United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse was sentenced by Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court Judge.

Isadore White Calf, age 56, was sentenced on January 29, 2020, to 20 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

White Calf was indicted for the charge by a federal grand jury in July 2018.  The charge related to White Calf forcibly sexually assaulting a female in February 2017 at Pine Ridge.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.

White Calf was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Andrea Manassa was sentenced to 123 months of imprisonment on January 23, 2020.  Manassa pled guilty in July of 2019 to two charges—possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking felony.

United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer imposed a sentence of sixty three months on the drug charge and ordered that it run consecutive to 60 months on the carrying a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking felony, for a total sentence of imprisonment of 123 months.  The judge ordered that when Manassa is released from imprisonment, he will serve four years of supervised release. 

Court records established that on November 27, 2018 law enforcement officers in the City of Prichard, Alabama saw the Manassa in the passenger seat of a car. Officers recognized Manassa and knew he had active felony warrants. The officers also recognized the vehicle as it had fled from law enforcement during a drug investigation approximately one week earlier. Officers approached the vehicle and Manassa fled on foot but was captured. On the passenger floorboard where Manassa was sitting officers recovered approximately 63 grams of crack cocaine and approximately 75 grams of powder cocaine as well as a loaded firearm, a Glock, Model 43, 9mm handgun. Manassa possessed the firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking to protect his drugs. 

The case was investigated by the City of Prichard Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. (ATF).  It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney George May.

United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Wayne Maurice Lafitte was sentenced to 85 months imprisonment on January 15, 2020 for his participation in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy. Lafitte pled guilty to the charge in June of 2018.  

United States District Court Judge Callie V.S. Granade imposed the 85 month sentence.  The judge ordered that when Lafitte is released from imprisonment, he will serve ten years of supervised release.  Court records established that Mobile County Sheriff’s Office narcotics officers executed a search warrant at a storage facility where Lafitte stored methamphetamine and recovered approximately 584 grams of methamphetamine.
 
In addition, on June 13, 2017 a Mobile County Street Enforcement Narcotics Team (MCSENT) confidential informant (CI) ordered methamphetamine from Lafitte. Lafitte sent Exaviera Deagnes Maxie to deliver the methamphetamine and Maxie delivered approximately 7.3 grams of methamphetamine from Lafitte to the CI.  On June 26, 2017, MCSENT officers executed a search warrant at Maxie’s home in Mobile County and recovered approximately 24.6 grams of methamphetamine from Maxie’s purse.  The methamphetamine was packaged for resale.  Maxie obtained the methamphetamine from Lafitte.

The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and the Mobile County Street Enforcement Narcotics Team. It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney George May.

United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Darell Leon Hardin was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on January 14, 2020 for his participation in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy. Hardin pled guilty to the charge in August of 2018.  

United States District Court Judge William H. Steele imposed the 10-year sentence.  The judge ordered that when Hardin is released from imprisonment, he will serve five years of supervised release.  Court records established that on December 7, 2017 the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made a controlled buy of 223.36 grams of methamphetamine from Hardin. Hardin, from California, was seen by law enforcement agents when he got off a bus in Mobile the previous day. Further surveillance showed the defendant arrive at the buy location and get into and exit the confidential informant’s vehicle at the location of the buy. There were also numerous recorded telephone calls to the defendant setting up the controlled buy. Hardin delivered the 223.36 grams of methamphetamine to the informant.  Hardin was later arrested in California and he had a kilogram of methamphetamine in his home during the arrest and search of his home. 

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the City of Mobile Police Department, Narcotics Unit.  It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney George May.

MIAMI – U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga sentenced Senthil Kumar Ramamurthy, 38, of Texas, to 121 months in federal prison for his role in a scheme that defrauded Tricare and Medicare out of more than $9.6 million. Ramamurthy and his co-conspirators tricked beneficiaries into having the federal health care programs pay for medically unnecessary compounded prescription medicines and cancer genetic tests.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Cynthia Bruce, Special Agent In Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office, and SAC Omar Pérez Aybar, Special Agent in Charge for Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement. 

Tricare is the health care program for the U.S. military that pays the health care costs of active and retired military personnel and their families, including the costs of medically necessary prescription medications. Medicare is a federally-funded program that provides free or below-cost health care benefits to certain individuals, primarily the blind, elderly, and disabled.

On November 12, 2019, Ramamurthy pled guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud and conspiring to defraud the United States and receive health care kickbacks. 

According to court records, Ramamurthy and his co-conspirators targeted Tricare for about 10 months, starting in 2014. After deceiving their way onto U.S. military bases, Ramamurthy and his co-conspirators convinced Tricare beneficiaries to sign-up for compounded prescription medications that the beneficiaries did not need. To encourage sign-up, Ramamurthy and his co-conspirators falsely told the beneficiaries that the pharmacies would custom-design their medications or that the medications were free. In fact, the medications were not custom-designed and the patients had co-payments. Compounding pharmacies paid Ramamurthy and his co-conspirators millions of dollars in kickbacks in exchange for sending the pharmacies expensive prescription orders. 

In mid-2015, Tricare scaled back its reimbursements for compounded medications. Ramamurthy and his co-conspirators turned to Medicare. They paid doctors to refer Medicare beneficiaries to a lab in Georgia for cancer genetic screening testing, even though the doctors had never examined the beneficiaries. As with the compounded medications, the cancer genetic screening tests were not medically necessary. The owner of the Georgia lab, Minal Patel, 40, was indicted in the Southern District of Florida in September 2019.  

“Ramamurthy used our military families, our elderly, and our disabled to bilk millions of dollars from our country’s vital health care programs.  He is set to spend the next 10 years in federal prison paying for that,” said U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan.  “I commit to you that along with its federal law enforcement partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to fight health care fraud in South Florida.”

"Senthil Ramamurthy’s conduct was part of a multi-million dollar fraud scheme perpetrated on the military's healthcare program.  Today's sentencing is a testament of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service's fierce commitment to protect America's Warfighters and the integrity of their healthcare program.  DCIS will work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners and Federal prosecutors in order to bring to justice any unscrupulous individuals or organizations who decide to compromise and abuse the interests, health and well-being of our men and women in the military," said Cyndy Bruce, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Southeast Field Office. 

“Ramamurthy preyed upon unsuspecting beneficiaries to enrich himself; however, his unlawful actions led not to riches, but a 10-year prison sentence,” said  Omar Pérez Aybar, Special Agent in Charge, Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  “We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect government-funded health care programs and the beneficiaries served by them.”  

Additional co-conspirators of Ramamurthy have pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges arising out of the fraud scheme: Asif Uddin, 32, of Missouri, Karl Voeller, 34 of Delray Beach, Florida, Jennifer John Carbon, 48, of Miami, Florida, John Scholtes, 56 of Boca Raton, Florida, Anthony Mauzy, 43, of California, Thomas Sahs, 41, of California, Rajesh Mahbubani, 46, of Texas, and Dr. Mangala Ramamurthy, 64, of Texas. They are scheduled for sentencing in the Southern District of Florida in February 2020.

To date, fraudulent compounding pharmacy schemes have caused estimated losses to Tricare in excess of $2 billion. Fraudulent genetic testing lab schemes have caused estimated losses to Medicare of approximately $2.1 billion.   

U.S. Attorney Fajardo-Orshan commended the investigative efforts of DCIS and HHS-OIG.  Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Larsen, Ana Maria Martinez, and John C. Shipley prosecuted the case. Assistant United States Attorney Daren Grove is handling the asset forfeiture aspects of the case. 

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that, on January 31, 2020, a federal jury in New Haven found DEWAYNE JOYNER, also known as “Weezy,” 35, of Bridgeport, guilty of heroin distribution offenses.

According to the evidence presented during the trial, during the summer of 2017, members of the ATF, DEA and Bridgeport Police Department, who were investigating narcotics trafficking in Bridgeport’s East End neighborhood, learned that Joyner was selling heroin.  In September 2017, investigators conducted controlled purchases of heroin from Joyner.  The investigation revealed that Joyner was staying at a hotel in Bridgeport, and was storing narcotics in his hotel room.

Joyner was arrested on September 12, 2017.  At the time of his arrest, a search of his person revealed a quantity of heroin, $1,326 in cash, four cellphones and his hotel room key.  A search of the hotel room revealed more than 250 grams of heroin and items used to process and package narcotics for street sale.

The jury found Joyner guilty of one count of one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, one count of possession with intent to distribute a quantity of heroin, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, a quantity of heroin.  Joyner was found not guilty of one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, a quantity of heroin.

Joyner, who has been detained since his arrest, faces at least five years of imprisonment when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer.  A sentencing date is not scheduled.

This matter has been investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department.  The DEA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA, Connecticut State Police and Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford, Bridgeport and Trumbull Police Departments.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Vizcarrondo and Sarala Nagala.

          LOS ANGELES– A former tax and estate-planning lawyer who set up shell companies to evade the payment of more than $1.4 million he owed to the IRS was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison.

          James Roy McDaniel, 66, of Long Beach, was sentenced by United States District Judge S. James Otero, who also ordered McDaniel to pay $1.54 million in restitution.

          In October 2019, McDaniel pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion.

          McDaniel was a licensed California lawyer from 1981 until he surrendered his law license in 2004, shortly before he pleaded guilty to one felony count of subscribing to a false income tax return. In 2005, McDaniel was sentenced to three years in federal prison for that crime. In that case, McDaniel’s failure to report income – $1.6 million embezzled from his law firm clients – resulted in a tax loss of $677,368 to the federal government. The IRS subsequently assessed McDaniel more than $1.4 million in taxes, interest and penalties for the tax years 1997 through 2001. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted McDaniel for grand theft in that matter and he was sentenced to two years in state prison.

          Following his convictions in the previous cases, McDaniel willfully attempted to evade paying his debt to the IRS by creating two shell companies – Davis Bell Consulting LLC and James Roy Consulting LLC – where he directed payments for tax and estate planning consulting work he performed after he was released from prison. Between May 2008 and late 2018, McDaniel attempted to mislead federal tax authorities and conceal his income by directing other people to sign documents identifying themselves as the sole managing members of the shell companies. McDaniel directed them to open bank accounts where he deposited checks for his tax and estate planning work.

          In his plea agreement, McDaniel admitted to owing a total of $1,584,126 in unpaid taxes for the years 2008 to 2017. He has been in federal custody since his arrest in December 2018.

          “Despite his fortuitous second chance for a lucrative career, rather than properly report his income and pay taxes, defendant set up a complex web of limited liability corporations and straw bank accounts to conceal his connection to the tax consulting income,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum. “As if defendant’s conduct was not bad enough, for years he used his unwitting girlfriend and young adult children as nominees.”

          This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation.

          This matter was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ruth C. Pinkel of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.

Tampa, Florida – Joseph Brice, Jr. (26, Bradenton) has pleaded guilty to distributing heroin and fentanyl, and to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

According to the plea agreement, Brice sold heroin and fentanyl to an undercover officer on five different occasions. During the fifth drug sale, Brice sold heroin and a firearm to the undercover officer. Brice, who has prior felony convictions for armed burglary and cocaine distribution, is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David C. Waterman.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”). PSN 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. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

HOUSTON – Two defendants charged in relation to a more than $40 million securities fraud “pump and dump” conspiracy have now been ordered to prison, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

John David Brotherton, 60, League City, pleaded guilty Feb. 12, 2019, while Charles Earl Grob, 39, Houston, admitted his guilt Dec. 5, 2018.

Today, U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore imposed a 60-month sentence for Brotherton, while Grob received a sentence of 12 months.  

Brotherton and Grob were also ordered to forfeit $1.9 million and $242,907.09, respectively, and serve three years of supervised release following their sentences. The court also ordered each man to pay restitution to the victims of the fraud. The amount will be determined at a later date.  

Brotherton and Grob admitted they participated in a conspiracy to commit fraud in microcap securities. During the course of the conspiracy, they obtained control of the stock of numerous companies, then “pumped up” the price of the stock through false and misleading press releases and fraudulent trading techniques. They then “dumped” their shares of stock onto the market for a significant profit.

Brotherton, who is in now in custody following violations of his conditions of release, will remain there pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Grob was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender at a later date.

Five others - Andrew Ian Farmer, 41, Thomas Galen Massey, 49, Eddie Douglas Austin Jr., 69, and Carolyn Price Austin 65, all of Houston; and Scott Russell Sieck, 61, of Winter Park, Florida, also pleaded guilty for their respective roles and will be sentenced later this year.

The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Securities and Exchange Commission and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin R. Martin and Michael Chu are prosecuting the case.

HOUSTON ‐ A Houston area man has entered a guilty plea to money laundering in connection with his scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA), announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. 

Robert Kaitho, 56, entered his guilty plea today before U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen.

Kaitho applied for government assistance in reference to property damage sustained in Hurricane Harvey. In that application, he falsely represented to the SBA that he would use the disbursed funds to rehabilitate or replace the affected property. 

As a result of his misrepresentations, the SBA disbursed a federally-funded disaster loan to Kaitho for $71,100, all of which was deposited into his personal bank account. 

As part of his plea, Kaitho admitted he used the SBA funds to make unauthorized wire transfer payments, in the amounts of $10,000 and $15,000, to a mortgage company. Kaitho also acknowledged he used funds transferred into his account to make a $30,633.00 wire transfer payment to an individual located in Kenya, another unauthorized expenditure.

Judge Hanen accepted the plea today and set sentencing for June 1. At that time, Kaitho faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 maximum possible fine. Kaitho was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

SBA - Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Department of Homeland Security – OIG conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Day and Charmaine Holder are prosecuting the case.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Quleton Monix (36, Bradenton) to seven years and nine months in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The court also ordered Monix to forfeit the firearm and ammunition.

Monix had pleaded guilty on October 24, 2019.

According to court documents, between August 20 and September 12, 2018, Monix sold crack cocaine to an undercover officer on five different occasions. On September 26, 2018, law enforcement officers arrested Monix on multiple warrants for the sale of narcotics. After his arrest, authorities searched Monix and his vehicle and recovered $1,917 from Monix’s pocket, $3,071 from his wallet, 3.9 grams of crack cocaine from the center console of the vehicle, and $18,020, wrapped in stacks of $1,000, from a bag underneath the passenger seat.

That same day, a search warrant was executed at Monix’s residence. Inside the home, law enforcement officers located, among other things, 38 grams of cocaine, a digital scale, a razor blade, two silver pots and a fork that contained cocaine residue, a loaded semi-automatic pistol, and a box of ammunition.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David C. Waterman.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”). PSN 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. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – David Paul George Sr., 56, of Cherokee, N.C., was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for the sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term imposed, U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. also ordered George to serve 15 years under court supervision, and to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.

Chief Doug Pheasant, of the Cherokee Indian Police Department, joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making today’s announcement.

According to court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, between March and May 2018, George, who is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, sexually abused a minor female entrusted in his care.  As George previously admitted in court, the defendant sexually abused the victim on multiple occasions.  The sexual abuse took place in Swain County, within the boundaries of the Indian reservation.  

George has been in federal custody since June 2019. He will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.  All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray thanked the Cherokee Indian Police Department for their investigation of this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Pritchard, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville, prosecuted the case.

PROVIDENCE – A Pawtucket man today admitted to robbing two banks within a span of four-weeks in mid-summer 2019, by presenting tellers with threatening notes.

Christopher S. Oladapo, 29, admitted that he robbed a Providence branch of Citizens Bank on July 27, 2019, of $3,268, and that he robbed a Citizens Bank branch in Pawtucket on August 31, 2019, of $2,031.

Oladapo admitted that in the first robbery he handed a note to a teller that read “Don’t be a hero there’s two of us in here Give me all the money in your draw Call police 15 mins after I walk out Your being watched keep your hands where I can see.”

In the second robbery he passed a note to a teller that read, “act normal give me all the money you have, you are being watched.  Give me the note back and don’t call the police for 20 minutes.” 

Appearing today before U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith, Oladapo pleaded guilty to two counts of bank robbery, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh T. Clements, Jr., Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves, and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Joseph R. Bonavolonta.

Oladapo is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8, 2020.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine D. Lowell and Sandra R. Hebert.

The robberies were investigated by the Providence and Pawtucket Police Departments, with the assistance of the FBI.

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LONDON, Ky.- James Everett Smith, 51, of Booneville, Kentucky, admitted in federal court Monday, before U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, that he possessed with intent to distribute 500 grams of more of methamphetamine and possessed a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.             

Smith admitted that on September 23, 2018, law enforcement officers responded to a report of shots fired near his residence.  Officers approached Smith as he attempted to get in his van and found him in possession of 19 grams of methamphetamine and two pistols.  Smith gave officers permission to search his residence, where they found approximately 685 grams of methamphetamine, two additional pistols, two shotguns, $1,170, and digital scales.  In his plea agreement, Smith acknowledged possessing the methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it, and to possessing the firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.

According to the plea agreement, Smith was prohibited from possessing firearms because of multiple prior felony convictions, including two 2006 Manufacturing Methamphetamine convictions from Owsley County.                       

Smith 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 for the Louisville Division of ATF; and Commissioner Rodney Brewer, Kentucky State Police; jointly announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by KSP and ATF. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Parman. 

Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19, 2020. He faces a mandatory minimum 20 years in prison, up to life in prison, and a maximum fine of $20 million. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes.

This is a 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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PROVIDENCE – A New Bedford man appeared in U.S. District Court in Providence today and admitted that on at least four occasions he served as a middle-man in the sale and delivery of crack cocaine to an individual in Rhode Island.

Jordan Fernandes, 30, admitted that between February 12, 2018, and August 9, 2018, he participated in the sale and delivery of between 13.9 and 33.08 grams of crack cocaine for between $850 and $2,550.

The sale price included a delivery fee Fernandes established for each transaction.

Appearing today before U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith, Fernandes pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base and four counts of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base.

Fernandes is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8, 2020.

Fernandes’ guilty plea is announced by United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Joseph R. Bonavolonta, and Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh T. Clements, Jr.           

 The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly.

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ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. sentenced a South Carolina man to 168 months in prison and four years of supervised release for trafficking heroin and crack cocaine, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Veto Omar Martin, 41, of Anderson, S.C., received an enhanced prison sentence and was sentenced as a Career Offender due to his multiple prior drug trafficking convictions.

John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief David Zack of the Asheville Police Department (APD), join U.S. Attorney Murray in making today’s announcement.

According to court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, on November 30, 2018, officers with the Asheville Police Department’s Drug Suppression Unit executed a search warrant at a residence, and a vehicle parked in the driveway of the residence, in Asheville.  While executing the search warrant, law enforcement recovered from inside the home narcotics and various drug paraphernalia.  Law enforcement also arrested Martin, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of the parked vehicle. Inside the vehicle, law enforcement located heroin, crack cocaine, and other narcotics.  According to court records, over the course of the investigation, Martin admitted to selling drugs in Asheville and surrounding areas, and using the Asheville residence to sell narcotics. 

In October 2019, Martin pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute narcotics. He is currently in custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.  All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray thanked the FBI and APD for handling the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Pritchard, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville, prosecuted the case.

WICHITA, KAN. – A Wichita man pleaded guilty today to two armed robberies at local hotels, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

Darrell E. Black, 26, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to two counts of commercial robbery. In his plea, he admitted that on May 27, 2017, he robbed the Extended Stay America at 9450 E. Corporate Hills, and on May 29, 2017, he robbed the Days Inn and Suites at 7321 E. Kellogg, both in Wichita.

In both robberies, he held a clerk at gunpoint while demanding money from the hotel cash drawer.

Sentencing is set for May 1. Black could face a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.

McAllister commended the Wichita Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch for their work on the case.

Catholic Diocese employee embezzled fees for immigration assistance

          GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN— Monica Karina Mazei, aka Karina Puig, was sentenced today to 33 months’ imprisonment by Chief U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker. Mazei had been employed by the Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo’s Immigration Assistance Program, where she helped clients and their relatives apply for visas, work permits, permanent resident status, citizenship, and other relief. In October 2019, Mazei pled guilty to an indictment charging her with wire fraud. She admitted that on numerous occasions between 2015 and 2019, she collected fees from certain clients and promised to process their petitions. Instead, she embezzled their money, and did not send in their paperwork. Mazei immigrated to the United States from Ecuador herself, and became a naturalized citizen in 1999.

          Mazei concealed her scheme from the Diocese by not opening files for the clients she was defrauding. In some cases she deceived clients by requesting blank checks or money orders. She wrote “U.S. Department of Homeland Security” in the payee line of the copies she provided them as proof of payment. She then wrote her own name as payee on the actual instruments, and deposited them in her personal accounts. In other cases she took cash, which she simply kept for herself. In addition to the sentence of imprisonment, Chief Judge Jonker ordered Mazei to pay $58,998 in restitution to her identifiable victims.

          “Mazei was given an opportunity to live the American dream,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge, “but she cashed in on the dreams of others to line her own pockets.”

          This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.

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LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Barbara Doutt Forbes, 58, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty today to one count of tax evasion, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Tara Sullivan for the IRS-Criminal Investigation.

According to court documents, from 1997 to 2017, Forbes owned six pawn shops in North Dakota and South Dakota. From 2009 to 2012, she directed employees to delete gold jewelry from the stores’ electronic inventory and send that jewelry to her in Las Vegas. Forbes then sold the gold jewelry to a refining company in Philadelphia. In exchange, the refining company wired a total of $855,116 to Forbes’ personal bank accounts. Forbes failed to report this income on her tax returns. During an IRS audit of her tax returns, Forbes created and provided to the IRS false bank statements that omitted the wire transfers. As a result, Forbes owed $281,388 in income taxes to the United States. As part of her plea agreement, Forbes agreed to pay the full amount of owed income taxes back to the IRS.

This case was the product of an investigation by the IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Mickelson is prosecuting the case.

Forbes is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey on May 11, 2020. Forbes faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would 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.

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Four Trumbull County men convicted in an ATF investigation have been sentenced in federal court.

Donald Paul Phillips, age 28 of Mineral Ridge, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for two counts relating to the illegal manufacture and distribution of explosives, and one count of possessing firearms after a domestic violence conviction. 

Andrew Syacsure, age 31 of Niles, was sentenced to 4 months of home detention and 3 years of probation for one count of conspiring to manufacture and distribute explosives. 

Zachary Booth, age 30 of Warren, was sentenced to 3 years of supervised probation for one count of distributing explosives without an ATF license. 

And Donald Roger Phillips, age 50 of Mineral Ridge, was sentenced to 5 months of home detention, 3 years of probation, and a $1,000 fine for one count of possessing a firearm after a domestic violence conviction.  All four defendants pled guilty. 

According to court records:

In early 2019, ATF agents learned that Zachary Booth was offering to sell homemade explosive devices.  ATF agents began an undercover operation and purchased 11 homemade explosive devices from Booth.  The devices appeared similar to large M-80 fireworks, but contained hundreds of times more flash powder than consumer ground fireworks. 

After further investigation, the ATF learned that Booth had obtained the explosive devices from Donald Paul Phillips.  ATF agents then used an undercover agent to make multiple purchases of the devices from Donald Paul Phillips outside his workplace in Niles. 

On May 2, 2019, ATF agents arrested Donald Paul Phillips at his workplace in Niles and found a handgun in his toolbox.  Phillips was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to two prior convictions for domestic violence. 

Law enforcement also executed a search warrant at Donald Paul Phillips' residence in Mineral Ridge, where he lived with his father (Donald Roger Phillips) and step-mother.  During the search warrant, law enforcement found another handgun under Donald Paul Phillips' bed, and over a dozen firearms in a gun storage room immediately adjacent to his bedroom.  The firearms discovered in the gun storage room included multiple high-capacity magazines and a device that was later determined to be a silencer.  Law enforcement also found more than 500 homemade explosive devices in the breezeway of the home, and a loaded shotgun in Donald Roger Phillips's bedroom closet.  Donald Roger Phillips was also prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to a prior domestic violence conviction. 

ATF agents then conducted a search of Syacsure's home in Niles, and found evidence of explosives manufacturing in Syacusre's basement, which included workbenches, tubs of ingredients used to make flash powder, and empty cardboard fuses and tubes. 

In total, the ATF seized over 900 homemade explosive devices and over a dozen illegally possessed firearms during the investigation. 

The case was investigated by the ATF, with assistance from the Niles Police Department, the Weathersfield Police Department, and members of the Youngstown Bomb Squad.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Lewis.