Task Force KleptoCapture, and James E. Dennehy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of a Superseding Indictment charging ALEXEY KOMOV with conspiracy and violations of U.S. sanctions arising from his assistance to sanctioned Russian oligarch KONSTANTIN MALOFEYEV, who was previously charged in April 2022. As alleged, KOMOV conspired with MALOFEYEV to recruit and employ an American citizen, Jack Hanick, who worked for MALOFEYEV in launching and operating a television network in Russia. KOMOV also conspired with MALOFEYEV, Hanick, and others to illegally transfer a $10 million investment that MALOFEYEV had made in a U.S. bank to a business associate in Greece, in violation of the sanctions blocking MALOFEYEV’s assets from being transferred. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Alexey Komov facilitated the efforts of Konstantin Malofeyev – an oligarch closely tied to Russian aggression in Ukraine who has been determined by OFAC to have been one of the main sources of financing for the promotion of Russia-aligned separatist groups operating in the sovereign nation of Ukraine – to flout U.S. sanctions. The unsealing today of the Indictment against Komov is yet another reminder that this Office will continue to hold those accountable that seek to undermine the United States’ national security goals.” KleptoCapture Co-Director Menno Goedman said: “The indictment alleges Alexey Komov played an essential role in a multi-faceted scheme to violate and evade U.S. sanctions imposed on a significant financier of Russian aggression in Ukraine. Task Force KleptoCapture will continue to disrupt schemes perpetrated by Komov and other sanction evaders, whenever and wherever they may hide.” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James E. Dennehy said: “Alexey Komov, a Russian national, allegedly conspired with an American citizen and a sanctioned Russian oligarch to develop a Russian cable network to promote anti-Western propaganda. This alleged conspiracy violated laws designed to protect the national security of the United States and our allies. The FBI remains committed to apprehending foreign nationals who employ our citizens to satisfy their odious agenda.” According to the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court: [1] In 2014, the President issued Executive Order 13660, which declared a national emergency with respect to the situation in Ukraine. To address this national emergency, the President blocked all property and interest in property that came within the U.S. or the possession or control of any U.S. person, of individuals determined by the Secretary of the Treasury to be responsible for or complicit in, or who engaged in, actions or policies that threatened the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine, or who materially assist, sponsor, or provide financial, material, or technological support for, or goods and services to, individuals or entities engaging in such activities. Executive Order 13660, along with certain regulations issued pursuant to it (the “Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations”) prohibits, among other things, making or receiving any funds, goods, or services by, to, from, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked. On December 19, 2014, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) designated MALOFEYEV as a Specially Designated National (“SDN”) pursuant to Executive Order 13660. OFAC’s designation of MALOFEYEV explained that he was one of the main sources of financing for Russians promoting separatism in Crimea, and has materially assisted, sponsored, and provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods and services to or in support of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, a separatist organization in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk. As alleged in the Indictment, beginning in at least 2012, KOMOV assisted MALOFEYEV in recruiting and hiring a U.S. citizen named Jack Hanick to work on a new Russian cable television news network (the “Russian TV Network”) that MALOFEYEV was creating. As part of KOMOV’s recruitment of Hanick, KOMOV travelled to Manhattan to meet with Hanick and subsequently introduced Hanick to MALOFEYEV in Russia. With KOMOV’s knowledge, MALOFEYEV negotiated directly with Hanick regarding Hanick’s salary, payment for Hanick’s housing in Moscow, and Hanick’s Russian work visa. MALOFEYEV paid Hanick through two separate Russian entities through the end of 2018. After OFAC designated MALOFEYEV as a SDN in December 2014, MALOFEYEV continued to employ Hanick on the Russian TV Network, with KOMOV’s assistance and input, and in violation of the Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations. For example, prior to the launch of the Russian TV Network on the air in Russia in April 2015, KOMOV wrote an e-mail to MALOFEYEV, Hanick, and another employee, referencing their prior discussion with MALOFEYEV earlier that day and instructing Hanick to create two types of programs and allocate staff. KOMOV further wrote, “Hopefully Konstantin will be providing general direction and guidance for both projects. Looking forward to our long-term co-operation on those exciting endeavors!” In turn, Hanick requested KOMOV to serve as a moderator for the first broadcast, writing “KM [i.e. MALOFEYEV] and I agree that we need you on this the first show on [the Russian TV Network]!!!” With KOMOV’s participation, MALOFEYEV also employed Hanick to assist MALOFEYEV in transferring a shell company that MALOFEYEV owned to a Greek associate of MALOFEYEV (the “Greek Business Associate”). In 2014, MALOFEYEV, assisted by KOMOV, had used the shell company to make a $10 million investment in a Texas-based bank holding company (the “Texas Bank”). KOMOV helped set up the deal, emailing a Texas-based attorney (“Individiual-1”), “I plan to come to the US with two of my close friends Konstantin Malofeev [sic] and [another individual] on Feb 4-9, 2014 . . . I’d like the three of us to meet with you to discuss our cooperation, and also joint investment projects (please propose attractive investment opportunities with reliable partners for $50-100 mln participation from our side)”. On or about March 25, 2014, KOMOV wrote to Individual-I, “Konstantin has confirmed today that he goes ahead with the 10 mln investment in the bank project.” Beginning in or about March 2015, with KOMOV’s assistance, MALOFEYEV began making plans to transfer ownership of the shell company to the Greek Business Associate, in violation of the Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations. On or about March 4, 2015, KOMOV wrote to Individual-1, “I need to discuss with you several things: previous investment in the bank project (we want to consider selling it)”. On or about March 17, 2015, KOMOV wrote to Individual-I about the Texas Bank interest, in part, “We want to keep it where it is now, only the owner from our side changes.” Consistent with that plan, in or about May 2015, MALOFEYEV’s attorney drafted a Sale and Purchase Agreement that purported to transfer the shell company to the Greek Business Associate in exchange for one U.S. dollar. In June 2015 MALOFEYEV had Hanick physically transport a copy of MALOFEYEV’s certificate of shares in the Texas Bank from Moscow to Athens to be given to the Greek Business Associate. MALOFEYEV signed the Sale and Purchase Agreement in June 2015, but the agreement was fraudulently backdated to July 2014 to make it appear that the transfer had taken place prior to the imposition of U.S. sanctions. MALOFEYEV’s attorney then falsely represented to the Texas Bank that the transfer had taken place in July 2014, even though MALOFEYEV and his attorney well knew that the transfer of the shell company was executed in June 2015. The U.S. seized and forfeited approximately $5.4 million in the property traceable to MALOFEYEV’s Texas Bank investment, which had been converted by the Texas Bank in 2016 to cash held in a blocked U.S. bank account. In February 2023, the U.S. Attorney General authorized a transfer of these forfeited funds to the State Department to support Ukrainian veterans. MALOFEYEV, of Russia, is believed to be in Russia and remains at large. * * * KOMOV, 53, a Russian national, is charged with conspiracy to violate and substantive violation of International Emergency Economic Powers Act, each of which carry a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and thanked the support and expertise of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and Office of International Affairs in the conduct of this matter. The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vladislav Vainberg, Thane Rehn, Jessica Greenwood, and Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Section are in charge of the prosecution. [1] The entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.


title: Two Men Sentenced for Cyberstalking

body_text: TULSA, Okla. – Today, two men were sentenced for separate acts of domestic violence, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Terrance DuJuan Reed , 23, of Tulsa, for Cyberstalking. He was ordered to 60 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Further, Reed was ordered to have no contact with the victim or her husband. In 2021, Reed was convicted of assaulting and strangling the same victim, who is the mother of his children. At the time of this offense, the victim had a five-year protective order against Reed. While in the process of being released from prison, Reed violated that order and began threatening, harassing, and intimidating the victim. Judge Hill also sentenced Joshua Price, IV , 27, of Edmond, for Cyberstalking. While Price was detained, he admitted to harassing and threatening the victim. He was ordered to serve 60 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Additionally, Price was ordered to have no contact with the victim, directly or indirectly, and to stay more than 100 yards away from her. Domestic violence doesn’t discriminate and can happen to anyone in various ways. To learn more about signs of domestic violence and what to look for , how to make a plan , or get help , you can text “START” to 88788, or call 1-800-799-SAFE. Reed and Price will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, and the Creek County Sheriff’s Office investigated the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Attila Bogdan and Matthew P. Cyran prosecuted the cases.


title: California Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Counterfeit Currency Fraud

component: U.S. Attorneys (USAO)

body_text: COEUR D’ALENE – Clinton Curry, 40, of San Francisco, California, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for dealing in counterfeit obligations, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today. U.S. Circuit Judge Richard C. Tallman ordered Curry to pay restitution to the businesses he defrauded. Upon completion of his prison sentence, Curry will also be required to serve an additional three years of supervised release. According to court records, on September 9, 2023, Curry entered a store in Post Falls, Idaho, and purchased $324 of goods using U.S. currency. After Curry left the store, employees discovered that the majority of the currency used during the purchase consisted of counterfeit bills. Law enforcement was notified and began investigating the incident immediately. Working with the Spokane Office of the U.S. Secret Service, officers quickly learned that Curry had engaged in similar transactions across several western and southern states, including Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Texas. In total, officers discovered 46 separate incidents where Curry had either passed counterfeit currency or was in possession of counterfeit currency. Altogether, Curry used or attempted to use over$40,000 in counterfeit currency. “This case demonstrates the effectiveness of multi-agency coordination to remove those who would attempt to threaten our financial system by using counterfeit currency,” said U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit. “The U.S. Secret Service appreciates the collaborative efforts of our partners to investigate the defrauding of a critical element of our financial system," said Special Agent in Charge Glen Peterson of the U.S. Secret Service Seattle Field Office. U.S. Attorney Hurwit thanked the Spokane Office of the U.S. Secret Service and the Post Falls Police Department for their collaborative investigation on this case, including partnering with many state and local agencies across the United States. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryce Ellsworth prosecuted the case. ###


title: Louisiana Fugitive Sentenced To Federal Prison For Possessing Loaded Firearm

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber today sentenced Sammie Ray Sewell, Jr. (43, Alexandria, LA) to five years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Sewell to forfeit the firearm and ammunition, which were possessed during the offense. Sewell entered a guilty plea on September 16, 2024. According to court documents, a detective from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office located Sewell at a Fort Myers hotel with a chamber loaded pistol with an extended magazine. At the time, Sewell had extraditable warrants out of Louisiana and was a convicted felon. As a convicted felon, Sewell is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition. This case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make out 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 first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: New York Doctor Pleads Guilty to Receiving Kickbacks

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A New York doctor pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to receiving kickbacks in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans. Dr. Vishnudat Seodat, 75, of Mattituck, N.Y. pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for March 11, 2025. Seodat was charged by criminal complaint in December 2024. Seodat, an internist in Long Island, N.Y., was a licensed medical doctor in the State of New York for approximately 36 years. From approximately June 2013 through June 2019, Seodat conspired with others, including a principal for a mobile medical diagnostics company that performed transcranial doppler (TCD) scans, to order hundreds of medically unnecessary TCD scans in exchange for kickbacks. TCD scans are brain scans that measure blood flow in parts of the brain. Seodat and his alleged co-conspirators used false diagnoses to order the unnecessary brain scans, for which a co-conspirator would submit claims to Medicare and other insurance companies, including private insurance companies, on behalf of the medical diagnostic company for payment. In exchange, Seodat was paid cash kickbacks of approximately $100 per test. The scheme resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $1 million to Medicare and private insurance companies. The charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Jonathan Wlodyka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division, Boston Field Office; Carol S. Hamilton, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Boston Regional Office; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard Locker and Mackenzie Queenin of the Health Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case


title: Couple sentenced for laundering millions in drug proceeds using virtual currency

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A Houston resident and his naturalized wife from Vietnam have received prison sentences for unlicensed money transmitting and money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Vinh Quang Phan and Diana Le Phan entered guilty pleas June 18. U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison has now sentenced Vinh Phan and Diana Phan to 120 months in federal prison. Each will also serve three years of supervised release following their prison terms. The judge ordered the Phans to pay $80,000 in fines and forfeit their Houston home, $16,198 in cash seized at the time of their arrests and more than $470,000 in seized accounts. During the hearing, the court learned the Phans had already achieved the American dream and were wealthy before choosing to embark on a life of crime. In handing down the sentence, Judge Ellison remarked “This is one of the least sympathetic cases of need I have encountered.” He added: “All of this was foreseeable. I wish people would think about their families before they commit crimes, rather than invoking their families now.” “Crime flourishes only when it pays, and Vinh and Diana Phan helped it pay, for years, to the tune of more than $33 million. Now their bill is due,” said Hamdani. “These sentences acknowledge the harm that professional money launderers cause when they knowingly circulate dirty money and subvert the integrity of our banking system.” “Our special agents reviewed records from more than 20 financial institutions and virtual currency companies, and worked with the task force to execute approximately 40 search warrants and interview dozens of witnesses to unravel the defendants complex scheme to transmit and launder millions in illicit proceeds,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Lucy Tan, of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (CI) Houston Field Office. “When people hear about IRS CI, they often don’t realize the work we do to take down organized crime and criminal financial operations. We are law enforcement officers that specialize in following the money.” The Phans operated an unlicensed money transmitting business that transmitted funds received in the form of U.S. currency aka bulk cash. They earned at least some of this money, which included more than $9 million bulk cash received from others, from the trafficking, distribution and sale of controlled substances. During the course of the approximately 21-month conspiracy, the unlicensed money transmitting business received and transmitted more than $33 million. The Phans introduced this bulk cash into the banking system through more than nine “money mules.” The Phans then used the funds to buy virtual currency which was sold for cash in California - the state where the controlled substances originated. The Phans used virtual currency to eliminate the risk of driving cash across the country, which was one way they transmitted cash prior to January 2020. The Phans were robbed at gunpoint while on the road in October 2019 and had $440,000 stolen from their vehicle. The Phans did not register their money transmitting business with the Department of the Treasury nor did the state of Texas license them to engage in money transmission. The Phans were permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to U.S. Bureau of Prisons facilities to be determined in the near future. The IRS Criminal Investigation-led South Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Financial Crimes Task Force conducted the investigation with assistance from Drug Enforcement Administration, Houston Police Department and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Bauman and Eun Kate Suh prosecuted the case with assistance from Deputy Chief Brandon Fyffe of the Asset Recovery Section.


title: Fort Myers Felon Sentenced For Possessing A Loaded Firearm During A Traffic Stop

body_text: Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber today sentenced Marquis Lamar Kitchen (38, Fort Myers) to two years and three months in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Kitchen to forfeit a firearm and ammunition, which were possessed during the offense. Kitchen pleaded guilty on September 18, 2024. According to court documents, on March 21, 2024, officers from the Fort Myers Police Department initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle after observing it moving side to side. The vehicle slow rolled for a few blocks before coming to a stop. Officers gave loud commands for the driver to roll down all off the vehicle’s windows. An officer watched a male jump from the driver’s seat to the passenger seat, and a female jump from the passenger seat to the driver’s seat. When officers asked the occupants to get out of the vehicle, they found Kitchen in the passenger seat. As the occupants were exiting the vehicle, an officer spotted a pistol on the driver’s side floorboard protruding from underneath the driver’s seat. DNA analysis linked Kitchen to the trigger, rough areas, and loading port of the pistol. At the time, Kitchen was a previously convicted felon making him prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. This case was investigated by the Fort Myers Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make out 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 first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Harrison County Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine Charge

body_text: CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Timothy Robert Wilson, 38, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 92 months in federal prison for the distribution of five grams or more of methamphetamine. According to court documents and statements made in court, Wilson was selling methamphetamine in Clarksburg. He has prior convictions for drug trafficking, battery, and domestic battery. Wilson will serve four years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Flower prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Greater Harrison Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.


title: Rydox Cybercrime Marketplace Shut Down and Three Administrators Arrested

component: Criminal Division

body_text: The Justice Department today announced the seizure of Rydox, an illicit website and marketplace dedicated to selling stolen personal information, access devices, and other tools for carrying out cybercrime and fraud, and the arrest of Rydox administrators and Kosovo nationals Ardit Kutleshi, 26, and Jetmir Kutleshi, 28. Both defendants were arrested earlier today in Kosovo by Kosovo law enforcement pursuant to a U.S. request for extradition. They are currently awaiting extradition to the United States to face an indictment unsealed today in the Western District of Pennsylvania. A third administrator of the Rydox marketplace, Kosovo national Shpend Sokoli, was also arrested earlier today in Albania by Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Body (SPAK). Sokoli is expected to be charged and prosecuted in Albania. According to the indictment, the Rydox marketplace has conducted over 7,600 sales of personally identifiable information (PII), stolen access devices, and cybercrime tools, which generated at least $230,000 in revenue since its inception in or around February 2016. These sales included PII, credit card information, and login credentials stolen from thousands of victims residing in the United States. In addition, the Rydox site has offered for sale at least 321,372 cybercrime products to over 18,000 users including stolen PII such as names, addresses, and social security numbers; access devices such as stolen credentials for online accounts and credit card information; and cybercrime tools such as scam pages, spamming logs, and spamming tutorials. “The indictment alleges that, for more than eight years, the defendants administered an illicit online marketplace that sold PII, credit card information, and login credentials that had been stolen from thousands of U.S. victims,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today, we announce that, working with our domestic and foreign law enforcement partners, we have dismantled the marketplace, arrested its administrators, and seized their criminal proceeds. This announcement is a powerful demonstration of the value of our partnerships on cybercrime, without which these arrests and seizures would not have been possible.” “The Rydox marketplace was a one-stop shop where upwards of 18,000 of its cybercriminal customers could choose from more than 300,000 cybercrime tools,” said U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “While cybercrime often involves conduct occurring overseas and the actions of foreign nationals, its harms can be devastatingly local, with residents in our own communities suffering financial ruin as a result of the theft and misuse of their sensitive personal information. Today’s takedown reinforces our steadfast message that the Western District of Pennsylvania and our domestic and international law enforcement partners will use every available tool to hold accountable those who pursue illicit profit at the expense of ordinary citizens around the world.” “The success of this international operation underscores the power of collaboration between the FBI and our partners worldwide,” said Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office. “It also serves as a clear warning: those who go after innocent people for financial gain will be pursued and brought to justice no matter where they are in the world. This operation marks a major blow against the criminal underground that seeks to profit from stolen information and fuels global cybercrime.” As part of the actions announced today, the United States also obtained judicial authorization to seize the domain www.Rydox.cc, which hosted and facilitated access to the Rydox website. The seizure of this domain by the government will prevent the owners and third parties from using the site to continue to buy and sell cybercrime tools and stolen personal information. Anyone visiting this site will now see a seizure banner that notifies them that the domain has been seized by federal authorities. Rydox Domain Splash Page In coordination with today’s actions, the FBI and Royal Malaysian Police seized servers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that hosted the Rydox illicit marketplace and took the Rydox website offline. The United States also obtained judicial authorization to seize approximately $225,000 worth of cryptocurrency from accounts controlled by the defendants. Ardit Kutleshi and Jetmir Kutleshi are each charged with two counts of identity theft, one count of conspiracy to commit identity theft, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of access device fraud, and one count of money laundering, all arising from their roles as administrators of the Rydox website. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the money laundering offense, a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the access device fraud offense, a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each of the identity theft offenses, and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft charge, which is required to run consecutively to any other sentence imposed. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office investigated this case in coordination with the Kosovo State Prosecutor’s Special Prosecution Office, Kosovo Police’s Cybercrime Investigation Directorate, SPAK, Attorney General’s Chambers of Malaysia, and Royal Malaysia Police’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department. Senior Counsel Thomas Dougherty of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Stockey for the Western District of Pennsylvania are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Federal Jury Convicts Man Of Enticement To Meet A Minor To Engage In Sexual Activity And Production Of Child Sexual Abuse Material

body_text: Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Jordan Franklin Trexler (30, Casselberry) guilty of enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and two counts of production of child sexual abuse material. Trexler faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 12, 2025. According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Trexler groomed the minor victim to engage in sexual activity when she was 14 years old and reached out to her via social media and offered her marijuana. After they met in person, Trexler got the victim heavily intoxicated then sexually abused her. Over the course of approximately two weeks, Trexler and the victim exchanged messages on a social media application discussing plans to meet and the type of sexual activity that Trexler wanted the 14-year-old to engage in with him. During that time, Trexler and the victim met nearly every night and engaged in sexual activity. During one of those nights, Trexler video recorded his sexual abuse of the victim. Additionally, Trexler produced a sexually explicit image of the victim when she was asleep and partially nude in his car. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Tampa Division - Orlando Resident Agency, the Oviedo Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kaley Austin-Aronson and Stephanie McNeff. This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Long Beach Man Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Prison for Daylight Smash-and-Grab Robbery of Beverly Hills Jewelry Store

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A Long Beach man was sentenced today to 80 months in federal prison for participating in the March 2022 daylight smash-and-grab robbery of a Beverly Hills jewelry store in which nearly $2.7 million worth of merchandise was stolen. Jimmy Lee Vernon III, 33, was sentenced by United States District Judge George H. Wu, who also ordered Vernon to pay $2,674,600 in restitution. Vernon pleaded guilty on August 1 to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act). He has been in federal custody since September 2022. “This defendant took part in a blatant assault on a store operating in daylight hours, believing he could rob and intimidate others with impunity,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Now, he will serve a lengthy sentence in federal prison. Our office and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate these sorts of brazen attacks on our community.” On March 22, 2022, Vernon committed a robbery of the Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills store. Vernon used heavy tools to smash the store’s display case while employees were present, causing fear of injury to people inside the store. Vernon then removed jewelry and other items from the store display cases valued at approximately $2,674,600. The merchandise consisted of approximately 19 bracelets, seven pairs of earrings, four necklaces, a pair of obelisks, eight rings, and 20 watches. After the robbery, Vernon and his accomplices ran out of the store, leaving behind their Kia vehicle – which had been reported stolen out of Long Beach four days before the robbery. During the robbery, Vernon’s cellphone fell out of his sweatpants pocket while he smashed the jewelry store’s window, was left behind and later recovered by law enforcement, according to an affidavit previously filed in this case. Two days after the robbery, one of Vernon’s accomplices posted on his Instagram account numerous photographs that included large stacks of money and a message praising his “robbery gang,” according to court documents. As for Vernon’s co-defendants, Deshon Bell, 22, of Long Beach, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and is serving a federal prison sentence of one year and one day. Ladell Tharpe, 39, of Long Beach, pleaded guilty on September 30 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and awaits a January 6, 2025, sentencing hearing. The FBI and the Beverly Hills Police Department investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Kevin B. Reidy of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.


title: Texas woman indicted for arson that destroyed Snohomish County, Washington church

body_text: Seattle – A 38-year-old Temple, Texas, woman was indicted this week by a federal grand jury for three felonies related to the arson at Seattle Laestadian Lutheran Church in Snohomish County, Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Natasha Marie Odell has been in custody since her arrest in Texas in August 2024. She is currently detained at the Snohomish County Jail. Odell will be transferred to federal custody and is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on December 16, 2024. According to records filed in state court and the federal indictment, Odell was linked via cell phone records, credit card records and surveillance video to the fire that destroyed the Maltby, Washington, church on August 25, 2023. Travel records indicate that over the time period of the fire, Odell was visiting relatives in Woodinville, Washington. Even though the church was destroyed, part of the security system video surveillance survived the fire and depicted a woman who appears to match Odell, moving around the church with a container usually used to transport gasoline. In the video the person empties the container on the exterior walls of the church and items around the church. The person moves out of camera range and fire is seen growing on the areas where the person poured gasoline. Ultimately the video system stops functioning due to the fire. The investigation tied Odell to credit card purchases at an area service station when she purchased just over a gallon of gasoline in a container and some lighters. The fire did more than $2.5 million in damage to the church. Odell is charged with Damage to Religious Property, Obstruction of Persons in the Free Exercise of Religious Beliefs, and Use of Fire to commit another Felony Offense. Damage to Religious Property, and Obstruction of Persons in the Free Exercise of Religious Beliefs is punishable by up to 40 years in prison. Use of Fire to commit another Felony Offense is punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison. The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The case is being investigated by the Snohomish County Fire Marshall’s Office and the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg. odell_indictment_filed.pdf


title: Conspirator In Multi-Million Dollar International Money Laundering Conspiracy Sentenced To Federal Prison

body_text: Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza has sentenced Gabriel Aldemar Velez Torres (32, Orlando) to 3 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering and structuring. Velez Torres entered a guilty plea on September 17, 2024. According to court documents, in late February 2021, Cristian Rodriguez Labour recruited Velez Torres into this scheme and used his personal identifiers to incorporate a fake business, “Gabes Go Getter, Inc.” Between March 9 and 12, 2021, Velez Torres opened four different bank accounts at local banks in the name of this fake business. Thereafter, other conspirators working with Labour hacked into businesses throughout the country, causing those businesses to wire large amounts of funds to accounts held by “Gabes Go Getter, Inc.” Once received, Velez Torres transferred the bulk of the fraudulent proceeds to offshore accounts held by businesses in Weifang, China, then withdrew a portion of the fraud proceeds as payment for the laundering conspirators, often structuring those withdrawals to avoid law enforcement and regulatory scrutiny. During this conspiracy, conspirators directed $2,183,086.70 of fraud proceeds to and through business accounts for “Gabes Go Getter, Inc,” $741,043.11 of which was successfully laundered to Chinese offshore accounts. Overall, members of the conspiracy successfully laundered $3,323,941 to offshore accounts in China and unsuccessfully attempted to launder another $5,057,777, all of which were the proceeds or attempted proceeds of computer fraud and cyber intrusions on small businesses and other entities throughout the United States and Canada. Other conspirators received the following sentences: Name Plea Date Count(s) in Indictment to Which Defendant Pleaded Guilty Sentencing Date Sentence Imposed Cristian Rodriguez Labour 2/21/24 1 (conspiracy) 6/21/24 7 years Jihad William Morales 5/2/24 1 (conspiracy) 2-8 (money laundering) 9-11 (structuring) 8/22/24 5 years, 10 months Michael Gabriel Robles Vazquez 4/9/24 1 (conspiracy) 12-14 (money laundering) 8/22/24 2 years, 10 months Aramys Gonzalez Rodriguez 3/25/24 1 (conspiracy) 15-23 (money laundering) 24-29 (structuring) 9/18/24 4 years, 3 months Jorge Ivan Ortiz Buil 4/9/24 1 (conspiracy) 30-34 (money laundering) 35 (structuring) 8/22/24 5 years, 3 months This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.


title: Tallahassee Brothers Who Drove To Tampa To Commit Robberies Indicted

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Alonzo Deanthony Tucker-Wyche (27, Tallahassee) and De’quan Davion Wyche (24, Riverview) with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, robbery, and use of a firearm during the commission of the robberies. If convicted on all counts, each faces a minimum penalty of 20 years, up to life, in federal prison. According to court documents, on October 27, 2024, at approximately 5:30 a.m., a silver vehicle entered the parking lot of a convenience store in Tampa. Tucker-Wyche exited the vehicle and entered the store while his brother, Wyche, remained in the car. Tucker-Wyche approached the counter, produced an AR-15 firearm from his pants, and pointed it at the clerk. The clerk immediately fled out the back door. Tucker-Wyche chased the clerk momentarily but was unable to catch him. After returning to the front of the store, Tucker-Wyche walked behind the counter and removed the cash register drawer from its wires, and fled to the waiting vehicle, which Wyche was driving. During the course of the investigation, detectives and agents learned that the silver vehicle had also visited a gas station approximately two miles from the previous convenience store. A review of surveillance video revealed that, as in the previous store robbery, the silver vehicle backed into a parking spot. Tucker-Wyche exited the car and attempted to enter the gas station. The front door was locked, and the suspects left shortly after. On November 5, 2024, at approximately 8 p.m., a silver vehicle matching the one driven during the first robbery pulled into the parking lot of a retail store in Tampa. Tucker-Wyche exited from the passenger side and entered the store, pointed a firearm at the clerk, and demanded she open the cash register. The clerk was on her phone at the time and did not immediately react, at which time Tucker-Wyche came around the counter, grabbed the clerk’s phone from her hand, and threw it to the ground. Tucker-Wyche grabbed the entire cash drawer and fled back to the silver vehicle that was waiting for him. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Florida Highway Patrol. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Sarasota Man Indicted For Distributing, Receiving, And Accessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Sean Anthony Christie (42, Sarasota) with distribution, receipt, and access with intent to view child sexual abuse material. If convicted on all counts, Christie faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. According to the indictment, between November 17 and 19, 2024, Christie distributed and received child sex abuse material. Christie also accessed with intent to view child sex abuse material which involved a child under the age of 12. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Derry. This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: Former Hulbert Schools Treasurer Sentenced For Theft Of Federal Education Funds

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Eastern

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Leslie Shannon Mack, age 54, of Hulbert, Oklahoma, was sentenced to a term of 12 months and one day imprisonment for one count of Theft Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds. As part of the sentence, the Court ordered Mack to pay $372,808.09 in restitution. The charge arose from an investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Education – Office of Inspector General. On February 1, 2023, Mack pleaded guilty. According to investigators, from June 2019 until October 26, 2021, while Treasurer of Hulbert Public Schools, Mack issued herself and another individual excessive payroll payments above and beyond their district-authorized salaries. Mack also allowed another individual access to the financial accounting system. Their combined actions resulted in an ultimate loss to the Hulbert Public School District exceeding half a million dollars. “The OSBI appreciates the great work conducted by all our law enforcement partners who assisted with this investigation,” said Hunter McKee, Public Information Manager for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. “Providing justice to the victims impacted by this case is vital to our agency.” “I’m proud of the work of OIG Special Agents and our law enforcement partners for holding Ms. Mack accountable for her criminal actions,” said Edd Cole, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General Central Regional Office. “This sentence should serve as a warning to anyone who intentionally steals or misappropriates Federal education funds: you will be caught and held accountable for your unlawful actions.” “As Treasurer, the defendant was entrusted with the obligation to ensure that taxpayer funds were utilized to provide students a quality education. Mack’s scheme to defraud the school district of thousands of dollars broke faith with students, fellow employees, and the public,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “I commend the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Education-OIG for their stellar investigative work in bringing the defendant to justice.” The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Mack was instructed to self-report to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility by January 10, 2025, to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kara Traster and Joshua Satter represented the United States.


title: Former California Man Sentenced for Tax Fraud

component: Tax Division

body_text: A former California resident was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for conspiring to file false claims against the United States. According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2016 to 2020, Richard Jason Mountford, now of Las Vegas, conspired with another person to submit false individual income tax returns seeking refunds to which they were not entitled. Mountford and his co-conspirator filed false income tax returns in their own names, as well as in the names of two other unwitting individuals, that falsely reported they received wages from which taxes were withheld, and then claimed a refund based on those withholdings. Most of the returns filed as part of the scheme also falsely reported the payment of alimony to increase the refund amount. As a result of his criminal conduct, Mountford and his co-conspirator received $873,723.53 from the IRS. Mountford deposited $757,075.53 of those funds into his own bank accounts and subsequently purchased nearly $360,000 worth of new cars. Mountford also distributed about $170,000 in cash and gold bars to his co‑conspirator as compensation for his role in the scheme. In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley for the Eastern District of California ordered Mountford to serve one year of supervised release and to pay $757,075.53 in restitution to the United States. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert for the Eastern District of California made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Trial Attorneys John C. Gerardi and Charles A. O’Reilly of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dhruv M. Sharma for the Eastern District of California prosecuted the case.


title: Harrisburg Drug Trafficker Sentenced To Over 24 Years In Prison For Hiring Gunmen To Protect Thousands Of Pounds Of Marijuana Trafficked Through The U.S. Mail

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Christopher Texidor, age 37, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on December 11, 2024, to 292 months by United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for trafficking over 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of marijuana and hiring gunmen to protect his illegal activities. According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Texidor was previously convicted of drug trafficking, weapons, and violence after a six-day jury trial in May 2024. Judge Wilson relied upon the evidence introduced at the trial when noting that this was more than just an illicit marijuana trafficking operation. According to the Judge, Texidor engaged in dangerous and violent conduct that endangered the community. The evidence introduced at trial showed that between October 2018 and May 2020, Texidor and his codefendants operated a marijuana smuggling operation out of Fastlane Auto Sales, a used car lot located on Paxton Street in Harrisburg. Texidor and his codefendants arranged to have his drug source in California mail hundreds of parcels full of marijuana to Harrisburg through the U.S. Mail. In the same way, they regularly mailed tens of thousands of dollars in cash back to the California source. Texidor and his codefendants used a sophisticated system of GPS tracking devices, which they placed in their parcels, to keep track of their drugs and money. Through this the scheme, over 9,000 thousand pounds of suspected marijuana parcels, worth millions of dollars, were brought to the Harrisburg area. Texidor and his codefendants used guns, robbery, and kidnapping as tools to keep their criminal operation running. At the trial, the jury heard evidence of the violence that Texidor and his codefendants used to try and stop a thief from stealing their marijuana. In late 2019, a thief began stealing their marijuana from parcels shipped to them. By using tracking devices in their parcels and attaching tracking devices to vehicles, they identified the person that they suspected was stealing their marijuana. Texidor and his codefendants then hired gunmen to stop the thefts. From December 2019 to February 2020, the gunmen went after the suspected thief. In December the gunmen shot up a truck in Harrisburg connected to the suspected thief; they shot into an occupied home in Susquehanna Township where the suspected thief was sleeping; and they shot into an occupied home in Steelton that they guessed was connected to the suspected thief. In February 2020, they robbed the suspected thief at gunpoint in Highspire. The jury convicted Texidor of conspiracy to traffic more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, conspiracy to use a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, use of a means in interstate communication to commit a crime of violence, and drug trafficking. Texidor was also sentenced for committing pandemic related unemployment fraud. While he was released awaiting trial for the drug trafficking case, Texidor submitted a fraudulent application for pandemic relief. He got over $20,000 in pandemic unemployment relief. He was charged with wire fraud for that episode and later pled guilty. When imposing sentence for drug trafficking, weapons, and violence offenses, Judge Wilson also imposed a 20-year sentence for defrauding the United States. Judge Wilson noted as an aggravating factor that Texidor committed this fraud with his co-defendants in the marijuana trafficking case and that they all did it while out on release awaiting trial. Texidor’s codefendants, Jamie Valenzuela, William Kuduk, Jonathan Cobaugh, Justin Laboy, Jose Laboy, and Julio Arellano have pleaded guilty. Codefendant Jamie Valenzuela pleaded guilty to being the marijuana source from California. He was sentenced to 57 months’ imprisonment. Codefendant Jose Laboy as sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment marijuana trafficking and weapons offenses. Codefendant Jonathan Cobaugh was sentenced to 63 months’ imprisonment for marijuana trafficking and pandemic fraud. Codefendant Julio Arellano was sentenced to 156 months’ imprisonment for weapons offenses and conspiracy to commit drug trafficking. Codefendants William Kuduk and Justin Laboy are awaiting sentencing. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael A. Consiglio and Scott Ford prosecuted the case. The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. # # #


title: Former airman sentenced to federal prison for possession of child pornography

body_text: AUGUSTA, GA: A former U.S. Air Force airman has been sentenced to federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse images. Jacob Christian Butler , 33, of Augusta, was sentenced to 84 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of Child Pornography, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Butler to register as a sex offender and to serve 15 years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. “Possessing child pornography perpetuates the victimization of child sexual abuse survivors,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to protect our most vulnerable citizens.” As described in court documents and testimony, Butler was a U.S. Air Force Airman First Class assigned to Fort Eisenhower with a high level of security clearance. A security system at a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) detected a prohibited cellular device in Butler’s possession when he entered the facility, and security personnel seized the phone. Investigators searched the device and found multiple images of child sexual abuse. Additional devices containing hundreds of similar images and videos later were found during a search of Butler’s residence. While Judge Hall determined restitution is owed to victims identified in the images, he agreed to delay the final determination of restitution pending further investigation. “This prosecution is another example of law enforcement working together to protect our children,” said FBI Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brian Ozden. “FBI Atlanta will continue to pursue predators and hold them accountable for their actions.” The case was investigated by the FBI and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason W. Blanchard and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Counsel. Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/ .


title: Former Hoboken Director Of Health And Human Services Pleads Guilty To Embezzlement, Filing False Tax Return

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – Pantaleo “Leo” Pellegrini, the former Hoboken Director of Health and Human Services and Director of the Department of Environmental Services, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court to an information charging him with embezzling money from the City of Hoboken and filing a false tax return. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: While working for the City of Hoboken, Pellegrini embezzled money from the City of Hoboken by diverting payments intended for the City of Hoboken to bank accounts he controlled. Pellegrini also embezzled money from the City of Hoboken by submitting invoices for his personal business expenses, which City of Hoboken unknowingly paid. Additionally, Pellegrini did not report the embezzled money on his personal tax returns, and thereby made and subscribed a false personal tax return. Pellegrini had oversight over the City of Hoboken’s Division of Cultural Affairs’ Division of Health; Division of Parks, Recreation & Public Works; Division of Rent Leveling and Stabilization; and Division of Senior Services. He therefore had oversight responsibilities related to certain public recreational facilities, including soccer fields that could be reserved by both Hoboken and non-Hoboken residents for a fee paid to the City of Hoboken. Through this arrangement, the City of Hoboken Department of Parks, Recreation & Public Works sponsored a non-profit recreation soccer league open to all Hoboken residents aged 5 to 13 (the “Youth Soccer League”), which was funded by the City of Hoboken and participant fees. Also during the charged time period, an adult soccer league open to Hoboken and non-Hoboken residents (the “Adult Soccer League”) was in operation, which was funded from participant fees. Pellegrini developed a scheme to divert the Adult Soccer League’s participant fee payments intended for the City of Hoboken to a business account on which he was a signatory (the “Pellegrini Soccer Business Account”) and which was registered to a soccer-related entity linked to him (the “Pellegrini Soccer Business Entity”). At various times, Pellegrini told an individual who operated the Adult Soccer League–“Individual-1”—to sign checks for the rental of public recreation facilities but leave the payee blank for Pellegrini to fill in later. Pellegrini later filled in the name of the Pellegrini Soccer Business Entity and deposited the checks into the Pellegrini Soccer Business Account, without the knowledge of Individual-1. During the relevant time period, Pellegrini was also the Owner and President of a private travel soccer club that was open to Hoboken residents and non-Hoboken residents (the “Pellegrini Private Soccer Club”). Pellegrini also submitted or caused the submission to the City of Hoboken invoices associated with the Pellegrini Private Soccer Club, which Pellegrini falsely or fraudulently represented to the City of Hoboken as invoices eligible for reimbursement by the City of Hoboken. As a result, the City of Hoboken—at Pellegrini’s direction—unknowingly paid tens of thousands of dollars to the Pellegrini Private Soccer Club’s vendors for the Pellegrini Private Soccer Club’s expenses, and also unknowingly paid tens of thousands of dollars directly to Pellegrini through the Pellegrini Private Soccer Club. Pellegrini intentionally did not disclose and report the income from the above-described embezzlement scheme, thereby causing his tax returns to understate a substantial amount of the income he received. The count of embezzlement carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain to the defendant or loss to the victim, whichever is greatest. The count of filing a false tax return carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain to the defendant or loss to the victim, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for April 29, 2025. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado in Newark and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark J. McCarren and Matthew Specht of the Special Prosecutions Division. pellegrini.information.pdf


title: Justice Department Secures Agreement Preventing Animal Welfare Act Violations at Ohio Auction House

component: Energy and Natural Resources Division

body_text: In a consent decree entered today by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Mt. Hope Auction Co. agreed to monitoring and future restrictions to prevent it from violating the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) through future auctions of exotic or other AWA-regulated animals. In September, the United States filed a complaint against Mt. Hope Auction, alleging that it was placing animals in serious danger and violating the AWA and its regulations and standards during the Mid-Ohio Alternative Animal and Bird Sales that it held three times a year. Each of these auctions featured thousands of animals, including over 200 different species ranging from parrots to exotic cattle breeds to animals listed under the Endangered Species Act like ring-tailed lemurs. At the time of the complaint, Mt. Hope had been cited for 69 AWA violations in less than two years, including repeat violations for failing to provide veterinary care to sick or injured animals, allowing unsafe or unsanitary animal enclosures, and allowing the public to touch animals — including potentially dangerous coyotes, fox and bobcats — without proper barriers or employee supervision. The complaint also alleged that Mt. Hope had accepted hundreds of animals from sellers who did not hold the required license from the Department of Agriculture (USDA), becoming a hub for unlawful and poorly documented sales that could proliferate the inhumane care of animals. The court entered a temporary restraining order against Mt. Hope on Sept. 13, requiring the auction company to comply with several AWA requirements at its September Alternative Animal and Bird Sale. Mt. Hope canceled that sale. Mt. Hope’s USDA license was set to expire at the end of the September, and after failing to demonstrate compliance at two inspections, Mt. Hope declined the third and final opportunity for a re-licensing inspection and terminated the re-licensing process. “In recent years, Mt. Hope Auction has auctioned off more than 5,000 animals annually, which underscores the widespread effect of their violations,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The company’s ‘business as usual’ approach — risking injury, illness and harm to the animals at its auctions — will not continue. It is important for auction houses dealing in regulated animals to abide by the Animal Welfare Act and provide humane treatment to the animals that come through their doors.” “USDA is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of animals protected under the Animal Welfare Act,” said Deputy Administrator Sarah Helming for USDA’s Animal Care program. “The partnership between USDA and DOJ helps to ensure enforcement of the AWA regulations for those who put regulated animals at risk.” “Despite numerous opportunities to correct their business practices, Mt. Hope Auction chose not to comply,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “Their complete disregard for the laws regarding animal welfare and treatment placed both these animals and the public at large in danger. As this case demonstrates, we will hold accountable businesses that seek to profit from treating animals inhumanely.” Under the consent decree, Mt. Hope Auction agrees to not deal in or exhibit AWA-regulated animals without a license, and to allow the Department of Agriculture (USDA) access to ensure compliance with this provision. Moreover, if Mt. Hope Auction applies for and obtains a new USDA license within the next three years, it agrees to enter a two-year probationary period. During the probationary period, Mt. Hope Auction agrees to comply with AWA requirements to provide adequate veterinary care to animals consigned at the auctions; handle animals carefully; prevent the public from contacting animals without a responsible employee present; ensure that all facilities and enclosures are sanitary, in good repair and meet the minimum AWA standards; and create and maintain complete and accurate records. Mt. Hope also agrees to maintain veterinary records to allow for future monitoring of veterinary care. If Mt. Hope is found to have repeatedly violated the same AWA regulations and standards during the probationary period that were the subject of the United States’ claims, its AWA license will be permanently revoked. USDA investigated the case and filed a parallel administrative enforcement action. Senior Trial Attorney Devon Flanagan and Trial Attorneys Kamela Caschette and Taylor Mayhall of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Wildlife and Marine Resources Section prosecuted the case, with support from USDA’s Office of General Council and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Andrachik and Elizabeth Deucher for the Northern District of Ohio.


title: New York-Based Businessman Admits $5.3 Million Health Care Fraud And Kickback Conspiracy

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A New York-based businessman admitted his role in a health care fraud and illegal kickback conspiracy, Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna announced today. Mansinh Chaudhari, aka “Monsi Koova,” 55, of Illinois, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback statute. According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court: Chaudhari owned, operated, and had a financial interest in a New York-based consulting company that purchased information associated with prospective Medicare beneficiaries amounting to a guarantee that Medicare would reimburse the purchase of COVID-19 tests. Chaudhari then sold beneficiary information to medical providers in New Jersey, Tennessee, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and elsewhere, so the medical providers could use that information to submit or cause the submission to Medicare of claims for up to eight OTC COVID-19 tests per month that beneficiaries did not need and had not ordered. Chaudhari and the medical providers attempted to conceal their arrangements by entering into sham agreements. He also issued fraudulent invoices to the medical providers that solicited payment for marketing, consulting, or fulfillment. In total, Chaudhari and his conspirators caused a loss to Medicare of more than $5.3 million. Conspiracy to commit health care fraud is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison and conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison. Each count is also punishable by a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for April 29, 2025. Attorney for the United States Khanna credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado in Newark; the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz; the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patrick Hegarty; and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Specht of the Special Prosecutions Division under the supervision of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit. 24-451 Defense counsel: Paul D’Emilia Esq., New York chaudhari.information.pdf


title: Repeat Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - New Hampshire

body_text: CONCORD – A Nashua man was sentenced in federal court for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces. Shane Niven, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott to 120 months in federal prison followed by 8 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $24,000 in restitution and a $5,000 special assessment. Niven pleaded guilty in April to possessing child pornography. “The defendant is a recidivist sex offender who continued his online exploitation of children,” said U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young. “This case highlights the importance of reporting child sexual exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Cyber tips to NCMEC alerted law enforcement to the defendant’s nefarious online activity and potentially saved additional victims from harm.” “Niven had already been convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material when he was caught yet again with these horrific files in his possession. Continued vigilance by HSI special agents, paired with our critical public and private sectors partners, allows us to detect, identify and bring to justice predators like Niven, who possess and trade in child sexual abuse material,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England. According to court documents and statements made in court, federal authorities found CSAM on electronic devices belonging to Niven after executing a federal search warrant at his home. Niven is a registered sex offender with a prior conviction for possession of CSAM. Authorities identified Niven through tips made to NCMEC, which reflected that on at least two occasions, Niven’s residential IP address had been used to share hundreds of files of suspected CSAM with users of a particular online platform. Several of the files identified in the tips to NCMEC were found on devices seized from Niven’s home. Homeland Security Investigations led the federal investigation in partnership with the Nashua Police Department. The New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . ###