title: Portsmouth drug trafficker sentenced for illegally possessing firearms

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

body_text: NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced today to seven years in prison for being a felon in possession of multiple firearms. According to court documents, on April 24, 2023, officers with Portsmouth Special Investigations Unit arrested Ryan Patrick Duggan, 41, on outstanding warrants from other jurisdictions, in the parking lot of a Motel 6 located in downtown Portsmouth. At the time of the arrest, Duggan was working on a red moped in the parking lot. Law enforcement had observed Duggan in and around two BMW vehicles and a motorcycle. The moped and motorcycle were later identified as having been stolen. A law enforcement K-9 alerted on both BMW vehicles. Law enforcement obtained search warrants for the BMW vehicles and Duggan’s room at the Motel 6. In the room, investigators found a 9mm handgun with no serial number, ammunition, and suspected narcotics. The handgun was equipped with a machinegun conversion device (MCD), enabling the handgun to operate as a fully automatic firearm. One of the BMW vehicles displayed a North Carolina rear license plate that was not associated with it. Detectives searched the vehicle and recovered ammunition, a loaded magazine, a pill bottle containing suspected narcotics, a 12-gauge shotgun, a .223 rifle, a .726 rifle, and a 9mm pistol with a collapsible stock. The suspected narcotics were later determined to be 13 pills of gabapentin, .5328 grams of methamphetamine, and 10.9 grams of fentanyl. Duggan has nine previous felony convictions. As a previously convicted felon, Duggan cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; and Stephen Jenkins, Chief of Portsmouth Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Cheney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyssa Miller, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-80.


title: National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action Results in 193 Defendants Charged and Over $2.75 Billion in False Claims

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: The Justice Department today announced the 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action, which resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants, including 76 doctors, nurse practitioners, and other licensed medical professionals in 32 federal districts across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving approximately $2.75 billion in intended losses and $1.6 billion in actual losses. In connection with the coordinated nationwide law enforcement action, and together with federal and state law enforcement partners, the government seized over $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets. “It does not matter if you are a trafficker in a drug cartel or a corporate executive or medical professional employed by a health care company, if you profit from the unlawful distribution of controlled substances, you will be held accountable,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will bring to justice criminals who defraud Americans, steal from taxpayer-funded programs, and put people in danger for the sake of profits.” “The extraordinary Special Agents of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) were proud to play an integral role in this multi-agency investigation and national takedown of healthcare fraud,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Through this action, we in federal law enforcement send a clear and strong message—that we will hold accountable those health care providers and prescribers who prey on their patients for profit and disregard the first rule of medical care: do no harm.” “Healthcare fraud victimizes patients, endangers the health of vulnerable people, and plunders healthcare programs,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “This wide-ranging collaboration demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to rooting out predatory healthcare fraud, protecting patients, and ensuring critical healthcare funds go where they are needed most.” The charges alleged include over $900 million fraud scheme committed in connection with amniotic wound grafts; the unlawful distribution of millions of pills of Adderall and other stimulants by five defendants associated with a digital technology company; an over $90 million fraud committed by corporate executives distributing adulterated and misbranded HIV medication; over $146 million in fraudulent addiction treatment schemes; over $1.1 billion in telemedicine and laboratory fraud; and over $450 million in other health care fraud and opioid schemes. “Health care fraud affects every American,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “It siphons off hard-earned tax dollars meant to provide care for the vulnerable and disabled. In doing so, it also raises the cost of care for all patients. Even worse, as the prosecutions we announce today underscore, health care fraud can harm patients and fuel addiction. The Criminal Division is committed to rooting out health care fraud, wherever it may be found, no matter who commits it. And we are using more tools than ever before to uncover misconduct and hold wrongdoers to account, whether they are executives in corner offices or doctors who violate their oaths.” Today’s enforcement action was led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and its core partners: U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), FBI, and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The cases were investigated by agents from the division’s core partner agencies along with other federal and state law enforcement agencies. The cases are being prosecuted by Health Care Fraud Strike Force teams from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, 32 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, and 11 State Attorney Generals’ Offices. “This work is important to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the millions of Americans we serve. HHS vigorously pursues anyone who commits fraud against our health care programs. But it takes all of us, working together, to be successful,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. “Those who steal from these programs are stealing from the American families who rely on them and putting patients at risk. We won’t stop until all those who try to defraud the federal government are caught and held accountable.” “We will not tolerate fraud that preys on patients who need and deserve high quality health care,” said the HHS-OIG Inspector General Christi A. Grimm. “The hard work of the HHS-OIG team and our outstanding law enforcement partners makes today’s action possible. We must protect taxpayer dollars and keep Americans safe from harms to their health, privacy, and financial well-being.” Amniotic Wound Grafts Charges were filed in the District of Arizona against four individuals who allegedly filed $900 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for amniotic wound grafts used on Medicare patients. As alleged, the defendants targeted elderly Medicare patients, many of whom were terminally ill. The defendants caused medically unnecessary and expensive amniotic grafts to be applied to these vulnerable patients’ wounds indiscriminately, without coordination with the patients’ treating physicians and without proper treatment for infection, to superficial wounds that did not need this treatment, and in sizes that far exceeded the size of the wound. In just 16 months, Medicare paid two defendants more than $600 million as a result of their fraud scheme, paying on average more than a million dollars per patient for these unnecessary grafts. These two defendants owned wound care companies in Arizona and received more than $330 million in illegal kickbacks in exchange for purchasing the grafts billed to Medicare. In connection with the charges, the government seized over $70 million, including four luxury vehicles, gold, jewelry, and cash. “Every dollar saved by investigating fraud is critical to the sustainability of the Medicare program and the needs of the people who depend on it,” said Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). “In addition to the actions taken by the Justice Department, CMS took 127 administrative actions in the last six months separately against providers for their alleged involvement in health care fraud schemes. We thank our partners at the Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General for working closely with us to identify, investigate, and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in our federal health care programs.” Distribution of Adderall and Other Stimulants Five additional defendants associated with digital technology company Done Global Inc. and its affiliated entity, Done Health P.C. (collectively, “Done”), were charged for the unlawful distribution of millions of Adderall pills. The CEO and Clinical President of Done were charged on June 13 in a scheme to distribute Adderall and other stimulants over the internet. The charges announced today include those against one of the most prolific prescribers working for Done, a Florida nurse practitioner who prescribed over 1.5 million pills of Adderall and other stimulants to patients across the United States. The indictment alleges that the nurse practitioner prescribed Adderall and other stimulants without interaction with patients, pursuant to Done’s “auto-refill” policy. This policy allowed patients to obtain continued prescriptions after an initial encounter without any further audio or visual interaction with a medical professional. This allegedly resulted in the nurse practitioner prescribing Adderall and other stimulants to individuals suffering from drug addiction and continuing to issue Adderall prescriptions for months after the overdose deaths of patients. “DEA works tirelessly to protect the public from harm, be it cartels funneling fentanyl into our communities or medical providers caring more about profits than patients,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “The CEO and clinical director of Done Global Inc. are charged with over-prescribing millions of unneeded stimulant pills, potentially putting patients in danger and exacerbating the current stimulant medicine shortage. The seriousness of these actions should not be understated. DEA will continue to hold anyone accountable who endangers the health and well-being of Americans.” Diverted HIV Medication Three owners and executives of a wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical drugs were charged in connection with an alleged $90 million wire fraud conspiracy to introduce adulterated and misbranded HIV drugs into the market. The HIV drugs were allegedly acquired through unlawful “buyback” schemes in which previously dispensed bottles of prescription drugs were bought from vulnerable patients. The defendants allegedly purchased these drugs from the black market and resold them to pharmacies throughout the country with falsified documentation designed to conceal the true source of the medication. Pharmacies then dispensed these diverted HIV medications to unsuspecting patients. At times, patients received bottles labeled as their prescription medication, but the bottles contained a different drug entirely, with one patient passing out and remaining unconscious for 24 hours after taking an anti-psychotic drug thinking it was his prescribed HIV medication. Addiction Treatment Cases The addiction treatment cases announced today include charges filed in the District of Arizona and Southern District of Florida against four defendants in connection with more than $146 million of allegedly false and fraudulent claims for services for vulnerable patients seeking treatment for drug or alcohol addiction. As alleged in one of the indictments, one defendant paid kickbacks in exchange for the referral of patients recruited from the homeless population and Native American reservations. She then fraudulently billed Arizona Medicaid for substance abuse treatment services that were either never provided or were provided at a level that was so substandard that it failed to serve any treatment purpose. The defendant is charged with money laundering offenses for her lavish purchases with the fraud proceeds, as well as obstruction of justice for allegedly falsifying records in response to a grand jury subpoena for documents. Telemedicine and Laboratory Fraud Cases Thirty-six defendants were charged in connection with the submission of over $1.1 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare resulting from telemedicine schemes. For example, in separate cases involving similar schemes that were perpetrated by different criminal networks in the Southern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, and District of New Jersey, clinical laboratory owners allegedly paid illegal kickbacks and bribes, including to telemedicine companies, in exchange for the referral of orders for unnecessary genetic testing. The results of these genetic tests—which were supposed to detect genetic mutations that could indicate an elevated risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other serious illness—were not used in the patients’ treatment. Other telemedicine schemes included the unsealing of a complaint in the Eastern District of Virginia against a psychiatrist who allegedly submitted fraudulent claims based on minimal patient interactions, including for visits that lasted between 10 to 30 seconds. The continued focus on prosecuting health care fraud schemes involving telemedicine reflects the Department’s commitment to rooting out these schemes, which has saved taxpayers billions of dollars . Cases Involving the Illegal Prescription and Distribution of Opioids and Other Health Care Fraud Schemes The other cases announced today charge 14 defendants with crimes related to the illegal prescription and distribution of opioids that resulted in millions in false billings, including several charges against medical professionals and others who prescribed unnecessary opioids, Suboxone, and other controlled substances. An additional 126 defendants are charged with various other health care fraud schemes involving over $450 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies for treatments that were medically unnecessary or never provided. Ten defendants across the country were charged in connection with fraudulent COVID-19 testing, including an over $65 million scheme charged in the Southern District of Florida. The Center for Program Integrity of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CPI/CMS) separately announced today that it took adverse administrative actions in the last six months against 127 medical providers for their alleged involvement in health care fraud. Principal Assistant Deputy Chief Jacob Foster, Assistant Chief Rebecca Yuan, and Trial Attorney Miriam L. Glaser Dauermann of the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section led and coordinated today’s enforcement action. The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Connecticut, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Rhode Island, Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Eastern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, and Eastern District of Wisconsin; and State Attorney Generals’ Offices for Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and South Dakota. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team used cutting-edge data analytics to identify and support the investigations that led to these charges. In addition to the FBI, HHS-OIG, DEA, and CMS/CPI, HSI, IRS Criminal Investigation, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Department of Labor, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies participated in the operation. The Medicaid Fraud Control Units of the states of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia also participated in the investigation of many of the federal and state cases announced today. The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force. Prior to the charges announced as part of today’s nationwide enforcement action and since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which operates in 27 districts, charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively billed Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurers more than $27 billion. An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The following documents related to today’s announcement are available on the Health Care Fraud Unit website through these links: Graphics and Resources Case Descriptions Court Documents


title: Waterbury Gang Member Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison

body_text: JAIVAUN McKNIGHT, also known as “Sav,” 25, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 168 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for offenses related to his participation in a violent Waterbury street gang. Today’s announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Maureen T. Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo. According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address drug trafficking and related violence in Waterbury, the FBI, ATF, and Waterbury Police have been investigating multiple Waterbury-based groups, including the 960 gang. On September 14, 2021, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 36-count indictment charging McKnight and 15 other 960 gang members with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, firearm possession, murder, attempted murder and assault, and obstruction of justice offenses. On March 11, 2024, McKnight pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. McKnight admitted that he and other 960 members were engaged in violent activity, including shootings, assaults and attempted murders, and that he trafficked fentanyl and other drugs in furtherance of the 960 enterprise. On September 21, 2018, in retaliation for the murder of an associate, McKnight and other 960 members attempted to murder a rival gang leader and others by shooting at an occupied residence on Scott Road in Waterbury. McKnight has been detained since his arrest on September 16, 2021. On that date, investigators seized approximately 600 bags of fentanyl from his vehicle. This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, Waterbury Police Department, ATF, and U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Southington Police Department, Watertown Police Department, New Milford Police Department, Connecticut State Police, Connecticut Department of Correction, Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory, and the DEA Laboratory. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone, John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Natasha M. Freismuth, and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don E. Therkildesen, Jr. and Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Arroyo of the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office, who have been cross-designated as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys in this matter. This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs. PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn . OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: Virginia Businesswoman Sentenced for Employment Tax Crimes

component: Tax Division

body_text: A Virginia woman was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for not paying employment taxes to the IRS. According to court documents and statements made in court, Gail Jones, of Dumfries, Virginia, was a co-owner and served as director, president and vice president of parcel delivery service S&G Property Management Inc. (S&G). Between 2013 and 2018, Jones caused income, Social Security and Medicare taxes to be withheld from S&G’s employees. However, Jones did not pay those withholdings to the IRS as she was required to do. To thwart potential IRS levies and other collection activities, Jones opened new bank accounts using other individuals’ social security numbers, new Employer Identification Numbers and variations of her business’ name. Between December 2016 and December 2018, she withdrew over $450,000 in cash from business bank accounts in lieu of paying the taxes owed. In total, Jones caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $950,000. Additionally, Jones fraudulently applied for two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, which were part of a COVID-19 relief program intended to provide loans to certain businesses to help them retain their employees or stay afloat during the pandemic. Jones applied for the loans even though S&G was no longer operating. She fraudulently received $20,800 in loans. In addition to her prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff for the Eastern District of Virginia sentenced Jones to three years of supervised release and to pay $950,100.18 in restitution to the United States. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Trial Attorney Marissa Brodney of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Shartar for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.


title: Bronx Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Distribution

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Bronx man pleaded guilty today to travelling to the Worcester area to distribute approximately one kilogram of fentanyl. Jose Luis Lopez Genao, 32, of Bronx, N.Y., pleaded guilty today to one count of distribution of and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Sept. 23, 2024. Genao was arrested and charged in December 2022. In and around June 2021, Genao and other subjects were identified as receiving large shipments of fentanyl from outside the United States and then distributing it throughout the Springfield and New England areas. On Dec. 8, 2022, Genao travelled from New York to the Worcester area to deliver approximately one kilogram of fentanyl. Genao was arrested immediately after he delivered the fentanyl to a government witness. The charge of distribution of and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised released, and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Massachusetts State Police; Chicopee, West Springfield and Easthampton Police Departments; and the Berkshire, Hampden and Franklin County Sherriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches of the Springfield Branch Unit is prosecuting the case. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf .


title: Lebanon Insurance Broker Sentenced to Over Seven Years in Federal Prison for Stealing Nearly $4 Million from Clients in “Ponzi” Scheme

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: INDIANAPOLIS- Brian Simms, 46, of Lebanon, has been sentenced to 90 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to wire fraud. According to court documents, between 2012 and 2020, Simms was a licensed insurance broker and registered agent at Brendanwood Brokerage. Beginning in 2013, and continuing through August 4, 2021, Brian Simms defrauded at least twenty-two victims by promoting investment services to current Brendanwood insurance clients and others. During that period, neither Simms nor Brendanwood were registered through the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority to provide financial advising services, or by the Indiana Securities Division or licensed to sell securities. As part of his scheme, Simms advised victims to liquidate their traditional and long-term insurance investments, such as 401(k)-retirement savings accounts and life insurance policies. He encouraged the victims to reinvest the funds with him at Brendanwood. In exchange, Simms told victims he would invest their money on their behalf and yield higher rates of return than their current investments. He directed them to deposit those liquidated funds into their personal bank accounts and wire transfer or make checks payable to Brendanwood. Instead of investing clients’ money as promised, Simms took it for his own personal benefit, such as paying Brendanwood’s payroll and other business expenses, and for his own personal expenditures including credit card payments, Amazon purchases, and other personal expenses. Simms concealed the scheme through Ponzi-scheme type payments—using funds wrongfully taken from some investors to pay purported returns to others. He also falsified financial reports and made it appear that the victims’ funds were earning an increased rate of return and properly invested in traditional, legitimate investment products. In total, Simms’ scheme caused 200 fraudulent deposits of client funds into Brendanwood’s accounts, totaling approximately $3,995,535.46 from at least twenty-two victim investors from Indiana, Ohio, and elsewhere. Simms stole significant portions of victims’ life savings, including six who lost over six-figure amounts, and two who lost over $1 million. “This fraudster targeted those closest to him—friends, family, current customers, even widows and the elderly—folks relying on their savings to fund retirement, send kids to school, or simply live their lives with dignity,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “He stole his victims’ financial security and damaged or derailed their plans for the future. Fraudsters and Ponzi-schemers cause tremendous harm to the public, and their crimes merit serious punishment like the federal sentence imposed against Mr. Simms. Working closely with our partners at the FBI and the Indiana Securities Division, our federal prosecutors will continue to seek accountability for financial crimes and justice for victims.” ‘“Simms’ sentence reflects the ongoing efforts of collaboration between law enforcement agencies to protect Hoosier investors. The Securities Division will continue to work with our partner agencies to investigate these types of crime and ensure investment fraud is investigated and disrupted,” said Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales. “The victims placed their trust in Mr. Simms with the expectation he would manage and invest their money for their future needs and not exploit that trust through lies and deceit,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “The FBI and our partners are committed to investigating these types of crimes to protect Hoosiers from swindlers such as the defendant.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Indiana Secretary of State investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker. Judge Barker also ordered that Simms must pay $2,617,028.36 in restitution. U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany J. Preston, who prosecuted this case. ###


title: Middle District of Tennessee Charges Four Individuals Responsible for $15 Million in False Medicare Billing as Part of National Health Care Fraud Takedown

body_text: NASHVILLE – Today, United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis announced criminal charges against four defendants in connection with alleged schemes to defraud Medicare. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Justice Department’s 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action. The charges stem from schemes to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary genetic tests, durable medical equipment, and medications that were procured through kickbacks used to obtain doctors’ orders and patient information. "Fraud and abuse continue to plague our federal health care programs and divert funds away from deserving patients,” said Henry C. Leventis, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. “As United States Attorney for the nation’s health care capital, I am proud of my office’s leadership on health care fraud enforcement and I am very appreciative of Attorney General Garland highlighting our efforts during his remarks earlier today.” “It does not matter if you are a trafficker in a drug cartel or a corporate executive or medical professional employed by a health care company, if you profit from the unlawful distribution of controlled substances, you will be held accountable,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will bring to justice criminals who defraud Americans, steal from taxpayer-funded programs, and put people in danger for the sake of profits.” The charges announced today by United States Attorney Leventis are part of a strategically coordinated, two-week nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes that resulted in the submission of over $2.75 billion in alleged false billings. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets, and the Government, in connection with the enforcement action, seized over $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Connecticut, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District to Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Rhode Island, Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Eastern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, and Eastern District of Wisconsin; and State Attorney Generals’ Offices for Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and South Dakota are prosecuting the cases in the National Enforcement Action, with assistance from the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team. Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here . The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee worked with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and the FBI to investigate and prosecute the cases filed during the enforcement period. “We will not tolerate fraud that preys on patients who need and deserve high quality health care,” said the Honorable Christi A. Grimm, the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “The hard work of the HHS-OIG team and our outstanding law enforcement partners makes today’s action possible. We must protect taxpayer dollars and keep Americans safe from harms to their health, privacy, and financial well-being.” “Health care fraud is a crime that hurts all of us and each dollar taken from programs that help the elderly and the disabled is one dollar too many,” said Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Memphis Field Office. “The FBI is committed to fighting fraud and protecting taxpayer dollars, and with our law enforcement partners we will continue to identify and investigate the criminals who target the systems each of us depends on.” The following individuals have been charged in the Middle District of Tennessee: James Brandon “Brady” Washburn , 44, of Franklin, Tennessee, and Robert Houston McDowell, 43, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, were charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks, and paying and receiving health care kickbacks, in connection with their role in selling doctors’ orders for medically unnecessary genetic tests, medications, and durable medical equipment (“DME”) to laboratories, pharmacies, and DME companies. The defendants also owned and operated their own DME companies in Franklin and Brentwood, Tennessee, and bought doctors’ orders for orthotic braces and submitted claims for medically unnecessary items to Medicare. The defendants obtained the orders by paying kickbacks and bribes to purported telemedicine companies and marketers in exchange for doctors signing orders for DME. The indictment alleges that the defendants and their co-conspirators received over $1 million in kickbacks for selling doctors’ orders to laboratories, pharmacies, and DME companies; that they submitted and caused to be submitted, through their DME companies, over $6 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for DME; and that their DME companies were paid over $2 million on those claims. Paulo R. Costa , 36, of Palm City, Florida, and Mark J.W. Carr, 35, of Lighthouse Point, Florida were each charged by separate information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and to pay and receive health care kickbacks in connection with an over $9 million scheme involving multiple pharmacies, including in Mt. Juliet and Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As alleged in the informations, the defendants obtained patient information through the use of call centers where telemarketers persuaded Medicare beneficiaries to accept prescriptions for expensive medications, which the beneficiaries neither needed nor wanted. The defendants obtained signed prescriptions by paying kickbacks to marketers and telemedicine companies and then billed Medicare Part D plan sponsors for prescriptions that were procured through the payment of kickbacks and that were medically unnecessary. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah K. Bogni and Robert S. Levine of the Middle District of Tennessee are prosecuting the cases in the Middle District of Tennessee. An information or indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. # # # # #


title: National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action Results In 193 Defendants Charged And Over $2.75 Billion In False Claims

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Today, U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III announced criminal charges against six defendants in connection with alleged schemes to defraud the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Worker’s Compensation Program, Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (“DOL-DEEOIC”). The charges filed in federal court are part of the Justice Department’s 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action. The charges stem from the submission, or causing the submission, of fraudulent claims for home health services that were not actually rendered. The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Hamilton are part of a strategically coordinated, two-week nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes that, in the aggregate, resulted in the submission of over $2.75 billion in alleged false billings. The DOJ Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Connecticut, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District to Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Rhode Island, Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Eastern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, and Eastern District of Wisconsin; and State Attorney Generals’ Offices for Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and South Dakota are prosecuting the cases in the National Enforcement Action, with assistance from the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team. Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website at Case Descriptions . The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, in particular, worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, and the Tennessee Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. In the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Caleb Mullins, 40, Megan Mullins, 37, both of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and CAMM Care, LLC doing business as Patriot Homecare (“CAMM Care”), were charged by indictment in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud the DOL-DEEOIC. DOL-DEEOIC administers the health care benefit program designed to compensate current or former Department of Energy employees, vendors, contractors, and subcontractors diagnosed with occupational illnesses causally linked to toxic exposures during their employment. Among other health care benefits, this program provides home health benefits to qualifying beneficiaries, including skilled nursing care and non-skilled care. As alleged in the indictment, Caleb Mullins, the owner and President of CAMM Care, and Megan Mullins, the Executive Vice President of CAMM Care, conspired with each other and others not named in the indictment to create and submit fraudulent payment claims for homecare services that were not actually rendered. Samantha Seiber (“Seiber”), 35, of Wartburg, Tennessee, Apryl Hard (“Hard”), 46, of Louisville, Tennessee, and Lois Hamby (“Hamby”), 62, of Oliver Springs, Tennessee, were also charged in separate indictments with defrauding the DOL-DEEOIC. As alleged in the respective indictments, Seiber, Hard, and Hamby each had her own DOL-DEEOIC provider number, and each billed the DOL-DEEOIC for skilled nursing services that were not actually rendered. The cases in the Eastern District of Tennessee are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys William A. Roach, Jr., and Jeremy S. Dykes of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee. A complaint, information, or indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Leon County Man Sentenced To Prison For Attempted Coercion And Enticement Of A Minor And Possessing Of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Florida, Northern

body_text: TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Shawn Lei Burge, 50, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison after having previously pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor for sexual activity and possession of child pornography. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. “There is no greater charge than the protection of our children,” stated U.S. Attorney Coody. “This sentence is yet another example of the unwavering commitment to the protection of our most vulnerable and should serve as a significant deterrent to those who would attempt to harm them. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who engage in such heinous conduct.” During July 2023, a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), serving in an undercover capacity, met the defendant in a social media chat group focused on child pornography. During chats, Burge asked for videos or photographs depicting girls younger than 15 years of age. Over the course of a week, Burge and the undercover FBI agent communicated through private direct messaging about the undercover agent’s fictious girlfriend’s 11-year-old daughter. Burge requested photos of the fictious 11-year-old girl and indicated that he wanted to meet in-person so he could engage in sexual activity with the child. “Child predators use the pseudo-anonymity of the internet to locate those who would help them feed their perversion of molesting children,” said HSI Tallahassee Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. “This more than a decade sentencing is yet another example of the unwavering dedication and commitment of HSI special agents and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, alongside our law enforcement partners with Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office, to bring to justice those who prey upon our children.” On August 6, 2023, Burge traveled to an agreed upon location for his stated purpose of engaging in sexual activity with the fictious 11-year-old child. Instead, Burge was promptly arrested by law enforcement. A search of Burge’s cell phone revealed a child pornography video shared during previous group chats with undercover agents. Further investigation revealed that Burge had 14 other child pornography photos and videos depicting children—including toddlers—being sexually abused. Burge’s prison sentence will be followed by twelve years of supervised release, and he will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to all sex offender conditions. The Court also ordered forfeiture of Burge’s cell phone which was used in the commission of the offenses. This conviction was the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations as part of a larger undercover operation conducted along with the Tallahassee Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: Magellan Diagnostics Pleads Guilty to Criminal FDCA Charges

body_text: BOSTON –Magellan Diagnostics, Inc., a medical device company headquartered in Billerica, Mass., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to criminal charges relating to its concealment of a device malfunction that produced inaccurately low lead test results for tens of thousands of children and other patients. Magellan pleaded guilty to two counts of introducing a misbranded medical device into interstate commerce, in violation of the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) . United States District Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for Oct. 9, 2024. According to the plea agreement , Magellan also has agreed to pay a $28.1 million fine, $10.9 million in forfeiture, and a minimum of $9.3 million to compensate patient victims. Magellan’s LeadCare Ultra and LeadCare II devices detected lead levels and lead poisoning in the blood of children and adults using either venous (i.e., blood draws through the arm) or fingerstick samples. LeadCare II, which was predominantly used to test fingerstick samples, accounted for more than half of all blood lead tests conducted in the United States from 2013 through 2017. LeadCare Ultra was predominantly used to test venous samples. Magellan admitted today that it failed to timely notify the FDA about a serious malfunction that caused the company’s LeadCare devices to produce inaccurate blood lead level results when used to test venous blood samples. Magellan also admitted that it changed the user instructions for the LeadCare devices without prior FDA notice or approval. Magellan first learned that a malfunction in its LeadCare Ultra device could cause inaccurate lead test results – specifically, lead test results that were falsely low – during the FDA clearance process in June 2013. Magellan, however, released LeadCare Ultra to the market in late 2013 without informing customers or the FDA of the malfunction. In August 2014, LeadCare Ultra customers independently discovered the malfunction and complained about inaccurate results. FDA regulations required the company to file a medical device report about the malfunction within 30 days, but Magellan did not do so. In November 2014, Magellan sent a letter to its LeadCare Ultra customers advising them of the malfunction and recommending that they wait 24 hours before running their tests. This contradicted the instructions for use approved by the FDA. Magellan did not, however, report the malfunction to the FDA or advise the FDA of its change to the instructions until April 2015, nearly 21 months after Magellan discovered the malfunction and almost 8 months after customers discovered the malfunction on their own. Magellan’s testing in 2013 also indicated that the same malfunction affected the LeadCare II device when it was used to test venous samples. Magellan, however, did not notify the FDA about the LeadCare II malfunction until November 2016. In August 2015, Magellan changed the label instructions for the LeadCare Ultra device to require users to wait 24 hours before using the device to test blood samples, rather than testing the samples immediately. FDA regulations required the company to provide advance notice of the label change and file necessary reports of device correction, but Magellan did neither. The FDA ultimately found that the LeadCare devices could not accurately test venous samples, leading to a recall of all LeadCare devices using venous samples and a warning to the public not to use LeadCare Ultra, LeadCare II or LeadCare Plus for testing venous blood samples because of the malfunction and a recommendation that doctors retest certain patients According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is no safe level of lead in the blood. Lead exposure may cause irreversible lifelong physical and mental health problems. Young children and pregnant women are most vulnerable to lead exposure, especially those from low-income households and those who live in housing built before 1978 because those homes are more likely to contain lead-based paint and have fixtures containing lead. As part of the criminal resolution, Magellan has agreed to compensate all patients who were demonstrably harmed for the pecuniary damages they suffered as a result of the malfunction in Magellan’s blood lead testing devices. If you or a family member believe you received an inaccurate blood lead test result from a LeadCare device between 2013–2017, please complete the questionnaire located on the FBI’s website at www.fbi.gov/MagellanCaseInquiry . Information about the status of the case is located on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/victim-and-witness-assistance-program/magellan-diagnostics-inc . Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Herbert, Kelly Lawrence, and Leslie Wright of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.


title: New York Man Arrested For Trafficking Guns, Machinegun Conversion Devices, And Narcotics

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Ivan J. Arvelo, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”); Daniel B. Brubaker, the Inspector in Charge of the New York Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service ("USPIS"); and Edward A. Caban, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced today the arrest of CALEB ECCLES-GONSALVES in connection with his sale and distribution of firearms, machinegun conversion devices (“MCDs”), silencers, ammunition, and narcotics. ECCLES-GONSALVES was arrested this morning in St. Petersburg, Florida, and will be presented later today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Caleb Eccles-Gonsalves participated in a scheme to illegally traffic various contraband into and around New York City, including guns, narcotics, and gun accessories like machinegun conversion devices, silencers, and ammunition. Machinegun conversion devices are particularly dangerous gun accessories that turn ordinary firearms into fully automatic weapons. Removing these extraordinarily dangerous devices from our streets is an important law enforcement goal, and we will continue working diligently with our law enforcement partners to keep these devices and other illegal guns out of New York City.” HSI Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo said: “As alleged, the defendant trafficked illicit high-powered weapons, accessories, and ghost guns and in turn overlooked the incalculable dangers posed to the public. HSI New York is committed to working with law enforcement partners to confront violent crime and its underlying causes directly. I commend HSI’s Violent Gang Task Force, the New York Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for our shared dedication to removing illegal guns from our streets.” USPIS Inspector in Charge Daniel B. Brubaker said: “The defendants allegedly used the U.S. Mail to traffic and distribute illegal firearms and other contraband in New York City without any regard for public safety in our communities. The United States Postal Inspection Service will continue to aggressively pursue and investigate anyone who attempts to use the mail to encourage gun violence and ongoing drug use in our communities. Combating these illegal activities will always be a priority for postal inspectors. I commend our partners in the NYPD, HSI, and the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their collaborative efforts on this investigation.” NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban said: “These charges punctuate that the manufacturing and trafficking of fully assembled untraceable ghost guns, as well as their component parts, is among the most pressing public safety concerns in New York City today. NYPD investigators and our federal partners will continue to vigorously pursue these types of cases in order to deliver on our promise to keep all New Yorkers safe, and to hold accountable anyone who allegedly involves themselves in this illicit trade.” According to the allegations in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court, as well as publicly filed court documents and statements at public court proceedings: 1 From about July 2023 up to and including June 2024, ECCLES-GONSALVES participated in a conspiracy to sell at least two MCDs, multiple firearms — including a privately manufactured “ghost” gun (depicted below) — and narcotics. An MCD is a combination of parts that, when installed on a semiautomatic firearm, enables the firearm to automatically shoot more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. A “ghost” gun is an unserialized, privately manufactured firearm that is difficult to trace and typically constructed from a kit. ECCLES-GONSALVES and his co-conspirators used the U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) to ship MCDs as well as firearms from Florida to New York. In addition, ECCLES-GONSALVES advertised multiple guns, including at least one rifle, as available for sale. Law enforcement seized USPS parcels during the course of the investigation and seized, among other things, a privately manufactured “ghost” gun, a silencer, an MCD, ammunition, and magazines. A photo of a "ghost gun" and silencer seized from a USPS parcel during the course of this investigation is copied below: At the time of his arrest today, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant in the home in which ECCLES-GONSALVES was staying in St. Petersburg, Florida. During the search, as depicted below, law enforcement officers recovered, among other things, 13 firearms, magazines, ammunition, and a lower receiver. * * * ECCLES-GONSALVES, 29, of Brooklyn, New York, is charged with conspiracy to possess and transfer a machinegun, which carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison; possession and transfer of a machinegun, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison; conspiracy to engage in the unlicensed business of dealing in firearms, which carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison; and narcotics distribution, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of HSI, the NYPD, and USPIS. The case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley C. Nicolas and Timothy Ly are in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 1 As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.


title: Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Selling Fentanyl-Laced Heroin

body_text: CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for selling fentanyl-laced heroin. CALVIN CARTER sold the drugs on two occasions in the fall of 2019. The first sale occurred in a gas station parking lot in Olympia Fields, Ill., and the second occurred in a liquor store parking lot in Country Club Hills, Ill. Unbeknownst to Carter, the buyer in both transactions was surreptitiously cooperating with law enforcement. Carter, 44, of Country Club Hills, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal drug distribution charges. In imposing the 16-year prison sentence on June 20, 2024, U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah found that the government proved Carter possessed a firearm in connection with the drug offenses. Multiple firearms were discovered during a court-authorized search of Carter’s residence shortly after the drug sales. The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Sheila G. Lyons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, FBI, Illinois State Police, and Chicago Police Department. “Defendant possessed almost one kilogram of heroin and fentanyl that he intended to distribute to others,” Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Niranjan Emani argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “The type of drugs that defendant sold and intended for distribution have devastating effects on the community.” The government was represented by Mr. Emani and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Ardam and Kristen Totten.


title: Mooresville Man Is Sentenced To More Than Nine Years In Prison Possession Of A Firearm By A Felon

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell sentenced Charod Terron Terry, 35, of Mooresville, N.C., to 110 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, Sheriff Darren Campbell of the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, and Chief David W. Onley of the Statesville Police Department join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement. According to court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, on July 14, 2022, deputies with the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office were conducting a vehicle check when they observed a car attempting to evade the checkpoint. Law enforcement proceeded to conduct a traffic stop of the vehicle. Terry was a passenger in the vehicle. During the stop, law enforcement asked Terry to exit the vehicle. As Terry exited the vehicle, the deputies observed a partial firearm hidden inside a bag that was tucked between the passenger seat and the passenger door of the vehicle. Law enforcement retrieved from the bag a firearm, as well as trafficking quantities of fentanyl and cocaine base. During the investigation, law enforcement determined the firearm belonged to Terry. Testimony also showed that Terry had dealt cocaine base to undercover officers on eight different occasions in 2021. Court records show that Terry is a felon with prior convictions for drug possession and he is prohibited from possessing a firearm. At today’s sentencing hearing, Terry received an enhanced sentence for his use of a firearm in connection with drug trafficking. On February 2, 2024, Terry pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the ATF, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, and the Statesville Police Department for their investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfredo De La Rosa of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case. 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.


component: USAO - Virginia, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Justice Department today announced the 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action, which resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants, including 76 doctors, nurse practitioners, and other licensed medical professionals in 32 federal districts across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving approximately $2.75 billion in intended losses and $1.6 billion in actual losses. In connection with the coordinated nationwide law enforcement action, and together with federal and state law enforcement partners, the government seized over $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets. “It does not matter if you are a trafficker in a drug cartel or a corporate executive or medical professional employed by a health care company, if you profit from the unlawful distribution of controlled substances, you will be held accountable,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will bring to justice criminals who defraud Americans, steal from taxpayer-funded programs, and put people in danger for the sake of profits.” “The extraordinary Special Agents of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) were proud to play an integral role in this multi-agency investigation and national takedown of healthcare fraud,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Through this action, we in federal law enforcement send a clear and strong message—that we will hold accountable those health care providers and prescribers who prey on their patients for profit and disregard the first rule of medical care: do no harm.” “Healthcare fraud victimizes patients, endangers the health of vulnerable people, and plunders healthcare programs,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “This wide-ranging collaboration demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to rooting out predatory healthcare fraud, protecting patients, and ensuring critical healthcare funds go where they are needed most.” The charges alleged include over $900 million fraud scheme committed in connection with amniotic wound grafts; the unlawful distribution of millions of pills of Adderall and other stimulants by five defendants associated with a digital technology company; an over $90 million fraud committed by corporate executives distributing adulterated and misbranded HIV medication; over $146 million in fraudulent addiction treatment schemes; over $1.1 billion in telemedicine and laboratory fraud; and over $450 million in other health care fraud and opioid schemes. “Health care fraud affects every American,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “It siphons off hard-earned tax dollars meant to provide care for the vulnerable and disabled. In doing so, it also raises the cost of care for all patients. Even worse, as the prosecutions we announce today underscore, health care fraud can harm patients and fuel addiction. The Criminal Division is committed to rooting out health care fraud, wherever it may be found, no matter who commits it. And we are using more tools than ever before to uncover misconduct and hold wrongdoers to account, whether they are executives in corner offices or doctors who violate their oaths.” Today’s enforcement action was led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and its core partners: U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), FBI, and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The cases were investigated by agents from the division’s core partner agencies along with other federal and state law enforcement agencies. The cases are being prosecuted by Health Care Fraud Strike Force teams from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, 32 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, and 11 State Attorney Generals’ Offices. “This work is important to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the millions of Americans we serve. HHS vigorously pursues anyone who commits fraud against our health care programs. But it takes all of us, working together, to be successful,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. “Those who steal from these programs are stealing from the American families who rely on them and putting patients at risk. We won’t stop until all those who try to defraud the federal government are caught and held accountable.” “We will not tolerate fraud that preys on patients who need and deserve high quality health care,” said the HHS-OIG Inspector General Christi A. Grimm. “The hard work of the HHS-OIG team and our outstanding law enforcement partners makes today’s action possible. We must protect taxpayer dollars and keep Americans safe from harms to their health, privacy, and financial well-being.” Amniotic Wound Grafts Charges were filed in the District of Arizona against four individuals who allegedly filed $900 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for amniotic wound grafts used on Medicare patients. As alleged, the defendants targeted elderly Medicare patients, many of whom were terminally ill. The defendants caused medically unnecessary and expensive amniotic grafts to be applied to these vulnerable patients’ wounds indiscriminately, without coordination with the patients’ treating physicians and without proper treatment for infection, to superficial wounds that did not need this treatment, and in sizes that far exceeded the size of the wound. In just 16 months, Medicare paid two defendants more than $600 million as a result of their fraud scheme, paying on average more than a million dollars per patient for these unnecessary grafts. These two defendants owned wound care companies in Arizona and received more than $330 million in illegal kickbacks in exchange for purchasing the grafts billed to Medicare. In connection with the charges, the government seized over $70 million, including four luxury vehicles, gold, jewelry, and cash. “Every dollar saved by investigating fraud is critical to the sustainability of the Medicare program and the needs of the people who depend on it,” said Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). “In addition to the actions taken by the Justice Department, CMS took 127 administrative actions in the last six months separately against providers for their alleged involvement in health care fraud schemes. We thank our partners at the Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General for working closely with us to identify, investigate, and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in our federal health care programs.” Distribution of Adderall and Other Stimulants Five additional defendants associated with digital technology company Done Global Inc. and its affiliated entity, Done Health P.C. (collectively, “Done”), were charged for the unlawful distribution of millions of Adderall pills. The CEO and Clinical President of Done were charged on June 13 in a scheme to distribute Adderall and other stimulants over the internet. The charges announced today include those against one of the most prolific prescribers working for Done, a Florida nurse practitioner who prescribed over 1.5 million pills of Adderall and other stimulants to patients across the United States. The indictment alleges that the nurse practitioner prescribed Adderall and other stimulants without interaction with patients, pursuant to Done’s “auto-refill” policy. This policy allowed patients to obtain continued prescriptions after an initial encounter without any further audio or visual interaction with a medical professional. This allegedly resulted in the nurse practitioner prescribing Adderall and other stimulants to individuals suffering from drug addiction and continuing to issue Adderall prescriptions for months after the overdose deaths of patients. “DEA works tirelessly to protect the public from harm, be it cartels funneling fentanyl into our communities or medical providers caring more about profits than patients,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “The CEO and clinical director of Done Global Inc. are charged with over-prescribing millions of unneeded stimulant pills, potentially putting patients in danger and exacerbating the current stimulant medicine shortage. The seriousness of these actions should not be understated. DEA will continue to hold anyone accountable who endangers the health and well-being of Americans.” Diverted HIV Medication Three owners and executives of a wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical drugs were charged in connection with an alleged $90 million wire fraud conspiracy to introduce adulterated and misbranded HIV drugs into the market. The HIV drugs were allegedly acquired through unlawful “buyback” schemes in which previously dispensed bottles of prescription drugs were bought from vulnerable patients. The defendants allegedly purchased these drugs from the black market and resold them to pharmacies throughout the country with falsified documentation designed to conceal the true source of the medication. Pharmacies then dispensed these diverted HIV medications to unsuspecting patients. At times, patients received bottles labeled as their prescription medication, but the bottles contained a different drug entirely, with one patient passing out and remaining unconscious for 24 hours after taking an anti-psychotic drug thinking it was his prescribed HIV medication. Addiction Treatment Cases The addiction treatment cases announced today include charges filed in the District of Arizona and Southern District of Florida against four defendants in connection with more than $146 million of allegedly false and fraudulent claims for services for vulnerable patients seeking treatment for drug or alcohol addiction. As alleged in one of the indictments, one defendant paid kickbacks in exchange for the referral of patients recruited from the homeless population and Native American reservations. She then fraudulently billed Arizona Medicaid for substance abuse treatment services that were either never provided or were provided at a level that was so substandard that it failed to serve any treatment purpose. The defendant is charged with money laundering offenses for her lavish purchases with the fraud proceeds, as well as obstruction of justice for allegedly falsifying records in response to a grand jury subpoena for documents. Telemedicine and Laboratory Fraud Cases Thirty-six defendants were charged in connection with the submission of over $1.1 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare resulting from telemedicine schemes. For example, in separate cases involving similar schemes that were perpetrated by different criminal networks in the Southern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, and District of New Jersey, clinical laboratory owners allegedly paid illegal kickbacks and bribes, including to telemedicine companies, in exchange for the referral of orders for unnecessary genetic testing. The results of these genetic tests—which were supposed to detect genetic mutations that could indicate an elevated risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other serious illness—were not used in the patients’ treatment. Other telemedicine schemes included the unsealing of a complaint in the Eastern District of Virginia against a psychiatrist who allegedly submitted fraudulent claims based on minimal patient interactions, including for visits that lasted between 10 to 30 seconds. The continued focus on prosecuting health care fraud schemes involving telemedicine reflects the Department’s commitment to rooting out these schemes, which has saved taxpayers billions of dollars . Cases Involving the Illegal Prescription and Distribution of Opioids and Other Health Care Fraud Schemes The other cases announced today charge 14 defendants with crimes related to the illegal prescription and distribution of opioids that resulted in millions in false billings, including several charges against medical professionals and others who prescribed unnecessary opioids, Suboxone, and other controlled substances. An additional 126 defendants are charged with various other health care fraud schemes involving over $450 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies for treatments that were medically unnecessary or never provided. Ten defendants across the country were charged in connection with fraudulent COVID-19 testing, including an over $65 million scheme charged in the Southern District of Florida. The Center for Program Integrity of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CPI/CMS) separately announced today that it took adverse administrative actions in the last six months against 127 medical providers for their alleged involvement in health care fraud. Principal Assistant Deputy Chief Jacob Foster, Assistant Chief Rebecca Yuan, and Trial Attorney Miriam L. Glaser Dauermann of the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section led and coordinated today’s enforcement action. The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Connecticut, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Rhode Island, Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Eastern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, and Eastern District of Wisconsin; and State Attorney Generals’ Offices for Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and South Dakota. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team used cutting-edge data analytics to identify and support the investigations that led to these charges. In addition to the FBI, HHS-OIG, DEA, and CMS/CPI, HSI, IRS Criminal Investigation, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Department of Labor, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies participated in the operation. The Medicaid Fraud Control Units of the states of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia also participated in the investigation of many of the federal and state cases announced today. The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force. Prior to the charges announced as part of today’s nationwide enforcement action and since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which operates in 27 districts, charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively billed Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurers more than $27 billion. An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The following documents related to today’s announcement are available on the Health Care Fraud Unit website through these links: Graphics and Resources Case Descriptions Court Documents


title: Convicted Felon Is Sentenced To Prison For Illegal Possession of A Firearm

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Castillo Hopkins, 39, of Matthews, N.C. was sentenced today to 42 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement. According to court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, on June 10, 2022, CMPD officers received a call for service for an armed individual at a gas station in the area. When officers arrived on the scene, they observed the individual, later identified as Hopkins, sitting on the hood of his vehicle. As the officers approached Hopkins, the defendant got off the hood of the car and kneeled by the front driver’s side wheel. The officers heard a metallic object hit the ground. Hopkins was arrested and the officers retrieved a semi-automatic pistol from underneath the vehicle. According to court documents, on July 23, 2022, a shooting occurred at The Gold Club in Charlotte. During the investigation, law enforcement identified Hopkins as the possible shooter in that incident. On July 23, 2022, law enforcement located Hopkins sitting in a vehicle at the same gas station he had been arrested previously. Law enforcement ordered Hopkins to step out of the vehicle and proceeded to search the car’s interior, where they located a semi-automatic pistol that had been reported stolen. Hopkins has multiple prior convictions, including strong arm robbery, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and carrying a concealed weapon, and he is prohibited from possessing a firearm. On January 10, 2024, Hopkins pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the ATF and CMPD for their investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Sielaff of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case. 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: Sanbornton Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - New Hampshire

body_text: CONCORD – A Sanbornton man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Concord to possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces. Timothy Ryan, 35, pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging him with an additional count of possession of CSAM, for a total of two counts of possession of CSAM. On December 12, 2022, Ryan was originally charged by complaint with one count of possession of CSAM. U.S. District Court Judge Steven McAuliffe scheduled sentencing for October 8, 2024. The defendant was identified as a top offender in the state of New Hampshire for supplying CSAM through the peer-to-peer network BitTorrent. Investigators traced the illicit internet activity to his residence. On December 13, 2022, a federal search warrant was executed on search his electronic devices. Forensic examination of the defendant’s cell phone revealed the presence of approximately 2,600 files of apparent CSAM. In November 2023, while Ryan was on bond for his original federal CSAM charge, investigators with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs received information that an IP address associated with one of its residential facilities in Massachusetts was being used regularly to distribute known CSAM on the BitTorrent network. Further investigation revealed that Ryan had moved into that facility around the same time that the illicit activity was first observed. In December 2023, federal authorities executed a second search warrant for Ryan’s private room at the facility, resulting in the seizure of more electronic devices containing hundreds of images of CSAM. The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum 5 years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 and mandatory restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Secret Service, the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Nashua Police Department, the Grafton County Sheriff’s Department, and the Sanbornton Police Department and the U.S. Veterans Affairs Police Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . ###


title: Charlotte Fentanyl Trafficker Is Sentenced To Prison

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today that Antonio Lamar Stukes, 33, of Charlotte, was ordered to serve 61 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for trafficking fentanyl, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement. According to court documents and court proceedings, in October 2022, law enforcement learned that Stukes was trafficking fentanyl in and around the Charlotte area. Law enforcement initiated an investigation into Stukes. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement arranged several controlled buys of fentanyl from the Stukes. The investigation of Stukes led to the identification of his supplier and several additional co-conspirators. Stukes has a lengthy criminal history, including a 2014 federal conviction in the Western District of North Carolina for possession of a firearm by a felon. On January 25, 2024, Stukes pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl and aiding and abetting. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI, the ATF, and CMPD for their investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfredo De La Rose of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case. 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: Two Arizona men sentenced for methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking  in the Northern District of Mississippi

component: USAO - Mississippi, Northern

body_text: OXFORD, Miss. – Two Arizona men have been sentenced for trafficking drugs from California into the Northern District of Mississippi. According to court records, Enrique Rivera, 45, previously pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute approximately 110 pounds of methamphetamine. Omar Villacorta was convicted at trial of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute approximately 110 pounds of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting in the possession with intent to distribute approximately three kilograms of fentanyl. Rivera was previously sentenced to 200 months incarceration with a five-year term of supervised release. At a sentencing hearing on Wednesday, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Debra M. Brown sentenced Villacorta to 235 months incarceration with five years of supervised release. “This prosecution resulted from one of the largest drug seizures in the Northern District of Mississippi in recent history,” remarked U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “It was the result of a significant undercover operation involving state and federal law enforcement officers. Due to their diligence and professionalism, we were able to keep this methamphetamine and fentanyl off the streets of Mississippi.” “This case demonstrates our unwavering commitment to dismantling drug trafficking organizations and holding those responsible accountable, regardless of where they come from. The significant sentences handed down send a clear message that trafficking dangerous narcotics like methamphetamine and fentanyl into Mississippi will not be tolerated,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw. The Panola County Sheriff’s Office, Batesville Police Department, Desoto County Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi Bureau of Investigations and Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Leary and Chad Doleac.


title: Hickory Man Armed With “Ghost” AR-15 Is Sentenced To Prison For Gun Charges

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Kadeem Jamal Albright, 30, of Hickory, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for firearms offenses, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Reed Baer of the Hickory Police Department (HPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement. According to court documents and court proceedings, on December 27, 2022, at approximately 11:22 p.m., HPD officers received a call for service for a hit and run incident involving a silver vehicle near Main Avenue in Hickory. Officers responding to the call located the silver vehicle and determined Albright was the driver. The officers attempted to pull the vehicle over. Albright initially did not comply, but eventually stopped the vehicle. Albright was intoxicated. Over the course of the traffic stop, the officers searched the vehicle and found more than 9 ounces of marijuana and a loaded .40 cal. pistol underneath the driver’s seat. They also found a bag containing 362 fentanyl pills in the rear passenger area. Finally, they found almost a pound and a half of marijuana and a loaded short-barrel AR-15 semi-automatic rifle with a drum magazine in the trunk. Law enforcement determined that the AR-15 was a privately made firearm, commonly referred to as a “ghost gun.” Albright has prior federal and state criminal felony convictions and he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. On December 5, 2023, Albright pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm by a felon. He was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment on each charge with the sentences to run consecutive to one another, for a total sentence of 120 months imprisonment. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the ATF and HPD for their investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Kent of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case. 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.