title: Burleson Would-Be Bomber Sentenced to 14 Years for Firearms, Child Porn Charges

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

body_text: A Burleson man who apparently idolized the Columbine High School shooters and possessed a homemade bomb was sentenced today to 168 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton. Noah Robert Calderon, 22, was charged via criminal complaint in April and indicted in May. He pleaded guilty in July to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm and one count of receipt of child pornography and was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor, who also ordered him to 30 years of supervised release. “There is no greater example of the Justice Department’s, and our U.S. Attorney’s Office’s, commitment to protecting the public—including protecting the children in our community—than our efforts in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton. “We thank our law enforcement partners for working incredibly hard to take this potential bomber and child predator off the streets. We stand committed to continuing to root out and prosecute such dangerous individuals in north Texas.” “Today’s sentence is a shared success with the community who heeded the call to action to report suspicious activity when they saw suspicious activity. The information shared with law enforcement exhibited a distinctive pathway to further violence, that was ultimately thwarted by law enforcement and led to multiple federal charges,” said Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough. “The FBI will continue to aggressively pursue individuals that move beyond rhetoric into action as they threaten the safety of our communities. We continue to ask for the public’s assistance in reporting threatening behaviors, and will work closely with our partners for swift adjudication.” The investigation began in October 2022, when the FBI received a tip about Mr. Calderon’s social media activity. Court documents indicate that online, Mr. Calderon professed a fascination with high-profile mass shootings, particularly the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School. He posted numerous images of himself in tactical-style vests posing with AR-15-style rifles and shared Columbine-themed memes along with images of homemade explosives. In March 2023, the FBI received another tip that Mr. Calderon had detonated a homemade bomb in his residential neighborhood. In plea papers, he admitted that he had purchased explosive precursors online. He also admitted that he stored 659.2 grams of explosive powder, along with a lighter, cannon fuse, cardboard tubing, a glass jar marked “frag” that contained metal ball bearings, lead, a funnel, and measuring spoons, in his garage. A subsequent search of his Google account revealed queries related to the Columbine killers, the Charleston church shooter, “pipe bomb how to make,” “how to make propane bombs,” and “wear [sic] were the propane bombs in Columbine,” as well as searches of the names of several local public schools. In plea papers, Mr. Caldron specifically admitted to searching for bomb-making information. A search of his phone revealed sexually explicit videos taken from a video chat between Mr. Calderon and a 13-year-old girl. Also in plea papers, he admitted he was aware of the child’s age when he saved the videos. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, the Burleson Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Weimer prosecuted the case with National Security Division Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and Jacob Warren.


title: U.S. Attorneys Thompson and Ihlenfeld to Join with FBI and American Jewish Committee Leaders for Antisemitism Training

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorneys Will Thompson and William Ihlenfeld will join with leaders from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Pittsburgh Division and the American Jewish Committee (AJC) on Monday, November 6, 2023, for training in response to rising antisemitism. The training will by presented by AJC officials and include a message from Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Congregation about perseverance and strength following the 2018 antisemitic terrorist attack at the Pittsburgh synagogue. U.S. Attorneys Thompson and Ihlenfeld will participate at synagogues in their respective districts that are jointly hosting this training, which is also being offered virtually. The culture and rich diversity of the Jewish community will be discussed along with examples of antisemitism that stem from ancient and medieval antisemitic falsehoods. The training aims to enhance the understanding of the problem, identify effective responses to hate incidents, and empower people to speak out. The joint sessions are part of the United Against Hate (UAH) Community Outreach Program, a nationwide initiative to combat unlawful acts of hate and improve hate crime reporting. *** While media is invited to cover this joint event, participation is limited to law enforcement partners and other pre-registered stakeholders. *** WHO: United States Attorney Will Thompson, Southern District of West Virginia United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld, Northern District of West Virginia Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Swanson, FBI Pittsburgh Division Senior Director of Policy and Political Affairs Julie Rayman, AJC Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, Tree of Life Congregation, Pittsburgh, Pa. WHAT: United Against Hate: Addressing Rising Antisemitism WHEN: Monday, November 6, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. WHERE: Congregation B'nai Jacob, 1599 Virginia Street East, Charleston, W.Va. Temple Shalom, 23 Bethany Pike Highway, Wheeling, W.Va. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. ###


title: Queens Man Pleads Guilty To Co-Leading One Of The Largest No-Fault Insurance Frauds In New York History

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ALEXANDER GULKAROV pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, and aggravated identity theft in connection with his orchestration of a $40 million fraud targeting no-fault automobile insurance companies. GULKAROV further admitted to obstructing law enforcement’s investigation by fabricating documents and intimidating witnesses. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Alexander Gulkarov was one of the leaders of a multifaceted scheme to defraud automobile insurance companies; bribe hospital employees, 911 dispatchers, and others; launder hundreds of thousands of dollars; and obstruct law enforcement. This complex scheme resulted in over $40 million in losses, which Gulkarov used to fund his lavish lifestyle, taking luxury vacations and renovating his multimillion-dollar home. This Office has no tolerance for those who cheat the system to wrongfully enrich themselves, and we will continue to dismantle wide-ranging schemes such as this one.” According to the Information to which GULKAROV pled guilty, the plea agreement, and statements made in court: The Healthcare Fraud Scheme New York and New Jersey no-fault insurance laws require a driver’s automobile insurance company to pay automobile insurance claims automatically for certain types of motor vehicle accidents, provided that the claim is legitimate and below a particular monetary threshold. Pursuant to these requirements, insurance companies will often pay medical service providers directly for the treatment they provide to automobile accident victims without the need to bill the victims themselves. This process resolves automobile claims without apportioning blame or fault for the accident, thereby avoiding protracted disputes and the costs associated with an extended investigation of the accident. From 2014 through 2021, GULKAROV and others (collectively, the “Clinic Controllers”) agreed that they would unlawfully own, run, and profit from medical clinics in the New York area and that GULKAROV would also profit from pharmacies in the New York area that were unlawfully owned and controlled by other Clinic Controllers. GULKAROV knew that clinics and pharmacies are unable to bill insurance companies for No-Fault benefits if the medical facilities are controlled by non-physicians. GULKAROV nonetheless agreed with others to submit bills to insurance companies falsely representing that the clinics were owned and operated by licensed medical practitioners and for medical practitioners to lie under oath during Examinations under Oath about the ownership, control, and finances of the clinics. GULKAROV personally coached medical practitioners to lie under oath. GULKAROV and his fellow Clinic Controllers unlawfully obtained from insurance companies at least $40,000,000 as part of the scheme. In connection with the scheme described above, GULKAROV personally approached medical practitioners, including physicians, and directed them to prescribe unnecessary medical treatments (including MRIs, EMG/NCV testing, spinal injections, and computerized radiologic mensuration analysis), unnecessary durable medical equipment (including cervical home traction devices and lumbar back support), and medically unnecessary medications (including prescription strength painkillers, topical creams, and topical gels). GULKAROV received kickbacks from MRI facilities, pain management doctors, and other specialized care providers, who performed these unnecessary medical treatments. GULKAROV further personally arranged for the unnecessary medications to be filled at pharmacies under the control of other Clinic Controllers. The medical practitioners provided necessary procedures and treatments to patients as well. GULKAROV also overbilled insurance companies for treatments provided by medical practitioners. In connection with the scheme, GULKAROV owned and operated a billing company called “Billing for You.” Billing for You submitted bills to insurance companies overstating the amount of time that practitioners spent treating patients. Billing for You also used improper, unlisted billing codes to bill insurance companies in excess of what is permitted under No-Fault regulations. The Bribery Scheme GULKAROV and his fellow Clinic Controllers further agreed to pay bribes in connection with the above-described scheme. From at least 2014 through November 2019, GULKAROV agreed with others to pay bribes to hospital employees, 911 dispatchers, and other individuals for the confidential names and numbers of motor vehicle accident victims. As part of the scheme, GULKAROV and others provided approximately $150,000 for the creation of a call center, operated by Anthony Rose, a/k/a “Todd Chambers,” that called victims and lied to them to induce victims to receive medical treatment at, among other places, clinics controlled by GULKAROV and his associates. GULKAROV further personally paid Anthony Rose hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribe payments in cash. As part of the scheme, GULKAROV arranged for a New York City police officer to provide confidential information from New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) servers. In particular, this officer sent GULKAROV over 400 photos of confidential NYPD motor vehicle accident reports using the encrypted messaging application, WhatsApp. GULKAROV then re-transmitted the reports to Rose and others so that they could call patients, lie to them, and direct them to clinics controlled by GULKAROV and others. Money Laundering and Obstruction Conduct GULKAROV laundered the proceeds of the bribery and healthcare fraud from the bank accounts of the medical clinics and pharmacies to personal accounts using a variety of methods. Among other things, GULKAROV personally told medical practitioners to sign blank checks from the clinics’ bank accounts, which GULKAROV used to pay personal expenses such as luxury vacations around the world, expensive meals, jewelry, and parties. GULKAROV also used the blank checks to pay for hundreds of thousands of dollars of construction-related expenses for this three-story, multimillion-dollar home in Queens, New York. GULKAROV arranged for checks from the clinics’ bank accounts to be cashed at over a dozen shell companies under his control or the control of co-conspirators, including, for instance, “Sign N Drive Auto GRP,” “Transport on Wheels,” and “Sancus Consulting & Trading Inc.” Over two dozen of these shell companies were opened by foreign nationals, who entered the country on tourism visas, opened bank accounts for the shell companies, provided the debit cards to GULKAROV’s coconspirators, and then left the country. GULKAROV additionally agreed to use Wisnicki & Associates and Wisnicki Neuhauser (collectively, the “Wisnicki Firm”) to launder proceeds from the No-Fault scheme. GULKAROV and his fellow Clinic Controllers wrote over $150,000 in checks to the Wisnicki Firm from the No-Fault clinics’ bank accounts. The Wisnicki Firm did not provide any legal services to the No-Fault clinics. Instead, the Wisnicki Firm used this money to purchase real estate for one of GULKAROV’s coconspirators. GULKAROV and his coconspirators deducted the payments to the Wisnicki Firm on the clinics’ tax returns as legal expenses. Lastly, GULKAROV engaged in a multi-month obstruction scheme beginning in February 2021. In February and March 2021, the Government served grand jury subpoenas on the medical practitioners involved in the No-Fault scheme. GULKAROV immediately contacted at least half-a-dozen of his coconspirators and ordered them not to speak with law enforcement. In return, GULKAROV gave his coconspirators money to pay for attorneys. GULKAROV also obtained the phones of multiple practitioners and deleted his communications with them from their devices. Thereafter, on or about April 1, 2021, the Government served a grand jury subpoena on the Wisnicki Firm for documentation surrounding the $150,000 in payments made from the clinics to the Wisnicki Firm. GULKAROV agreed with others that the Wisnicki Firm would fabricate retainer agreements for transmission to the grand jury. The fabricated retainer agreements, which were backdated to 2016 and 2017, falsely represented that the No-Fault clinics had retained the Wisnicki Firm for legal services. During the following months, in or about April and May 2021, GULKAROV approached multiple medical practitioners and ordered them to sign the backdated, fabricated retainer agreements. The medical practitioners complied. GULKAROV also provided these medical practitioners with checks, written from the Wisnicki Firm, returning the purported “retainer fees” paid to the Wisnicki Firm. GULKAROV ordered the medical practitioners to deposit the checks, withdraw the money in small cash increments, and return the cash to GULKAROV. At least one medical practitioner complied. * * * ALEXANDER GULKAROV, 37, of Queens, New York, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to run consecutively to any other prison term imposed. As part of his plea agreement with the Government, GULKAROV agreed to pay forfeiture of $40,000,000 and restitution of $40,000,000. The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. Mr. Williams praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit and the White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mathew Andrews, Timothy Capozzi, and Ryan W. Allison are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Leader of $70M Cryptocurrency and Binary Options Fraud Schemes Extradited to the U.S.

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A Serbian man has been extradited to the United States, where he faces charges in two separate federal indictments in the Northern District of Texas and Eastern District of New York for his alleged participation in coordinated cryptocurrency and binary options schemes. On Feb. 3, pursuant to a request for provisional arrest followed by a request for extradition, Georgian authorities arrested Kristijan Krstic, 48, in Batumi, Georgia. The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) completed the removal of Krstic on Oct. 30 from Georgia to the Northern District of Texas. Krstic arrived in the Northern District of Texas made his initial appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, where he will first face charges before being transferred to face additional charges in the Eastern District of New York. “This extradition is the result of continued coordination between the Justice Department and our Georgian law enforcement partners in the fight against transnational organized crime,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We are committed to protecting the people of this nation by investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in cryptocurrency fraud.” Northern District of Texas In March 2020, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Texas indicted Krstic for his role in defrauding investors worldwide out of more than $70 million through fraudulent cryptocurrency and binary options investment platforms. Krstic and more than a dozen other alleged fraudsters were also indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in the superseding indictment in July 2020. “The work on this case exemplifies the whole of the Justice Department to bring cyber-criminals – including those who use cryptocurrency and other purported cyber investment platforms to victimize the citizens of the United States – to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton for the Northern District of Texas. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas will work hand-in-hand with our law enforcement partners to ensure that cyber-criminals are held accountable regardless of their location.” According to court documents, the defendants allegedly helped create and market more than 20 fraudulent cryptocurrency and binary options investment platforms, including Start Options, Trinity Mining, Hedger Tech, BTC Mining Factory, Bitcoin Trading World, Dragon Mining, BTC Trader Online, Crypto Trading World, Go Solar Mining, BTC Falcon, Perpetual Energy, Perfect-Options, Options Rider, Option Giants, Banking Options, Aeon Options, Bancde Options, Instant Options, Fast Options, and Elite Options. “The FBI remains committed to pursuing subjects across international boundaries who are increasingly utilizing sophisticated virtual asset schemes to defraud investors,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “Victims were told their investment in Start Options and B2G would return significant wealth, but many were defrauded and harmed as a result. The FBI thanks our national and international partners for their efforts throughout the investigation to help bring justice for the victims.” “This extradition occurred because of international cooperation and the FBI’s persistence to hold this individual accountable for defrauding thousands of innocent victims. Some victims lost their entire savings to this scheme and have not been able to financially recover,” said Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Dallas Field Office. “We would like to thank our international partners for assisting us with the arrest and extradition of Mr. Krstic. He will now finally face charges for his actions in the United States.” Krstic is charged in the Northern District of Texas with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in an alleged scheme to create, promote, market, and organize fraudulent online investment platforms. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count. The FBI Dallas Field Office is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Winters and Nicole Dana for the Northern District of Texas are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dimitri Rocha and John de la Garza for the Northern District of Texas assisted with forfeiture matters. Eastern District of New York In February 2021, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York also indicted Krstic for his role in a cryptocurrency scheme in which he solicited U.S. investors using two fraudulent online investment platforms. According to court documents, Krstic was the founder of two digital-asset investment platforms, Start Options and B2G, and also served as the chief financial officer of Start Options. As alleged, between approximately 2017 and 2018, Krstic and others fraudulently induced U.S.-based investors to purchase securities in the form of investment contracts in Start Options and B2G. To perpetuate the fraud, Krstic allegedly used the alias “Felix Logan” and created the Twitter handle “@felixlogan_cfo” to communicate with investors in Start Options and B2G. The indictment alleges that Start Options purported to be an online investment platform that provided cryptocurrency mining and digital-asset trading services, including trading in cryptocurrencies, commodities, stocks, and indices. Start Options also allegedly claimed that it was “the largest Bitcoin exchange in euro volume and liquidity” and that it was “consistently rated the best and most secure Bitcoin exchange by independent news media.” The indictment further alleges that B2G purported to be an “ecosystem” that would allow users to trade B2G tokens, as well as digital and fiat currencies, “on a secure, comprehensive platform.” Krstic and others allegedly represented that once investors opened a B2G account, a deposit of B2G “open[ed] a door to all the curtains inside Aladdin’s cave. Dollars buy B2G; B2G tokens can be exchanged back into dollars, or for Euros, or for other national fiat currencies. B2G holdings can be traded for original bitcoin or other altcoins.” “Kristijan Krstic used the hype and mystery of cryptocurrency to separate unwitting investors from their money,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Los Angeles Field Office. “Krstic founded two online investment platforms which allowed him to steal $7 million in investor funds before closing up shop. Fleeing the country did not stop IRS-CI and our law enforcement partners from continuing our pursuit of justice, and today’s extraction demonstrates that no criminal is out of our reach.” According to the indictment, however, the money that investors in Start Options and B2G sent was never invested and instead, was laundered internationally to a Philippines-based financial account and digital-currency wallet and diverted to John DeMarr, a U.S.-based promoter of the fraud. Subsequently, DeMarr allegedly transferred to Krstic approximately $7 million in investor funds from B2G and Start Options, and then Krstic stopped responding to all communications and absconded with those investors’ funds. A press release issued by Start Options claimed that the company had been sold to Russian venture capitalists. Krstic is charged in the Eastern District of New York with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, one count of securities fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. On Jan. 31, DeMarr , 55, of Santa Ana, California, the former Director of North American Operations for Start Options and B2G, was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the scheme. U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York joined in the announcement. IRS-CI and the FBI Los Angeles Field Office are investigating the case. The government of Georgia, including the Prosecution Service of Georgia, Ministry of Justice of Georgia, and the Ministry of Interior of Georgia, provided significant assistance in the extradition of Krstic to the United States. Republika Srpska Police (RS-MUP) assisted as well. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Krstic. USMS transported Krstic from Georgia to the United States. Trial Attorney Tian Huang of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin Farrell, Hiral Mehta, and David Pitluck for Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with assistance on forfeiture matters from Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Mantell for the Eastern District of New York. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Man Involved in Drug Conspiracy that Killed Three in St. Louis Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a man to 35 years in prison for his role in drug robberies that cost the lives of three people in St. Louis in 2021. Demorion Little conspired with his co-defendant, Antaveon Bernard Le'Vell Kent, to steal and sell marijuana. The pair used Facebook to pick their targets and then arranged to buy marijuana from their victims. On Feb. 25, 2021, Little contacted Rocoby Rodgers via Facebook Messenger and asked about purchasing quarter-pound packages of marijuana. They arranged to meet in the 2300 block of Blair Avenue in St. Louis. Police found Rodgers dead in his car. That night, Little advertised on Facebook that he had marijuana for sale. Kent and Little arranged to meet Kortlin Williams and Johnnie Jones on March 16, 2021 in the 1100 block of Montgomery Street. When the victims arrived, Kent and Little fired into their vehicle, killing Williams and Jones and injuring a third occupant. Judge Pitlyk called Little’s conduct, ending the lives of three young men and injuring a fourth, “beyond heinous.” “This case seems unbelievable – murder for marijuana,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, lead of Drug Enforcement Administration investigations in Eastern Missouri. "Unfortunately, DEA has learned that the type of drug or the quantity doesn’t matter when it comes to drug dealers’ motivations. They will use any means as a way to make money or protect their illegal drug operations, including threatening or using violence.” Little, 24, pleaded guilty in August to one felony marijuana distribution conspiracy count and one count of aiding and abetting the discharge of one or more firearms in furtherance of the marijuana trafficking conspiracy. Kent pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana, attempting to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana and two charges of possession and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime that resulted in the fatal shootings of Williams and Jones. In February, Judge Pitlyk sentenced Kent, 23, of Florissant, to 26 years in prison. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police.


title: Beckley Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – Quantel O. Saunders, 29, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 19, 2022, law enforcement officers observed Saunders with a firearm tucked in the front of his waistband outside a service station on the 200 block of North Eisenhower Drive in Beckley. Officers stopped Saunders as he was entering his vehicle and recovered a Ruger-57 5.7x28mm handgun from the driver’s side floorboard of the vehicle. Saunders admitted to the officers that he possessed the firearm. Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Saunders knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for possession of a firearm by a prohibited carrier and three counts of wanton endangerment with a firearm in Raleigh County Circuit Court on August 3, 2015. Saunders is scheduled to be sentenced on March 8, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Beckley Police Department. United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Brian Parsons is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-108. ###


title: Two Former San Francisco Department Of Building Inspection Engineers Charged With Honest Services Fraud Conspiracy

component: USAO - California, Northern

body_text: SAN FRANCISCO - Two former San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI) construction plan engineers have been charged in federal court with participating in an honest services wire fraud conspiracy for accepting bribes in return for expediting and approving building and construction plan permits, announced Attorney for the United States Thomas A. Colthurst and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. According to a criminal Information filed on November 2, 2023, Rodolfo “Rudy” Pada, 68, of Millbrae, California, began accepting bribes in 2003 and continued to do so until he retired in September 2017. The Information alleges the bribes consisted of cash, free meals, drinks, and other benefits bestowed upon Pada by executives at a construction planning and design firm in return for Pada expediting and approving permits for building and construction plans. In addition, Pada is alleged to have solicited, accepted, and concealed an interest-free $85,000 loan facilitated by a construction planning and design firm executive. According to a separate Information filed on November 2, 2023, Cyril Yu, 41, of San Francisco, began accepting bribes in January 2018 and continued to do so until February 2021. The Information alleges the bribes consisted of cash, free meals, drinks, and other benefits bestowed upon Yu by executives at a construction planning and design firm in return for Yu expediting and approving permits for building and construction plans. The Informations allege that DBI is a regulatory agency in the City and County of San Francisco responsible for overseeing enforcement of building, electrical, plumbing, and housing codes for San Francisco’s more than 200,000 commercial and residential buildings. According to the Informations, contractors and builders submit construction plans to DBI for approval and permitting; the plans must be reviewed and approved by DBI to ensure that proposed construction plans meet City codes and regulations. An information merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Pada and Yu were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553. The case is being prosecuted by the Corporate and Securities Fraud Section of the United States Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Ward and Ilham Hosseini are prosecuting the case, which is the result of an investigation by the FBI


title: Inmate Pleads Guilty to Possessing Weapon at FCI Beckley

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – Dana Stewart, 30, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Beckley, pleaded guilty today to possession of a weapon by an inmate at a federal prison. According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 30, 2022, Stewart struck another inmate with a handcrafted weapon, a lock attached to a sock. FCI Beckley staff witnessed the incident and recovered the weapon afterward. Stewart admitted to possessing a prohibited item that was designed and intended to be used as a weapon. Stewart is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-55. ###


title: Billings woman admits meth trafficking charge in multi-state drug ring centered on Crow Indian Reservation

body_text: BILLINGS—A Billings woman on Nov. 2 admitted to trafficking methamphetamine as part of a large, multiple-state narcotics organization that was centered on the Crow Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today. Melanie Rose Bloodman, 54, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute meth. Bloodman faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The court set sentencing for Feb. 28, 2024 and continued Bloodman’s release pending further proceedings. In court documents, the government alleged that federal law enforcement, in a collaborative effort with local and tribal law enforcement, conducted a large-scale, multiple-state investigation into narcotics trafficking centered on multiple properties on the Crow Indian Reservation. The properties, including one referred to as Spear Siding, were a source of supply for meth for both the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservations. Bloodman is one of the individuals associated with the investigation. Investigators learned that Bloodman’s residence, located near the Spear Siding property, was being used to store and sell meth. In a search of Bloodman’s residence in April, law enforcement found more than one pound of meth. Assistant U.S. Attorneys are prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI 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. XXX


title: Former Alabama Sheriff’s Deputy Charged with Federal Civil Rights Offense for Excessive Force

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama, unsealed an indictment today charging a former Elmore County Sheriff’s Deputy with depriving an arrestee of his civil rights under color of law. The indictment charges former Sheriff’s Deputy Blake Hicks, 33, with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for willfully using unreasonable force against an arrestee, who is identified in the indictment as T.Q. Specifically, the indictment alleges that, without legal justification, Hicks punched and kicked T.Q. in or around the head while T.Q. was handcuffed and lying on the ground, resulting in bodily injury to T.Q. If convicted, Hicks faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Ross for the Middle District of Alabama and Special Agent in Charge Paul W. Brown of the FBI Mobile Field Office made the announcement. The FBI Mobile Field Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Counts for the Middle District of Alabama and Trial Attorney Laura-Kate Bernstein and Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. View the indictment here.


title: Indiana U.S. Attorney’s Offices Announce $6 Million in Department of Justice Funding for Hoosier Public Safety Programs

component: USAO - Indiana, Northern

body_text: HAMMOND- Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced several new commitments as part of its Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime . Instituted by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in May 2021, the strategy focuses on harnessing federal resources, intelligence, and expertise as a force-multiplier with state and local law enforcement. Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta highlighted the more than $334 million in critical grant funding to law enforcement agencies and stakeholders nationwide, awarded today by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). The COPS grants announced today include funding to help law enforcement agencies hire over 1,730 new law enforcement officers across the country while also providing critical funding to support school safety and continue to advance community policing nationwide. Through this funding, U.S. Attorney’s Offices for both the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana are pleased to announce that the Department’s COPS Office awarded a total of $6,689,417.00 to combat violent crime and maintain public safety in the state. Specific recipients and amounts are as follow: Award Recipient Amount COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Program Indiana State Police $2,000,000 COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program City of Hobart $500,000 COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program Lake Station Community Schools $375,000 COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program Logansport Community Schools $478,843 COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program New Castle Community Schools $358,132 COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program Valparaiso Community Schools $390,000 COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program Vincennes Police Department $337,422 COPS Hiring Program City of Frankfort $250,000 COPS Hiring Program Porter County $125,000 COPS Hiring Program Town of Roseland $125,000 COPS Hiring Program Tippecanoe County $1,250,000 COPS Hiring Program Vincennes Police Department $500,0000 Lastly, the Deputy Attorney General and Associate Attorney General announced that the Justice Department will host a Violent Crime Reduction Summit December 11-13, in Indianapolis. The summit, organized by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs and Bureau of Justice Assistance will bring together 1,500 local and federal partners from across the country, including community and law enforcement representatives from Project Safe Neighborhoods and the more than 50 jurisdictions that have participated in the National Public Safety Partnership . “We are excited to announce this important Justice Department funding to help make our communities safer, and to host the Department’s 2023 Violent Crime Reduction Summit right here in Indianapolis,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “I welcome the many dedicated community and law enforcement leaders from across the country to our wonderful city as we work together to reduce violent crime. The work done at this summit will help make our communities safer by sharing interventions and strategies to prevent violence and hold violent criminals accountable.” “These grants will help departments, in my District and throughout the State, address a myriad of issues that undermine public safety, such as violence in schools, illicit methamphetamine activities, and a shortage of law enforcement officers.” Said Clifford D. Johnson, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. “These grants also exhibit yet another way the Department of Justice provides support to our public safety partners.” “Law enforcement officers across the country are showing up every day to protect their communities in the face of unprecedented challenges,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “These grants, which support the hiring of more than 1,700 new officers and make critical investments in school safety and crisis intervention efforts, will help provide local law enforcement agencies with the resources they need to keep their communities safe, support officers, and build public trust.” Complete lists of all program award recipients, including funding amounts, can be found at cops.doj.gov/grants . ###


title: Three Louisville Men Sentenced in Federal Court for Fentanyl and Heroin Trafficking Related Offenses

component: USAO - Kentucky, Western

body_text: Louisville, KY – This week, the third and final local man was sentenced to federal prison for fentanyl and heroin trafficking related offenses. One man was also sentenced for illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office, and Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement. On July 27, 2023, Ramontez Bell , 23, was sentenced to 5 years in prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release, for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture and a mixture of heroin, possessing with the intent to distribute a fentanyl mixture, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Bell was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offense. On August 22, 2019, Bell was convicted in Jefferson Circuit Court of complicity to tampering with physical evidence. Also on July 27, 2023, Duane Johnson , 33, was sentenced to 5 years in prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release, for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture and a mixture of heroin. On November 2, 2023, Keidrick Grinstead , 33, was sentenced to 7 years in prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release, for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture and a mixture of heroin. There is no parole in the federal system. The FBI Louisville Field Office Safe Streets Task Force and LMPD investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Dahl. ###


title: Pittsburgh Resident Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Possessing a Firearm After a Felony Conviction

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, PA – Todd Hill was convicted of fentanyl and heroin trafficking and possessing a firearm after a felony conviction, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. Hill, age 38 of Pittsburgh, pled guilty before United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer. He pled guilty to (1) conspiring to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of heroin, (2) possessing with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl and heroin, and (3) possessing a firearm after a felony conviction. Sentencing will be scheduled on a date to be determined. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison and a fine of up to $16,250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentences imposed are to be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States. The Pennsylvania State Police; the Pittsburgh Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the United States Marshals Service; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigations leading to the convictions.


title: Bradenton Woman Sentenced To More Than Nine Years In Prison For Investment Fraud And Money Laundering

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James S. Moody has sentenced Lori Ann Nademus (46, Bradenton) to nine years and two months in federal prison for wire fraud and money laundering. The court also ordered Nademus to forfeit a 10-carat white gold and diamond wedding ring and a stainless-steel TAG Heuer watch, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense. As part of her sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $9.75 million, the proceeds of the wire fraud scheme. Nademus had pleaded guilty on March 17, 2023. According to court documents, between February 2017 and September 2020, Nademus solicited individuals to invest in false and fraudulent high-yield investment programs and used the fraud proceeds to perpetuate the scheme and for her own personal enrichment. Using her purported foundations, Nademus falsely and fraudulently represented that the victim-investors’ funds would be used for various projects, such as providing clean water to a third world country, purchasing a trust in Liechtenstein at a cost exceeding $1 million, leveraging a gold mine for investment, and liquidating a multi-million dollar investment, and that the victim-investors would realize nearly immediate, significant, and ongoing gains by providing bridge financing. Nademus communicated that the investments were safe for various reasons, including that the investments were secured by millions of dollars of assets held by her “Teras Foundation Investments.” Nademus memorialized the phony investment opportunities presented to victim-investors in so-called promissory notes, balloon promissory notes, and/or memos of understanding. She caused the victim-investors to transmit their funds, often via interstate wires, to accounts in the names of Dunamis Foundation, Teras Foundation, or an attorney’s IOTA account. Nademus used nearly all of the funds for international travel, luxury residences, high-end retail purchases of clothing, jewelry, and other items, and for her own personal enrichment. When she failed to pay the victim-investors their supposed gains in a timely manner, Nademus endeavored to assuage their concerns by promising a higher return at a later time to lull them into a false sense of security. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tiffany E. Fields and Rachelle DesVaux Bedke. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.


title: Navy Sailor Indicted For Attempting To Entice And Meet A Minor Child To Engage In Sexual Activity

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Michael Buck Brockway (39, Jacksonville) with using the internet and his cellphone from July 17 through July 28, 2023, to attempt to entice a minor child to engage in sexual activity. If convicted, Brockway faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervised release. Brockway was arrested on July 28, 2023, in Jacksonville, on related state charges. He was arraigned in federal court on November 2, 2023, and ordered detained pending trial. 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 Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown. It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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 child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison for $1.4M Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - Virginia, Eastern

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Alexandria man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for defrauding the U.S. government of approximately $1.4 million in tax revenue by preparing false tax returns on behalf of his unsuspecting clients. According to court documents, between 2016 and 2020, Lawrence Appiah-Osei, 58, ran a tax preparation business called New Look Enterprise out of his home in Alexandria. From at least 2017 through 2020, Appiah-Osei executed a scheme to fraudulently inflate the tax refunds of his clients. To do so, Appiah-Osei falsely claimed that his clients operated businesses that lost thousands of dollars each year. These fraudulent losses drove down the clients’ taxable income and increased the clients’ tax refunds. The Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) estimates the Appiah-Osei’s actions resulted in a tax loss of approximately $1.4 million to the federal government. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kareem A. Carter, IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington D.C. Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hood prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-113.


title: Defendant Sentenced to Prison As Leader of Schemes to Defraud Internet Consumers and Financial Institutions

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Larby Amirouche was sentenced by United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto to 20 months in prison for his role in fraudulent internet marketing schemes utilizing e-commerce websites that purported to sell various dietary supplements, hair care products, skin care products, testosterone, and web-based business tutorials. As part of the sentence, the Court also ordered the defendant to pay $1.8 million in forfeiture and over $110,000 in criminal restitution. Amirouche pleaded guilty in May 2022 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Thomas M. Fattorusso, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York Field Office (IRS-CI), announced the sentence. “The prison term handed down today is appropriate and necessary for Amirouche who orchestrated internet marketing schemes that charged consumer credit cards for products that were ordered but never delivered or never ordered at all, and overbilled other consumers for products they had ordered from the defendant’s websites,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office will not hesitate to enforce the law to protect consumers and financial institutions from fraudsters, and ensure integrity in the e-commerce marketplace.” “Amirouche victimized unsuspecting consumers by creating a literal world wide web of lies, building an online platform to defraud his victims for his own personal gain. With this sentencing, he now is facing the full consequences of his actions,” stated IRS-CI Special Agent-in-Charge Fattorusso. Amirouche was the managing member of Angry Elephant Marketing LLC and Purple Whale Management LLC. Between January 2012 and April 2016, Amirouche and his co-conspirators earned illegal profits by (1) charging consumer credit cards for products that were ordered but never delivered to the consumer; (2) charging consumer credit cards for products that were not purchased by the consumers and (3) repeatedly charging consumers for products that they had ordered from Amirouche’s websites. Amirouche and his co-conspirators set up dozens of shell companies fronted by nominees they recruited to distance themselves from the fraudulent schemes and maximize the ill-gotten profits. Nominees were utilized in part because Amirouche and the corporate entities he controlled had been barred from opening new merchant accounts due to previous fraudulent activity. The profits were funneled to a bank account that was in the name of a nominee, but was actually controlled by Amirouche. From that account, Amirouche sent over $1.3 million to bank accounts in the names of other companies he controlled. Amirouche and his co-conspirators also fraudulently established bank and merchant accounts for the shell companies so they could process credit card transactions and collect and transfer the proceeds of their crimes. The bank and merchant account applications the defendant submitted contained material falsehoods, including that the defendant was controlling the company, the nature of the business and forged signatures of the applicants. In addition, Amirouche and his co-conspirators concealed material information from the financial institutions that supported the merchant card accounts. The misrepresentations were designed to prevent the financial institutions from discovering the frauds, which would have led to the financial institutions shutting off the accounts for the websites and stopping payment of funds to Amirouche. In July 2022, Mr. Peace was selected as the Chairperson of the White Collar Fraud subcommittee for the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC). As the leader of the subcommittee, Mr. Peace will play a key role in making recommendations to the AGAC to facilitate the prevention, investigation and prosecution of various financially motivated, non-violent crimes including mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, health care fraud, tax fraud, securities and commodities fraud, and identity theft. The government’s case is being handled by the Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorney David C. Pitluck is in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Jake Menz. The Defendant : LARBY AMIROUCHE (also known as “Luke Williams”) Age: 33 Highland Park, Illinois E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-64 (KAM)


title: Billings felon sentenced to more than three years in prison for illegal possession of firearm

body_text: BILLINGS — A Billings woman who had absconded state parole and was arrested selling fentanyl from a Billings motel, was sentenced today to three years and five months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for illegal possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Deana Louann Thomas, 42, pleaded guilty in June to prohibited person in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The government alleged in court documents that in December 2022, law enforcement received information that Thomas was selling fentanyl with a man from a motel room in Billings. Thomas had absconded parole from the Montana Department of Corrections. Officers knocked on Thomas’ motel room door and arrested her on a warrant. During a search of the room, law enforcement located a .38-caliber revolver under one of the beds and two rounds of .38-caliber ammunition on a nightstand. Thomas admitted that the firearm was given to her for protection. Thomas was convicted in 2019 of felony escape in Yellowstone County and was prohibited from possessing firearms. The United States Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Montana Probation and Parole and U.S. Marshals Service 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. XXX


title: Hampton Man Sentenced for Multi-State Firearms Trafficking

body_text: NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for making false statements during the purchase of firearms so that he could deal firearms, some with obliterated serial numbers, without a license to others. According to court documents, in June 2022, John Magobet, 58, came to the attention of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as an individual who was purchasing firearms from a local Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) to resell to individuals in different states with restricted gun laws, including the southern New Jersey area and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Magobet indicated on multiple ATF forms that he was the actual buyer of the firearms, when, in fact, the actual buyer of the firearms was an individual he knew as “E”, from New Jersey. For a $500 fee per firearm, Magobet purchased and delivered to “E” two AR-15-type rifles, and four Glock pistols, which were desired so that “E” could install Glock switch-style machinegun conversion devices and re-sell them as machineguns. Magobet showed one potential buyer how to deface the firearms by removing the serial numbers saying “erase, erase, erase.” Magobet also stated to a potential buyer that he wanted to be advised if someone did something "stupid" with the firearm he sold so that Magobet could report the firearm stolen to “cover” himself. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Heath prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:23-cr-20.


title: Maryland Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Filing False Returns

component: Tax Division

body_text: A Maryland tax return preparer pleaded guilty today to preparing false tax returns. According to court documents and statements made in court, from at least 2017 through 2022, Adis Smith, of Chula Vista, California, and formerly of Baltimore, prepared and filed false income tax returns for his clients in order to fraudulently lower the taxes they owed or to generate refunds from the IRS to which they were not entitled. Smith typically reported fictitious or inflated business losses and itemized deductions. To conceal his fraud from the IRS, Smith prepared and filed each client’s tax return as a “ghost preparer,” reporting it had been self-prepared by the client rather than by Smith. In total, Smith prepared over 1,000 false tax returns and caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $4,729,311. Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 2. He and faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison as well as a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland made the announcement. IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Matthew Cofer and Sarah Ranney of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Delaney for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case.


title: Columbia Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of Ammunition in Connection with a Near Fatal Shooting

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: COLUMBIA, S.C. — Bernard Breeland, 37, of Columbia, was sentenced to 1o years in federal prison after being found guilty at trial to possession of ammunition by a felon. Evidence presented to the Court showed that Feb. 4, 2020, the City of Columbia Police Department (CPD) responded to a shooting incident at a local apartment complex. At the complex, CPD officers discovered a living male victim with multiple gunshot wounds lying in the parking lot near 9 fired .45 auto shell casings. Further investigation by CPD led to the recovery of surveillance cameras which captured the incident. The surveillance footage revealed Bernard Breeland walking across a parking lot, grabbing a male by the collar, brandishing a firearm, and shooting the male at close range multiple times before running away from the crime scene. The shooting victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds as a result of the injury. Surveillance footage further revealed the shooting took place in a portion of the parking lot where CPD later recovered the .45 auto shell casings. The shell casings were all the same brand, and a Nexus expert with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) testified at trial that the shells casings affected interstate commerce because they were manufactured outside of the state of South Carolina. Breeland was a known gang member and an officer with the Midlands Gang Task Force identified Breeland from the surveillance footage. Breeland has a prior federal conviction for a racketeering conspiracy involving a national street gang which prohibited him from possessing a firearm or ammunition. United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. sentenced Breeland to a maximum term of 120 months imprisonment, to be followed by three years of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. This case was investigated by the City of Columbia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lamar J. Fyall and Benjamin Garner prosecuted the case. ###


title: Truth or Consequences Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Production of Child Pornography

component: USAO - New Mexico

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Francisco B. Burrola, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso, announced that James Dooly Pollock was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Pollock, 39, of Truth or Consequences, pled guilty in federal court on July 13, 2022, to production of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. On Dec 30, 2021, the father of a 14-year-old victim submitted his daughter’s cell phone to the Truth or Consequences Police Department (TCPD) and reported that the cell phone contained video of an adult male having sex with the victim. After obtaining the father’s permission and a search warrant, TCPD transferred the cell phone to New Mexico State Police (NMSP) for extraction of the phone’s contents. Approximately eight videos of Pollock and the victim were found within "WhatsApp" chats. Within the chats, there was also a message where Pollock told the victim, “You need to get an appslock app to hide things on your phone.” Upon his release from prison, Pollock will be subject to 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. Homeland Security Investigations, the NMSP and TCPD investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Clara Cobos and Marisa Ong are prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. # # # 23-260


title: Foreign national charged with firearms violation

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against a 20-year-old Palestinian citizen for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. The charges allege Sohaib Abuayyash was an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States. He knowingly possessed a firearm, namely a Canik, model TP9 Elite SC, 9 mm pistol, according to the indictment. The FBI arrested Abuayyash Oct. 19 who remains detained pending further criminal proceedings. He is set to appear for his arraignment Nov. 13 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Yvonne Ho in Houston at 2 p.m. According to the criminal complaint filed upon his arrest, Abuayyash entered the United States on a nonimmigrant visa, which expired in 2019, and has allegedly been in direct contact with others who share a radical mindset. The charges further allege he has been conducting physical training and has trained with weapons to possibly commit an attack. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in federal prison as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine. The FBI is conducting the investigation. An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.


component: USAO - Alabama, Middle

body_text: MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA – On October 31, 2023, a federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama, returned an indictment charging a former Elmore County Sheriff’s Deputy with depriving an arrestee of his civil rights under color of law. The indictment was unsealed following Hick’s initial appearance in federal court, which occurred on November 3, 2023. The indictment charges former Sheriff’s Deputy Blake Hicks, 33, with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for willfully using unreasonable force against an arrestee. Specifically, the indictment alleges that, without legal justification, Hicks punched and kicked the arrestee in or around the head while the arrestee was handcuffed and lying on the ground, resulting in bodily injury. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal judge will determine any sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Acting United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross for the Middle District of Alabama, and Special Agent in Charge Paul W. Brown of the FBI Mobile Field Office made the announcement. The FBI Mobile Field Office investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Eric Counts for the Middle District of Alabama and Trial Attorney Laura-Kate Bernstein and Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Former Edmond Resident Sentenced to Serve 20 Months in Federal Prison for Fraud on Main Street Lending Program Created in Response to the Pandemic

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Western

body_text: Defendant Also Ordered To Pay More Than $250,000 In Restitution OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, JILL NICOLE FORD , 32, formerly of Edmond, Oklahoma, was sentenced to serve 20 months in federal prison and pay $252,143.35 in restitution for bank fraud and money laundering related to a loan obtained through the Main Street Lending Program (MSLP), a lending facility established by the Federal Reserve Board and supported with funding authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), announced U. S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. The CARES Act provided more than $2 trillion in relief for individuals and businesses adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The CARES Act also authorized the Secretary of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board to create the MSLP to promote lending to small-and medium-sized businesses affected by the pandemic. On January 7, 2022, Ford was charged by information with fraudulently obtaining a Main Street Lending Program Loan for her business, Oliver & Olivia Apparel, Inc. According to public documents, Ford obtained the loan from Citizens Bank of Edmond on September 11, 2020, and executed a loan agreement falsely representing she would use MSLP funds for working capital and payroll only. She also falsely represented she would not make financial distributions to herself as the owner of Oliver & Olivia Apparel, Inc. The information further alleged that Ford laundered the loan proceeds by using them to pay for construction of her personal home. Other loan funds were used to purchase a luxury SUV for Ford’s personal use. Ford pleaded guilty to both charges in the information on January 20, 2022. “Despite her promise to use these taxpayer funds to pay for necessary business payroll expenses and working capital during the pandemic, Ms. Ford instead chose to fund her own personal lavish lifestyle, “said U. S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. “I applaud the teamwork of our prosecutors and federal law enforcement partners, who continue to aggressively pursue those who take advantage of taxpayer funds.” “Jill Ford defrauded the Main Street Lending Program and has now been brought to justice for her actions,” said Jon Ellwanger, Special Agent in Charge, Western Region, Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. “Let this serve as a warning that while the pandemic may be over, we remain committed to vigorously pursuing those who defraud pandemic relief programs. I commend our agents and our federal law enforcement partners for their hard work and persistence and thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this case.” “Ms. Ford engaged in a scheme to defraud the Main Street Lending Program that was designed to help small/medium-sized businesses and nonproﬁt organizations,” said Brian D. Miller, Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR). “SIGPR is glad to have played a significant role teaming with its law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office to hold this individual accountable for her actions.” At the sentencing hearing today, U.S. District Judge Jodi D. Dishman sentenced Ford to serve 20 months in federal prison, and to pay restitution in the amount of $252,143.35. In announcing the sentence, the court noted Ford’s lack of previous criminal conduct, but also noted the seriousness of the offenses, describing Ford’s actions as “crimes of greed and selfishness.” Judge Dishman ordered Ford to self-surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on January 2, 2024, to begin serving her sentence. This case is the result of an investigation by SIGPR, Oklahoma City FBI Field Office, Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigations, the United States Secret Service, Federal Reserve Board Office of Inspector General, and Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Perry prosecuted the case. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . In March of 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and SIGPR entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to further strengthen and enhance the already existing cooperative efforts to investigate and prosecute fraud involving loans, loan guarantees and other relief made by the Secretary of the Treasury under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020, which included over $2 trillion in emergency financial assistance designed to provide immediate help for American businesses and individuals. More information on this partnership can be found here . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . Reference is made to court filings for further information.


title: Wyandotte Man Sentenced after a Federal Jury Conviction for Methamphetamine Conspiracy

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Northern

body_text: Yesterday, U.S. District Judge John F. Heil sentenced Adam Douglas Sherwood, 43, to 100 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release. In November of 2021, a federal jury found Sherwood guilty for drug conspiracy, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and three counts of unlawful use of a communication facility. “Distributors like Sherwood have little regard for the lives lost to addiction and violence resulting from their criminal operations,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our federal partners to investigate, disrupt, and prosecute criminal networks who pose a threat to communities in the Northern District of Oklahoma.” Sherwood’s coconspirator, Kenneth Rosenberg, was sentenced on Oct. 25, 2021, to 60 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The Tulsa Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Miami Police Department, and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin G. Bish and Thomas E. Duncombe are prosecuting the case.


title: Mandeville Bookkeeper  Charged with Access Device Fraud

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on November 2, 2023 DEBORAH C. KLOOR , age 59, of Mandeville, was indicted for access device fraud in relation to her embezzlement from a Folsom-based company, where she worked as a bookkeeper. KLOOR is also alleged to have stolen funds from the business’s owner, for whom KLOOR worked as a personal assistant. According to the indictment, KLOOR is alleged to have used the company’s credit cards as well as the owner’s bank and Amazon accounts without authorization, for her own personal benefit. The indictment alleges that, from approximately January 2015 through December 2019, KLOOR misappropriated $446,324.04 from the company and from the owner without their knowledge or permission. If convicted, KLOOR could receive up to ten years in prison, up to a $250,000.00 fine or the greater of twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss, and up to three years of supervised release after imprisonment. She would also pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that an indictment is merely an accusation and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Orleans Field Office, in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Payne, Senior Litigation Counsel, is in charge of the prosecution.


title: Federal Jury Convicts Georgia Man of Bank Fraud Conspiracy and Identity Theft

component: USAO - New Hampshire

body_text: CONCORD – A Georgia man was convicted today by a federal petit jury in Concord for bank fraud conspiracy and identity theft after a five-day trial, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announces. Lestor Aceituno, 40, of Atlanta, Georgia was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Chief Judge Landya B. McCafferty scheduled sentencing for February 12, 2024. “Today’s swift verdict by the jury sends a clear message to fraudsters like the defendant that these crimes will be prosecuted and will result in convictions,” said U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young. "This office and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate those that brazenly steal and use other identities for their personal gain.” Between June of 2016 and October of 2017, Aceituno and others used stolen identities to open accounts at banks in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Georgia. Aceituno opened or accessed post office boxes in Massachusetts and Georgia to receive debit cards and pin numbers to access these accounts. Aceituno’s co-conspirators then deposited fraudulent checks totaling more than $119,000. After the money was credited to the accounts, but before the bank determined the checks were false, one of Aceituno’s co-conspirators withdrew the money and gave it to another co-conspirator, the leader of the scheme. The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 30 years in prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and a mandatory consecutive 2-year sentence for aggravated identity theft. 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. The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Brockton, Massachusetts Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew T. Hunter and Geoffrey W.R. Ward are prosecuting the case. ###


title: Two federal inmates who coordinated Washington drug trafficking from Oklahoma prison sentenced to additional long prison terms

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Seattle – Two men who were federal inmates at the Federal Correctional Institute Great Plains in Hinton, Oklahoma, while organizing large methamphetamine shipments and sales, were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to long prison terms, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Alfredo Valdovinos-Diaz, 45, previously of Vancouver, Washington, and Cosme Sanchez-Espino, 41, also previously of Vancouver, were both sentenced to 11 years in prison. Both men were indicted in 2020 and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances in July 2023. In sentencing Valdovinos-Diaz, Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo said, drug dealing “affects families…. affects communities because of the crime associated with controlled substances, but also the effect on public services such as health care….(Drugs) take a toll on individuals who ingest a bad mixture, and maybe get a dose of fentanyl that is mixed into the methamphetamine, and they just die.” According to records filed in the case, both men were serving lengthy prison terms for drug trafficking in the Pacific Northwest. Valdovinos-Diaz was serving an eight-year sentence for a 2015 drug trafficking conviction. In that case, Valdovinos-Diaz was responsible for directing a methamphetamine distribution network, with ties to a Mexican drug cartel, that operated out of Vancouver, Olympia, and Tacoma, and was responsible for distributing multi-kilogram quantities of heroin and methamphetamine in western Washington. Valdovinos-Diaz’ drug trafficking activity did not end with his prison term. Using a contraband cell phone, he sent and received various messages in 2019 and 2020 instructing couriers and drug suppliers about packaging large shipments of methamphetamine and how to hide it in secret compartments under the floor of a vehicle or in the vehicle bumper. Cosme Sanchez-Espino was serving a 15-year prison sentence for a 2008 drug distribution conviction in Montana. In that case, Sanchez-Espino distributed methamphetamine from his supplier in Washington to drug distributors in Montana. Like Valdovinos-Diaz, Sanchez-Espino used contraband cell phones to direct drug trafficking to Southwest Washington. Law enforcement seized loads of 57 pounds and 25 pounds of methamphetamine connected to the men. In asking for a sentence of eleven years for lead defendant Valdovinos-Diaz, Assistant United States Attorney Max Shiner wrote to the court, Valdovinos-Diaz’ conduct “demonstrates that he is committed to criminal activity and that his “blatant disrespect” requires additional deterrence…. (His) communications demonstrate he knew how the drugs would be packaged, transported, and stored in hidden compartments. This strongly suggests his full knowledge of the weights and quantities of the drugs involved. Second, he was an experienced leader of a drug trafficking ring in the Vancouver area who continued his drug distribution activities in that area after his conviction…” Both defendants are citizens of Mexico who likely will be deported following their prison terms. The case was investigated by the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Max Shiner.


title: New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Gun Control Act and Possessing Car Stolen from Norfolk Southern Railyard

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DESMOND TAYLOR , age 27, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on November 2, 2023 before U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey to being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), and possession of goods stolen from an interstate shipment, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 659. According to court documents, on March 27, 2023, a 2023 Ford Explorer Timberline was stolen from the Norfolk Southern Automotive Distribution Facility. TAYLOR was captured on surveillance video occupying the Explorer on multiple occasions over the next week. On April 3, 2023, TAYLOR arrived at a residence in the Seventh Ward in the stolen Explorer with several other individuals. While inside the stolen vehicle, TAYLOR possessed an American Tactical Model MilSport, .223 caliber firearm. Prior to possessing the firearm, TAYLOR was convicted of drug and weapons felonies in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, which disqualifies him from possessing a firearm. TAYLOR faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years on the felon in possession count and 10 years on the possession of stolen goods count. Each count also carries up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.


title: Las Vegas Real Estate Developer Sentenced to One Year and a Day in Prison for Tax Evasion

body_text: A Nevada man was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison for evading payment of his federal income taxes. Scott H. Lawrence, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty to tax evasion on July 26, 2022. According to court documents and statements made in court, from approximately 2009 through 2019, Lawrence owned and operated Turn Two Inc. (Turn Two), a Nevada real estate company. In March 2010, the IRS levied Lawrence’s personal bank account in an attempt to satisfy an outstanding tax debt. After learning of the IRS levy, Lawrence began taking steps to thwart IRS collection efforts by, among other things, cashing large portions of his wife’s paycheck to keep the funds out of a bank account the IRS could levy. Beginning in 2011, Lawrence began depositing his wife’s entire paycheck and other earnings into a corporate bank account not subject to levy, held by Turn Two and used that account to pay most of his family’s personal living expenses. Lawrence then directed his wife to create a new interior design business, D Lawrence Hospitality LLC (DLH), and to open a business bank account for DLH. Lawrence funneled much of his and his wife’s personal income through DLH to impede the IRS’s ability to collect the couple’s unpaid taxes. For years, Lawrence concealed the existence and personal use of DLH’s bank account from the IRS. Lawrence also caused his attorney to send a materially misleading letter to the IRS and to pay his taxes using an intentionally overdrawn bank account. In all, as a result of his evasive conduct, Lawrence prevented the IRS from collecting more than $1.9 million in federal income taxes. In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Anne R. Traum for the District of Nevada ordered Lawrence to serve two years of supervised release and to pay approximately $1,905,325 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 Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada made the announcement. IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Patrick Burns and Boris Bourget of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.


title: Former school board member convicted

body_text: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A former member of the Corpus Christi Independent School District Board has pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. The investigation into John Longoria began in December 2018 following an approximately two-year extensive and suspicious remodeling project that occurred at his home. Authorities ultimately executed several search warrants at his residence and elsewhere in November 2020. As a result of the financial investigation, law enforcement determined Longoria had underreported his income to the IRS for tax years 2014 through 2016. As part of his plea, he admitted he had failed to truthfully disclose to the IRS all income he received in the form of goods, property or services during that time. Longoria has agreed to pay restitution to the Department of the Treasury in the amount of $187,315. U.S. District Judge David S. Morales will impose sentencing Jan. 24, 2024. At that time, Longoria faces up to three years in federal prison and a possible $100,000 maximum fine. Longoria was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing. The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance Watt is prosecuting the case.


title: Former school employee pleads guilty to child porn charge

component: USAO - Kansas

body_text: WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography. According to court documents, Eric Caleb Carlson, 43, of Wichita admits to downloading and receiving videos and images depicting prepubescent children subjected to sex acts. In June 2023, Synchronoss Technologies submitted two reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding files uploaded to its cloud-based backup service containing child sexual abuse/exploitation material. Law enforcement investigators linked the account to Eric Carlson based on evidence including a photograph of Carlson’s driver’s license, a selfie of Carlson, and photographs taken at Wichita Unified School District 259, where Carlson formerly worked in the IT division. Carlson was arrested at the USD 259 office (his now former place of employment), and his phone was seized. A search of his phone revealed numerous images and videos of child sex abuse material located in a password protected private folder. Carlson also had the Onion Router (“Tor”) on his device, which is a free and open source software for enabling anonymous communications and access to the dark web. Investigators reviewed Carlson’s Tor browser history and found cached darknet webpages he had visited that offered access to child exploitation materials. In July 2023, Carlson downloaded and received a zip file from the dark web containing child sex abuse material. Carlson is scheduled to be sentenced on January 22, 2024. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gordon is prosecuting the case. Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . ###


title: District Man Found Guilty of Aggravated Assault While Armed Following Near Fatal Car Crash

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Shaquille Taylor, 27, of Washington D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of the May 2022 aggravated assault of a man at the intersection of 12 th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, NW, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Michael Buck of the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division and Acting Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. The verdict was returned late today. The Honorable Jason Park scheduled sentencing for January 16, 2024. Taylor was found guilty at trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, fleeing a law enforcement officer, and malicious destruction of property. The defendant was acquitted of unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, and lesser firearms offenses. According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 2:00 AM on May 6, 2022, a United States Secret Service police officer attempted a traffic stop on a black Nissan Altima driven by the defendant in the area of Massachusetts Avenue and 17th Street NW. After partially exiting the vehicle, the defendant got back in the car and fled at a high rate of speed. At the intersection of 12 th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, the defendant ran the red light and crashed the Altima into a green Jaguar being operated by another motorist, causing near fatal injuries. An analysis of computer equipment from the Altima showed that the vehicle was traveling just under 100 MPH in the seconds before the crash. A firearm was recovered from the front passenger floorboard of the vehicle driven by the defendant. The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by AUSAs Kathryn Bartz and Benjamin Helfand of the Major Crimes Unit of the USAO.


title: Félix Verdejo-Sánchez Sentenced to Life in Prison for Kidnapping Resulting in Death, and Intentionally Killing an Unborn Child

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –Félix Verdejo-Sánchez was sentenced today to life in prison for federal crimes that arise from the murder of Keishla Rodríguez Ortiz on April 29, 2021. On July 28, 2023, a jury determined, according to court documents and evidence presented at trial, that Félix Verdejo-Sánchez, along with his co-defendant Luis Antonio Cádiz-Martínez, aiding and abetting each other, committed a kidnapping that resulted in the death of Keishla M. Rodríguez Ortiz and her unborn child. On the morning of April 29, 2021, Félix Verdejo-Sánchez executed a premeditated plan to murder Keishla Rodríguez Ortiz and her unborn child by luring Ms. Rodríguez Ortiz into his Dodge Durango where, with the assistance of Luis Cádiz Martínez, Verdejo punched Ms. Rodríguez Ortiz, injected her with drugs and then tied her with metal wire to a cement block. Mr. Verdejo Sánchez then drove the victim to the Teodoro Moscoso bridge, and, with Cadiz’s assistance, threw Ms. Rodríguez Ortiz into the San José Lagoon. He later jumped into the lagoon in order to finish murdering both victims. “Today’s life sentence rightly holds Verdejo-Sánchez responsible for the pain and suffering he inflicted on his victims,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “To this day, the defendant maintains his unrepentant attitude. Like Verdejo-Sánchez now knows, anyone who commits cold-blooded crimes of violence in violation of federal law will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law by the Justice Department and this office.” “In cases such as this one, regardless of the outcome, there is no way to restore what has been lost,” said Joseph González, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office. “The only salve we can offer victim’s families is to do our work zealously and without rest, until justice is served. I believe we have done that here and I pray that this will give Keishla’s family some peace. Special recognitions to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, the Police of Puerto Rico and to our Violent Crimes Squad for a detailed and arduous job well done.” The FBI was in charge of the investigation with the close collaboration and support of the Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety, the Puerto Rico Police Bureau, and the Puerto Rico Department of Justice. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Gottfried, Chief of the Violent Crimes and National Security Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeanette Collazo prosecuted the case. # # #