title: Justice Department Announces Eight Indictments Against China-Based Chemical Manufacturing Companies and Employees

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: The Justice Department today announced the unsealing of eight indictments in the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida charging China-based companies and their employees with crimes relating to fentanyl and methamphetamine production, distribution of synthetic opioids, and sales resulting from precursor chemicals. The indictments build on prosecutions announced in June and mark the second set of prosecutions to charge China-based chemical manufacturing companies and nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals into the United States. The indictments complement actions taken today by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to designate 28 individuals and entities involved with the international proliferation of illicit drugs. “We know that the global fentanyl supply chain, which ends with the deaths of Americans, often starts with chemical companies in China,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The United States government is focused on breaking apart every link in that chain, getting fentanyl out of our communities, and bringing those who put it there to justice.” “The international dimension to the deadly scourge of fentanyl requires the all-of-government response that we are delivering today,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. “Through the dedication and investigative abilities of agents and officers from HSI, CBP, and our federal partners, we are bringing accountability to ruthless organizations and individuals resident in the People’s Republic of China and to the cartel members that seek to profit from the death and destruction that fentanyl causes.” “The charges announced today are another down payment on the Justice Department’s pledge to every American family that has lost a loved one to fentanyl poisoning,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Just as we did in the fight against terrorists and cybercriminals, we are deploying a whole-of-government approach – sharing intelligence, combining resources, and relentlessly pursuing justice – to attack the global supply chain fueling the fentanyl crisis. We will not rest until we have rid our communities of this poison.” “Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our nation has ever faced. These eight cases are the result of DEA’s efforts to attack the fentanyl supply chain where it starts — in China. Chinese chemical companies are fueling the fentanyl crisis in the United States by sending fentanyl precursors, fentanyl analogues, xylazine, and nitazenes into our country and into Mexico. These chemicals are used to make fentanyl and make it especially deadly,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram. “DEA will not stop until we defeat this threat. We are grateful to our law enforcement partners whose collaboration and dedication have made these actions possible. I am also deeply grateful for the incredible work by the DEA Miami Field Division. Their pursuit of these organizations demonstrates the drive and determination of the men and women, who are working as one DEA, to defeat the cartels and their entire global supply chain.” “This investigation of a narcotics trafficker utilizing counterfeit postage labels highlights the unique jurisdiction of the Postal Inspection Service,” said Chief Postal Inspector Gary R. Barksdale of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). “This indictment is a win in our battle against counterfeit postage and those seeking to use the nation’s mail system to distribute dangerous substances.” The DEA led the investigations brought in both districts and used its unique authority to specially schedule protonitazene and metonitazene as Schedule I controlled substances, which was necessary as their adverse health effects, including death, pose an imminent threat to public safety. As a result of that order, the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to Schedule I controlled substances can be imposed on persons who handle or propose to handle these substances. In addition, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized more than 1,000 kilograms of fentanyl-related precursor chemicals, and the USPIS also traced packages containing the precursor chemicals mailed through the U.S. mail and analyzed their contents after seizure. Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat facing the United States. Not only is fentanyl 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, a dose of as little as two milligrams can kill a grown adult. Fentanyl analogues are similar in chemical structure and effects as fentanyl. Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49. From February 2022 to January, at least 105,263 Americans died of drug overdoses, the majority of which involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and fentanyl analogues. Protonitazene and metonitazene are synthetic opioids that were emergency listed as Schedule I controlled substances in April 2022. There are no approved medical uses for protonitazene and metonitazene in the United States, or anywhere else in the world. Drug traffickers typically mix protonitazene and metonitazene with other opioids, such as fentanyl, to create new and more powerful cocktails of dangerous opioids. Methamphetamine overdose deaths are also surging in the United States. Methamphetamine is becoming more deadly because it is more frequently being mixed with highly potent fentanyl. There are currently no FDA-approved medications for treating methamphetamine use disorder or reversing overdoses. Drug overdose deaths involving psychostimulants, primarily methamphetamine, rose from 547 deaths in 1999 to 32,537 deaths in 2021. The manufacture of fentanyl and methamphetamine begins with raw chemicals, known as precursors. Fentanyl and methamphetamine precursors, opioid additives, and synthetic opioids are manufactured and distributed by China-based chemical companies, many of which openly advertise on the internet. These China-based manufacturers ship fentanyl and methamphetamine precursors, opioid additives, and synthetic opioids around the world, including to the United States and Mexico, where drug cartels and traffickers combine the chemicals and then distribute fentanyl and methamphetamines throughout the United States to individual users. These China-based chemical companies often attempt to evade law enforcement by using re-shippers in the United States, false return labels, false invoices, fraudulent postage, and packaging that conceals the true contents of the parcels and the identity of the distributors. In addition, these companies tend to use cryptocurrency transactions to conceal their identities and the location and movement of their funds. The primary distributors of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues in North America are the Sinaloa Cartel based in Sinaloa, Mexico, and the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación based in Jalisco, Mexico. These two transnational criminal organizations have significant presences throughout Mexico, maintain distribution hubs in various cities across the United States, and control smuggling corridors into the United States. Organizations such as the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación receive fentanyl precursors from China that are then synthesized within clandestine laboratories into finished fentanyl at scale. China-based precursor chemical manufacturers ship precursors from mainland China by, among other methods, mislabeling the products being shipped and using containers and other packaging to mask their illicit contents. Middle District of Florida Five indictments were unsealed in the Middle District of Florida charging five Chinese corporations and eight Chinese nationals with the illegal importation of fentanyl and fentanyl-related chemicals into the United States. According to the indictments, the defendants openly advertised their ability to thwart U.S. customs and deliver the chemicals used to make fentanyl to the Middle District of Florida and elsewhere in the United States. The defendants used fake shipping labels and special delivery procedures to ensure the illicit chemicals went undetected. The defendants played various roles, such as coordinators and suppliers, and eight defendants are also charged with international money laundering. According to the indictments, the Chinese companies demonstrated past success delivering a stable supply of product to clients in Mexico for years. “The protection of our country from the deadly scourge of fentanyl is a key priority of the Department of Justice and my office,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to pursue cases against Chinese chemical companies who are knowingly manufacturing and exporting fentanyl precursors to profit on the pain and suffering of people in the United States. We thank our partners at the Drug Enforcement Administration for their tireless efforts in support of these prosecutions.” Hebei Shenghao Import and Export Company, based in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China, is charged with fentanyl trafficking conspiracy, along with Chinese nationals Qingshun Li, 29, who allegedly negotiates the sale of precursor chemicals and maintains a bank account for the receipt of payments; Qingsong Li, 32; and Chunhui Chen, 33, both of whom allegedly maintain cryptocurrency wallets for the remittance of payments of precursor chemicals; Chunzhou Chen, 30, who allegedly received Western Union payments on behalf of Hebei Shenghao. Lihe Pharmaceutical Technology Company, based in Wuhan, Hebei Province, China, was charged with fentanyl trafficking conspiracy and international money laundering, along with Chinese nationals Mingming Wang, 34, who is the alleged holder for three bitcoin accounts shared by sales agents for Lihe Pharmaceutical, and Xinqiang Lu, 40, the alleged recipient of funds via Western Union on the company’s behalf. Henan Ruijiu Biotechnology Company, based in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China, was charged with attempted importation of fentanyl precursor and attempted international money laundering, along with Chinese national Yongle Gao, 30, who is the alleged registered owner of the bitcoin wallet associated with Henan Ruijiu. Xiamen Wonderful Biotechnology Company, based in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, was charged with attempted importation of fentanyl precursor and attempted international money laundering, along with Chinese national Guo Liang, 34, the alleged registered owner of the bitcoin wallet associated with Xiamen Wonderful. Anhui Ruihan Technology Company, based in Hefei, Anhui Province, China, was charged with attempted importation of fentanyl precursor and attempted international money laundering. DEA investigated these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Baeza and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Leath for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the cases. Southern District of Florida Three indictments were unsealed in the Southern District of Florida charging three Chinese companies and four officers and employees with fentanyl trafficking, synthetic opioid trafficking, precursor chemical importation, defrauding the U.S. Postal Service, and making and using counterfeit postage. “Targeting those who fuel the opioid epidemic, regardless of who they are and where they are operating from, is one of our district’s top priorities,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “Today, we announced charges against the Chinese companies and employees that manufacture and introduce the raw chemicals at the start of the fentanyl and methamphetamine supply chain. This is only the beginning of our fight. The precursors and synthetic opioids that are being marketed, sold, and shipped to the United States and Mexico are being mixed and re-distributed into our local communities as powerful and potentially deadly cocktails of controlled substances. We commend our partner agencies for their skill and resourcefulness, as we work collectively to prosecute the sources of the poison and protect the public.” Hanhong Medicine Technology Company, a pharmaceutical company located in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, was charged in a four-count indictment, along with Chinese nationals Changgen Du, 30, and Xuebi Gan, 28. According to the indictment, Hanhong has exported large quantities of fentanyl precursors and non-opioid additives, like xylazine, to the United States and Mexico, including to a drug trafficker in Pennsylvania and to a drug trafficker in the Sinaloa cartel for the manufacture of fentanyl in Mexico for eventual distribution in the United States. Xylazine is often mixed with fentanyl to increase the effects of the drug for users. Xylazine is a non-opioid drug approved for veterinary use for purposes of sedation, anesthesia, muscle relaxation, and pain relief in horses, cattle, and other animals. It is not approved for human use. Many opioid users are unaware they are taking xylazine. Overdose deaths involving xylazine have steadily increased year over year. Drug users who inject xylazine, or drug mixtures containing xylazine, often develop necrotic tissue resulting in disfiguring wounds or amputation. The Du Transnational Criminal Organization is listed on the United States Attorney General’s Consolidated Priority Organization Target (CPOT) list. The CPOT list identifies the most significant transnational criminal organizations presenting a priority threat to the United States, including those international drug and money laundering organizations affecting the illicit drug supply of the United States. The CPOT list identifies those criminal organizations by the name(s) of their leaders. Du, as the criminal organization’s leader, is the director of Hanhong and allegedly negotiates sales with customers. Gan is an alleged sales representative. Du and Gan each operated a crypocurrency wallet that accepted payment for Hanhong’s sales. The four-count indictment charges Hanhong, Du, and Gan with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl; conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a fentanyl precursor with intent to unlawfully import it into the U.S.; manufacturing and distributing a fentanyl precursor with intent to unlawfully import it into the U.S.; and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Jiangsu Bangdeya New Material Technology Company, a pharmaceutical company located in Jiangsu, China, was charged in an eight-count indictment, along with Jiantong Wang, 40, a Chinese national and alleged owner and operator of Bangdeya. The indictment alleges that Bangdeya advertises openly online as an export company for chemicals, including synthetic opioids protonitazene and metonitazene. The introduction of these synthetic opioids into the illicit drug market threatens to exacerbate the overdose problem in the United States. Drug traffickers typically mix protonitazene and metonitazene with other opioids, such as fentanyl, to create new and more powerful cocktails of dangerous opioids. Bengdeya has imported large quantities of these synthetic opioids into the U.S., including to a drug trafficker in the Southern District of Florida. Bangdeya and Wang were charged with conspiracy to import protonitazene and metonitazene; conspiracy to distribute protonitazene and metonitazene; multiple counts of distribution of protonitazene; conspiracy to defraud the United States and make and use forged and counterfeited postage; and making and printing unauthorized postage meter stamps. Hubei Guanlang Biotechnology Company, a chemical company located in Shijaizhuang, Hebei Province, China, was charged in a two-count indictment, along with Chinese national Wei Zhang, 28, who allegedly runs the day-to-day operations of the company and operates a cryptocurrency wallet that accepts payment for the company’s sales of fentanyl precursors and opioid additives. According to the indictment, Guanlang openly advertises online and sells an array of chemicals, including methamphetamine precursors like methylamine HCL, to customers in the United States and Mexico. Methylamine HCL is an essential precursor chemical that Mexican cartels use to manufacture highly pure and potent methamphetamine. Currently, most of the methamphetamine supply in the United States is produced by drug trafficking cartels in Mexico. Guanlang and Zhang are charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a methamphetamine precursor and unlawfully import into the U.S. and conspiracy to unlawfully import a methamphetamine precursor into the U.S. with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine; and the manufacture and distribution of a methamphetamine precursor that was unlawfully imported into the United States. The DEA Miami Field Division, HSI Miami, USPIS-Miami, IRS-CI Miami, and FBI Miami Field Office investigated these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero and Jon Juenger for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michell Hyman for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) provided assistance with the indictments brought in both districts. The indictments are a result of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigations. The OCDETF mission is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States, using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency task force approach. OCDETF synchronizes and incentivizes prosecutors and agents to lead smart, creative investigations targeting the command-and-control networks of organized criminal groups and the illicit financiers that support them. Additional information about the OCDETF Program may be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF. Members of the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force carried out this case and prosecution. HIDTA was established in 1990. This program, which is made up of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, fosters intra-agency cooperation among law enforcement agencies in South Florida and involves them in developing a strategy to target the region's drug-related and violent crime threats to public safety, as with the opioid epidemic, fentanyl, and the cocaine threat to our nation. The South Florida HIDTA uses the funding provided by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, out of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, that sponsors a variety of law enforcement initiatives that target the region's illicit drug and violent crime threats to our community. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. hebei_redacted_indictment_03oct2023_003_redacted.pdf mdfl_anhui_redacted_indictment_03oct2023.pdf mdfl_henan_redacted_indictment_03oct2023.pdf mdfl_lihe_redacted_indictment_03oct2023.pdf mdfl_xiamen_redacted_indictment_03oct2023.pdf sdfl_bangdeya_indictment_03oct2023.pdf sdfl_hanhong_indictment_03oct2023.pdf sdfl_hubei_guanlang_indictment_03oct2023.pdf


title: Shiprock Man Charged with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon Against a Minor

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Darron Smith appeared in federal court on an indictment charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon against a minor and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Smith, 23, of Shiprock, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody pending a detention hearing set for Tuesday, October 3, 2023. According to court documents, Smith assaulted John Doe, an individual under the age of 18, with a dangerous weapon, specifically, a knife, and the assault resulted in serious bodily injury. An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Smith faces 10 years up to life imprisonment and up to 5 years of supervised release thereafter. The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McGinley is prosecuting the case. # # # 23-238


title: Previously Convicted Felon Caught on Snapchat Pleads Guilty to Firearm and Drug Offenses

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Boston-area man pleaded guilty yesterday to illegally possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number while on supervised release from an earlier federal firearm charge. Dane Mitchell, 32, of Boston and Revere, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Jan. 9, 2024. In 2021, an investigation into a violent Boston gang identified Mitchell as the owner of a Snapchat account that posted images of himself with firearms. Specifically, the images showed Mitchell’s face with firearms and showing bullet holes in his vehicle after he had been shot at. Mitchell is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to a 2018 federal conviction in Maine of unlawful transportation of firearms, for which he was sentenced to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release. During a search of Mitchell’s Revere residence in December 2021, a Taurus TCP Model 738 PT .380 caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number, loaded with four rounds of .380 caliber ammunition in the clip and one round in the chamber, five additional rounds of the same type of .380 caliber ammunition, one round of 5.7 millimeter ammunition, bags of cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl, cutting agents, a digital scale, blender and a press for packaging narcotics were seized. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release 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. The operation was conducted is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Division; and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division made the announcement. Special assistance in the investigation was provided by the Boston, Quincy and Lynn Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Pohl of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.


title: Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison and Lifetime Supervised Release for Distributing Child Pornography While on Supervised Release

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 180 months in prison for distributing multiple images depicting child sexual abuse while on supervised release for possessing and receiving child pornography, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Hugh Cohen, 65, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini to an information charging him with one count of distributing child pornography. Judge Martini imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Cohen was previously convicted in federal court on a two-count indictment charging him with possessing and receiving child pornography in 2010, for which Cohen was sentenced to five years in prison followed by seven years of supervised release. Supervised release commenced on Oct. 29, 2014 and was to expire on Oct. 28, 2021. While still on supervised release, from March 28, 2021, to April 24, 2021, Cohen engaged an undercover agent in an ongoing sexually graphic conversation on a web-based application. Cohen sent the undercover agent multiple images depicting the sexual abuse of children. Law enforcement also subsequently discovered numerous images of child sexual abuse on Cohen’s cellphone. In addition to the prison term, Judge Martini sentenced Cohen to a lifetime term of supervised release. Cohen must also register as a sex offender. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents with the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy, and special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Kurtz, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney DeNae M. Thomas of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division in Newark.


title: United States Facilitates Court-Ordered Sale of Sayville Motor Lodge to New Owner

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: The United States yesterday completed the sale of the Sayville Motor Lodge in Sayville, Long Island to a company that is partially owned by a principal of a neighboring business with longstanding ties to the community. By Order entered on September 11, 2023, United States District Judge Joanna Seybert approved today’s sale of the Sayville Motor Lodge for the sum of $2 million, with the payment out of the sale’s proceeds to prior lenders on the property. The remaining proceeds are earmarked for forfeiture to the United States government, which will enable the office to seek their use in compensating the victims of the charged conduct through the Department of Justice’s remission procedures. The Sayville Motor Lodge was a drug-involved property at the center of a sex trafficking conspiracy based on Long Island. In November 2022, an indictment was unsealed in federal court in Central Islip charging Timothy Bullen, Michael Johnson, Narendarakuma Dadarwala, his wife Shardaben Dadarwala, their son Jigar Dadarwala, Ashokbhai Patel, and Himanshu, Inc. d/b/a Sayville Motor Lodge with sex trafficking conspiracy. The Dadarwalas, Patel, and Himanshu, Inc. were also charged with managing a drug premises, and Narendarakuma Dadarwala was charged with distribution of proceeds of prostitution and narcotics businesses. Charges against the defendants are pending. There is no trial date at the present time. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Vincent F. DeMarco, United States Marshal for the Eastern District of New York, announced the sale of the property. “As a result of this sale, the Sayville Motor Lodge is no longer ground zero of an insidious money-maker for prostitution and narcotics trafficking, and a blight on the surrounding community,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Instead, the property will be repurposed by its new owner for the benefit of the residents of Long Island.” Mr. Peace thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, the Suffolk County Police Department, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, United States Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security Investigations for their work on the case. “The closing of the sale of this property yesterday is a positive step that will increase public safety in this community,” stated United States Marshal DeMarco. The Underlying Sex Trafficking Scheme As set forth in court filings, the Dadarwalas owned and operated the Sayville Motor Lodge since approximately 1984. They resided and worked at the motel. From 2017 to 2019, Ashokbhai Patel was employed and also lived there. The Dadarwalas and Patel facilitated the criminal activity at the Sayville Motor Lodge and profited from the prostitution and narcotics activity that routinely took place there. They were aware that women engaged in prostitution, including at least one minor trafficking victim. They warned traffickers and women engaged in prostitution when law enforcement was on the premises and observed traffickers inflict physical violence on their victims and customers. From approximately 2014 until 2018, Bullen allegedly operated his sex trafficking business out of the Sayville Motor Lodge, in coordination with the Dadarwalas and Patel; and from approximately 2018 until 2020, Johnson allegedly operated his sex trafficking business out of the Sayville Motor Lodge, in coordination with the Dadarwalas and Patel. Bullen and Johnson trafficked several women out of the motel, including a minor, and routinely subjected the women who worked for them to mental and physical violence. In furtherance of their respective operations, Bullen and Johnson kept the women who worked for them addicted to drugs and introduced them to prostitution in exchange for drugs. In addition, from 2014 to the present, the Dadarwalas, Patel, and Himanshu, Inc. profited from the narcotics trafficking that was conducted openly on Sayville Motor Lodge property. The defendants allowed customers to freely use drugs, including heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine, in plain view and in motel rooms. Much like the traffickers, drug dealers paid the Sayville defendants for the privilege of selling drugs at the Sayville Motor Lodge. The Government Obtains Order To Restrain The Sayville Motor Lodge In connection with the indictment, the government sought to forfeit the Sayville Motor Lodge. In addition, to ensure the property was preserved for forfeiture, the United States obtained an order restraining the defendants from transferring, encumbering or operating the Sayville Motor Lodge in violation of law. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Catherine M. Mirabile, Samantha S. Alessi and Brian Morris are in charge of the prosecution. The Defendants : TIMOTHY BULLEN, also known as “Trouble,” “T” and “Tiervoni,” Age: 36 Bay Shore, New York MICHAEL JOHNSON, also known as “Wise” Age: 34 Selbyville, Delaware JIGAR DADARWALA, also known as “Cobra” Age: 45 Sayville, New York NARENDARAKUMA DADARWALA, also known as “Naren,” “Pa” and “Dad” Age: 77 Sayville, New York SHARDABEN DADARWALA, also known as “Sharda,” “Ma” and “Mom” Age: 70 Sayville, New York ASHOKBHAI PATEL, also known as “BG” Age: 59 Omaha, Nebraska HIMANSHU, INC. d/b/a Sayville Motor Lodge E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-494 (JS)


title: Orange County felon sentenced to 20 years in prison for kidnapping at gunpoint and possession of a firearm

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – On October 2, a man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for kidnapping and two felon in possession of a firearm charges. On August 14, 2022, Marques Deon Jones, 41, of Orange County, pistol-whipped his girlfriend, an employee of a Port St. Lucie group home located near SE Walton Road, and forced her to leave with him in her vehicle. A group home supervisor, who witnessed the kidnapping, notified Port St. Lucie Police Department, who identified Jones. The following day, the U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force located Jones outside of a private residence in Fort Pierce and arrested him. As task force officers approached Jones, he retrieved a firearm from a parked car and attempted to flee. Footage from a law enforcement body worn camera showed Jones admitting that he retrieved the firearm because he wanted officers to shoot and kill him. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, and U.S. Marshal Gadyaces S. Serralta of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Senior Judge James I. Cohn, sitting in Fort Pierce. ATF Fort Pierce Field Office and USMS investigated the case with assistance from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Port St. Lucie Police Department and Fort Pierce Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Breezye Telfair and Justin Hoover prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 22-cr-14069. ###


title: Paroled murderer going to prison for more than 24 years for production of child pornography

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Israel Rivera-Reyes, 48, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of production of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 292 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, who handled the case, stated that between August 2021 and February 2022, Rivera-Reyes had sexual intercourse with a Minor Victim on an almost daily basis, knowing that the victim was a minor. During this time, Rivera-Reyes produced multiple videos of himself engaging in sexual intercourse with the Minor Victim. At the time of his arrest, Rivera-Reyes was on parole for a March 1995 conviction of Murder 2nd Degree. The sentencing is a result of an investigation by the Irondequoit Police Department, under the direction of Chief Scott Peters, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia. Additional assistance was provided by the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office. # # # #


title: Collinsville Man Pleads Guilty to Sawed-off Shotgun on Blue Ridge Parkway

component: USAO - Virginia, Western

body_text: ROANOKE, Va. – A Collinsville, Virginia man pled guilty yesterday in United States District Court to one count of knowingly possessing an unregistered firearm, United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh has announced. James Anthony Nolan, 28, will be sentenced on January 8, 2024, where he faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. According to court documents, in March 2023, a National Park Ranger saw a black Toyota Scion parked across two parking spaces at the Roanoke River Trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway. During a welfare check on the sole occupant of the vehicle, the Ranger could smell the odor of marijuana coming from the car. After Nolan admitted that he had marijuana with him, the Ranger proceeded to search the vehicle. During the search, a backpack was discovered containing over 50 rounds of assorted ammunition and a sawed-off shotgun in operating condition. Seven expended 12-gauge shotgun shells were also present. The firearm, which was not registered as is required by federal law, was a Derya Arms, Tradition 12-gauge shotgun with black electrical tape wrapped around the buttstock and measuring approximately 21 inches in length with a 10-inch barrel. Nolan admitted to purchasing the shotgun and sawing down the barrel but claimed it was for a project he was working on. United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the National Park Service investigated the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Parker Gochenour, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, prosecuted the case.


title: Martinsville Man Convicted of Trafficking Methamphetamine and Cocaine

body_text: ABINGDON, Va. – A Martinsville man, who possessed crystal ice methamphetamine and cocaine valued at more than $35,000, was found guilty last week following a three-day jury trial in federal court. Octavius Myron Johnson, 39, was convicted of one count of possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, in addition to one count of possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine. According to evidence presented at trial, in early 2023, law enforcement initiated an investigation into Johnson’s drug trafficking activities in the Glade Spring area of Washington County. Their investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at Johnson’s Martinsville residence, where over a half pound of crystal ice methamphetamine—totaling 9.7 ounces—and 83.5 grams of cocaine were recovered. Cash totaling $3,800 and other items related to drug trafficking were also seized. Johnson is scheduled for sentencing on January 17, 2023, where he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment of 5 years and a maximum statutory penalty of up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million. United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, and Jared Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division made the announcement. The investigation of this case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Holston River Regional Drug Task Force, with assistance from numerous agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Martinsville Police Department, the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office, and the Virginia State Police. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Virginia Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly McGann prosecuted the case.


title: Springfield Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Sexual Exploitation of 11-Year-Old Minnesota Victim

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his sexual exploitation of an 11-year-old child victim in Minnesota. Jeffrey Scott Saltkill, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Saltkill will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life. On Dec. 1, 2022, Saltkill pleaded guilty to one count of the sexual exploitation of children. Saltkill admitted that he communicated online and via text with an 11-year-old Minnesota girl after she posted her cell phone number on the chat website Omegle. Posing as two separate persons (including a teenage boy), Saltkill engaged in graphic sexual conversations and exchanged pornographic images with the child victim. She gave Saltkill the name of her town and school, and he indicated that he would visit her in person. When the child victim’s mother handed her daughter’s cell phone over to law enforcement, an undercover FBI agent responded to Saltkill, using the persona of the child victim. Saltkill told the undercover agent that he was in the child victim’s town, but the undercover agent told him they were out of town. Saltkill continued to communicate with the undercover agent, whom he believed to be the child victim, sending links to videos of adult pornography and urging her to engage in sexual activity. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Saltkill’s residence. Saltkill told investigators that he was addicted to communicating with children and obtaining pornographic images. He said he had similar sexual communications with four or five additional minors within the last two years. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the FBI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department. Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."


title: Northeast Georgian Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Distributing  Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: Criminal - Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

body_text: ATHENS, Ga. –A Madison County, Georgia, resident convicted by a federal jury of distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) days after GBI investigators discovered evidence that he was continuing to distribute CSAM and had concurrently cut off his ankle monitor to escape custody was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison. Christopher Snow, 36, of Carlton, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 240 months in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. Self, III today after he was convicted on June 7 of one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material following a two-day trial. Snow will have to register as a sex offender upon release from federal prison. The defendant is not eligible for parole. “Individuals participating in any part of the appalling online world of sexually abusing children—its creation, distribution or possession—will be held to account for these crimes which profoundly harm kids,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “This case, like so many others our office works, was successfully adjudicated thanks to the collaboration of many different groups and agencies focused on protecting children and bringing predators to justice.” “This case serves as a strong reminder of our commitment to protecting children from the atrocities of child sexual abuse. The GBI remains resolute in its pursuit of justice and will not tolerate those who exploit the innocence of our most vulnerable population,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “Snow not only distributed the disturbing material for years but didn’t stop even after he was under arrest and facing trial,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that people like this receive their full measure of justice.” According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, GBI received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in Aug. 2018 that a Facebook user distributed suspected CSAM via Facebook Messenger. As a part of their investigation, GBI was able to determine that the user of that Facebook account resided in Carlton, Madison County, Georgia. A search warrant was executed at Snow’s residence in Carlton; law enforcement seized several electronic devices that Snow kept in a padlocked room. A digital forensic examiner later determined that those electronic devices, including the phone that was found on Snow the day of the search warrant, contained at least 45 images and 17 videos of CSAM. The material contained images of children under the age of 12. As a condition of Snow’s pretrial release, he was required to wear an ankle monitor and not have access to electronic devices. On June 1, 2023, GBI received an additional Cybertip indicating that Snow may have been continuing to distribute CSAM on the Kik messenger app in 2022, while awaiting trial. Snow was scheduled for a federal hearing on June 2 prior to his trial but cut off his ankle monitor on June 1. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals on June 5. 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov . The case was investigated by the GBI, with assistance from the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex Kalim and Robert McCullers prosecuted the case for the Government with assistance from Deputy Criminal Chief Will Keyes.


title: Owners of Mobile Phlebotomy Company Each Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gabriella Santibanez, 59, and her sister Lisa Hazard, 55, both of Temecula, were sentenced Monday to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay over $7.5 million in restitution for health care fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, between Dec, 1, 2015, and Dec, 1, 2020, Santibanez and Hazard ran a mobile phlebotomy company, PhlebXpress Inc. that provided phlebotomy and other medical collection services at patients’ homes and long-term care facilities in Sacramento and elsewhere. Santibanez and Hazard agreed to bill Medicare for services provided that were not reimbursable by Medicare. Santibanez and Hazard also agreed to bill Medicare for overstated mileage that PhlebXpress phlebotomists traveled. On average, Santibanez and Hazard caused false billing to Medicare of over 140 miles for each patient seen by PhlebXpress. Santibanez and Hazard caused a loss to Medicare of at least $7.5 million based on false billing by PhlebXpress. In November 2020, due to “credible allegations of fraud” at PhlebXpress, Medicare instituted a payment suspension for PhlebXpress under which Medicare ceased paying PhlebXpress for the services it continued to bill Medicare. According to court documents, between July 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2021, Santibanez and Hazard agreed to circumvent the payment suspension by representing to Medicare that services provided to Medicare patients were done by another company, Phlebotomy Solutions, when they were in fact being provided by PhlebXpress through its contractors and employees from PhlebXpress’s offices. Through Phlebotomy Solutions, Santibanez and Hazard agreed to bill Medicare for a non-reimbursable service, misrepresenting that it was for another reimbursable service and overstating the mileage traveled by phlebotomists in order to receive additional money from Medicare. For example, in September 2021, Phlebotomy Solutions billed Medicare for 124.6 miles of travel by a phlebotomist when in fact the phlebotomist travelled 1.4 miles. Santibanez and Hazard caused a loss to Medicare of at least $50,000 based on false billing by Phlebotomy Solutions. This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Bickley prosecuted the case.


title: Los Angeles Man Sentenced to Over 8 Years in Prison for Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain Over $800,000 in COVID Relief Funds

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A San Fernando Valley man who was the leader of a conspiracy that stole more than $800,000 in COVID-19 jobless benefits has been sentenced to 97 months in federal prison, the Justice Department announced today. Robert Mirumyan, 31, of Porter Ranch, was sentenced by United States District Judge Percy Anderson, who also ordered him to pay $804,579 in restitution. Mirumyan pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, admitting that he oversaw a scheme that used stolen identities to apply for COVID-era unemployment insurance (UI) benefits from the California Employment Development Department (EDD). Mirumyan came to the attention of law enforcement when the FBI executed search and seizure warrants in March 2021 against the Beverly Hills-based U.S. Private Vaults, where investigators discovered a safety deposit box held in the name of Mirumyan’s wife that contained $400,000 in cash. U.S. Private Vaults, a private safety deposit box company that advertised it was not subject to bank “know your customer” rules, pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiring to launder money with its customers. During 2020 and continuing through August of 2021, Mirumyan and others used other people’s identities to apply for UI benefits through the EDD, according to court documents. Once EDD approved the false and fraudulent UI applications, banks issued debit cards containing the funds intended for the false identities, Mirumyan and others used the fraudulently obtained debit cards to withdraw cash. “When confronted with the COVID pandemic that has claimed the lives of almost 7 million persons worldwide to date, [Mirumyan] instead saw an opportunity to bilk taxpayers out of the emergency funds their government generously made available to ameliorate job losses,” according to a sentencing memorandum filed in this case. “Such criminal opportunism during a global health and economic emergency is egregious.” Judge Anderson described Mirumyan’s offense as “galling” and “callous,” noting that the defendant took advantage of benefits meant to help the unemployed even while he had the talent and opportunities to earn money legitimately. “[I]t appears that [Mirumyan] made a decision to pursue riches through fraud rather than to participate in the legitimate economy,” prosecutors wrote in the sentencing memo. “Worse, his choice paid off, at least until his stash of $400,000 in cash was accidentally discovered at U.S. Private Vaults based on an unrelated investigation of that business. [Mirumyan] was able to support himself and his family, purchasing a million-dollar home with a swimming pool with his criminal income.” This matter was investigated by the Postal Inspection Service and the California Employment Development Department. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case. Anyone with general information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form .


title: Kanawha County Straw Purchaser Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Sean Anthony Iacono, 30, of Dunbar, pleaded guilty today to making false statements in acquisition of firearms. According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 8, 2021, Iacono purchased a Glock model 23 GEN5 .40-caliber pistol at a Cross Lanes business. Iacono admitted that he falsely certified on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Records Form 4473 that he was the buyer of the firearm when he knew he was purchasing it for someone who was prohibited from possessing firearms. Iacono further admitted to falsely certifying on the ATF Form 4473 that he was the buyer of a Taurus model GX4 9mm pistol when he purchased it at a South Charleston business for someone who was prohibited from possessing firearms. Iacono is scheduled to be sentenced on January 3, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. Adams is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-66. ###


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

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Trellae Nellum-Toney, 29, of St. Albans, was sentenced today to four years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 22, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Nellum-Toney in St. Albans. Nellum-Toney admitted that he got out of his vehicle and threw a Raven Arms model P-25 .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a baggie of suspected heroin to the ground. Officers recovered the firearm and controlled substance. Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Nellum-Toney knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for first-degree robbery in Kanawha County Circuit Court on August 26, 2014. Nellum-Toney also admitted that he possessed two firearms in a vehicle he was driving on January 24, 2023. Officers conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle in the Scott Depot area in Putnam County and found a Taurus model 709 Slim 9mm semi-automatic pistol under the driver’s seat and a Savage model Stevens 320 20-gauge shotgun in the vehicle’s trunk. Nellum-Toney admitted that he now knows the 9mm pistol was reported stolen from a St. Albans residence on September 26, 2021. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. Adams 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. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-34. ###


title: St. Louis Man Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison on Firearm Charge

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a man from St. Louis, Missouri to 27 months in prison on a firearm charge. Allen L. Robinson, 28, pleaded guilty in May to a felony charge of possession of a firearm while under an order of protection. He admitted that at about 3 a.m. on March 19, 2022, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers responding to a call about shots fired in downtown St. Louis encountered Robinson, who matched the description of the shooter. As the police vehicle drove toward Robinson, he stepped out into the street in front of the vehicle and displayed a gun to the officers inside, Robinson’s plea says. The officer drove forward to get away from the threat and then turned around to face Robinson. Robinson ran and was arrested by other officers nearby. He had a loaded Taurus 9mm pistol in his waistband. Robinson was under an order of protection at the time, prohibiting him from harassing, stalking or threatening a romantic partner. The order also prohibited Robinson from possessing a firearm. At Tuesday’s hearing, a detective testified that about 30 minutes before Robinson encountered police, a man matching Robinson’s description shot at a van driving by Kiener Plaza, then pointed a gun at someone waiting on the street for a friend. The gunman fired a shot into the air and headed south, where “numerous” 911 calls reported shots being fired. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce prosecuted the case.


title: Two from Lexington Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug Conspiracy and Weapon Charges

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Caleb York Rowell, age 30, of Swansea, South Carolina, and Brandi Leann Clarke, a/k/a “Brandi Savage,” age 26, of Gaston, South Carolina, were both sentenced today in federal court for their roles in a drug conspiracy where they sold firearms and drugs to confidential informants and undercover agents in the summer of 2021. Rowell was sentenced to 292 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin and fentanyl, felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a short-barreled shotgun not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Clark was sentenced to 57 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine. Evidence presented to the Court showed that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) began an investigation into Rowell’s drug distribution in May of 2021. During a recorded call with a confidential informant on May 11, 2021, Rowell bragged about running away from a traffic stop the day before that resulted in a wreck and how officers found his drugs and gun. ATF confirmed that the day before, May 10, 2021, Gaston Police Department had been in a car chase after they attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation. That chase culminated in the driver wrecking the vehicle and fleeing on foot. Along the route where the driver fled, officers were able to locate a fanny pack containing bags of heroin and fentanyl and nearby they found a stolen pistol. Through the recorded call and witnesses at the scene, officers were then able to identify Rowell, who was wearing a state court ankle monitor, as the driver who fled from the scene and discarded the drugs and firearm. Thereafter, between May and July 2021, law enforcement made a series of undercover purchases of firearms, heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine from Rowell and Clark, Rowell’s girlfriend. One of the firearms sold by Rowell to the undercover agent was an unregistered short-barreled shotgun. Both Rowell and Clark admitted knowing the drugs contained fentanyl and during one transaction, Clark boasted about the quality of the drugs to the undercover agent. Additionally, the investigation revealed that Rowell was a member of a gang, although he disputed membership. Both Rowell and Clark are prohibited from possessing firearms based upon prior felony convictions in state court. Rowell has prior state convictions for criminal domestic violence, conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, failure to stop for blue light and siren, driving under suspension 3 rd offense, and two convictions for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Clark has two prior state convictions for possession of methamphetamine. United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Rowell to a total of 292 months imprisonment, to be followed by a 6-year term of court-ordered supervision and a $500 special assessment fee. Clark was sentenced to a total of 57 months imprisonment, to be followed by a 6-year term of court-ordered supervision with a $100 special assessment fee. There is no parole in the federal system. In sentencing the defendants, the court noted the seriousness of the offense, especially since it involved fentanyl, which has shown to be deadly, and noted, “I take all my cases seriously, but when fentanyl is involved, the need to protect the public is critical.” This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) with assistance of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office, Gaston Police Department, Swansea Police Department, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey D. Haynes prosecuted the case. ###


title: Lakewood Man Sentenced to Prison for Ponzi Scheme

component: USAO - Ohio, Northern

body_text: CLEVELAND – Paul Kimmins Lebo, 41, of Lakewood, Ohio, was sentenced today to 48 months of imprisonment by U.S. District Judge Charles E. Fleming after he earlier pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection to a Ponzi scheme. Judge Fleming also sentenced Lebo to pay $635,000 in restitution and serve 3 years of supervised release. According to court documents, from August 2017 through October 2021, Paul Lebo persuaded nearly 100 individuals to invest in his non-operational hedge fund, promising them future equity ownership and options trading strategies with assurances that their investments were protected and any deposits would be fully refundable. He also convinced them to provide short-term loans by giving false explanations about why he needed the loans and false assurances about his ability to repay. Instead, Lebo used the money for personal expenses, bad stock market trades, unsuccessful attempts to acquire real estate, and to repay earlier investors. Throughout the scheme, Lebo provided the victims bogus updates about the status of their investments to get victims to invest more. At times he would use new investor funds or his parents’ money to repay the victims or write “refund” checks from accounts that contained insufficient funds. In addition to his fraudulent hedge fund scheme, Lebo also defrauded multiple people over the internet by offering items for sale without intending to deliver them. Instead, he used the payments from the “sales” to repay his hedge fund investors or make stock trades that ultimately resulted in the total loss of the funds. The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erica Barnhill.


title: Inmate at FCI-Berlin Sentenced to an Additional 30 Months for Assaulting Another Inmate

component: USAO - New Hampshire

body_text: CONCORD – An inmate at FCI Berlin was sentenced in federal court in Concord for assaulting another inmate, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces. Aniel Gomez, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Steven McAuliffe to an additional 30 months in prison. Gomez was also ordered to pay $1,392 in restitution to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. On June 14, 2023, Gomez pleaded guilty to assault. “The defendant’s attack not only caused significant harm to another inmate, but it risked the safety of the entire community including the prison’s staff,” said U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young. “The U.S. Department of Justice considers the custody and care of federal inmates to be a serious responsibility and we will continue to support our partners at the Federal Bureau of Prisons to accomplish this mission.” “Today’s sentence makes it clear that prison is not a place to continue committing crimes,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Aniel Gomez brutally beat a fellow inmate and will now spend more time behind bars for jeopardizing that inmate’s safety and the safety of the prison’s staff. This case demonstrates how the FBI will not hesitate to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that anyone who engages in violence will be brought to justice.” On December 19, 2022, Gomez beat another inmate with a homemade weapon consisting of two padlocks strapped together. Prison video footage showed Gomez waiting for the victim. After the victim exited a shower, Gomez followed him and beat him with the homemade weapon. As a result, the victim suffered head trauma including the loss of teeth and lacerations above the right eyebrow and back of the head. At the time of the assault, Gomez was serving a 365-month imprisonment for conspiracy to maintain a residence for manufacturing and distributing marijuana, and conspiracy to manufacture and distribute 100 or more marijuana plants. Gomez’s sentence will be consecutive to his current sentence. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and FCI-Berlin Special Investigative Services led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter prosecuted the case. ###


title: Justice Department Announces Eight Indictments Against China-Based Chemical Manufacturing Companies and Employees

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced the unsealing of eight indictments in the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida charging China-based companies and their employees with crimes relating to fentanyl and methamphetamine production, distribution of synthetic opioids, and sales resulting from precursor chemicals. The indictments build on prosecutions announced in June and mark the second set of prosecutions to charge China-based chemical manufacturing companies and nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals into the United States. The indictments complement actions taken today by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to designate 28 individuals and entities involved with the international proliferation of illicit drugs. “We know that the global fentanyl supply chain, which ends with the deaths of Americans, often starts with chemical companies in China,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The United States government is focused on breaking apart every link in that chain, getting fentanyl out of our communities, and bringing those who put it there to justice.” “The international dimension to the deadly scourge of fentanyl requires the all-of-government response that we are delivering today,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. “Through the dedication and investigative abilities of agents and officers from HSI, CBP, and our federal partners, we are bringing accountability to ruthless organizations and individuals resident in the People’s Republic of China and to the cartel members that seek to profit from the death and destruction that fentanyl causes.” “The charges announced today are another down payment on the Justice Department’s pledge to every American family that has lost a loved one to fentanyl poisoning,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Just as we did in the fight against terrorists and cybercriminals, we are deploying a whole-of-government approach – sharing intelligence, combining resources, and relentlessly pursuing justice – to attack the global supply chain fueling the fentanyl crisis. We will not rest until we have rid our communities of this poison.” “Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our nation has ever faced. These eight cases are the result of DEA’s efforts to attack the fentanyl supply chain where it starts — in China. Chinese chemical companies are fueling the fentanyl crisis in the United States by sending fentanyl precursors, fentanyl analogues, xylazine, and nitazenes into our country and into Mexico. These chemicals are used to make fentanyl and make it especially deadly,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram. “DEA will not stop until we defeat this threat. We are grateful to our law enforcement partners whose collaboration and dedication have made these actions possible. I am also deeply grateful for the incredible work by the DEA Miami Field Division. Their pursuit of these organizations demonstrates the drive and determination of the men and women, who are working as one DEA, to defeat the cartels and their entire global supply chain.” “This investigation of a narcotics trafficker utilizing counterfeit postage labels highlights the unique jurisdiction of the Postal Inspection Service,” said Chief Postal Inspector Gary R. Barksdale of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). “This indictment is a win in our battle against counterfeit postage and those seeking to use the nation’s mail system to distribute dangerous substances.” The DEA led the investigations brought in both districts and used its unique authority to specially schedule protonitazene and metonitazene as Schedule I controlled substances, which was necessary as their adverse health effects, including death, pose an imminent threat to public safety. As a result of that order, the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to Schedule I controlled substances can be imposed on persons who handle or propose to handle these substances. In addition, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized more than 1,000 kilograms of fentanyl-related precursor chemicals, and the USPIS also traced packages containing the precursor chemicals mailed through the U.S. mail and analyzed their contents after seizure. Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat facing the United States. Not only is fentanyl 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, a dose of as little as two milligrams can kill a grown adult. Fentanyl analogues are similar in chemical structure and effects as fentanyl. Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49. From February 2022 to January, at least 105,263 Americans died of drug overdoses, the majority of which involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and fentanyl analogues. Protonitazene and metonitazene are synthetic opioids that were emergency listed as Schedule I controlled substances in April 2022. There are no approved medical uses for protonitazene and metonitazene in the United States, or anywhere else in the world. Drug traffickers typically mix protonitazene and metonitazene with other opioids, such as fentanyl, to create new and more powerful cocktails of dangerous opioids. Methamphetamine overdose deaths are also surging in the United States. Methamphetamine is becoming more deadly because it is more frequently being mixed with highly potent fentanyl. There are currently no FDA-approved medications for treating methamphetamine use disorder or reversing overdoses. Drug overdose deaths involving psychostimulants, primarily methamphetamine, rose from 547 deaths in 1999 to 32,537 deaths in 2021. The manufacture of fentanyl and methamphetamine begins with raw chemicals, known as precursors. Fentanyl and methamphetamine precursors, opioid additives, and synthetic opioids are manufactured and distributed by China-based chemical companies, many of which openly advertise on the internet. These China-based manufacturers ship fentanyl and methamphetamine precursors, opioid additives, and synthetic opioids around the world, including to the United States and Mexico, where drug cartels and traffickers combine the chemicals and then distribute fentanyl and methamphetamines throughout the United States to individual users. These China-based chemical companies often attempt to evade law enforcement by using re-shippers in the United States, false return labels, false invoices, fraudulent postage, and packaging that conceals the true contents of the parcels and the identity of the distributors. In addition, these companies tend to use cryptocurrency transactions to conceal their identities and the location and movement of their funds. The primary distributors of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues in North America are the Sinaloa Cartel based in Sinaloa, Mexico, and the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación based in Jalisco, Mexico. These two transnational criminal organizations have significant presences throughout Mexico, maintain distribution hubs in various cities across the United States, and control smuggling corridors into the United States. Organizations such as the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación receive fentanyl precursors from China that are then synthesized within clandestine laboratories into finished fentanyl at scale. China-based precursor chemical manufacturers ship precursors from mainland China by, among other methods, mislabeling the products being shipped and using containers and other packaging to mask their illicit contents. Middle District of Florida Five indictments were unsealed in the Middle District of Florida charging five Chinese corporations and eight Chinese nationals with the illegal importation of fentanyl and fentanyl-related chemicals into the United States. According to the indictments, the defendants openly advertised their ability to thwart U.S. customs and deliver the chemicals used to make fentanyl to the Middle District of Florida and elsewhere in the United States. The defendants used fake shipping labels and special delivery procedures to ensure the illicit chemicals went undetected. The defendants played various roles, such as coordinators and suppliers, and eight defendants are also charged with international money laundering. According to the indictments, the Chinese companies demonstrated past success delivering a stable supply of product to clients in Mexico for years. “The protection of our country from the deadly scourge of fentanyl is a key priority of the Department of Justice and my office,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to pursue cases against Chinese chemical companies who are knowingly manufacturing and exporting fentanyl precursors to profit on the pain and suffering of people in the United States. We thank our partners at the Drug Enforcement Administration for their tireless efforts in support of these prosecutions.” Hebei Shenghao Import and Export Company, based in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China, is charged with fentanyl trafficking conspiracy, along with Chinese nationals Qingshun Li, 29, who allegedly negotiates the sale of precursor chemicals and maintains a bank account for the receipt of payments; Qingsong Li, 32; and Chunhui Chen, 33, both of whom allegedly maintain cryptocurrency wallets for the remittance of payments of precursor chemicals; Chunzhou Chen, 30, who allegedly received Western Union payments on behalf of Hebei Shenghao. Lihe Pharmaceutical Technology Company, based in Wuhan, Hebei Province, China, was charged with fentanyl trafficking conspiracy and international money laundering, along with Chinese nationals Mingming Wang, 34, who is the alleged holder for three bitcoin accounts shared by sales agents for Lihe Pharmaceutical, and Xinqiang Lu, 40, the alleged recipient of funds via Western Union on the company’s behalf. Henan Ruijiu Biotechnology Company, based in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China, was charged with attempted importation of fentanyl precursor and attempted international money laundering, along with Chinese national Yongle Gao, 30, who is the alleged registered owner of the bitcoin wallet associated with Henan Ruijiu. Xiamen Wonderful Biotechnology Company, based in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, was charged with attempted importation of fentanyl precursor and attempted international money laundering, along with Chinese national Guo Liang, 34, the alleged registered owner of the bitcoin wallet associated with Xiamen Wonderful. Anhui Ruihan Technology Company, based in Hefei, Anhui Province, China, was charged with attempted importation of fentanyl precursor and attempted international money laundering. DEA investigated these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Baeza and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Leath for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the cases. Southern District of Florida Three indictments were unsealed in the Southern District of Florida charging three Chinese companies and four officers and employees with fentanyl trafficking, synthetic opioid trafficking, precursor chemical importation, defrauding the U.S. Postal Service, and making and using counterfeit postage. “Targeting those who fuel the opioid epidemic, regardless of who they are and where they are operating from, is one of our district’s top priorities,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “Today, we announced charges against the Chinese companies and employees that manufacture and introduce the raw chemicals at the start of the fentanyl and methamphetamine supply chain. This is only the beginning of our fight. The precursors and synthetic opioids that are being marketed, sold, and shipped to the United States and Mexico are being mixed and re-distributed into our local communities as powerful and potentially deadly cocktails of controlled substances. We commend our partner agencies for their skill and resourcefulness, as we work collectively to prosecute the sources of the poison and protect the public.” Hanhong Medicine Technology Company, a pharmaceutical company located in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, was charged in a four-count indictment, along with Chinese nationals Changgen Du, 30, and Xuebi Gan, 28. According to the indictment, Hanhong has exported large quantities of fentanyl precursors and non-opioid additives, like xylazine, to the United States and Mexico, including to a drug trafficker in Pennsylvania and to a drug trafficker in the Sinaloa cartel for the manufacture of fentanyl in Mexico for eventual distribution in the United States. Xylazine is often mixed with fentanyl to increase the effects of the drug for users. Xylazine is a non-opioid drug approved for veterinary use for purposes of sedation, anesthesia, muscle relaxation, and pain relief in horses, cattle, and other animals. It is not approved for human use. Many opioid users are unaware they are taking xylazine. Overdose deaths involving xylazine have steadily increased year over year. Drug users who inject xylazine, or drug mixtures containing xylazine, often develop necrotic tissue resulting in disfiguring wounds or amputation. The Du Transnational Criminal Organization is listed on the United States Attorney General’s Consolidated Priority Organization Target (CPOT) list. The CPOT list identifies the most significant transnational criminal organizations presenting a priority threat to the United States, including those international drug and money laundering organizations affecting the illicit drug supply of the United States. The CPOT list identifies those criminal organizations by the name(s) of their leaders. Du, as the criminal organization’s leader, is the director of Hanhong and allegedly negotiates sales with customers. Gan is an alleged sales representative. Du and Gan each operated a crypocurrency wallet that accepted payment for Hanhong’s sales. The four-count indictment charges Hanhong, Du, and Gan with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl; conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a fentanyl precursor with intent to unlawfully import it into the U.S.; manufacturing and distributing a fentanyl precursor with intent to unlawfully import it into the U.S.; and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Jiangsu Bangdeya New Material Technology Company, a pharmaceutical company located in Jiangsu, China, was charged in an eight-count indictment, along with Jiantong Wang, 40, a Chinese national and alleged owner and operator of Bangdeya. The indictment alleges that Bangdeya advertises openly online as an export company for chemicals, including synthetic opioids protonitazene and metonitazene. The introduction of these synthetic opioids into the illicit drug market threatens to exacerbate the overdose problem in the United States. Drug traffickers typically mix protonitazene and metonitazene with other opioids, such as fentanyl, to create new and more powerful cocktails of dangerous opioids. Bengdeya has imported large quantities of these synthetic opioids into the U.S., including to a drug trafficker in the Southern District of Florida. Bangdeya and Wang were charged with conspiracy to import protonitazene and metonitazene; conspiracy to distribute protonitazene and metonitazene; multiple counts of distribution of protonitazene; conspiracy to defraud the United States and make and use forged and counterfeited postage; and making and printing unauthorized postage meter stamps. Hubei Guanlang Biotechnology Company, a chemical company located in Shijaizhuang, Hebei Province, China, was charged in a two-count indictment, along with Chinese national Wei Zhang, 28, who allegedly runs the day-to-day operations of the company and operates a cryptocurrency wallet that accepts payment for the company’s sales of fentanyl precursors and opioid additives. According to the indictment, Guanlang openly advertises online and sells an array of chemicals, including methamphetamine precursors like methylamine HCL, to customers in the United States and Mexico. Methylamine HCL is an essential precursor chemical that Mexican cartels use to manufacture highly pure and potent methamphetamine. Currently, most of the methamphetamine supply in the United States is produced by drug trafficking cartels in Mexico. Guanlang and Zhang are charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a methamphetamine precursor and unlawfully import into the U.S. and conspiracy to unlawfully import a methamphetamine precursor into the U.S. with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine; and the manufacture and distribution of a methamphetamine precursor that was unlawfully imported into the United States. The DEA Miami Field Division, HSI Miami, USPIS-Miami, IRS-CI Miami, and FBI Miami Field Office investigated these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero and Jon Juenger for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michell Hyman for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) provided assistance with the indictments brought in both districts. The indictments are a result of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigations. The OCDETF mission is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States, using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency task force approach. OCDETF synchronizes and incentivizes prosecutors and agents to lead smart, creative investigations targeting the command-and-control networks of organized criminal groups and the illicit financiers that support them. Additional information about the OCDETF Program may be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF . Members of the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force carried out this case and prosecution. HIDTA was established in 1990. This program, which is made up of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, fosters intra-agency cooperation among law enforcement agencies in South Florida and involves them in developing a strategy to target the region's drug-related and violent crime threats to public safety, as with the opioid epidemic, fentanyl, and the cocaine threat to our nation. The South Florida HIDTA uses the funding provided by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, out of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, that sponsors a variety of law enforcement initiatives that target the region's illicit drug and violent crime threats to our community. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. View the Anhui indictment here. View the Hebei indictment here. View the Henan indictment here. View the Lihe indictment here. View the Xiamen indictment here. View the Bangdeya indictment here. View the Hanhong indictment here. View the Hubei Guanlang indictment here.


title: Social Security employee admits creating fake children’s profiles to steal government money

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 38-year-old Harlingen resident and former claims specialist with the Social Security Administration (SSA) has pleaded guilty to theft of government property, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Lee Marvin Nichols admitted to creating fictitious profiles for two children that did not exist. He linked the profiles to a recently deceased man and disabled woman living in Mexico in an attempt to create a survivor benefits application. Nichols ensured that the debit cards for the children’s benefits were sent to the address of someone with whom he was associated. He would then use the debit cards to make regular withdrawals at ATMs. When making those withdrawals, he attempted to disguise himself by using hats pulled down over his face, sunglasses, balaclavas and other clothing to conceal his appearance. In addition, the IRS issued economic stimulus payments of $1,400 to each fictitious child. As part of his plea, Nichols took responsibility for over $75,000 in loss to the federal government. He also agreed to pay $82,516 in restitution to the SSA and $2,800 in restitution to the IRS. U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera will impose sentencing Dec. 27. At that time, Nichols faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 maximum fine. The SSA-Office of Inspection General, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brad Gray, Ben Sandel, Andrew Swartz and Jose Esquivel are prosecuting the case.


title: Memphis man sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for series of robberies

component: USAO - Tennessee, Western

body_text: Memphis, TN – A federal judge has issued a sentence of 16 years in federal prison to the second of two people involved in a series of armed robberies in October 2021. Memphis resident Marshall Marshall , 21, was sentenced to 192 months in federal prison for his role in a carjacking, an attempted carjacking, and robbery of a local business. U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman also ordered Marshall to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. United States Attorney Kevin Ritz announced the sentencing today. There is no parole in the federal system. Marshall’s co-defendant, Khavah Levy , 19, was sentenced on June 29 to 96 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to aiding and abetting Marshall in the commission of the business robbery and attempted carjacking. Judge Lipman also ordered that Levy serve three years of supervised release. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Memphis Police Department Safe Streets Task Force. According to information presented in court, Marshall and Levy engaged in a series of robberies in October 2021. On October 2, Marshall ordered a victim out of his vehicle and stole $145 in cash from him. Later that day, Marshall pointed a gun at a convenience store clerk and, with Levy’s help, stole $500 from the cash register. On October 3, the pair attempted to carjack another victim at gunpoint while that person was parked at a local grocery store. Assistant United States Attorney Raney Irwin prosecuted this case for the United States. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: El Paso Woman Posed as Immigration Services Employee, Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso woman was sentenced in a federal court in El Paso to 87 months in prison for wire fraud and impersonating a federal employee. According to court documents, Ana Maria Hernandez, 53, portrayed herself to be a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) employee and defrauded numerous undocumented noncitizen victims and their family members by falsely representing that she would process their immigration applications for a substantial fee. Hernandez’s victims provided her with the documentation required to file and adjust their immigration status. She was not an employee of CIS and never took any actions to adjust the victims’ status. Investigation revealed that Hernandez had amassed thousands of dollars of unexplained wealth within the 18 months coinciding with her fraudulent activity. Following her arrest on Jan. 23, 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas and the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso Division began receiving calls from dozens of potential victims in Hernandez’s fraud scheme. Hernandez pleaded guilty in April to 10 counts of wire fraud and one count of impersonation. In addition to her 87 months imprisonment, Hernandez was ordered to pay $123,275 in restitution and a money judgement order of $19,870. “This defendant misled vulnerable migrants for financial gain by convincing them that she was a federal employee who could assist them on their path to U.S. citizenship,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “My office will prosecute anyone who fraudulently takes advantage of our federal agencies and their beneficiaries, and we will ensure their victims are afforded proper reparations.” “The message is clear: Have no doubt. Individuals who impersonate a federal officer and exploit trusting individuals for their own personal gain, will be held accountable for their crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Francisco B. Burrola for the HSI El Paso Division. “HSI will leverage its investigative abilities in order to identify, arrest and prosecute these piranhas in society.” HSI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Aguayo prosecuted the case. ###


title: Bay Area Telecommunications Consultant Pleads Guilty To Violating Sanctions On Iran

component: USAO - California, Northern

body_text: OAKLAND - The U.S. Attorney’s Office today announced charges against and guilty pleas by Farhad Nafeiy for violating sanctions by exporting software upgrades for commercial-grade telecommunications servers to the Islamic Republic of Iran (“Iran”), and for tax evasion. The plea was accepted by the Honorable Araceli Martínez-Olguín, United States District Judge. The announcement was made by United States Attorney for the Northern District of California Ismail J. Ramsey, Assistant Attorney General Mathew G. Olsen, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King, and Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Oakland Field Office Darren Lian. Nafeiy, 70, of Alamo, Calif., was charged with and pleaded guilty to a violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”). Under IEEPA, the President of the United States is granted authority to address unusual and extraordinary threats to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. Under that law, the President has issued orders prohibiting certain activities and transactions with Iran and the Government of Iran. The Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued regulations, referred to as the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR), implementing those orders. These sanctions on Iran generally prohibit, among other things, exporting or facilitating the export of U.S.-origin products to Iran and providing services to Iran. Nafeiy obtained licenses—or approvals—from OFAC for advising non-Iranian telecommunications companies on doing business with Iran. However, those licenses did not authorize Nafeiy to provide any hardware, software, or technology directly to Iran. Nafeiy exceeded his OFAC licenses, thereby violating the ITSR and IEEPA, by directly providing software upgrades to telecommunications equipment in Iran. Nafeiy admitted in his plea agreement that he knew he exceeded these licenses when he did so. In his plea agreement, Nafeiy further admitted that the total amount of sales of such software upgrades to Iran was approximately $400,000. Nafeiy separately was charged with, and admitted to, evading his federal income taxes, and specifically not paying income tax on some of the proceeds of these sales. On August 10, 2023, Nafeiy was charged by information with one count of violating IEEPA, in violation of 50 U.S.C. § 1705, and one count of tax evasion, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7201. Pursuant to the plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to both charges. Judge Martínez-Olguín scheduled Nafeiy’s sentencing hearing for January 29, 2024. For the 50 U.S.C. § 1705 violation, Nafeiy faces a maximum statutory prison term of 20 years, a maximum fine of $1,000,000, and restitution, if appropriate. For the tax evasion charge, Nafeiy faces a maximum prison term of five years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and restitution of at least $79,124 to the IRS. As part of any sentence, the court may also order Nafaiy to serve a period of supervised release and to pay additional assessments, however, the court will impose a sentence only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Kingsley and Trial Attorney David Ryan of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, with the assistance of Kathleen Turner of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Former Trial Attorney Elizabeth Abraham provided valuable assistance in prior phases of the prosecution. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.


title: Washington Man Sentenced for Hate Crime Targeting LGBTQI+ Community at Seattle Nightclub

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Seattle – A Washington man was sentenced today in federal court for committing a hate crime in connection with an arson at a nightclub and event space in Seattle, Washington. Kalvinn Garcia, 26, of Sedro Woolley, Washington, was sentenced to 48 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his bias-motivated arson at Queer/Bar, a nightclub and event space in Seattle. According to facts admitted in his guilty plea, on Feb. 24, 2020, Garcia set fire to the contents of a dumpster in the alley directly behind Queer/Bar. Garcia was arrested only minutes after setting the fire. Garcia admitted to law enforcement that he set the fire and that he targeted Queer/Bar because it angered him to see a sign that said “queer.” Garcia also told officers, “I think it’s wrong that we have a bunch of queers in our society.” A few weeks after the incident, Garcia told a stranger that his intent in setting the fire was to trap and hurt the people inside. Garcia admitted that, through the use of fire, he willfully attempted to cause bodily injury to the occupants of Queer/Bar because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. “The defendant committed an act of violence targeting innocent victims inside Queer/Bar, a known safe space for the LGBTQI+ community,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Bias-motivated violence runs contrary to our values and violates our federal civil rights laws. This sentence should send the message that every person in our nation deserves equal protection under the law regardless of who they love or how they identify and that those carrying out similar acts of violence against the LGBTQI+ community will be brought to justice.” At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said, “The potential for panic and trampling and death is incredible… Hate is hate, whether it is impacted by mental health or not.” “Mr. Garcia endangered the lives of more than 100 people because of his hatred for members of our LGBTQI+ community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman for the Western District of Washington. “We work diligently with our federal, state and local partners to investigate and prosecute acts of hatred against people because of their sexuality or gender identity. This work is a priority because the effect of these hate crimes can linger in communities and traumatize the members of the targeted community for weeks, months or years after.” “Mr. Garcia admitted to setting the fire in an effort to hurt people based on his own bias,” said Special Agent in Charge Richard A. Collodi of the FBI Seattle Field Office. “No person in the United States should fear for their safety based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. I am proud of the continued work of the FBI and our partners in protecting the civil rights of all people.” The FBI Seattle Field Office and the Seattle Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Dreher for the Western District of Washington and Trial Attorney Matthew Tannenbaum of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case. For more information and resources about the department’s work to combat hate crimes, visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes .