United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Linda Lancon, 30, of Laredo, Texas, was sentenced this morning for her participation in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute approximately 35 kilograms of cocaine.  Lancon was convicted by a jury following a trial conducted in October of 2019. 

United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer presided over the trial and the sentencing hearing.  Evidence from the trial showed that Lancon was involved in the distribution of methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine during 2016 following an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration in Laredo.  She was identified as the owner of a vehicle used to deliver drugs for distribution.  Agents participating in the investigation also identified her as being present with another member of the drug distribution conspiracy in Texas when drugs were delivered.  She was living with a co-conspirator in Laredo who testified that she knew about the drug conspiracy, accompanied him on drug deliveries and counted the drug money.  She also knew a source of supply for the drugs in Mexico.  Other evidence established that Lancon was in a truck traveling northbound on Interstate 65 in Mobile County when it was stopped by Saraland police for no license plate.  During the investigation that followed, officers discovered 35 kilograms of cocaine in the cab of the truck, concealed in a paper box behind the passenger seat.  Lancon was the passenger in the truck, and the driver was identified as her co-defendant Victor Estrada.  She had disassembled the cell phone Estrada was using to communicate with the people in Atlanta who were to take delivery of the drugs and concealed the parts of the phone in her purse while the officers spoke to Estrada. 

In the subsequent investigation conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, a tracking device was discovered in the truck which was traced to a company in Laredo.  Business records showed that Lancon opened the account used to track the truck and paid a monthly fee for the service on her credit card.  The records also showed several prior trips to the Atlanta area as well as other locations up the East Coast.  The records also coincided with information from Lancon’s telephone placing her in the Atlanta area during some of the prior trips.  In addition, photographs on Lancon’s phone showed her in possession of large amounts of United States currency being removed from or placed into Federal Express boxes.   Finally, records for Lancon’s cellphone showed it had been in contact with Estrada’s phone during 2017 and 2018.  Estrada’s phone was the one used to communicate with the recipients of the drugs in Atlanta and the one she disassembled during the traffic stop. 

At the sentencing hearing today, Judge Moorer reviewed some of this evidence as support for his decision that a substantial sentence was appropriate for Lancon.  The judge found that the other trips documented by the tracker in the truck established that she had participated in the distribution of other drug loads equal to that for which she had been apprehended.  The judge also found that, based on the evidence from the trial, she occupied a role in the offense which far exceeded her claim that she was just her co-defendant’s girlfriend.  Judge Moorer sentenced Lancon to 300 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a term of five years supervised release.  The judge did not impose a fine, but ordered that she pay the special mandatory assessment of $100.  Judge Moorer sentenced Lancon’s co-defendant, Estrada, in October of 2019 to 30 years’ imprisonment following Estrada’s guilty plea to the charges.  

The case was investigated by the Saraland Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security investigations.  It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell.

PITTSBURGH, PA- A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has been sentenced in federal court to one year of probation and to pay a fine of $1,000 on her conviction of violating federal drug laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Asonte Turner, 32.

According to information presented to the court, the defendant knowingly possessed cocaine and cocaine base from on or about July 1, 2017 through July 21, 2017. The court was further informed that on July 21, 2017, during a search of the residence she shared with her boyfriend and multiple children, law enforcement found drugs, supplies for manufacturing crack cocaine, drug packaging supplies, and several firearms spread throughout the home. Multiple packages of suspected drugs tested positive for cocaine and crack cocaine, and the defendant admitted to possessing those drugs.

Assistant United States Attorney Christy C. Wiegand prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Turner.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A Jeffersonville, Kentucky man, Ryan Keith Herndon, 29, admitted in federal court on Thursday, before U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, that he sold a firearm to a convicted felon, possessed a firearm as a convicted felon, and distributed a mixture of various controlled substances.           

In his plea agreement, Herndon admitted that, on May 9, 2019,he sold a Walther .40 caliber pistol to a confidential informant working on behalf of the Appalachian High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA) Gateway Drug Task Force and ATF.  Then, on May 10, 2019, Herndon sold the confidential informant another firearm, a Century Arms 7.62 x 39 rifle.  Herndon was a convicted felon and was prohibited from lawfully possessing or selling firearms.  At the time Herndon sold the firearms, he knew or had reasonable cause to believe that the confidential informant was a convicted felon. 

Additionally, on May 21, 2019, Herndon sold a substance containing the drugs heroin, valerylfentanyl, fentanyl, and methamphetamine to a confidential informant working for the Mt. Sterling Police Department.  Then, on May 22, 2019, Herndon sold a quantity of methamphetamine to a confidential informant.                        

Herndon was indicted in June 2019.

Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Tommy Estevan, Acting Special Agent in Charge, ATF Louisville Field Division; and Chief Wayne Green, Mt. Sterling Police Department, jointly announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by the AHIDTA Gateway Drug Task Force, ATF and the Mt. Sterling Police Department.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Villalobos II.

Herndon is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21, 2020.  He faces up to 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $2.5 million.  However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes. 

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 Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Robert Duncan Jr., coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.          

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Click here for more information about Project Guardian.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

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OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday afternoon, a federal jury found DWAYNE EDWARD RASMUSSEN, 55, of Oklahoma City, guilty of committing three bank robberies in Oklahoma City and Chickasha, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing.

According to evidence at trial, Rasmussen robbed three banks in the course of two months: on March 5, 2019, he robbed the Weokie Credit Union at 2727 Southwest 15th Street in Oklahoma City; on March 18, 2019, he robbed the Bank of the West at 1600 Southwest 89th Street in Oklahoma City; and on April 30, 2019, he robbed the Community Bank of Oklahoma at 1227 West Grand Avenue in Chickasha.  Mark Drew Wilson, Rasmussen’s accomplice for the robberies, testified to driving the getaway vehicle and the preparation for each robbery.  Evidence further showed that in each of the robberies, Rasmussen wore gloves and disguised his appearance to avoid apprehension.  Trial evidence from bank surveillance video and identifications by bank employees tied Rasmussen to each bank robbery.  In the robberies, Rasmussen used the same terminology demanding "100s and 50s," and threatened "That’s not enough.  Give me all your money."  During the trial, nine bank employees and one bank customer testified about the use or intimation of a dangerous weapon during the commission of the bank robberies.  

The trial lasted six days, and the jury deliberated approximately nine hours before finding Rasmussen guilty of three counts of bank robbery.  He was acquitted on one additional bank-robbery count.   

At sentencing, Rasmussen faces a maximum potential penalty on each of the bank robbery counts of twenty years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and mandatory restitution.  If, however, the court determines his criminal history includes two or more serious violent felonies, he could be subject to mandatory life in prison.

Last November, Mark Drew Wilson pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit bank robbery.  Wilson is currently awaiting sentencing, where he faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and restitution to four banks. 

This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI—Oklahoma City Field Office and Laboratory Division in Quantico, the Oklahoma City Police Department, the Yukon Police Department, and the Chickasha Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wilson D. McGarry and Mary E. Walters prosecuted the case.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. today sentenced Ramon Christopher Blanchett to 34 months in federal prison for theft of government funds. The court also ordered Blanchett to forfeit $980,000, which is traceable to proceeds of the offense.

Blanchett had pleaded guilty on October 1, 2019.

According to court documents, on February 21, 2017, Blanchett electronically filed his 2016 Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, claiming (1) $18,497 in wage income, (2) a state and local income tax deduction of $47,357, and (3) an income tax withholding credit of $1 million. These figures were not accurate. Blanchett attached two Forms W-2 to his return, and one of them contained false and fraudulent information, including an inflated wage amount and inflated amount of tax withheld. Based upon this return, Blanchett falsely claimed that he was due a tax refund of $1 million, and requested that $20,000 of that amount be applied to his 2017 estimated tax. 

In April 2017, the IRS mailed a U.S. Treasury check for $980,000 to Blanchett at his residential address in Tampa. Blanchett deposited the check into an account at SunTrust Bank. SunTrust reported the transaction to the IRS, closed Blanchett’s accounts, and held the funds for the IRS.

Ultimately, in 2018, Blanchett received a new official check for $980,000 and deposited it into an account that he opened with Grow Financial Credit Union (GFCU) in Tampa, Florida. Blanchett told GFCU that the funds represented the proceeds of an inheritance he had received from his father’s estate. In fact, Blanchett had not received proceeds from an inheritance. Blanchett used some of the funds to purchase a 2016 Lexus RC350 for $51,617 at a Tampa dealership.

In August 2018, a federal magistrate judge authorized seizure warrants for Blanchett’s Lexus and the money in his GFCU account at the time. Both the vehicle and $919,421.87 were seized.

In April 2018, Blanchett electronically filed another false and fraudulent tax return – this time for tax year 2017 – claiming he was due a refund of $26,477.

In September 2018, Blanchett voluntarily appeared at the IRS office in Tampa, for an appointment that he had made with the Taxpayer Assistance Center. The center alerted IRS-Criminal Investigation agents, who told Blanchett that he was under criminal investigation regarding the $980,000 refund, which he had received. Notwithstanding communications from agents, Blanchett filed a third false and fraudulent income tax return in February 2019 for the 2018 tax year, claiming a refund of $465,734. 

With the exception of one Form W-2, Blanchett did not earn wages in the amounts claimed on the Forms W-2 attached to his tax returns. Moreover, he did not make enough wages to have any income tax withheld, and the amounts of tax withheld reported on his tax returns were false. In short, Blanchett knew he was not entitled to a tax refund for tax years 2016, 2017, or 2018.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachelle DesVaux Bedke.

The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Allahjuan Calhoun, 29, of Yonkers, NY, was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court in Burlington to 26 months of imprisonment following his guilty plea to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.  U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered that Calhoun serve a two-year term of supervised release following completion of his prison term.

On January 31, 2019, law enforcement authorities arrested Calhoun on state charges of aggravated domestic assault and possessing a firearm as a prohibited person.  The arrest took place after state and federal officers executed a search warrant at a residence in Barre where Calhoun had been staying.  During the search, officers seized a .38 caliber revolver that had Calhoun’s DNA on it.  The state dismissed its charges last May after a federal grand jury indicted Calhoun for being a felon in possession of the gun.  Calhoun pled guilty to the federal charge in October.  Calhoun is prohibited from possessing firearms because of a 2017 Vermont felony conviction for possessing heroin.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Barre Police Department.

Calhoun is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender David McColgin.  The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.

WILMINGTON– United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that over the course of the last several months in federal court, 32 defendants have been sentenced in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking investigation. 

The investigation was part of an Organized Crime Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation entitled Operation “Fall of the House of Usher,” which was undertaken in direct response to the explosion of kilogram amounts of extremely potent methamphetamine (with purities as high as 99%) being imported into Duplin, Sampson and New Hanover Counties.  According to the DEA, the methamphetamine was so pure that some users reported consuming heroin to counter balance the effects. The initial focus of the investigation was WILLIAM USHER who imported multiple kilograms of methamphetamine from at least four separate Drug Trafficking Organizations in California and Georgia.

An OCDETF investigation is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major 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.

This case is a classic example of the combining of an OCDETF operation with our Take Back North Carolina Initiative.  DEA and FBI task force officers were able to identify members and associates of this large scale organization and then partner with the United States Attorney’s Office to develop a strategy to dismantle this organization.  After being armed with local intelligence, law enforcement was able to utilize the substantial resources and tools of the federal government to help break the back of this organization.  The success of this case would not have been possible without these partnerships.

The defendants’ convictions and sentencings were the culmination of an investigation that started in early 2017 focusing on the shift from local clandestine methamphetamine labs to high purity methamphetamine produced on a large scale outside North Carolina and being smuggled into Eastern North Carolina. As part of the investigation, federal and local law enforcement conducted controlled purchases of methamphetamine and heroin, executed search warrants and conducted traffic stops.  Information was also used to make arrests in California and South Carolina.

Forty-one defendants were charged in this investigation, forty have pled guilty in federal court, and thirty-two have been sentenced to date.  One defendant, Brandon Dudley, went to trial and was convicted by a jury.  He is currently pending sentencing.  Of the thirty-two defendants sentenced, the combined sentence for all defendants is 3,351 months, which equates to an average sentence for this operation to 104 months. According to law enforcement, the organization was responsible for the importation and distribution of more than 50 kilograms of methamphetamine. A total of 40 firearms and more than $400,000.00 in currency and property have been seized.

Some of the defendants include:

• WILLIAM USHER, 33, of Duplin County, NC.  USHER pled guilty  to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, distribution of a quantity of methamphetamine (aiding and abetting) and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  USHER was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment.
• KEVIN WHITE, 42, of Duplin County, NC. WHITE pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess With Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, Distribution of a Quantity of Methamphetamine, Possession With Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. WHITE was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment.
• KEVIN FAIRCLOTH, 38, of Duplin County, NC, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess With Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, Possession With Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. FAIRCLOTH was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment.
• ERIC HERNANDEZ, 24, of Sampson County, NC, pled guilty to Possession With Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine and Conspiracy to Possess With the Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. HERNANDEZ was sentenced to 102 months’ imprisonment.
• BRIAN SHOLAR, 53, of Duplin County, NC, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess With Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine and Possession With Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine. SHOLAR was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment.
• MARCUS SPANN, 19, of South Carolina, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack) and a Quantity of Heroin, Distribution and Possession With Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Heroin and Aiding and Abetting and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. SPANN was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment.
• ERIC DUDLEY, 39, of Duplin County, NC, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine and Possession With Intent to Distribute and Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine. DUDLEY was sentenced to 220 months’ imprisonment.
• HECTOR MENOCAL-RUIZ, 28, of Duplin County, NC, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With the Intent to Distribute 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. MENOCAL-RUIZ was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment.
• DAVID GIGUIERE, 61, of Duplin County, NC, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With the Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine and Distribution of a Quantity of Methamphetamine and Aiding and Abetting. GIGUIERE was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment.
• JAVIER MERCADO, 41, of California, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With the Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. MERCADO was sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment.
• JESUS RIOS, 39, of California, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute More Than 50 Grams of Methamphetamine. RIOS was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment.
• AARON ROBICHAUX, 37, of New Hanover County, NC, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, Possession With Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine and a Quantity of Cocaine and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. ROBICHUAX was sentenced to 252 months’ imprisonment.
• JULIO NAJERA, 26, of Sampson County, NC, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, Distribution of 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine and Possession With Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. NAJERA was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment.
   

The remaining defendants are scheduled to be sentenced over the course of the next few months.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), Duplin, New Hanover County and Sampson County Sheriffs’ Office, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation of this case.  Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Severo, Murphy Averitt and Bradford Knott prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.  This OCDETF operation was nominated and received the Eastern District of North Carolina OCDETF Operation of the Year.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

Baltimore, Maryland – Timothy Herndon, age 29, of Owings Mills, Maryland, pleaded guilty on January 22, 2020 to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Acting Special Agent in Charge Toni Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “Timothy Herndon brought danger to our community through the deadly combination of guns and drugs.  Now he likely eight years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever.  Please, put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own.”

According to the plea agreement, on the morning of May 16, 2019, ATF Special Agents executed a search warrant at Herndon’s residence in Owings Mills.  After being read his Miranda warnings, Herndon told agents that he had placed a firearm in a shoebox in the second-floor bedroom.  Agents recovered that firearm, then searched the rest of the residence.

In the living room, agents recovered one clear bag containing multiple black plastic zip lock baggies of cocaine base (crack) and approximately $2,000 in U.S. currency.  In the kitchen trashcan under the trash bag, they found additional small black zip lock baggies of cocaine base (crack), a black shopping bag containing razor blades, multiple clear plastic bags, and one round of 9-millimeter ammunition.

From underneath the dishwasher, agents recovered the following: three loaded firearms; two clear plastic sandwich bags containing cocaine; additional drug paraphernalia; and a paper bag containing a large amount of United States currency. Agents found a total of nearly $40,000 in cash inside of the residence.

Herndon and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Herndon will be sentenced to 96 months (8 years) in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for March 27, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. 

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Stendig and Lindsey McCulley, who are prosecuting the case.

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PROVIDENCE, RI – A former construction project manager for a Newport-based real estate development company pled guilty in federal court in Providence on Thursday to twelve counts of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft charges, admitting that he created a scheme that defrauded banks, construction companies, and his employer of more than $200,000.

Gregory Meeker, 57, of Barrington, who oversaw various real estate development projects for Landings Real Estate Group (Landings), including the Newport Beach Club and Long Meadow Landings projects, admitted that two months after being employed by Landings in December 2015, he devised a scheme to submit invoices to Landings, many of which were false or inflated, in the names of subcontractors. Landings made checks payable to the subcontractors that were then provided to Meeker for delivery. Instead of delivering the checks to the subcontractors, Meeker forged endorsements on the back of the checks and deposited them into his own bank account.

Meeker admitted that in some instances, false invoices and subsequently forged endorsements on checks bore the names of individual subcontractors as opposed to business names, including at least two individuals known to him.

Meeker also admitted that he provided Landings with false paperwork related to GMC Construction, an entity he previously operated, including a false name and address, and a Social Security number of an unrelated individual. He prompted Landings to issue over $12,000 in checks to GMC Construction, which he endorsed and deposited into his own bank accounts.

Additionally, Meeker admitted that he forged the endorsement of the Town of Portsmouth on the back of three checks made payable to “Town of Portsmouth – Inspection Department.” He deposited the checks into one of four bank accounts he used for his fraudulent activity.  

Gregory Meeker’s guilty plea before U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to twelve counts of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity is announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Joseph R. Bonavolonta.

Meeker is scheduled to be sentenced on April 7, 2020.

Bank Fraud is punishable by statutory penalties of up to thirty years' imprisonment, five years' supervised release, and a fine of $1,000,000. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a term of imprisonment of two years, to be served consecutive to any other term of incarceration ordered in this matter, to be followed by one year supervised release.

The case, investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sandra R. Hebert and Christine D. Lowell.

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former Northern Virginia resident pleaded guilty today to distribution of heroin that resulted in the death of a Leesburg man in March 2016. 

According to court documents, John Jacob Stapleton, 33, who most recently resided in Fort Pierce, Florida, regularly obtained illegal opioids from sources of supply that he and others distributed to customers within Loudoun County and the greater Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area. In March 2016, Stapleton distributed heroin that resulted in the death of E.L., a former Loudoun County resident. A forensic toxicologist determined that E.L.’s blood and vitreous humor each contained a combination of morphine and 6-acetylmorhpine, and a forensic pathologist determined that E.L. died of heroin poisoning. Further investigation by law enforcement officials revealed that E.L. overdosed on heroin that another individual obtained directly from Stapleton.   

Stapleton pleaded guilty to distribution of heroin resulting in serious bodily injury and death. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on April 17. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office; Michael L. Chapman, Loudoun County Sheriff; and Gregory C. Brown, Leesburg Chief of Police, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Peters and Raj Parekh are prosecuting the case.

This matter was investigated by the Washington Field Office’s Safe Streets/HIDTA Task Force which is composed of Agents and Task Force Officers from the Leesburg PD, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Fairfax County Police, the Prince William County Police, the Alexandria City Police, the Vienna Police Department, the Herndon Police Department, the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security, and in cooperation with the DEA, ATF and USMS.  

The task force’s mission is to effectively identify, disrupt and dismantle the most egregious gangs and criminal enterprises engaged in violence and narcotics distribution within Northern Virginia. 

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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-340.

NEW ORLEANS, La. - U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that JOHN ANTHONY MARSH, age 56, a resident of Lawrenceville, Georgia was sentenced on January 22, 2020 by U.S. District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman to three years’ probation, with a condition that the first 45 days be served on home confinement, in connection with his guilty plea to identity theft.  In addition, MARSH agreed to pay restitution to the Medicare and Medicaid programs. 

According to court documents, in 2016, MARSH opened a business in New Orleans called Magazine Medical Group & Associates, LLC (“Magazine Medical”) that provided ophthalmological services.  MARSH opened Magazine Medical at the same location as another medical clinic that had provided ophthalmological services, Business 1.  Between June 2016 and September 2016, MARSH used Business 1’s name when submitting claims for medical services to Medicare and other health care benefit programs to make it appear is those purported medical services were performed at Business 1. 

Additionally, according to court documents, during that same time period, MARSH used the National Provider Identifier of a physician, who previously worked for Business 1, to submit claims to Medicare and other health care benefit programs making it appear as though that physician performed medical services at Magazine Medical.  That physician neither worked for MARSH or Magazine Medical nor treated any patients for ophthalmological services at that clinic.

As reimbursement for the fraudulent claims that MARSH was responsible for submitting through Magazine Medical, Medicare and other health care benefit programs issued checks to Business 1 and the physician.  MARSH received and deposited these checks into his bank account.  In total, between June 2016 and September 2016, MARSH fraudulently caused billings to Medicare and other health care benefit programs totaling approximately $77,198 for medical services that were not provided by that physician, and received approximately $20,669.67 for these claims.  MARSH agreed to repay $20,669.67 in restitution to the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their work investigating the case.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jared Hasten of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

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Portland, Maine:  A former Portland resident was convicted yesterday of accessing with intent to view child pornography following a three-day jury trial, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to evidence presented at trial, in July 2015, agents with U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at the Portland home of George Royle V, 45. Agents seized a laptop computer under the warrant. A forensic analysis of the laptop showed that Royle had been accessing internet websites containing child pornography images with the intent to view them. He also had been using peer-to-peer file-sharing software to seek out child pornography.

Royle faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

HSI and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit investigated the case.

NEW ORLEANS, La. – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that ELISEO MARTINEZ (MARTINEZ), age 48,a resident of Miami, Florida, was sentenced on January 23, 2020 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit theft of medical products, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

MARTINEZ was sentenced to 135 months imprisonment with credit for time served, supervised release for a term of 3 years, and a $300.00 assessment. MARTINEZ was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $203,000.

According to court documents, beginningsometime prior to December 2012, MARTINEZ and others conspired to use Marea Distributors and Logistics, LLC, in Louisiana and Marea Distributors, LLC, in Florida to fraudulently re-sell diverted pharmaceuticals.  Working together, the defendants would collect dispensed drugs of known and unknown origin, counterfeit drugs, expired drugs, and drugs not authorized for resale and then fraudulently reintroduce them into the pre-retail, wholesale market for eventual sale under false pretenses to pharmacies and end users.  According to court documents

Among other things, the defendants would create and scan fraudulent invoices and send them from Marea Distributors in Florida to Marea Distributors & Logistics in Louisiana by email.  In Louisiana, Marea Distributors & Logistics would then send the fraudulent invoices by email from Louisiana to wherever the diverted pharmaceuticals were shipped.  When necessary, Marea Distributors & Logistics in Louisiana would create invoices for the products and email them to customers who were making purchases.   

During the course of the conspiracy the defendants opened or caused to be opened bank accounts in the names of various entities, including Marea Distributors & Logistics and Marea Distributors.  The defendants used those accounts to deposit the proceeds obtained from the sale of diverted pharmaceuticals and then to further distribute those proceeds to bank accounts controlled by them. 

U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Food and Drug Administration, and the Miami Dade Police Department, in investigating this matter. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Theodore R. Carter, III, and David Haller.

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SOUTH BEND – United States Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch, II announced that Christopher Kinds, 34, of South Bend, Indiana pled guilty before United States District Court Judge Damon Leichty, sitting in South Bend.  Kinds admitted to possessing over 500 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, and he admitted to possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a felony. 

According to documents filed in this case, on September 5, 2019, investigators searched Mr. Kinds’ home and storage units at a rental facility, all in South Bend.  Investigators arrested Mr. Kinds the same day. Investigators recovered over 2 kilograms of methamphetamine from his home and 37 firearms from him, his home, and his storage units. Mr. Kinds has a 2006 felony conviction in St. Joseph County where he was sentenced to 4 years in prison.  

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the assistance of the South Bend Police Department, St. Joseph County Drug Investigations Unit, and St. Joseph County SWAT Team.  The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Molly Donnelly and Kim Schultz.

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Hazlehurst, Miss. – Barbara Thedford Skipper, 51, of Hazlehurst, pled guilty yesterday before Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III to theft of federal funds, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Jerome Winkle with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) Office of Inspector General (“OIG”).

From 2015 through 2017, while serving as Executive Director for the Hazlehurst Housing Authority, Skipper knowingly converted and misapplied funds from the Housing Authority’s operating account to her own use.   Operating account funds are designed to assist the Housing Authority with the upkeep of public housing residential living conditions.  Such public housing is established to provide decent and safe rental housing for eligible low-income families, the elderly and persons with disabilities. 

In the course of the investigation, it was discovered that Skipper utilized Hazlehurst Housing Authority’s operating account to purchase personal items, including, but not limited to, clothing, perfume, countertop ice makers, electronic tablets, cookware, a fitness wristband, portable boom box, champagne flutes, Fire TV stick and several gift cards.  It was also discovered that Skipper made unauthorized purchases from an online retailer and made payments to her personal Bank of America credit card from the Housing Authority operating account.  The total amount of loss was $57,202.

Skipper will be sentenced by Judge Jordan on April 22, 2020 at 9:00 a.m.  She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, as well as restitution.       

The case is the result of an investigation by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General.  It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Keesha Middleton.

BOSTON – A Lowell woman pleaded guilty yesterday in connection with embezzling approximately $182,000 from a veterinary hospital that employed her.

Sasha A. Saulnier, 32, pleaded guilty to six counts of wire fraud before U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton who scheduled sentencing for April 24, 2020. In August 2019, Saulnier was charged by criminal complaint.

Saulnier was employed by a full-service animal hospital as a client relations specialist from October 2011 until September 2018. During that time, she had various client responsibilities, including selling retail products to customers at the hospital. Saulnier also served in a temporary supervisory role, which gave her access to management software and the ability to manipulate account transactions and accounting data.

From March 2014 through August 2018, Saulnier entered false refund transactions into the company’s management software, and then credited her own personal debit cards, which linked directly to her personal checking account. Specifically, Saulnier occasionally entered a fictitious refund for merchandise that was legitimately purchased by a customer, but never returned, and then credited the bogus refund to her own debit card. Saulnier also fabricated refunds for wholly fictitious retail purchases that were never actually made, and then credited that amount to her own debit card. In an effort to conceal her fraud, Saulnier used dormant accounts of inactive hospital clients, such as those with deceased pets and so-called “test accounts,” set up solely for training purposes. In addition, Saulnier fabricated discounts which she applied to purchases of retail products.

Over the course of the scheme, Saulnier used her position to falsify approximately 482 transactions resulting in refunds and credits totaling more than $182,800 to her own bank account. Saulnier used this money for personal expenses and travel, including trips to Las Vegas, New York City and the Bahamas.

The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or up to twice the loss involved, restitution and forfeiture. 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, Boston Field Office; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Weinstein of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

Columbia, South Carolina ---- Acting United States Attorney A. Lance Crick announced today that Scott Dylan Green, Joseph Price Langford, Ricardo Dunbar, and James Clinton Gunter, Jr., all of Aiken County, were sentenced in federal court for their involvement in a methamphetamine and heroin conspiracy. 

United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs of Columbia sentenced Green to 210 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of court-ordered supervision.  Langford was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison followed by 5 years of court-ordered supervision.  Dunbar was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison followed by 8 years of court-ordered supervision.  Gunter was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison followed by 4 years of court-ordered supervision.   There is no parole in the federal system.

Evidence presented to the court when the defendants pleaded guilty established that the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated an investigation into the narcotics distribution activities of co-defendants Kenneth Evans and Eddie Brockington.  Evans is an inmate in the South Carolina Department of Corrections and Brockington is an inmate in the Georgia Department of Corrections.  Through controlled purchases and other investigative techniques, agents learned that members of the conspiracy purchased and distributed large amounts of methamphetamine and/or heroin for Evans and Brockington. Some of the individuals charged were responsible for transporting multi-kilogram amounts of methamphetamine and heroin into South Carolina and then distributing the drugs throughout the state.  Brockington and Evans have pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge against them and are awaiting sentencing.

The case was investigated by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.  Assistant United States Attorney William K. Witherspoon of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.

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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Washington, D.C. man was sentenced today to over nine years in prison for supplying over 770 grams of heroin to a distributer between March 2017 and December 2017.

According to court documents, Jeffrey Moten, 46, provided approximately 770 grams of heroin to an individual for redistribution. This individual then dealt out the heroin to others, including to an undercover law enforcement officer, and totaled a profit of over $60,000. Moten is a career offender with four prior drug related felony convictions.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karolina Klyuchnikova prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-325.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. has sentenced Ramon Christopher Blanchett to 34 months in federal prison for theft of government funds. The court also ordered Blanchett to forfeit $980,000, which is traceable to proceeds of the offense.

Blanchett had pleaded guilty on October 1, 2019.

According to court documents, on February 21, 2017, Blanchett electronically filed his 2016 Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, claiming (1) $18,497 in wage income, (2) a state and local income tax deduction of $47,357, and (3) an income tax withholding credit of $1 million. These figures were not accurate. Blanchett attached two Forms W-2 to his return, and one of them contained false and fraudulent information, including an inflated wage amount and inflated amount of tax withheld. Based upon this return, Blanchett falsely claimed that he was due a tax refund of $1 million, and requested that $20,000 of that amount be applied to his 2017 estimated tax. 

In April 2017, the IRS mailed a U.S. Treasury check for $980,000 to Blanchett at his residential address in Tampa. Blanchett deposited the check into an account at SunTrust Bank. SunTrust reported the transaction to the IRS, closed Blanchett’s accounts, and held the funds for the IRS.

Ultimately, in 2018, Blanchett received a new official check for $980,000 and deposited it into an account that he opened with Grow Financial Credit Union (GFCU) in Tampa, Florida. Blanchett told GFCU that the funds represented the proceeds of an inheritance he had received from his father’s estate. In fact, Blanchett had not received proceeds from an inheritance. Blanchett used some of the funds to purchase a 2016 Lexus RC350 for $51,617 at a Tampa dealership.

In August 2018, a federal magistrate judge authorized seizure warrants for Blanchett’s Lexus and the money in his GFCU account at the time. Both the vehicle and $919,421.87 were seized.

In April 2018, Blanchett electronically filed another false and fraudulent tax return – this time for tax year 2017 – claiming he was due a refund of $26,477.

In September 2018, Blanchett voluntarily appeared at the IRS office in Tampa, for an appointment that he had made with the Taxpayer Assistance Center. The center alerted IRS-Criminal Investigation agents, who told Blanchett that he was under criminal investigation regarding the $980,000 refund, which he had received. Notwithstanding communications from agents, Blanchett filed a third false and fraudulent income tax return in February 2019 for the 2018 tax year, claiming a refund of $465,734. 

With the exception of one Form W-2, Blanchett did not earn wages in the amounts claimed on the Forms W-2 attached to his tax returns. Moreover, he did not make enough wages to have any income tax withheld, and the amounts of tax withheld reported on his tax returns were false. In short, Blanchett knew he was not entitled to a tax refund for tax years 2016, 2017, or 2018.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachelle DesVaux Bedke.