title: Own Every Dollar Gang Member Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison For 2022 Murder

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MAYOVANEX RODRIGUEZ, a/k/a “Menorcito,” was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for his criminal activities as a member of the violent Own Every Dollar (“OED”) gang, including the 2022 murder of Anthony Savarese. RODRIGUEZ previously pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy, murder through use of a firearm, and narcotics conspiracy before U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken, who imposed today’s sentence. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Mayovanex Rodriguez murdered Anthony Savarese in cold blood. Our office will not rest in seeking justice for victims of violent crime, and today’s sentence sends a message to members of the Own Every Dollar gang and other violent gangs in the city that no one is above the law.” As alleged in the Indictment and statements made in public filings and public court proceedings: RODRIGUEZ is a member of the violent OED gang, a subset of the Trinitarios gang based in and around the Washington Heights area of Manhattan. The indictments in this case charge 24 members and associates of OED with numerous violent crimes, including five murders and 15 attempted murders. On February 7, 2022, shortly after midnight, RODRIGUEZ attempted to commit a gunpoint robbery of 41-year-old Anthony Savarese on Andrews Avenue between West 183rd Street and West Fordham Road in the Bronx. During the attempted robbery, RODRIGUEZ shot Savarese in the head from point-blank range, killing him. 10 other defendants have previously pled guilty in the case. * * * In addition to the prison term, RODRIGUEZ, 30, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the New York City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah L. Kushner, Kevin Mead, Ashley C. Nicolas, and Alexandra Messiter are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Florida Man Admits Guilt in FedEx Mail Fraud Scheme Involving More Than $750,000

component: USAO - Tennessee, Western

body_text: Memphis, TN – A Florida man has pled guilty to a mail fraud scheme in which he defrauded FedEx Corporation by falsely claiming that high-value items were misdelivered. The scheme had a potential loss to the company of $764,250. Reagan Fondren, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, made the announcement today. According to information presented in court, Shaun C. Kavanaugh, 46 , of Orlando, Florida, defrauded FedEx between June 2015 and September 2018 by shipping packages containing worthless goods via FedEx. He then claimed the packages were not delivered and filed claims with FedEx seeking reimbursement for the contents of the packages. During that reimbursement process, Kavanaugh submitted fraudulent invoices to FedEx that inflated the value of the contents. As a result of his scheme, Kavanaugh fraudulently obtained over $750,000. “Mr. Kavanaugh’s case serves as a reminder that fraud and the pursuit of quick gains can come with severe consequences,” said Inspector In Charge Tommy D. Coke, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Atlanta Division. “I’m proud of the women and men of the United States Postal Inspection Service for their continued commitment to protect the U.S. Mail and our customers, as well as their resolve to ensure that those who engage in fraudulent activities are held responsible for their criminal activities.” United States District Court Judge John T. Fowlkes accepted the guilty plea and set sentencing for February 20, 2025. At that time, Kavanaugh faces up to 20 years in prison for mail fraud. He could also be ordered to pay up to $250,000 in fines and possible restitution up to $764,250. The United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Acting U.S. Attorney Fondren thanked the law enforcement partners who investigated the case, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Reid Manning who is prosecuting the case. # # # For more information, please contact the media relations team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov . Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.


title: New Orleans Man Indicted For  Federal Drug and Firearm Offens

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ERIC FALKINS (“FALKINS”) , age 19, of New Orleans, was charged on October 24, 2024 in a three-count indictment, for violations of the Federal Gun Control and Federal Controlled Substances Acts. FALKINS is charged in Count 1 with conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(D), and 846. He is charged in Count 2 with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(D). He is charged in Count 3 with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). As to each of Counts 1 and 2, FALKINS faces up to 5 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and at least two years of supervised release. If convicted of Count 3, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison, up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to five years of supervised release. As to each of Counts 1,2, and 3, FALKINS also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. According to court documents, FALKINS was engaged in a drug trafficking conspiracy and, on or about January 24, 2024, possessed marijuana with the intent to distribute such. FALKINS also illegally possessed a Radical Firearms Model RF-15, multi-caliber semi-automatic pistol, in furtherance of his possession with intent to distribute marijuana. U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. 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 case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.


title: New Orleans Man Sentenced for Violating Federal Gun Control Act

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – KENNETH TATE (“TATE”) , age 43, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on October 24, 2024, by United States District Judge Barry W. Ashe, for violating the Federal Gun Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. According to court records, law enforcement conducted surveillance near Tara Lane in New Orleans East and saw TATE, armed with a rifle, standing in the breezeway of an apartment building. The officers saw TATE conduct a hand-to-hand drug transaction, while armed with that rifle. When they tried to arrest TATE , he fled into a particular apartment before finally surrendering. During a subsequent search of the apartment, the police found an American Tactical, 5.56-millimeter semi-automatic rifle anda Ruger LCP, .380 caliber pistol. TATE had prior felony convictions that prohibited him from possessing a firearm. Judge Ashe sentenced TATE to 64 months imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. 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 case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller, Senior Litigation Counsel and PSN Coordinator.


title: Federal Jury Convicts Siblings of Fraud; Defendants Made Tens of Millions of Dollars from Lying to Manufacturers in Years-Long Scheme

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Adriana Camberos (formerly Adriana Shayota) and Andres Camberos, sister and brother, were convicted by a federal jury of multiple fraud charges on October 25, 2024. Their illegal scheme involved lying to manufacturers to sell wholesale groceries and other goods at steep discounts by promising the goods would be sold in Mexico, or to prisons or rehabilitation facilities. Instead, the defendants sold the products at higher prices to U.S. distributors, for the U.S. market. Wire fraud charges arose from the numerous wire transfers, as well as other interstate communications, the defendants made as they bought products from the manufacturers, transferred money among their own companies to facilitate the scheme, and then re-sold the products at higher prices to U.S. customers. Following an 11-day trial, the jury found the defendants guilty of eight of 11 counts that went to the jury. Adriana and Andres Camberos were both found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and seven wire fraud counts, and not guilty of three mail fraud counts. According to evidence presented at trial, the defendants owned and controlled three businesses: Tradeway International, Inc., doing business as Baja Exporting (owned by Adriana Camberos); Specialty Foods International, Inc., doing business as Promix Co., Prison Food Depot, Rehab Food Depot and Specialty Foods International (owned by Andres Camberos); and Baja Foodservice S.R.L. de C.V. (95% owned by Andres Camberos and managed by Adriana Camberos). Specialty Foods International and Baja Exporting shared a warehouse and office space in San Diego. Baja Foodservice had a warehouse in Tijuana. All three operated together, as sister companies. Baja Exporting claimed to be an exporter of grocery items and consumer goods to Baja California, Mexico. Similarly, Specialty Foods International, claimed to be a regional distributor of groceries and other goods to retailers in Baja California, Mexico, and to correctional facilities and rehabilitation and wellness facilities within the United States. Baja Foodservice likewise claimed to be a regional distributor in Baja California, Mexico. The defendants used the three companies—especially Baja Foodservice—to tell manufacturers that they would sell the manufacturers’ products in Mexico, and based on that, they received significant discounts for purported sales, distribution, and exporting to the Baja California market. The defendants also sought discounted goods for Specialty Foods International, d/b/a Prison Food Depot and Rehab Food Depot, based on the claim that they sold products to prisons and rehab facilities. But the defendants lied. In a years-long scheme, they used their three companies to get those lower prices from manufacturers and resell the products at higher prices to U.S. customers—often the same distributors the victim companies were already selling their products to. Between 2019 and September 2023 alone, Baja Exporting and Specialty Foods International sold hundreds of millions of dollars of products to U.S. distributors; less than a tenth of one percent of their sales were to any Mexican retailer or distributor, and they did no business with prisons or rehab centers. The defendants took other numerous steps to conceal and perpetuate their fraud. For example, the defendants removed GPS tracking devices from manufacturers’ shipments; removed Spanish-language labels or packaging intended for the Mexican market; obtained Mexican customs documents to try to prove to manufacturers that products were being exported; arranged “market visits” in Tijuana, taking manufacturers’ representatives to various stores in Baja California where they placed the manufacturers’ products—often alongside models who were hired by the defendants’ companies and associates—to create the appearance the products were being sold as promised; had a fake “office” in Mexico City to meet with manufacturers, in an effort to make the companies think the defendants did substantial business in Mexico; and otherwise doubled down on their lies when the victim companies suspected the defendants were diverting their products and defrauding them. Baja Exporting and Specialty Foods International made over $58 million in gross profits between January 2019 and September 2023. As owners, the defendants made millions each. In the same time period, Adriana Camberos took in over $12 million from Baja Exporting, and Andres Camberos paid himself over $14 million from Specialty Foods International. This caused manufacturers to lose tens of millions of dollars—money they would have made in the normal course of selling to U.S. distributors, but for the defendants’ lies. With the money they made from the scheme, Adriana and Andres Camberos made extensive luxury purchases and investments. They bought or financed a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, a Lamborghini Huracan, and multiple Range Rovers; purchased multiple homes in the San Diego area; purchased a condominium at the beach in Coronado; and put the money in multiple investment accounts, life insurance policies, a cryptocurrency account, and other assets. These and other items are subject to forfeiture. “These defendants’ deception led to millions in illegal profits, but the gain was fleeting,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “When this elaborate scheme unraveled, justice prevailed.” “The Camberos siblings built a multimillion-dollar empire solely on fraud,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “This conviction should send a clear message that fraud — no matter the scale — will be thoroughly investigated and those found guilty of perpetrating such schemes will be brought to justice.” The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on March 3, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Mellor, Peter Horn and Jordan Arakawa. DEFENDANTS Case Number 23-CR-1916-BAS Adriana Isabel Camberos (aka Adriana Shayota) Age: 54 San Diego, CA Andres Enrique Camberos Age: 45 San Diego, CA SUMMARY OF CHARGES Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1349 Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1343 Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison INVESTIGATING AGENCY Federal Bureau of Investigation


title: Syracuse Man Sentenced to Over 21 Years for Receiving Child Pornography from Multiple Minors via Snapchat

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – William Futrell, age 31, of Syracuse, was sentenced today to serve over 21 years (262 months) in federal prison following his previous conviction for ten counts of receipt of child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, Buffalo Field Office, and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement. As part of his previous guilty plea, Futrell admitted that he used Snapchat to communicate with minors from across the country. In some instances, Futrell would offer to pay the minor children to entice them to send explicit images to him, but with no intention of ever paying them. On at least the 10 occasions charged, Futrell obtained, directly from minor children, images depicting the children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Futrell is a registered sex offender with a previous conviction for possession of child pornography in New York. Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes also ordered that Futrell serve a 15-year term of post-incarceration supervised release. Futrell will be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison. United States Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led the investigation with the assistance of the NYSP Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the NYSP Troop D Computer Crime Unit. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck prosecuted Futrell as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Defendants with Ties to White Supremacy Sentenced in Connection with Plot to Destroy Energy Facilities

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: WILMINGTON, N.C. – The fifth of five defendants charged with targeting an energy facility has been sentenced. The combined sentences total 324 months in prison. Jordan Duncan, 29, was sentenced to 84 months in prison for manufacturing a short barrel rifle in violation of the National Firearms Act. Previously , co-defendant Liam Collins, 25, was sentenced to 120 months for interstate transportation of a short barrel rifle, Paul James Kryscuk, 38, was sentenced to 78 months for conspiracy to damage an energy facility, and both Joseph Maurino, 25, and Justin Wade Hermanson, 25, were sentenced to 21 months in prison for conspiracy to manufacture firearms for criminal purposes. Duncan, Collins, and Hermanson are former Marines who were previously assigned to Camp Lejeune. “We have now brought to justice all five of the defendants involved in a self-described ‘modern day SS,’ who conspired, prepared, and trained to attack America’s power grid in the name of violent white supremacist ideology,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department is aggressively investigating, disrupting, and prosecuting these kinds of hate-fueled plots that seek to sow violence and chaos and endanger our national security.” “Attacks on our critical infrastructure pose a threat to all Americans,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “We will relentlessly pursue anyone who seeks to destabilize our national security and institutions through hate-fueled violence.” “This NCIS-led investigation has been crucial in dismantling a domestic terrorist cell intent on targeting innocent people and destroying critical infrastructure,” said NCIS Director Omar Lopez. “The tireless efforts of NCIS, our dedicated law enforcement partners, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office demonstrate our commitment to ensuring that those who conspire to undermine our national security are thoroughly investigated and held accountable.” “There is no place for hate in America,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The Department of Homeland Security is proud to support the whole-of-government, and in fact whole-of-society, effort to disrupt acts of hate-fueled violence and bring the perpetrators to justice. Every single day, Special Agents of Homeland Security Investigations bring tremendous dedication, bravery, and skill to this vital mission, and our whole country is safer for their service — because whenever one community is targeted by an act of hate, we are all the victims.” “Today’s sentencing is the final step in holding accountable five men who were planning to attack an energy facility and were inspired by racially motivated violent extremism,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “If the defendants had been able to carry out an attack it could have caused suffering to thousands of American citizens. The FBI is committed to detecting and stopping such acts and will continue to work with prosecutors to see justice is served in such cases.” “Driven by a white supremacist ideology, these defendants set out to terrorize the nation by targeting America’s power grid, aiming to create chaos, instill fear, and put countless innocent lives at risk,” said Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “The sentences handed down reflect not only the depravity of their intentions but also ATF’s steadfast commitment—alongside our law enforcement partners—to protect our nation from extremist threats and violent attacks, regardless of the motives behind them.” “HSI, along with its law enforcement partners, keep the safety and security of the American public at the forefront of our actions,” said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations. “This case sends a clear message to those who wrongfully believe they can plot in the shadows undetected; they will be caught and there will be consequences.” Previously filed charges alleged that Collins and Kryscuk were members of and made multiple posts on the “Iron March” forum, a gathering point for young neo-Nazis to organize and recruit for extremist organizations, until the forum was closed in late 2017. Collins and Kryscuk met through the forum and expanded their group using an encrypted messaging application as an alternate means of communication outside of the forum. Collins and Kryscuk recruited additional members, including Duncan, Hermanson, and Maurino. According to court documents and other information presented in court, the group researched, discussed, and reviewed at length a previous attack on the power grid by an unknown group who used assault-style rifles in an attempt to explode a power substation. Between 2017 and 2020, Kryscuk manufactured firearms while Collins stole military gear, including magazines for assault-style rifles, and had them delivered to the other defendants. During that time, Duncan, gathered a library of information, some military-owned, regarding firearms, explosives, and nerve toxins and shared that information with Kryscuk and Collins. Members of the group went on to conduct training, including a live-fire training in the desert near Boise, Idaho. From video footage recorded by the members during the training, Kryscuk, Duncan, and others produced a montage video of their training. In the video, the participants are seen firing short barrel rifles and other assault-type rifles, and the end of the propaganda video shows the four participants outfitted in AtomWaffen masks giving the “Heil Hitler” sign, beneath the image of a black sun, a Nazi symbol. The last frame bears the phrase, “Come home white man.” In October 2020, during his arrest, a handwritten list of approximately one dozen intersections and places in Idaho and surrounding states was discovered in Kryscuk’s possession, including intersections and/or places containing a transformer, substation, or other component of the power grid for the northwest United States. Prior to their arrests, Collins and Duncan had relocated to Idaho from North Carolina and Texas, respectively, to be near Kryscuk. Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the FBI Salt Lake City and Charlotte Field Offices with assistance from Fields Offices in Boston, New York, and Newark, the Boise Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barbara Kocher and Gabriel Diaz of the Eastern District of North Carolina and Trial Attorney John Cella of the Justice Department’s National Security Division prosecuted the case, with assistance from Assistant United States Attorneys for the District of Idaho, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, and the District of Rhode Island. 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. 7:20-CR-167-M.


title: Twelve Charged in Lubbock Cocaine Bust

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: Twelve alleged cocaine dealers we arrested in Lubbock last week, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton. Eleven of the defendants made their initial appearances Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amy Burch. Those charged in a 17-count indictment unsealed today include: Esteban Renee Garcia, charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, distribution of cocaine, attempted distribution of cocaine, and unlawful use of a communications facility Rodrick Deone Hall, aka “Dirty,” charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, distribution of cocaine base, attempted distribution of cocaine, and unlawful use of a communications facility Leticia Chavez, charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and distribution of cocaine Shannon Sainz, charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and unlawful use of a communications facility Janie Reyna, charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, attempted distribution of cocaine, and unlawful use of a communications facility Anthony “AV” DeLeon, charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, attempted distribution of cocaine, and unlawful use of a communications facility Isaac “Ike” Rodriguez, charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, attempted distribution of cocaine, and unlawful use of a communications facility Anthony McIntire, aka “Ace,” charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, distribution of cocaine, attempted distribution of cocaine, and unlawful use of a communications facility Roland Vasquez Gomez, charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, attempted distribution of cocaine, and unlawful use of a communications facility Rodrick Lamont Bibbs, charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base Michael Tijerina, charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and distribution of cocaine As a result of the operation, the twelfth defendant, Miguel Ramirez-Pedroza, was arrested and charged via criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. (His initial appearance in federal court will be scheduled at a later date.) During last week’s operation, agents searched six locations and seized approximately six kilograms of cocaine, five firearms, and $55,000 in cash. An indictment or complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If convicted, some defendants face potential life sentences in federal prison. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Division – Lubbock Resident Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas Field Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosive’s Dallas Field Division – Lubbock Resident Agency, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, the Lubbock Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Plainview Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Long and Ryan Redd are prosecuting the case. The operation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces ( OCDETF ) investigation. OCEDTF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threat the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Man who sold methamphetamine, firearms with conversion devices, sentenced to 12 years in prison

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Jamal Rashad Frazier, 32, of Columbus, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 144 months in prison for possessing methamphetamine and weapons with auto-conversion devices. An auto-conversion device, or a Glock switch, turns a firearm into a fully automatic weapon, allowing the entire magazine of bullets to be released in seconds with one pull of the trigger. According to court documents, in April and May 2023, Frazier sold methamphetamine and firearms with auto-conversion devices to undercover agents on multiple occasions. In total, Frazier possessed more than a kilogram of methamphetamine. He sold four firearms, two of which had conversion devices, and possessed three other firearms when he was arrested. Frazier was charged federally and arrested in June 2023. He pleaded guilty in June 2024 to possessing a machinegun and distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), announced the sentence imposed on Oct. 23 by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer M. Rausch and Elizabeth A. Geraghty are representing the United States in this case. # # #


title: Winston-Salem Man Involved in Two Car Chases Sentenced

component: USAO - North Carolina, Middle

body_text: GREENSBORO – A Winston-Salem, North Carolina man was sentenced today in Greensboro to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to two firearm charges, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC). AMARI JAQUEZ HAIRSTON, age 21, was sentenced to consecutive sentences of 60 months imprisonment (Count Two) and 84 months imprisonment (Count Six), plus 5 years supervised release, by the Honorable William L. Osteen, Jr., United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC. In addition to prison time, HAIRSTON was ordered to forfeit two Glock handguns, two machine gun conversion devices, extended magazines, and multiple rounds of ammunition. HAIRSTON pleaded guilty on August 7, 2024, to two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i). According to court records, the charges against HAIRSTON relate to two separate incidents: On July 15, 2022, Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) officers looking for a suspect in a gang-related shooting attempted to stop a black Honda carrying four people. The driver fled, traveling at extremely high speeds on Silas Creek Parkway and weaving in and out of traffic During the chase, pursuing officers saw HAIRSTON, who was a passenger in the back seat, throw drugs and guns from the left rear passenger window. WSPD officers and Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) deputies stopped and located items HAIRSTON threw from the black Honda while others continued the pursuit. The Honda was intentionally bumped by a FCSO deputy on Reynolda Road and wrecked. Items that HAIRSTON threw from the Honda included two Glock handguns, a large capacity magazine, ammunition, a baggie containing 5.8 grams of fentanyl, and approximately 340 grams of marijuana. On October 11, 2023, WSPD officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a blue Dodge Charger traveling north on Polo Road at a high rate of speed. The driver of the Charger fled and, while attempting to evade the police vehicle, crossed the double yellow line and collided with a tractor trailer heading west on Akron Drive. After the wreck, the driver, later identified as HAIRSTON, fled on foot. The Dodge Charger HAIRSTON was operating was stolen from Charlotte, North Carolina, on September 3, 2023. At the time of the theft, the vehicle contained three firearms, none of which have been recovered. In a search of the stolen Charger, officers located HAIRSTON’s North Carolina ID, a Glock handgun and a Machine Gun Conversion Device or “switch,” approximately 50 grams of marijuana packaged in individual baggies, a scale, 15 pills and several pill fragments containing fentanyl, and other controlled substances. The case was investigated by the Winston-Salem Police Department, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. The case was prosecuted by MDNC Assistant United States Attorney Robert A. J. Lang. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. ###


title: Sidney Man Sentenced for Possessing with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Fentanyl and Illegally Possessing a Firearm

body_text: United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Isidro Alvarado, age 36, of Sidney, Nebraska, was sentenced on October 28, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Alvarado to 240 months’ imprisonment on the drug charge and 120 months on the gun charge. The sentences are to run concurrently. There is no parole in the federal system. After Alvarado is released from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. From July 2021 to July 2022, Alvarado and others worked together to sell meth and fentanyl in and around Kearney, Nebraska. In November 2021, Alvarado sold meth and a shotgun to a confidential informant (CI). The investigation into Alvarado and his co-defendant revealed he was dealing meth and fentanyl around the Kearny area and sending money from drug proceeds back to Mexico. Alvarado had a prior felony conviction for drugs, making him ineligible to possess a firearm. Alvarado’s co-defendant, Samantha Miller, was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment in February 2024. This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol and FBI.


title: US Attorney announces District Election Officer for Alaska ahead of Election Day

component: USAO - Alaska

body_text: ANCHORAGE, Alaska – United States Attorney S. Lane Tucker announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Morgan J. Walker will lead the efforts of her Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Walker has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Alaska, 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 Tucker 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 Tucker stated that: “The right to vote is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to vote can exercise that right 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 Walker will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.” 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 public can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov, or contact the local FBI Anchorage Field Office at (907) 276-4441. 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 Tucker 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: Justice Department Files Statement of Interest in Challenge to the Constitutionality of Solitary Confinement of Children in Juvenile Justice Settings

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: The Justice Department filed a statement of interest yesterday in a lawsuit brought in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois alleging that conditions in a juvenile detention facility violate the Constitution. The statement explains that the 14th Amendment protects children from illegitimate or excessive use of isolation in juvenile justice and adult correctional settings. It further explains how placing children in isolation seriously harms them, and how a lack of access to essential services while in isolation exacerbates that harm. “The federal government recognizes that children are developmentally and constitutionally different than adults and that excessive isolation causes children unique and significant harm,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Harmful conditions of confinement, including isolation, undermine the very purpose of the juvenile justice system, which is to provide children with rehabilitative treatment so they may return to their communities as productive, law-abiding citizens. State and local institutions must ensure that children in institutions are safe from harmful conditions that violate their constitutional rights and undermine that purpose. We are committed to enforcing this obligation.” Plaintiffs in J.B.H. v. Knox County allege that the Mary Davis Detention Home (MDH) in Knox County, Illinois, routinely subjects children, including children with mental health conditions and histories of trauma, to prolonged periods of harmful isolation in violation of the Constitution. While in isolation, MDH allegedly deprives children of basic needs, such as education, mental health services, sleep and human contact, exacerbating the harm that children suffer. Over the past year, the Justice Department secured a settlement agreement with Connecticut to address unconstitutional conditions for children in the Manson Youth Institution, issued a findings report regarding conditions at five post-adjudication facilities for children in Texas and opened an investigation of conditions at nine juvenile justice facilities in Kentucky . Additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s work protecting children’s rights in the juvenile justice system is available at www.justice.gov/crt/rights-juveniles . For more information on the Civil Rights Division and the Special Litigation Section, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section . Complaints about unlawful confinement practices may be reported to the Civil Rights Division through its internet reporting portal at civilrights.justice.gov .


title: Previously convicted Norfolk counterfeiter returning to prison

component: USAO - Virginia, Eastern

body_text: NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced yesterday to three years and one month in prison for passing counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes. According to court documents, on at least three occasions from August to December of 2023, Tyree Lamar Shoulders, 33, passed counterfeit U.S. currency. On Aug. 6, 2023, at a gas station in Suffolk, Tyree Lamar Shoulders, 33, used two counterfeit $20 bills to purchase gasoline. On Aug. 30, 2023, at a convenience store in Suffolk, Shoulders used nine counterfeit $50 bills to buy candy and load $450 onto a bank card. On Nov. 13, 2023, at a gas station in Virginia Beach, Shoulders attempted to use a counterfeit $50 bill and two counterfeit $10 bills to buy gas. On Dec. 5, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Shoulders’ residence in Norfolk and recovered counterfeit $10, $20, and $50 bills. In 2014 Shoulders was convicted of counterfeiting and forging Federal Reserve Notes, and in 2015 was sentenced to two years in prison. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kang Lee, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Norfolk Resident Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth M. Yusi prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-41.


title: DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

body_text: KNOXVILLE, Tenn. On Saturday, October 26th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) will provide the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Location information is available from the DEA, along with items that cannot be accepted. This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. This October’s event is DEA’s 27 th nationwide event since its inception 14 years ago. Last spring, Americans turned in nearly 670,136 pounds of prescription drugs at nearly 4,869 sites operated by the DEA and 4,607 from its state and local law enforcement partners. The DEA will now accept vaping devices and cartridges at any of its drop-off locations during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. It is important to note that DEA cannot accept devices containing lithium-ion batteries. If batteries cannot be removed prior to drop-off, DEA encourages individuals to consult with stores that recycle lithium-ion batteries. Concerns have been raised across the United States over illnesses and deaths caused by vaping and the high youth vaping initiation rates. To support a healthy lifestyle and energetic population, especially among America’s youth, DEA is committed to doing all it can to help safely dispose of vaping devices and substances. The DEA’s “Take Back” day and “Get Smart About Drugs” initiatives address the vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses because of these drugs. Synthetic opioids, such as illicit fentanyl, are the primary driver of the increase in overdose deaths. For information on DEA’s “Take Back” in Spanish , click here , or for more information on the “Get Smart About Drugs” publication, click for English or Spanish . In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, there are many other ways to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs every day, including the 11,000 authorized collectors that are available all year long. For more information, visit DEA’s year-round collection site locator . Participating in the next DEA Take Back Day on Saturday, October 26th, simply means cleaning out your medicine cabinet or anywhere you keep unused, unwanted, or expired medications and dropping them off at your nearest collection site. For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 26th Take Back day event, go to DEA Drug Take Back event or by calling 800-882-9539. The FDA also provides information on how to properly dispose of prescription drugs. More information is available here: English or Spanish . ###


title: Plant City Woman Pleads Guilty To Embezzling Funds From A University And Charitable Organization

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Christina Lynn Morris (46, Plant City) has pleaded guilty to wire fraud. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Morris has also agreed to forfeit $293,202, which is traceable to proceeds of the offense. According to court documents, Morris worked as a Fiscal and Business Analyst for a public research university (University) with multiple campuses in the Middle District of Florida. She also served as President for a charitable organization (Association) based in the Middle District of Florida. From July 2021 through July 2023, Morris used her positions with the University and the Association to embezzle more than $290,000. Specifically, Morris used her University credit card as well as credit cards issued to other University employees, and the Association’s business bank accounts to conduct unapproved, non-business transactions at various companies, including for the repeated bulk purchase of gift cards. Further, Morris used the Association’s tax-exempt status to avoid paying sales tax for items purchased with the gift cards and embezzled funds. To make the unapproved, non-business transactions appear legitimate and to prevent her fraud scheme from being discovered, Morris created and submitted falsified documents and made false attestations to the University, and withheld material information from the Association. During the scheme, Morris conducted hundreds of transactions in the manner described above, causing losses of $261,632.17 to the University and $31,569.87 to the Association. This investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons. plea_agreement.pdf Download Plea Agreement


title: California Resident Sentenced To 30 Years In Federal Prison For Producing Sexual Abuse Photo Of 3-Year-Old Child In Florida

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – Chief United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Henry Obdulio Cordon (39, Antioch, California) to 30 years in federal prison for producing a photo of a 3-year-old child being sexually abused by Cordon. He was also ordered to serve a life term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. Cordon was arrested at his residence on May 16, 2019, and has been in custody since that time. He pleaded guilty to the offense on June 14, 2024. According to court documents, this investigation began in April 2019 when an internet service provider sent a series of CyberTipline reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). These reports related to the discovery of child sexual abuse photos detected within an email account that geolocated to Contra Costa County in California. Law enforcement officers obtained search warrants and discovered that this email account and telephone number were associated with Cordon. The email account contained several photos depicting children being sexually abused. Further investigation reveal that another email account used by Cordon contained a photo that depicted a young child being sexually abused by an adult male. The metadata associated with this photo indicated that it had been produced on July 11, 2011, using a Blackberry device. Search warrants revealed that this email account was used during April and May 2019, at Cordon’s apartment in California. On May 16, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Cordon’s residence. During an interview, Cordon admitted that he had searched the internet for “nude teen pictures.” When asked if he ever had a Blackberry device, Cordon said he had one years before when he lived in Florida. He was asked about a particular photo depicting the sexual abuse of a child that was recovered from his email account. Cordon eventually admitted that he knew the child in the photo and that the child was “maybe” under four years of age. Cordon claimed that his sexual abuse of this child only happened one time, and that he remembered emailing this photo to himself to save it. Cordon admitted taking this photo with his Blackberry in the child’s residence in Florida. Further investigation confirmed that Cordon took the photo depicting his sexual abuse of the child in Florida and later emailed the photo to his own email account. This same photo was also recovered from his iPhone device that he possessed in California on May 16, 2019. Law enforcement authorities in Florida were able to confirm the identity and age of this child, as well as the residence in Florida where Cordon had taken the photo depicting him sexually abusing this child. This case was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force of Contra Costa County (California), the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: Windsor Mill Woman Sentenced To Over Five Years’ Imprisonment In Connection With Conspiracy Involving Fraudulently Obtaining And Attempting To Obtain More Than $3 Million In  Covid-19 Cares Act Loans

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – On October 23, 2024, Tomeka Glenn, a/k/a “Tomeka Harris” and “Tomeka Davis,” age 47, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, was sentenced by United States District Judge Richard D. Bennett to 65 months’ imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release in connection with her conviction on conspiracy to commit wire fraud relating to the submission of millions of dollars in fraudulent COVID-19 CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications. Judge Bennett also directed Glenn to pay restitution in the amount of $3,016,275.62. Glenn’s co-defendant Kevin Davis, age 43, also of Windsor Mill, Maryland, pleaded guilty on January 25, 2024 to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Judge Bennett on May 22, 2024 sentenced him to 24 months’ imprisonment. The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge William J. Delbagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department. Financial assistance offered through the CARES Act included forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program, administered through the Small Business Administration (“SBA”). The SBA also offered an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and/or an EIDL advance to help businesses meet their financial obligations. An EIDL advance did not have to be repaid, and small businesses could receive an advance, even if they were not approved for an EIDL loan. The maximum advance amount was $10,000. According to Glenn’s plea agreement, beginning in June 2020 and continuing through March 2021, Glenn and various co-conspirators prepared numerous false and fraudulent EIDL and PPP loan applications for various businesses (including some that did not exist in any legitimate capacity) that included false information concerning, among other things, number of employees, monthly payroll costs, and revenue. The PPP applications also routinely included false and fraudulent Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) tax forms and bank statements, which were submitted by Glenn to substantiate the false representations made in the applications. Glenn admitted that she received kickback payments from the loan borrowers in exchange for her assistance in connection with the submission of fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications, ultimately receiving more than $400,000 in kickbacks in connection with the scheme. These kickbacks typically amounted to 10% to 20% of the loan amount. In total, the kickback scheme resulted in the disbursement of at least $2,715,649.12 in fraudulently obtained PPP and EIDL funds in connection with 23 fraudulent PPP and EIDL loans. According to Glenn’s plea agreement, Glenn and Davis, received $300,726.50 in PPP/EIDL funds for various entities that they controlled, and Glenn attempted to obtain $601,511.20 in additional fraudulent PPP and EIDL funds too. Glenn used the fraudulently obtained funds to pay for a luxury vacation at a resort in Jamaica, to purchase a 2021 Mercedes-Benz S580 sedan valued at $148,171.60, to buy thousands of dollars in luxury jewelry, as well as numerous other luxury goods, including items from Luis Vuitton, Neiman Marcus, Dior, Cartier, Gucci, Chanel, and Hermes. At the time of her scheme, neither Glenn nor Davis had any legitimate source of income, and in May 2020, each applied for unemployment insurance benefits in the State of Maryland. In addition, as detailed in Davis and Glenn’s plea agreements, on January 6, 2023, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at their residence. Davis and Glenn were present at the residence at the time of the search and were arrested in connection with the fraudulent COVID-19 CARES Act loans. According to Davis’s plea agreement, during the execution of the search warrant, law enforcement found and seized four firearms loaded with ammunition—a 9mm firearm, and three .40 caliber firearms. Later investigation revealed that one of the .40 caliber firearms had earlier been reported stolen by its owner. As further detailed in Davis’s plea, the firearms were hidden by Davis in the air ducts of the residence: two firearms were hidden in the main bedroom air duct where Davis slept and kept his personal effects; the other two firearms were in the air duct of the bathroom closets to the main bedroom. Moreover, two of the firearms were further stuffed in socks in an attempt to hide them. Davis admitted that he possessed and secreted the firearms in the air ducts of his home (and in the socks) in an attempt to conceal them from law enforcement after learning that federal agents had a warrant to search his home. As admitted to at his plea, Davis’s concealment of the firearms constitutes attempted obstruction of the administration of justice with respect to the investigation. Each of the four firearms recovered from Davis’s home on January 6, 2023 were later found to have his DNA on them. A later review of Davis’s iCloud account revealed the existence of, among other things, a series of videos depicting Davis handling firearms, including a shotgun and an assault rifle. Davis knew that his previous felony conviction prohibited him from possessing firearms or ammunition. As part of their plea agreements, Glenn and Davis will be required to forfeit their interest in any assets derived from or obtained by them as a result of, or used to facilitate the commission of, their illegal activities. Specifically, Glenn is required to forfeit a money judgment in the amount of at least $700,726.50; the 2021 Mercedes-Benz; cash in bank accounts she controlled that were held in the names of business entities; and jewelry, including her 3.03 carat yellow diamond engagement ring, Rolex, Cartier and Breitling watches, and a Diamond Miami Cuban Link Chain with 31.5 carats of VS1 diamonds. Davis must forfeit the firearms and ammunition. The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI, the SBA-OIG, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley, who is prosecuting the case. He also recognized the assistance of the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber and Paralegal Specialist Juliette Jarman. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao/md . # # #


title: Georgia Woman Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for $30M COVID-19 Unemployment Fraud Scheme and Firearms Charge

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A Georgia woman was sentenced yesterday for her role in a scheme to defraud the Georgia Department of Labor (GaDOL) out of tens of millions of dollars in benefits meant to assist unemployed individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tyshion Nautese Hicks, 32, of Vienna, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date. Hicks’ total sentence includes a penalty of three consecutive years in prison, imposed yesterday in relation to a separate charge of illegal possession of a machine gun prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. According to court documents and evidence presented in court, from March 2020 through November 2022, Hicks and her co-conspirators caused more than 5,000 fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims to be filed with the GaDOL, resulting in at least $30 million in stolen benefits. “In one of the largest COVID fraud schemes ever prosecuted, the defendant and her coconspirators filed more than 5,000 fraudulent COVID unemployment insurance claims using stolen identities and unlawfully obtained more than $30 million in benefits,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “In doing so, the defendant and her co-conspirators exploited a program designed to alleviate pandemic-related economic hardship to enrich themselves at the expense of federal taxpayers. Yesterday’s sentence underscores the department’s commitment to investigating and prosecuting those who steal from the public fisc.” To execute the scheme, Hicks and others created fictitious employers and fabricated lists of purported employees using personally identifiable information (PII) from thousands of identity theft victims and filed fraudulent unemployment insurance claims on the GaDOL website. The co-conspirators obtained PII for use in the scheme from a variety of sources, including by paying an employee of an Atlanta-area health care and hospital network to unlawfully obtain patients’ PII from the hospital’s databases, and by purchasing PII from other sources over the internet. Using victims’ PII, Hicks and her co-conspirators caused the stolen UI funds to be disbursed via prepaid debit cards mailed to addresses of their choice, many of which were in and around Cordele and Vienna. Hicks additionally paid a local U.S. Postal Service (USPS) carrier to unlawfully divert mail containing debit cards loaded with over $512,000 in fraud proceeds to her and coached another co-conspirator on how to create her own fictitious employer account via Facebook Messenger. In February, Hicks pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Seven of Hicks’ co-conspirators have previously pleaded guilty or been sentenced in the investigation. “Tyshion Nautese Hicks and her co-conspirators used the stolen PII of unwitting victims to file numerous fraudulent claims for UI benefits with the Georgia Department of Labor,” said Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG) Southeast Regional Office. “We will continue to work with our federal and state law enforcement partners to safeguard UI benefit programs for those who need them.” “The sentence received by the defendant is the outcome of IRS Criminal Investigation’s commitment to investigating and prosecuting those who attempt to defraud various agencies by filing fraudulent claims using another person’s identifying information,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Atlanta Field Office. “Postal Inspectors will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold individuals accountable for engaging in fraudulent schemes to manipulate the COVID-19 program for their own financial gain,” said Inspector in Charge Tommy D. Coke of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Atlanta Division. “The sentencing should serve as a deterrence and shows that this type of behavior will not be tolerated.” “Yesterday’s sentencing underlines our commitment to holding those who exploit federal relief programs for personal gain accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the USPS Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “As proven in this case, our criminal investigators along with our law enforcement partners will work together and diligently pursue anyone who attempts to exploit programs created to help legitimate people and businesses affected by the global pandemic.” “Hicks chose to commit fraud, further depleting limited funds designated to help individuals struggling to survive during the pandemic,” said Special Agent in Charge Frederick D. Houston of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Atlanta Field Office. “She and her co-conspirators also stole the personally identifiable information, caring only about self-enrichment, not the lives adversely affected. This case signifies our commitment to protect citizens and businesses from fraud and identity theft. We will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to prosecute those who abuse these programs.” “Homeland Security Investigations will aggressively pursue those who exploit unemployment benefits meant for those in need, ensuring that justice is served, and resources are preserved for legitimate claimants,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Steven N. Schrank of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Atlanta Office. “Yesterday’s sentencing sends a clear message that those committing fraud will be held accountable,” said Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG). “DHS-OIG and our law enforcement partners will continue to prioritize protecting our country from these kinds of schemes.” DOL-OIG, IRS-CI, USPS-OIG, USPIS, USSS, HSI, and DHS-OIG investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Lyndie Freeman, Siji Moore, Matthew Kahn, and Andrew Jaco of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the fraud case. On May 17, 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Justice Department in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form .


title: U.S. Attorney ’s Office and FBI Charge Mescalero Man with Sexual Assault of a Minor

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man has been charged by criminal complaint with multiple counts of sexual abuse for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl. Thomas Lee Chaffins , 35, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, appeared before a federal judge on October 10 and was detained pending trial. According to the criminal complaint, on September 27, 2024, Chaffins engaged in sexual acts with a 15-year-old girl, identified as Jane Doe. At 15 years old, Jane Doe was legally unable to consent to sexual activity with the 35-year-old Chaffins . Additionally, Jane Doe was reportedly too intoxicated to recall details of the assault, further rendering her incapable of consent. If convicted, Chaffins faces up to life in prison. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorneys Matilda McCarthy Villalobos and Alyson Hehr are prosecuting the case. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. # # #


title: National Guardsman Arrested and Charged for Possession and Distribution of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Master Sergeant of the 102 Security Forces of the Massachusetts National Guard stationed in Sandwich, Mass. has been arrested and charged for allegedly possessing and distributing child pornography. Nicholas Wells, 43, was charged with possession and distribution of child pornography. Wells was arrested yesterday and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, agreed to voluntarily detention pending trial without prejudice. According to the charging documents, Wells engaged in chats on a messaging application, in which he allegedly discussed his interest in minors and distributed videos depicting child pornography. It is alleged that, following search warrants for Wells’ messaging application account and home, over 300 images and 100 videos depicting child pornography were located on Wells’ phone, along with evidence that Wells allegedly distributed over 70 videos depicting child pornography. The charge of possessing child pornography provides for a sentence up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine up to $250,000. The charge of distributing child pornography provides for a sentence of at leave five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Barnstable and Sandwich Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Sullivan of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . 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: Stoughton Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking

body_text: BOSTON – A member of a nationwide drug trafficking ring was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for drug trafficking charges. During the investigation, over 160 pounds of pure methamphetamine, as well as an AK-47, a Glock with no serial number, two loaded Smith & Wesson handguns and over 4,200 rounds of ammunition were seized. An illegal marijuana grow operation with hundreds of marijuana plants was also dismantled. James Holyoke, 43, of Stoughton, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 14 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. In August 2022, Holyoke pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, as well as to six counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Holyoke was charged along with seven others in July 2021 and was subsequently charged in a superseding indictment that added an additional three defendants in September 2021. Holyoke was arrested in August 2021 and has remained in custody since that arrest. In late 2020, Reshat Alkayisi was identified as a large-scale methamphetamine trafficker, who distributed multi-pound quantities to customers throughout the New England area. Holyoke was identified as one of Alkayisi’s regular large-scale distributors who routinely purchased methamphetamine and redistributed it throughout the Boston area. As part of the investigation, Holyoke participated in 11 controlled purchases of methamphetamine from a cooperating witness. Those controlled purchases resulted in the seizure of over four kilograms of pure methamphetamine. Alkayisi pleaded guilty in April 2024 and in September 2024 sentenced to 23 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Holyoke is the 9th defendant to be sentenced in the case. All remaining defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts Department of Correction; Norfolk County Sherriff’s Office; and Concord, Hudson, Peabody, Reading, Watertown and Waltham Police Departments. Assistance was also provided by the Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alathea Porter and Katherine Ferguson of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: Lynn Man Charged with Multiple Drug Offenses After Selling Drugs to an Undercover Officer

body_text: BOSTON – A Lynn man was arraigned Oct. 22, 2024 in connection to an ongoing investigation of fentanyl counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine. Ricardo Bratini-Perez, a/k/a “Rico,” a/k/a “Ricofromthesin,” 29, was arraigned on four counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, fentanyl analog, and methamphetamine, and one count possession with intent to distribute 400 grams and more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Bratini-Perez on Oct. 3, 2024. According to court records, Bratini-Perez was on probation following his release from state custody on armed robbery and firearm charges. While on probation, Bratini-Perez sold fentanyl and methamphetamine to an undercover officer on three occasions in March 2024 and April 2024. On April 8, 2024, Bratini-Perez was arrested following a fourth sale to the undercover officer. Following his arrest, investigators executed a search warrant at Bratini-Perez’s residence and recovered over 5,000 grams of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. The charge of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of fentanyl provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, five years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $10,000,000. 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; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Lynn Police Chief Christopher P. Reddy made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Essex County District Attorney's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime and Gang 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: Illinois Business Owner Indicted for Tax Crimes

component: Tax Division

body_text: A federal grand jury in Chicago returned an indictment yesterday charging an Illinois business owner for not paying employment taxes, not filing business tax returns, wire fraud and making false statements on a loan application. According to the indictment, Steven Cordell, of Chicago, was the owner and operator of Starfish Transportation Inc., which provided transportation services to students in the Chicago area. He 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. For certain quarters from 2018 through 2024, Cordell allegedly withheld taxes from employees’ wages, as required, but did not pay over the full amount withheld to the IRS. The indictment further alleges that Cordell submitted on his business’s behalf false applications to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) program, two programs created to provide financial assistance to Americans suffering economic harm because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In both, he allegedly submitted unfiled tax returns and provided false financial data. In addition, Cordell allegedly did not disclose that Starfish Transportation had received a PPP loan on the CERTS grant application, as required. The indictment alleges that Cordell received $247,822.51 in fraudulent PPP loans and $598,574.21 in fraudulent CERTS grants. Finally, the indictment alleges Cordell intentionally did not file corporate income tax returns for Starfish Transportation for 2019 through 2023. In total, Cordell is alleged to have caused a tax loss to the IRS of over $600,000. If convicted, Cordell faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for filing a false loan application, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for wire fraud, a maximum penalty of five years in prison for not paying employment taxes and a maximum penalty of one year in prison for each charge of failure to file returns. 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 and the Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General are investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Regina Jeon and Thomas Flynn 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.


title: Ocala Man Arrested For Attempting To Transfer Obscene Material To A Minor

body_text: Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Nicholas Robert Davis (30, Ocala) with attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. If convicted, Davis faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. According to court documents, during an undercover operation on July 24, 2024, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent posed online as a 13-year-old girl (UC) and received a message on an online social media platform from Davis. After learning the UC’s age, Davis and an undercover detective from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, also posing as the minor, had a video call. Davis exposed his genitalia to the detective during the call and, afterward, engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with the UC. He also sent the UC a video of himself masturbating. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg. This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: Aldie man sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for multi-million-dollar investment scheme

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Aldie man was sentenced today to seven years and six months in prison for scheme to defraud dozens of investors in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Missouri, and elsewhere, causing $15 million in losses. According to court documents, Babu Ramaraj, 47, owned DAB Inspection and Consulting Services, LLC (DAB), a small home contractor with modest revenues doing patio and deck projects. Ramaraj claimed to investors and potential investors that DAB had lucrative contracts with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and others, and was a joint venture partner on a Washington DC Water Clean Rivers Project, for tens of millions of dollars each, supposedly to perform engineering inspection work on huge infrastructure projects. Ramaraj claimed he needed to make large upfront bond payments to secure the work but could not obtain bank financing because of the relative youth of DAB as a company and the speed with which DAB needed to secure the funding, which was supposedly not feasible with banks. In support of his claims, Ramaraj supplied to victims falsified contract award letters, invoices, DAB financial records, and other documents to induce dozens of investors to loan funds to DAB. The supposed bonds were never paid. From January 2020 through May 2024, Ramaraj pitched individuals, including members of his Loudon County cricket league, the opportunity to loan DAB money at high interest rates, annualized at 30% or more. Using money from later investors, Ramaraj paid initial investors the promised returns to entice them to continue investing and to recruit other friends and family to invest. After being confronted by two investors and signing an acknowledgment in October 2023 that he had "tampered" with numerous contracts and financial records, Ramaraj continued to make material misrepresentations concerning DAB to other investors and potential investors. Ramaraj was pitching investors up to the time he was arrested on May 30, 2024. He has been held in custody as a flight risk since his arrest. Instead of paying for the promised bonds, Ramaraj electronically transferred investor funds to his online brokerage accounts to engage in securities trades; wired over $1 million to accounts in India; purchased several automobiles, including several Teslas; obtained real properties; incurred millions in stock market trading losses, and made other payments to fund his lifestyle. Ramaraj took in nearly $40 million and caused losses to investors of approximately $15 million. In addition to the prison sentence, the Court ordered Ramaraj to pay over $15 million in restitution. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and David E. Geist, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. The Virginia State Corporation Commission assisted in the investigation of this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell L. Carlberg prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annie Zanobini is handling asset recovery efforts in the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-147.


title: Associate of Violent Gang Pleads Guilty to Drug and Firearms Trafficking Charges

body_text: BOSTON – A Brockton man associated with Cameron Street, a violent Boston gang, pleaded guilty yesterday to drug and firearms trafficking charges. Steve Depina, age 37, pleaded guilty to distribution of cocaine and cocaine base and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for Feb. 25, 2025. During the investigation, Depina was identified as an older associate of the Cameron Street gang who had a history of drug trafficking. In 2018, Depina was convicted in Plymouth Superior Court of possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl and was sentenced to 3-5 years in prison. Depina was recorded as he distributed cocaine and cocaine base to a cooperating witness. Depina also sold a cooperating witness a 9 millimeter firearm and 16 rounds of ammunition. On Aril 15, 2022, during a search of his residence, another firearm and an additional quantity of cocaine base was seized from Depina. According to court documents, Cameron Street, a violent gang based largely in the Dorchester section of Boston that uses violence and threats of violence to preserve, protect, and expand its territory, promote a climate of fear, and enhance its reputation. The charge of distribution of cocaine and cocaine base provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $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. This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . Acting United States Attorney Joshua Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office; Suffolk, Plymouth, Norfolk and Bristol County District Attorney’s Offices; and the Canton, Quincy, Randolph, Somerville, Brockton, Malden, Stoughton, Rehoboth and Pawtucket (R.I.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Charles Dell’Anno of Levy’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case. The remaining defendants named in the indictment are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Tennessee Business Owner Convicted of $35M Fraud Scheme

body_text: A federal jury convicted a Tennessee business owner yesterday for fraudulently billing federal health care programs approximately $35 million for medically unnecessary injections, which were administered over the course of approximately eight years to a population of opioid-dependent patients. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Michael Kestner, 72, of Nashville, at various times owned, operated, and managed pain clinics in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia, which were ultimately branded under the name Pain MD. The trial evidence proved that Kestner, who is not a physician, pressured nurse practitioners and physician assistants employed by clinics in the Pain MD network to provide multiple back injections to many, if not most, patients who came to Pain MD seeking opioid treatment. Witnesses testified that patients who refused to accept regular injections risked being turned away from Pain MD and suffering withdrawals from their opioid medication. The evidence further demonstrated that the injections were uniformly billed as Tendon Origin Insertion injections (TOIs), even though almost none of these patients were diagnosed with pain in their tendons, and in many cases, it would have been medically impossible to administer TOIs with the equipment available to the practitioners. Nevertheless, Kestner relentlessly pressured the providers at his clinics to administer and bill for injections. The evidence also demonstrated that, to keep billings up, Kestner sent regular emails ranking the practitioners’ “production” against one another, criticizing providers for “below average” performance, and otherwise making providers feel they would lose their jobs or let down their clinic staff if they did not perform an increasing number of injections. He ignored repeated notices — including a lawsuit — from insurance companies alerting him that his clinics were billing these injections improperly. Through these practices, Pain MD became Medicare’s single highest biller of TOI procedures in the country, outranking the next highest biller by approximately eightfold. The jury convicted Kestner of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and 12 counts of health care fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 27, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Kelly J. Blackmon of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southeast Field Office, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General; Special Agent in Charge Kim R. Lampkins of the Department of Veteran Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG) Mid-Atlantic Field Office; and Director David Rausch of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) made the announcement. HHS-OIG, DCIS, VA-OIG, and TBI are investigating the case. Assistant Chief James V. Hayes and Trial Attorney Victor Yanz, with the assistance of Assistant Chief Kate Payerle, all of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, are prosecuting the case. The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit .


title: Gallatin Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for December 2019 Violent Crime Spree

body_text: NASHVILLE - Lazavion Kern, 23, of Gallatin, Tennessee, was sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison, following his conviction in December 2023, of multiple armed robbery and firearms offenses, announced Acting United States Attorney Thomas J. Jaworski for the Middle District of Tennessee. During a three-week span in December 2019, Kern robbed four convenience stores in Gallatin and Portland, Tennessee, taking thousands of dollars from the clerks. As part of the final robbery, Kern repeatedly pistol-whipped the clerk, seriously injuring him. Kern was charged by a federal grand jury in January of 2023 with one count of Hobbs Act robbery for each of the four robberies, and two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. “Our office is committed to prosecuting violent criminals and to protecting law abiding citizens,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Jaworski. “This sentence shows that if you commit a violent crime in our community, we will do whatever it takes to find you and hold you accountable for your actions. We stand with our law enforcement partners across Middle Tennessee to seek justice and keep our communities safe.” “This sentence should send a clear message that the FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to keeping our communities safe,” said Joe Carrico, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “This case was another example of law enforcement agencies coming together to combat violent crime and ensure the streets are rid of such callous criminals.” Kern was aided in each robbery by Antonio Jones and, in the third robbery, by Michael Sanchez Fitts. Jones and Fitts pleaded guilty to felonies. Fitts was sentenced on May 22, 2023, to serve 48 months in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. Jones was sentenced on October 10, 2024, to serve 48 months in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gallatin Police Department, the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office, and the Portland Police Department. Significant assistance was provided by the United States Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph P. Montminy and Taylor J. Phillips prosecuted the case. #####


title: Clarkston Woman Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Embezzling  Over Three Million Dollars from Former Employer

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT- A Clarkston woman was sentenced to 3 years in federal prison for wire fraud arising out of an embezzlement scheme targeting her former employer, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. Joining Ison in the announcement was Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cheyvoryea Gibson. Sally Lynn Elmore, 56, pleaded guilty in July 2024 to one count of wire fraud arising from a scheme to defraud her former employer that resulted in over $3 million in losses. In addition to the 3 years’ imprisonment, United States District Judge Brandy R. McMillion ordered Elmore to pay $2.2 million in restitution to her victims and to pay a $3.2 million forfeiture money judgment. According to Court documents, from April 2019 to December 2022, Elmore abused her position of trust and used her access to the payroll and banking systems of her employer to execute a scheme to fraudulently direct electronic payments—in the form of salary, bonuses, and expense reimbursements that she knew she was not entitled to receive—from her employer’s bank account to her personal bank accounts. In order to conceal her fraud, Elmore prepared and presented falsified financial statements to her employer’s board, representing that the company was still in possession of funds that she had, in fact, fraudulently directed to herself. She also concealed the missing funds from the company’s insurer, causing the company to lose coverage for losses from theft. In total, Elmore stole over $3 million and gambled most of it away. “Elmore violated the trust placed in her as the director of finance and human resources for her company, stealing over three million dollars, nearly driving the company to insolvency, and putting the livelihoods of her fellow employees in jeopardy, stated United States Attorney Ison. “Our office will aggressively prosecute those individuals who abuse their authority to line their own pockets at others’ expense.” "Over the course of three years, Ms. Elmore betrayed her employer by exploiting her access to the company’s finances, stealing millions of dollars, and covering up her actions through deception,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “The FBI has zero tolerance for fraud against individuals or institutions and will continue to work with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute those involved in embezzlement schemes. We are committed to ensuring that anyone who abuses their position of trust faces justice." The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alyse Wu. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.