title: Former Social Media Influencer Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Scheming to Obtain More Than $1.2 Million in COVID-19 Cares Act Loans

body_text: Greenbelt , Maryland – Denish Sahadevan, a/k/a “Danny Devan,” age 31, of Potomac, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering, relating to his scheme to defraud lenders and the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) of more than $1.2 million in Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”). The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and John T. Perez, Special Agent in Charge, Headquarters Operations, Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was a federal law enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Financial assistance offered through the CARES Act included forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the PPP, as well as EIDLs to help small businesses meet their financial obligations, both administered through the SBA. According to the plea agreement, beginning in about March 2020, Sahadevan submitted EIDL and PPP application on behalf of four Maryland entities that he controlled, often creating fraudulent and fabricated documents, such as tax forms and bank statements, to be used in the applications. In addition, Sahadevan used the identifying information belonging to a tax preparer that he knew, without that person’s knowledge or agreement, to legitimize the fabricated tax forms he created and submitted. Specifically, Sahadevan admitted that he used his home in Rockville, Maryland to create the fabricated documents and electronically apply for EIDL and PPP loans. Sahadevan applied for approximately 71 PPP loans totaling approximately $941,794.75, and successfully obtained approximately $146,000 in PPP benefits. Sahadevan applied for and received eight EIDLs totaling $283,900. On the EIDL loans, Sahadevan induced his father into becoming a co-signer for the loan, then forged his father’s signature on the loan application. Sahadevan’s father would not have agreed to sponsor the loan had he known of its fraudulent nature and contents. As detailed in the plea agreement, Sahadevan caused the fraud proceeds to be deposited into bank accounts he opened specifically for that purpose, then laundered the funds by engaging in several monetary transactions, including purchasing and trading securities and cryptocurrency, settling personal debts and making payments to his girlfriend. In addition, between December 16, 2021 and January 10, 2022, Sahadevan applied to a financial institution for a $1,336,000 loan to purchase a property in Potomac, Maryland. In the loan application, Sahadevan failed to disclose the $283,900 he owed to the United States for the EIDL benefits he fraudulently received. Relying on Sahedevan’s representations, the financial institution approved the loan, which was used to purchase the Potomac property. On February 24, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Sahadevan’s Potomac residence and recovered multiple electronic devices, a can containing approximate 18 driver’s licenses belonging to other individuals, what appeared to be a gold physical Bitcoin in a black case, and approximately $17,043 in cash found in a suitcase in a bedroom closet. The cash and Bitcoin constitute proceeds of the fraud scheme. As part of his plea agreement, Sahadevan will forfeit the cash and Bitcoin seized during the search on February 24, 2023 and will be required to pay restitution and a forfeiture money judgement of at least $429,906. Sahadevan faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud; a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for money laundering; and a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed for aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman has scheduled sentencing for September 21, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of three 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 . United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Bijon A. Mostoufi, who is prosecuting the case. He also recognized the assistance of the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber. 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: Kemper County Men Found Guilty of Conspiring to Possess  with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

body_text: Jackson, Miss. – Three Kemper County men were found guilty of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Acting Special Agent in Charge Eric Delaune of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans. Donovan Sherill Bourrage, 45, of DeKalb, Orlando Bourrage, 48, of DeKalb, and Cordaryl Ford, 36, of Porterville, were charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Donovan Bourrage was also charged in an additional count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine for his actions on a separate occasion. Cordaryl Ford entered a plea of guilty to his charge on the first day of trial in U.S. District Court in Jackson. After a week-long trial, Donovan Bourrage was found guilty of both counts and Orlando Bourrage was found guilty of his charge. According to court documents, in May 2020, Donovan Sherill Bourrage, Orlando Bourrage, and Cordaryl Ford, conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine in and around the Kemper County area. Specifically, on May 28, 2020, agents intercepted a package shipped from California to Mississippi destined for delivery to Cordaryl Ford, who had previously agreed to sell methamphetamine to Donovan Bourrage and Orlando Bourrage. Both Donovan and Orlando intended to resell the methamphetamine in the Kemper County area. The package contained marijuana, cocaine and approximately 9 pounds of methamphetamine. Then in July of 2020, after the anticipated delivery was thwarted, Donovan Bourrage reached out to a known narcotics trafficker in federal custody at the Stone County Detention Center in Wiggins, Mississippi to obtain methamphetamine. The detainee elicited the help of his cousin, who ultimately met Donovan Bourrage to deliver the negotiated pound of methamphetamine. Donovan Bourrage would meet the detainee’s cousin again to obtain an additional half-pound of methamphetamine. Cordaryl Ford will be sentenced on August 28, 2023. Donovan Bourrage and Orlando Bourrage will both be sentenced on September 5, 2023. Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. “HSI will continue to direct its full range of investigative authorities toward those who smuggle deadly drugs into our communities,” said HSI New Orleans acting Special Agent in Charge Eric Delaune. “This verdict demonstrates the resolve of HSI and all our law enforcement partners to hold those who traffic in drugs accountable for their actions.” The case is the result of an extensive investigation, dubbed “Orlando Land,” which began as an operation targeting illegal drug trafficking in the Neshoba and Kemper County, Mississippi areas. “Orlando Land” is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, Kemper County Sheriff’s Office, Neshoba County Sheriff’s Office, Philadelphia Police Department, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Mississippi National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, and the Madison Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Keesha Middleton and Carla Clark.


title: Wolf Point woman admits murder charge in death of child

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: GREAT FALLS — A Wolf Point woman suspected in the death of a child on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation admitted to a murder charge today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Heather Dawn Smith, aka Heather Dawn Yellow Owl, 32, appeared for arraignment on a superseding information charging her with second degree murder and pleaded guilty to the crime. Smith faces a maximum of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Nov. 1. Smith was detained pending further proceedings. The government alleged in court documents that on Nov. 8, 2020 in Wolf Point, Smith beat the victim, a two-year-old child identified as Jane Doe. When Smith checked on the victim on Nov. 12, the child was unresponsive. The child was transported to the hospital in Wolf Point, where she was pronounced dead. The cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lori Harper Suek and Ryan G. Weldon are prosecuting the case. The FBI, Fort Peck Tribes Criminal Investigation and Wolf Point Police Department conducted the investigation. XXX


title: New Jersey Doctor Admits Buying and Selling Oncology Medication for Profit

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey doctor today admitted using her medical license – and allowing others to use it – to purchase prescription oncology medications under false pretenses to sell them for profit, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Anise Kachadourian, 55, of Towaco, New Jersey, a board-certified oncologist, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court to an information charging her with unlawfully selling prescription cancer medication, which had been previously purchased using her medical license and under the representation that such medication was to be used to treat her patients. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: While working in her medical practice’s offices in various locations in New Jersey, Kachadourian was recruited by an individual who owned a pharmacy and also owned and operated two businesses that were wholesale distributors of prescription drugs. At the request of this individual and others working with him, in return for payment of approximately $5,000 per month, Kachadourian used her medical license – and allowed others to use it – to purchase expensive prescription drugs, primarily, cold-chain biologic infusion medications that typically are used to treat cancers, macular degeneration, and autoimmune diseases. By recruiting and using Kachadourian and her medical license to purchase the drugs, these individuals were able to obtain prescription drugs from the pharmaceutical manufacturers’ authorized distributors that they would not otherwise have been permitted to purchase. They were then able to sell them at a profit through their two businesses. In purchasing the drugs, Kachadourian and the individuals made numerous false and misleading representations to the pharmaceutical manufacturers and authorized distributors, including that Kachadourian purchased the drugs to use to treat her patients, and that the drugs would not be resold or redistributed. In actuality, none of the drugs were administered to any of Kachadourian’s patients, but were ultimately sold to customers of the two businesses. Kachadourian was paid more than $170,000 for purchasing and allowing others to purchase in her name millions of dollars in prescription drugs during the scheme, which ran from October 2016 through January 2019. Kachadourian is the third doctor who has pleaded guilty in connection with this fraudulent scheme. The sale of prescription drugs purchased by a healthcare entity is punishable by a maximum of three years in prison and a $10,000 fine. In her plea agreement, Kachadourian also agreed to make restitution for the full amount of any loss resulting from her offense. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2024. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations New York Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Fernando P. McMillan; and special agents of U.S. Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas Mahoney, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diana Vondra Carrig and Sara A. Aliabadi of the U.S Attorney’s Office in Camden. kachadourian.information.pdf


title: Grant County Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Producing Child Pornography

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Western

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that James C. Gibson, 54, Fennimore, Wisconsin was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 18 years in federal prison for using minors to engage in sexual activity and recording the activity. Judge Conley also ordered a life term of supervised release to follow the prison sentence. Gibson pleaded guilty to this charge on January 31, 2023. In early November 2021, the mother of a minor born in 2010 contacted the Fennimore Police Department about inappropriate content she found on a phone that had been used by the minor. The investigation revealed that James Gibson had been regularly exchanging inappropriately affectionate messages with the minor. Law enforcement interviewed Gibson, who revealed that he previously had a video depicting child pornography on his phone. As a result, the officer seized Gibson’s phone and searched it pursuant to a warrant. The search revealed that within Gibson’s phone were sexually explicit images of the minor, and those of a second minor, also born in 2010. In addition, the phone contained sexually explicit videos of unknown minors. After finding the images of the known minors, law enforcement interviewed them and both confirmed that the defendant took nude pictures of them at his residence in Fennimore. Finally, according to one of the minors, the defendant took nude pictures of them from the summer of 2020 through September 2021. In sentencing Gibson, Judge Conley observed that the defendant groomed multiple 11 and 12-year old children by using their interests to get close to them, showered them with gifts, and paid for their phone and phone plans. Gibson then coerced two into producing child pornography, and sexually assaulted at least one of them. Judge Conley found that Gibson manipulated the victims and their families leading to abhorrent abuse, and that he posed a significant risk to minors in the community. The charge against Gibson was the result of an investigation conducted by the Fennimore Police Department, with the assistance of Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and the Office of the Grant County District Attorney. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Przybylinski Finn prosecuted this case.


title: Five Jersey City Gang Members and Associates Sentenced to Prison for Gang-Related Stabbing

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – Five members and associates of a neighborhood street gang in Hudson County, New Jersey, have been sentenced to prison for their respective roles in a gang-related stabbing, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Yahsier Brown, 21, was sentenced today to 51 months in prison. Jaylen Boone, 22, was sentenced on May 2, 2023, to 56 months in prison. Jamil Bowens, 22, was sentenced on April 5, 2023, to 53 months in prison. Divine Abraham, 22, was sentenced on March 3, 2023, to 51 months in prison. Jermaine Jennings, 22, was sentenced on Jan. 4, 2023, to 57 months in prison. All of the defendants were also sentenced to three years of supervised release. All of the defendants are Jersey City residents, and all were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty in Newark federal court According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: On Aug. 3, 2020, Brown, Jennings, Abraham, Bowens, Boone, and three others, all of whom are associated with a street gang operating in and around the Curries Woods Public Housing Complex in Jersey City – identified as “Curries Woods” or the “Tay Tay Shrimp Gang” or the “Sharks” – assaulted a rival gang member in retaliation for a prior gang-related assault. As the victim was walking down a street in Jersey City, Brown, Jennings, Abraham, Bowens, Boone, and the others approached in two cars, parked in the middle of the street, and violently assaulted the victim, who was punched, kicked, and stabbed and suffered life-threatening injuries. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited the special agents and task force officers of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller; the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director James Shea; the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez; and the Hudson County Department of Corrections with the investigation leading to sentencings. This investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals, the Jersey City Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, the Hudson County Jail, and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Agnew of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.


title: Operation Smoke and Mirrors Update: Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Nicholas Bradford Confere, 35, of Mammoth, pleaded guilty today to using a communications facility to facilitate a drug trafficking offense. Confere admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston area. According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 4, 2022, Confere used a land line telephone in Mammoth to arrange the purchase of methamphetamine from a co-defendant. During the call, Confere informed the co-defendant that other third-party individuals also had money to purchase methamphetamine from the co-defendant. The arranged meeting took place and Confere obtained a quantity of methamphetamine from the co-defendant. Confere admitted that he obtained this methamphetamine partially on consignment, meaning he was expected to pay the co-defendant after he sold the methamphetamine. Confere further admitted to using a cellular phone to inform the co-defendant that he had sold the methamphetamine that he obtained, and therefore had the money to pay the co-defendant. Confere is scheduled to be sentenced on September 20, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of four years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Confere is among 30 individuals indicted as a result of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that has yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history. Law enforcement seized well over 200 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 28 pounds of cocaine, 20 pounds of fentanyl, 18 firearms and $747,000 in cash. Eight other co-defendants have pleaded guilty. Indictments against the other defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department. Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case. The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:23-cr-4 and 2:23-cr-68. ###


title: Piedmont Jail Escapee Pleads Guilty

component: USAO - Virginia, Eastern

body_text: RICHMOND, Va. – A North Carolina man pleaded guilty today to escaping from the Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, Virginia. According to court documents, Bruce Carroll Callahan, Jr., 44, was detained at the Piedmont Regional Jail pending trial on federal drug distribution and firearms charges in the Eastern District of North Carolina. On the night of April 30, 2023, Callahan left his housing unit though an unsecured door and scaled the fences surrounding the jail. He remained at large until he surrendered to local law enforcement officers in Farmville on the morning of May 8, 2023. Callahan is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Shannon Saylor, Acting U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Moore is prosecuting 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. 3:23-cr-065.


title: Real Estate Agent Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Sexually Exploit Children

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT – A real estate agent was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for conspiring to sexually exploit children, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today. Ison was joined in the announcement by Angie M. Salazar, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Detroit Field Office. Dennis Michael Putman, age 60, of Warren, Michigan, was sentenced by United States District Judge Sean F. Cox. As part of his guilty plea, Putman had admitted that he used the WhatsApp messaging application to conspire with another individual to produce sexually explicit images of minors, with his co-conspirator producing and sending to him at least one video of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Law enforcement officers discovered this offense when searching Putman’s residence as part of a drug investigation. Putman cooperated regarding his role in the drug offense and directed officers to look at his WhatsApp account for drug-related messages. In the application, officers found sexually explicit conversations with his co-conspirator regarding the exploitation of children and a sexually explicit video of a minor. An investigation later determined that these conversations continued for nearly two months, with Putman frequently demanding that his co-conspirator produce sexually explicit images of young minors that frequently were in her care. Putman—who was employed as a real estate agent—secured his drug-addicted and impoverished co-conspirator’s involvement in part by frequently paying her small sums of money. “This defendant took advantage of his co-conspirator’s drug addiction and mental health issues to cause the exploitation of children. This sentence reflects his role in this disturbing crime,” U.S. Attorney Ison said. “Predators who seek to exploit children, whether by themselves or through others, will be caught and brought to justice,” said HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie M. Salazar. “I’m proud of the law enforcement partners and prosecutors who helped remove this threat to our communities.” This case was investigated by the County of Macomb Enforcement Team (COMET) and Homeland Security Investigations and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Rawsthorne.


title: Raleigh County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug Crime

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – David Jeffrey Edwards, 47, of Daniels, was sentenced today to seven years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 24, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a warrant at Edwards’ residence in Daniels. Edwards admitted to possessing 19 grams of methamphetamine packaged in nine separate small bags, 1 gram of fentanyl and $958 found during the search. Edwards further admitted that he intended to distribute the controlled substances. Edwards also admitted to selling a half-gram of fentanyl to a confidential informant at his residence in December 2021. Edwards told officers during the February 24, 2022, search that he had been selling an average of a half-ounce of methamphetamine weekly for several weeks. Officers also found an improvised explosive device during the search, a glass bottle filled with gunpowder, metal spheres, projectiles and other objects with a length of cordage inserted in the bottle opening as a means of ignition. Edwards admitted that he made the improvised explosive device. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit. United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-125. ###


title: Spokane Resident Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Obtaining More than $360,000 in COVID- 19 Relief Funding

component: USAO - Washington, Eastern

body_text: Spokane, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Marisa Beck, age 40, of Spokane, pled guilty to fraudulently obtaining more than $360,000 in COVID-19 relief funding intended for endangered small businesses. United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke accepted Ms. Beck’s guilty plea and set sentencing for September 27, 2023, at 11 a.m., in Spokane. This conviction is the eighth felony conviction announced by the Eastern Washington COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force, which launched in 2022. On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act provided a number of programs through which eligible small businesses could request and obtain relief funding intended to mitigate the economic impacts of the pandemic for small and local businesses. One such program, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), provided forgivable loans to eligible small businesses to retain jobs and maintain payroll during the pandemic. Another program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, provided low-interest bridge funding for small businesses placed at risk during the pandemic. “COVID-19 relief programs quickly ran out of money due to the number of businesses that requested funding, meaning that struggling, deserving small businesses were not able to obtain critically needed funding to keep their businesses afloat during the shutdowns and disruptions caused by the COVID pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Waldref. “We created the Eastern Washington COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force because it is critical to the strength and safety of our communities that we all work together to combat pandemic-related fraud and bring much-needed accountability to these programs. The Strike Force works to ensure that limited resources are used to protect our local small businesses and the critical jobs and services that they provide for the community.” In February 2022, U.S. Attorney Waldref and the U.S. Attorney’s Office began working with federal law enforcement agencies to create and launch a COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force that would leverage partnerships between different agencies to aggressively investigate and prosecute fraud against COVID-19 relief programs in Eastern Washington. The Strike Force consists of agency representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Department of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs OIG, General Services Administration OIG, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Energy OIG, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) OIG, Department of Labor OIG, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and others. Cases investigated and prosecuted by the Strike Force have resulted in numerous indictments and convictions, and have recovered millions of dollars in penalties and restitution for the public. In the plea agreement accepted by the court, and in information disclosed during court proceedings, Ms. Beck admitted to fraudulently obtaining $368,829 in PPP and EIDL funding for three purported businesses: Cyra Solar LLC, Beck N’ Call Landscape, LLC, and Value in People Consulting, LLC. Ms. Beck admitted that these entities were not eligible for CARES Act funding because Beck N’ Call Landscape and Cyra Solar were not active businesses as of February 2020, and because she submitted false and fraudulent payroll, revenue, and other information associated with the three purported businesses in order to fraudulently obtain CARES Act funding. “I commend the stellar investigative work on these cases performed by the Strike Force and especially in this case by VA OIG,” said U.S. Attorney Waldref. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to strengthen our communities by protecting our small and local businesses.” The charges to which Beck pled carries a maximum sentence of up to 5 years in federal prison. The cases were investigated by the Eastern Washington COVID Fraud Strike Force, and in particular by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Spokane Resident Office, with investigative assistance and support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Spokane Resident Agency, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, Western Regional Office, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigative Division, Seattle Field Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Tyler H.L. Tornabene are prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States. Case No. 2:23-cr-00055-MKD


title: Butler County man sentenced to 30 years in prison for creating pornography of young boys through online gaming system

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: CINCINNATI – A Butler County man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 360 months in prison for producing child pornography. Jason Thomas Gmoser, 43, of Hamilton, used a webcam while playing Playstation games online to film and record sexually explicit videos of himself and minor males. According to court documents, Gmoser was identified through an FBI Violent Crimes Against Children investigation as an administrator of an online bulletin board service specializing in the advertisement and distribution of child pornography. Gmoser possessed more than 900 video files recorded between approximately November 2011 and September 2014 in computer folders called “Movies (PS3)” and “Movies (Skype).” For example, one sexually explicit video in the PS3 folder was more than 18 minutes long and featured an 8-year-old boy and an 11-year-old-boy. Gmoser traveled outside of Ohio to the 8-year-old victim’s home on multiple occasions. While there, Gmoser took the boy to the movies, out to eat, and purchased items for him and his family, including a Playstation. Gmoser recorded and saved 448 sexually explicit videos of the victim from March 2013 until September 2014 through the Playstation network. Gmoser offered Playstation gift cards to the boy for exposing himself. As part of this case, the government seized 18 hard drives, three computers, two web cameras and multiple memory sticks and thumb drives. Gmoser pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Ohio in December 2022. Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas R. Cole. Executive Assistant United States Attorney Christy L. Muncy and Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Oakley are representing the United States in this case. # # #


title: Madison Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Cocaine Conspiracy

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Larry Dotson, 41, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to five years in prison for attempted distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine. Dotson pleaded guilty to this charge on November 1, 2022. The government’s investigation revealed that Dotson purchased large amounts of cocaine from co-defendant Winfield Agee between 2018 and 2020. Dotson either drove to Chicago to pick up the cocaine or received it from one of Agee’s drug couriers in the Madison area. On November 25, 2020, officers stopped a vehicle in Madison after the driver was seen meeting with Agee earlier that day in Chicago. Officers searched the vehicle and found one kilogram of cocaine. The subsequent investigation, including text messages between the driver and Dotson, revealed that the driver planned to deliver the cocaine to Dotson. On January 12, 2022, officers went to an apartment building located at 2824 Landmark Place in Madison to arrest Dotson. When officers arrived, they observed Dotson in the parking lot transferring items from the trunk of one car to the trunk of another car. As officers approached Dotson, he pulled an item out of his pocket and threw it under a parked vehicle. Officers searched under the car and located approximately two grams of cocaine. During a search of Dotson’s vehicle, officers found $22,000. Officers also found $3,560 in Dotson’s coat pocket. As part of his plea agreement in the case, Dotson agreed to forfeit the seized cash to the United States because it was proceeds from drug trafficking. After Dotson was arrested, officers executed a search warrant of his apartment at 2824 Landmark Place. During the search, officers found 79 grams of powder cocaine, 163 grams of crack cocaine, and 11 grams of methamphetamine. A total of eight individuals have been charged with and pleaded guilty to participating in the cocaine distribution scheme. Agee’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 2, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. The charge against Dotson is the result of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Madison Police Department, and the Dane County Narcotics Task Force. The investigation was conducted and funded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a multi-agency task force that coordinates long-term narcotics trafficking investigations. The prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner.


title: Brooklyn Attorneys Sentenced For Asylum Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ILONA DZHAMGAROVA and ARTHUR ARCADIAN were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil for their roles in an immigration fraud conspiracy. DZHAMGAROVA, a leader of the scheme and an immigration lawyer, was sentenced to two years in prison, and ARCADIAN, also an attorney, was sentenced to six months in prison. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Out of her Brighton Beach law office, Dzhamgarova, assisted by Arcadian and others, invented offensive lies to cheat our country’s asylum process. The asylum system is designed to help some of the world’s most vulnerable people — those who justifiably fear imprisonment, assault, torture, or death because of their religion, nationality, ethnicity, political views, gender, or sexual orientation. When attorneys cynically exploit those fears and line their pockets by preparing and filing fraudulent documents and coaching clients to lie under oath, they abuse the trust placed in them and undermine the asylum system.” According to the Indictment, other documents filed in this case, and statements made in open court: Between November 2018 and December 2021, ILONA DZHAMGAROVA, an immigration attorney, ran the Dzhamgarova Firm, an immigration services firm based in Brooklyn, New York. The Dzhamgarova Firm worked with clients — primarily aliens from Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States — seeking visas, asylum, citizenship, and other forms of legal status in the United States. Among other things, the Dzhamgarova Firm advised certain of its clients regarding the manner in which they were most likely to obtain asylum in this country, fully understanding that those clients did not legitimately qualify for asylum. The firm also prepared and submitted to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) clients’ fraudulent Form I-589 asylum applications, asylum affidavits — statements of an asylum applicant’s personal history and claimed basis for asylum, often including allegations of past persecution — and related supporting documentation. Members and associates of the firm also coached certain clients to lie under oath during interviews conducted by USCIS Asylum Officers and provided legal representation to their clients during various immigration proceedings. Among other things, DZHAMGAROVA advised clients to seek asylum by falsely claiming that they were members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer community who suffered persecution in their native countries, when DZHAMGAROVA fully understood that these clients were not members of that community and suffered no such persecution. Additionally, DZHAMGAROVA and her husband, ARTHUR ARCADIAN, also an attorney, prepared and submitted clients’ fraudulent asylum applications and affidavits to USCIS, under penalty of perjury, fully understanding that these documents at times contained material falsehoods. DZHAMGAROVA, ARCADIAN, and others, including co-defendant Igor Reznik, also coached certain clients to lie in asylum interviews conducted by USCIS asylum officers and represented these clients as they lied under oath during immigration proceedings. The Dzhamgarova Firm also employed writers, including Reznik, who knowingly concocted and drafted clients’ fraudulent asylum affidavits so that they could be submitted as part of clients’ asylum applications. These affidavits, which were designed to support clients’ persecution claims, conveyed narrations of clients’ personal histories that were filled with falsehoods, including events and incidents of alleged persecution that were fabricated by Reznik and his co-conspirators. * * * DZHAMGAROVA, 46, and ARCADIAN, 44, both of Brooklyn New York, previously pled guilty on January 25, 2023, before Judge Vyskocil to immigration fraud conspiracy. As part of their sentences, DZHAMGAROVA was sentenced to two years of supervised release, ordered to forfeit $540,000, and ordered to pay a $15,000 fine, and ARCADIAN was sentenced to two years of supervised release, ordered to forfeit $1,500, and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. Reznik, 41, of New York, New York, who also previously pled guilty to immigration fraud conspiracy, is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Vyskocil on June 7, 2023. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, USCIS’s New York Asylum Office and Fraud Detection and National Security Unit, and Homeland Security Investigations. Mr. Williams thanked United States Customs and Border Protection for its assistance. This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David R. Felton and Jonathan E. Rebold are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Militia Members Indicted for Conspiracy to Murder Border Patrol Officers and Attempted Murder of FBI Agents

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Two members of the self-styled 2nd American Militia who conspired to go “to war with border patrol” have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to a conspiracy to murder Border Patrol officers, which ended in a shootout with FBI agents who arrested them on the eve of their planned trip to the United States – Mexico border. Bryan C. Perry, 37, of Clarksville, Tennessee, and Jonathan S. O’Dell, 33, of Warsaw, Mo., were charged in a 44-count second superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City on Wednesday, May 30. The second superseding indictment replaces prior charges filed against Perry and O’Dell and contains additional charges. Perry and O’Dell remain in federal custody without bond following separate detention hearings in which the court ruled they pose a danger to the community. The indictment alleges that Perry and O’Dell participated in a conspiracy to murder officers and employees of the United States government. They allegedly planned to travel to Texas to shoot at illegal immigrants crossing the United States – Mexico border. According to the indictment, they also planned to murder officers and employees of the U.S. Border Patrol who would attempt to stop them. In addition, the indictment also alleges that Perry and O’Dell participated in a conspiracy to assault federal officers and employees and a conspiracy to injure federal officers and employees. The indictment also charges them together in seven counts of the attempted murder of FBI special agents, seven counts of assaulting FBI special agents with a deadly weapon, three counts of assaulting FBI special agents, 14 counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of damaging federal property. Perry is also charged with two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number, one count of the possession of body armor by a violent felon, one count of possessing an explosive, and one count of threatening to injure another person. O’Dell is also charged with one count of possessing a firearm while subject to a court order of protection, one count of threatening to injure another person, and one count of making a false statement to the FBI. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall of 2022, the indictment says, Perry and O’Dell recruited and attempted to recruit other individuals to join their militia group. They advertised a recruitment event in Warsaw prior to leaving for the United States – Mexico border. On Sept. 5, 2022, Perry traveled from Tennessee to Warsaw to live with O’Dell. They allegedly used O’Dell’s residence as a staging site as they prepared for their trip to the border and collected firearms, paramilitary gear, ammunition, and other supplies. The federal indictment cites a series of social media posts from Perry. On Sept. 12, 2022, Perry posted a video on TikTok in which he discussed illegal immigrants coming into the United States from Mexico. Perry stated that the U.S. Border Patrol was committing treason by allowing these illegal immigrants to enter the United States, and that the penalty for treason was death. Perry posted another video on TikTok the next day in which he stated that he was “ready to go to war against this government.” On Sept. 22, 2022, Perry posted a video on TikTok in which he stated, “we’re out to shoot to kill” and that “our group is gonna go protect this country.” On Oct. 3, 2022, Perry posted a video on TikTok in which he stated, “we were going out huntin’,” that his group was taking their “full kits,” and that they were leaving for the United States – Mexico border on Oct. 8, 2022. On Oct. 3, 2022, Perry held a phone conversation with an unidentified individual in which Perry stated they were going to go down to the United States – Mexico border to “start a war.” Perry expressed their plan to shoot people coming across the border and to shoot “federal agents” who would oppose them. Perry also stated they would acquire gear and supplies from federal agents after they “take a couple of ’em out.” On Oct. 7, 2022, according to the indictment, Perry and O’Dell had amassed six firearms, 23 magazines filled with ammunition, 1,770 rounds of various other ammunition, two sets of body armor with corresponding plate carrier vests, a handheld radio, two sniper rests, two gas masks, two items that appeared to be ballistic helmets, and multiple containers of a binary explosive mixture commonly sold as an exploding target. On Oct. 7, 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant at O’Dell’s residence and took O’Dell and Perry into custody. Federal agents approached the property in vehicles with red and blue lights activated. As the FBI approached, an agent utilized a loudspeaker on one of the vehicles, stating that they were with the FBI and that they had a search warrant for the residence. The FBI agent began to repeat the announcement, again stating that they were with the FBI, when gunshots were fired from a front window at the lead FBI vehicle. Several rounds hit the lead FBI vehicle. According to the indictment, Perry fired 11 shots from his Voodoo Innovations multi-caliber rifle with an AM-15 lower receiver. FBI special agents did not return fire and, after the gunshots ceased, the FBI established a perimeter and began communicating with the persons inside the residence to come out. The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Clark and Ashley Turner. It was investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.


title: Raleigh County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun Crime

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – Gregory Kincaid, 31, of Cool Ridge, was sentenced today to two years and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 7, 2022, law enforcement officers were executing a search warrant at a Cool Ridge residence when Kincaid arrived at the residence in a vehicle. After officers approached the vehicle, Kincaid admitted that he possessed a Smith & Wesson, model M&P Shield, 9mm pistol. Kincaid told officers he had stolen the firearm from his father and had brought it to the residence being searched to sell or trade for money or controlled substances. Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Kincaid knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for third-offense driving revoked for DUI in Raleigh County Circuit Court on November 25, 2020. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, and the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department. United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-192. ###


title: Pasquotank County Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Offenses

component: USAO - North Carolina, Eastern

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – An Elizabeth City, N.C. man was sentenced today to 84 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release for the receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) between October 2011 and March 2021. On January 3, 2023, Brian Keith Corp, 59, pled guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography. According to court documents and other information presented in court, investigators received a cyber tip in March of 2021 which indicated that a phone number, later confirmed to belong to Corp, had uploaded 5 files containing CSAM. Investigators obtained a search warrant and met Corp at his residence on March 10, 2021. Corp initially denied knowledge of any CSAM and consented to a search of his electronic devices. As the forensic preview examination was being conducted on-scene, Corp made several admissions. A full forensic examination revealed over 5,500 files containing CSAM, including images and videos depicting sexual abuse of toddlers. The forensic examination also revealed a carefully organized collection of CSAM that indicated Corp had been engaged in the offense conduct for nearly 10 years. While on pretrial release, Corp absconded and was on the run for several days before authorities ultimately located him in Virginia. Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Department of Homeland Security, Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan M. Stephany prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. 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. 5:22-CR-00007-BO.


title: Container Home Charlatans Sentenced to a Combined 34 Years in Federal Prison

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: EL PASO, Texas – Two men were sentenced in a federal court in El Paso Tuesday to 25 years and nine years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering. According to court documents, Leslie Robert Burk, 55, of El Paso, and Ethan Sturgis Day, 59, of Idyllwild, California, conspired, engaged, and participated in defrauding customers/victims through a business, Atomic Container Homes, Incorporated (ACHI) and other similarly named businesses. As the principals of ACHI, Burk and Day, using the business website, enticed people into contracts for the manufacture of container homes and other shipping container products, many of which were never delivered and many of which were sub-par. The two were arrested following an investigation through which the FBI found multiple individuals who, as former clients of Burk and Day believed they had been defrauded. The investigation revealed that the co-conspirators defrauded at least 41 victims for a combined total of more than $2.5 million. Several people spent thousands of dollars and never received anything they contracted for. The two defendants were named in various counts of a 33-count indictment filed in April 2019. A federal jury convicted Burk and Day on 23 counts and 22 counts, respectively, on June 22, 2022. At Tuesday’s sentencing hearings, Burk received a sentence of 25 years in federal prison. Day was sentenced to nine years in prison. A restitution hearing is currently scheduled for July 11. “Claiming to own a legitimate business for the sake of defrauding unsuspecting victims is a reprehensible crime and one that my office will continue to prosecute in order to protect our citizens from fraud and financial exploitation,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas. “This sentencing holds the defendants accountable for their fraudulent scheme while providing restitution to the victims. I appreciate the efforts of our partners at the FBI for their role in the investigation, ultimately leading to the successful outcome of this case.” “Out of pure greed, Burk and his co-conspirator, Day, defrauded consumers of a basic and essential product which is providing homes to families. They victimized many hardworking people and businesses, not only from El Paso, but across the nation,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey R. Downey of the FBI El Paso Field Office. “Their sentencing shows the FBI will not tolerate financial predators living off empty promises for their own personal gain, and we will seek justice for all financial fraud victims, regardless of whether they are located in El Paso or the rest of the country.” The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stanley Serwatka prosecuted the case. ###


title: Former Owner of Plymouth Restaurant Agrees to Plead Guilty to Tax Evasion

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – The former owner of a beachfront restaurant and bar in Plymouth has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to concealing business income from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and paying restaurant employees under the table. Rudolph Ferrucci, 65, of Plymouth, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of tax evasion and one count of failure to collect and pay over employee taxes. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court. According to the charging documents, Ferrucci owned and operated Sandy’s, a seasonal, cash-only restaurant and bar. It is alleged that, from 2016 through 2020, Ferrucci diverted a portion of Sandy’s sales receipts for cash payments to suppliers and employees and to personal income for himself and his spouse. Ferrucci allegedly kept two sets of financial records for Sandy’s, including one omitting diverted sales receipts, which Ferrucci’s tax return preparer used to report Sandy’s income to the IRS. As a result of this alleged conduct, Ferrucci underreported his and his spouse’s personal income tax obligations by $1.2 million over those four years, causing a loss to the IRS of over $250,000. It is also alleged that Ferrucci paid Sandy’s employees more than $315,000 in cash wages, memorialized in a handwritten “second set of books” and not recorded in Sandy’s payroll records or tax returns. By not reporting these cash wages to the IRS, Ferrucci allegedly caused Sandy’s to fail to pay over $75,000 in employment taxes owed to the IRS. The charge of tax evasion provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of failure to collect and pay over employee taxes provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution to the IRS. 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 Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of Levy’s Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud 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: Beckley Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug Crime

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – Tyrone Douglas Amar, 46, of Beckley, was sentenced today to four years and seven months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 8, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a Beckley hotel room. Officers encountered Amar in the hallway near the hotel room during the search and took him into custody. Amar admitted that he possessed approximately 59 grams of fentanyl, 45 grams of methamphetamine and more than $2,850 found by officers on his person. Amar further admitted that he intended to distribute the controlled substances. Krystle Elaine Cresce, 34, of Glen Morgan, was staying at the hotel room where officers executed the search warrant. During the search, officers found quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, $917, and three firearms: a SCCY Model CPX-2 9mm semi-automatic pistol, a Springfield Armory Model 911 9mm semi-automatic pistol, and a Mossburg, Model 500 12-gauge shotgun. Cresce admitted that she worked with and assisted Amar in the possession and distribution of the heroin and methamphetamine. Cresce pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, and was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison on January 27, 2023. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and Beckley City Police Department. United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Alex Hamner, Timothy D. Boggess and Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the cases. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-cr-265 and 5:23-cr-8. ###


title: Drug Traffickers Found with Large Quantities of Methamphetamine Sentenced to Federal Prison

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: MONROE, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the resolution of two separate drug trafficking cases from the Monroe Division in the Western District of Louisiana today. Chief United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty sentenced the following defendants: Jacque Pierre Young , 30, of Arcadia, was sentenced to 324 months (27 years) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Agents with the Lincoln Parish Narcotics Enforcement Team obtained a search warrant for an apartment on East California Avenue in Ruston, Louisiana, based on evidence they had obtained. When officers arrived at the house, they found Young in a bedroom in the apartment. Inside that bedroom, agents found a total of 80 grams of methamphetamine, as well as 54 grams of crack cocaine. A loaded EAA Girsan MC28 9mm handgun was also located in an open storage bin in the bedroom. The narcotics were submitted to the DEA lab for testing and the results indicated the methamphetamine to be 97% pure and the crack cocaine to be 54 grams of cocaine base. Young admitted that the drugs and firearm belonged to him and that he intended to sell the drugs. He pleaded guilty to the charges on February 2, 2023. The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Lincoln Parish Narcotics Enforcement Team, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Gaskins. In a separate and unrelated case, Marianno Goldsmith , 37, and Thomas Boswell , 32, both of Florida, were each sentenced to 151 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Both defendants pleaded guilty in January 2023 to the charge. Evidence presented to the court revealed that on May 16, 2022, a trooper with the Louisiana State Police conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle on I-20 near Richland Parish which was being driven by Goldsmith and Boswell was the sole passenger. The traffic stop led to a search of the vehicle and law enforcement officers found two duffle bags in the trunk containing suspected methamphetamine. The narcotics were submitted to the lab for testing and the results confirmed that the substance was methamphetamine with a net weight of approximately 29,213 grams. The case was investigated by the DEA and Louisiana State Police and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Cassidy. # # #


title: Thompson Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Meth Conspiracy

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced May 30, 2023, in federal court in Sioux City. Joey Post, 35, from Thompson, Iowa, pled guilty on February 1, 2023, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that from July 2020 through May 2022, Post and others distributed over 10 pounds of methamphetamine. This included distribution to an individual working with law enforcement on several occasions in Swea City, Iowa. While on pretrial release for the instant federal charges, Post fled the area without notifying the United States Probation Office and was later arrested in Minnesota. Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Post was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment and must serve a three-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement, Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa DCI Laboratory. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 22-3029. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Illegal Possession of Drugs and Guns Lead to  Years in Prison for Three Men

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

body_text: LAFAYETTE/ALEXANDRIA, La. – Three defendants have been sentenced in the Lafayette and Alexandria Divisions in the Western District of Louisiana today for drug trafficking and firearms charges, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. United States District Judge Dee D. Drell sentenced Damien Romain Lavalais , 42, of Bunkie, Louisiana, to 262 months (21 years, 10 months) in prison, followed by 5 years supervised release, for distribution of methamphetamine. This charge is the result of an investigation by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into the drug trafficking activities of Lavalais. In July 2021, an undercover controlled purchase of methamphetamine was coordinated by agents with Lavalais. The meeting with him was monitored and recorded wherein he sold approximately 50 grams of methamphetamine to the individual. The narcotics were sent to the crime lab for analysis and confirmed to be methamphetamine with a purity level of 98%. Lavalais pleaded guilty to the charge on January 3, 2023. The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Nickel. United States District Judge Robert R. Summerhays sentenced Courtney Nacol Smith , 48, of Katy, Texas, to 60 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base. Evidence introduced in court revealed that Smith conspired with others from August 2019 through January 2021 to distribute narcotics, including cocaine and cocaine base in south Louisiana. Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began their investigation into this drug trafficking organization in 2018 through the use of controlled purchases of narcotics with confidential sources, as well as the interception of wire communications between the defendants in this organization, including Smith. Surveillance by law enforcement agents observed one of Smith’s co-conspirators, Shawn D. White, travel to Texas from Louisiana to obtain drugs from Smith at his residence and another residence in the Houston area. White departed Smith’s residence in Texas and upon crossing the state line back into Louisiana, was stopped for a traffic violation. During a search of his vehicle, officers found one kilogram of cocaine wrapped in cellophane, electrical tape, and in a vacuum sealed bag concealed inside the car. Smith admitted to knowingly and willfully making an agreement with White and others to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base. Smith pleaded guilty to the charge on February 16, 2023. The case was investigated by the DEA, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Louisiana State Police, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Vermaelen. These cases are part of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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 . In a separate case, Scotty Latiolais , 51, of Erath, Louisiana was sentenced by United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to 110 months (9 years, 2 months) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. This charge stems from a discovery made by a law enforcement agent of a firearm in an outside area near the residence of Latiolais wherein a search warrant had been executed the day before. On June 17, 2020, law enforcement officers executed an arrest warrant for Latiolais and a search warrant for his residence. When officers first encountered Latiolais on the property, he led them on a brief foot chase before being apprehended. During the subsequent search of his residence, officers found and seized suspected methamphetamine, a digital scale, and a Night Owl 16 channel digital video recorder (DVR). Officers obtained a search warrant for the DVR device and later found a video of Latiolais handling a pistol on the property. Latiolais pleaded guilty on February 2, 2023, and admitted to possessing the firearm on June 17, 2020, despite the fact that he has a prior felony conviction for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in 2019 and knew that he was prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Bordelon. # # #


title: Central American Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Reentering the United States After Being Deported

body_text: A man who illegally returned to the United States after being deported was sentenced today to more than two months in federal prison. Pedro Saban-Lares, age 48, a citizen of Guatemala illegally present in the United States and residing in Toledo, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 12, 2023, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported. At the guilty plea, Saban-Lares admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Saban-Lares was previously deported in February 2017. After he illegally returned to the United States, Saban-Lares illegally worked using someone else’s name and social security number. On March 10, 2023, immigration officials learned Saban-Lares had illegally returned to the United States and found Saban-Lares at the Tama County Jail following his arrest on state charges. Saban-Lares was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Saban-Lares was sentenced to 73 days’ imprisonment. He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Saban-Lares is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 23-CR-19. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Clearfield Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison and 5 Years of Supervised Release for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Clearfield, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 120 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on Andrew Knepp, age 45, of Clearfield, Pennsylvania. According to information presented to the court, from July 2019 to June 2020, Knepp did conspire to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. Mr. Rivetti commended the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Knepp. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Millcreek Police Department, Erie Bureau of Police, and other local law enforcement agencies. This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Spokane Man Sentenced to 17 Years for Receipt of Child Pornography  While on Federal Supervision

body_text: Spokane, WA – On May 30, 2023, U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rossana Malouf Peterson sentenced Christopher Gary Carlson, 50, of Spokane, Washington, to 180 months in federal prison for Receipt of Child Pornography, followed by an additional 24 months in prison for violating a previously imposed term of supervised release. Judge Peterson also ordered Carlson to pay $24,000 in restitution to his victims and to a lifetime of federal supervision upon release from prison. According to information disclosed in court proceedings, this was Carlson’s third time being sentenced for child pornography crimes. His first conviction was in 2007, for which he was ordered to serve 12 months and a day in a state prison. His second child pornography conviction was in 2014, for which Judge Peterson sentenced Carlson to 10 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. Undeterred by these prior terms of incarceration, Carlson used a smartphone to download and view child pornography just a month after his recent release from federal prison. The smartphone was discovered in July 2022, when a U.S. Probation Officer conducted a home visit at Carlson’s residence. When the FBI obtained a federal warrant to search the phone, FBI agents located 198 images and 63 videos of child pornography on Carlson’s device. “Today’s 17-year sentence sends a powerful reminder to Mr. Carlson and others like him: Crimes that exploit the most vulnerable among us cannot, and will not, be tolerated,” stated United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref. “Time and again, Mr. Carlson returned to the internet to view and collect depictions of a child’s most horrific experiences. Yet, just as swiftly as Mr. Carlson collected these images and videos depicting this incredible harm, U.S. Probation and the FBI responded, preventing Mr. Carlson from victimizing hundreds if not thousands more minor children.” United States Attorney Waldref continued, “As a result of the seamless partnership between the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office, Mr. Carlson was again brought to justice, and our communities are safer and stronger, especially for young children. I’m especially grateful for the incredible work by Assistant United States Attorney Ann Wick. Cases such as this demonstrate AUSA Wick’s relentless dedication to pursuing justice.” This case was investigated by the Spokane Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Ann T. Wick, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. 2:22-CR-096-RMP 2:13-CR-135-RMP


title: Hattiesburg Man Sentenced to over 17 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

body_text: Hattiesburg, Miss. -- A Hattiesburg man was sentenced to 211 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. According to court documents, Zane Michael Bonner, 44, was found to be in possession of a cellular telephone at his rehabilitation center residence in Hattiesburg from which forensics recovered over 2,500 visual depictions of child sexual abuse material of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Bonner had a previous conviction for possession of child pornography in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. Bonner was indicted by a federal grand jury and pled guilty on January 10, 2023 to possession of child pornography. In addition to his term of imprisonment, Bonner was ordered to pay $11,000 to victims and a $5,000 fine, as well as $5,000 under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Cyber Crimes Division, and the Forest County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov .


title: Former New York Resident Indicted on Drug Charges

body_text: Erie, Pa. - A former resident of Jamestown, New York has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. The one-count Indictment named Andre Richards, 23, as the sole defendant. According to the indictment presented to the court, in or around March 2023, Richards possessed with the intent to distribute approximately 9.5 kilograms of methamphetamine. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of life in prison, a fine of $10,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Molly W. Anglin is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Warren County Drug Task Force, the Warren County District Attorney’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: Bradford Man Indicted for Mail Theft

body_text: Erie, Pa. - A resident of Bradford, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on a charge of theft of mail, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. The one-count Indictment named Patrick James Ryan, 45, 80 Boylston Street, Apt. 10, Bradford, Pennsylvania 16701, as the sole defendant. According to the Indictment presented to the court, from in and around October 2022 to in and around January 2023, Ryan stole five $20.00 Walmart gift cards and a $75.00 Old Navy gift card from the mail. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Molly W. Anglin is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: Former Erie Resident Indicted on Drug Charges

body_text: Erie, Pa. - A former resident of Erie, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on charges of violating federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. The three-count Indictment named Delvon Sanders, 33, as the sole defendant. According to the Indictment presented to the court, Sanders sold a quantity of fentanyl that caused the death of J.B. on April 17, 2023. The Indictment also charges Sanders with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl on or about April 18, 2023 and possession of fifty grams or more of methamphetamine on that same date. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of life in prison, a fine of $7,000,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Molly W. Anglin is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Millcreek Police Department, the Erie County Drug Task Force, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: Herkimer County Man Pleads Guilty to Crop Insurance Fraud Charges

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Craig Spofford, age 48, of Dolgeville, New York, pled guilty today to three counts of federal crop insurance fraud in connection with schemes in which he obtained more than $179,000 in crop insurance benefits for claimed losses on crops that he did not in fact suffer. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Bethanne M. Dinkins, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General. In pleading guilty, Spofford admitted that he fraudulently obtained $179,051 in crop insurance benefits from the Rural Community Insurance Services a company that is reinsured by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation. As part of his fraud scheme, Spofford claimed to lease and organically plant crops on three separate parcels totaling over 500 acres in Herkimer County that he did not in fact lease and plant. He then falsely claimed to suffer losses on the 3 parcels totaling $179,051. As part of his plea agreement, Spofford agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $179,051 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Risk Management Agency. The fraud convictions each carry a maximum term of 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 5 years. Spofford is scheduled to be sentenced on October 11, 2023 by United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. The case was investigated by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the USDA Risk Management Agency, Eastern Regional Compliance Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown.


title: Hawaii Man Pleads Guilty to Intentionally Disturbing Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park

component: Office of Public Affairs

body_text: Clifford Walters of Hawaii pleaded guilty to one count of feeding, touching, teasing, frightening, or intentionally disturbing wildlife on May 31, 2023 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick. Walters was charged a $500 fine, a $500 Community Service payment to Yellowstone Forever Wildlife Protection Fund, a $30 special assessment, and a $10 processing fee. According to the violation notice, on May 20, 2023, Walters approached a struggling newborn bison calf in Lamar Valley near the confluence of the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek. The calf had been separated from its mother when the herd crossed the Lamar River. As the calf struggled, the man pushed the calf up from the river and onto the roadway. Visitors later observed the calf walk up to and follow cars and people. Park rangers tried repeatedly to reunite the calf with the herd, but their efforts were unsuccessful. The calf was later euthanized by park staff because it was abandoned by the herd and causing a hazardous situation by approaching cars and people along the roadway. There was nothing in the report that revealed Mr. Walters acted maliciously. Yellowstone National Park wants to remind the public that approaching wild animals can drastically affect their well-being and, in this case, their survival. Park regulations require that people stay at least 25 yards (23 m) away from all wildlife (including bison, elk and deer) and at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves. Disregarding these regulations can result in fines, injury and even death. The safety of these animals, as well as human safety, depends on everyone using good judgment and following these simple rules. Follow these links to learn more information on wildlife preservation in the park including when Yellowstone staff intervene in a natural process and why and why the bison calf was euthanized. This case was investigated by Yellowstone National Park law enforcement officers and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christyne M. Martens. For questions relating to Yellowstone National Park, please contact the Public Affairs Office at 307-344-2015 or yell_public_affairs@nps.gov .


title: Nigerian Woman Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Conspiracy

body_text: Hattiesburg, Miss. – A Nigerian citizen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. According to court documents and information presented to the Court, between 2018 and 2022, Uyoyo Mercy Abire, 28, and her coconspirators used online romance scams, online charity scams, and other types of fraud to defraud victims of their money. The money received as a result of these scams was then transferred between the conspirators, and ultimately, much of the money was transferred overseas. Between November 2018 and April of 2019, Abire herself transferred over $100,000.00 to coconspirators through her U.S. bank account. Abire is scheduled to be sentenced on August 30, 2023. She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The FBI investigated the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Eichner originally prosecuted the case, and it is currently being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Buckner.


title: Roseville Man Indicted for Receiving and Possessing Child Pornography

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment last week against Timothy James Durel, 57, of Roseville, charging him with receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, between July 2013 and March 2021, Durel received visual depictions of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He also possessed child pornography between about July 2012 and February 2021. This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Yang is prosecuting the case. If convicted, Durel faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for receipt of child pornography, and a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for possession of child pornography. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.