title: Two Somali Pirates Sentenced to 30 Years Each in Prison for Armed Hostage Taking of American Journalist

component: Criminal - Office of International Affairs

body_text: Abdi Yusef Hassan, 56, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Mohamed Tahlil Mohamed, 43, of Mogadishu, Somalia, were both sentenced to 30 years in prison for hostage taking, terrorism, and firearms offenses, in connection with the 977-day hostage taking of an American journalist in Somalia. A jury in the Eastern District of New York convicted Hassan and Mohamed of those offenses in February 2023 following a three-week trial. According to the complaints, indictments, evidence at trial, and statements made in public court proceedings, in January 2012, Michael Scott Moore, an American freelance journalist, traveled to Somalia to research piracy and the Somali economy. On Jan. 21, 2012, Moore was driving in the vicinity of Galkayo, Somalia, when his vehicle was suddenly surrounded by a group of heavily armed men carrying assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. The men pulled Moore from his vehicle, beat him with their weapons, and drove him away in another vehicle to a secluded area, where they held him with two Seychellois fishermen (Fisherman-1 and Fisherman-2). The fishermen had been abducted off the Somali coast in October 2011. Moore was held in various locations in the vicinity of Hobyo, Somalia, for approximately three months. In April 2012, Moore and Fisherman-1 were transferred to a boat, F/V Naham III , which had previously been hijacked in March 2012. The pirates kept Moore and Fisherman-1 captive aboard the Naham III , along with 28 crew members of the ship. Moore learned from the crew members, who were from Vietnam, China, Philippines, and Taiwan, that the hostage takers murdered the captain of the ship when they captured the vessel and that his body was kept in the ship’s freezer. The hostage takers kept Moore on the Naham III until approximately August 2012, when they transferred him back to land. On one occasion, in approximately May 2012, Moore’s captors took him from the Naham III to the Somali bush, where they forced Moore to watch as they hung Fisherman-1 from a tree by his feet and beat Fisherman-1 with a cane. During the torture of Fisherman-1, the pirates who were present were armed with heavy weaponry, including machine guns and grenade launchers. Moore remained a hostage for another two years. During this time, his captors shuttled him between safehouses, chained him at night to prevent his escape, surrounded him with armed guards, and repeatedly threatened him with bodily harm. Moore was also forced to make several proof-of-life videos requesting large ransom payments for his release. The kidnappers provided Moore with almost no information, and his access to the outside world was limited to a radio. In September 2014, following the payment of a ransom, Moore’s captors released him. Hassan and Mohamed each played significant roles in Moore’s captivity. Hassan, a naturalized U.S. citizen, served as the Minister of the Interior (a role that made him responsible for police and security forces) in Galmudug province in Somalia, where Moore was held hostage. Hassan served as an overall leader of the pirates and headed their efforts to extort a massive ransom from Moore’s aging mother. Among other things, Hassan directed the production of proof-of-life videos with Moore, participated in negotiations for ransom payments, and used his own home as a base of operations for the pirates. Mohamed, a serving officer in the Somali army, was a supervisor of the pirates guarding Moore during the early stages of the hostage taking. After Moore had been moved several times, Mohamed continued to play an essential role in the hostage taking, relying on his military position, training, and experience to serve as the pirates’ head of security and armorer. As head of security, Mohamed was in charge of moving Moore from location to location around Somalia. Mohamed also leveraged his military background to provide and repair heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, and other weapons that the pirates used to ensure that Moore could not escape. In addition to the prison term, Hassan and Mohamed were sentenced to one day of supervised release. Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York, and Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI National Security Branch announced the case. The FBI Boston and Minneapolis Field Office investigated the case with assistance from Department of State Diplomatic Security Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Adelsberg and Trial Attorney Josh Champagne of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.


title: New Orleans Man Guilty of Possession of Firearms and Drug Charges

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

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on November 7, 2024, DERRICK THERIOT (“D. THERIOT”) , age 29, of New Orleans, pled guilty to Counts 5 through 8 of the superseding indictment pending against him. Count 5 charged D. THERIOT with possession, with intent to distribute, fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C), and (b)(1)(D). Count 6 charged D. THERIOT with possession of a firearm, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). Count 7 charged D. THERIOT with possession of a machinegun, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(o) and 924(a)(2). Finally, Count 8 charged D. THERIOT with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). As to Count 5, the maximum penalty is 20 years of imprisonment, and/or up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least 3 years of supervised release. As to Count 6, the minimum penalty is 5 years, up to a life sentence, to run consecutively to any other sentence, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 5 years of supervised release. As to Count 7, the maximum penalty is 10 years of imprisonment, and/or up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release. As to Count 8, the maximum penalty is 15 years of imprisonment, and/or up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release. Each count carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. According to court records, on May 12, 2023, two victims were shot and killed after leaving a bar on N. Claiborne Avenue. A co-defendant was identified as a possible suspect in that double homicide. During the investigation of the co-defendant, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives agents, assisting New Orleans Police Department detectives, saw suspected stolen vehicles at two residences, and linked one of them to the co-defendant and D. THERIOT . On November 27, 2023, law enforcement obtained search warrants for both residences. D. THERIOT admitted possessing the fentanyl for future drug sales. Additionally, D. THERIOT admitted possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, because those weapons were kept to protect his drugs. Additionally, D. THERIOT knew that the Glock Model 27, 40 caliber pistol contained a Glock auto-sear and, if the trigger was pulled, it would expel more than one bullet without having to reset the trigger. 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 track violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the New Orleans Police Department. United States Attorney Mike Trummel of the Violent Crime Unit handled the prosecution.


title: Real Estate Development Executive Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Bribery Scheme with Corrupt San Luis Obispo County Supervisor

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – An executive at a San Luis Obispo-based real estate development company was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for paying a local politician nearly $95,000 in bribes and gifts in exchange for official acts benefiting the company’s development projects. Ryan Wright, 38, of Grover Beach, was sentenced by United States District Judge Percy Anderson. Judge Anderson also scheduled a restitution hearing for January 27, 2025. Wright, who has been in federal custody since October 2023, pleaded guilty on September 13 to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Wright was a managing member of PB Companies, LLC, a San Luis Obispo-based real estate development business, and had previously served as the company’s CEO until December 2015. In 2014, PB Companies had multiple projects in the works, including in the city and county of San Luis Obispo. From at least June 2014 to March 2017, Wright illegally conspired to bribe Adam Hill, an elected member of the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors. Hill represented the Third District, which included a majority of the city of San Luis Obispo. Hill voted on matters appearing before the Board of Supervisors, including budget bills that affected the city, and by virtue of his elected position, had influence over matters occurring within the city and in the city’s departments and commissions. Specifically, Wright bribed Hill with money and other financial benefits. In exchange, the supervisor used his official position to help Wright secure approvals necessary for PB Companies’ real estate development projects, including by voting on two projects. Hill further used his official position to advise and influence other public officials deciding the fate of PB Companies’ projects, including city officials and individuals appointed to city commissions. In total, as part of this conspiracy, Wright arranged for Hill or his shell company to receive nearly $95,000 in payments, including a $10,000 wire in November 2016 just over a month after Hill voted on one of PB Companies’ projects. Wright also paid for Hill’s flight, hotel, and front-row ticket to a Major League playoff game in San Francisco in October 2014. Hill died in August 2020. The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas F. Rybarczyk, Billy Joe McLain, and Daniel J. O’Brien of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section prosecuted this case.


title: Bergen County Woman Charged with Destroying Cell Phone to Obstruct Federal Investigations into Her Husband and Herself

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, New Jersey, woman was charged with destruction of records in a federal investigation, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Jennifer Iturralde Pina, 43, of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of destruction of records. Iturralde appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa in Newark federal court and was released on $200,000 bond. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: On Oct. 16, 2023, Iturralde’s husband, Cesar Humberto Pina, aka “Flipping NJ,” also of Franklin Lakes, was charged in the District of New Jersey with wire fraud in connection with a real estate investment fraud scheme. After Pina’s release on bond, Iturralde learned that the government received evidence from a witness related to Pina’s case. Shortly thereafter, Iturralde asked a friend to tell the witness to stop assisting the Government. In early March 2024, the government obtained search warrants for two of Iturralde’s phones – which the government believed Iturralde used in connection with the real estate fraud scheme and the attempt to discourage the witness from assisting the government – and one phone belonging to the friend. On March 3, 2024, Iturralde tried, unsuccessfully, to hide one of her phones at the friend’s home. On March 5, 2024, the friend’s family member called to tell Iturralde that law enforcement had just seized the friend’s phone. Shortly thereafter, as law enforcement knocked on Iturralde’s door to execute the warrant to seize her phones, Iturralde destroyed one of the phones. The destruction of records charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado in Newark; special agents of the IRS–Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan; postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge in Christopher A. Nielsen; and special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas Mahoney, with the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Pesce, Carolyn Silane, and Aaron Webman of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. The charge and accusations against both Iturralde and Pina are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. iturraldepina.complaint.pdf


title: Leader of Real Estate Investment Firm Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Role in $658 Million Ponzi Scheme and Multimillion-Dollar Tax Evasion Conspiracy

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – The shadow chief executive officer of National Realty Investment Advisors LLC (NRIA) was sentenced today to 144 months in prison for orchestrating a scheme to defraud more than 2,000 investors in a $658 million Ponzi scheme and conspiring to evade millions of dollars in tax liabilities, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Thomas Nicholas Salzano, aka “Nicholas Salzano,” 66, of Secaucus, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin to securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Salzano admitted he made numerous misrepresentations to investors while he secretly ran NRIA behind the scenes. He admitted to misappropriating millions of dollars from investors to enrich himself and his family and friends. Salzano also admitted to misappropriating millions of dollars from investors to enrich himself and his family and friends and failing to report and pay taxes on those misappropriated funds. Judge Padin imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court. “For years, Salzano, operating from the shadows to conceal his prior history of fraud, told lie after lie to investors, continuously deceived them, and operated his business as a Ponzi scheme, through which he stole money from thousands of investors in order to support his lavish lifestyle. His greed and flagrant disregard for the law caused staggering losses in excess of $650 million. This office will continue to prioritize prosecuting individuals, like Salzano, who engage in rampant fraud to ensure they are held accountable with long jail sentences and are ordered to make their victims whole.” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger “Salzano trampled on the trust that his clients placed in him to invest their money prudently but instead he stole their investments for his own self-enrichment through his atrocious scheme which resulted in the theft of over $650 million,” said Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “Today’s sentencing of Salzano should send a message to others who choose to prey on innocent victims through similar investment fraud schemes that IRS – Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners are committed to pursuing justice for all Americans that are victimized by these schemes. Salzano’s clients were not the only victim of this scheme, every American taxpayer was also victimized by Salzano when he failed to pay tens of millions of dollars in taxes which would have funded local schools, infrastructure projects, and social programs for those in need.” According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From February 2018 through January 2022, Salzano and others defrauded investors and potential investors of NRIA Partners Portfolio Fund I LLC (the “Fund”), a real estate fund operated by NRIA, of $650 million through lies, deception, misleading statements, and material omissions. These included the financial position of NRIA, the manner in which the defendants and their conspirators used Fund investor money, and Salzano’s managerial role at NRIA and his history of fraud. Salzano and his conspirators executed their scheme through an aggressive multiyear, nationwide marketing campaign that involved thousands of emails to investors; advertisements on billboards, television, and radio; and meetings and presentations to investors. Salzano led and directed the marketing campaign, which employed deception, material misrepresentations and omissions, and falsified documents to manipulate investors, which were intended to mislead Fund investors into believing that NRIA was a solvent business that generated significant profits. In reality, NRIA generated little to no profits and operated as a Ponzi scheme, which was kept afloat by new investors. Despite investing almost none of his own capital into the business, Salzano misappropriated millions of dollars of investor money to support his lavish lifestyle, including expensive dinners, extravagant birthday parties, and payments to family and associates who did not work at NRIA. Salzano concealed his true managerial role at NRIA in an effort to avoid scrutiny from investors of his history of fraud at a large telecommunications company. In addition to defrauding investors, Salzano orchestrated a separate, but related, conspiracy to avoid paying taxes on his misappropriated funds. In addition to the prison term, Judge Padin sentenced Salzano to three years of supervised release. As part of his plea agreement, Salzano has agreed to a forfeiture money judgment of $8.52 million, full restitution of $507.4 million to the victims of his offenses, and has agreed to pay $6.46 million to the IRS. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Chavis in Boston; and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado in Newark, with the investigation, with assistance from FBI Headquarters Criminal Investigative Division. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Fayer, Lauren E. Repole, and John Mezzanotte, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division, and Trial Attorney Samuel Bean of the U.S. Justice Department’s Tax Division.


title: Matawan Cardiologist Sentenced to 35 Months in Prison for Defrauding Health Insurance Companies of More Than $1.9 Million through Health Care Fraud Scheme

body_text: TRENTON, N.J. – The owner and sole medical provider of a New Jersey medical practice was sentenced today to 35 months in prison for orchestrating a health care fraud scheme causing over $1.9 million in insurance reimbursements for false claims, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Dr. Fazal Panezai, 76, of Morganville, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner to an information charging him with participating in a health care fraud scheme. Judge Castner imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court. According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court: Panezai, who owned and operated Matawan-Aberdeen Heart & Medical Center, for years submitted false claims to at least six health insurance benefit programs for office visits that either never occurred or did not take place for the length of time that he claimed. For example, Panezai submitted claims for office visits lasting approximately 1,675 minutes – approximately 27.9 hours – for one day’s worth of office visits on May 27, 2022. Panezai also billed health insurance providers over $80,000 for office visits when he was out of the country and not conducting any office visits. Panezai also submitted claims for office visits when patients only picked up a prescription for a controlled substance from the front desk and never met with him. The false claims caused insurance plans to issue reimbursement checks to the center. Panezai kept the illicit profits, which totaled more than $1.9 million. In addition to the prison term, Judge Castner sentenced Panezai to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $1.95 million. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado in Newark, with the investigation leading to the sentencing. He also thanked the Matawan Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys DeNae Thomas of the Health Care Fraud Unit and Jessica R. Ecker of the Criminal Division in Newark.


title: Father and Son Owners of Florida Marketing and Medical Device Companies Charged with $28 Million Health Care Fraud and Kickback Scheme

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – Two Florida men were arraigned today on charges relating to their roles in a multimillion-dollar durable medical equipment (DME) and prescription drug health care fraud and kickback scheme, Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna announced. Nicholas A. Alberino, 61, of Boca Raton, Florida, and his son, Nicholas P. Alberino, 34, of Parkland, Florida, are each charged in a seven-count indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, and four counts of violating the Anti-Kickback Statute. The defendants were each arraigned today before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court, and each pleaded not guilty. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From February 2018 to April 2019, the Alberinos operated five Florida companies, each of which generated medically unnecessary prescriptions for certain expensive medications as well as DME such as orthotic braces through a telemarketing and telemedicine scheme. The Alberinos specifically sought to identify and target Medicare beneficiaries. Call centers contacted the beneficiaries by telephone and pressured them to accept the expensive medications and DME. The Alberinos then transmitted the beneficiaries’ personal information, as well as pre-written doctor’s orders and prescriptions, to RediDoc LLC, a purported telemedicine company. The Alberinos pre-selected prescription medications and DME for beneficiaries based on the potential for high reimbursement payments from insurance payers such as Medicare, and not based on the beneficiaries’ medical needs. RediDoc, in turn, sent the information and documents the Alberinos provided to doctors. The doctors then typically signed the prescriptions despite not having any contact with the patients or conducting a bona fide assessment of the patients’ medical needs from which the doctors could have deemed that it was medically necessary to order the DME or medications. Once the doctors signed the prescriptions, the Alberinos directed RediDoc to steer them to third parties with which the Alberinos had illicit kickback and bribe arrangements. DME suppliers and pharmacies ultimately fulfilled these fraudulent orders and submitted claims for reimbursement to health care benefit programs, including Medicare. The Alberinos also fulfilled fraudulent orders using DME supply companies that they owned and controlled. The Alberinos paid over $6 million in kickbacks and bribes to RediDoc in exchange for the fraudulent orders and received over $27 million in kickbacks and bribes from third parties in return for fraudulent orders. The Alberinos also received over $1.7 million from Medicare for fraudulent claims that they submitted directly to Medicare through DME supply companies they owned and controlled. Medicare ultimately paid at least $27 million to DME suppliers and pharmacies based on the fraudulent orders that originated with the Alberinos. The health care fraud and wire fraud conspiracy count and wire fraud count each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. The charge of conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison. The four counts of violating the Anti-Kickback Statute are each punishable by 10 years in prison. Each of the seven counts in the indictment is also punishable by a fine of $250,000, or twice the gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Attorney for the United States Khanna credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz, the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty, and the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado in Newark, with the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine M. Romano and Garrett J. Schuman of the Health Care Fraud Unit in Newark. The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. alberino.indictment.pdf


title: Georgia Man Sentenced to Prison for Engaging in a $200,000 Check Fraud Scheme in Utah

component: USAO - Utah

body_text: SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Toddorius Goodwin, 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentence today to 36 months’ imprisonment after he participated in a scheme to steal from banks and credit unions in Utah by cashing counterfeit checks. In addition to Goodwin’s term of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge Tena Campbell sentenced Goodwin to five years’ supervised release and ordered him to pay over $214,000 in restitution to the banks and credit unions he stole from. In August 2024, Goodwin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity fraud. According to court documents and statements at Goodwin’s sentencing hearing, from April to October 2022, Goodwin and his associates traveled from Georgia to Utah several times to engage in a sophisticated check fraud scheme. They recruited impoverished individuals locally to take on the risk – as the runners entering the banks to physically cash the forged checks and potentially face arrest. The scheme was a proactive, well-planned, and team-orchestrated crime. Goodwin and his associates stole payroll checks from private mailboxes, altered the “payable to” names on the checks to the recruited individual’s name, and sent that individual into various banks to cash the forged checks in exchange for a small cut of the profit. Goodwin and his associated trained the recruits and coached them through an earpiece from a distance. Goodwin and his associates successfully cashed at least $214,179.51 worth of counterfeit checks in Utah within just a few months. “Seeking justice for financial fraud is a priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “Mr. Goodwin’s behavior demonstrates a disrespect for the law and the community. By working with our law enforcement partners, it is our hope, through prosecution, we can deter these crimes from further occurring in our communities.” “Exploiting the vulnerable to commit check fraud is not only a crime against the law but a grave injustice against humanity," said HSI Las Vegas Special Agent in Charge Chris Miller. "Those who prey on the impoverished to cash fraudulent checks, manipulating their desperation for personal gain, stands as a stark reminder of the darkest facets of greed. This sentencing is a reminder that Justice will find them, and their deceit will not go unpunished.” The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Special Assistant United States Attorney Sachi Jepson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.


title: Illinois Man Sentenced to Over 7 Years for Fentanyl Trafficking

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Western

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Lildre S. Brown, 36, Markham, Illinois, was sentenced November 7, 2024, by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 85 months in federal prison for distributing fentanyl. The prison term will be followed by 6 years of supervised release. Brown pled guilty to this charge on July 18, 2024. Between December 2023 and February 2024, Brown distributed fentanyl laced heroin on three separate occasions in the Madison area. On one of these occasions, Brown sent co-defendant Nicole Sanders to deliver almost 100 grams of fentanyl. On the two other occasions, co-defendant Simmeka Tibbs delivered the fentanyl for Brown. As part of the investigation, agents executed a search warrant at Sanders’ residence and found another 72 grams of fentanyl in the trunk of her car. At the time of these offenses, Brown was on supervised release from a previous federal drug conviction. Judge Peterson revoked that supervision and imposed a two-year prison term. Both sentences will be served at the same time. At Brown’s sentencing, Judge Peterson highlighted that Brown continued to sell drugs while on federal supervision. Judge Peterson was also concerned by the amount of fentanyl involved and by the fact that Brown involved others in his criminal activities. All three defendants who were charged in this trafficking scheme have pled guilty. Tibbs will be sentenced on November 19, 2024, and Sanders on November 22, 2024. The charges against Brown, Tibbs, and Sanders were the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Rock County Sheriff’s Office, Madison Police Department, and the Markham Illinois Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Levins prosecuted this case.


title: Watertown Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Abusing a Minor Child

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Watertown, South Dakota, man convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact. The sentencing took place on November 4, 2024, in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Deserick Jake Bird, age 37, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $200 as a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Bird will also be serving an 80-year sentence for a sexual assault conviction from the State of South Dakota. Bird was originally indicted for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child by a federal grand jury in February of 2022. He pleaded guilty to Abusive Sexual Contact on August 19, 2024. Over a three-year period, Bird sexually assaulted a young girl between eight and 11 years old. A second victim also came forward to report that Bird had sexually assaulted her when she was 14 years old. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. This case was investigated by the FBI and Sisseton Wahpeton Tribal Law Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case.


title: Two Winner Men Sentenced to Federal Prison, One for 10 Years and Another for Five Years, for Their Roles in a Drive By Shooting

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced two Winner, South Dakota, men convicted of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon. The sentencings took place on November 5, 2024. Arthur Black Bull, age 19, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Therryn Black Horse, age 22, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Black Bull and Black Horse were indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2024. Black Bull pleaded guilty on August 5, 2024. Black Horse pleaded guilty on August 7, 2024. The convictions stem from an incident that occurred in April of 2023 in Winner Tribal Housing, which is in Tripp County, South Dakota, and which is part of the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. In the early morning hours of April 13, 2023, Black Bull and Black Horse drove by the victim’s residence in Winner Tribal Housing. Black Horse had a previous disagreement with the victim and wanted to scare him. As they passed the residence in their vehicle, Black Bull fired multiple rounds at the residence with a 9mm pistol, striking the outside of the residence. The victim and his family were in the residence at the time of the shooting, but no one was injured. Shell casings collected from the scene were later matched to a pistol that was seized by law enforcement in a traffic stop in May of 2023. The pistol was subsequently traced to Black Bull. He and Black Horse will forfeit ownership of the pistol to the United States. This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the FBI. Senior Litigation Counsel Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case. Black Bull and Black Horse were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Rapid City Man Convicted in Federal Jury Trial of Conspiracy to  Distribute Fentanyl Resulting in Death

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Curtis Cummings, age 39, of Rapid City, South Dakota, of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City. The verdict was returned on November 7, 2024. The charges carry a mandatory minimum of 20 years up to life in custody and/or a $10,000,000 fine, five years up to life of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered. Cummings was indicted by a federal grand jury in June of 2023. Cummings was part of a large-scale distribution of fentanyl in the Rapid City area from December of 2021 through June of 2023. Cummings and others traveled to Colorado on a weekly basis to obtain significant quantities of fentanyl pills. When they returned to Rapid City, Cummings distributed the fentanyl pills from his home. During the course of the conspiracy fentanyl pills distributed by Cummings, and others working for him, were consumed by an individual on April 26, 2022, resulting in the overdose death of that individual. This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), Drug Enforcement Agency. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan N. Dilges and Edward C. Tarbay prosecuted the case. A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date was set for January 24, 2025. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: McLaughlin Man Sentenced to Nearly 14 Months in Federal Prison for Burglary in the Standing Rock Reservation

body_text: ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of First-Degree Burglary. The sentencing took place on November 4, 2024. Nathaniel B. Griffin, age 49, was sentenced to nearly 14 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Griffin was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of 2023. He pleaded guilty on July 29, 2024. Shortly after nightfall on July 5, 2023, Griffin and two co-defendants went to a woman’s home in McLaughlin to assault a man they believed had inappropriately touched a girl. McLaughlin lies within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. As the woman yelled at them to go away, one of the co-defendants kicked in her front door. Griffin and another co-defendant rushed into the house while their accomplice stood on the stoop. Although the man was passed out, one of Griffin’s co-defendants repeatedly kicked him in the face while Griffin illumined the scene with a cell phone flashlight. The man incurred a broken nose and shattered orbital and sinus bones in the affray. He still struggles with his vision and headaches today. This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court. This case was investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case. Griffin was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Sioux Falls Man Acquitted of Escape

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man was acquitted of Escape from Custody following a federal jury trial in Rapid City, South Dakota, on November 7, 2024. Jericho Ladeaux, age 31, was indicted by a federal grand jury in July of 2024. The charges relate to Ladeaux allegedly failing to report to a Rapid City halfway house to finish his federal sentence. Ladeaux was found in Rapid City by local law enforcement approximately seven hours after he had been ordered to report to the halfway house. The investigation was conducted by U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case.


title: Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on November 4, 2024. Jaden Rae Lalley-Mestas, age 24, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Lalley-Mestas was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of 2023. He pleaded guilty on August 16, 2024. The conviction stemmed from a package seizure that occurred in April of 2023 when law enforcement discovered that approximately six pounds of methamphetamine was shipped in a package destined for Lalley-Mestas’ home. Agents later examined the contents of Lalley-Mestas’ phone pursuant to a search warrant and discovered that he was working with others to receive the package and provide it to another co-conspirator. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case. Lalley-Mestas was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: After Being Found Guilty in a Federal Jury Trial of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, A South Dakota Man Has Been Sentenced  to 45 Months in Federal Prison

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a South Dakota man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on November 4, 2024, in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Lance Quintin Longie, age 42, was sentenced to three years and nine months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $100 as a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Longie was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender by a federal grand jury in May of 2024. Longie proceeded to trial on August 5, 2024, and the jury returned a guilty verdict. Longie is required to register a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act because he was convicted of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the First Degree in 2004 in the District Court of Minnesota, Clay County. In the summer of 2022, Longie was residing in Moorhead, MN, and last registered with the Moorhead Police Department on June 29, 2022. Later that summer, Longie traveled to South Dakota and took up residence in New Effington. Longie resided at the New Effington address and did not update the sex offender registry in South Dakota until he was arrested at the residence by officers with the Roberts County Sheriff’s Office on March 22, 2024. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Beau Blouin prosecuted the case. Longie was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to continue serving his sentence.


title: Watauga Man Sentenced to Over 13 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm as a Felon and for Assaulting a Federal Officer

body_text: ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Watauga, South Dakota, man convicted of Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm and Simple Assault on a Federal Officer. The sentencing took place on November 4, 2024. Justin James Schneider, age 39, was sentenced to over 13 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and a $125 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. His revolver was also forfeited. Schneider was indicted by a federal grand jury in July of 2023. Following a jury trial, he was convicted on August 8, 2024. On June 20, 2023, the Corson County Sheriff’s Office received credible information that Schneider had discharged a revolver earlier that day and was armed and dangerous. The Corson County Sheriff requested and received assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services to detain and arrest Schneider. A BIA officer found Schneider in Bullhead, South Dakota, which lies within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. When the officer attempted to arrest him, Schneider fled in his pickup to a nearby pasture and engaged in an armed stand-off with Corson County deputies and BIA police officers. Schneider eventually hopped back into his pickup and fled to the Bullhead Community Center, striking a police squad car en route . Schneider then exited his pickup, brandishing a revolver, gesturing wildly towards nearby civilians and disregarding repeated police commands to drop his gun. As Schneider moved quickly towards unarmed children, a police officer shot him to protect the public. Schneider was taken into custody without further incident. Schneider has nine prior felony convictions, including convictions for Aggravated Assault, Assault Against a Law Enforcement Officer, Felony Driving Under the Influence, Possession of Methamphetamine and Ingestion of Methamphetamine. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results. This case was investigated by the FBI, the Corson County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case. Schneider was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Sisseton Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Abusing Several Minor Girls

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Sisseton, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The sentencing took place on November 5, 2024, in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Daniel Oscar Seaboy, age 23, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay a $200 as a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Seaboy was indicted by a federal grand jury in April of 2024. He pleaded guilty on August 19, 2024. In March of 2023, a 13-year-old female and a 14-year-old female were at Seaboy’s house visiting another minor female. Seaboy provided alcohol and marijuana to the girls. Seaboy then had sexual intercourse with the 14-year-old female and infected her with a sexually transmitted disease. Seaboy also had sexual intercourse with the 13-year-old female without her consent. Separately, in October of 2023, Seaboy lured a 14-year-old female from her home, provided her with alcohol and a vape pen, and had sexual intercourse with her without her consent. Seaboy also infected this minor female with a sexually transmitted disease. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. This case was investigated by the FBI and the Sisseton Wahpeton Tribal Law Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case. Seaboy was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to continue serving his sentence.


title: Ethos Laboratories Agrees to Pay $6.5 Million to Resolve Allegations of Fraudulent Billing

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Kentucky-based laboratory, Ethos Laboratories (Ethos), has agreed to pay $6.5 million to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims for payment to Medicare for urine drug testing (UDT) and for its proprietary test for chronic pain, known as the Foundation Pain Index (FPI). According to the settlement agreement , Ethos admits that between Jan. 1, 2017 and July 15, 2024, Ethos submitted multiple claims for UDT for the same patient, on the same date of service, using the same urine sample. Ethos performed presumptive UDT via a relatively inexpensive test that could quickly yield qualitative results. It also performed definitive UDT via a more complex and expensive method that provided a quantitative result. Ethos performed and billed Medicare for both presumptive and definitive UDT for the same substance regardless of the results of the presumptive UDT and without determining that definitive UDT was necessary. Further, Ethos at times submitted claims for testing done pursuant to blanket UDT orders that were the same for all patients from a particular provider’s practice, without obtaining any individualized determination of medical necessity by the ordering provider. In some instances, these blanket orders included substances with positivity rates below 0.01%. In addition, per the settlement agreement, Ethos admits that between Nov. 12, 2020, and Oct. 6, 2023, it submitted claims for FPI testing for patients in a provider’s practice without any individualized determination of medical necessity by the ordering provider, and, in some cases, without the provider’s knowledge that Ethos was performing FPI testing. Ethos also submitted claims for FPI testing at high frequencies, including testing some patients multiple times in the same month. On July 18, 2023, based on information provided by the Department of Justice, Medicare suspended Ethos’s receipt of Medicare payments. Pursuant to that payment suspension, Medicare retained more than $6.5 million of billed claims from Ethos. As part of the settlement agreement, Ethos has agreed to forfeit the $6.5 million to satisfy this settlement. The settlement was reached after the government’s review of Ethos’s financial disclosures concerning its financial condition. In connection with the settlement, Ethos also entered into a five-year corporate integrity agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the Inspector General; and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abraham R. George, Chief of the Civil Division handled the matter.


title: Methuen Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry

body_text: BOSTON – A Methuen man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to illegally reentering the United States after deportation. Santos Guzman, 55, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry before U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper who scheduled sentencing for Feb. 12, 2025. Guzman was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2021. Guzman is a citizen of the Dominican Republic who entered the United States at an unknown date and unknown location and thereafter was convicted in 2019 of two state drug trafficking crimes. In November 2019, Guzman was ordered removed from the United States and on Jan. 7, 2020, he was deported to the Dominican Republic. Thereafter, at an unknown time and place, he reentered the United States. In November 2021, Guzman was arrested on a new state drug trafficking offense. A copy of his fingerprint from his removal document was compared to his fingerprint taken in connection with his November 2021 arrest and they were identical to each other. The charge illegal reentry provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Todd M. Lyons, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Methuen Police Chief Scott J. McNamara made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Illegal Immigrant Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of Cocaine and Illegal Re-Entry into the United States

component: USAO - Louisiana, Western

body_text: LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Jose Albino Ramos Hernandez , 38, a citizen of Mexico, has been sentenced to 60 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and illegal re-entry of removed alien. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. presided over the sentencing hearing. According to information presented in court, Hernandez illegally re-entered the United States on numerous occasions after being deported and removed. On March 16, 2011, a Notice and Order of Expedited Removal was entered against him by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and on or about March 18, 2011, he was removed via port of entry in Brownsville, Texas and was prohibited from entering the United States for a period of 5 years. However, on November 1, 2012, Hernandez reentered the United States at or near Laredo, Texas. On April 26, 2013, Hernandez was removed from the United States and was prohibited from entering the United States again for a period of 20 years. A review of Hernandez’s history showed that since 2006, he has illegally entered the United States over seven times. On September 8, 2022, Hernandez was again found to be in the United States illegally. He was arrested by troopers with the Louisiana State Police in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, as the result of a traffic stop of a vehicle in which he was a passenger. Troopers deployed a K-9 officer to conduct an open-air sniff of the vehicle and the K-9 alerted to the presence of the odor of narcotics emitting from the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed approximately one kilogram of cocaine hidden in the rear pocket of the driver’s seat, as well as a Taurus Model PT111 Millennium G2 pistol and a 9mm Polymer 80 Model PF940C pistol inside. Hernandez was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and illegal re-entry of a removed alien and pleaded guilty to the charges on June 22, 2023. The case was investigated by U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Louisiana State Police and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney LaDonte A. Murphy. # # #


title: Indictment Accuses Mail Carrier of Selling Arrow Key and Stolen Checks

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A mail carrier was arrested Thursday on an indictment that accuses her of selling a key to U.S. Postal Service mail collection boxes and selling checks stolen from the mail. Cambria Hopkins, 29, of Florissant, Missouri, was indicted October 30 on one count of conspiracy, one count of unlawful use of a mail key and one count of bribery. After her arrest at the U.S. Post Office in Clayton, she appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis and pleaded not guilty. The indictment says Hopkins was a postal carrier based in Clayton, Missouri on March 20, 2022, when she accepted money from Malik A. Jones for her “arrow key,” which allows access to U.S. Postal Service collection boxes, knowing that Jones was planning on using the key to steal mail. Hopkins also stole mail that came into her possession as a postal carrier, removed checks from that mail and provided those checks to Jones, the indictment says. Jones paid Hopkins in cash, electronically via CashApp and by buying her groceries, the indictment says. Jones, 27, pleaded guilty October 25 to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 30, 2025. 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. “This indictment represents the hard work and dedication by USPS OIG Special Agents and U.S. Postal Inspectors working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring charges on this significant mail theft investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennus Bishop, U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Central Area Field Office. “The majority of postal employees are hard-working public servants dedicated to moving mail to its proper destination. The USPS OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.” “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is the federal law enforcement branch of the U.S. Postal Service charged with protecting the nation’s mail system from illegal use. With the collaborative investigative efforts of our law enforcement partners, the Postal Inspection Service investigates and pursues those responsible for committing financial fraud stemming from the theft of mail.” said Inspector in Charge Ruth Mendonça who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office. The conspiracy charge carries a potential penalty of up to 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. The mail key charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and the bribery charge is punishable by a maximum prison term of 15 years. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.


title: Former Bosnian Combatant Sentenced for Passport Fraud

body_text: BOSTON – A Winthrop, Mass. man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for fraudulently obtaining a U.S. passport and then using it to enter the United States from Istanbul, Turkey in 2021. Azem Gigo Zebic, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper to 18 months of probation, 100 hours of community service and a $2000 fine. In addition, Zebic’s U.S. passport will be surrendered to the government. In June 2023, Zebic pleaded guilty to one count of use of a fraudulently obtained passport. Zebic was admitted to the United States from Croatia in 1997 after falsely claiming that he had been the subject of persecution by Serb forces during the Bosnian War. Zebic falsely claimed, among other things, that Serb forces had captured, interrogated, beaten him and forced him to pull wounded soldiers from the front lines. Further, once in the United States, Zebic continued to make false statements about his past, including that he had never assisted anyone else enter the country illegally. However, Zebic had, in fact, assisted another alleged Bosnian combatant – Kemal Mrndzic – enter the United States unlawfully by falsely claiming that he was Mrndzic’s half-brother. Mrndzic was convicted in October 2024 by a federal jury in Boston of a 25 year scheme to conceal his persecution of Serb prisoners at the notorious Celebici prison camp, and related crimes. Zebic testified at Mrndzic’s trial. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, New England; Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Boston Field Office; Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office made the announcement. This matter was investigated with the assistance of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the United States Interagency Human Rights Violators & War Crimes Center and the United States Citizen and Immigration Service. Assistance was provided by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and the United States Embassies in Sarajevo, Belgrade and Helsinki. The Australian Federal Police, Bosnian and Herzegovinian Ministry of Justice, Serbian Ministry of Justice, law enforcement authorities in Finland and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police all provided valuable assistance. The Cook County (Ill.) Sheriff’s Office and Swampscott (Mass.) Police Department also provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. McNeil and Jason A. Casey of the National Security Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Brevard County Man Sentenced To More Than 11 Years In Federal Prison For Distributing Methamphetamine

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Gerit William Naber (39, Palm Bay) to 11 years and 8 months in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. Naber entered a guilty plea on June 24, 2024. According to the plea agreement, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office used a confidential source to conduct two controlled purchases of multiple ounces of methamphetamine from Naber. After a third controlled purchase failed when the confidential source refused to use the drugs with Naber, a search warrant was executed at Naber’s home, resulting in the seizure of over 100 grams of methamphetamine. In total, Naber was responsible for over 320 grams of pure methamphetamine. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman.


title: Court Permanently Enjoins Miami Tax Return Preparers, Orders Them to Pay Disgorgement

component: Tax Division

body_text: The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida issued a permanent injunction yesterday against Miami tax return preparer Niclas Pierre, and his tax return preparation business, Niclas Tax and Express Inc. The court also issued a permanent injunction against Elius Bessard and his tax return preparation business, Bessard Immigrations and Tax Services LLC. The injunctions bar Pierre and Bessard from preparing tax returns, working for or owning a tax preparation business, assisting others to prepare tax returns or transferring a list of customers. The court also ordered Pierre to pay $563,000 and Bessard to pay $208,000 in ill-gotten gains received from their return preparation businesses. Pierre and Bessard each agreed to both the injunction and the order to pay. The complaint alleged that Pierre and Bessard prepared returns for customers that claimed various false or fabricated deductions and credits, including fabricated residential energy credits, false and fraudulent deductions and inflated business expenses. According to the complaint, Pierre and Bessard each prepared over a thousand tax returns for customers over the past six years. Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement. Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers guidance on the credentials and qualifications that taxpayers should seek from their return preparer. In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website . An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found this page . If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details. Pierre and Niclas PI.pdf Bessard and Bessard Tax Injunction.pdf


title: Roofing Business Owner and Payroll Administrator Both Plead Guilty in Employment Tax Conspiracy

body_text: A Florida man and woman both pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring to defraud the United States by not paying employment taxes to the IRS. According to court documents and statements made in court, William Skaggs Jr. owned and operated Nastar Roofing, a roofing company that operated throughout the Fort Myers area. Billie Adkison was the business’s main office administrator, whose duties included managing payroll. Between 2013 and 2023, Nastar employees, including Skaggs and Adksion, and others acting at their direction withdrew over $21 million from the company’s bank accounts to pay employees predominantly in cash without withholding Social Security, Medicare and federal income taxes from those wages. They did this to escape paying employment taxes they knew were legally required. At times, Nastar used a payroll provider to issue nominal employee paychecks, but Nastar did not inform the payroll company about the cash wages. As such, when the payroll company filed employment tax returns with the IRS that included wages for Nastar employees, the forms were false in that they did not report the cash wages. Similarly, when Nastar did not use a payroll provider and filed its own employment tax returns, it failed to report the substantial cash wages paid to employees. Both Skaggs and Adkison signed a number of these tax returns, knowing that they were false. In total, Skaggs and Adkison caused a tax loss to the IRS of nearly $2.5 million. Skaggs and Adkison are scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. They face a maximum penalty of five years in prison. They also face a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Trial Attorney Kevin Schneider of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Leeman for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.


title: Four Defendants Sentenced for Attempted Armed Robbery of Dunwoody Jewelry Store

component: USAO - Georgia, Northern

body_text: ATLANTA - Four multi-convicted felons, each of whom was on probation or parole when they joined an interstate robbery crew led by a south Georgia prison inmate, have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in the attempted smash-and-grab armed robbery of a Dunwoody, Georgia, jewelry store. “These defendants posed a significant threat to public safety when they terrorized innocent victims during their crime spree,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “The successful prosecutions of these armed career criminals resulted from the tenacious and collaborative work of our federal and state law enforcement partners who disrupted the defendants’ violent activities and helped to prevent them from targeting other members of our communities.” “These defendants clearly showed no regard for the law as they continued their crimes even while on parole. All four were willing to put innocent civilians at risk during the commission of these armed robberies and it is fortunate no one was hurt because of their selfish desire for wealth,” said Sean Burke, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hopefully this federal sentence will send the message that the FBI will not tolerate the behavior of repeat violent offenders.” According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: In July 2023, FBI special agents began investigating jewelry store robberies throughout the southeastern United States. During the investigation, agents discovered that the robberies were being orchestrated by Deuntria Lyons, who was at the time serving six life sentences at Valdosta State Prison for planning other robberies from behind bars. In November 2023, the FBI intercepted dozens of telephone conversations and text messages between Lyons and his associates, including Melvin Asbury, Mark Oliver, and Santino Parks. In those communications, Lyons and Oliver discussed the date, location, and other details of Lyons’s plan to rob a jewelry store in Dunwoody, Georgia, including plans for two of the robbers to enter the store armed with handguns while a third accomplice waited in a getaway car. On December 1, 2023, agents observed three of the robbers park a car near the jewelry store that Lyons discussed in his previous communications. Agents arrested Oliver, Parks, and Jamaury Marshall at the scene, and recovered masks, gloves, trash bags, two sledgehammers, two loaded Glock pistols, and a loaded high-capacity magazine from the vehicle. Shortly thereafter, Georgia State Patrol troopers arrested Asbury in another vehicle. On December 12, 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina obtained an indictment charging Lyons and a second person with conspiracy to commit robbery and other offenses. At the time of their arrests, Asbury, Marshall, Parks, and Oliver were all on probation or parole with the state of Georgia following convictions for violent crimes. Asbury was granted parole in 2022 after serving nearly 17 years of a 20-year sentence for armed robbery, kidnapping, aggravated assault, burglary, and weapons-possession offenses. Marshall was on probation after having been imprisoned for burglary, aggravated assault, and weapons-possession offenses. Similarly, Parks was on probation for robbery by force, aggravated battery, and burglary. Oliver was on probation for robbery and acts of violence while in prison. U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen sentenced the defendants as follows: Melvin Asbury, 39, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to five years, three months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty on June 20, 2024, to attempted Hobbs Act robbery. Jamaury Marshall, 29, of Johns Creek, Georgia, was sentenced to eight years, four months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty on June 7, 2024, to possession of a firearm, which he was prohibited from possessing due to his status as a convicted felon. Mark Anthony Oliver, 23, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to five years, three months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty on June 26, 2024, to attempted Hobbs Act robbery. Santino Demarco Parks, 29, was sentenced to seven years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty on June 20, 2024, to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Theodore S. Hertzberg and Leanne M. Marek prosecuted the case. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga .


title: Caledonia Man Charged With Sexually Exploiting Four Minors

component: USAO - Michigan, Western

body_text: GRAND RAPIDS – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Scott Michael Elam, 41, of Caledonia, was arrested and indicted on seven counts of sexually exploiting a minor. “We are committed to protecting children from sexual exploitation and holding offenders accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten . “I am grateful to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI for their investigative work as we prepare to make our case.” According to court documents, Elam is charged with sexually exploiting four different minors. The indictment alleges that Elam recorded himself having sex with one of the minors on two different occasions and directed the other victims to take explicit photos and videos of themselves and then send them to him. If convicted, Elam faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison for each count. “The indictment of Scott Elam underscores the FBI's unwavering commitment to protecting children and holding predators accountable,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “The alleged sexual exploitation of four minors by Mr. Elam is appalling, and such behavior will not be tolerated. I am deeply grateful for the relentless efforts of our dedicated team in Michigan, including the West Michigan-based Child Exploitation Task Force (WEBCHEX) and the Kent County Sheriff's Office. Together, we will ensure that those who prey on our most vulnerable are brought to justice and that our communities remain safe from these heinous threats.” “The Kent County Sheriff's Office is committed to continuing the fight against the exploitation of children through our federal partnerships,” said Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young . “Furthermore, this investigation prompts a reminder to our communities to have courageous conversations with your children about the dangers social media presents.” The Kent County Sheriff’s Office and FBI are investigating this case, and Assistant United States Attorney Olivia Ghiselli is prosecuting it. This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, county prosecutor's offices, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC), federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation, and to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. Individuals with information or concerns about possible child exploitation should contact local law enforcement officials. The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. # # #


title: Telefónica Venezolana To Pay Over $85 Million To Resolve Foreign Bribery Investigation

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Nicole M. Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”); Kareem Carter, Executive Special Agent in Charge of the IRS-CI Washington Field Office; and, Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Washington, D.C., Field Office, announced today that TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA, C.A. (“TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA”), a Venezuela-based subsidiary of Telefónica, S.A. (“Telefónica”), a publicly traded global telecommunications operator based in Spain, will pay over $85.2 million to resolve an investigation by the DOJ into a scheme to bribe government officials in Venezuela to receive preferential access to U.S. dollars in a currency auction. TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) in connection with a criminal information filed today in the Southern District of New York charging the company with conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Telefónica Venezolana, a subsidiary and agent of a U.S. issuer, agreed to line the pockets of corrupt Venezuelan officials to gain access to U.S. currency and maintain its position in the Venezuelan telecommunications market. Intermediaries then funneled the bribe payments through U.S. correspondent bank accounts. This Office will not tolerate the use and abuse of the U.S. financial system to enrich corrupt foreign officials and those who maintain their market position by appeasing them.” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri said: “Telefónica Venezolana bribed Venezuelan government officials to participate in a government auction through which it exchanged Venezuelan bolivars for U.S. dollars. The company concealed the illicit payments by purchasing equipment at inflated prices from two suppliers who paid the bribes on the company’s behalf. Telefónica Venezolana chose to support a corrupt regime to circumvent the difficulties of conducting legal business in Venezuela. This resolution is yet another example of the Justice Department’s commitment to fight corruption and hold companies accountable for their criminal conduct.” IRS-CI Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter said: “This case is an example of the IRS Criminal Investigation (CI)’s and our law enforcement partners’ relentless effort to fight corruption and protect United States interests. We are committed to pursuing investigations into corporate fraud in an effort to protect consumers from bearing the costs associated with criminal activity.” HSI Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger said: "Telefónica Venezolana engaged in a complex and criminal financial fraud scheme, in which they bribed Venezuelan government officials to obtain access to U.S. dollars. Thanks to the cooperative efforts of HSI, IRS Criminal Investigations, and the Department of Justice, the perpetrators of this conspiracy will be forced to pay for their illicit actions. HSI will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners, at home and overseas, to investigate and bring to justice any corporations engaging in such financial crimes.” According to court documents and admissions: In 2014, TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA participated in a government-sponsored currency auction in Venezuela that allowed it to exchange its Venezuelan bolivars for U.S. dollars. To ensure its success in the auction, TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA recruited two suppliers to make approximately $28.9 million in corrupt payments to an intermediary, knowing that some of those funds would be paid as a “commission” to Venezuelan government officials. To conceal the bribe payments, TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA covered the cost of the bribes by purchasing equipment from the two suppliers at inflated prices. As a result of its corrupt payments, TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA was permitted to exchange and subsequently received over $110 million through the currency auction, which it used to purchase equipment from the two suppliers it recruited to join the scheme. These funds represented over 65% of the funds that the Venezuelan government awarded in the 2014 currency auction. As part of the DPA, TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA and its corporate parent, Telefónica, have agreed, among other things, to continue cooperating with the DOJ Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in any ongoing or future criminal investigation arising during the term of the DPA. In addition, TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA and Telefónica have also agreed to enhance their compliance program where necessary and appropriate, and to report to the government regarding remediation and implementation of their enhanced compliance program. The Department reached this resolution with TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA based on a number of factors, including, among others, the nature and seriousness of the offense. TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA received credit for its cooperation with the Department’s investigation, which included: making regular factual presentations to the Department based on the information learned in the course of TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA’s internal investigation; voluntarily making employees based outside the U.S. available for interviews in the U.S.; producing a significant number of documents to the Department, while navigating foreign data privacy and related laws; and collecting, analyzing, and organizing voluminous evidence and information for the Department, accompanied by translations of documents. However, in the initial phases of the Department’s investigation, TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA failed to timely identify, collect, produce, and disclose certain records and important information, which affected investigative efforts by the Department and reduced the impact of TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA’s cooperation. TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA also engaged in timely remedial measures, including: disciplining certain employees involved in the relevant misconduct or that were otherwise made aware of the misconduct, including terminating employees; strengthening its anti-corruption compliance program by building and empowering an independent compliance function, appointing a Chief Compliance Officer with direct access to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors, and investing in additional compliance resources throughout its global operations; overhauling its review and approval process for transactions with non-standard pricing, including by ensuring that the compliance function reviews all such transactions globally; reviewing, enhancing, and testing its broader internal controls for pricing and other transactions with the assistance of a forensic accounting firm; strengthening processes for vetting, engaging, and monitoring third parties, including implementing additional controls concerning payments to third parties through a proprietary software tool; and establishing risk assessment and audit processes to regularly review and update the compliance program and otherwise mitigate business risks. In light of these considerations, as well as TELEFÓNICA VENEZOLANA and Telefónica’s prior history, which includes a resolution involving a subsidiary of Telefónica, Telefónica Brasil S.A., in an action brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2019 for alleged violations of the accounting provisions of the FCPA, the criminal penalty calculated under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines reflects a 20% reduction off the fifth percentile above the low end of the otherwise applicable guidelines fine range. * * * The IRS-CI and HSI are investigating the case as part of the IRS Global Illicit Financial Team in Washington, D.C. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jilan J. Kamal of the Southern District of New York; Senior Litigation Counsel Nicola Mrazek and Trial Attorney Abdus Samad Pardesi of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and authorities in Panama, Switzerland, and Luxembourg provided assistance in this matter.


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures Sentencing in Domestic Violence Case

component: USAO - New Mexico

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for assaulting his intimate partner by strangling her. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court documents, on November 8, 2023, Ronnie Pernell Evans , 21, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, assaulted his intimate partner by shoving her and grabbing her by her throat until they tripped and fell to the ground. Upon his release from prison, Evans will be subject 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 U.S. Attorney Joni Autrey Stahl is prosecuting the case. # # #


title: New Jersey Woman Pleads Guilty to Using Fraudulent Passport Card

body_text: BOSTON – A New Jersey woman pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Worcester to using a fraudulent passport card at a Shrewsbury credit union while attempting to withdraw money from a customer’s account. Elizabeth Clemente, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of forgery or false use of a passport. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for Feb. 6, 2025. In June 2024, Clemente was indicted by a federal grand jury. On Nov. 7, 2023, police responded to a credit union in Shrewsbury where employees reported that Clemente attempted to withdraw money by impersonating a real credit union account holder, “Person #1.” While speaking with law enforcement, Clemente first identified herself “Heather.” When pressed for further identification information, Clemente provided the name of “Person #1,” however Clemente could not remember her date of birth or address. When further questioned, Clemente handed law enforcement a fraudulent U.S. Passport Card. The passport card bore Person #1’s name and actual date of birth but contained Clemente’s photograph. The charge of forgery or false use of a passport provides for a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, up to three 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. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and Shrewsbury Police Chief Kevin Anderson made the announcement today. Assistant United States Attorney Danial E. Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.


title: U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI Charge Arizona Man with Sexual Abuse of a Child

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – An Arizona man is charged by criminal complaint with sexually abusing a minor child at a fair. Webster Hot , 64, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, appeared before a federal judge and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. According to the indictment, on October 5-6, 2024, Hot allegedly sexually abused an 8-year-old girl at the Northern Navajo Nation Fair in Shiprock, New Mexico. The abuse is alleged to have occurred inside Hot 's camper truck. If convicted, Hot faces 30 years to life in prison in prison followed by a minimum of five years of supervised release up to life. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Investigation and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Brittany DuChaussee is prosecuting the case. View the Criminal Complaint (Hot).pdf A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. # # #


title: KC Man Sentenced to 26 Years for Heroin Conspiracy, Illegal Firearms

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin and of illegally possessing firearms. Edgar A. Mejia, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Thursday, Nov. 7, to 26 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole. On March 22, 2024, Mejia was found guilty at trial of one count each of conspiracy to distribute heroin and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. On Oct. 10, 2022, law enforcement officers searched a 2000 Coachman recreational vehicle that belonged to Mejia. At the time of the search, Mejia was in custody in Oklahoma following his arrest for drug trafficking. Investigators in Oklahoma received information that Mejia had additional drugs and firearms hidden in his Coachman RV, and notified local authorities. Officers located Mejia’s RV parked next to an abandoned residence in the 2300 block of Drury Avenue in Kansas City, Mo. Investigators searched the RV and found, hidden behind a wall in the kitchen, 541 grams of heroin, a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm semi-automatic handgun, an American Tactical AR-15-style rifle, and ammunition. Mejia pleaded guilty to two counts of the indictment prior to trial, then went to trial on the remaining counts of the indictment. Six days prior to his trial, Mejia pleaded guilty to one count of possessing the heroin inside the RV with the intent to distribute it and one count of being a felon in possession of the firearms recovered from the RV. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Mejia has two prior state felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and prior federal felony convictions for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashleigh A. Ragner and Robert M. Smith and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings. It was investigated by the Jackson County Drug Task Force; the District Attorney’s Task Force for the 13th Judicial District in Ottawa and Delaware Counties, Oklahoma; Wyandotte Nation Tribal Police Department, Wyandotte, Oklahoma; the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Project Safe Neighborhoods 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: U.S. Attorney's Office Announces Guilty Plea in Child Sexual Abuse Case

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Nevada man pleaded guilty in federal court to sexual abuse involving a child under 12 years old. According to court documents, between May 16, 2009, and May 15, 2012, Cedric Martinez , 31, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, knowingly engaged in sexual contact with a child under 12 years old at a residence in Upper Fruitland, New Mexico, within the Navajo Nation reservation. Martinez was taken into custody pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. At sentencing, Martinez faces any term between 18 and 22 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Martinez will be subject to no less than five years and up to life of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Brittany DuChaussee and Meg Tomlinson are prosecuting the case. View the Plea Agreement (Martinez).pdf # # #


title: Twin Falls Man Sentenced to 6.5 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: Criminal - Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

body_text: BOISE – Shane Pruett, 42, of Twin Falls, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today. According to court records, the investigation began when Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received CyberTip reports from Reddit. A CyberTip is a report submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC gathers leads and tips regarding suspected online crimes against children and forwards them to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. HSI determined that a Reddit account, later identified as belonging to Pruett, had posted CSAM on Reddit. HSI obtained a federal search warrant for the contents of Pruett’s Reddit account and located images of CSAM, along with messages that Pruett had sent discussing his sexual interest in children. HSI executed a federal search warrant at Pruett’s Twin Falls residence and seized two cellphones, an iPad, and a laptop computer belonging to Pruett. A forensic examination revealed CSAM on each of the devices. U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also sentenced Pruett to 15 years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $15,000 in restitution to victims in the images he possessed. Pruett will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of the conviction. “We are committed to finding anyone engaged in illegal and harmful online child exploitation crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “I am grateful for the strong partnerships between federal and local law enforcement that allow us to prosecute these types of defendants to the fullest extent of the law.” “HSI agents fight every day to protect children from online predators, and the sentence handed down today sends a clear message that those who engage in the exploitation and abuse of children will be held accountable under the full extent of the law,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “HSI and our law enforcement partners are committed to protecting children from these horrific crimes and will continue to relentlessly pursue those who seek to harm them.” U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the cooperative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and the Twin Falls Police Department, which led to the charge. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . ###