KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man with prior felony convictions for child pornography was sentenced in federal court today for receiving child pornography over the Internet.

Travis E. Fleming, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Fleming to 20 years of supervised release following incarceration. The court ordered Fleming to pay $5,000 in restitution to each of three identified victims of sexual abuse portrayed in the images of child pornography that he possessed.

Fleming was convicted in federal court in 2010 of two counts of receiving child pornography and two counts of possessing child pornography, for which he was sentenced to six years and six months in federal prison without parole. He was on supervised release at the time of this offense.

On Sept. 20, 2018, Fleming pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography. Fleming admitted that he had 256 images of child sexual abuse (including bondage) on his cell phone. Some of the victim children ranged in age from four to 10 years old. A forensic examination determined that Fleming did the bulk of his viewing of child pornography in the dark web.

Fleming’s probation officer discovered the cell phone during a home visit on Nov. 16, 2017. Fleming admitted that he had been accessing the internet since at least February 2017. Among the conditions of Fleming’s supervised release was that he not possess any type of computer or electronic device with access to any on-line computer service.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine A. Connelly. It was investigated by the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Clay County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA– Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, recognized the brave women and men in Northwest Florida’s law enforcement community today for working diligently through the weekend to keep the Pensacon event safe for all participants.  This statement is issued after a cyber threat was made to the event just prior to its opening day.

Founded in 2013, Pensacon was held this year from February 22-24 primarily at the Pensacola Bay Center and hosted more than 30,000 participants.

U.S. Attorney Keefe said: “Protecting our communities from cyber threats of fraud or violence requires constant vigilance, and much of the work takes place behind the scenes.  I am grateful for the Pensacola Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, as well as staff in my own office for safeguarding this event.”

Pensacola Police Chief Lyter said, “I am thankful for the great working relationship we have with our federal and state law enforcement partners and the Bay Center staff.  These partnerships helped ensure that the citizens and guests attending the Pensacon event remained safe during the entire weekend.”

“FDLE’s Pensacola Regional Office is committed to preventing and solving crime and creating a sense of community awareness in our beautiful region,” said Jack Massey, Special Agent in Charge.  “We appreciated the opportunity to work with our partners to make sure all visitors as well as the community were safe while they enjoyed Pensacon.”

In the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Goldberg is detailed as the national security cyber specialist.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A former bank teller who paid back the money she embezzled from a Leavenworth savings and loan was sentenced Monday to two years on federal supervised release, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

Theresa Williams, 49, Leavenworth, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of theft by a bank employee. In her plea, she admitted she embezzled $13,000 from Mutual Savings Association in Leavenworth. To cover up the crime, she made false entries in bank reports.

McAllister commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble for their work on the case.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas City, Kan., man was sentenced today to 80 months in federal prison for acting as a courier to deliver more than three pounds of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

Demetrius Summerson, 28, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of distributing methamphetamine. In his plea, he admitted that FBI agents had him under surveillance when he delivered more than 3.6 pounds of methamphetamine to a buyer in Lenexa, Kan. The buyer paid Summerson $10,000.

Summerson was working as a distributor for a drug trafficking organization operating in Johnson and Wyandotte counties that was obtaining methamphetamine from a provider in Michoacan, Mexico.

McAllister commended the FBI, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Catania for their work on the case.

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA– David Ernesto Nolasco Soriano, 31, of El Salvador, made a first appearance and had a detention hearing on Friday, February 22, 2019, in Pensacola in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.  United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe of the Northern District of Florida made the announcement.

Nolasco Soriano was a fugitive who was located in Pensacola and arrested on February 20 at 3:10 p.m. near the Cordova Mall by the FBI and the Pensacola Police Department.  Nolasco Soriano was working in Pensacola and Destin and has a Pensacola mailing address.  United States Magistrate Judge Charles J. Kahn Jr. detained Nolasco Soriano and ordered the U.S. Marshals to transport him back to Maryland to await trial.  Assistant United States Attorney and Border Security Coordinator James M. Ustynoski handled the detention hearing in the Northern District of Florida. 

U.S. Attorney Keefe said: “This case is an example of law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces throughout the nation working together to dismantle dangerous gangs.  My office is committed to pursuing a safer North Florida, Maryland, and all communities in between.”

Assistant United States Attorney Kenneth S. Clark in the District of Maryland is prosecuting the case.  The District of Maryland charged Nolasco Soriano with:

• Conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise;
• Conspiracy to murder, maim, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury in aid of racketeering; and
• Attempted murder, maiming, and assault with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury in aid of racketeering.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Harrisonburg, VIRGINIA – A Waynesboro man, who expected to find thousands of grams of pure methamphetamine in a car tire being shipped from New Mexico instead found nothing thanks to the work of law enforcement, pleaded guilty last week in federal court to a pair of drug charges, United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen announced.

Miguel Angel Moreno, 22, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty recently in U.S. District Court in Harrisonburg to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Each count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of up to life. Moreno also faces a possible $10,000,000 fine.

“Crystal methamphetamine is an incredibly dangerous and addictive drug,” U.S. Attorney Cullen stated today.  “We are committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to stanch the flow of this substance into the Shenandoah Valley and aggressively prosecute organizations and individuals who distribute it.” 

“Our message to drug traffickers and their accomplices is clear: individuals attempting to bring dangerous and deadly substances into our neighborhoods will be found,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations, Washington, D.C. Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Lechleitner. “We will not sit back and allow this poison to infiltrate the communities we call home.”

According to evidence presented at Moreno’s guilty plea hearing last week by Assistant United States Attorney Jeb Terrien, on June 20, 2018, law enforcement in New Mexico were conducting interdiction operations on Interstate 40 when an officer stopped a tractor-trailer car-hauler. During the traffic stop, the officer and his narcotics canine conducted a search of a jeep, located on the car-hauler. The canine alerted on the Jeep’s spare tire. Officers cut open the tire and recovered 23 packages of crystal methamphetamine, or 9,915 grams of pure methamphetamine. A further search uncovered an additional 4,269 grams of pure methamphetamine in the Jeep and additionally revealed the Jeep was to be delivered to an address in Waynesboro, Virginia.

On June 23, 2018, after replacing the cut tire with a new, now empty, spare tire, the Jeep was delivered to the agreed drop-off location, a gas station in Waynesboro, for pick-up by Miguel Moreno. The defendant arrived in a sports car, removed the spare tire from the Jeep, placed it in his sports car and drove away.

Shortly thereafter, the agents with Homeland Security Investigations and the Waynesboro Police Department executed a search warrant at Moreno’s residence where they recovered multiple cellular phones, digital scales, latex gloves, plastic baggies, and one, cut tire from the trunk of Moreno’s vehicle.

When questioned by police, Moreno admitted he knew the tire contained controlled substances and that the contents of the tire were valued at approximately $150,000.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Waynesboro Police Department, and the Waynesboro Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Jeb Terrien is prosecuting the case for the United States.

Memphis, TN – Lorenzo Castelo of Memphis was sentenced to 300 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, Castelo was the head of a drug trafficking organization that operated in the Western District of Tennessee, Eastern District of Arkansas and the Northern District of Mississippi. Castelo was charged with nine others in a 15-count superseding indictment on January 18, 2019.

On January 25, 2019, U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Castelo to 300 months imprisonment. He was also ordered to serve five years supervised release.

This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: “Distribution of illegal narcotics is not a victimless crime. In order to prevent needless addiction, injury, violence, and death in our communities, we must disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations that deliver this deadly poison to citizens in West Tennessee. This significant sentencing of the leader of the organization will do just that, and I commend our federal and local law enforcement partners for their impactful work in this important case.”

“The distribution of illegal narcotics continues to tear at the fabric of our families and communities,” said M.A. Myers, Special Agent in Charge of the Memphis Field Office of the federal Bureau of Investigation. “This sentencing is the result of the strength of collaborative local, state, and federal law enforcement efforts to rid our neighborhoods of highly addictive and extremely dangerous drugs, and target and bring to justice those who engage in these crimes.”

MPD Director Michael Rallings said: “Distributing illegal drugs throughout our community will not be tolerated. We will continue to work with our local and federal partners to identify and apprehend those who choose to victimize our citizens.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force; Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Memphis Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerry Kitchen prosecuted this case on the government’s behalf.

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PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Port Vue, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Krystle Barretto, 33, pleaded guilty to three counts before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Barretto, who was intercepted over a Title III wiretap, conspired to possess with intent to distribute and distributed more 100 grams of heroin. The court was further advised that Barretto arranged for approximately 500 bricks (i.e. 25,000 stamp bags) of heroin to be transported from the Patterson, New Jersey area to the McKeesport, Pa. area, which was seized by law enforcement officers. In addition, the court was made aware that Barretto had a loaded, Glock 17, 9mm handgun, an additional five bricks of heroin, and a large money counter in the bedroom of her residence in Port Vue.

Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing for June 19, 2019. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense(s) and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Amy L. Johnston is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

A federally administered Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) conducted the investigation led to the prosecution of Krystle Barretto. The task force is headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is comprised of members drawn from the FBI Greater Pittsburgh Safe Street Task Force including the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Clairton Police Department, Wilkinsburg Police Department, West Mifflin Police Department, Allegheny County Police Department, Duquesne Police Department, Munhall Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Pennsylvania State Police. The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.

The investigation, which utilized Title III intercepts from December 2014 through April 2015 of 10 different cellular telephones, surveillance, controlled drug purchases, and other investigative techniques, established the existence of a number of overlapping and interrelated drug distribution networks at work in the afflicted regions, which included Clairton, McKeesport, and Port Vue in Allegheny County, and areas in Washington County, Westmoreland County, and New Jersey.

FRESNO, Calif. — Nikko Adolfo Perez, 26, of Atwater, pleaded guilty today to the sexual exploitation of children, coercion and enticement of a minor, and receipt and distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to a criminal complaint, Perez, using the Instagram screen name captainamerica272018, victimized two boys, ages 8 and 10, in Utah by coercing them to create and send him images of them engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Perez offered to pay the boys with Google Play credits if they engaged in requested sexual acts or poses, and when one of the victims said he would call 911, Perez threatened to disseminate the sexually explicit images of the victims. He also threatened to harm family members of the victims.

Perez admitted in a plea agreement that he also used Skype, Kik, Discord, Snapchat, and LiveMe to communicate with between 50 and 100 minors for the purpose of soliciting sexually explicit images of those minors. He admitted that he persuaded the victims to pose nude or engage in sexually explicit activities, sometimes with other minors. He admitted that he often paid victims to engage in this conduct, and he sent some of the material that he had requested to other people.

Perez is scheduled to be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill on May 20, 2019. Perez faces the following possible penalties: a mandatory minimum term of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison for the sexual exploitation count; a mandatory minimum of 10 years to a maximum of life in prison for the coercion and enticement count; and a between 5 and 20 years in prison for the one count of receipt of child pornography. For all counts there is a potential $250,000 fine and a lifetime term of supervised release. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Salt Lake City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation offices in Salt Lake City, Utah and Fresno. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet safety education.

NEWARK, N.J. – A resident of the Dominican Republic is scheduled to appear in federal court today for allegedly trying to smuggle into the United States approximately three kilograms of cocaine, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Jose Manuel Jimenez Jimenez, 46, is charged by complaint with one count of illegal importation of more than 500 grams of cocaine. He was arrested Feb. 22, 2019, and is scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court;

Jimenez arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport on a flight from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. During a screening, law enforcement officers discovered the cocaine sewn into the vest Jimenez was wearing.

The count with which Jimenez is charged carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a potential maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, and a $5 million fine.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael; and officers of Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Troy Miller, director of Field Operations, New York Field Office, with the investigation leading to the charges.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua L. Haber of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defense counsel: Candace Hom Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark

Michael Foder, a former detective employed by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) at the time of the charged conduct, was sentenced in federal court in Brooklyn today by United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen to three months’ imprisonment.  In August 2018, Foder pleaded guilty to perjury in connection with false statements he made under oath during a criminal proceeding.  Foder was arrested in February 2018 and resigned from the NYPD in August 2018.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, NYPD, announced the sentence.

“Integrity is an essential characteristic for every law enforcement officer and the overwhelming majority of officers earn and deserve the trust of the public,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “In choosing to lie, this defendant undermined fellow officers and rendered himself unfit to serve as a law enforcement officer.” 

On December 29, 2016, Foder, then assigned to the 70th Precinct in Flatbush, Brooklyn, falsely testified under oath at a hearing in a federal prosecution about when and how he showed photographs of two robbery suspects to a victim of a carjacking.  Following the hearing, the government found discrepancies in the photo array identifications, including when the identifications had occurred. 

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section.  Assistant United States Attorney Nathan Reilly is in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

MICHAEL FODER
Age:  42
Staten Island, NY

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-CR-97 (PKC)

NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man today admitted defrauding the Social Security Administration (SSA) of more than $200,000, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Fernando Solaris, 63, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court to a superseding information charging him with Social Security disability fraud and theft of government property.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

After immigrating to the United States in 1970, Solaris applied for, and received, three Social Security numbers (SSNs). He did so by slightly altering the personal information he provided on the application for each new SSN. In March 2002, using one of his SSNs, Solaris began receiving Supplemental Social Security Income and Disability benefits by claiming that he had constant pain in his back and left leg, which precluded him from working. He did not disclose to authorities that he had two additional Social Security numbers.

From 2002 through 2012, Solaris used two other Social Security cards to sporadically maintain employment in New Jersey while continuing to receive supplemental income and disability benefits. Solaris defrauded the SSA of $221,364 in Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB).

The count of Social Security fraud is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison, the count of theft of government property is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison; each count is punishable by a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross amount of any pecuniary gain by the defendant or loss to any victims, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for June 4, 2019.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John F. Grasso in New York, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.

The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Perry Farhat of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Public Protection Unit in Newark.

Defense counsel: Kevin Carlucci Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Overland Park, Kan., woman has been convicted by a federal trial jury for her role in a multi-defendant drug-trafficking conspiracy with ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico. 

Christine Little Wood, 61, was found guilty of participating in a conspiracy to distribute heroin from Jan. 1, 2010, to April 18, 2017, and of participating in a money-laundering conspiracy. In addition to the criminal conspiracies, Little Wood was found guilty of using a cell phone to aid the drug-trafficking conspiracy and of maintaining a residence for the distribution and use of heroin.

In addition to Little Wood, 20 co-defendants have pleaded guilty and three have been sentenced in this case. Dennis McLallen, 66, and his wife, and Pamela Gaddy-McLallen, 65, both of Overland Park, were in direct contact with Mexico-based heroin and methamphetamine suppliers and Kansas City-based suppliers. They received multi-ounce levels of black tar heroin from their suppliers, which they and other conspirators repackaged into ounce and gram levels for distribution by Little Wood and others. 

McLallen admitted that he was responsible for the distribution of more than 10 kilograms of heroin. Conspirators distributed at least 500 ounces (more than 14 kilograms) of heroin, with an average sale price of $1,700 per ounce, for a total of $850,000.

In September 2016, investigators searched vehicles and residences and seized heroin, methamphetamine, prescription drugs, more than $200,000 in bulk cash, a load vehicle with hidden compartments, drug ledgers, drug packaging, drug scales, firearms, ammunition, a bullet proof vest, and various other drug trafficking related items. Little Wood’s son, a co-defendant in this case, distributed and used heroin in her residence.

McLallen and Gaddy-McLallen each pleaded guilty to their roles in the drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies and to a conspiracy to use firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. McLallen was sentenced on April 18, 2018, to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Gaddy-McLallen died of natural causes while awaiting sentencing.

Co-defendant Kevin Fletcher,30, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced to nine years and two months in federal prison without parole. Co-defendant Sterling Cline, 38, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole. Several co-defendants remain fugitives from justice.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about four hours before returning the guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, ending a trial that began Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019.
Under federal statutes, Little Wood is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. Foley. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and the Jackson County Drug Task Force.

A former Mahoning County judge pleaded guilty to charges stemming from stealing at least $100,000 from a former client.

Diane Vettori-Caraballo, 50, of Youngstown, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, one count of structuring cash deposits, and one count of making false statements to law enforcement.  She is scheduled to be sentenced June 13.

Her husband, Ismael Caraballo, pleaded guilty to a tax count.

Vettori-Caraballo stole between $100,200 and $328,000 in cash that was in the home of a client when that client died in March 2016, according to the indictment.

Vettori-Caraballo was elected to position of judge in Mahoning County Court #3 – Sebring Court in 2002, with jurisdiction over misdemeanor criminal and traffic charges and other matters in Sebring and Beloit Villages and Berlin, Green, Goshen,, Ellsworth, Smith and Washingtonville Townships. She was reelected in 2006 and 2012, according to the indictment.

She also provided estate planning services to Robert Sampson, including drafting his will. On Nov. 20, 2015, Vettori-Caraballo filed an application in Mahoning County Probate Court to administer Sampson’s estate. The application stated Sampson died without a will. The probate court, unaware of Sampson’s will, appointed Falgiani as the administrator three days later, according to the indictment. 

Sampson died in 2015 and his closest living relative was his sister, Dolores Falgiani. Vettori-Caraballo prepared Falgiani will on Nov. 3, 2015. The will made 16 specific bequests to relatives and friends and bequeathed the rest of the estate to Animal Charity Human Society of Boardman and the Angels for Animal Charity in Canfield, according to the indictment.

Sometime in October or November 2015, Falgiani stated she was in possession of several shoeboxes of cash stored at her residence. Falgiani was found dead in her home on March 10, 2016, according to the indictment.

Vettori-Caraballo filed an application in Mahoning County Probate Court to probate Falgiani’s estate on March 24, 2016. On May 2, she reported having found cash in the residence and depositing the $20,000 into the estate, according to the indictment.

Vettori-Caraballo filed a notice of newly discovered assets with the court on several subsequent occasions in 2016 and 2017. Each time, she failed to disclose the cash she had stolen, according to the indictment.

Vettori-Caraballo also structured deposits of the cash she stole into five different banks within four weeks to avoid regulations that require banks to report cash transactions over $10,000 to the IRS.  In addition, Vettori-Caraballo lied to the FBI when she was confronted about the theft and the structuring of cash deposits, according to court documents.

This case was investigated by the Fedearl Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian M. McDonough and Alex Abreu.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis today sentenced Jemone Lawrence Walker (33, Jacksonville) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison, for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. A federal jury found Walker guilty on June 7, 2018.

According to testimony presented at trial, Walker was found to be in possession of a loaded revolver when the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to an armed domestic call at a Jacksonville home. At the time, Walker had multiple prior felony convictions, including armed robbery, attempted armed robbery, attempted robbery, and unarmed robbery and, therefore, was prohibited from possessing firearms.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

FORT WAYNE – Shon Gibson, 47, of Rome City, Indiana, was sentenced before Chief Judge Theresa L. Springmann on his plea of guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch. 

Gibson was sentenced to 204 months in prison and 8 years of supervised release.

According to documents in this case, in December 2016 a search warrant was executed on Gibson’s residence.  Seized from Gibson’s garage was an ounce of 100% pure methamphetamine and over $32,000 in drug trafficking proceeds.   In an attic above the garage, law enforcement seized two AK-47 rifles and two inert military-grade hand grenades.  One of the rifles was fully automatic while the other was a short-barreled rifle.  Another $8,000 in cash found in a safe inside the house.  Due to the multiple felony drug trafficking convictions, Gibson is being classified as a career offender under the United States Sentencing Guidelines.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, the Indiana State Police, Noble County Sheriff’s Department, and the Wolcottville Police Department.   This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony W. Geller.

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Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that Richard Bowe (40, Tampa) pleaded guilty today to four counts of making false statements to federally insured federal credit unions. Bowe faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on each count. His sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to facts presented at the plea hearing, in early 2015, Bowe applied to several different credit unions in the Tampa Bay area and made false statements in his loan and/or credit applications. On January 23, 2015, he applied for an auto loan of approximately $30,000 from the Florida Central Credit Union. In the loan application, he falsely claimed that he was employed by the U.S. Central Command and made a false representation about the amount of VA retirement benefits that he earned. On February 26, 2015, he applied for another auto loan of approximately $15,000 from the USF Federal Credit Union and again falsely claimed in the loan application that he was a Deputy Inspector General with the Central Command. On March 4, 2015, he visited the USF Federal Credit Union and applied for another auto loan of approximately $47,000 and made false statements in that loan application about being employed at the U.S. Army Contracting Command and about his receipt of monthly VA benefits. He also applied for a credit card and membership at the Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union on February 26, 2015. In that application, he again made false statements about his employment with the U.S. Army Contracting Command and about his VA benefits.

In each case, Bowe also submitted false and fraudulent documents verifying the employment and benefits that he falsely claimed to be receiving on a monthly basis. In reality, he had no such employment with the U.S. Army and received no such VA benefits.

This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department, with assistance from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Defense Criminal Investigative Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.

BOSTON – A man residing in Worcester was arrested today and charged in federal court in Boston with making a false statement on an application for naturalization.

John Doe, a/k/a Richard Cheremeh, whose true age, name, and nationality are unknown, was charged with one count of making a false statement relating to naturalization and one count of aggravated identity theft.

According to the indictment that was unsealed today, on July 31, 2014, Doe falsely stated on an application for naturalization that he had never given any U.S. government official any information or documentation that was false, fraudulent, or misleading.

The charge of making a false statement relating to naturalization provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison, to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Denis C. Riordan, District Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, District 1, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON - A Worcester man appeared in federal court in Worcester today to face an illegal firearm possession charge.

Christopher Brown, 34, was charged on Feb. 19, 2019, with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He appeared in federal court in Worcester this afternoon and was returned to state custody where he is currently held on pretrial detention.

According to the charging document, on Nov. 25, 2018, Brown was arrested for carrying a Taurus .38 Revolver loaded with four rounds of ammunition. Brown is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior convictions punishable by more than one year in prison.

The charging statute provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Kelly Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

St. Thomas, USVI – John Jackson, 30, appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller for a preliminary and detention hearing after his arrest on Saturday by Homeland Security Investigations for Production of Child Pornography, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.  At this time Jackson remains in custody pending trial.

According to court records, Jackson allegedly transported a fifteen year old minor from a local high school to his residence.  There he sexually assaulted the minor female and used the minor’s cellular phone to create a video of himself engaged in the sexual assault upon the minor.

Information provided in the courtroom indicated that Jackson is the son of prominent Virgin Islander and three times world boxing champion Julien “the Hawk” Jackson.  He is also a profession boxer in his own right, having represented the Virgin Islands as both an amateur and professional fighter internationally on the mainland United States.

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Virgin Islands Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everard E. Potter.

United States Attorney Shappert reminds the public that an arrest warrant is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Suspected child exploitation or missing children cases may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children via its toll-free 24–hour hotline at 202-514-5678, or to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at (787) 729-6969.