ALEXANDRIA, Va. – United States Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger will be joined by DEA Chief of Diversion Control John Martin and Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne at The Neighborhood Pharmacy in Del Ray on Saturday at 11 a.m. for the DEA’s 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

“Safely disposing of prescription drugs keeps dangerous narcotics out of the wrong hands and out of our communities,” said Terwilliger. “One source of drug abusers’ narcotics are from friends and family, often from the home medicine cabinet. The good people of Alexandria can help us fight the opioid epidemic by ridding their homes of unwanted and unneeded prescription meds and bringing them to a local collection site like the one here in Del Ray.”

The semiannual event will be held at thousands of collection sites around the country, including here in the Alexandria community of Del Ray at The Neighborhood Pharmacy, 2204 Mount Vernon Avenue. The event is an effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

“Saturday’s event will see more law enforcement partners and registered take back sites than any previous DEA event,” said DEA Chief of Diversion Control John Martin. “Our partnerships with federal, state, local and tribal leaders are vital to the success of this important program and we remain committed to providing communities across the United States with safe and convenient drug disposal options.”

Last October, Americans turned in 457 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 6,000 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,800 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 16 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 11 million pounds—more than 5,400 tons—of pills. The disposal service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. (The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches.)

“We greatly appreciate our dedicated partners who join us in fighting the opioid problem with initiatives like Drug Take Back,” said Lawhorne. “Thanks to business partners like The Neighborhood Pharmacy, law enforcement leaders like U.S. Attorney Terwilliger, and our caring community, we can work together to make Alexandria safer.”

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose. Some painkiller abusers move on to heroin: Four out of five new heroin users started with painkillers.

Flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash pose potential safety and health hazards. This initiative addresses the public safety and public health issues that surround medications languishing in home cabinets, becoming highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.

For more information or to locate a collection site near you, go the DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Day web site at www.deatakeback.com where you can search by zip code, city, or state.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

BOSTON – A Rhode Island man was arrested today and charged with sending a series of violent and threatening emails to a college professor in Massachusetts and to a professional school at the university where the professor teaches.

Matthew Haviland, 30, of North Kingstown, R.I., was charged by complaint with cyberstalking and with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. Haviland will appear today at 3:00 p.m. in federal court in Boston.

“As I have said before, this office will take a hard line on threats of violence motivated by politicized issues, regardless of whether those issues arise on the right or the left,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “Americans are responsible for what they say, and if they put others in fear for their lives, we will prosecute.”

“Simply put, words matter, and today’s arrest of Matthew Haviland should serve as a warning to others who think they can use the internet to terrorize people. Don’t do it,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Everyone has the right to express their opinion, but when you threaten, harass, intimidate, and put others in fear for their lives, it’s a federal crime.”

Over the span of several hours on March 10, 2019, Haviland allegedly sent a Massachusetts professor a string of approximately 28 e-mails containing messages that included such threats as, “I will rip every limb from your body and eat it, piece by piece,” and “I will bite through your eyeballs while you’re still alive, and I will laugh while you scream.” According to the complaint, the professor to whom Haviland sent the threats—referred to as Victim 1 in the complaint—has published and spoken in favor of abortion rights, and several of Haviland’s emails made reference to abortion. In two successive e-mails, for example, Haviland wrote, “You will be held accountable for every [expletive] baby you murdered through your horrible deception of they are not humans,” and “You will have your face ripped off and eaten by me, personally. I will enjoy raping your body after you’re dead. And that will only be the start.”

The complaint includes a description of additional, abortion-related messages Haviland is alleged to have sent or posted on the internet. Those messages included approximately 114 voice messages that Haviland left overnight at a women’s medical center beginning April 4, 2019, and text messages Haviland sent to an acquaintance that included the following: “It never was a Woman’s rights issue. It’s literally killing babies. That’s All it is, and We want you to stop it. Or we will kill you to do it. It’s that Serious. It’s not a Joke.” In an internet posting allegedly written on March 29, 2019, Haviland wrote, “You guys are so evil and so brainwashed, I would kill every one of you with my bare hands—or AT LEAST kill every abortion doctor.”

It is alleged that between the evening of March 15, 2019, and the early morning of March 16, 2019, Haviland sent approximately 12 e-mails to a professional school at Victim 1’s university. These e-mails touched on the subjects of race, gender, and physical disability, and included the messages: “[Expletive], my existence is not a blight on society. Yours is, for pushing the idea that if you are able-bodied or white or okay WITH THE [EXPLETIVE] GENDER YOU WERE BORN WITH, you are a bad person. You people are Evil, putrid, and somebody shoudl [sic] BOMB your school for spreading the idea that it’s okay to HATE people because of their race.” A later e-mail to the professional school said only, “You should be Murdered in cold blood.”

The charges of cyberstalking and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce provide for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, whichever is greater, and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Lelling and FBI SAC Bonavolonta made the announcement today. Boston FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is conducting the investigations with the assistance of Warwick and North Kingstown (R.I.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian A. Pérez Daple of Lelling’s National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Tuesday, after a six-day trial, a federal jury found Jaime Mayorga, 40, and Ruben Rodriguez, 42, both of Sacramento, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

U.S. Attorney Scott stated: “Mayorga and Rodriguez took advantage of members of the Latino community who hoped to become homeowners and manipulated the real estate process for personal gain. As so often occurs in these cases, the result was losses to the financial institutions and neighborhoods burdened with foreclosed properties. We are grateful for the diligence and professionalism of the FBI in investigating this case.”

On July 14, 2011, Mayorga, Rodriguez, and five others were charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The defendants, including Mayorga and Rodriguez, worked for Delta Homes & Lending, a Sacramento-based real estate and mortgage lending company that falsified home loan applications to obtain mortgage loans for borrowers, many of whom did not and could not qualify for a loan without the lies submitted by Delta employees. Mayorga and Rodriguez were real estate agents and loan officers. The now defunct Delta Homes was founded by co-defendant Moctezuma “Mo” Tovar, 49, of Sacramento.

According to court documents, Delta opened one office in 2003 and eventually had multiple offices in Sacramento, with additional branch offices in Woodland, Yuba City, and Southern California. Rodriguez and Mayorga both started working at the original Delta office on Enterprise Drive in Sacramento. Later, they both moved to a branch on Franklin Boulevard, and Rodriguez went on to work at other Delta branches, including a large branch office located on Howe Avenue.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Delta targeted the Latino community with advertisements in Spanish that heralded the company’s ability to obtain home loans for borrowers who otherwise would not qualify for a mortgage. In addition to advertisements in which Delta claimed to be “Hispanics Serving Hispanics,” Delta employees solicited clients at flea markets and by going door-to-door through the community.

In order to obtain mortgages, the defendants falsified information on loan applications regarding the clients’ income, occupation, and personal savings. Straw buyers were sometimes used when the true borrower did not have a sufficient credit score to qualify. The defendants also deposited money into borrowers’ bank accounts to meet the lenders’ requirement that the borrower have money on hand, taking the money back after acquiring the verification of deposited funds that the lenders also required.

The evidence at trial showed that the defendants’ fraud was also personally lucrative. During the investigation, Rodriguez estimated that in 2006 alone, he earned more than $400,000. Similarly, Mayorga told agents that although he earned a salary when he started at Delta, he shifted to commission-based compensation and then earned between 50 and 85 % of the brokerage fees. Mayorga stated that he earned more than $500,000 in 2005.

The aggregate sale price of the homes involved in the conspiracy was in excess of $10 million, and as a result of the conspiracy, mortgage lenders and others suffered losses of at least $4 million.

Co-defendants Tovar, Manuel Herrera, 39, of Davis; Sandra Hermosillo, 57, of Woodland; and Jun Michael Dirain, 46, of Antelope, all pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Christian Parada-Renteria, 43, of Woodland, pleaded guilty to two counts of concealing felonies related to the wire fraud conspiracy.

Rodriguez and Mayorga are scheduled to be sentenced on August 6 by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez. The court has not yet set a sentencing date for Tovar, Herrera, Hermosillo, and Dirain. Parada-Renteria was sentenced to serve one year in prison.

Each of the defendants faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentences, 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian A. Fogerty and Justin L. Lee are prosecuting the case.

Gulfport, Miss – Walter Bryant Williams, 29, of Gulfport, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. to 41 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Williams was also ordered to pay a fine of $1500 fine.

On April 18, 2018, Williams, a previously convicted felon, was in possession of a firearm and narcotics during a traffic stop by Gulfport Police. Williams has prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance in Harrison County and felony attempted burglary in Jackson County.

The Gulfport Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA– On Saturday, North Florida residents can join citizens across the nation in safely and anonymously disposing of their expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications during the 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, announced United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe.

U.S. Keefe said: “Thanks to the efforts of the DEA and our local sheriff offices and police departments, we have convenient drop off locations throughout our district so that North Floridians can help prevent prescription drug addiction or misuse before it starts.  Take Back Day is an excellent opportunity to talk to your children about the importance of never sharing a prescription.”

With robust public participation during 16 prior events, the Take Back Day Initiative continues to remove ever-higher amounts of opioids and other medicines from the nation’s homes, where they are vulnerable to misuse, theft, or abuse by family members and visitors, including children and teens.  In continuation of this effort, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its national, tribal, and community partners will hold the 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day across the country on Saturday, April 27.  The service is free and anonymous.

The following drop-off locations are available in the Northern District of Florida.  Please continue to check www.DEATakeBack.comfor new locations.

Now in its ninth year, DEA has collected a total of nearly 11 million pounds (more than 5,400 tons) of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications through its Take Back Day events.  This weekend, approximately 6,000 collection sites manned by nearly 5,000 partner law enforcement agencies will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. The public can find a nearby collection site at www.DEATakeBack.com or by calling 800-882-9539. (DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps.)

“Keeping our homes free of harmful prescription medication, when no longer needed, is a way of keeping everyone safe,” said Adolphus P. Wright, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Miami Field Division.  “We strongly encourage the public to do your part by discarding your expired, unused, and unwanted medications at any of the 200+ sites throughout Florida.”

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States continue to be alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  The majority of prescription drug abusers say they get their drugs free from friends and family, including from the home medicine cabinet.  Take Back Day is a unique opportunity for Americans to protect their homes and medicine cabinets from theft and abuse.

National Take Back Day has received enthusiastic public support since its inception in 2010. Last October, the public turned in 457 tons (914,236 pounds) of prescription drugs at more than 5,800 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,800 of its local and tribal partners.

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

TRENTON, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey, man today admitted opening bank accounts and recruiting others to open bank accounts as a conduit for stolen funds in connection with a wide-ranging business email compromise scheme, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Craig Carpenito announced.

Lawrence Espaillat, 41, of Clifton, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

According to documents filed in this and other cases and statements made in court:

From March 2017 to June 2018, Espaillat, conspirators Corry Pringley and Amanda Suazo, and others participated in the scheme to steal more than $1 million dollars from individual and corporate victims. The scheme involved recruiting “mules” – including Espaillat, before he rose to the level of recruiter – Suazo and Pringley, to provide their personal identifying information. This information was used to incorporate sham businesses with the N.J. Department of the Treasury under the mules’ names. The mules eventually opened bank accounts in the names of the sham corporations.

A related cyberattack aspect of the scheme involved creating email addresses mimicking – but differing slightly from – legitimate email addresses of supervisory employees at various companies, vendors that did business with those victim companies, mortgage lenders that dealt with individuals in connection with real estate purchases, and brokerage firms and accountants who provided financial services. The conspirators used these deceptive email addresses to send emails that appeared to be requests for payment of legitimate invoices or debts owed by the victims. The victims were deceived into transferring funds by wire into the bogus bank accounts opened by the money mules and controlled by the conspirators. After the victims complied with the fraudulent wiring instructions, Espaillat, Suazo and Pringley, under the direction of other conspirators, quickly debited thousands of dollars from the accounts through in-person and ATM withdrawals and debit card purchases. They also transferred the funds to foreign bank accounts they controlled. Espaillat, Suazo and Pringley kept a fraction of the proceeds as payment.

For example, over a three-day period in April 2018, a corporate victim in Texas deposited $3.8 million dollars in a bank account opened by Pringley and controlled by Espaillat, Pringley and Suazo, who withdrew or transferred more than $1 million from the account.

The conspiracy charge to which Espaillat pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross pecuniary gain/loss. Sentencing is scheduled for July 30, 2019.

Suazo and Pringley pleaded guilty on Jan. 17, 2019, and Feb. 14, 2019, respectively, to separate informations charging each with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They are awaiting sentencing.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, and special agents of the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Mark McKevitt, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric A. Boden of the U.S. Attorney’s Trenton office.

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Oscar Simmons, Jr., of Dayton, Ohio, was sentenced today to 108 months incarceration for drug distribution, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Simmons, age 28, pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine” in January 2019. Simmons admitted to distributing methamphetamine in Monongalia County in July 2018. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. 

U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
 

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Christopher Howard, of Morgantown, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 41 months incarceration for his role in a heroin, oxycodone, and cocaine distribution operation, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
 
Howard, age 32, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Use of Communication Facility” in January 2019. Howard admitted to using a phone to distribute and conspire to distribute a controlled substance in April 2018 in Monongalia County.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. 

The investigation was funded in part by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). 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.

U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
 

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Mark P. Messare, age 42, of Amsterdam, New York, pled guilty today to possessing an unregistered, short-barreled rifle.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and John B. Devito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Messare admitted that on September 8, 2018, he possessed a Glock 9 millimeter handgun that was inserted into a Micro Roni Pistol Carbine Conversion Kit, creating a short-barreled rifle with a barrel length of approximately 4 inches.   Messare also admitted that he knew that the Micro Roni Pistol Carbine Conversion Kit was designed to convert a handgun into a short-barreled rifle, as the Conversion Kit included a folding shoulder stock that allows a handgun to be fired from the shoulder.  Messare never registered this firearm in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by federal law. 

Messare, who is in custody, faces up to 10 years in prison, as well as a $10,000 fine and up to 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release, when he is sentenced on August 14, 2019 by Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

This case was investigated by the ATF and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Darus Zehrbach, of Westover, West Virginia, was sentenced today to six months incarceration for making a false statement, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Zehrbach, age 72, pled guilty to one count of “False Statement to Federal Agent” in January 2019. In February 2015, Zehrbach received a letter from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, denying his application for a license to export electric scooters to Iran.  In June 2016, Zehrbach exported eight electric scooters to the United Arab Emirates, knowing that the scooters would be shipped to Iran.  The, in July 2016, the eight electric scooters were shipped from the United Arab Emirates to Iran. Zehrbach admitted to sending a letter to an agent of the United States Department of Commerce stating that a shipment he sent to Iran had originated in China when in fact that shipment originated in the United States.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod J. Douglas and the Department of Justice National Security Division prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement investigated.

U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Charles H. Riel, age 60, of Clay, New York, pled guilty today to mail fraud and money laundering charges for his role in a fraudulent investment scheme involving hundreds of thousands of dollars, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, James Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Jonathan D. Larsen, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York Field Division.

In his plea agreement, Riel admitted that he was the founder, principal member, and officer of REinvest, LLC, a New York limited liability company based in Clay.  From June 2010, through May 2014, Riel provided false, fraudulent, and misleading information about REinvest, LLC, including historical rates of return on supposed REinvest LLC investments and fictitious testimonials touting the financial successes of non-existent REinvest, LLC investors. As part of his guilty plea, Riel further admitted that he collected approximately $285,000 from a total of five investors, all of whom had received false and fraudulent information regarding the nature of Riel’s business and how their funds would be utilized.  Riel used a substantial portion of the funds received from investors to pay for his own personal living expenses rather than investing the funds in ways that could result in a legitimate return on the investments.  He also used money from subsequent investors to pay back a portion of the investment of an earlier investor.

As part of his plea agreement, the defendant agreed to pay restitution to his victims, and to forfeit $197,500.00 to the United States.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 5, 2019, before the Senior District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. in Syracuse. For his conviction for mail fraud, Riel faces up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release.  For his conviction for money laundering, he faces up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case was investigated by IRS-CI and the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicolas Commandeur and Michael D. Gadarian.

             CONCORD – James Aubin, 46, of Dover, pleaded guilty in federal court on April 23, 2019, to committing a bank robbery, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

             According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 12, 2018, Aubin entered the Bank of New Hampshire branch on Central Avenue in Dover and demanded money from the teller. The teller gave Aubin a quantity of United States currency. After images from bank surveillance videos were shown on local news outlets, investigators were able to positively identify Aubin as the robber.  After being arrested, Aubin admitted to robbing the bank.

            Aubin is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31, 2019.          

             “Bank robberies are violent crimes that can inflict fear and endanger bank employees, patrons, and the public,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “As part of our effort to combat violent crime, we will work closely with our law enforcement partners to prosecute those who are responsible for bank robberies in the Granite State.”

             This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Dover Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski.

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CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Cody Swick, of Petersburg, West Virginia, has admitted to a firearms charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Swick, age 33, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Swick, having been previously convicted of domestic battery, admitted to having a .22 caliber revolver in October 2018 in Grant County.
 
Swick faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Danae DeMasi-Lemon is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Grant County Sheriff’s Department investigated.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Harrisonville, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. 

Robert J. Keegan, 27, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 18 years in federal prison without parole.

On Dec. 28, 2018, Keegan pleaded guilty to participating in a drug-trafficking conspiracy and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Keegan is among five defendants who have pleaded guilty in this case. Co-defendants Benjamin W. Clark, 27, Jalie J. Brinlee, 29, and Felicia C. Ward, 23, all of Cameron; and Frank E. Hundley, 34, of Kansas City, Mo.; have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

All five of the defendants admitted they participated in a conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine from January to May 24, 2017. Clark and Brinlee purchased methamphetamine from various suppliers and distributed it to customers in Cameron, Kansas City and elsewhere.

On May 12, 2017, Keegan was stopped by law enforcement and was found in possession of a Hi-point .40-caliber handgun and a duffel bag containing approximately 3.8 kilograms of methamphetamine.

On May 24, 2017, a trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol stopped Ward, who was carrying a Glock 9mm handgun in her purse. Ward had retrieved the handgun from the vehicle where Clark and Brinlee were located, and Brinlee admitted to possessing the firearm prior to transferring it to Ward. Also found in Ward's purse was approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine, which Brinlee also admitted to possessing at the time of the traffic stop.

Under the terms of their plea agreements, subject to acceptance by the court, Clark and Brinlee each will be sentenced to 18 years in federal prison without parole. Under federal statutes, Ward and Hundley each are 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.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Edwards. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Belton, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Jackson County Drug Task Force.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Daniel J. Fillerup, age 33, of Albany, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for selling fentanyl that caused a woman’s death.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and James N. Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

As part of his guilty plea on December 20, 2018, Fillerup admitted that on September 29, 2016, he arranged with Kate Centofanti, via text message and phone call, to supply her with two bags of heroin.  Fillerup met with Centofanti in Schenectady, New York, where Centofanti gave Fillerup $36.  He acquired bags of what he believed to contain heroin, and gave Centofanti two of the bags.  Centofanti ingested the substance Fillerup gave her, which was fentanyl.  The ingestion of the fentanyl caused Centofanti’s death due to fentanyl intoxication.

Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release, which will start after Fillerup is released from prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI and its Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes FBI Special Agents and members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including investigators from the Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer.

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Dyshawn Fisher, age 24, of Troy, New York, was arraigned Monday on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm as a felon.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and James N. Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The indictment alleges that on June 26, 2018, Fisher, a felon, was in possession of a .38 caliber revolver. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

On Monday, Fisher appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel, who ordered him detained pending further proceedings.

If convicted, Fisher faces up to 10 years in prison, a term of post-release supervision of up to 3 years, and a fine of up to $250,000.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case is being investigated by the FBI and its Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes FBI Special Agents and members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Troy Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashlyn Miranda and Alicia Suarez.

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Michael Dwayne Cosner, of Elk Garden, West Virginia, has admitted to drug distribution, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Cosner, age 40, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Cosner admitted to distributing methamphetamine in March 2018 in Mineral County.

Cosner faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the West Virginia State Police, and the Potomac Highlands Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force investigated. 

The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). 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.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.

          LOS ANGELES– A San Bernardino County man has been sentenced to 79 months in federal prison for conspiring to defraud the government out of more than $1.3 million in benefits, including Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster relief funds intended for victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017.

          Ikponmwosa Eugene Idemudia, 40, of Rancho Cucamonga, was sentenced at a Monday hearing by United States District Judge Percy Anderson, who also ordered him to pay $1,328,982 in restitution. Idemudia pleaded guilty in October 2018 to one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

          Court documents state that from 2016 until May 2018, Idemudia conspired with others to use stolen identities to apply for fraudulent government benefits, including FEMA disaster assistance funds, Social Security Administration benefits, federal tax refunds, federal unemployment benefits, and Health and Human Services benefits. The FEMA disaster relief money was stolen through the conspiracy occurred in relation to Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, which were presidentially declared major disasters. Once the funds were illicitly obtained, Idemudia and his co-conspirators transferred the benefits to prepaid debit cards, including Green Dot cards that had been registered under false names. Idemudia and his co-conspirators then converted the debit cards to cash.

          When law enforcement executed a search warrant at Idemudia’s residence in May 2018, agents found $256,904 in cash and more than $130,000 on prepaid debit cards. A preliminary forensic review of Idemudia’s cell phones showed that he exchanged more than 100 images of prepaid debit cards or gift cards with co-conspirators and the prepaid card numbers were registered with the stolen identities from various victims throughout the United States.

          This case was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, U.S. Secret Service, and Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General

          This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section.

          LOS ANGELES– A public official in Los Angeles County’s Internal Services Department and the electrical contractor from whom he accepted nearly $300,000 in bribes have both agreed to plead guilty to bribery and tax charges.

          In a plea agreement filed this morning, the county official – Mohammad R. Tirmazi, 50, of Alta Loma – agreed to plead guilty to accepting bribes and subscribing to a false 2016 tax return in which he failed to report $192,800 in income, including approximately $137,400 in bribe payments.

          In a second plea agreement filed this morning, the contractor – Enrique Contreras, 38, of Palmdale – agreed to plead guilty to paying bribes and subscribing to a false 2015 tax return in which he failed to report $281,422 in income.

          According to court documents, from 2014 to 2016, Tirmazi accepted a total of nearly $300,000 in bribe payments from Contreras, the owner of a low voltage electrical wiring company, Tel-Pro Voice & Data, Inc., that performed work for the County. In exchange for the bribes, Tirmazi approved change orders requested by Contreras for, among other things, work that did not occur and materials that were not used on County projects.

          Tirmazi also admits in his plea agreement that he did not report, or force Contreras to correct, violations of the County’s Building and Safety Code or the National Electrical Code that Tirmazi uncovered during inspections of Tel-Pro’s work. Some of those violations related to asbestos removal and Tel-Pro’s failure to properly install cables. In his plea agreement, Tirmazi admits that he generally considered Tel-Pro’s work to be “shoddy,” but he overlooked its poor work because of the bribes he received from Contreras.

          “Corrupt public officials and powerful people who pay bribes pose a threat to our institutions and, as we see in this case, also can threaten public safety,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “Bringing these criminals to justice will help restore trust in our civic institutions.”

          “Public officials who accept bribes abdicate their responsibilities at the expense of the public they’re paid to serve,” said Paul Delacourt, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI is committed to investigating unscrupulous individuals whose criminal behavior erodes trust in our municipal departments.”

          Tirmazi formed a company called TEQ Solutions, LLC as a way to conceal bribe payments from Contreras, court filings state. Contreras, who bribed Tirmazi with cash and gifts, also paid Tirmazi with checks made payable to TEQ Solutions that were disguised to look like payment for legitimate services rendered. Because TEQ Solutions did no work for Contreras or Tel-Pro, the checks were nothing more than bribes.

          Tirmazi’s plea agreement further states that, to hide his ownership of TEQ Solutions, Tirmazi used a third party to file the business paperwork and open a bank account. To lower TEQ Solutions’ taxable income, and thus keep more of the bribe money he received, Tirmazi issued sham IRS Form 1099s to make it appear as though other individuals had received income from TEQ Solutions for work legitimately performed.

          In his plea agreement, Tirmazi admits that he failed to report on his tax returns for years 2014 to 2016 a total of $355,107 of income he received from bribe payments and a side business selling IT equipment.

          Contreras, in his plea agreement, admits that he failed to report a total of $636,454 of income he received from 2013 to 2017 as a result of his improper deduction of bribe payments and other personal expenses. 

          “Investigating contractor fraud schemes is like peeling back the layers of a rotten onion: Each new layer reveals another public official and/or contractor who is profiting from these illicit schemes,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Korner for IRS Criminal Investigation in Los Angeles. “We must stop this corrupt conduct, which leads to the unfair awarding of lucrative contracts and a clear violation of the federal tax laws.”

          As part of their plea agreements, both Tirmazi and Contreras have agreed to cooperate with an ongoing federal investigation.

          In his plea agreement, Contreras admits to bribing two County officials—Tirmazi and Thomas J. Shepos, 69, of Palmdale, a public official formerly employed by the County in the Real Estate Division. Shepos pleaded guilty in November 2018 to accepting bribes and is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner on November 18, 2019.

          From approximately 2013 to 2016, Contreras made cash payments to Shepos, totaling approximately $200,000 to $300,000, in exchange for Shepos providing non-public County information to Contreras and helping Contreras secure County contracts.

          As part of his plea agreement, Shepos also agreed to cooperate with the ongoing federal investigation.

          One of the individuals from whom Shepos admitting receiving bribes was real estate developer Arman Gabaee, 58, of Beverly Hills. Gabaee was arrested and subsequently indicted on federal bribery charges last year. His trial is currently scheduled for September 10 before United States District Judge George H. Wu.

          Tirmazi and Contreras will be summonsed to appear for arraignments in United States District Court in the coming weeks.

          Once they enter their respective guilty pleas, each man will face a statutory maximum sentence of 13 years in federal prison.

          The cases against Tirmazi and Contreras are part of an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS Criminal Investigation.

          This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth C. Pinkel and Lindsey Greer Dotson of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.

BOSTON – A New Bedford man was indicted today in federal court in Boston on a federal drug charge.

Davaun Oswald, 22, was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana. Oswald has been in state custody since his arrest on Jan. 31, 2019.

According to the charging document, on Jan. 31, 2019, after an investigation into drug distribution in and around New Bedford, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Oswald’s apartment, where Oswald was found in possession of approximately 15 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, as well as over 450 grams of marijuana. Oswald has prior felony convictions for criminal possession of a firearm, and possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance.

The charge of distribution of a controlled substance provides for a sentence of no greater than 30 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $2 million. 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; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn; and New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Soivilien of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

This prosecution 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. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as 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 indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.