title: Jefferson County Doctor, Staffers Accused of Conspiracy, Health Care Fraud

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A doctor with an office in St. Louis and two employees have been indicted in U.S. District Court and accused of illegally prescribing controlled substances and health care fraud. Dr. David A. Parks, 66, James M. Bilderback, 58, both of Jefferson County, Missouri, and Michelle J. Scheer, 43, of St. Louis, were each indicted on a charge of conspiracy to illegally prescribe controlled substances and five counts of illegal prescribing of a controlled substance. Parks and Bilderback were also indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, eight additional counts of illegal prescribing of a controlled substance and 15 counts of making false statements related to health care matters. The indictment alleges that from at least July 6, 2016, through Dec. 31, 2021, the three conspired to knowingly and intentionally prescribe controlled substances outside of the usual course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose. The conspiracy’s goal was to maximize their patient population and, in turn, their profit, the indictment says. Parks and Bilderback, the indictment alleges, also conspired to defraud Medicare, Missouri Medicaid and private health insurers by billing them for claims for services that falsely and fraudulently identified Parks as the provider, including at times when Parks was out of the country. Parks ran David A. Parks, M.D., P.C., at 3960 Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis, and Bilderback was the clinical manager and clinical research coordinator and later married Parks, the indictment says. Scheer worked at the front desk. Many patients regularly received Schedule II controlled substance prescriptions, including hydrocodone, oxycodone, and dextroamphetamine-amphetamine salts, the indictment says. Parks was rarely present at the clinic, typically coming in one or two days per week for a few hours at a time, the indictment says. The staff used pre-signed prescriptions so patients could obtain controlled substances without being evaluated or having their medical records reviewed and while Parks was out of the office or on domestic or international trips, the indictment says. Bilderback or another staffer would sometimes forge Parks’ signature, it says. After prescriptions began being processed electronically in the spring of 2019, Parks and Bilderback gave the cell phone used to approve prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances to staffers with no prescribing authority, the indictment says. Scheer used the cell phone and made unilateral prescribing decisions about prescriptions, including by changing the dosages, quantities, and types of controlled substances, it says. All three authorized prescriptions for controlled substances that, in combination, increased the addictive, euphoric effects of the drugs, as well as the potential for overdoses and other adverse events, the indictment says. Parks and Bilderback instructed staff to not drug-test patients, thereby intentionally avoiding the detection of signs of drug abuse and diversion and all three gave “special treatment” to friends and family of Parks and Bilderback by issuing prescriptions for controlled substances whenever desired and without any requirement to see a provider, the indictment says. Parks and Bilderback billed for services at a higher rate - as if Parks had performed them - even though a nurse practitioner or sometimes Bilderback performed them, the indictment alleges. Parks also failed to properly supervise nurse practitioners; he failed to review a minimum of 10% of the charts documenting the nurse practitioner’s activities and failed to stay within 75 miles by road of them while they were seeing patients, the indictment alleges. “As we continue to combat the opioid crisis, our agency remains committed to investigating those involved in fraudulent schemes exploiting controlled substances for profit,” said Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Hanley of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This indictment demonstrates HHS-OIG’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to protect vulnerable individuals from harm and uphold the integrity of healthcare providers.” “Medical professionals have a duty to ensure that their patients’ health and safety are their primary concern,” said Diversion Program Manager Kim Daniels, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s lead for the Diversion Program in Missouri, Kansas and southern Illinois. “When they abdicate this responsibility, they put lives at stake. Diverting medications for illegitimate purposes will get DEA’s attention and we’ll be relentless in pursuing medical staff to ensure the practice ends.” Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. The FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric is prosecuting the case.


title: Two Individuals Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Two individuals were sentenced by United States District Court Judge Silvia Carreño Coll for their roles in a bank fraud conspiracy which resulted in the theft of $526,797. Carmelo Santiago-Santiago was sentenced to 33 months (two years and nine months) in prison and a supervised release term of five years. Efraín Delgado-Rodríguez was sentenced to 30 months (two years and six months) in prison and a supervised release term of five years. Both were ordered to pay a restitution of $526,797 . Santiago-Santiago previously pleaded guilty on November 30, 2023, and Delgado-Rodríguez pleaded guilty on December 1, 2023. According to court documents, from May 2017 to October 2019 Carmelo Santiago-Santiago and Efraín Delgado-Rodríguez conspired with each other to execute a bank fraud scheme to obtain money held by Company A, an insurance company located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Carmelo Santiago-Santiago worked at Company A since 2016 as an accountant overseeing matters related to accounts’ reconciliation and closing journal entries. Due to his position, he had access to Company A’s accounting information, including outstanding checks and unpaid vendors. Efraín Delgado-Rodríguez was the President of Fast Contractors LLC, a general construction company in Puerto Rico. The defendants used Santiago-Santiago’s position within Company A to create false and fraudulent checks using the check numbers of outstanding checks and voided checks originally issued to legitimate vendors and service providers of Company A. To illegally divert the funds to themselves, the defendants changed the name of payees and made fraudulent checks payable to Delgado-Rodríguez and Fast Contractors LLC using Company A’s bank account information. Once the false checks were deposited, funds were then transferred and shared with Santiago-Santiago. The fraudulent checks were created and negotiated without the knowledge or consent of Company A. The defendants’ conspiracy and scheme to defraud involved approximately $526,767 in actual losses. U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Joseph González, Special Agent in Charge for the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie Christine Amy prosecuted the case. ###


title: Mobile Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Mail Theft, Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft

component: USAO - Alabama, Southern

body_text: MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 36 months in prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft involving checks that he stole from the mail. According to court documents, Jonathan Taylor Randle, 32, pleaded guilty to defrauding numerous banks and credit unions between October 2022 and May 2023. Randle admitted that he carried out the scheme by stealing checks from the mail, producing counterfeited and forged checks, making false identification documents, and conducting unlawful deposits, transfers, and withdrawals. In March 2023, federal agents began receiving complaints about someone “fishing” mail from U.S. postal collection boxes using tools covered in rat trap glue. Agents recovered several of these “fishing” devices from tubs inside postal collection boxes at post offices in Mobile, Alabama and Escatawpa, Mississippi. A fingerprint examiner found Randle’s fingerprints on the devices. In April 2023, Randle deposited several forged checks bearing identifiers of mail-theft victims at Regions Bank ATMs in the Mobile area. Surveillance cameras captured Randle making the fraudulent deposits. Thereafter, in May 2023, agents executed a search warrant at Randle’s house in Mobile, seizing hundreds of checks and pieces of stolen mail, fraudulent identifications bearing Randle’s picture and stolen identifying information, multiple debit/credit cards in the names of other people, a laptop, a notebook containing stolen identifying information, and a rifle. Agents also seized and searched Randle’s cell phone, which contained evidence of his fraud scheme. In addition to the three-year prison term, Senior United States District Judge William H. Steele ordered Randle to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will be subject to credit restrictions, undergo drug testing, and receive mental health treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Steele ordered Randle to pay $33,042.95 in victim restitution and $200 in special assessments. U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, and Mobile Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.


title: Lynchburg Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Distributing Pressed Fentanyl Pills

component: USAO - Virginia, Western

body_text: LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Lynchburg, Virginia man, who distributed nearly 75 grams of pressed fentanyl pills, was sentenced last week to 12 Years in federal prison. Elijah Pollard, 25, previously pled guilty to possessing pressed fentanyl pills with the intent to distribute. According to court documents, after repeatedly making controlled purchases of pressed fentanyl pills from Pollard, the Lynchburg Police Department executed a search warrant at Pollard’s apartment in 2023 and discovered approximately 75 grams of pressed fentanyl pills, digital scales, and cash. In addition, police discovered a loaded AR-15 propped up against the wall outside Pollard’s bedroom door. U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and ATF Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Washington Field Division made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lynchburg Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Lee Brett prosecuted the case for the United States. 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: Federal Government Employee Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Defraud Local Agencies to Benefit His Private Company

body_text: WASHINGTON – Ifediora Oli, an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), pled guilty today to conspiring with other public officials to defraud the District of Columbia and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) of money, property, and their employees’ honest services. As a result of the conspiracy, a private company owned and operated by Oli improperly received over $1 million. The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, Inspector General Michelle A. Zamarin of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Office of Inspector General, and Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas of the D.C. Office of the Inspector General. Oli, 41 of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit money, property, and honest services wire fraud, and one count of falsifying records. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan scheduled sentencing for October 16. In related cases, co-defendants Bridgette Crowell and Obinna Ogbu also pleaded guilty to conspiring with Oli to defraud the District and WMATA. According to court documents, during the conspiracy—which was carried out between 2018 and 2023—Oli was employed at USDA while separately acting as the Principal of Highbury Global Group, Inc. (Highbury). Ogbu was employed at WMATA as an information technology (IT) customer support manager who sometimes also served as a WMATA contracting officer’s technical representative (COTR) on certain WMATA contracts. Crowell was a public employee who managed contracts at the District’s Office of Contracting and Procurement (OCP) and, before that, WMATA. Beginning in 2018, Oli and Ogbu agreed to use Ogbu’s official position and connection to Crowell to steer funds from WMATA IT-related contracts to Highbury. As part of the conspiracy, Oli and Ogbu agreed to commit bribery. Specifically, Oli and Ogbu agreed that Oli would give Ogbu things of value in exchange for Ogbu misusing his position at WMATA to benefit Oli. By 2023, Oli and Highbury had received nearly $500,000 through this corrupt scheme. Crowell also misused her official position at OCP and agreed with Oli to commit bribery as part of the conspiracy. In January 2021, OCP began the process of helping the District’s Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) hire a vendor to provide DFS with COVID-19 testing supplies. In her official capacity at OCP, Crowell managed the contract solicitation, offer, and award. Crowell alerted Oli and Ogbu to the contracting opportunity; provided them with non-public information about the solicitation, including information regarding contract pricing; and steered the contract to Highbury. The District ultimately paid Highbury over $630,000 under the contract. In return, Oli paid Ogbu over $100,000 and instructed Ogbu to give $15,000 of the money in cash to Crowell in exchange for her corrupt acts. Oli also pleaded guilty to unlawfully falsifying an annual financial disclosure record related to his USDA employment. As a USDA employee, Oli was required to complete an annual “Confidential Financial Disclosure Report” on a U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) form referred to as the “OGE Form 450.” Oli admitted that he repeatedly falsified his annual OGE Form 450 filings to hinder the USDA’s ability to identify, investigate, and assess his activities with Highbury and any conflict of interests they may have caused. The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with the WMATA Office of the Inspector General, and the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Visser of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 24cr0275


title: Illegally Armed Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison

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

body_text: INDIANAPOLIS- LaDarien McGee, 27, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession of fentanyl and cocaine with intent to distribute. According to court documents, on January 9, 2024, IMPD executed a state search warrant and a fugitive arrest warrant on LaDarien McGee at a gas station, located at West Washington Street in Indianapolis. As law enforcement officers approached McGee, he fled on foot. Officers arrested McGee after a short chase and found a small bag of fentanyl pills, weighing approximately 3.2 grams, on his person. The officers also seized a 9-millimeter Glock handgun from McGee’s vehicle at the gas station. Immediately after McGee’s arrest, officers executed a state search warrant at McGee’s residence. The officers found a red shoebox in McGee’s bedroom, which contained a 39.04 grams of fentanyl pills, a digital scale with cocaine residue, and 13.4 grams of cocaine. The officers also found a 5.7 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun and a .357 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver under the pillows on the bed, a 5.56 caliber Kel-Tec AR variant pistol along the wall beside the bed, and a .380 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun in a clothing rack. McGee has sustained a previous felony conviction for trafficking with an inmate in Hendricks County, Indiana, which prohibits him from ever legally possessing a firearm. “Fentanyl is devastating our communities at an unprecedented rate. Illegally armed fentanyl dealers pose an even greater danger to the public,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “We continue to work diligently with the ATF, IMPD, and other agencies to counter these deadly drugs and remove armed fentanyl dealers from our neighborhoods.” The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and IMPD investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson. U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley A. Blackington, who prosecuted this case. ###


title: Evansville Meth Trafficking Operation Disrupted; Trio Sent to Federal Prison

body_text: EVANSVILLE- Colin January, 47, of Evansville, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison followed by 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Patricia Minor, 41, and Blenda Lundburg, 57, of Evansville, have been sentenced to 29 months’ (Minor) and one year time served (Lundburg) respectively, followed by one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to unlawful use of a communication facility. According to documents and evidence presented in court, between March 1 and May 3, 2022, January conspired with others to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in the Evansville area. On April 29, 2022, at the request of January, Minor contacted Lundburg via text and asked if a package could be sent to Lundburg’s address. At that time, Lundburg lived in an apartment on Oak Street in Evansville. When Lundburg indicated that she was uncomfortable with the idea, Minor stated that she had previously allowed similar packages to be delivered to her own house and “had no problem with it.” Lundburg stated, “As long as I know nothing and nothing else. No trouble at all.” On May 1, 2022, January provided Lundburg’s address to a co-conspirator. January had previously provided two Evansville addresses to the co-conspirator in April. A parcel containing approximately 1,374 grams of methamphetamine was subsequently sent from California to Lundburg’s apartment via U.S. Postal Service. January provided Minor with the name of the recipient that appeared on the package and instructed her to be present for the delivery. Law enforcement officers intercepted the package, removed the methamphetamine inside, and conducted a controlled delivery. January, Minor, and Lundburg were at the apartment when the package was delivered. “Methamphetamine and other controlled substances and have devastating impacts on users, their loved ones, and our communities,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Trafficking organizations are the most significant sources of these poisons and must be held accountable for the suffering they cause in search of quick profits. I commend the efforts of the DEA, Evansville Police Department, and Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office to make our communities safer by getting meth and meth dealers off our streets.” The Drug Enforcement Administration, Evansville Police Department, and Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Court Judge, Richard L. Young. U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew B. Miller and Kristian Mukoski, who prosecuted this case. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. ###


title: U.S. Attorney Announces Abuse Conviction in Child Torture Case

component: USAO - New Mexico

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – An Ohkay Owingeh man pleaded guilty in federal court to an assimilated charge of child abuse resulting in great bodily harm arising from a series of brutal assaults and torture of a five-year old girl that occurred over a seven-week period in 2021. According to publicly available court documents, between May 20, 2021, and July 10, 2021, Christopher Marquez , 34, an enrolled member of the Ohkay Owingeh tribe, repeatedly assaulted Jane Doe with his hands and miscellaneous household items in a manner that constituted torture and cruel punishment. As a result, Jane Doe suffered broken arms, broken ribs, internal bleeding, and bruising. Marquez will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has been scheduled for October 9, 2024. As a part of his agreement, Marquez will receive a definite term of 18 years in prison at sentencing. This is the statutory penalty of assimilated first-degree felonies. There is no parole in the Federal system. Upon his release from prison, Marquez will be subject to up to three years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez made the announcement today. The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark A. Probasco and Matthew J. McGinley are prosecuting the case. View the Plea Agreement # # #


title: Queens Woman Charged With Using a Hitman-For-Hire Website on the Dark Web to Order Murder of Her Lover’s Wife

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: This afternoon, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Yue Zhou is scheduled to be arraigned on an indictment charging her with murder-for-hire. Zhou was arrested on June 5, 2024 in the Eastern District of Virginia and removed to the Eastern District of New York on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. Today’s proceeding will be held before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), announced the charges. “As alleged, the defendant took affirmative steps to hire a hit man to carry out the ruthless killing of the wife of her romantic partner,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Her depraved plan was only thwarted because the web site she used to set up the murder-for-hire was a scam. Although the scheme involved newer technologies like the Internet and Bitcoin, the end result would have been age-old cold-blooded murder.” Mr. Peace thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia for their assistance. “Yue Zhou is accused of offering cryptocurrency, cash, and even sexual favors during her discussions related to having her then-partner’s spouse and adult daughter killed. Little did she know, the website she allegedly thought she was using to solicit a hitman was a farce, and the crimes of which she is accused soon caught up to her,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Arvelo. “I commend HSI New York’s El Dorado Task Force Cyber Division, Customs and Border Protection, the New York Police Department, and the Eastern District of New York for their unwavering commitment to utilizing their state-of-the-art methods to secure justice on behalf of New Yorkers.” As alleged in the indictment and other court documents, between March 25, 2019 and April 4, 2019, Zhou sought to hire a hitman through a murder-for-hire website on the dark web (Website) to murder Victim-1, the spouse of the defendant’s then-romantic partner. Using an alias on the website, Zhou placed an order to have Victim-1 murdered. To pay for the murder, Zhou contracted with a Bitcoin exchange service in Ukraine to make a $5,000 payment in Bitcoin on her behalf to the Website. Zhou provided approximately $5,000 in cash to a middleman in Brooklyn and then communicated with the Website administrator to confirm payment. After sending payment, Zhou provided a detailed description of Victim-1, including her home, her work schedule, and the best times to target Victim-1, so that Victim-1’s husband would have an alibi for the murder. Zhou later tried to use to the Website to secure the murder of Victim-2, her romantic partner’s adult daughter. In February 2021, Zhou also sent a text message to a neighbor of Victim-2 seeking to hire that neighbor to kill Victim-2. Zhou offered the neighbor $10,000 and sexual favors in exchange for killing Victim-2 and disposing of the body in a lake. Zhou was not aware at the time of her scheme that the Website was a scam operated by a third party and there was no actual hitman for hire. The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda Shami and Andy Palacio are in charge of the prosecution. The Defendant : YUE ZHOU Age: 42 Flushing, New York E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-123 (MKB)


title: Former Vice President of Miami Aerospace Company and Accomplice Sentenced to Prison for Involvement in Fraud Conspiracy

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – The former vice president of a Miami Aerospace company and his co-conspirator were sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay over $2 million in restitution for their respective involvement in a mail, wire and honest services fraud conspiracy. According to court filings, from August 2008, and continuing through October 2018, Mario Rene De La Torre, 54, of Fort Collins, Colo., used his position as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Miami-based Summit Aerospace, Inc. (Summit), to fraudulently embezzle over $2.1 million of Summit’s funds, which he split with his co-defendant, Joe Lewis McHomes 71, of Perry, Ga. Moreover, De La Torre evaded the payment of income tax on his ill-gotten gains, by laundering the fraud proceeds and filing false and fraudulent income tax returns. To perpetrate the fraud scheme, De La Torre enlisted McHomes to pose as a sales consultant, who supposedly obtained aircraft part repair work for Summit, from Al-Raha Group for Technical Services (RGTS) in Saudi Arabia. De La Torre created fake invoices purportedly issued by McHomes’ fictitious consulting firm, J-CONN Solutions (J-CONN), for commissions McHomes purportedly earned for selling Summit’s services to RGTS. In fact, McHomes did not obtain the repair work that Summit performed for RGTS and was not entitled to any compensation from Summit. De La Torre submitted the fake J-CONN invoices to Summit’s accounts payable department, which would then issue the checks payable to J-CONN. Significantly, De La Torre would create J-CONN invoices in amounts below $10,000 and cause Summit to issue a separate check for each invoice. Summit would then send a set of checks to Joe McHomes through the mail system. When McHomes received a set of Summit checks, he would cash them at a check cashing store rather than a bank; and he would structure his cashing so that he didn’t cash more than $10,000 worth of checks on the same day in order to avoid the store’s filing of a cash transaction report (CTR) with the Treasury Department. McHomes would then kick-back fifty percent of the cash proceeds to De La Torre, again structured to avoid generating a CTR. Mario De La Torre used the fraud proceeds to pay family expenses, including, among other things, his wife’s credit card bills and his daughter’s university education. On June 27, U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams sentenced De La Torre to one year and one day’s imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. De la Torre previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and honest services fraud, and making and subscribing a false tax return. On June 27, Judge Williams sentenced McHomes to five months in a Residential Reentry Center, to be followed by three years of supervised release, the first five months of which will be home detention. McHomes previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud. In addition, the Court ordered both defendants to pay restitution in the amount of $2,129,392.35. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Derrell Freeman, U.S. Airforce, Office of Special Investigations, Procurement Fraud; Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line, of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office announced the sentences. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dwayne E. Williams prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture. You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 20-cr-20185. ###


title: FACT SHEET: Year-to-Year Carjacking Trends for the Month of June

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: In June of 2023, the District of Columbia experienced 140 carjackings in that month alone. In June of this year (2024), the number of carjackings in the District is 31. That is over 100 fewer carjackings—or a 78% decrease—in June alone compared to last year. Notable facts from the representative prosecutions below: Four D.C. men charged with allegedly carjacking 33 vehicles in the District of Columbia and Maryland during a six-month period, including one case which resulted in a death. Read more. 11 juveniles charged as adults under Title 16 for various armed robberies and carjackings. Combined local and federal law enforcement approach. More than 60 years of total prison time for carjackers. Multiple armed carjacking sprees crossing state lines into Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia interrupted and thwarted. NOTABLE CARJACKING HEADLINES FROM THE USAO Superior Court Indictments Four District Men Indicted on 76 Federal Counts for Armed Carjacking Conspiracy. Read more. Read more. Two District Men Indicted for the February Kidnapping and Robbery of a Virginia Man. Read more. Carjacking and Robbery Charges Filed Against Three Men in D.C. Read more. Federal Grand Jury Indicts Two D.C. Residents with Kidnapping and Carjacking Charges. Read more. District Man Indicted on Armed Carjacking and Other Charges in String of Armed Robberies at Convenience Stores and Gas Stations. Read more. D.C. Man Indicted in a Six Count Federal Indictment After Deadly Carjacking Spree. Read more. Title 16 Charges (Youth Charges as an Adult) District Teen Indicted on Multiple Armed Carjacking, Armed Robbery and Related Charges from August 2023 Crime Spree. Read more. Three Juveniles Charged as Adults with Armed Carjacking, Armed Robbery, and Related Charges. Read more. Teen Indicted on Armed Carjacking and Other Violent Crimes Arising from a Crime Spree in August 2023. Read more. Grand Jury Indicts District Teen for Armed Carjacking and Other Offenses. Read more. Separate Indictments Charge Multiple Defendants in Armed Carjacking Conspiracies. Read more. Seven Teens Indicted for Conspiracy and Three Armed Carjackings. Read more. Significant Sentences Carjacker Sent to Prison for 10 Years. Read more. District Man Sentenced to Sixteen Years in Prison for Armed Carjacking at Gas Station. Read more. District Man Sentenced to 96 Months in Prison for Carjacking and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm. Read more. District Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Two Carjackings. Read more. Significant Plea & Trail Convictions District Man Pleads Guilty to Carjacking in Northeast. Read more. District Man Pleads Guilty in Armed Carjacking Spree. Read more. District Man Convicted of Offenses Arising from Violent Armed Carjacking and Shooting. Read more. Read more. Jury Finds Maryland Man Guilty of Armed Carjacking of Delivery Driver . Read more. District Man Found Guilty of Armed Carjacking of Handyman’s Car, Which He Crashed During a Police Chase. Read more. ###


title: Justice Department Reaches Settlement to Recover L.A. Mansion Purchased by Family of Former Armenian Government Minister

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – The Justice Department today announced it has reached a settlement for a civil forfeiture case against a mansion in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles belonging to the family of Gagik Khachatryan, a former government official in the Republic of Armenia. In 2011, a trust benefiting Khachatryan’s sons purchased the property with funds provided by an Armenian businessman. At the time, Khachatryan was the most senior official in charge of taxes and customs in the Republic of Armenia. The sons claimed that the funds were provided as loans by the businessman, while the United States alleged the loans, which were repeatedly extended without repayment, were covers for bribe payments. The payments are also the subject of pending criminal prosecutions in the Republic of Armenia. Under the terms of the settlement, the mansion will be forfeited to the United States. The United States will then sell the property at the highest obtainable market price and retain 85% of the net proceeds of the sale. The remaining net proceeds of the sale will be delivered to the Khachatryan’s sons and a corporation they own. The Attorney General has the discretionary authority to transfer forfeited property to any foreign country that participated directly or indirectly in the seizure or forfeiture of the property. The offices that brought the case intend to recommend transfer of some or all the forfeited proceeds to the Republic of Armenia. “We do not tolerate corruption in the United States and we will not allow foreign officials to use our country to facilitate their own corruption,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Our recovery of these ill-gotten gains should send a message to corrupt officials throughout the world that they will find no safe harbor here.” The FBI’s Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force (EOCTF) and U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case. The EOCTF is composed of multiple law enforcement agencies including the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Glendale Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The Justice Department’s Official of International Affairs, Republic of Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office, and Armenian investigative authorities also provided critical assistance. Assistant United States Attorney Maxwell Coll of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section and Trial Attorney Hunter Smith of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) prosecuted this case. 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. Attorney’s 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: Marco Island Felon Sentenced To Federal Prison For Possessing Firearm

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sherri Polster Chappell today sentenced Nicholas Munson Troemner (41, Marco Island) to 5 years and 5 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Troemner to forfeit the firearm and ammunition. Troemner entered a guilty plea on January 24, 2024. According to court documents, on February 16, 2023, Troemner possessed a loaded Taurus pistol in North Fort Myers. At the time, had multiple prior felony convictions and there was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. 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 out 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 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. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.


title: Repeat Child Sex Offender Sentenced to 25 Years for Attempted Transfer of Obscene Material

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: CHARLESTON, S.C. — Chad Michael Rabon, 34, of Lugoff, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor and two corresponding counts of commission of a felony sex offense involving a minor by a registered sex offender. Evidence presented to the court showed that from May 23 to June 30, 2022, Rabon, a previously convicted and registered sex offender, knowingly had sexually explicitly conversations with an undercover agent who Rabon believed to be a 13-year-old girl. He used the social media platform KIK Messenger for the purpose of persuading the perceived minor to engage in sexual activity. In addition, on May 26 and June 29, 2022, Rabon sent pornographic images and obscene videos to the undercover agent, to entice the person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity. “Rabon, a registered sex offender, knowingly preyed on who he believed to be a child. This sentence reflects the serious nature of Rabon’s crime, and we will continue to hold such offenders accountable," said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “HSI is a global leader in the fight against child predators and their exploitative behavior,” said Cardell T. Morant, special agent in charge of HSI Charlotte that covers North and South Carolina. “HSI and its partners remain steadfast in the fight to protect our most vulnerable population from exploitation.” Rabon is a registered sex offender having previously been convicted on state charges of criminal solicitation of a minor and criminal sexual conduct with a minor, victim 11 to 14 years of age, second degree. United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel sentenced Rabon to 300 months' imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Rabon will also be required to register as a sex offender upon release from prison. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc . This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Mount Pleasant Police Department, and South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is operated through the State of South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean H. Secor is prosecuting the case. ###


title: Pico Rivera Man Who Helped International Drug Traffickers Launder More Than $15 Million Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A Pico Rivera man was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison for his role in a money laundering conspiracy that moved millions of dollars in narcotics-related funds from the United States to international drug trafficking organizations. Gustavo Adolfo Aldana-Martinez, 57, was sentenced by United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner, who also ordered him to pay a $25,000 fine. At the conclusion of a three-day trial in December 2021, a jury found Aldana-Martinez guilty of one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. Aldana-Martinez accepted wire transfers of trafficker-directed drug proceeds sent from an undercover account run by agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). After nearly $300,000 was sent to a bank account in the name of his bogus business, Aldana-Martinez made a series of wire transfers to unrelated companies to pay for electronic items that were then shipped to Colombia and Mexico, where they were sold to produce laundered funds for the drug traffickers. The evidence showed that Aldana-Martinez laundered approximately $15.5 million between 2015 and 2017. The man who oversaw the money laundering enterprise – Daniel Shaun Zilke, a.k.a. “The Englishman,” 49, of Mexico City – pleaded guilty in December 2023 to conspiracy to aid and abet drug distribution, conspiracy to launder money, and obstruction of an official government proceeding for stealing and attempting to cover up the theft of $150,000 in DEA undercover funds. Zilke is expected to be sentenced in the coming months. The third defendant in the case – Jeffrey Mark Thompson, a.k.a. “The Cowboy,” 62, of Springtown, Texas – pleaded guilty in November 2023 to conspiracy to aid and abet drug distribution, conspiracy to launder money, and money laundering. Thompson is expected to be sentenced in the coming months. Zilke and Thompson face decades in prison. A fourth defendant in the case – Juan Rachid Dergal-Zulbaran, 49, of Mexico City – is currently a fugitive. According to court documents, the investigation into Zilke’s operation started in late 2015 when an undercover DEA agent posing as a money launderer contacted Zilke. When he pleaded guilty, Zilke admitted telling the undercover “he had a client in Europe who needed hundreds of millions of dollars moved to Mexico, and that he could use the bank account of a charity in Dallas, Texas to assist in laundering the money.” The undercover agent agreed to assist Zilke by allowing him to use bank accounts associated with cash-intensive businesses. Subsequently, Zilke and his associates arranged numerous pickups of large sums of cash from drug traffickers in cities all over the country, funds that were deposited at Zilke’s direction into various bank accounts, including one controlled by Aldana-Martinez and another in the name of Thompson’s purported charity, Peace Through Water Foundation. When he pleaded guilty, Thompson admitted that he used the Peace Through Water bank account to launder drug money. Zilke, Thompson, and Aldana-Martinez each earned a commission that was a percentage of the amount laundered through their respective accounts, according to court documents. During the investigation, Zilke approached the DEA in 2019 and offered his cooperation to expose the money laundering organization. After being made a cooperator and agreeing to always be truthful, Zilke received $200,000 in official government funds to be delivered to defendant Thompson. The intent was for Thompson to launder the money through his bank accounts and return the money to DEA undercover accounts. But, as Zilke admitted in his plea agreement, approximately two weeks after the cash delivery, Zilke returned to Thompson’s residence and took back $150,000 without telling the DEA agents. After this theft of government funds, he repeatedly lied to the agents about the money and made excuses for why it was taking so long to receive the wire transfers for the full $200,000. DEA Seattle and DEA San Ysidro investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Julie J. Shemitz, James A. Santiago and Kyle W. Kahan of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section prosecuted this case. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: Saint Martin Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Narcotics Trafficking and Possession of Firearm by Illegal Alien

body_text: JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A Saint Martin citizen unlawfully residing in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to 60 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, on his convictions of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, heroin, and cocaine, and unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on Hector Concepcion, 35. According to information presented to the Court, from in and around August 2019 to in and around April 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Concepcion conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base in the form commonly known as “crack” and quantities of heroin and cocaine. Further, in and around July 2021, Concepcion, an illegal alien who is unlawfully in the United States, possessed a firearm and ammunition. Federal law prohibits anyone who is illegally or unlawfully in the United States, or who is an alien admitted to the United States under a non-immigrant visa, from possessing a firearm. Concepcion was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of crack cocaine, heroin, and cocaine that he distributed to others. Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Concepcion. Additional agencies participating in the investigation included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Cambria County District Attorney’s Office, Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, Cambria County Sheriff’s Office, Cambria Township Police Department, Indiana Borough Police Department, Johnstown Police Department, Upper Yoder Township Police Department, Richland Police Department, Ferndale Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: El Paso Contractor Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Bureau of Prisons

body_text: EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso man was sentenced in a federal court to 24 months in prison with a $5,000 fine for defrauding two federally funded correctional institutions. According to court documents, Jack McCager Kidd, 72, was the owner of a company contracted by the Bureau of Prisons to construct two gas pipelines to separate correctional institutions—a high-security prison in Pennsylvania and a medium-security prison in Alabama. Kidd falsely invoiced the institutions for more natural gas than his company delivered and refused to provide information requested by the institutions concerning the amount of natural gas delivered and the calculations he used to determine the monthly invoice amounts. He was arrested Oct. 28, 2021 and charged with 72 counts of wire fraud. He pleaded guilty Aug. 30, 2023 to one count of wire fraud. Per the plea agreement, Kidd also agreed to pay $11,397,374 in restitution. U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Fraud Detection Office and FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Skillern and Sarah Valenzuela prosecuted the case. ###


title: Upper Darby Man Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Mail Theft Scheme

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Anthony Mazzccua, 25, of Upper Darby, PA, was sentenced today to 12 months’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and $26,654.94 in restitution by United States District Court Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro, for his participation in a scheme to attempt to steal mail from a U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) collection box and his possession of stolen mail. His codefendant, Hervens Toussaint, 26, also of Upper Darby, PA, was sentenced in May to three years of probation, a $1,000 fine, and restitution of $15,706.67. Both men admitted their roles in the scheme, pleading guilty earlier this year to attempted mail theft, and aiding and abetting attempted mail theft, and possession of stolen mail. The charges arose from the codefendants’ use of a USPS Arrow Key to steal mail from collection boxes in Delaware County, PA. The codefendants would then locate checks, wash and alter the payee names and amounts on the checks, and deposit the altered checks into bank accounts belonging to third-party individuals. In at least some instances, the codefendants withdrew or attempted to withdraw the fraudulently deposited funds from those third-party bank accounts. On October 27, 2021, law enforcement found the codefendants, along with an unindicted juvenile, attempting to steal mail from a blue collection box in Aston, PA. At the time he was apprehended, Mazzccua had six stolen checks and a USPS route key tag on his person. Moreover, law enforcement found approximately 13 pieces of stolen mail and eight stolen checks in the car being used by the codefendants to steal mail. The actual fraud loss for which Mazzccua was responsible for, as a result of his depositing of washed and altered checks stolen from Delaware County, was approximately $26,654.94. “The U.S. postal system is a cornerstone of American society, delivering essential items such as income, bills, and expenses,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Through their actions, the defendants assaulted the integrity and reliability of that system, negatively impacting the lives of numerous victims who had their checks stolen from the mail. Today’s sentence reflects the grave consequences that await those who compromise the security of our mail system. We ask everyone to help support this critical service and protect our postal system by reporting any suspicious activity.” “Today Anthony Mazzccua was held accountable for stealing checks out of the U.S. Mail and fraudulently passing those checks through the financial system,” said Christopher Nielsen, Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division for the Postal Inspection Service. "Protecting the mail from theft is a core mission of the Inspection Service. When someone steals mail, Postal Inspectors will work relentlessly to hold those individuals to account. I want to thank the investigators from the Upper Chichester Township Police Department who assisted in identifying and apprehending these suspects. I also want to acknowledge the efforts of the United States Attorney’s Office for their continued support in prosecuting these cases." The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Social Security Administration, and the Upper Chichester Township Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eileen Castilla Geiger.


title: Former Rowan County Teacher Sentenced  for Production of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Kentucky, Eastern

body_text: COVINGTON, Ky. – A Morehead, Ky., man, Andrew Zaheri, 40, was sentenced on Monday, by U.S. District Judge David Bunning, to 22 years in prison, for production of child pornography. According to his plea agreement, in the summer of 2022, Zaheri began a sexual relationship, with a minor student at the high school where he was employed as a teacher. The relationship continued through the school year and included Zaheri engaging in sexual acts with the victim during school hours. Zaheri admitted that, during the course of the relationship, he produced sexually explicit images and videos of the minor victim using his cell phone. Under federal law, Zaheri must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 22 years. Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael E. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Kentucky State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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 . — END —


title: Lexington Couple Sentenced for  Fraudulently Obtaining COVID Relief Loans

body_text: LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Lexington man, Neal Harris, 57, was sentenced on Monday, by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, to 37 months in prison, for eight counts of wire fraud, for obtaining Economic Injury Disaster Loans under false pretenses. His co-defendant, Kelly Harris, 64, was sentenced on July 2, 2024, to 46 months in prison, also for eight counts of wire fraud. In March 2024, following a four-day jury trial, the Harrises were convicted of all the wire fraud charges against them. According to the evidence at trial, from May 5, 2020 through July 25, 2020, the Harrises submitted materially false applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA), to obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), for five businesses they claimed were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, they claimed to run five businesses that had done a total of $1.4 million in business in 2019. In reality, none of the businesses were operational in 2019. The only business that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ruby Bailey Family Service Center, had been dissolved in 2019. Despite this, the Harrises sought more than $450,000 in loans to which they were not entitled. They obtained $357,600 in disaster relief funds from the SBA for three of the businesses. A local bank detected the fraud in August 2020 and secured the funds remaining in the business accounts. After the bank returned the fraudulently obtained funds, Neal and Kelly Harris then submitted additional fraudulent documentation to the SBA, attempting to get these funds back. At sentencing, both defendants were found to have obstructed justice by testifying falsely at the trial. Under federal law, the Harrises must serve 85 percent of their prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for two years. Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Lesley Allison, Special Agent in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pittsburgh Field Division; and Kelly K. Moening, Special Agent in Charge, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Great Lakes Field Division, jointly announced the sentencing. The investigation was conducted by the USPIS and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Smith is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. — END —


title: Justice Department Files Statement of Interest Reiterating Prison Officials’ Duty to Protect Incarcerated People from Harm

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: The Justice Department filed a statement of interest last week in a lawsuit brought in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama alleging that conditions in an Alabama state prison violate the Constitution. The statement explains that, under the Eighth Amendment, prison officials must respond reasonably when they know people in their custody face a substantial risk of serious harm, including harm from other incarcerated people. “The Constitution requires prison officials to take reasonable steps to protect the people in their custody,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We must not allow violence and sexual abuse to run rampant in our prisons and jails. We are committed to securing the constitutional rights of all people, including those who are incarcerated.” The plaintiffs in Duke v. Hamm allege that prisoner-on-prisoner violence and sexual assault are commonplace at St. Clair Correctional Facility (St. Clair) in Springville, Alabama. They also allege that correctional officers regularly use excessive force on incarcerated people at St. Clair. The plaintiffs contend prison officials know that prisoners at St. Clair face a substantial risk of harm but have failed to take reasonable measures to address this risk, in violation of the Eighth Amendment. “People do not lose their constitutional rights behind prison walls,” said U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama. “Our office remains committed to ensuring constitutional conditions, including reasonable safety, within Alabama’s prisons.” The department’s statement of interest clarifies the appropriate standards under the Eighth Amendment. A high level of violence in a prison puts inmates at a substantial risk of serious harm. The Eighth Amendment requires prison officials to respond reasonably to this risk when they become aware of it. The department’s statement notes that when prison officials continue ineffective measures and disregard available alternatives to mitigate the risk of harm, they are not complying with their constitutional requirement to respond reasonably. For more information on the Civil Rights Division please visit www.justice.gov/crt . Additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s work regarding correctional facilities is available at www.justice.gov/crt/rights-persons-confined-jails-and-prisons .


title: Activity in the U.S. Attorney's Office

component: USAO - Wyoming

body_text: Public Land Offenses Braden Kyle Winters , 34, of Grand Junction, Colorado, was sentenced to seven days in jail and fined $1,500 plus court costs for driving under the influence. In addition, he received two years of unsupervised probation and a ban from Yellowstone National Park, for the same period, for failure to comply with a traffic control device. According to the citation, Winters was observed by a U.S. Park Ranger getting into his vehicle with an open can of beer in his hand. He then drove the vehicle away from a parking lot, driving with the passenger side tires approximately 1.5 feet over the fog line. He had four passengers in the vehicle with him, three of which were minors. Standard Field Sobriety Tests performed by the Rangers yielded results suggestive of alcohol impairment. Winters provided a breath sample on the Intoxilizer 9000 with a result of .123. This crime was investigated by the National Park Service and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Calmes. Drug Trafficking Deangela Jordawn Stewart , 31, and Chad Nathan Stewart , 51, of Casper, Wyoming, were each sentenced to 92 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on Jul. 3 and Jul. 5, respectively. According to court documents, in August 2023, the Central Enforcement Team of the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) identified several distributors of controlled substances in Natrona County, including the Stewarts. When agents attempted to make a controlled buy at the Stewart’s residence, they witnessed a minor present during the transaction and immediately obtained a search warrant. They seized 1.7 pounds of methamphetamine and 11 fentanyl pills. Deangela pleaded guilty on Apr. 11 and Chad pleaded guilty on Apr. 17. This crime was investigated by the DCI, and the case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ava Covert. Escape from Custody Wolfe Jon Taylor Willow, 39, of Crowheart, Wyoming, was sentenced to 19 months’ imprisonment for escape from custody. According to court documents, on Jan. 16, the defendant was scheduled to report to the Casper Re-Entry Center after serving a sentence in Victorville, California for failure to register as a sex offender. Willow did not show up in Casper and did not alert anyone to his whereabouts. He turned himself in to the Wind River Police Department 12 days later. Willow pleaded guilty on Apr. 10. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on Jul. 3. This crime was investigated by the U.S. Marshal Service, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kerry J. Jacobson. About the United States Attorney’s Office The United States Attorney’s Office is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District of Wyoming, including all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits brought by or against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. The Office is involved in several programs designed to make our communities safer. They include: Environmental Justice The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Project Safe Childhood Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a DOJ initiative that combats the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for sexual contact is well-known and serious. Project Safe Neighborhoods Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a nationwide commitment to reducing gun and gang crime in America by networking existing local programs that target gun crime and providing these programs with additional tools necessary to be successful. Victim Witness Assistance The Victim Witness Coordinator for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming is dedicated to making sure that victims of federal crimes and their family members are treated with compassion, fairness, and respect. To report a federal crime, go to: https://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/report-crime#trafficking


title: July Federal Grand Jury 2024-A Indictments Announced

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Northern

body_text: United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the July Federal Grand Jury 2024-A Indictments. The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence. Joseph Scott Campbell. Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country. Campbell, 54, of Jay, is charged with engaging in a sexual act with a minor victim under 16 years old. The FBI, Cherokee Nation Marshall Service, and the Tahlequah Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Hockenbury is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-210 Rodney Eldon Hunter. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. Hunter, 55, of Tulsa and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with unlawfully shooting Darrick Orcutt in the back and killing him. He is further charged with discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric O. Johnston is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-213 Aroldo Baudilio Miranda-Dionisio. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Miranda-Dionisio , 53, a Guatemalan national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed in Sep. 2017 at or near Dallas, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Harris is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-211 Feliciano Ortega-Banderas; Luis Enrique Rios-Soriano; Morgan Ashley Kirby. Drug Conspiracy; Attempted Distribution of Methamphetamine; Attempted Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Ortega-Banderas, 21, of East Palo Alto, California; Rios-Soriano, 24, a Mexican National; and Kirby, 20, of Tulsa, are charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. Ortega-Banderas is further charged with intentionally attempting to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. Additionally, Rios-Soriano and Kirby are charged with attempting to possess more than 500 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Drug Enforcement Administration – Tulsa and Amarillo offices, the Texas Department of Safety, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-214 Arturo Procayo Rellanos. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Rellanos, 43, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed in Mar. 2024 at or near Laredo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl L. Baber is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-209 Joseph Shane Simmons. Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography; Possession of Child Pornography in Indian Country. Simmons, 48, of Owasso, is charged with knowingly receiving, possessing, and distributing visual images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. He is further charged with possessing visual images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children under 12 years old. The Owasso Police Department is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-212 Marcus Alexander Vasquez. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; Carrying and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Vasquez, 27, of Broken Arrow, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. Additionally, he is charged with possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute and possessing and carrying a firearm while drug trafficking. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Tulsa Police Department, and the Broken Arrow Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen N. Scaife is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-224


title: Atlantic County Man Admits Possessing Destructive Devices

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: CAMDEN, N.J. – An Atlantic County, New Jersey, man today admitted possessing four destructive devices, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Robert J. Moser, 32, of Mays Landing, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel to an information charging him with possessing destructive devices. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: On March 17, 2023, law enforcement officers responded to Moser’s residence to assist him after he overdosed on drugs. Officers recovered at least four destructive devices in Moser’s bedroom. All four destructive devices contained explosive powder with a fuse sticking out of each device. One of the destructive devices contained metal pieces, the second destructive device contained a metal nail and a protruding metal screw hook, the third destructive device contained a protruding metal screw hook, and the fourth destructive device contained five metal dart tips. Moser admitted that the four destructive devices were operable weapons. The charge to which Moser pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for November 13, 2024. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Ross A. Marchetti; officers of the Township of Hamilton Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gregory K. Ciambrone; members of the Atlantic City Police Department Bomb Squad, under the direction of Chief James A. Sarkos; and personnel from the Atlantic City Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor William Reynolds, with the investigation leading to today’s plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden. moser.information.pdf


title: Exeter Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials

component: USAO - New Hampshire

body_text: CONCORD – A Exeter man pleaded guilty today in federal court to possession of child sexual abuse materials, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces. Nathan Kohler, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of Possession of Child Pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph N. Laplante scheduled sentencing for October 17, 2024. On January 2, 2023, and again on February 14, 2023, the NH Internet Crimes Against Children (“ICAC”) Task Force’s BitTorrent software identified a target IP address making child sexual abuse material (“CSAM”) available for download through the Peer-to-Peer (“P2P”) network BitTorrent. Further investigation identified the defendant’s residence in Exeter, New Hampshire as the subscriber of the target IP address. On April 5, 2023, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at the defendant’s residence. During that search, law enforcement seized a Dell laptop computer from the defendant’s bedroom, containing approximately 2,000 images of CSAM and two video files. Numerous images depicted prepubescent minors, or minors who had not attained 12 years of age. During an interview with law enforcement, the defendant admitted that he was the individual who has been using the internet in the residence to download CSAM and has been engaged in such activity for a number of years. The defendant stated that he used his laptop computer which was located in his bedroom to access CSAM. The charge of Possession of Child Pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of 5 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Exeter Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Ward is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006, by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . ###


title: Dallas Man Sentenced for Role in Large-Scale Cocaine Conspiracy

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Dallas man was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for his role in a nationwide large-scale cocaine trafficking conspiracy. Javier Robledo Perez, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to 49 1/2 months in prison (time-served), followed by two years of supervised release. In April 2024, Perez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Perez was a commercial truck driver based out of Dallas who transported approximately 30 kilograms of cocaine across state lines on behalf of a drug trafficking organization based in Mexico and Texas. In May 2020, Perez and his co-conspirators arranged for the delivery of 30 kilograms of cocaine to a cooperating witness in Massachusetts. In May 2020, Perez was stopped by law enforcement as he traveled into Massachusetts in his commercial semi-truck, from which 30 vacuum sealed bricks, containing approximately 30 kilograms of cocaine, were seized. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and John E. Mawn, Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Laredo and Dallas Divisions provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alathea E. Porter of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: Convicted Felon Who Flaunted Firearms on Snapchat While on House Arrest Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

body_text: BOSTON – A previously convicted felon and member of the Boston street gang “D Street” was sentenced today for illegally possessing multiple firearms and ammunition. The defendant did so while under house arrest for a state firearm charge. Freily Cabral, 26, of Boston and Quincy, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In August 2023, Cabral pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana. In August 2021, Cabral was identified as the owner of a Snapchat account posting images and of himself in possession of five firearms: a Glock semiautomatic handgun with a flashlight attachment; a Walther semi-automatic firearm; a Taurus revolver; a semi-automatic firearm; and a silver revolver. In one of the videos, Cabral held three separate firearms to his face as if he were using the firearms to make a phone call. A search of Cabral’s Quincy residence in September 2021 resulted in the seizure of a Taurus .38 caliber revolver, a Hopkins and Allen .32 caliber revolver, .38 caliber and .32 caliber ammunition, hundreds of grams of marijuana packaged for sale and $23,000 in cash. A search of Cabral’s iPhone showed that Cabral distributed firearms and narcotics while under house arrest and a June 2021 Snapchat post where Cabral offered to sell a pistol with an extended magazine for $1,700: At the time of the offense, Cabral was on house arrest with electronic monitoring following a November 2020 arrest for his second unlawful possession of a firearm charge. Cabral was previously convicted in 2016 for unlawful possession of a firearm in Boston Municipal Court. In 2017, Cabral was convicted of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in Boston Municipal Court and was sentenced to one year in prison. The operation was conducted is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf . Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Division; and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division made the announcement. Special assistance in the investigation was provided by the Boston, Quincy and Lynn Police Departments and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Pohl of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Paxful Inc. Co-Founder Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Fail to Maintain Effective Anti-Money Laundering Program

component: Criminal Division

body_text: The co-founder and former chief technology officer (CTO) of Paxful Inc. pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to fail to maintain an effective anti-money laundering (AML) program. According to court documents, from July 2015 to June 2019, Artur Schaback, 36, of Tallin, Estonia, used Paxful Inc. to operate Paxful, an online peer-to-peer virtual currency platform and money transmitting business where customers negotiated for and traded virtual currency for a variety of other items, including fiat currency, pre-paid cards, and gift cards. During this time, Schaback allowed customers to open accounts and trade on Paxful without gathering sufficient know-your-customer (KYC) information; marketed Paxful as a platform that did not require KYC; presented fake AML policies to third parties that he knew were not, in fact, implemented or enforced at Paxful; and failed to file a single suspicious activity report, despite knowing that Paxful users were perpetrating suspicious and criminal activity. As a result of his failure to implement AML and KYC programs, Schaback made Paxful available as a vehicle for money laundering, sanctions violations, and other criminal activity, including fraud, romance scams, extortion schemes, and prostitution. Schaback pleaded guilty to conspiracy to willfully fail to establish, develop, implement, and maintain an effective AML program as required by the Bank Secrecy Act. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 4 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. Schaback will also resign from Paxful Inc.’s Board of Directors. 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 in Charge Tatum King of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Francisco; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Mosley of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Oakland Field Office made the announcement. HSI and IRS-CI are investigating the case. Bank Integrity Unit Deputy Chief and National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team Deputy Director Kevin Mosley and Trial Attorneys Emily Cohen, Victor Salgado, and Caylee Campbell of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Thuesen for the Eastern District of California are prosecuting the case. MLARS’ Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers, and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Two Tax Preparers Sentenced to Federal Prison

body_text: MIAMI – On July 1, two tax preparers were sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in a scheme to file false tax returns. Napoleon Tabot, 60, of Chandler, Ariz., was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and co-defendant Lovet Ayuk-Ako, 40, of Silver Spring, Md., was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman following their convictions for conspiracy to commit tax fraud. Upon release from custody, Tabot and Ayuk-Ako must serve three years of supervised release and pay $397,818.00 in restitution to the U.S. government. As outlined in court documents, Tabot recruited individual tax return clients (co-workers at an employer located in Hollywood, Fla.) for Ayuk-Ako’s tax preparation business, Money Back Tax, LLC, located in Maryland. The Money Back Tax business had clients in Florida, Maryland, and Washington, DC. After Tabot had collected personal identifying information (PII) and tax information from his client victims, he would provide it to co-conspirators Ayuk-Ako and Arnold Zio for tax return preparation at Money Back Tax. Thereafter, Ayuk-Ako and Zio filed and caused to be filed false tax returns which claimed inflated refunds and directed all or part of the refunds to be deposited into bank accounts under their control, without the taxpayer’s knowledge or consent. As a result of the fraudulent scheme, the United States suffered a tax loss in excess of $500,000. Co-conspirator Zio remains a fugitive. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, announced the sentences imposed. IRS-CI Miami investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Anton prosecuted it. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-60077. ###


title: Appleton Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Fentanyl Trafficking

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Eastern

body_text: Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on July 8, 2024, Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Randy D. Mack (age: 36) to 15 years in federal prison after Mack was convicted of attempted possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. According to court records, in December 2022, agents intercepted a United Parcel Service (UPS) package intended for Mack that contained approximately 56,000 fake Percocet® pills containing fentanyl. The seized pills had a street value of approximately $537,660. The investigation revealed that Mack distributed nearly 1 million fentanyl pills in Arizona, Michigan, and Wisconsin. In addition to sending them via UPS, he paid couriers to conceal fentanyl pills in carry-on luggage and transport them on commercial flights. During an interview, Mack took credit for most of the fentanyl pills in the Fox Valley, stating, “There’s not a single pill in the Valley that doesn’t have my name on it.” According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), counterfeit Percocet® pills are commonly made by Mexican drug cartels and smuggled into the United States. Laboratory testing indicates that 7 out of every 10 pills seized by the DEA contain a lethal dose of fentanyl. In 2023, the DEA seized more than 80 million fentanyl-laced fake pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder, which is equivalent to more than 381 million lethal doses of fentanyl. This case was investigated by the Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group – Drug Unit (LWAM) and the DEA. Assistant United States Attorney Alex Duros prosecuted the case. # # # For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov 414-297-1700 Follow us on Twitter


title: Drug Distribution in Menominee and Ho-Chunk Tribal Communities Leads to Prison Sentence for Former Keshena Man

body_text: Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that Charles A. Parham (age: 42), a former resident of Keshena and Wausau, received a prison sentence of 144 months following a conviction for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The sentence, imposed on July 8, 2024, by Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach, was the result of a guilty plea entered by Parham on April 10, 2024. After he completes his prison sentence, Parham also will spend eight years on supervised release. According to court records, on September 29, 2023, an undercover agent purchased just under 5 grams of heroin from Parham at a location in Keshena on the Menominee Indian Reservation. At the time, Parham was under investigation for selling controlled substances in the Wausau area. The undercover agent and Parham communicated over the next week and a half and discussed Parham obtaining 20 grams of fentanyl, which Parham stated would be from his source in Chicago. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant and tracked Parham’s movements on October 11, 2023, as he left the Wausau area and traveled to Chicago and back. The undercover officer and Parham agreed to meet at a casino on Ho-Chunk tribal land outside Wittenberg in Shawano County, and law enforcement stopped and arrested Parham when the vehicle he was in arrived at the casino. Investigators recovered a plastic baggy containing over 40 grams of fentanyl. In sentencing the defendant, Judge Griesbach noted the seriousness of the crime and remarked upon the need to deter those who might consider similar actions and to protect the community from the destructive effects of abuse of controlled substances. Judge Griesbach also noted the need to incarcerate Parham for a lengthy period, given Parham’s three previous felony convictions for drug dealing. The case was investigated by multiple agencies, including the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force, Menominee Tribal Police Department, and FBI. The Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory also provided valuable assistance. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier prosecuted the case in U.S. District Court in Green Bay. Agencies investigated the case under the auspices of the Safe Trails Task Force (STTF) and Native American Drug and Gang Initiative (NADGI). NADGI and STTF partner federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement to combat drug trafficking and violent crime on the Menominee Indian Reservation. STTF members are deputized federal officers who identify and target for prosecution individuals who are involved in distribution of dangerous drugs on the Menominee Indian Reservation. Coordination of state resources through NADGI permits efficient communication and evidence processing, which are essential to swift but fair prosecution of offenders. ### For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov 414-297-1700 Follow us on Twitter


title: Meridian Man Pleads Guilty to Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

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

body_text: Jackson, Miss. – A Meridian man pled guilty today to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. According to court documents, Ernest Quintez Clark, 24, a convicted felon, was found in possession of a handgun while attending a Meridian High School football game on October 20, 2023. Clark is scheduled to be sentenced on October 1, 2024 and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement. The Meridian Schools Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Goff is prosecuting the case. 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.


component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The co-founder and former chief technology officer of Paxful Inc. pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to fail to maintain an effective anti-money laundering (AML) program. According to court documents, from July 2015 to June 2019, Artur Schaback, 36, of Tallin, Estonia, used Paxful Inc. to operate Paxful, an online peer-to-peer virtual currency platform and money‑transmitting business where customers negotiated for and traded virtual currency for a variety of other items, including fiat currency, prepaid cards, and gift cards. During this time, Schaback allowed customers to open accounts and trade on Paxful without gathering sufficient know-your-customer (KYC) information; marketed Paxful as a platform that did not require KYC; presented fake AML policies to third parties that he knew were not, in fact, implemented or enforced at Paxful; and failed to file a single suspicious activity report, despite knowing that Paxful users were perpetrating suspicious and criminal activity. As a result of his failure to implement AML and KYC programs, Schaback made Paxful available as a vehicle for money laundering, sanctions violations, and other criminal activity, including fraud, romance scams, extortion schemes, and prostitution. Schaback pleaded guilty to conspiracy to willfully fail to establish, develop, implement, and maintain an effective AML program as required by the Bank Secrecy Act. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 4, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. Schaback will also resign from Paxful Inc.’s Board of Directors. 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; Tatum King of Homeland Security Investigations; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Mosley of IRS Criminal Investigation Oakland Field Office made the announcement. This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation. Bank Integrity Unit Deputy Chief and National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team Deputy Director Kevin Mosley and Trial Attorneys Emily Cohen, Victor Salgado, and Caylee Campbell of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Thuesen for the Eastern District of California are prosecuting the case. MLARS’ Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers, and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Niskayuna Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years for Possessing Child Pornography

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Aaron Griesche, age 41, of Niskayuna, New York, was sentenced today to 135 months of imprisonment, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, 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 prior guilty plea, Griesche admitted that on July 11, 2021, he possessed child pornography on a USB flash memory stick found in his residence. Griesche admitted that he had purchased the memory stick from an online retailer and transferred numerous videos of child pornography from the Internet to the device. In addition to the imprisonment and supervised release terms, Griesche was ordered to pay a total of $18,000 in restitution to child victims depicted in the files he possessed. The FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force investigated this case. The FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant United States Attorney Dustin C. Segovia prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locates, 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 .