title: Perry County man sentenced to 23 years in prison for soliciting pornography from hundreds of minors while pretending to be teen girl on Snapchat

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Junction City, Ohio, man was sentenced in federal court in Columbus today to 276 months in prison for sexually exploiting minors and possessing child pornography. Since 2018, Clay Thomas Wolfe, 28, solicited child pornography from more than 300 victims via the mobile application Snapchat. Approximately 100 exploitation victims who provided sexual content to Wolfe have been identified by law enforcement as minors thus far from across multiple states including Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Wolfe pretended on Snapchat to be a 15-year-old female named “Ally” who lived in Ohio and used this persona to solicit child pornography from primarily middle school and high school aged boys. Wolfe’s Snapchat account also contained sexually explicit photographs and videos of minor males as young as 10 and 11 years old. The investigation was initiated in April 2022, when law enforcement officials in Pennsylvania learned that a sixth-grade student was sharing a nude photograph of a classmate that he had received from Wolfe while Wolfe was pretending to be “Ally.” As part of his online persona, Wolfe sent the male victims photos and videos of pubescent female’s naked breasts and genitalia that he found on adult pornography sites or public social media accounts. He would use that content to entice the minors he chatted with to send content of their own including image and video files of primarily minor males, some as young as twelve-years-old, engaged in sexually explicit conduct such as bestiality, masturbation, and sexual acts including oral and anal penetration. Wolfe would also extort the victims by threatening to send the nude images of his victims to their friends and family unless they sent him additional images. In total, Wolfe received approximately 850 images and 570 videos depicting child pornography. Wolfe was arrested and charged federally in June 2023 and pleaded guilty in April 2024. Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. U.S. Attorney Parker and Special Agent in Charge Iatarola commended the cooperation of the Perry County Sheriff’s Office and Perry County Prosecutor. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Jennifer M. Rausch and are representing the United States in this case. # # #


title: Harrisburg Man Indicted for Armed Robbery

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Keith Demetrius Anderson, age 53, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury for Interference with Commerce by Robbery, and with Use of a Firearm during a Violent Crime. According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, on or about January 9, 2024, Anderson entered the Vape It Smoke Shop in Dauphin County, pointed a handgun at a store employee, directed the employee to provide the money from the drawer, and obtained approximately $300. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Swatara Township Police Department, and the Harrisburg City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Williams 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. The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court. # # #


title: Three Defendants Sentenced For Illegal Possession Of Firearms

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Three defendants charged in separate cases with illegal possession of a firearm were sentenced today in federal court, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney presided over the hearings. The cases are being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence and making communities safer for everyone. Tyree Lashawn May, 31, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 78 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to court documents filed in the case, in 2015, May was convicted of robbery. As a result of that conviction, he is prohibited from possessing firearms. Court records show that, on October 6, 2022, two individuals reported to law enforcement that someone they knew as “Scooter” had stolen their vehicle. During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Scooter was May. The next day, on October 7, 2022, officers found the stolen vehicle and observed May carry a black bag to the car and place it in the trunk. The officers stopped May who falsely claimed his name was Jerome Drummond and he was from Virginia. Law enforcement conducted a search of the vehicle and found a 9mm firearm in the bag May had put in the trunk. Victor Angel Ortiz, 42, of Matthews, N.C., was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to court records, in April 2023, law enforcement began an investigation into Ortiz, after the defendant made reference to a “strap,” which is a slang term for a firearm, during a conversation with an inmate in the North Carolina Department of Correction. On May 4, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Ortiz’s residence, where they located a 9mm firearm hidden behind the oven in the defendant’s home. Ortiz is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior criminal convictions. Zaire Edreece Lucky, 24, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to court documents and proceedings, on November 22, 2023, Lucky was arrested on outstanding state arrest warrants by CMPD officers at the train station in Charlotte. During the arrest, Lucky was found to be in possession of a Glock firearm with a loaded 17-round magazine. At the time,CMPD detectives were investigating Lucky for his role in motor vehicle thefts in the region. In addition to the firearm, Lucky also possessed an Autel handheld key programmer, frequently used in vehicle thefts, as well as three key fobs. Lucky has multiple criminal convictions and he is prohibited from possessing a firearm. The ATF and CMPD investigated the cases against May and Lucky. The FBI handled the investigation into Ortiz. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Sielaff is in charge of the prosecution of May and Ortiz. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Bozin is handling Lucky’s prosecution.


title: Justice Department Releases Sixth Annual Elder Justice Report

component: Civil Division

body_text: Earlier today, the Justice Department issued its sixth Annual Report to Congress on its efforts to combat elder fraud and abuse. The report summarizes the department’s extensive enforcement, victim support, training and myriad other efforts to promote elder justice during the reporting period from July 1, 2023, through June 30. This year, the department, working with local, state, Tribal and federal partners, pursued over 300 enforcement actions against over 700 defendants charged with stealing nearly $700 million from over 225,000 older victims. These enforcement actions disrupted transnational and domestic fraud schemes targeting older adults through romance, lottery or government impersonation scams; held nursing home operators to account for providing grossly substandard care to their residents; and pursued fraud perpetrators — including financial advisors, caregivers or relatives — who exploited their relationships with older adults for financial gain. Additionally, the department continued to support victims of elder fraud and abuse. The department returned millions of dollars to victims of elder fraud schemes and worked with financial institutions to freeze over $27 million on behalf of older victims before those funds were transferred to fraudsters. The department bolstered the efforts of state and local organizations, like elder abuse multidisciplinary teams and Elder Justice Coalitions, to better serve older adults, while also supporting over 4,600 victim assistance organizations around the country to provide services to over 200,000 older victims. The department’s National Elder Fraud Hotline also received over 50,000 calls this past year, and helped older victims to report potential crimes and to locate available resources and services. Over the past year, the department also conducted nearly 1000 elder justice events and trainings across the country to raise public awareness of elder fraud schemes. For example, the department hosted its first Elder Justice Law Enforcement Summit, which brought together representatives of state and local law enforcement organizations from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, to share best practices, tools and resources to combat elder abuse, neglect, financial exploitation and fraud. Likewise, the department worked closely with various other federal agencies on a coordinated public awareness campaign to highlight the dangers of government imposter scams and to provide tips on how to avoid such scams. To report elder financial fraud, call the National Elder Fraud Hotline, 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). For more information on the department’s elder justice activities, please visit www.elderjustice.gov .


title: Harrisburg Man Indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender

body_text: HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kadeem Weldon, age 31, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury for failing to register as a sex offender upon relocating to Pennsylvania. According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that from December 2022 and continuing to at least September 9, 2024, despite being required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”), upon relocating to central Pennsylvania, Weldon failed to register his address in Pennsylvania as required by SORNA. This matter was investigated by the United States Marshals Service (USMS). Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court. # # #


title: Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Tax Crime

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Luther A. Hanson, 71, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to willful failure to pay over taxes. According to court documents and statements made in court, from at least 2015 to September 2020, Hanson willfully and intentionally did not withhold or pay over approximately $149,905.37 in employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for two employees of his accounting services businesses. Hanson owns, manages, controls and operates The Estate Planning Group Inc. and L.A. Hanson Accounting Services, and the two employees provided accounting and account services for both. Hanson admitted that some time prior to June 30, 2015, he and the two employees agreed that he would begin treating them as independent contractors. Hanson further admitted that he knew this arrangement would relieve him of paying the employer portion of the employment taxes to the IRA and of withholding the employee withholdings of the two employees. As a result of this arrangement, Hanson paid gross wages by check to the two employees even though neither changed their job duties or responsibilities. Hanson admitted that he knew that neither was an independent contractor while he paid each by check throughout their continued employment. Hanson further admitted that he did not pay the trust fund taxes to the IRS that were owed and did not pay over the employer’s share of employment taxes for the two employees each quarter during the duration of this arrangement. Hanson is scheduled to be sentenced on January 30, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Hanson also owes restitution in an amount to be determined by the Court. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes 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. 2:24-cr-119. ###


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Successful Child Exploitation Prosecution Efforts in North Idaho

component: Criminal - Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

body_text: COEUR D’ALENE – U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced the results of three separate child exploitation cases in Northern Idaho today. “I am proud of my office’s efforts to partner with law enforcement throughout our state to locate and bring to justice child predators,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “These cases involving defendants in North Idaho and North Central Idaho shows the reach of our collaborative efforts, and Idaho’s children are safer because of these results.” Registered Sex Offender in Moscow Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography In one case, David William Peer, 47, of Moscow, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography. According to court records, in early 2024, law enforcement received cybertips from an email provider indicating that somebody using its email service was distributing child pornography from multiple related email addresses. Law enforcement traced the email addresses to a Moscow address where Peer lived. Peer was a registered sex offender on federal supervision for prior convictions in another state related to child pornography. In February 2024, law enforcement searched Peer’s home and found a cell phone belonging to Peer. A forensic analysis of that phone revealed that it contained over 1,000 images of child pornography. Analysis of the phone also showed that Peer was using privacy-focused search engines to access child exploitation websites on the phone while on federal supervision. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered that Peer be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life following his prison sentence. Peer pleaded guilty to the charge on June 17, 2024. U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the work of the Moscow Police Department, the Latah County Sheriff’s Office, the Lewiston Police Department, the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI, which led to the charges. Lewiston Man Who Distributed Hundreds of Videos Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography In another case, Eric Marshall Villa, 39, of Lewiston, was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography. According to court records, in 2023, the FBI began investigating an individual who was exchanging child pornography with others online under aliases on Instagram and Telegram. The FBI determined that Villa was behind the accounts and, following the issuance of multiple federal search warrants, searched Villa’s Lewiston home and vehicle in early 2024. Law enforcement found a phone belonging to Villa in his vehicle. A court-authorized forensic analysis of Villa’s phone revealed that he had received more than 750 videos of child pornography, distributed more than 550 videos, and distributed more than 100,000 files totaling more than 460 GB of data through links to an online file-hosting service. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered that Villa be placed on supervised release for 15 years following his prison sentence. Villa pleaded guilty to the charge on July 15, 2024. U.S. Attorney Hurwit thanked the Lewiston Police Department, the Nez Perce County Prosecutor’s Office, the Moscow Police Department, and the FBI for their collaboration in this investigation. Rathdrum Man Sentenced to 7.5 Years in Federal Prison Following Online Child Enticement Sting In another case, Donovan Vinton Nagle, 62, of Rathdrum, was sentenced to a total of 90 months in federal prison for two counts of attempted use of interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor. According to court records, between June 30 and August 24, 2023, Nagle engaged in explicit online communications with an undercover agent from the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, who was posing as the mother of an 11-year-old girl. Nagle expressed sexual interest in the fictional child, sent explicit photographs, and arranged to meet the mother and child for a sexual encounter at a hotel in Coeur d’Alene. On the day of the arranged meeting, Nagle drove from his work to the hotel, parked his vehicle, and began walking towards the hotel. Nagle, who was carrying a bag containing candy, ice cream bars, and energy drinks, was then arrested in the parking lot. Chief District Judge David C. Nye also ordered that Nagle be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life following his prison sentence. Nagle pleaded guilty to the charges on July 15, 2024. “Every child deserves to grow up safe, unscarred, in communities free of the threat posed by child predators,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “This sentence helps keep a dangerous predator off the street, and if we are to be effective at protecting our most vulnerable, it will take everlasting vigilance from HSI, our law enforcement partners, and the public to identify those that would attempt to exploit children.” U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the investigation by of Homeland Security Investigations and thanked the Idaho State Police for their assistance in apprehending Nagle. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Johnson prosecuted all three cases. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . ###


title: Ocean County Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Money Laundering

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – An Ocean County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for illegally laundering the proceeds of a wire fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Eli Schamovic, 43, of Lakewood, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty to an information charging him with money laundering. U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court. According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court: Schamovic made or caused others to make numerous fraudulent financial transactions through at least two entities that Schamovic formed and established as merchants that used multiple credit card processing companies. These transactions resulted in more than $1 million in losses to a multinational financial services corporation that specialized in payment cards. Schamovic laundered portions of the proceeds of this scheme, including through an approximately $500,000 wire transfer from a bank account under his control. In addition to the prison term, Judge Wigenton sentenced Schamovic to three years of supervised release and ordered restitution of $1.68 million. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited postal inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division; special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado in Newark, and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan Newark, with the investigation leading to the sentencing. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Cybercrime Unit in Newark.


title: Vallejo Man Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Assaulting Federal Agents with a Firearm and Vehicle

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sean Thomas Delapp, 38, of Vallejo, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for assaulting federal officers with a deadly weapon, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, on Aug. 24, 2023, Delapp assaulted two FBI special agents by pursuing them with his car, pulling up alongside them, and aiming a firearm at them through the window, making a recoil motion with the firearm. A subsequent search warrant at his residence resulted in the discovery of a Glock 29 firearm, ammunition, and various firearm parts. Delapp is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he was previously convicted of a felony evasion offense. This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the California Highway Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Two Violent Sex Traffickers Sentenced to Combined 39 Years

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – D’Angelo Taborn, of Durham, was sentenced today to 27 years in prison for sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. Following an FBI sting operation in Jacksonville, NC, Taborn and his co-defendant, Imani Franco, were arrested for using threats to coerce women into sex trafficking. Taborn, 31, pled guilty to the charge on July 24, 2024. Franco, 30, pled guilty on April 25, 2024, and was sentenced on September 23, 2024, to 12 years. “Our Human Trafficking Task Force brings agencies together to expose traffickers, rescue victims, and dismantle the illicit networks that traffic in human beings for sex or labor,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “These defendants treated their victims like animals, deprived them of food, and threatened them with violence if they did not comply. Thankfully the FBI, NCIS, and local law enforcement acted swiftly, to hold the traffickers accountable and help put the survivors on their path of healing.” “It is difficult to hear these victims literally felt “caged” by these offenders. To be forced into sex trafficking, to have to ask for food, those are deplorable conditions for any human being to endure,” said Robert M. DeWitt the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina. “The FBI and our local law enforcement partners will never stop working to combat human trafficking.” According to court documents and other information presented in court, on August 12, 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Human Trafficking Task Force conducted a proactive sting operation in Jacksonville, based on online advertisements for commercial sex. An undercover officer responded to an advertisement and was directed to a hotel in Jacksonville. The undercover officer encountered a young female depicted in the advertisement, later identified as Victim 1. A short time later, law enforcement observed the defendants step out of a hotel room just down the hall. When they saw law enforcement, Taborn and Franco attempted to leave, but they were detained while officers obtained search warrants for their hotel room and vehicle. Taborn and Franco carried three phones between them, and when officers called the number listed in the commercial sex advertisement for Victim 1, one of the phones rang. When Taborn and Franco were arrested, Victim 1 became visibly relieved. She explained that Taborn and Franco had recruited her a month earlier and that they expected her to engage in commercial sex to make money for them. Taborn required Victim 1 to perform oral sex on him twice to ensure she was a “good product.” Taborn and Franco controlled all aspects of the commercial sex operation and took all the money that Victim 1 earned. They transported Victim 1 to different cities—Jacksonville, Charlotte, Durham, and Danville, Virginia—to find additional customers for commercial sex. Investigators located numerous commercial sex advertisements and obtained hotel receipts and surveillance footage that confirmed Victim 1’s account. Victim 1 described how she feared Taborn and felt “like an animal in a cage.” She was not allowed to leave her room and had to request food and water from Taborn and Franco. When officers recovered her, it had been more than 24 hours since she had last eaten—a meal that consisted of four leftover chicken wings from Taborn’s and Franco’s dinner. On one occasion, Victim 1 witnessed Taborn and Franco recruit another female victim, Victim 2, who they picked up in South Carolina and transported back to North Carolina. Victim 2 had not known they wanted her to engage in commercial sex in North Carolina. When Victim 2 said she did not want to participate, Taborn threatened her with his black handgun in front of Victim 1. Officers found a firearm with an extended magazine and laser matching the description in the glovebox of Taborn’s car. Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) undertook this investigation as part of “Operation Cross Country,” a nationwide sex-trafficking enforcement campaign, with assistance from the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Police Department, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case. This case was part of our Human Trafficking Task Force created to expose and prosecute anyone who exploits North Carolinians for sex or forced labor. Our victim-centric approach focuses on stabilizing victims, getting them resources, and helping them through the court process. If you have a tip about trafficking, text 233733. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:23-cr-0092-D.


title: Transporting and Possessing Child Pornography Nets District Man More Than 7 Years in Federal Prison

body_text: WASHINGTON – Stephen Rattley Johnson, 37, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 7.5 years in prison for uploading and possessing videos in 2020 depicting the rape and sadistic sexual abuse of prepubescent girls. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. Johnson was found guilty by a federal jury on April 17, 2024, of five counts of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. On the possession count, the jury further found that the child pornography involved minors under 12 years of age, an aggravating circumstance that doubles the statutory maximum sentence. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols ordered Johnson to pay $52,600 in restitution and special assessments. Upon release from his prison term, Johnson will be required to serve 10 years of supervised release and register as a sex offender. According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, on September 21, 2020, and October 1, 2020, Johnson uploaded hundreds of child pornography files to his Google Drive cloud storage account. Google identified 220 of the files as known child pornography and closed Johnson’s account. Consistent with its statutory obligations, Google reported the material to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which in turn referred the matter to law enforcement. As part of its investigation, investigators obtained the contents of Johnson’s Google account, which included hundreds of child pornography files. Law enforcement arrested Johnson on October 7, 2021, and searched his then-residence in the H Street Corridor of Northeast Washington. Among other evidence, law enforcement seized his cellphone and the laptop Johnson had used to upload the child pornography. Although Johnson deleted the child pornography from his computer after Google closed his account, digital forensics experts were able to recover artifacts showing that Johnson had downloaded many of the files as early as April 2020 and that he had opened and watched them. Many of the files are videos depicting the rape and sadistic sexual abuse of prepubescent girls. In addition, Johnson’s web browser history showed that he had navigated to child pornography online—including several of the files he later uploaded to Google—and evidence from his cellphone showed that he continued to seek out child pornography even after Google closed his account. The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and Metropolitan Police Department’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force; the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force; and the High Technology Investigative Unit of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the 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 www.justice.gov/psc . Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Lipes prosecuted the case, with valuable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Janani Iyengar and Jocelyn Bond. 22cr176


title: Acting U.S. Attorney Levy Appoints District Election Officer

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy has appointed a District Election Officer who will oversee the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming Nov. 5, 2024 general election. Assistant United States Attorney Lucy Sun has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Massachusetts, responsible for overseeing the handling of election day criminal complaints, threats of violence to election officials or staff and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington. “Every citizen must be able to vote without fear, intimidation or interference and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Levy. The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations. Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act also protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English). The public can direct concerns or complaints of election fraud, threats, intimidation and voting rights concerns during the upcoming election to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston at (833) 634-8669. In addition, the FBI will have Special Agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 857-386-2000. Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931. In the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency. pacity in an emergency.


title: Justice Department Announces Settlement and Consent Decree with Chicago Cubs Over Alleged Americans with Disabilities Act Violations at Wrigley Field

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: The Justice Department today announced a settlement and proposed consent decree with the Chicago Cubs to resolve alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at Wrigley Field. “The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that sports venues like Wrigley Field be accessible to people with disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities have full and equal access to public accommodations, including our ballparks.” “As a result of this settlement, baseball fans with physical disabilities will have vastly improved options at Wrigley Field — on par with those available to all other patrons,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois. “The Chicago Cubs are to be commended for working collaboratively with our office to find solutions, demonstrating their commitment to providing accessibility for people with disabilities.” The department filed a lawsuit in 2022 against the Cubs, alleging that the organization’s renovation and reconstruction of Wrigley Field — a multi-year undertaking known as “the 1060 Project” — discriminated against individuals with disabilities. The lawsuit alleged, among other things, that the Cubs failed to provide wheelchair users with adequate sightlines as compared to standing patrons and failed to incorporate wheelchair seating into premium clubs and group seating areas. Under the settlement, the Cubs will make numerous remediations to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities, including by removing noncompliant wheelchair spaces and companion seats and replacing them with wheelchair spaces that have significantly improved views of the field and fully compliant sightlines. The remediations will take place in every area of the stadium, including incorporating wheelchair spaces and companion seats into premium club areas at the front of the grandstand that will, for the first time, provide some front-row access for fans in wheelchairs. The Cubs have also agreed to modify protruding objects along circulation paths within Wrigley Field and ensure that certain parking and shuttle services outside the stadium are compliant. All Cubs employees and contractors whose job responsibilities involve contact with patrons with disabilities will receive training on the settlement before each of the next three baseball seasons. The settlement and proposed consent decree have been submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for final approval. Over the next several years, the Cubs will submit to the United States written reports detailing their compliance with certain obligations in the consent decree. The United States may review compliance with the consent decree, including by inspecting Wrigley Field, at any time during the next three years. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abraham J. Souza and Patrick W. Johnson for the Northern District of Illinois handled the case. For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat discrimination in public accommodations, please visit the ADA’s government website .


title: Justice Department Announces Settlement and Consent Decree With Chicago Cubs Over Alleged Americans With Disabilities Act Violations at Wrigley Field

body_text: CHICAGO – The Justice Department today announced a settlement and proposed consent decree with the Chicago Cubs to resolve alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at Wrigley Field. “As a result of this settlement, baseball fans with physical disabilities will have vastly improved options at Wrigley Field — on par with those available to all other patrons,” said Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. “The Chicago Cubs are to be commended for working collaboratively with our office to find solutions, demonstrating their commitment to providing accessibility for people with disabilities.” “The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that sports venues like Wrigley Field be accessible to people with disabilities,” said Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities have full and equal access to public accommodations, including our ballparks.” The department filed a lawsuit in 2022 against the Cubs, alleging that the organization’s renovation and reconstruction of Wrigley Field — a multi-year undertaking known as “the 1060 Project” — discriminated against individuals with disabilities. The lawsuit alleged, among other things, that the Cubs failed to provide wheelchair users with adequate sightlines as compared to standing patrons and failed to incorporate wheelchair seating into premium clubs and group seating areas. Under the settlement, the Cubs will make numerous remediations to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities, including by removing noncompliant wheelchair spaces and companion seats and replacing them with wheelchair spaces that have significantly improved views of the field and fully compliant sightlines. The remediations will take place in every area of the stadium, including incorporating wheelchair spaces and companion seats into premium club areas at the front of the grandstand that will, for the first time, provide some front-row access for fans in wheelchairs. The Cubs have also agreed to modify protruding objects along circulation paths within Wrigley Field and ensure that certain parking and shuttle services outside the stadium are compliant. All Cubs employees and contractors whose job responsibilities involve contact with patrons with disabilities will receive training on the settlement before each of the next three baseball seasons. The settlement and proposed consent decree have been submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for final approval. Over the next several years, the Cubs will submit to the United States written reports detailing their compliance with certain obligations in the consent decree. The United States may review compliance with the consent decree, including by inspecting Wrigley Field, at any time during the next three years. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abraham J. Souza and Patrick W. Johnson for the Northern District of Illinois handled the case. For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat discrimination in public accommodations, please visit the ADA government website . The claims resolved by the consent decree are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability. consent_decree.pdf


title: Missouri Man Admits Child Pornography Charges

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A Crawford County, Missouri resident on Thursday admitted trying to persuade minors into engaging in sex acts online. Jason Michael Enke, 45, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. Enke admitted that from August 2023 to October 2023, he sent a series of sexually explicit messages via social media and during online chat sessions to five people who identified themselves as minors. He also sent a video of himself and a 16-year-old engaging in sex acts and attempted to persuade the minors to engage in sexual conduct. In November of 2023, the FBI’s St. Louis office received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that Enke had sent a video containing child pornography to an Instagram user who listed their age as 15. FBI agents performed a court-approved search of Enke’s home near Bourbon, Missouri and found videos containing child sexual abuse material on his electronic devices. Enke is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 29, 2025. The receipt and distribution charges carry a potential penalty of five to 20 years in prison and the coercion charge carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison. The FBI and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Founder of Cryptocurrency Financial Services Firm "Gotbit" Indicted for Market Manipulation and Fraud Conspiracy

body_text: BOSTON – A Russian national residing in Portugal has been indicted for his role in a wide-ranging conspiracy to manipulate cryptocurrency markets on behalf of client cryptocurrency companies. Aleksei Andriunin, 26, was charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit market manipulation and wire fraud in a superseding indictment. The superseding indictment also charges Gotbit and two of its directors, Fedor Kedrov and Qawi Jalili, who were previously charged in an indictment unsealed on Oct. 9, 2024 . According to court documents, Gotbit was a well-known “market maker” in the cryptocurrency industry. It is alleged that between 2018 and 2024, Gotbit provided market manipulation services to create artificial trading volume for multiple cryptocurrency companies, including companies located in the United States. Aleksei Andriunin was Gotbit’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer. In a 2019 interview, Andriunin allegedly described how he developed a code to “wash trade” cryptocurrencies to artificially inflate trading volume for the purpose of getting cryptocurrencies listed on CoinMarketCap (a website that published information about “trending” cryptocurrencies) and trading on larger cryptocurrency exchanges. Andriunin allegedly kept records of Gotbit’s market manipulation, including spreadsheets that compared “Created Volume” from wash trades with naturally occurring “Market Volume.” Andriunin and Gotbit’s employees, including Jalili (Gotbit’s Director of Sales) and Kedrov (Gotbit’s Director of Market Making), allegedly marketed these wash trading tactics to prospective clients and explained how Gotbit used multiple accounts to avoid detection of the wash trades on the public blockchain. Gotbit allegedly made wash trades worth millions of dollars on behalf of clients and received tens of millions of dollars in proceeds for these fraudulent services. It is further alleged that Gotbit’s clients included the Saitama and Robo Inu cryptocurrencies, the leadership of which have been charged separately . It is alleged that Andriunin transferred millions of dollars of Gotbit’s proceeds into his personal Binance account. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, restitution and forfeiture. The charge of conspiracy to commit market manipulation and wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 to twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, restitution and forfeiture. 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. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Markham and David M. Holcomb of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.


title: Youngstown, Ohio, Resident Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Firearm Crimes

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Youngstown, Ohio, pleaded guilty in federal court to committing firearm and drug trafficking crimes, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. Antoine Tate, 43, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and oxycodone and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime on October 31, 2020. Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing for March 19, 2025. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than five years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $2,250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will 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 Union Township Police Department, New Castle Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Tate. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown Announces Election Day Program to Prevent Voter Fraud and Protect Voting Rights

component: USAO - Louisiana, Western

body_text: SHREVEPORT/LAFAYETTE/MONROE/ALEXANDRIA/LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA) Jabrina Edwards will lead the efforts of our office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Edwards has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Western District of Louisiana, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington. United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.” The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations. Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English). United States Attorney Brown stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Edwards will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. AUSA Edwards can be reached by the public at our Shreveport office at 318-676-3600.” In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public in Shreveport at 318-861-1890, Monroe at 318-387-0773, Alexandria at 318-443-5097, Lafayette at 337-233-2164 and Lake Charles at 318-433-6353. Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931. United States Attorney Brown said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.” Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency. # # #


title: Carmichael Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a 10-Year-Old

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Christopher Espinoza, 32, of Carmichael, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to 16 years in prison to be followed by 15 years of supervised release for sexual exploitation of a minor, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, in November 2018, Espinoza obtained multiple sexually explicit images of a 10-year-old minor victim by communicating directly with the minor victim through electronic means. In January 2019, law enforcement officers contacted Espinoza due to complaints that he was making inappropriate requests to parents who were selling sports equipment and costumes online, by seeking photographs of their children. Subsequent law enforcement investigation revealed that Espinoza had hundreds of videos and photos of child pornography on his electronic devices. It also revealed a log showing Espinoza had 33 phone calls with the 10-year-old minor victim and exchanged text messages with the minor victim where Espinoza requested and received nude pictures of the minor. This case was the product of an investigation by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Yang prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.


title: U.S. Attorney Easley Announces Appointment of District Election Officer

component: Civil Rights - Voting Section

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – United States Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr., announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Karen Haughton will lead the efforts of his office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Haughton has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of North Carolina, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with the Justice Department in Washington. The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combating discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations. Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying, and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English). In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, the DEO will be on duty in this district while the polls are open. The DEO can be reached by the public at the following telephone number, 919-856-4530 or 919-856-4808, or by email at Karen.Haughton@usdoj.gov. In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public by calling 704-672-6100 or 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or by email at tips.fbi.gov. Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931. Please note, however, that in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.


title: York County Man Charged With Sorna Violation, Drug Trafficking, And Firearm Offenses

body_text: HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Eric C. Haggins Jr., age 39, of Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania, was indicted on August 7, 2024, by a federal grand jury for failure to register as a sex offender, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that between April 2022 and July 2024, Haggins knowingly failed to register and update a registration as required under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). It alleges Haggins was required to register under SORNA because of prior convictions for Rape in the Second Degree and Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the state of Maryland. The indictment also alleges that Haggins possessed cocaine, and marijuana with the intent to distribute, possessed a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possessed a firearm while he was prohibited from doing to because of his previous convictions. This case was investigated by United States Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Dukes is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce crime. The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court. # # #


title: Fleming Island Childcare Center Settles Claim To Improve Access To Daycare Services For Children With Disabilities

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Ocala, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida has reached an agreement with Imagination Island of Fleming Island, Inc., a daycare center that provides childcare services for children ages six weeks old to pre-kindergarten-age, to settle allegations that its daycare violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by terminating the enrollment of a child because he was diagnosed with epilepsy. The U.S. Attorney’s Office opened an investigation into Imagination Island after receiving a complaint from the parents of a three-year-old child alleging that Imagination Island terminated the enrollment of their son in October 2023 because the child has epilepsy. According to the settlement agreement, the investigation revealed that the child had been attending Imagination Island for almost five months. In early October 2023, the child had a seizure while at home, after which he was diagnosed with epilepsy. Complainants called Imagination Island and spoke with a staff member to inform the daycare center of their son’s seizure and diagnosis. The parents attempted to speak with the director of Imagination Island regarding their son’s diagnosis and an emergency action plan, but the director was unavailable. The parents later received an email from the director informing them that their son could not return to Imagination Island because, “based on the diagnosis[,] we are neither equipped [n]or certified to have him attend school with his condition.” As a result, the parents were forced to care for their son fulltime while they sought new childcare, causing them to alter their work schedules, take leave from work, and ultimately incur unforeseen costs to enroll him at a new daycare facility. As a result of the investigation, the United States determined that Imagination Island violated Title III of the ADA when it discriminated against the complainants and their son because of his epilepsy by denying him the opportunity to participate in and benefit from its services. Specifically, Imagination Island applied eligibility criteria that screened out the child and failed and refused to make the reasonable modifications to its policies, practices, or procedures that were necessary to afford him its services. Imagination Island denies the allegations of the complaint and that it violated the ADA. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Imagination Island must: adopt, maintain, and enforce a non-discrimination policy regarding the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability, and post such policy on its website; adopt, maintain, and enforce an emergency anti-seizure medication administration policy and procedure, which includes a seizure emergency action plan; require all employees to complete annual training on epilepsy seizures and the administration of diazepam rectal gel (Diastat); provide training to all employees on all policies, practices, and procedures required under the settlement agreement, as well as the non-discrimination requirements under Title III of the ADA; designate and maintain a compliance monitor to ensure Imagination Island complies with the terms of the settlement agreement; submit regular compliance reports to the United States; report any complaints received alleging Imagination Island discriminated on the basis of disability to the United States; and pay the Complainants $4,000 in compensatory damages. This case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Alexandra N. Karahalios, in coordination with the Disability Rights Section of the United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. Title III of the ADA prohibits public accommodations, including private day care centers, from discriminating against individuals on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of their goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations (“goods or services”). In general, Title III prohibits public accommodations from subjecting an individual on the basis of disability to a denial of the opportunity to participate in or benefit from its goods or services. Specifically, a public accommodation shall not impose or apply eligibility criteria that screen out or tend to screen out an individual with a disability or any class of individuals with disabilities from fully and equally enjoying any goods or services being offered. A public accommodation must make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures necessary to afford an individual with a disability the goods or services of the public accommodation. Title III also prohibits public accommodations from discriminating against an individual because of the known disability of an individual with whom the individual is known to have a relationship or association, such as the parents of a child with a disability. Individuals who believe they may have been victims of discrimination may contact the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida by calling our Civil Rights Hotline at (813) 274-6095 or emailing us at USAFLM.Civil.Rights@usdoj.gov . To fill out our civil rights complaint form, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/civil-rights-complaint-form . The Attorney General is authorized to investigate alleged violations of Title III of the ADA and to bring a civil action in federal court if the United States is unable to secure voluntary compliance in any case that involves a pattern or practice of discrimination or that raises issues of general public importance. Ensuring that day care centers do not discriminate against children with disabilities is an issue of general public importance. For more information on the ADA, visit www.ada.gov or call the Department of Justice’s toll-free ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 (Voice) or (833) 610-1264 (TTY). Accessibility specialists are available to answer questions from individuals, businesses, and state or local governments. All calls are confidential. Download Settlement Agreement


title: Citizen of the People's Republic of China Indicted for Theft of Trade Secrets

body_text: BOSTON – A citizen of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly stealing trade secrets from his employer, a global investment management firm, while working in Massachusetts in 2021. Xiao Zhang, 33, of Shanghai, China, was indicted on one count of theft of trade secrets. Zhang currently remains at large overseas. According to the indictment, in 2021, Zhang allegedly utilized a virtual private network (VPN) to access his employer’s network from the PRC, which enabled him to circumvent the company’s controls. Zhang then allegedly made copies of his employer’s code, projects and research, and sent the copies through a PRC-based file-sharing application, enabling him to again evade his employer’s controls. It is alleged that Zhang then utilized the stolen items with the intent of establishing his own investment firm in the PRC. The charge of theft of trade secrets provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy H. Kistner of the National Security Unit is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Maryland Man Charged with Tax Crimes and COVID-19 Relief Fraud

component: Tax Division

body_text: An indictment was unsealed on Monday charging a Maryland man with COVID-19 relief fraud, not filing a tax return and not paying all required employment taxes. According to the indictment, Vince Akins, of Ellicott City, allegedly owned and operated several transportation companies that serviced different federal agencies. Eventually all but one of those companies stopped operating. Nevertheless, Akins was allegedly responsible for withholding Social Security, Medicare and income taxes from his employees’ wages and paying those funds over to the IRS each quarter. Between 2019 and 2022, however, Akins allegedly did not pay to the IRS the full amount of the taxes withheld. In addition, in 2020, he allegedly filed four Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications using false IRS documents on behalf of his then-defunct companies. He received $387,220 in fraudulent PPP loans, which were later forgiven. When he obtained the loan proceeds, he laundered approximately $151,000 of it by transferring it to two personal bank accounts in Nigeria. Further, Akins allegedly did not file a personal return for 2020 despite being required by law to do so. Akins was charged with bank fraud, money laundering, employment tax violations and failure to file a tax return. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each bank fraud charge, a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each money laundering charge, a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each employment tax charge and a maximum penalty of one year in prison for the failure to file a return charge. 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 made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Shawn Noud and Joseph D. G. Castro of the Tax Division 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. Akins Unsealed Indictment.pdf


title: Armed Fentanyl, Heroin, Cocaine, Meth Trafficker Pleads Guilty

component: USAO - Texas, Northern

body_text: A high-volume drug trafficker operating out of a Dallas motel room pleaded guilty today to federal drug and gun charges, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton. Kenan Bernard Allen, aka “King,” 38, was charged via criminal complaint in April 2023 and indicted the following month. He pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. “Mr. Allen and other violent drug traffickers dispersed huge quantities of deadly drugs and assaulted their customers. They preyed on users’ crippling addictions, raking in money hand over fist,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will not stop until we rid the streets of those that prey upon the vulnerable in our communities.” According to court documents, Mr. Allen and several coconspirators operated a trap room at a Dallas motel, where they cut, packaged, and distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and other drugs. At least eight defendants later admitted the motel was a location for habitual criminal activity. Customers seeking drugs were let into the room by a doorman and instructed to place an order behind the service station. Customers often smoked or ingested the drugs inside the hotel room after making their purchase. The coconspirators armed themselves with handguns and AK-47 style rifles and installed security cameras inside the motel to monitor for law enforcement and to prevent workers from stealing drugs. Law enforcement agents conducting surveillance observed children as young as three years old coming in and out of the trap rooms in the motel, and images of young children were seen on video surveillance footage in the trap rooms where powdered fentanyl was being placed into capsules by workers and then sold to customers. According to court documents, the motel was the site of frequent violence. On one occasion, Mr. Allen and several coconspirators restrained a victim in the breezeway of a hotel and used a broom handle and a trash can to strike the victim in the face and body. On another occasion, Mr. Allen and a coconspirator violently attacked a victim in the parking lot. On a third occasion, a codefendant used a handgun to pistol-whip a victim while Mr. Allen looked on. And on a fourth occasion, a coconspirator used a lighter to burn the foot of a female customer who had passed out after ingesting drugs she purchased in the room. All of the assaults were caught on video. On April 19, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant inside two trap rooms inside the motel: Mr. Allen’s trap room, no 222, and another trap room, no 111, where they saw drugs in plain view. In total, law enforcement agents recovered more than two kilograms of methamphetamine, 108 grams of fentanyl, 198 grams of heroin, 168 grams of cocaine, 1,183 grams of marijuana, 44.8 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, 23 grams of hydrocodone, 6 grams of morphine, 15 grams of alprazolam, 2.6 grams of PCP, seven handguns, and an AK-47 style rifle, along with a ballistic vest and multiple drug scales. Mr. Allen now faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $5 million fine. His sentencing is set for March 7, 2025. To date, six other defendants have pleaded guilty in the case, including Brandon Demonte Jones, aka “Money,” Jaleel Javeirre Jaquan Peterson, Glenn Malcom Blair, aka “Slim,” Corey Lanard Allen, Jr, Derrick Alan Richardson, and Antoine Marquin Thompson-Steven. A seventh defendant, and Kenneth Ray Peters, aka “Fat Boy,” has filed plea papers signaling his intent to plead guilty. The final defendant, Orlando Keith Spells, aka “Kilo,” is set for trial on January 6, 2025. (Mr. Spells is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.) The Texas Department of Public Safety and Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Calvert is prosecuting the case.


title: Mortgage Broker Admits to Running a Ponzi Scheme, Fraudulently Acquiring CARES Act Loans, Filing a False Tax Return

component: USAO - Rhode Island

body_text: PROVIDENCE, RI – United States Attorney Zachry A. Cunha announced today that a Rhode Island mortgage broker who purported to match borrowers seeking short-term loans with private lenders seeking high rates of return admitted to a federal judge that he misappropriated more than $1.5 million dollars of investors’ funds by using the money to repay earlier investors, support his own international investment opportunities, and to cover personal expenses. Additionally, Joseph Giuttari, owner and operator of Hybrid Capital Group, LLC; THE FENS CO., LLC; and Realty Funding Advisors, LLC, among others, admitted that he filed fraudulent applications seeking COVID-19 pandemic Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) for two of his companies, and that he failed to accurately report on his personal 2019 IRS tax return a total income of more than $540,000. Giuttari pleaded guilty today to charges of wire fraud, theft of government property, and filing a false tax return. Charging documents reflect that Giuttari falsely misrepresented his investment experience and success in an effort to persuade investors. As part of his scheme, Giuttari allegedly misrepresented to investors the amount a borrower was interested in obtaining; misrepresented that documents were in place to secure the investment funds; inflated how much borrowers owed; used borrowers’ names without their authorization to obtain funds from investors; and created fraudulent promissory notes and real estate documents bearing forged signatures of borrowers. Giuttari admitted that he lulled investors with false and fraudulent excuses and promises, and that he placated and appeased certain earlier investors and lenders by paying them back using new investor monies he obtained. Court documents reflect that at sentencing the government will show that the amount of loss attributable to the defendant is between $3,500,000 and $9,500,000. Additionally, Giuttari admitted to the court that he fraudulently applied for and acquired over $160,000 in pandemic EIDL loans for Hybrid Capital Group and THE FENS CO that he was not entitled to receive. He did so by falsely stating on EIDL applications that his companies were not engaged in lending or investments. Giuttari further admitted that he falsely stated on his 2019 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return that his total income was $22,176, when in fact it was at least $541,000. Giuttari is scheduled to be sentenced on January 30, 2025. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sandra R. Hebert. The matter was investigated by the FBI and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. ###


title: Orange County man sentenced to federal prison for child pornography violations

component: USAO - Texas, Eastern

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – A Bridge City man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. On September 12, 2023, Dereck Wayne Winstead, 34, was found guilty by a jury of possession of child pornography following a trial before U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone. Winstead was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison by Judge Crone on October 31, 2024. According to information presented in court, in 2020, federal agents received two cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) with information that an individual in Orange County, Texas, had been accessing and possessing images of child pornography. An investigation revealed the accounts accessing the child pornography were connected to Winstead. On March 30, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a consensual search at Winstead’s residence and located four electronic devices, including a custom-built gaming computer. A search of the custom-built gaming computer by a computer forensic analyst revealed over 300 images of child pornography including images of children under the age of 12. 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Beaumont Resident Agency and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Grove and Jonathan Lee. ###


title: Eleven Foreign Nationals Indicted for Using Blowtorches and Cellphone Jammers to Commit String of Bank Robberies in Multiple States

body_text: The FBI asks anyone with relevant information about the crimes in this press release to fill out this questionnaire . For more information, go to the Seeking Victims Page . FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against 11 foreign nationals, charging them with bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery arising from a string of robberies from banks and ATMs throughout California, Oregon, and Washington, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, the defendants are part of an ongoing conspiracy to break into and steal money from financial institutions between May and October of 2024. To avoid detection, the crew rented short-term vacation properties near their intended targets and used cars rented on the black market. Conspirators identified ATMs in vulnerable locations and then, using construction-crew disguises, blowtorches, and cellphone jammers, among other sophisticated tactics, broke into the ATMs and stole their cash. More than 29 banks and credit unions were targeted during the period of the conspiracy, with more than $4 million in cash taken. Nine of those charged were arrested last week and two more were arrested in Washington on October 30. The charged defendants are Alex Moyano Morales, 24, of Chile; Maite Celis Silva, 26, of Chile; Erik Osorio Olivarez, 20, of Chile; Pablo Valdez Rodriguez, 36, a Chilean national; Rosa Bastias Serra, 42, of Chile; Camilo Sepulveda Guzman, 31, of Peru; Bassil Dacosta Frias, 34, of Venezuela; Camilo Alarcon Alarcon, 23, of Chile; Michelle Parada Munoz, 21, of Chile; Alvaro Lagos Mieres, 44, of Chile, and Humberto Jimenez Moreno, 45, of Chile. All defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery. Moyano, Celis, Osorio, Valdez, Bastias, Sepulveda, Lagos, and Jimenez are additionally charged with bank robbery. Court documents allege that the defendants targeted banks and ATMs throughout the Eastern District of California (Fresno, Auburn, Merced, Clovis, Modesto, Roseville, Rocklin, Yuba City, and Fall River Mills) as well as in Oregon, Washington, and the Los Angeles area. The alleged incidents include the following: On Sept. 18, 2024, the defendants robbed a Wells Fargo in Modesto. Before that robbery, several co-conspirators scouted an adjoining business before returning during the night to cut a hole through the wall of the adjoining business to access the Wells Fargo ATMs. Co-conspirators also obtained cars and rental homes to facilitate that robbery. On Sept. 22, 2024, the defendants broke into and stole money from a Golden 1 Credit Union ATM where they wore similar disguises as in other thefts. Alleged conspiracy members at the September 22, 2024 Golden 1 robbery . On Sept. 28, 2024, the defendants broke into Tri Counties Bank in Fall River Mills in Shasta County. They used blowtorches, saws, and other power tools to access the bank and interior vaults within it. During this robbery, the conspirators were interrupted and left some of their tools behind. Bank vaults broken into at the Tri Counties Bank, along with tools left behind. Alleged conspiracy members inside the Tri Counties Bank . According to court documents, investigators tracked the crew to several short-term rental properties in Oregon and Washington where the FBI executed search warrants and found hundreds of pounds of robbery tools, disguises, fake identification documents, and more than $100,000 in cash. Valdez, Sepulveda, Bastias, Dacosta, Alarcon, Parada, Lagos and Jimenez were arrested in Washington. Separately, Moyano, Celis, and Osorio were arrested in the greater Los Angeles area, after the execution of a search warrant at a residence there. Valdez, Sepulveda, Bastias, Dacosta, Alarcon and Parada had their initial appearances in the Western District of Washington and are being transported to Fresno to face the indictment. Lagos and Jimenez are expected to have their initial appearance in the Western District of Washington on Oct. 31, 2024. Moyano, Celis, and Osorio have their next court date in Fresno on Nov. 6, 2024. This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the police departments of the cities of Fresno, Citrus Heights, Clovis, Elk Grove, Fresno, Modesto, Rocklin, Roseville, and Sacramento and the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office, and the Seattle Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California also received assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the District of Oregon and the Western District of Washington. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert L. Veneman-Hughes and Justin J. Gilio are prosecuting the case. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison for bank robbery and five years in prison for conspiracy to commit bank robbery. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.


title: Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Ricky Steve John, 50, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 20, 2024, John possessed a Ruger model EC9 9mm semiautomatic pistol concealed in his pants in Charleston. Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. John knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for voluntary manslaughter in Kanawha County Circuit Court on July 21, 2016. John is scheduled to be sentenced on January 29, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to 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 Charleston Police Department-Special Enforcement Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Chief United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander A. Redmon 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. 2:24-cr-136. ###


title: Former Takeda Employee Sentenced to Nearly Four Years in Prison for $2.5 Million Embezzlement Scheme

body_text: BOSTON – A former senior employee in the technology operations group of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) was sentenced today for engaging in a scheme to defraud the company of at least $2.5 million. Priya Bhambi, 40, of Brookline, Mass. was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 46 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. Bhambi was also ordered to pay $2,585,480 in restitution. The Court ordered forfeiture in the same amount and also ordered Bhambi to forfeit a Mercedes-Benz Model E, over $1 million in fraud proceeds held in bank accounts and a $49,985 wedding venue deposit, all seized by the government, as well as a diamond engagement ring and a Seaport condominium purchased with fraud proceeds. In June 2024, Bhambi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud. Bhambi and an alleged co-conspirator, who did not work at Takeda, were charged in an indictment filed on March 23, 2023. The alleged co-conspirator is set for trial beginning Dec. 2, 2024. “Pure greed drove Priya Bhambi to take advantage of her senior-level, highly compensated position at Takeda to steal millions of dollars from the company,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “I commend Takeda for reporting this fraud to the authorities promptly. As a result not only has Bhambi been held accountable for this egregious breach of trust, but the government was able to seize assets with an estimated value of over $1.5 million traceable to her theft. The sentence sends two strong messages – first, there are very serious consequences for executives who exploit their positions to line their own pockets and second, for companies who are victims of embezzlement, law enforcement stands ready to do whatever it can to recoup stolen funds and hold individuals accountable for fraud against their employers.” “Priya Bhambi apparently felt her nearly half-a-million-dollar salary at Takeda wasn’t enough, so she orchestrated a complex financial fraud scheme to steal millions more to enhance her paycheck,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “In doing so, she used the company’s cash to buy everything from a diamond ring, to a Mercedes Benz, and even put a down payment on a condo and wedding venue. Fraud is never the answer if you feel your paycheck is not up to par. With this sentence Ms. Bhambi will now pay for her crimes through restitution and prison time.” Between approximately January 2022 and October 2022, Bhambi and her alleged co-conspirator orchestrated and executed a scheme to defraud Takeda of at least $2.3 million in payments for purported consulting services by submitting fabricated invoices on behalf of a sham consulting company. Bhambi had previously engaged in the same fraud using a different sham consulting company, resulting in payments from Takeda totaling nearly $300,000 for consulting services that were never provided. In February 2022, the co-conspirator, in coordination with Bhambi, allegedly incorporated Evoluzione Consulting LLC (Evoluzione). Later, Bhambi created a website for Evoluzione with false information, including fabricated blog posts, to make it appear that Evoluzione was a legitimate consulting business. After incorporating Evoluzione, Bhambi, allegedly in coordination with the co-conspirator, submitted a statement of work to Takeda and caused Takeda to sign a master services agreement with Evoluzione and issue a purchase order to Evoluzione for consulting services with a total cost of $3.542 million. Then, between March and May of 2022, Bhambi and the alleged co-conspirator fabricated and submitted to Takeda five separate invoices for services that Evoluzione had not performed, each in the amount of $460,000. When questioned by Takeda employees, Bhambi and the alleged co-conspirator made false representations regarding the services purportedly provided by Evoluzione. Before discovering the scheme and terminating Bhambi, Takeda, relying on these false representations, paid all five of the invoices to business accounts allegedly opened by the alleged co-conspirator in the name of Evoluzione. In total, Bhambi and the alleged co-conspirator defrauded Takeda of $2.3 million in payments to Evoluzione for services not provided. Bhambi and her alleged co-conspirator used the fraudulently obtained funds to purchase the assets referenced above that are now subject to the Court’s forfeiture order. Acting U.S. Attorney Levy and FBI SAC Cohen made the announcement today. Takeda has provided valuable assistance and cooperation with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie A. Wright and Mackenzie A. Queenin of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit is handling the forfeiture of aspects of the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.