title: New Orleans Man Pleads  Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Firearms Offenses

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

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JAMAR HOLMES (“HOLMES”) , age 35, of New Orleans, pled guilty on June 26, 2024, before United States District Judge Sarah Vance. to violating the Federal Controlled Substances and Gun Control Acts. Specifically, HOLMES pled guilty to Counts 1 through 6 of the indictment pending against him. Count 1 charged that HOLMES distributed quantities of cocaine on July 24, 2023, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). Count 2 charged that HOLMES distributed quantities of cocaine on July 27, 2023, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). Count 3 charged that HOLMES distributed forty (40) grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl on July 31, 2023, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B). Count 4 charged that HOLMES distributed forty (40) grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl on August 4, 2023, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B). Count 5 charged that HOLMES distributed forty (40) grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl on August 10, 2023, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B). Count 6 charged that HOLMES knowingly sold a stolen firearm on August 25, 2024, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(j) and 924(a)(2). According to court documents, HOLMES sold cocaine to an undercover agent on July 24, 2023 and July 27, 2023. Additionally, on July 31, 2023, August 4, 2023, and August 9, 2023, HOLMES sold fentanyl to the undercover agent. On August 25, 2023, HOLMES sold a stolen Sig-Sauer, Model P320, .9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol to the undercover agent. For Counts 1 and 2, HOLMES faces up to 20 years imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least 3 years of supervised release, if convicted. For Counts 3, 4, and 5, HOLMES faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years, up to 40 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, and at least 4 years of supervised release, if convicted. For Count 6, HOLMES faces up to 15 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years supervised release, if convicted. HOLMES also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each count. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit.


title: Local Air Force Veteran Arrested For Disclosing Sensitive  Information Related To National Defense

component: National Security Division (NSD)

body_text: PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Paul J. Freeman, 68, of Niceville, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging him with unauthorized possession and transmission of classified national defense information. Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today after Freeman made his initial appearance in federal court in Pensacola, Florida. As alleged in the indictment, Freeman, on multiple occasions between November 2020 and March 2021, transmitted classified national defense information about United States Air Force aircraft and weapons to people not authorized to access the information. A detention hearing has been set for July 1, 2024, at 1:00 p.m., at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before the Honorable United States Magistrate Judge Zachary Bolitho. If convicted, Freeman faces up to a maximum of ten years’ imprisonment on each of the nine counts in the indictment. The United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Goldberg for the Northern District of Florida, Senior Trial Attorney Heather M. Schmidt, and Trial Attorney Yifei Zheng of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: Former Hartford Resident Involved in Illegal Pill Trafficking Ring Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOHNATTAN FERNANDEZ-LOPEZ, 37, a citizen of the Dominican Republic formerly residing in Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment for his role in a narcotics trafficking organization that distributed oxycodone pills, counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, and other drugs in the Hartford area. According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from a joint investigation by the DEA Tactical Diversion Squad and the FBI Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force targeting individuals who were distributing oxycodone pills, counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, and other drugs from neighborhood grocery stores in New Britain and Hartford. Between January 2020 and March 2021, investigators made several controlled purchases of illegal pills at the Washington Market, formerly located at 453 Washington Street in Hartford; JZ Tobacco, located at 25 New Britain Avenue in Hartford, and Prestige Market, located at 23 New Britain Avenue in Hartford. Fernandez-Lopez was the primary seller of pills during the evening hours at JZ Tobacco, and possessed a firearm in connection with the offense. On December 20, 2020, investigators stopped a vehicle registered to Ray Urena, a co-defendant of Fernandez-Lopez, and found approximately 4,000 illegal pills and $51,000 in cash in a hidden “trap” beneath the front passenger seat of the car. Urena and others were arrested on May 18, 2021. On that date, searches of an apartment on Colonial Street in Hartford that was used by the drug trafficking organization, and two vehicles parked outside of the stash house, revealed approximately two kilograms of fentanyl, approximately 170 grams of heroin, more than 5,000 real and counterfeit oxycodone pills, approximately 2,000 Xanax pills, approximately one kilogram of cocaine, approximately 100 grams of crack, items used to process and package narcotics, two handguns, and ammunition. A search of Urena’s residence in Waterbury revealed approximately $54,000. Fernandez-Lopez has been detained since his arrest on November 10, 2021. On March 28, 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl. He faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term. Urena pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing. The DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad is composed of personnel from the DEA and the Bristol, East Windsor, Hamden, New Britain, West Haven, Newington, Manchester, Glastonbury, and Watertown Police Departments. The FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Pierpont, Jr.


title: Jury Finds District Man Guilty of First-Degree Murder While Armed in Double Homicide in Southeast Washington

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Beysean Jones, 29, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a Superior Court jury for the July 2022 deadly shooting of Ronald Brown, 19, and Tijuan Wilson, 41, in Southeast Washington, D.C. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). When the jury returned their verdict on June 26, 2024, Jones was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder while armed, one count of assault with intent to kill and related charges. He was also found guilty of various firearms related charges. The jury returned a verdict after less than a day of deliberations following a two-week trial before Superior Court Judge Michael K. O’Keefe. Sentencing is scheduled for September 20, 2024. According to the government’s evidence presented at trial, on July 22, 2022, surveillance video captured an argument between Ronald Brown and Beysean Jones at the SC Discount Tobacco and Grocery store on South Capitol St. SW on the Maryland border. Shortly thereafter, shots fired from Brown’s vehicle struck Jones’ vehicle and Jones returned fire in the 4000 block of Livingston Rd. SE. A civilian witness who associated with Jones in the drug trade called in a tip, and provided testimony at trial, about texts he received from Jones about the shooting on the 22 nd and statements and actions Jones made in preparation for retaliating against Brown, including putting a $30,000 bounty on the person who shot him. Just five days later, surveillance video captured a vehicle follow Ronald Brown’s vehicle from a nearby apartment and then that same tobacco store for several minutes, eventually into a residential parking lot surrounded by apartments in the 4300 block of 4 th St. SE. That vehicle backed into a parking space several spaces down from Brown’s vehicle and at least two shooters opened fire with both .40 caliber and rifle rounds, firing over 60 rounds in the direction of Brown. This barrage of fire killed Tijuan Wilson and badly injured his partner of over 18 years, though luckily their children, who were outside at the time, were unharmed. Others in the parking lot returned fire. Multiple vehicles and residential buildings were damaged by gunfire. Casings left behind on July 27 , 2022, near the suspect vehicle were ballistically linked to the casings Jones fired at Brown on July 22, 2022. Jones was arrested on November 1, 2022, and has been in custody since that time. The government’s evidence at trial included witness testimony, video surveillance, cell site records, ShotSpotter audio, body worn camera footage, ballistics evidence, and DNA evidence. This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Antonelli and Zach Horton.


title: Los Angeles County and Nevada Men Charged in Indictment Alleging They Used Instagram to Sell Firearms, Including ‘Ghost Guns’

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A Nevada man was arraigned today on a federal grand jury indictment charging him and three other defendants – two of them from Los Angeles County – with using Instagram to sell more than 60 firearms, including ones lacking serial numbers – or “ghost guns” – as well as machine gun conversion devices known as “Glock switches.” Mark Perez, 22, of Henderson, Nevada, pleaded not guilty today at his arraignment in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. An August 6 trial date has been scheduled in this case. Perez is free on $10,000 bond. Perez is charged along with Ivan Quintos, 27, of Azusa, and Salvador Lopez, 24, of Whittier, and Zachary Dry, 23, of Henderson, Nevada, with one count of conspiracy and one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license. Perez also is charged with four counts of being a prohibited person in possession of firearms and ammunition, one count of possessing a firearm with a removed or altered serial number, and one count of possession of a machine gun. According to the 11-count indictment that a federal grand jury returned on June 13, from July 2023 to May 2024, Perez and the other defendants used Instagram to coordinate and sell more than five dozen firearms. Some of the defendants used Instagram – direct messages and public posts – to sell the firearms, which included so-called “ghost guns” and “Glock switches” as well as firearms with obliterated serial numbers and firearms that had been stolen. The illegal firearm sales occurred in North Hollywood, Las Vegas, and elsewhere, the indictment alleges. According to the indictment, Perez, Quintos, Lopez, and Dry are not federal firearms licensees and are not permitted to sell firearms. The indictment alleges that Perez is prohibited from possessing firearms due to his 2021 misdemeanor conviction in Nevada for domestic violence, and that Dry is prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions for assault and battery in Nevada in 2023. In addition to Perez, Quintos is charged with firearms trafficking and possession of a machine gun, Dry with possessing a firearm as a felon, Quintos with possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and Lopez with possession of a firearm within a school zone. Quintos and Dry have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them and await a trial date of August 6. Lopez’s arraignment is scheduled for July 9. An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, Perez faces a maximum sentence of 100 years in federal prison, Quintos faces a maximum sentence of 35 years in federal prison, Lopez faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, and Dry faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in federal prison. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Baldwin Park Police Department, and Los Angeles Police Department are investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney William M. Larsen of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.


title: Former Department of Defense Employee Sentenced for Assaulting a U.S. Military Member in Korea

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A former Department of Defense civilian employee was sentenced today to one year and eight months in prison for assaulting a U.S. military member in July 2020. According to court documents, Gerald Leon Ray III, 27, of Lathrop, California, intentionally struck the victim in the face near Osan Air Base, a U.S. military installation in the Republic of Korea. The assault caused the victim to fall to the ground, strike his head on the pavement, and suffer serious bodily injury. The evidence showed that, without immediate medical attention, which he received, the victim could have died. The victim’s injuries included a broken jaw, brain hemorrhage, and ongoing physical and mental health symptoms. At the time, Ray was employed in the Republic of Korea by the Defense Commissary Agency, a Department of Defense agency, on Osan Air Base. The charge was brought under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA), which establishes U.S. jurisdiction over certain offenses committed abroad by, among others, civilian employees of the Armed Forces. Ray previously pleaded guilty on March 21 in the Eastern District of California to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert for the Eastern District of California; Special Agent Andrew D. Franz of the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Osan Air Base Korea; and Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office made the announcement. The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations and FBI investigated this case, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Division and U.S. Marshals Service in connection with the arrest, initial detention, and transport of Ray. Trial Attorney Marie Zisa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heiko P. Coppola for the Eastern District of California prosecuted the case.


title: Sisseton Man Sentenced for Voluntary Manslaughter in Connection With a  30-Year-Old Crime

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Sisseton, South Dakota, man convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on June 24, 2024. Jay Adams, age 58, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $50 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Adams was indicted by a federal grand jury in April of 2023. He pleaded guilty in November of 2023. In the early morning hours of September 4, 1992, in the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation, Adams killed a young person, in the heat of passion, by slamming the victim’s head on a hard concrete floor. Afterward, he placed her back on the bed and returned to his bedroom. Adams did not seek medical attention for the victim and later the same day discovered she had died. Adams feigned ignorance as to the cause of the victim’s injury. An initial investigation failed to identify Adams as the assailant and the case remained unsolved for over 30 years. In early 2023, a witness to the crime came forward and identified Adams as being responsible for the death of the victim in 1992. Law enforcement officers from the Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribal Police Department and the FBI continued the investigation. Prior to indictment in April of 2023, investigators conducted interviews of other individuals associated with Adams and consulted with a pathologist to review the 1992 autopsy performed on the victim. The medical evidence corroborated Adams eventual statement related to his guilty plea that he injured the child, which caused blunt force trauma and caused the child’s death. “Tragically this matter took thirty years to resolve,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “But the resolution nonetheless demonstrates law enforcement’s relentless commitment to cracking these cases so that perpetrators can be held to account. It is our hope the Defendant’s sentence offers some measure of closure to the victim’s family.” This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court. This case is part of the Department of Justice’s newly created Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which aims to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people through the resolution of MMIP cases and communication, coordination, and collaboration with federal, Tribal, state, and local partners. The Department views this work as a priority for its law enforcement components. Through the MMIP Regional Outreach Program, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify MMIP cases and issues in Tribal communities and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. This prosecution upholds the Department’s mission to the unwavering pursuit of justice on behalf of victims and their families despite the passage of time. The investigation was conducted by the Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribal Police Department and the FBI. The case was prosecuted by MMIP Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Great Plains Region Troy R. Morley. Adams was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A former Department of Defense civilian employee was sentenced today to one year and eight months in prison for assaulting a U.S. military member in July 2020. U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent Andrew D. Franz of the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Osan Air Base Korea; and Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office made the announcement. According to court documents, Gerald Leon Ray III, 27, of Lathrop, California, intentionally struck the victim in the face near Osan Air Base, a U.S. military installation in the Republic of Korea. The assault caused the victim to fall to the ground strike his head on the pavement and suffer serious bodily injury. The evidence showed that, without immediate medical attention, which he received, the victim could have died. The victim’s injuries included a broken jaw, brain hemorrhage, and ongoing physical and mental health symptoms. At the time, Ray was employed in the Republic of Korea by the Defense Commissary Agency, a Department of Defense agency, on Osan Air Base. The charge was brought under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA), which establishes U.S. jurisdiction over certain offenses committed abroad by, among others, civilian employees of the Armed Forces. Ray previously pleaded guilty on March 21 in the Eastern District of California to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the FBI investigated this case, with assistance from the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Division and the U.S. Marshals Service in connection with the arrest, initial detention, and transport of Ray. Trial Attorney Marie Zisa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heiko P. Coppola for the Eastern District of California prosecuted the case.


title: Jury finds Parmelee Man Guilty of Attempted Robbery

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Phillip Clairmont, age 25, of Parmelee, South Dakota, was found guilty of Attempted Robbery following a federal jury trial in Pierre, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on June 21, 2024. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered. Clairmont was indicted by a federal grand jury in March of 2024. The conviction stems from an incident that occurred on January 13, 2024, in the Rosebud Indian Reservation. On that date, Clairmont assaulted a man and attempted to steal money from him. This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court. This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case. A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date has not been set. Quigley was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.


title: Nevada Woman Sentenced for Methamphetamine Trafficking and Failure to Appear

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Sparks, Nevada, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, and Failure to Appear. The sentencing took place on June 24, 2024. Dawn Eagle Feather Floyd, 42, was sentenced to six and half years in federal prison on each of the two drug convictions to be served concurrently. She was sentenced to one year and eight months on the failure to appear conviction to be served consecutively to the drug convictions for a total of eight years and three months in federal prison. Following release from custody, Floyd will be on supervised release for four years. She was also ordered to pay a fine of $1000, and a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Floyd was indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2020. A superseding indictment was filed in May of 2023. She was found guilty of the drug charges following a federal jury trial on March 29, 2024. She pleaded guilty to the Failure to Appear charge on April 15, 2024. Floyd lived in Valentine, Nebraska, in the fall of 2019, when she knowingly and intentionally agreed with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. Floyd conspired with others to travel to Colorado where she obtained methamphetamine and brought it back to her home in Valentine and then onto the Rosebud Reservation for distribution. Law enforcement recovered over 100 grams of methamphetamine from Floyd’s residence, vehicle, and person during the investigation. Floyd’s methamphetamine was tested and found to be 100 percent pure. While awaiting trial, Floyd, who had been released on bond, fled the District of South Dakota, and knowingly failed to appear for her jury trial that had been set for August of 2023. Floyd was arrested in Nevada and brought back to South Dakota to stand trial in March of 2024. This case was investigated by the FBI, Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Valentine Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case. Eagle Feather Floyd was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Swift Bear Man Sentenced for Assault

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Swift Bear, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on June 24, 2024. William Moran, age 35, was sentenced to two years and two months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Moran was indicted by a federal grand jury in December of 2023. He pleaded guilty on March 21, 2024. On November 18, 2023, Moran was consuming alcohol and socializing with a group of individuals in the Swift Bear Community, near White River, South Dakota. While there, he assaulted a woman, punching her and knocking her to the ground. Thereafter, he repeatedly punched and kicked her in the head and face. Other people tried to intervene, but he resisted efforts to stop him from assaulting the woman. He knocked another person to the ground. The woman was treated at a hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota, because she suffered hemorrhaging in her cranium, and had respiratory failure due to a collapsed lung. The area where the assault occurred is within the Rosebud Indian Reservation. This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court. This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case. Moran was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to serve his sentence.


title: Fort Bend County convicted felon sentenced to federal prison for firearms violation

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – A Richmond man was sentenced to federal prison for firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. Aaron Martinez, 33, pleaded guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on June 27, 2024. According to information presented in court, on August 3, 2021, Martinez was stopped for a traffic violation in Vidor. During the stop, it was discovered that Martinez had an outstanding felony warrant. A search of the vehicle revealed a loaded firearm and ammunition. Further investigation showed Martinez to be a convicted felon and prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition. This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. This case was investigated by the Vidor Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Grove. ###


title: Rosebud Man Sentenced for Transportation of Stolen Firearm

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of Transportation of Stolen Firearm. The sentencing took place on June 24, 2024. Jeremiah Picotte, age 24, was sentenced to approximately five months in federal detention and three months of home confinement, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Picotte was indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2024. He pleaded guilty on March 28, 2024. On December 13, 2023, Picotte was visiting a federal firearm licensee store in Valentine, Nebraska. While in the store, he picked up an AR-15 rifle, went to an area of the store where the store clerk could not see, and put the firearm down his pant leg, concealing the rifle with his pants and shirt. He walked out of the store and took the firearm to the Rosebud Reservation. At the time he took the rifle from Nebraska to South Dakota, he knew it was stolen. He later had someone else return the firearm to law enforcement officers. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. This case was investigated by the Valentine Police Department, Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Maher prosecuted the case. Picotte was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to serve his sentence.


title: Lake Andes Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Prohibited Possession of a Firearm

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Lake Andes, South Dakota, man, convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on June 25, 2024, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Reginald Robinson, Jr., age 31, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $100 as a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Robinson was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in February of 2023. He pleaded guilty on March 7, 2024. On January 17, 2021, Sioux Falls Police responded to Walmart for a report of shoplifting. Upon arrival, law enforcement came into contact with Robinson. Robinson was searched and found to be in possession of a magazine located in his pants pocket and a firearm tucked into the waistband of his pants. Upon arrest and further search, Robinson was also found to be in possession of methamphetamine and marijuana. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. This case was investigated by the FBI and the Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Petersen prosecuted the case. Robinson was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to continue serving his sentence.


title: Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man, convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on June 24, 2024, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Stanley Richard Wright, age 48, was sentenced to two years and two months federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $100 as a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Wright was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender by a federal grand jury in February of 2024. He pleaded guilty on March 27, 2024. Wright was convicted on a federal charge of Sexual Abuse in 2004. He is classified as a Tier III sex offender and is required to register as a sex offender for life. Prior to the charged incident, he last registered with the Sioux Falls Police Department on September 29, 2023, listing an address in Sioux Falls. Shortly thereafter, he left his registered address and no longer resided there. His whereabouts remained unknown until he was arrested on a warrant on November 28, 2023. This violated the requirement that he update his registration to include any change of residence within three business days. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Beau Blouin prosecuted the case. Wright was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to continue serving his sentence.


title: Angelina County felon sentenced for federal drug trafficking and firearms violation

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – A Lufkin man was sentenced to federal prison for firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. Johnathan Edward Brandt, 38, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on June 27, 2024. According to information presented in court, in early 2023, law enforcement agents made multiple undercover purchases of methamphetamine from Brandt. Agents were also able to purchase a firearm from Brandt during one of the undercover purchases. In March of 2023, Brandt was arrested after law enforcement responded to a report of individuals wearing ski masks and carrying flashlights at a Lufkin business. Brandt was found in possession of a stolen firearm and had an outstanding warrant. Further investigation revealed Brandt drove to the location in a stolen vehicle which also happened to contain another 13 firearms, a large amount of ecstasy pills, methamphetamine, alprazolam, a large amount of cash, and ammunition and magazines. Brandt admitted to trading narcotics for the firearms. A search of Brandt’s residence resulted in the seizure of methamphetamine, digital scales, ecstasy, marijuana, firearms, and a stolen vehicle. Brandt has prior felony convictions for multiple felony thefts, multiple burglary of a habitation offenses, possession of a prohibited weapon, and multiple felony possession of a controlled substance offenses. As a convicted felon he is prohibited from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition. This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. This case was investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Angelina County Sheriff’s Office; and the Lufkin Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald S. Carter. ###


title: Burnsville Man Charged with Defrauding Electronics Manufacturer of $1.2 Million

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – A Burnsville man has been charged with three counts of wire fraud after defrauding an electronics manufacturing business out of more than $1.2 million, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to court documents, between 2019 and 2020, Thomas Thanh Pham, 52, devised a scheme to defraud a California based company of approximately $1.2 million. Pham, who was the CEO of Enterprise Products, LLC, purported to provide consulting and financial services to commercial clients involved in engineering and manufacturing. Pham held himself out as a broker with supposed business relationships with large, well-known companies. As a supposed broker, Pham claimed he could arrange service agreements between an electronic manufacturing services company based in San Jose, California, (identified as Victim A) and his ostensible business affiliates in the electronics and technology sectors. According to court documents, starting in June 2019, Pham began a series of discussions with Victim A, in which Pham pitched that Enterprise Products could facilitate multi-million-dollar manufacturing and repair contracts between Victim A and large electronics companies. Pham supplied Victim A with bogus documents, including fabricated contracts, correspondence, and business proposals. As part of the scheme, Pham first required Victim A to pay a “deposit bond” in the amount of $1,278,000. Pham’s fraudulent tactics resulted in Victim A agreeing to enter into a contract in September 2019, through which Victim A ostensibly would receive millions of dollars in exchange for repair services. Pham unsuccessfully pitched other phony deals to Victim A that purportedly involved even larger financial contracts deals with other companies. As part of the scheme and to give the impression that he was fulfilling the fraudulent contract, Pham caused the initial delivery to Victim A in California of approximately 20 samples of electronic devices that supposedly required repairs by Victim A. However, Pham failed to disclose to Victim A that these 20 “sample” devices were, in fact, stolen property. It was additionally part of the scheme that Pham tried to lull Victim A into a false sense of security by offering a series of excuses and promises when Victim A either inquired about its money or demanded a refund. Rather than maintain the money securely in a refundable escrow as promised, Pham fraudulently misappropriate Victim A’s funds for a series of unauthorized uses and transactions. The indictment charges Pham with three counts of wire fraud. Pham made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Douglas L. Micko. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Rebecca E. Kline are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Purcellville man sentenced for paying Philippine sex trafficker to sexually abuse children on live webcams

component: USAO - Virginia, Eastern

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Purcellville man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for his sexual exploitation of five children and his receipt and possession of thousands of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to court documents, Raymond Lee Chavez, 70, was a consultant on issues related to climate change and served international clients, including the United Nations. Between April 2017 and April 2022, Chavez purchased at least 15 livestreaming webcam shows involving the sexual abuse and exploitation of five prepubescent children from child sex traffickers based in the Philippines. Chavez recorded segments of several livestreams with his cell phone and saved the videos to his external hard drives. Chavez and the traffickers communicated to arrange times for the shows, negotiate payment, and discuss the sex acts that Chavez wanted the children to perform. Often, prior to the start of the livestream, Chavez had a video call with the trafficker to preview the child. During this preview, Chavez asked the trafficker to display the child and confirm the child would perform certain sex acts. Once Chavez paid, the trafficker livestreamed the sexual abuse of the child, and on at least one occasion multiple children at once, being abused and performing sex acts. Chavez often wanted the children to wear makeup and “sexy stockings.” During the sexual abuse, Chavez continued to communicate with the trafficker and gave specific instructions about what he wanted to see the children do. During a search of his residence on March 1, 2023, law enforcement found six different electronic devices containing more than 5,000 images and videos depicting child sexual abuse. Chavez had collected the CSAM between February 2003 and July 2022. The CSAM included depictions of the sexual abuse of toddlers and other prepubescent children. Chavez also used his computer to conduct numerous internet searches related to child prostitution and sex tourism in foreign countries. For example, in July and August 2012, Chavez searched for “child prostitution in cambodia 2012” and “xanax and viagra purchase in cambodia.” Chavez’s passport shows that he was issued, and used, a visa to visit Cambodia between July 27, 2012, and August 27, 2012. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Halper prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the 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.justice.gov/psc . A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-180.


title: Recidivist Sacramento Sex Offender Sentenced to 17.5 Years in Prison for Distributing and Possessing Child Pornography

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Michael Joseph Taylor, 39, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to 17 years and six months in prison to be followed by 20 years of supervised release for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, in 2022 and 2023, Taylor used Reddit and Facebook Messenger to distribute multiple images depicting the sexual exploitation of children. Taylor also solicited a person on the internet whom he thought was the mother of daughters, aged four and six years old, to send him explicit images of her purported children. During this time period, Taylor possessed images and videos depicting child sexual abuse in two Google Drive accounts that he controlled. Taylor’s criminal history includes at least nine prior convictions, including for failing to register as a sex offender in multiple jurisdictions and for attempted sexual abuse of a minor in Oregon. At the time he engaged in this criminal conduct, Taylor was on federal supervised release in Sacramento following a 2021 federal conviction for failing to register as a sex offender. This case was the product of an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, which includes the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stefanki is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC .


title: St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison, Ordered to Pay More Than $1 Million for Elder Fraud and Disability Fraud

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man who financially exploited two elderly women while committing disability fraud to 87 months in prison and ordered him to repay more than $1.1 million. Gino Rives, 36, of Edmundson, also agreed to return a house he obtained from one of the victims and will be ordered to return a total of six vehicles that he obtained from his two elderly victims. Judge Clark fined him $100,000. Rives pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in January to five counts of theft of government funds in the disability fraud case. He pleaded guilty in October in the elder fraud case to one count of access device fraud and one count of fraudulently effecting transactions. Rives admitted fraudulently receiving payments from the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Supplemental Security Income Program. Rives applied in 2010, claiming to have a mental health disorder. He repeatedly pretended to be incapable of answering basic questions during interviews and evaluations. He falsely claimed to have memory problems and difficulty concentrating, following instructions and completing tasks. He claimed he had never been employed, could not drive, was unable to handle his financial affairs and had no assets. Rives concealed his employment in the construction and tree trimming industries, his participation in competitive mixed martial arts, his ownership of houses and vehicles, and his receipt of more than $721,692 since 2021. He now must pay the SSA $120,260. Rives has also admitted financially exploiting two elderly women. He obtained four vehicles and checks totaling more than $855,000 from one woman for construction work on her house, most of which was never done. He also used her debit card for personal purchases for himself and his family. He executed a quit claim deed and transferred a house belonging to the other victim into his name. He moved her from her home and into a nursing home and permitted his mother to move into the home. A nursing home administrator testified during the sentencing hearing that the victim was left at the facility with two sets of pajamas, two dresses, a pair of slippers, and a couple of sets of underwear. The victim received additional clothing purchased by the administrator and through donations obtained at the nursing home. The victim was left without “a single memento from her childhood or the international trips she made with her late husband,” a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry says. The memo says Rives was convicted in 2009 of another case involving the financial exploitation of the elderly and accused in a similar case in 2014. Judge Clark ordered Rives to pay restitution of $1,042,848 in the elder fraud case. Zella Rives, 57, admitted helping her son with the disability fraud. Austin James, a Jefferson County contractor, has also pleaded guilty and admitted aiding Rives with defrauding one of the victims. They have not yet been sentenced. The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case. Anyone with information about disability fraud is asked to contact the SSA Office of Inspector General fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271 or submit a report online at oig.ssa.gov /report. Concerns about suspected abuse or neglect of the elderly or disabled should be directed to Missouri’s Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 800-392-0210 or online at health.mo.gov/safety/abuse/ .


title: Alaska Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening U.S. Senator

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: An Alaska man pleaded guilty yesterday to making interstate threats to kidnap and injure a sitting U.S. Senator. According to court documents, Arther Graham, 46, of Kenai, sent a web form submission to a U.S. Senator on Sept. 28, 2023, threatening to injure the Senator. Congressional staff members reported the threat to the U.S. Capitol Police and an investigation was launched. “Threats of violence against public servants are abhorrent and unacceptable, and as this plea makes clear, the Justice Department will not tolerate them,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Our democracy depends on the ability of members of Congress to do their jobs without fearing for their safety. The Justice Department will continue to do everything in our power to protect those who serve the public and to hold accountable those who endanger them.” Graham identified himself in the threat. Law enforcement later confirmed the sender was Graham and lived in Kenai. He was taken into custody by special agents from the U.S. Capitol Police and FBI at his home on Oct. 30, 2023. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 1, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Attorney General Garland, U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the U.S. Capitol Police made the announcement. The U.S. Capitol Police and FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Kenai Police Department and the Alaska State Troopers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Vandergaw for the District of Alaska is prosecuting the case.


title: Middlesex County Man Sentenced to 108 Months in Prison for Role in Gunpoint Robbery

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: TRENTON, N.J. – A Middlesex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 108 months in prison for his role in an attempted robbery in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where the victim was shot 14 times, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Jonathan Rosales, 23, of New Brunswick, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and attempted Hobbs Act robbery. Judge Kirsch imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: On Dec. 28, 2020, Rosales, along with his accomplices, Saul Peralta and Giovanni Hoyos-Jaimes, attempted to rob the victim in New Brunswick. During the struggle, the victim was shot 14 times causing him to sustain serious injuries. Peralta and Hoyos-Jaimes previously pleaded guilty before Judge Kirsch for their involvement in this incident. In addition to the prison term, Judge Kirsch sentenced Rosales to three years of supervised release. Peralta was sentenced by Judge Kirsch on May 22, 2024, to 78 months in prison and Hoyos-Jaimes is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24, 2024. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI in Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy; members of the New Brunswick Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Vincent Sabo; and members of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the leadership of Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin, Co-Chief of the General Crimes Unit in Newark.


title: Essex County Man Admits Defrauding U.S. Department of Defense and Agreeing to Rig Bids for U.S. Department of Defense Contracts

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man today admitted engaging in multiyear schemes to defraud the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) by providing military equipment parts that were not authorized under the governing contracts and agreeing with another individual to rig bids for DoD contracts, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Alan Aranowitz, 75, of Roseland, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Julien X. Neals in Newark federal court to an information charging him with two counts of wire fraud conspiracy. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Count One From 2015 through August 2018, Aranowitz conspired with others to defraud the DoD and one of its combat logistic support arms, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), by engaging in a pattern of unlawful product substitution. Aranowitz owned and operated Arlo Corporation (Arlo), which entered into contracts with the DoD to supply replacement parts for the military, such as screws, nuts, and bolts. Aranowitz conspired with two owner/operators of two companies to provide cheaper counterfeit and/or non-conforming parts to the DoD. For instance, Aranowitz sometimes falsely represented that the parts would be MIL-SPEC, that is, suitable for military use because the parts had met certain specific requirements—when in fact, he submitted such bids intending to provide parts that were not MIL-SPEC. Aranowitz sometimes falsely represented that the parts would be “Exact Product,” that is, that they derived from a particular manufacturer, when, in fact, he submitted such bids intending to provide parts that were not Exact Product. He also sometimes falsely represented that Arlo or one of the companies he conspired with would be the manufacturer of the parts, when in fact he knew that Arlo or that company would not be the manufacturer. Aranowitz sometimes submitted bids to the DoD in the name of one of the companies with the owner/operator’s knowledge and approval. By committing these acts, Aranowitz and his conspirators increased their own profits. DLA received numerous Product Quality Deficiency Reports (PQDRs) from U.S. military end users reporting that a particular part supplied by Arlo did not physically conform to the contract specifications. As part of the plea, Aranowitz agreed to forfeit $684,168 in proceeds of the fraudulent scheme charged in Count One and to pay restitution in the amount of $878,644 to the DoD. Count Two From 2017 through August 2018, Aranowitz conspired with the owner operator of a company to defraud the DoD and DLA by coordinating bid prices, engaging in bid rigging, with another DoD contractor. Arlo, like all DoD contractors, was required to certify that it had arrived at its bids independently and without consulting or colluding with any other offeror or competitor. On the contrary, Aranowitz regularly consulted with another DoD contractor regarding the bids that each was submitting. The charges of wire fraud conspiracy each carry a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine, which could run consecutively. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 29, 2024. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Solecki, and special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisa T. Wiygul of the Criminal Division in Camden. aranowitz.information.pdf


title: Podiatrist Sentenced for $4M Foot Bath Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - Tennessee, Western

body_text: Memphis, TN – A Tennessee podiatrist was sentenced today to four years in prison for a scheme to defraud Medicare and TennCare, a Medicaid program administered by the State of Tennessee, by prescribing and dispensing medically unnecessary foot bath medications and obtaining millions of dollars in reimbursements. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Nathan Lucas, D.P.M., 59, of Memphis, owned and operated a podiatry clinic and two pharmacies. Lucas regularly prescribed antibiotic and antifungal drugs to be mixed into a tub of water for patients to soak their feet. These drug cocktails included capsules, creams, and powders that were not indicated to be dissolved in water and some of which were not even water soluble. Lucas chose these medications to prescribe and dispense based on their anticipated reimbursement amount, rather than medical necessity. From October 2018 through September 2021, Lucas caused his pharmacies to submit nearly $4 million in claims to Medicare and TennCare for dispensing expensive foot bath medications that were not medically necessary and not eligible for reimbursement, for which Lucas’s pharmacies were reimbursed over $3 million. A federal jury convicted Lucas on March 18 of five counts of health care fraud. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee; Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Director David Rausch of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) made the announcement. HHS-OIG and TBI investigated the case. Trial Attorney Sara E. Porter and Assistant Chief Justin M. Woodard of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee. The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit . Updated June 27, 2024 Topic HEALTH CARE FRAUD Components Criminal Division Criminal - Criminal Fraud Section USAO - Tennessee, Western Press Release Number: 24-826


title: Maryland Man Found Guilty After A Four-Day Trial Of Wire Fraud And Theft Of Government Property

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – After a four-day trial, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict convicting William Rich, age 43, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, of fraudulently obtaining more than $750,000 dollars in veteran disability benefits by falsely claiming that he was paralyzed. Rich was convicted of five counts of wire fraud and one count of theft of government property. The guilty verdict was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland and Kim R. Lampkins, Special Agent in Charge, Mid Atlantic Field Office, United States Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”). Evidence at trial established Rich intentionally misrepresented his physical condition during VA disability compensation and pension exams and in other communications with the VA in pursuit of VA disability benefits. Rich claimed that he was paralyzed and unable to walk. As a result, Rich received more than $750,000 in VA benefits to which he was not entitled including special monthly compensation, caregiver assistance compensation, and medical equipment. Rich served in the United States Army from on or about September 22, 1998, to February 27, 2007, sustaining injuries on August 23, 2005, after being injured in a bombing in Baqubah, Iraq. Rich’s injuries included temporary paralysis. Rich then applied to the VA’s disability compensation program, and according to the evidence presented at trial, approximately six weeks after Rich’s injuries, he made substantial progress toward recovery and was no longer paralyzed. A subsequent medical report, indicated that Rich was able to perform certain essential daily activities with “complete independence” or “modified independence.”.” However, largely based on an October 11, 2007, exam, where Rich reported paralysis in his lower extremities and being confined to a wheelchair, he was granted permanent disability from VA. In 2018, the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) launched a proactive investigation of disabled veteran files and learned of conduct by Rich inconsistent with his purported physical condition. For more than two years, VA OIG Special Agents (SAs) investigated Rich, including conducting video surveillance. Footage presented at trial showed Rich walking, going up and down stairs, entering and exiting vehicles, lifting, bending, and carrying items—all without visible limitation or assistance of a medical device, including a wheelchair. Throughout the course of their surveillance, the only time agents observed Rich use a wheelchair was when he attended VA medical appointments. Between March 2019 and February 2021, VA OIG investigators observed Rich standing and loading his wheelchair into the trunk of his car before VA medical appointments, using a wheelchair at VA appointments, wheeling himself from a VA medical appointment to his car, and then standing to load his wheelchair back into his car. A review of Rich’s publicly available social media accounts revealed multiple images of Rich standing, with no indication that he was wheelchair bound, including an image Rich took of himself standing in front of a mirror at a gym, as well as videos of Rich lifting weights. In addition to receiving more than $8,000 in monthly disability benefits from the VA, Rich also received grants from the VA for “Automobile and Adaptive Equipment,” and “Specially Adapted Housing.” Rich used funds intended for the purchase of a specially adapted vehicle to buy a BMW 645ci luxury sports coupe. Rich faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud and a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for theft of government property. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Federal district court judges determine sentences after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The date for Rich’s sentencing has not been scheduled. U.S. Attorney Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kertisha Dixon and Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen McGuinn, who prosecuted the case. Mr. Barron also thanked former lead Special Agent, Brian Maddox, currently a Special Agent with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and Patrick Prewitt, Senior Special Agent and National Fleet Manager, with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General. 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 and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 100 Months in Prison

body_text: FORT WAYNE –Patrick N. Adams, 34 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson. Adams was sentenced to 100 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release. According to documents in the case, on two occasions in August 2023, Adams sold counterfeit M30 pills containing fentanyl. Additional counterfeit M30 pills containing fentanyl and a handgun were found during a subsequent search of his residence. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with the Fort Wayne Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey R, Speith. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison

body_text: FORT WAYNE – Andre L. Hutchins, 53 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson. Hutchins was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by 8 years of supervised release. According to documents in the case, in November 2023, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant on a Fort Wayne, Indiana, residence associated with Hutchins. As a result of the search, agents and officers recovered over 3 kilograms of cocaine and evidence of controlled substance distribution. Hutchins has a previous federal conviction in 2012 for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Allen County Police Department, and the Fort Wayne Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Teresa L Ashcraft.


title: Jefferson County Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Smuggle Controlled Substances into William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility

component: USAO - Alabama, Northern

body_text: BIRMINGHAM, Ala – A federal judge sentenced a Birmingham-area man for his role in a conspiracy to smuggle methamphetamine and heroin into the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Hofer. U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Adam Demond Andrews, 35, of Birmingham, to 132 months in in prison. In February 2024, Andrews pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including methamphetamine and heroin. According to the plea agreement, Andrews repeatedly smuggled controlled substances and other contraband into Alabama Department of Corrections (“ADOC”) facilities. On March 20, 2022, ADOC received information that individuals were trespassing on state property at Donaldson Correctional Facility. ADOC officers responded to the area and observed four suspects on the southwest side of the facility. After being confronted by ADOC officers, the people dropped multiple bags containing contraband on the ground and fled into a wooded area near the facility. The bags contained 60.71 grams of a mixture containing a detectable amount of heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, and Delta-Nine-Tetrahydrocannabinol, and 1406.1 grams of methamphetamine. ADOC officers also recovered a pistol, ammunition, an extended magazine, pocketknives, a canister of pepper spray, prescription medication used to treat opioid use disorder, marijuana, THC gummies, cell phones, cell phone chargers, cell phone cables, a mobile hotspot, memory cards, SIM cards, scales, lighters, cigarillos, cigar wrappers, shoes, jewelry, and watches. Later that same day, ADOC officers apprehended Andrews near the entrance to Donaldson. The charges against Andrews are related to a larger investigation into fraud and corruption at Donaldson. Link to the related cases: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndal/pr/member-gangster-disciples-sentenced-235-months-prison-role-wide-ranging-prison-based The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case against Andrews with assistance of the U.S. Secret Service and ADOC’s Law Enforcement Services Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward J. Canter and John M. Hundscheid prosecuted the case.


title: Herkimer County Woman Sentenced to 37 Months for Stealing From her Former Employer

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: UTICA, NEW YORK – Carol Evans, age 56, of West Winfield, New York, was sentenced yesterday to serve 37 months in federal prison for wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). As part of her earlier guilty plea, Evans admitted that, while she was employed at Sullivan Contracting, Inc., she doctored invoices from vendors to reflect inflated charges. Unaware that the invoices were altered, Sullivan Contracting, Inc. then issued checks for the amount due in the doctored invoices and gave the checks to Evans to pay the invoices. Evans thereafter deposited the checks into her own bank account. Altogether, Evans admitted to depositing approximately $1,800,000 in checks into her personal bank account from Sullivan Contracting, Inc. Though she used some of that money to pay vendors in furtherance of her scheme, she profited nearly $500,000. United States District Judge David N. Hurd further sentenced Evans to a three-year term of supervised release to begin after Evans serves her term of imprisonment and imposed a restitution order and forfeiture judgment in the amount of $498,690.01. FBI investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck prosecuted the case.


title: Canadian Man Sentenced for Stolen Valor and Unlawfully Forging Military Discharge Paperwork

body_text: PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK – Randall J. Montour, age 45, a resident of Cornwall, Ontario, was sentenced today to two years of probation for violating the Stolen Valor Act of 2013 and for falsifying his military discharge certificate. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and United States Marshal David L. McNulty made the announcement. As part of his guilty plea on February 29, 2024, Montour admitted that he falsely altered his Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, Form DD-214, to reflect he received an honorable discharge from the United States Air Force and that he earned numerous decorations, medals, badges, citations or campaign ribbons, including the Purple Heart. Military records show, however, that Montour received a bad conduct discharge from the Air Force in 2001 and was only awarded the Air Force Training Ribbon during his time in service. He is not a Purple Heart recipient. Montour also admitted that he used his altered Form DD-214 to purchase Purple Heart Recipient license plates from the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, which he then affixed to his vehicle. Montour also appeared at veterans’ events wearing an Air Force uniform belonging to a senior non-commissioned officer, a rank the defendant did not achieve in the Air Force, and displaying a ribbon stack depicting many decorations, medals, badges, citations or campaign ribbons that he did not earn, including the Purple Heart. United States Magistrate Judge Gary L. Favro also sentenced Montour to 200 hours of community service and a $10,000 fine. The United States Marshals Service investigated the case with assistance from the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas G. Collyer prosecuted the case.


title: Schenectady Woman Pleads Guilty to Possession of Fentanyl and Cocaine with the Intent to Distribute

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Tiffany Lynn Robillard, age 28, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty today to possession of fentanyl and cocaine with intent to distribute. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino, III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement. As part of her plea, Robillard admitted that, on March 25, 2024, she possessed over 3 kilograms of fentanyl and several hundred grams of cocaine, which she intended to distribute, and two firearms. Robillard faces a minimum term of 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. She will be sentenced on October 25, 2024, by United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci. 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 DEA is investigating the case with assistance from the Colonie Police Department, Schenectady Police Department, and New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikayla Espinosa is prosecuting the case.


title: Poughkeepsie Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor and Possessing Child Pornography

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Aaron W. Scott, 28, of Poughkeepsie, New York, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for attempting to entice and coerce an 11-year-old child into sexual activity and for possessing child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement. As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Scott admitted that between on or April 1, 2022, and June 14, 2022, he sent sexually explicit text messages to someone he believed was an 11-year-old girl in an attempt to entice the child into engaging in sexual acts with him. Scott admitted that on June 14, 2022, he traveled to Warren County, New York, with the intent to engage in sexual acts with the 11-year-old girl. Scott was arrested by law enforcement shortly after arriving at the location and was found in possession of child pornography at the time of his arrest. United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also imposed a 25-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release, ordered Scott to pay $3,000 in restitution to a victim whose images he possessed, and ordered him to forfeit the devices that he used to attempt to entice the child and that contained the child pornography. Scott will be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison. This case was investigated by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents, and state and local police investigators, including from the New York State Police, the Colonie Police Department, and the Cary (North Carolina) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen J. Vickey prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Clay Woman Sentenced to 6 Years for Drug Conspiracy

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Lauren Roosa, age 39, formerly of Clay, New York, was sentenced today to 72 months in federal prison for her role in a drug-trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine in Onondaga County and elsewhere in Central New York. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division. As part of her prior guilty plea, Roosa admitted that from approximately January 2020 through at least April 2021, she conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine in Central New York, which had been transported from California. Roosa further admitted that she agreed to receive shipments of methamphetamine at her residence in Clay, New York, which had been sent via commercial delivery service by coconspirators. One of these shipments contained 879 grams of pure methamphetamine. Roosa also acknowledged that she knew that a coconspirator had stored methamphetamine at a small convenience store in Syracuse, New York, which included 405 grams of pure methamphetamine seized by law enforcement, and that the $17,460 in U.S. currency also seized from that location was drug proceeds. United States District Judge David N. Hurd also ordered Roosa to serve a 3-year term of supervised release to follow her release from prison, and the forfeiture of a total of $22,010 seized currency. This case was investigated by DEA, U.S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York State Police-Violent Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (NYSP-VGNET), Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, Syracuse Police Department, Oklahoma City Police Department, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie.


title: Hickory Man With Extensive Inventory Of Child Pornography Is Sentenced To 11 Years In Prison

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today that Chad Joseph Caesar, 39, of Hickory, N.C., was sentenced to 132 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for receipt of child pornography. Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, and Reed Baer of the Hickory Police Department (HPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement. According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, in February 2023, HPD was notified that Caesar’s computer had been flagged by his employer for a security violation. The HPD initiated an investigation, which led to the execution of a search warrant at Caesar’s residence. Law enforcement seized Caesar’s electronic devices, which were analyzed forensically. The analysis revealed that Caesar’s devices contained an extensive inventory of child pornography – more than 50,000 images and videos – depicting the sexual abuse of children, including infants and toddlers, and files that contained sadistic and masochistic conduct and bestiality. Also, court records show that Caesar’s collection of child pornography included images and videos of over 250 victims who have previously been identified by name. Many of those identified victims submitted victim impact statements for the Court’s consideration at sentencing. Judge Bell, commenting on those victim impact statements at sentencing, noted that “When you read their letters they are forever abused … They live in fear for the rest of their lives.” On December 6, 2023, Caesar pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography. In announcing today’s sentence, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell said that the victims “live in fear for the rest of their lives,” and “When you read the letters they are forever abused.” Caesar will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated federal Bureau of Prisons’ facility. The HSI and the Hickory Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Cervantes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte was in charge of the prosecution. 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: Hartford Man Charged with Receiving Sexually Explicit Images of Minor Girl He Communicated with on Discord

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that MARVYN ESCOBAR, 26, of Hartford, was arrested yesterday on a criminal complaint charging him with child exploitation offenses. Following his arrest, Escobar appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and was ordered detained. As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force and Hartford Police Department revealed that Escobar used the social media platform Discord to have sexually explicit communications with a 13-year-old girl. Escobar sent the minor victim sexually explicit images and videos, and requested that she send him sexually explicit images of herself, which she did. It is alleged that the Discord communications between Escobar and the minor victim began on July 19, 2023. The following day, Escobar was sentenced in state court to five years of jail, all suspended, and three years of probation, for risk of injury to children. The charge stemmed from Escobar’s sexual assault of a minor female in 2018 and 2019. The complaint charges Escobar with receipt of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and transfer of obscene material to a minor, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Hartford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda S. Oakes through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com .


title: Former Texas School District Employee Arrested for Allegedly Stealing Federal Funds

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ALPINE, Texas– A former Valentine Independent School District employee was arrested on criminal charges related to his alleged scheme to fraudulently misappropriate school district funds for personal expenses. According to court documents, Ernesto Villarreal, 42, of Marfa, is alleged to have fraudulently and improperly used credit cards that were issued by Valentine ISD. The cards were intended for Villarreal to use for authorized purchases in his capacity as business manager and tax assessor/collector. Instead, Villarreal allegedly used the credit cards for hundreds of personal purchases, including but not limited to purchases for travel, lodging, home improvements, hardware store purchases, personal cell phone bills, fuel, oil changes, convenience store purchases, university tuition payments, and various other unauthorized purchases. Additionally, Villarreal is alleged to have accessed payroll information for several employees and former employees of the district in order to create fraudulent payroll payments that he sent to his personal bank account. The indictment alleges that Villarreal would change the direct deposit information for employees and former employees and replace such information with his own bank accounts’ direct deposit information. Villarreal is charged with one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and eight counts of wire fraud. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison for count one and up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. The FBI is investigating the case, assisted by the Texas Rangers and the Department of Education Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Greenbaum is prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Justice Department to Recover Over $100 Million in Additional Funds Linked to 1MDB Scheme

body_text: The Justice Department announced today that it has reached an agreement with Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, members of his family, and trust entities Low established (collectively, the “Low Parties”) that resolves two civil forfeiture cases. The department previously brought the cases against assets that it alleges were acquired by Low and his family using funds allegedly embezzled from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Malaysia’s sovereign investment development fund. The Low Parties have also agreed to cooperate in the transfer to Malaysia of certain other assets located in Hong Kong, Switzerland, and Singapore that are linked to 1MDB funds. Under the agreement, the department will coordinate with foreign partners to facilitate the liquidation and return of these assets to Malaysia. According to the civil forfeiture complaints, from 2009 through 2015, more than $4.5 billion in funds belonging to 1MDB were allegedly misappropriated by high-level officials of 1MDB and their associates, including Low, through a criminal conspiracy involving international money laundering and bribery. 1MDB was created by the government of Malaysia to promote economic development in Malaysia through global partnerships and foreign direct investment. Its funds were intended to be used to improve the well-being of the Malaysian people. The agreement resolves the civil forfeiture action against a luxury apartment in Paris and artwork located in Switzerland by artists Andy Warhol and Claude Monet, which Low purchased for approximately $35 million in total. In addition, parties agreed to return to Malaysia real property and cash in bank accounts valued at approximately $67 million located in Hong Kong, Switzerland, and Singapore. The United States will release a total of $3.5 million to the trust entities to pay for legal fees and costs associated with the properties. Under the agreement, none of these fees may be returned to Low or his family members. Prior to this settlement, in total, the United States has returned or assisted in the return to Malaysia of over $1.4 billion in assets associated with the international money laundering, embezzlement, and bribery scheme. Low separately faces charges in the Eastern District of New York for allegedly conspiring to launder billions of dollars embezzled from 1MDB and for conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by allegedly paying bribes to various Malaysian and Emirati officials, and in the District of Columbia for allegedly conspiring to make and conceal foreign and conduit campaign contributions during the United States presidential election in 2012. This agreement does not release any entity or individual from filed or potential criminal charges. The FBI’s International Corruption Squads in New York City and Los Angeles and IRS Criminal Investigation are investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Barbara Levy, Sean Fern, Jonathan Baum, and Joshua Sohn of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Galatzan for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case, with significant assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and MLARS’ Program Management Staff. The Justice Department also appreciates the significant assistance provided over the course of this investigation by the Attorney General’s Chambers of Malaysia, the Royal Malaysia Police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore, the Singapore Police Force-Commercial Affairs Department, the Office of the Attorney General and the Federal Office of Justice of Switzerland, and French authorities. The Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative is led by a team of dedicated prosecutors in MLARS, in partnership with federal law enforcement agencies, and often with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, to forfeit the proceeds of foreign official corruption. Individuals with information about possible proceeds of foreign corruption located in or laundered through the United States should contact federal law enforcement or send an email to kleptocracy@usdoj.gov or https://tips.fbi.gov/ .


title: FBI Arrests El Paso Couple for Alleged Child Abuse

body_text: EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso couple was arrested for charges in a four-count federal indictment related to their alleged child abuse. According to court documents, Cecilia Stepaniak, 34, and Coreydon Stepaniak, 34, from April 2019 to February 2024 allegedly engaged in conduct that placed a child under the age of 15 in imminent danger of death, bodily injury, and physical or mental impairment. The indictment alleges acts including falsely reporting to a medical care provider that the minor victim was removed from school for bullying elementary school children; dangerously restricting the minor’s food intake; hitting the minor victim with a cell phone charging cable; holding a sharp kitchen knife to the minor victim’s throat; kicking the minor victim while on the ground; locking the minor victim in a dark closet; confining the minor victim to the garage of their Fort Bliss residence; and forcing the minor victim to perform calisthenics exercises multiple times a day for extended periods of time. Both defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit injury to a child, one count of injury to a child, one count of child endangerment, and one count of child abandonment. If convicted, they each face up to five years in prison for the conspiracy charge; a minimum of 180 days up to two years for the injury to a child charge; and a minimum of two years to 20 years for the endangerment and abandonment charges. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. The FBI and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nallely Barbosa and Debra Kanof are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Columbia Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Gun and Drug Offenses

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: COLUMBIA, S.C. — Kenneth Archie, 44, of Columbia, was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. Evidence presented to the court showed that on June 14, 2021, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department responded to an apartment complex on Old Manor Rd. in Columbia because a caller stated that Archie was trying to enter the front gate of the complex without permission. When the deputies spoke to Archie at his front window, they could smell marijuana coming from his vehicle and searched his car for further drug evidence. Deputies found a backpack containing methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, and a firearm. Archie admitted to possession of the drugs and the firearm. Archie is prohibited from having a firearm due to prior convictions for armed robbery, domestic violence 2 nd degree, and failure to stop for a blue light. United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Archie to 70 months imprisonment, to be followed by a six-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and the Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case. ###