component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: 38 Defendants Charged in the Southern District of Florida MIAMI - Today, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe announced criminal charges against thirty-eight defendants in connection with alleged health care fraud schemes prosecuted in the Southern District of Florida. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Justice Department’s 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action. The charges stem from various schemes to defraud government and private health care benefit programs by submitting false claims for items and services that were not needed and, in many instances, never provided as well as a scheme to unlawfully distribute adulterated and misbranded prescription medications. “It does not matter if you are a trafficker in a drug cartel or a corporate executive or medical professional employed by a health care company, if you profit from the unlawful distribution of controlled substances, you will be held accountable,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will bring to justice criminals who defraud Americans, steal from taxpayer-funded programs, and put people in danger for the sake of profits.” “The results of this coordinated law enforcement action demonstrate that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is committed to combatting health care fraud through the prosecution of those who steal from taxpayer-funded programs, defraud Americans, and compromise our health care system,” stated U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe. “Our Office and law enforcement partners will continue to fight health care fraud by holding those accountable, at all levels of the healthcare industry, who put profits above patient care and exploit patients and our invaluable health care programs.” The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida are part of a strategically coordinated, two-week nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes that resulted in the submission of over $2.75 billion in alleged false billings. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets, and the Government, in connection with the enforcement action, seized over $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Connecticut, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District to Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Rhode Island, Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Eastern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, and Eastern District of Wisconsin; and State Attorney Generals’ Offices for Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and South Dakota are prosecuting the cases in the National Enforcement Action, with assistance from the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team. Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here . The Southern District of Florida, in particular, worked with the Department’s Criminal Division and the following law enforcement organizations to investigate and prosecute the cases filed during the enforcement period: the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), FBI, Florida Office of the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS). “We will not tolerate fraud that preys on patients who need and deserve high quality health care,” said the Honorable Christi A. Grimm, the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General. “The hard work of the HHS-OIG team and our outstanding law enforcement partners makes today’s action possible. We must protect taxpayer dollars and keep Americans safe from harms to their health, privacy, and financial well-being.” “The numbers speak for themselves – 193 defendants and over $2.75 billion in alleged false billings. Health care fraud in South Florida is a large and growing problem. This is why the FBI and our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, HHS-OIG and MFCU devote considerable time and resources to investigate, catch, and prosecute those committing this type of fraud,” said Jeffrey B. Veltri, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Miami Field Office. “The law enforcement professionals who unravel these scams are to be commended for their diligence and commitment. Yet we need the public’s help. If anyone suspects they are a victim of health care fraud please call your local FBI office, the Florida Attorney General, or the HHS-OIG." “I am proud of our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit’s work to fight fraud through this massive nationwide action, stopping fraudsters who stole billions from healthcare programs, including more than $15 million from Florida Medicaid. We will continue to take a hard stance against criminals looking to exploit taxpayer-funded programs,” stated Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. The following individuals have been charged in the Southern District of Florida: In U.S. v. Marco Antonio Ramos Izquierdo, et al . , Case No. 24-20238-CR-Becerra, Marco Antonio Ramos Izquierdo, 42, of Cuba, Marelys Ruiz Ulloa, 45, of Miami, Fla., Jakeline Canova Cebrian, 58, of Miami, Fla., Roberto Cisneros Cebrian, 53, of Miami, Fla., Jose Antonio Rio Roche, 53, of Miami, Fla., Reiniel Claro Estrada, 42, of Phoenix, Ariz., Maria De Los Angeles Abreu Perez, 37, of Houston, Tex., Nelson Enrique Gonzalez Diaz, 38, of Doral, Fla., Jonathan Jose Martinez Lambrano, 41, of Houston, Tex., Ana Maria Gomez Contreras, 42, of Houston, Tex., Levy Alberto Colina Garcia, 37, of Doral, Fla., and Gloria Guillibeth Diaz Salas, 34, of Doral, Fla., were charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering for their role in distributing the proceeds of fourteen durable medical equipment (DME) companies. According to the indictment, Medicare and Medicaid paid these fourteen companies approximately $17,600,000 as a result of false and fraudulent claims for DME. The indictment details how the DME companies transferred approximately $3,906,649 of the fraud proceeds to shell companies, including those owned by Ramos Izquierdo, Ruiz Ulloa, Canova Cebrian, Cisneros Cebrian, Rio Roche, and Claro Estrada. Those defendants then made cash withdrawals from their shell companies and also wrote checks from the shell companies that received these fraud proceeds to individual check cashers, including individual checks between $4,000 and $9,000 totaling a combined approximate amount of $2,513,381 made out to Abreu Perez, Gonzalez Diaz, Martinez Lambrano, Gomez Contreras, Colina Garcia, and Diaz Salas. HHS-OIG, FBI Miami, USMS and MFCU investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will J. Rosenzweig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Santiago Garcia Jorge, Case No. 24-20237-CR-Altman, Santiago Garcia Jorge, 49, of Land O’ Lakes, Fla., was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering for his role in distributing the proceeds of a fraudulent DME company. The indictment alleges that in connection with his role as the president and registered agent of Gold Medical Supply Inc., a company that submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid in the approximate amount of $7,498,260 and was paid approximately $1,402,478 by Medicare and Medicaid, Garcia Jorge transferred approximately $1,384,875 of the fraud proceeds to shell companies located in the Southern District of Florida. Garcia Jorge did so by writing approximately $174,990 in checks directly to those shell companies, but also by transferring approximately $1,209,855 to three other Gold Medical bank accounts that he controlled before then transferring them to the same shell companies. HHS-OIG, FBI Miami and MFCU investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will J. Rosenzweig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Jorge Acosta , Case No. 24-20270-CR-Gayles, Jorge Acosta, 55, of Land O’ Lakes, Fla., was charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud various private insurance plans. According to the information, Acosta was a licensed physical therapist who worked at Phoenix Rehab Center Corp., a medical clinic based in Miami. Acosta’s co-conspirators offered and paid kickbacks to patient recruiters in exchange for referring beneficiaries of Administrative Services Only (ASO) corporate insurance plans, held by employers JetBlue Airways and AT&T Inc. and administered by Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), to Phoenix Rehab for various forms of physical therapy treatments that they did not need and in many cases never received. Acosta falsified and backdated claims forms for submission to BCBS that falsely and fraudulently represented that various health care benefits had been provided by Phoenix Rehab to beneficiaries of BCBS and ASO insurance plans managed by BCBS. FBI Miami investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will J. Rosenzweig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Omar Cabrera Hernandez , Case No. 24-20245-CR-Damian, Omar Cabrera Hernandez, 55, of Miami, Fla., was charged by information with conspiracy to offer and pay health care kickbacks to patients. Hernandez, as the administrator of the clinic Advanced Community Wellness Center, Inc. in Hialeah, Fla., participated in a conspiracy to pay patients illegal kickbacks to attend psychosocial rehabilitation services at the clinic which were then billed to Medicaid. This conduct resulted in an improper benefit of at least $400,597 and submission of claims to Medicaid totaling over approximately $3.5 million. HHS-OIG Miami, FBI Miami and MFCU investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Abraham of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Stone of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Yordany Rivera Bermudez , Case No. 24-20256-CR-Damian, Yordany Rivera Bermudez, 35, of Ft. Myers, Fla., was charged by indictment with health care fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud Medicare and Medicaid of nearly $3 million for DME that was never supplied to Medicare beneficiaries and Medicaid recipients. As alleged in the indictment, Rivera Bermudez was the president and operator of Acqualina Health Medical Solutions Inc. (Acqualina), a company located in North Miami, Fla., that purported to provide DME to eligible Medicare and Medicaid recipients. In a ten-month period, Acqualina submitted approximately $2.9 million in allegedly fraudulent health care claims to Medicare and Medicaid for DME that Acqualina never provided, and that Medicare and Medicaid recipients never requested or needed. As a result, Medicare and Medicaid paid approximately $1.2 million to Acqualina. HHS-OIG, FBI Miami and MFCU investigated the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Canzio of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell Hyman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Jorge Luis Pajon Rodriguez , Case No. 24-20260-CR-Williams, Jorge Luis Pajon Rodriguez, 58, of Miami, Fla., was charged by information with conspiracy to offer and pay health care kickbacks to patients in connection with a scheme to defraud Medicaid. As alleged in the information, Pajon Rodriguez, as the owner of the Miami clinic Gables Community Wellness Center, Inc., participated in a conspiracy to pay patients illegal kickbacks to attend psychosocial rehabilitation services at the clinic which were then billed to Medicaid. This conduct resulted in an improper benefit of at least $1,338,184 and approximately $6 million in claims to Medicaid. HHS-OIG Miami, FBI Miami and MFCU investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Abraham of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Stone of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Yoan Manuel Sanchez Cardet, et al ., Case No. 24-60112-CR-Leibowitz, Yoan Manuel Sanchez Cardet, 34, of Homestead, Fla., and Alain Cabrera Marquez, 48, of Austin, Tex., were charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $3.2 million in Medicare funds. According to the indictment, Sanchez Cardet was involved in arranging the purchase of a DME company, PRNX Medical Supply Corp., that was acquired for the sole purpose of submitting fraudulent claims to Medicare. According to the indictment, Sanchez Cardet was also involved in installing Cabrera Marquez as the sole listed officer of PRNX Medical who signed relevant documents on behalf of the company, in order to conceal the identities of the beneficial owners of the company. FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aimee C. Jimenez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Daniel David Espinoza , Case No. 24-60105-CR-Singhal, Daniel David Espinoza, 55, of Parkland, Fla., was charged by information with conspiracy to commit money laundering for allegedly laundering illegal proceeds derived from a health care fraud scheme. According to the information, five DME companies received approximately $5 million from Medicare for the submission of false and fraudulent claims for DME that they did not actually provide and/or was not medically necessary. Espinoza then laundered approximately $3.4 million of those fraud proceeds, primarily through his own company, Danoza Enterprises, and disbursed the proceeds to himself, his family, and others involved in the fraud. FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aimee C. Jimenez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Justin Blair and Trevor Blair, Case No. 24-cr-80074-Middlebrooks, Justin Blair, 34, and Trevor Blair, 30, both of Boca Raton, Fla,, were charged by indictment with conspiracy to defraud the United States and to receive health care kickbacks, solicitation and receipt of kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering in connection with an alleged kickback scheme involving a laboratory based in Texas. As alleged in the indictment, Justin Blair and Trevor Blair were partners in PIC Group 21, LLC (PIC Group), a call center that conducted deceptive telemarketing to persuade Medicare beneficiaries and their doctors to order genetic tests. PIC Group allegedly sold signed orders to the lab, which billed Medicare more than $3.5 million based on the orders from PIC Group. PIC Group allegedly received more than $2.5 million in kickbacks and laundered the proceeds through entities controlled by the defendants. HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Owen Dunn of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell Hyman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Enrique Perez-Paris et al ., Case No. 24-cr-20155-Ruiz, Enrique Perez-Paris, 47, of Aventura, Fla.; Diego Sanudo Sanchez Chocron, 47, of Venice, Calif.; Gregory Charles “Milo” Caskey, 57, of San Antonio, Tex.; Omar Palacios, 34, of Miami, Fla.; and Nadir Perez, 26, of Miami, Fla., were charged by superseding indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks, and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with an alleged $65 million scheme to bill health care benefit programs, including Medicare and the Health Resources and Services Administration COVID-19 Uninsured Program, for medically unnecessary and otherwise non-reimbursable COVID-19 and genetic testing. Palacios and Perez were also charged with receipt of kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program. As alleged in the superseding indictment, Perez-Paris, Sanchez, and Caskey owned Innovative Genomics, an independent clinical laboratory in San Antonio. Perez-Paris, Sanchez, and Caskey paid kickbacks and bribes to physicians and patient recruiters, including Palacios and Perez, to generate orders for COVID-19 and genetic testing that Innovative Genomics would use to support false and fraudulent claims for reimbursement. The defendants also caused health care benefit programs to be billed for COVID-19 testing that the Food and Drug Administration had not approved for emergency-use authorization. The defendants further caused Medicare to be billed for genetic testing that patients did not need, that was procured by payments made directly to physicians, and that Innovative Genomics did not process. HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case. Trial Attorney Reginald Cuyler Jr. of the Florida Strike Force is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Adam Brosius, et al. , Case No. 24-cr-20255-Dimitrouleas, Adam Brosius, 59, of Delray Beach, Fla., and Patrick Boyd, 43, and Charles Boyd, 46, both of Easton, Md. were charged by indictment with conspiracy to introduce into interstate commerce adulterated and misbranded drugs and to defraud the United States; introducing into interstate commerce misbranded drugs; conspiracy to traffic in medical products with false documentation; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; and wire fraud. As alleged in the indictment, Patrick Boyd and Charles Boyd were the owners of Safe Chain Solutions LLC (Safe Chain), a wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical drugs. Brosius was a part owner of Safe Chain and the owner of Worldwide Pharma Sales Group, Inc., which helped Safe Chain locate suppliers of HIV drugs and pharmacy customers to purchase HIV drugs. According to the indictment, Safe Chain purchased more than $90 million of heavily discounted and diverted prescription drugs, primarily HIV medication, from five black-market suppliers. These diverted HIV drugs were often acquired through unlawful “buyback” schemes, in which previously dispensed bottles of prescription drugs were purchased from patients. The drugs were then resold to Safe Chain with falsified documentation designed to conceal the true source of the medications. After purchasing HIV medication from the black-market suppliers, the defendants sold the diverted drugs to pharmacies throughout the country. Pharmacies then dispensed these diverted HIV medications to unsuspecting patients. At times, patients received bottles labeled as their prescription medication, but the bottles contained a different drug entirely, with one patient passing out and remaining unconscious for 24 hours after taking an anti-psychotic drug thinking it was his prescribed HIV medication. FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Alexander Thor Pogozelski of the Market Integrity and Major Frauds Unit and Jacqueline DerOvanesian of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jorge Delgado of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is assisting with asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Alicia Hiller, Case No. 24-80079-CR-Rosenberg, Alicia Hiller, 45, of Pompano Beach, Fla., was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, and health care fraud, in connection with her role in an unlawful scheme to defraud Medicare by submitting false and fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary DME. As alleged in the indictment, Hiller was the owner of Lifeline Recruiting, Inc. (Lifeline), which she used to pay medical providers to sign prescriptions for DME, even though the providers were not reviewing the beneficiaries’ medical records and were not making an actual assessment of medical necessity. Hiller described these providers as “happy clickers” or “auto-clickers.” Those prescriptions were then used to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for the medically unnecessary DME. As a result of the scheme, Medicare paid more than $40 million on the false and fraudulent claims. HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case. Trial Attorney Raymond Beckering III of the National Rapid Response Strike Force is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Stone of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is assisting with asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Wesley Jackson , Case No. 24-cr-20269-Smith, Wesley Jackson, 28, of Long Island City, N.Y., was charged by information with health care fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently bill Medicare for over $2.1 million for medically unnecessary orthotic braces, using sham contracts and invoices to disguise the payments. According to the information, Jackson, the owner of a marketing company called Jackson Media LLC, sold doctors’ orders for medically unnecessary orthotic braces to DME suppliers in exchange for kickbacks and bribes. HHS-OIG and MFCU investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jacqueline DerOvanesian of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jorge Delgado of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is assisting with asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Ryan Michael Pattrin , Case No. 24-cr-60109-Leibowitz, Ryan Michael Pattrin, 48, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks, and solicitation and receipt of kickbacks. According to the indictment, Pattrin was one of the owners of Infinity Medical Supply LLC, a DME company that billed Medicare for medically unnecessary DME based on doctors’ orders procured through illegal kickbacks and bribes. The indictment also alleges that Pattrin was one of the owners of National Health Care Advocates LLC, a purported marketing company that referred doctors’ orders for DME to DME companies in exchange for illegal kickbacks and bribes. The indictment alleges that Pattrin and his co-conspirators caused DME companies, including Infinity, to submit over $7.9 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Andrea Savdie of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Raemy Charest-Turken of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Michael Cascone, Case No. 24-cr-20243-Singhal, Michael Cascone, 31, of Delray Beach, Fla., was charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. According to the information, Cascone owned two DME companies, Limitless Medical Supplies, LLC and Your Medical Supply Co, LLC, that paid illegal kickbacks and bribes to a purported marketing company in exchange for referring beneficiaries and doctors’ orders for DME that was medically unnecessary and ineligible for reimbursement by Medicare. The information alleges that through Limitless Medical Supplies, LLC and Your Medical Supply Co, LLC, Cascone submitted approximately $3,493,466 in false and fraudulent claims for reimbursement from Medicare. HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Andrea Savdie of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Raemy Charest-Turken of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Angelica Pacheco , Case No. 24-cr-20253-Becerra, Angelica Pacheco, 37, of Hialeah, Fla., was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, health care fraud, and wire fraud in a sober home scheme involving $19.2 million billed to private insurers. Pacheco owned and operated Florida Life Recovery and Rehabilitation LLC (Florida Life) which purportedly provided several levels of outpatient substance abuse care. As alleged in the indictment, Pacheco submitted or caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims to private insurers for therapy services that were not provided, or were not provided as billed, and excessive and medically unnecessary urinalyses that were not factored into patient treatment. The indictment further alleges that Pacheco fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) loans on behalf of Florida Life by falsely certifying that the company was not engaged in any illegal activities. In November 2023, Pacheco was elected to the City Council for the City of Hialeah. FBI investigated this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief James Hayes of the National Rapid Response Strike Force and Trial Attorney Aisha Schafer Hylton of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Smith et al. , Case No. 24-cr-20268-Becerra, Deborah Smith, 62, of Hialeah, Fla., and Mabel de la Caridad Rodriguez Brito, 53, of Miami, Fla., were charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain over $58,000 in Medicare funds. According to the information, Smith and Rodriguez were employees at a medical facility, and sold Medicare patient information in exchange for cash. That patient information was later used to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for durable medical equipment that was never provided and/or was medically unnecessary and ineligible for reimbursement by Medicare. HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jessica A. Massey of the Florida Strike Force and Health Care Fraud Unit Assistant Chief Emily Gurskis. Assistant U.S. Attorneys G. Raemy Charest-Turken and Jorge Delgado of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida are handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Betscy Kurian , Case No. 24-cr-60114-Singhal, Betscy Kurian, 59, of Coral Springs, Fla., was charged by information with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances, in connection with a scheme to dispense controlled substances, primarily oxycodone. As alleged in the information, Kurian, a pharmacist, dispensed oxycodone knowing that these prescriptions were not written in the course of professional practice for a legitimate medical purpose. HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jacqueline DerOvanesian of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jorge Delgado of the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. In U.S. v. Lianet Sacerio , Case No. 24-20267-CR-Ruiz, Lianet Sacerio, 38, of Miami, Fla., was charged by information with obstruction of criminal investigations of health care offenses. As charged in the information, from March 2022 through March 2023, Sacerio made false representations to law enforcement agents regarding her own knowledge, involvement, and financial interest in health care fraud offenses under investigation. FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Egozi and Lindsey Lazopoulos Friedman of the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster of the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. A complaint, information, or indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls . 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 . ###


title: Washington man sentenced to seven years in prison for meth trafficking in large-scale drug conspiracy based on Crow Indian Reservation

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: BILLINGS — A Washington man who came to the Crow Indian Reservation to distribute methamphetamine in a large-scale conspiracy was sentenced today to seven years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for his conviction of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Daniel Jiminez-Chavez, aka Raton, 40, of Okanogan, Washington, and a Mexican citizen, pleaded guilty in January to possession with intent to distribute meth. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The government alleged in court documents that federal law enforcement, in a collaborative effort with local and tribal law enforcement, conducted a large-scale, narcotics trafficking investigation centered on multiple properties on the Crow Indian Reservation. The properties, including one referred to as Spear Siding, were a source of supply of meth for both the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservations from about January 2022 through March 2023. Jiminez-Chavez is one of approximately two dozen individuals associated with the investigation. The government alleged Jiminez-Chavez was among the top tier of the conspiracy and came to Lodge Grass, on the Crow Indian Reservation, from Washington in about February 2023 to distribute meth and act as a caretaker. He had no ties to Montana other than a directive to look after one of the houses involved in conspiracy and sell drugs for a co-conspirator. Jiminez-Chavez began staying at a house known as the Bloodman residence, which was near Spear Siding. While at the residence, Jiminez-Chavez distributed meth to approximately six others in the case with assistance from another co-conspirator, who translated for him. Jiminez-Chavez was in Montana about two months before his arrest. Jiminez-Chavez was responsible for distributing at least 4.5 kilograms, which is almost 10 pounds, of meth in a two-month period. Ten pounds of meth is the equivalent of approximately 36,240 doses. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI conducted the investigation. 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. XXX


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

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – Today, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Selliniger, District of New Jersey, announced criminal charges against 13 defendants in connection with alleged schemes to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and private health insurers. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action. “It does not matter if you are a trafficker in a drug cartel or a corporate executive or medical professional employed by a health care company, if you profit from the unlawful distribution of controlled substances, you will be held accountable,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will bring to justice criminals who defraud Americans, steal from taxpayer-funded programs, and put people in danger for the sake of profits.” “Patients rely on Medicare and other health insurers to cover the costs of necessary care, and the system is built on trust. Health care providers and others who take advantage of that system through fraud or illegal kickbacks reap unwarranted profits and undermine the system. The cases announced today – part of a nationwide action against 193 defendants allegedly resulting in over $2.75 billion in alleged false billings, and the seizure of over $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold and other assets – allege a variety of misconduct, but they all seek to hold accountable those who put profits over patients. Along with our law enforcement partners, this office is committed to safeguarding Medicare and the health care system from fraud and illegal kickback schemes.” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Sellinger are part of a strategically coordinated, two-week nationwide law enforcement action. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of New Jersey, the Southern District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Connecticut, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, Eastern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Rhode Island, Middle District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Eastern District of Tennessee, Eastern District of Virginia, and Southern District of West Virginia; and the State Attorney Generals’ Offices for California, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and South Dakota are prosecuting the cases in the National Enforcement Action, with assistance from the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team. Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department's website here. The District of New Jersey worked with the Department’s Criminal Division and other law enforcement organizations to investigate and prosecute the cases filed during the enforcement period. “We will not tolerate fraud that preys on patients who need and deserve high quality health care,” said the Honorable Christi A. Grimm, the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “The hard work of the HHS-OIG team and our outstanding law enforcement partners makes today’s action possible. We must protect taxpayer dollars and keep Americans safe from harms to their health, privacy, and financial well-being.” “The Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the law enforcement arm of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, is fully committed to working with our law enforcement partners and the Justice Department to hold those who engage in fraudulent activity at the expense of the U.S. military accountable for their actions,” Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Brian J. Solecki of the DCIS Northeast Field Office, said. “Protecting the integrity of the healthcare system utilized by our military members and their families is of the utmost importance and continues to be a top priority for DCIS.” “We remain fully committed to bringing justice to those who steal from Amtrak’s resources, including these current and former Amtrak employees accused of defrauding Amtrak’s health care plans,” Amtrak’s Inspector General, Kevin H. Winters, said. “The alleged actions by these employees and health care providers drained millions in Amtrak’s funds – resources ultimately provided by American taxpayers – and we hope these charges will serve as a deterrent for those considering engaging in such schemes. Anyone who suspects or observes such fraud should report it to our investigators via our fraud, waste, and abuse hotline.” The following individuals have been charged in District of New Jersey: Kimberlee Otero , 47, of Camden, New Jersey, was charged by information with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Nicholas K. Peone of the Northeast Strike Force and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. Hyunji Choi , aka “Regina Choi,” aka “Regina Beatrice,” 39, of Woodside, New York, was charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the Amtrak health care plan. As alleged in the information, Choi, a medical biller, submitted false and fraudulent claims to the Amtrak health care plan for services that were not provided, resulting in loss to the Amtrak health care plan of at least approximately $959,902.79. Choi paid cash bribes and kickbacks to co-conspirator Amtrak employees, in return for the employees’ agreement to allow their insurance to be used for false billing. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine M. Romano and Jessica R. Ecker of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. Timothy Bogen , 59, of Hamden, Connecticut, Kevin Frink , 52, of Willingboro, New Jersey, Dion Jacob , 50, of Brooklyn, New York, Quinton Johnson , 52, of Irvington, New Jersey, David Lonergan , 64, of Rockaway Park, New York, David McBrien , 36, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, Gregory Richardson, 34, of Roosevelt, New York, Rodolfo Rivera , 41, of Clayton, Delaware, Michael Toal , 34, of Hazlet, New Jersey, and Damany Walker , 41, of Irvington, New Jersey, were charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the Amtrak health care plan, which resulted in a loss of approximately $11,054,831 to Amtrak. The defendants were Amtrak employees and participants in the Amtrak health care plan who allowed their personal and insurance information, and in some cases that of their dependents, to be used for false and medically unnecessary billing in return for cash kickbacks and bribes paid by co-conspirator health care providers. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine M. Romano and Jessica R. Ecker of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. Elise Nocella , 54, of Naples, Florida, was charged by information with conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute by paying kickbacks for DME orders. As alleged in the information, Nocella, who owned and operated a marketing company that marketed DME, offered and paid physicians at a pain management practice kickbacks in exchange for DME orders. Nocella supplied the physicians with a variety of expensive items, including cash, full-season access to a suite for professional football games, expensive lunches and dinners at networking events and practice group meetings, and other expensive gifts, and subsequently billed Medicare and other health care benefit programs for the orders. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney DeNae Thomas of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. A complaint, information, or indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Kenai man pleads guilty to threatening U.S. Senator

component: USAO - Alaska

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


title: California Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Conspiracy To Distribute Large Quantities Of Fentanyl Pills

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: LAS VEGAS – A California man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring with others to distribute hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills throughout the United States. According to court documents, on March 17, 2021, George Anthony Manzo (37), of Redlands, California, sold 500 fentanyl pills to an individual. As part of the conspiracy, Manzo primarily utilized Snapchat to arrange drug transactions and communicate with customers. On April 2, 2021, Manzo sold approximately 2,000 fentanyl pills to his co-defendant Michel Flores-Paredes. Later, on June 29, 2021, a traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle driven by Manzo’s girlfriend and Manzo was in the front passenger seat. They were traveling back to Las Vegas from Phoenix where they picked up the pills. During a search of the vehicle, investigators found approximately 30,000 pills. A DEA laboratory analysis found that the pills contained fentanyl. Manzo and his girlfriend were released from custody while investigators waited for the drug test results on the pills found in their car. After their release, Manzo, his girlfriend, and her three minor children fled the United States. In December 2021, Manzo was taken into custody in Tijuana, Mexico and returned to the United States that day. On January 2, 2024, Manzo pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance – Fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance – Fentanyl. United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kevin Adams for the DEA Las Vegas District Office made the announcement. This case was investigated by the DEA and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Melanee Smith prosecuted the case. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF . If you are aware of controlled substance violations in your community — which may include the growing, manufacture, distribution or trafficking of controlled substances — please submit your anonymous tip through the DEA Tip Line at https://www.dea.gov/submit-tip . Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat the United States has ever faced, killing 38,000 Americans in the first six months of 2023 alone. In 2022, more than two thirds of the reported 107,081 drug overdose deaths in the United States involved fentanyl. Just one fentanyl pill can kill. Two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially fatal dose and laboratory testing indicates seven out of 10 pills seized by the DEA contain a lethal dose of fentanyl. ###


title: Winona Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation Charges After Targeting More Than 60 Young Girls in Online Sextortion Scheme

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Winona man has pleaded guilty for his online sextortion scheme that victimized more than 60 minor girls across the country and abroad, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to court documents, between April 2022 and June 2023, Valentin Silva Quintana, 30, used social media apps, including Snapchat and Instagram, to threaten, sexually manipulate, and exploit more than 60 young girls primarily between 9 and 12 years old in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Zealand and elsewhere. Quintana, who knew that most of the girls were between 9 and 12 years of age, used fake identities and lied about his age in communications with the girls, posing as a minor girl himself. He used images and videos of youthful appearing girls to make his communications with other victims more believable. According to court documents, Quintana used a wide range of tactics to coerce his victims, sometimes by convincing young girls that he was their friend or romantic partner, or by offering them money. But most frequently, he convinced young girls to send him a sexual photo or video or covertly recorded them engaging in sexually explicit conduct and then threatened to send the first image to their friends and family unless the girls produced ever more graphic sexual images and videos for him. He continued this type of sextortion even as his victims wept and begged him to stop. Quintana pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Jerry W. Blackwell to one count of production of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Winona County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael McBride is prosecuting the case.


title: El Paso Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Poisoning Death of 19-Year-Old

body_text: EL PASO, Texas – Two El Paso women have been sentenced in a federal court in El Paso prison for their roles in the fentanyl poisoning death of a 19-year-old single mother. According to court documents, Kathy Lee Nicole Bradford, 32, coordinated the sale of M-30 pills to a woman in El Paso in April 2022. On Bradford’s behalf, codefendant Patricia Tafoya, 40, delivered 10 counterfeit M-30 pills containing fentanyl to the purchaser, who consumed some of the pills and, as concluded by the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office, died of acute fentanyl toxicity. Bradford admitted in March to knowing the pills contained fentanyl, pleading guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance causing death or serious bodily injury. She was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison. Tafoya pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute. She was sentenced to 21 months in prison and ordered into a drug treatment program. U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Countryman prosecuted the case. ###


title: Serial bank robber sentenced to federal prison

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: SAVANNAH, GA: A Georgia man with multiple bank robbery convictions has been sentenced to federal prison for the second time. David Wayne Stanley , 59, of Cochran, Ga., was sentenced to 160 months in prison after pleading guilty to Bank Robbery, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker ordered Stanley to pay $6,677 in restitution and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of is prison term. Stanley also must serve 12 additional months in prison, consecutive to his new sentence, after Chief Judge Baker revoked Stanley’s supervised release for committing the robbery while under sentence for a prior bank robbery conviction. “It should be abundantly clear that repeated stints in prison have yet to prevent David Wayne Stanley from committing additional violent crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “This significant sentence will protect the community while he’s behind bars, and hold him accountable for his most recent crime.” As described in court documents and testimony, in October 2023, Stanley robbed two tellers at the Wells Fargo Bank on Ogeechee Road in Savannah by telling them he had a gun and demanding cash from their registers. Investigators from the Chatham County Police Department and the FBI, with assistance from U.S. Probation Services, identified Stanley’s vehicle as the getaway car, and later arrested him at his residence. Stanley’s prior felony convictions include a 2016 federal conviction for a Savannah bank robbery for which he served time in prison, and he was on supervised release at the time of the 2023 robbery. Additionally, Stanley previously served a state prison sentence in Texas for the robbery of seven banks in 2009, and he faces multiple charges for bank robberies in Texas that occurred in the days before the October 2023 Savannah robbery. “Stanley’s prior prison time was apparently not enough of a teaching moment for him because he returned to his bank robbing ways while he was still on parole for the last bank robbery he committed,” said Will Clarke, Senior Supervisory Special Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Savannah office. “Thanks to the assistance of our partners with the Chatham County Police Department, he’ll have a long stint in federal prison to think about what he’ll do the next time he is released.” “This is an example of the excellent work our Criminal Investigations Division does every day,” said Chatham County Police Department Acting Chief Julie Tolbert. “Our detectives quickly identified the suspect, and had him in custody within days of him committing this crime. We’re proud of the tireless efforts of all of the law enforcement officers who took an active part in making sure this case was solved quickly.” The case was investigated by the FBI and the Chatham County Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States of America by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley R. Thompson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Makeia R. Jonese.


component: USAO - Nebraska

body_text: United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Clint Huss, 47, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced June 27, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Huss to 151 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Huss’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. On May 17, 2022, Omaha police narcotics detectives established surveillance at an Omaha motel. Huss exited the motel, went to his vehicle, placed some items inside, and drove away. During a traffic stop based upon traffic violations, Huss consented to a search of his vehicle and told detectives there would be drugs in the vehicle. Detectives found approximately 236 grams (0.52 pounds) of meth in a fanny pack on the front passenger seat. This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.


title: Bronx Daycare Provider Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison For Sexual Exploitation Of A Child And Producing Child Pornography

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that SILFREDO CASTILLO MARTINEZ was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for producing child pornography with a minor victim who was under his watch in the Bronx daycare CASTILLO MARTINEZ owned and operated. On March 21, 2024, CASTILLO MARTINEZ pled guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and production of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who imposed today’s sentence. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Silfredo Castillo Martinez exploited the trust placed in him as a daycare provider by sexually abusing one of the minor children under his care and recording that abuse. This lengthy prison sentence holds Castillo Martinez accountable for his horrific crimes and the extraordinary harm and trauma he caused.” According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Information and the Complaint: From about July 2015 through about May 3, 2022, CASTILLO MARTINEZ operated a licensed daycare facility for children at his residence in the Bronx, New York (the “Daycare Facility”). From about May 2018 through about July 2018, CASTILLO MARTINEZ induced an 11-year-old minor (“Minor Victim-1”) who attended the Daycare Facility to engage in sexually explicit conduct with him at the Daycare Facility while CASTILLO MARTINEZ recorded that conduct on his cellphone and camera. On about May 3, 2022, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at CASTILLO MARTINEZ’s residence and seized several electronic devices belonging to CASTILLO MARTINEZ. Those devices contained, among other things, several images and a video containing child pornography depicting Minor Victim-1 and approximately 9,800 other images depicting child pornography. * * * In addition to his prison term, CASTILLO MARTINEZ, 34, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the U.S. Secret Service’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the New York City Police Department. Mr. Williams also thanked the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance. This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jackie Delligatti is in charge of the prosecution.


title: Pierce County, Washington man sentenced to four years in prison for illegal possession of cache of firearms

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Tacoma – A Pierce County, Washington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to four years in prison for unlawful possession of a machinegun and unlawful possession of firearms related to his October 2023 arrest at a Fife, Washington auto glass business, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Brady Lee Eltz, 39, has been in custody since his federal arrest on October 31, 2023. At the sentencing hearing Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo said, “This conduct is not only serious but alarming to read about and see. You possessed very dangerous weapons. It’s unclear what your motivation was.” According to records filed in the case, on October 4, 2023, Fife Police were dispatched to an auto-glass repair shop where workers at the shop reported seeing firearms in the trunk of a vehicle Eltz brought in for repair. Workers also reported seeing bullet holes in the vehicle. After law enforcement took Eltz into custody, they checked the bathroom at the business because Eltz had gone into the bathroom when he saw police arrive. In the cabinet below the sink police found two firearms – 9 mm handguns. One, a Glock, had an illegal switch known as an “auto-sear” installed. The switch allows the gun to be fired automatically, making it a machinegun. The Glock had been reported stolen. Both the Glock and the other handgun had rounds chambered. Fife Police towed Eltz’s vehicle and applied for a warrant to search it. During the search of the vehicle’s trunk, they found three additional firearms – including a stolen rifle that had been modified to fire automatically, making it a machinegun. Police then discovered a bag with two improvised explosive devices. Pierce County Sheriff’s Office bomb technicians were called in to evaluate the devices and make them safe. One was an explosive simulator likely stolen from the U.S. Army. It can cause serious bodily injury if exploded in a confined space. The second explosive was a thick cardboard tube filled with a black flammable powder. After the explosives were made safe, police continued their search of the trunk and found two additional rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, latex face masks, body armor, gun sights, holsters, and other firearms accessories. Eltz also had GPS trackers, several knives, and a voice-changing device. As prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo, Eltz has a history of collecting similar armaments, false credentials, and disguises. “In 2007, he had a gun magazine loaded with 30 rounds of hollow point ammunition, a homemade silencer, ballistic helmet, handcuffs, emergency vehicle red light, sword, electronic stun gun, nun-chucks, knives, and a City of Milton “Director of Public Safety” badge. In 2012, Eltz had a stolen rifle with a silencer, three pistols, two other rifles, a US Army backpack with Army gear, a Department of Defense identification card (in another name), multiple rifle and pistol magazines (loaded), a law enforcement duty belt, a WSP “SWAT Sergeant” shirt, night vision goggles, large military-style knives, and more. At the time, he was driving an older style police vehicle that still had emergency lights.” All the guns, ammunition and auto-sear devices in this case are being forfeited to the government. Eltz is prohibited from possessing any firearms because of criminal convictions including a 2013 conviction in the Western District of Washington for unlawful possession of firearms. Eltz was sentenced to five years in prison for that crime. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives (ATF) with assistance from the Fife Police Department and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. The Washington State Patrol assisted with locating and arresting Eltz on a federal warrant after he posted bail and left state custody. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Marci L. Ellsworth.


title: Madison Man Charged with Conspiracy to Defraud the United States as Part of Department of Justice’s 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action

body_text: Jackson, Miss. – Today, United States Attorney Todd Gee announced criminal charges against a defendant in connection with an alleged conspiracy to defraud the United States. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action. The charges stem from a scheme to pay kickbacks to a marketer in exchange for completed doctors’ orders so the defendant could cause his durable medical equipment companies to bill Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans for orthotic braces that were medically unnecessary and/or ineligible for reimbursement. “This defendant engaged in a scheme that cost taxpayers in Mississippi and throughout the nation millions of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee. “The Department of Justice is committed to investigating and prosecuting fraud in Mississippi, and I encourage doctors, patients, and others that are aware of such schemes to report them to federal authorities.” The charges announced today are part of a strategically coordinated, two-week nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes that resulted in the submission of over $2.75 billion in alleged false billings. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets, and the Government, in connection with the enforcement action, seized over $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Connecticut, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District to Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Rhode Island, Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Eastern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, and Eastern District of Wisconsin; and State Attorney Generals’ Offices for Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and South Dakota are prosecuting the cases in the National Enforcement Action, with assistance from the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team. Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here . During the enforcement period, the Southern District of Mississippi worked with the Department’s Criminal Division, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate and prosecute this case. The defendant charged in the Southern District of Mississippi as part of this enforcement action is Reginald Fullwood, Jr., 59, of Madison, Mississippi. Fullwood was charged by information with conspiracy to defraud the United States in connection with a scheme to pay kickbacks to a marketer in exchange for completed doctors’ orders so that he could cause his durable medical equipment company, Jackson Medical Supply, to bill Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans for orthotic braces that were medically unnecessary and/or ineligible for reimbursement. When Medicare initiated an investigation of Jackson Medical Supply, the defendant opened another entity in the name of a nominee owner and again paid kickbacks to a marketer in exchange for doctors’ orders so that the new entity could continue to bill Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans for orthotic braces. Overall, Fullwood caused these entities to bill Medicare and Medicare Advantage approximately $12,441,625.30 and the entities were reimbursed approximately $6,448,092.61 for durable medical equipment that was medically unnecessary and/or ineligible for reimbursement. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sara Porter of the Gulf Coast Strike Force and Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Purdie. An information is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Jefferson Parish Woman Guilty of Misprision of a Felony

body_text: NEW ORLEANS , LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that WHITLEY DEMOLLE (“ DEMOLLE”) , age 40, of Terrytown, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on June 20, 2024, to Misprision of a Felony, to wit, a Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846, before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo. According to court records, beginning on a date unknown, but prior to June 3, 2021, and continuing to on or about February 4, 2022, having knowledge of the commission of a felony, specifically conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, did conceal the same by allowing a co-conspirator to store controlled substances in their shared apartment and failing to report the co-conspirator’s identity and involvement in a crime to law enforcement. DEMOLLE faces up to 3 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 1 year of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. DEMOLLE’s sentencing is scheduled for September 18, 2024. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit.


component: USAO - Montana

body_text: BILLINGS — Today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich, for the District of Montana, announced criminal charges against a Whitefish physician in connection with alleged schemes to defraud Medicare and other government health program. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Justice Department’s 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action. The charges stem from fraudulently charging Medicare and other government health programs for telemedicine office visits that did not occur. “It does not matter if you are a trafficker in a drug cartel or a corporate executive or medical professional employed by a health care company, if you profit from the unlawful distribution of controlled substances, you will be held accountable,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will bring to justice criminals who defraud Americans, steal from taxpayer-funded programs, and put people in danger for the sake of profits.” “As alleged, the defendant, Ronald David Dean, falsely billed Medicare and other health programs so he could enrich himself by diverting government health care funds meant to help elderly and disabled persons. Specifically, we allege he billed for telemedicine visits that did not occur and signed orders for durable medical equipment and covid-19 tests patients did not need, all of which resulted in over $39 million in false billing. As this action shows, we are committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting those who try to defraud our health care programs,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said. An information charging Dean, along with a plea agreement, was filed on June 24. An arraignment and plea hearing are scheduled for July 17 in U.S. District Court in Missoula. The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Laslovich are part of a strategically coordinated, two-week nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes that resulted in the submission of over $2.75 billion in alleged false billings. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets, and the Government, in connection with the enforcement action, seized over $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Connecticut, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District to Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Rhode Island, Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Eastern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, and Eastern District of Wisconsin; and State Attorney Generals’ Offices for Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and South Dakota are prosecuting the cases in the National Enforcement Action, with assistance from the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team. Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here . The District of Montana, in particular, worked with the Department’s Criminal Division and the following law enforcement organizations to investigate and prosecute the cases filed during the enforcement period: the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG) and Railroad Retirement Board Office of Inspector General. “We will not tolerate fraud that preys on patients who need and deserve high quality health care,” said the Honorable Christi A. Grimm, the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “The hard work of the HHS-OIG team and our outstanding law enforcement partners makes today’s action possible. We must protect taxpayer dollars and keep Americans safe from harms to their health, privacy, and financial well-being.” “The defendant’s agreement to plead guilty will hold him accountable for his fraudulent actions and reflects the magnitude of the crime committed against CHAMPVA and Medicare,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Molly King of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northwest Field Office. “The VA OIG’s continued oversight of VA’s multiple healthcare programs is one of the agency’s highest priorities. We thank our law enforcement partners for their efforts in this joint investigation.” The following individual has been charged in the District of Montana: Ronald David Dean, 64, of Whitefish, Montana, a licensed physician, was charged by information with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a telemedicine scheme. As alleged in the information, Dean was paid by a telemedicine company to sign orders for durable medical equipment that patients did not need. Dean then fraudulently charged Medicare and other government health programs for telemedicine office visits that did not occur. The telemedicine company also used Dean’s information to prescribe unneeded and unnecessary covid tests to patients. In total, Dean’s order resulted in false billing to government health care programs of over $39 million. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana is prosecuting the case. A complaint, information, or indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. XXX


title: Barling Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Federal Judge  and Child Pornography Offense

component: USAO - Arkansas, Western

body_text: FORT SMITH – A Barling man pled guilty today to one count of Threatening a Federal Official and one count of Receipt of Child Pornography. The Honorable Judge Mark E. Ford presided over the change of plea hearing in the United States District Court in Fort Smith. According to the plea agreement, Fort Smith Police Department was dispatched to a local shopping establishment pursuant to a 911 call wherein the caller stated the defendant, Rodney Dewayne Sheffield, age 40, had traveled to the shopping establishment in Fort Smith, Arkansas with the intent to shoot people. Officers with the Fort Smith Police Department subsequently made a traffic stop on Sheffield for operating his vehicle in a reckless manner on Rogers Avenue in Fort Smith. During the traffic stop, the officer observed a rifle on the passenger side floorboard of the vehicle. The Officer separated Sheffield from the rifle and located ammunition on his person. Further investigation showed Sheffield had a pending Social Security disability claim and was upset at the status of the claim. A witness stated Sheffield had traveled to the building where the Social Security administration offices were located and told him, “I’ve had enough, I can’t take it anymore.” The individual further stated Sheffield told him he was going to shoot the Social Security Administrative Law Judge. Sheffield stated he wanted to do this to “teach the Government a lesson.” The individual stated he called 911 after speaking to Sheffield. Subsequently a search warrant was obtained for Sheffield’s phone. Officers located images and videos of child pornography including children as young as approximately 5 years old on Sheffield’s phone. Sheffield’s sentencing date will be set at a later time. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment for Threatening the Federal Official and a minimum of 5 years imprisonment, maximum of 20 years for the Receipt of Child Pornography. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Inspector General Social Security Administration and Fort Smith Police Department are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Marshall is prosecuting the case.


title: Man Sentenced to 19 Months in Prison for Stealing Mail in Chesterfield

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced Christopher Ali Pate, a man who stole mail from mailboxes in Chesterfield, Missouri, to 19 months in prison. Pate, 32, pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of mail theft. His co-defendant, Eryk Campbell, 28, pleaded guilty to the same charge in February. Both men stole mail from multiple mailboxes in Chesterfield on Aug. 28, 2023, at the direction of Pate, before driving to a gas station in St. Louis. When a police vehicle drove onto the gas station lot, Pate and Campbell fled and refused to stop for police, throwing stolen mail out of the vehicle as they drove away. Campbell was sentenced to six months behind bars and 16 months of supervised release. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cort VanOstran prosecuted the case.


title: Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Lying to Buy a Gun and Possessing Multiple Guns While a Drug User

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A Cedar Rapids man who made a false statement when purchasing a firearm and possessed multiple firearms as a drug user was sentenced today to more than four years in federal prison. Alexander Wesley Ledvina, age 27, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 1, 2023 verdict following a bench trial in which Ledvina was found guilty of one count of possession of a firearm by a drug user and one count of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Evidence at the bench trial and sentencing hearing showed that on July 29, 2022, Ledvina purchased a firearm from a gun store in the Northern District of Iowa and falsely stated that he was not an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any other controlled substance. However, during the bench trial, Ledvina stipulated that he knew that he was using controlled substances, including marijuana, THC, and cocaine, in March, April, May, June, and July 2022. On August 11, 2022, law enforcement investigators searched Ledvina’s home. Investigators located a total of five firearms. Investigators also located multiple rounds of ammunition, multiple firearm magazines, a drum magazine that had a 100-round capacity, marijuana, and cannabis inside Ledvina’s residence. Ledvina was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Ledvina was sentenced to 51 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. Ledvina is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Cedar Rapids Police Department. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 23-CR-36. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Arkansas Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Exchanging Nude Pictures with Girl

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced an Arkansas man who exchanged nude pictures with a minor for five years to 10 years in prison. Joseph D. Najera, now 26, and the victim met in 2017 via Kik Messenger when Najera sent her a friend request. The victim was 12 and told Najera her age. Najera sent the victim artwork depicting nudity, pornography and graphic violence. He had her create drawings, and his instructions about what to draw became increasingly complex and sexual. On numerous occasions, Najera told the victim to perform sex acts during video chats, and to create pornographic images and pictures. He also sent her pornographic videos. Najera exerted control over the victim, telling her she was not allowed to talk with boys at school. He had to approve her makeup, her clothes and whether she cut her hair. He also had parental controls set up on her phone to monitor her actions. They discussed meeting in person but never did. Najera, 25, of Lincoln, Arkansas, pleaded guilty in March to one felony count of coercion and enticement of a minor. The FBI, the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force, the St. Charles County Police Department and the Montgomery City Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Aldie man charged in multi-million dollar investment fraud scheme

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging an Aldie man with wire fraud and unlawful monetary transactions relating to his scheme to defraud dozens of investors in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Missouri, and elsewhere, causing millions of dollars in losses. According to court documents, Babu Ramaraj, 46, and his wife owned DAB Inspection and Consulting Services, LLC (DAB), a small home contractor with modest revenues doing patio and deck projects. Ramaraj allegedly stated that DAB had lucrative contracts with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and others, and was a joint venture partner on a Washington DC Water Clean Rivers Project, for tens of millions of dollars each, supposedly to perform engineering inspection work on huge infrastructure projects. As alleged in the indictment, Ramaraj claimed he needed to make large upfront bond payments to secure the work but could not obtain bank financing because of the relative youth of DAB as a company and the speed with which DAB needed to secure the funding, which was supposedly not feasible with banks. In support of his claims, Ramaraj allegedly supplied to victims falsified contract award letters, invoices, DAB financial records, and other documents to induce dozens of investors to loan DAB more than $20 million in aggregate. In reality, according to the indictment, Ramaraj forged the contract documents and the supposed bonds were never paid. From January 2020 through May 2024, Ramaraj allegedly pitched individuals, including members of his Loudon County cricket league, the opportunity to loan DAB money at high interest rates, annualized at over 100% in some instances. Using money from later investors, Ramaraj allegedly paid initial investors the promised returns to entice them to continue investing and to recruit other friends and family to invest. Instead of paying for the promised bonds, according to the indictment Ramaraj electronically transferred investor funds to his and his spouse’s online brokerage accounts to engage in securities trades, wired over $1 million to accounts in India in his spouse’s name, purchased several automobiles, obtained real properties, and made other payments to fund his lifestyle. If convicted, Ramaraj faces up to 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and up to 10 years in prison for each count of unlawful monetary transactions. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; David J. Scott, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division; and Jehmal T. Hudson, Chair of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, made the announcement. Ramaraj was arrested on a criminal complaint and ordered detained pending trial before Senior United States District Judge Claude M. Hilton. Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell L. Carlberg is prosecuting the case. Anyone who may have been a victim in this case or who may have information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the FBI’s Washington Field Office at (202) 278-2000 or the FBI’s tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Information may also be submitted online using FBI’s electronic tips form at https://tips.fbi.gov . A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-147.


title: Orleans Parish Man Sentenced for  Theft from Interstate Shipment

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that MALIK MACK (“MACK”) , age 27, of New Orleans, was sentenced on June 11, 2024 to twenty-four (24) months in prison, after previously pleading guilty to theft from an interstate shipment and aiding and abetting in that theft, by U.S. District Judge Brandon S. Long. According to court records, on March 29, 2023, MACK , along with three other individuals, entered the Norfolk Southern Railyard, a facility that houses interstate shipments, to steal Ford F-150 Rapture trucks. Norfolk Southern Railway Police, recognizing that a theft was in progress, pursued the suspects and apprehended MACK. MACK admitted to entering the facility to steal the black Ford F-150 Rapture truck that was being moved by one of the individuals. The truck was valued at approximately $80,625.00. Additionally, Judge Long sentenced MACK to three years of supervised release and payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of, the United States Department of Homeland Security, the Norfolk Southern Railway Police, the United States Department of Homeland Security, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Louisiana State Police in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy L. Bell of the Violent Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.


title: Bloomfield Man Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud Charge

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that, on June 21, 2024, SHAWN TYSON, 54, of Bloomfield, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to health care fraud. According to court documents and statements made in court, Tyson was a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (LADC) with an office located at 330 Main Street in Hartford. From November 2019 to April 2023, Tyson, together with an individual identified in court as “Provider 1,” defrauded the Connecticut Medicaid program (“Medicaid”) by submitting fraudulent claims for psychotherapy counseling sessions that were not provided by Tyson or Provider 1. In addition, Tyson and Provider 1 agreed to submit claims to Medicaid under Tyson’s unique Medicaid provider number for services purportedly provided by Provider 1 that falsely represented that Tyson had personally provided the services to Medicaid patients. In order to conceal the fraud scheme, in October and November 2022, Tyson provided fraudulent patient records in response to an audit of his claims performed by the Medicaid program. Health care fraud carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. As part of his plea, Tyson agreed to pay $670,960.72 in restitution to the Connecticut Medicaid program. Tyson is released on a $15,000 bond pending sentencing, which is not scheduled. This investigation has been conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Social Services. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon and Auditor Susan Spiegel. This matter is part of the Department of Justice’s 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action , a strategically coordinated, two-week nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes that resulted in the submission of over $2.75 billion in alleged false billings. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets, and the government, in connection with the enforcement action, seized over $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, and Connecticut Attorney General’s Office meet regularly as part of The Medicaid Fraud Working Group. The Working Group also includes representatives from the Connecticut Department of Social Services; the Connecticut Department of Public Health; the Drug Control Division of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection; the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the FBI. The Working Group reviews pending issues and cases, identifies trends that might indicate fraudulent activity, and coordinates efforts for maximum results. People who suspect health care fraud are encouraged to report it by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS.


title: Six-Time Convicted Felon Who Shot Two People Outside San Bernardino Bar Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Prison

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A San Bernardino County man and six-time convicted felon who shot two people outside a San Bernardino sports bar was sentenced today to 125 months in federal prison for illegally possessing ammunition. Rafeal Yanni, 31, a.k.a. “Green Eyes,” of Colton, was sentenced by United States District Judge Fernando M. Olguin. Yanni pleaded guilty on April 11 to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition. “This defendant’s criminal conduct resulted in two wounded and traumatized victims, but he has now earned a lengthy stay in federal prison,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Violent gun crime is a menace to our community and my office will continue to vigorously prosecute these kinds of cases. Those who commit gun crimes should be aware that the federal government will not hesitate to take action.” According to court documents, in September 2023, Yanni was seen at a San Bernardino sports bar. As Yanni was leaving the bar, he was captured in surveillance cameras racking the slide of a firearm. When Yanni left the restaurant, he got into a fight in the parking lot with Victim 1. Yanni pulled out the firearm, which lacked a serial number (commonly called a “ghost gun”) and fired three shots at short range at Victim 1, who collapsed. After hearing gunshots and observing Victim 1 on the ground, Victim 2 ran to help Victim 1. Yanni then shot Victim 2 two times at short range as well. Yanni fled the scene and was arrested two days later. Law enforcement found a loaded ghost gun inside a vehicle that he had just been in. Ballistics tests linked the seized firearm to the shootings. Yanni is not permitted to possess ammunition because of six felony convictions on his record, including two convictions in Sacramento County Superior Court in 2021 for assault, one conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon in 2019 in San Bernardino County Superior Court, and unlawful taking of a vehicle in 2013 in San Bernardino County Superior Court. Operation Safe Cities establishes strategic enforcement priorities with an emphasis on prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime. Across this region, the most damaging and horrific crimes are committed by a relatively small number of particularly violent individuals. This strategic enforcement approach is expected to increase the number of arrests, prosecutions and convictions of recidivists engaged in the most dangerous conduct. It is designed to improve public safety across the region by targeting crimes involving illicit guns, prohibited persons possessing firearms, or robbery crews that cause havoc and extensive losses to retail establishments. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Colton Police Department, and the San Bernardino Police Department investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Kelsey A. Stimson of the General Crimes Section prosecuted this case.


title: San Antonio Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison After Mailing Fentanyl-Laced Pills, Causing Death of El Pasoan

body_text: EL PASO, Texas – A San Antonio man was sentenced in a federal court in El Paso to 132 months in prison for distributing fentanyl-laced pills through the mail, leading to the death of an El Paso woman. According to court documents, Brennan Dane Short, 49, sold counterfeit M-30 pills to a purchaser in El Paso on March 21, 2023. Short mailed a package containing the pills from a United States Postal Service location. On March 27, 2023, the purchaser of the pills was found deceased at a hotel. The El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office found that the deceased died of acute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl toxicity though she “would not have died but for the fentanyl.” Short was arrested on Aug. 15, 2023. He pleaded guilty April 4 to one count of distribution of a controlled substance causing death or serious bodily injury. U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Countryman prosecuted the case. ###


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

component: Criminal Division

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


title: Businesswoman sentenced for tax evasion

component: USAO - Kansas

body_text: KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Missouri woman was sentenced to six months in prison followed by six months of home confinement after keeping money that her company collected as payroll taxes from employees instead of sending the funds the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as required by federal law. According to court documents, Chelli Payne, 59, of Raymore, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of failing to account for or pay over employment taxes. A Family Tree Enterprises (AFTE), is a business in Olathe, Kansas, providing day and residential services to individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. AFTE withheld taxes from its employees' paychecks, including federal income taxes. Based on her position with the company, it was Payne’s responsibility to oversee collecting and paying over employment taxes to the IRS on behalf of AFTE. In most quarters between the second quarter of 2015 and 2019, Payne failed to pay over the withheld employment taxes causing a tax loss to the IRS of $1,055,367. A federal judge also ordered Payne to pay restitution in the amount of $1,055,367. IRS- Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Oakley prosecuted the case. ###