Three people from Lima were sentenced to prison this week for their roles in a sex trafficking conspiracy involving a 14-year-old girl, said Acting U.S. Attorney David A. Sierleja, FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony and Lima Police Chief Kevin Martin.

Randy Thompson, 26, was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison. Shemeric Cook, 30, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Precious Russell, 20, was sentenced to nine years in prison.

All three defendants frequented the 4^th Street apartment complex in Lima and played a role in the sex trafficking of a 14-year old girl from that location in November 2015, according to court documents and testimony.

Thompson forced the victim to engage in commercial sex acts from his apartment, from a nearby gas station and caused the victim to be transported to Fort Wayne, Indiana where she was prostituted as well. He also lied to investigators during the case.

Thompson pled guilty to two counts of conspiracy to engage in the sex trafficking of a minor, one count of transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in prostitution, two counts of sex trafficking of a minor and one count of obstruction of a sex trafficking investigation.

Cook pled guilty to obstruction of a sex trafficking investigation for his role in lying to investigators, attempting to distance himself from the crimes and trying to protect others who were involved in the sex trafficking of the victim.

Russell pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in the sex trafficking of a minor and one count of sex trafficking of a minor. She assisted Thompson in his prostitution of the victim out of the 4^th Street apartment complex, including creating on-line advertisements offering the sexual services of the minor, according to court documents and testimony.

Megan Hitt and Jacqueline Young are scheduled to be sentenced on June 27^th for their roles in the conspiracy. Lorenzo Young and Aundre Davis, who were convicted at trial this year, are scheduled to be sentenced on September 7^th.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alissa M. Sterling and Daniel Hurley following an investigation by the Lima Police Department, the FBI and the Northwest Ohio Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Boston – A Lowell man was indicted yesterday in federal court in Boston for passport fraud.

Jairus Devarie, 41, was indicted on one count of making false statements in a passport application.  It is alleged that in November 2016, Devarie submitted an application for a U.S. passport and that during an interview with federal agents regarding the pending application, Devarie admitted that he submitted the application on behalf of another person.

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

Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and David W. Hall, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Boston Field Office, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Richardson of Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Steven A. Helms, II, 36, of Clarksburg, West Virginia was sentenced to 51 months incarceration for distributing heroin, Acting United States Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen announced.

Helms pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess With the Intent to Deliver Heroin” in November 2016.  

Assistant U.S. Attorney Traci M. Cook prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Greater Harrison County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.

U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.

          SUNG HONG, 45, and HYUN JOO HONG, 41, a Clyde Hill, Washington couple were arrested this morning on federal charges they defrauded multiple clients out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. SUNG HONG, aka LAURENCE HONG or LAWRENCE HONG, and his wife, HYUN JOO HONG, aka GRACE HONG, held themselves out as experienced investment advisors with a track record of performance in order to solicit investor funds for their hedge fund, Pishon Holdings, and for management through separately managed accounts. Authorities are still assessing the total amount of fraud in the case, but since 2011, the HONGs have solicited several million dollars in investor funds from numerous clients, and the losses to just three victims exceed $500,000. The HONGs will make their initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Seattle at 2:00 today.

          According to records filed in the case, the HONGs recruited investors using religious organizations and shared religious beliefs. The couple claimed that LAURENCE HONG privately invests money for wealthy Korean families and that GRACE HONG holds a Series 65 securities license and previously worked for a large international investment firm. None of these statements appear to be true. Nor was LAURENCE HONG’s past history disclosed. The couple sent potential customers misleading and false investment prospectuses that contained an inaccurate record of their past investment performance and other plagiarized investment outlooks. They further misled investors as to the advisor fees they would charge and the amount of their funds that would be at risk.

          The HONGs used investor funds for their own benefit. One church in California invested $1 million with the HONGs and lost about $300,000 on a single trade. Still, despite the steep losses and a fee arrangement based on investment gains, the HONGs withdrew almost $150,000, ostensibly as advisor fees, from the church’s account. Another couple allowed the HONGs to manage their $180,000 in retirement funds only to lose $100,000 within less than a year. After meeting with the HONGs, that couple then invested their remaining retirement funds in the HONGs’ hedge fund, only for those funds to be redirected into GRACE HONG’s personal account. The HONGs used those funds to pay credit card bills and other personal expenses, including a $16,000 payment to a resort in the Bahamas for a HONG family vacation.

          Investigators have identified over $2 million in additional losses in several other investor accounts managed by the HONGs. The financial investigation to date has revealed investor money was used to pay for the HONGs’ extravagant lifestyle, which included a 9,000 square foot rental home in Clyde Hill; a 45-foot yacht; multiple high-end vehicles, such as BMWs, a Maserati, and a Lamborghini; and lavish vacations.

          The FBI is investigating the case and is still determining the number of victims and the amount of fraud loss. Those who believe they have information about this case, please contact seattle.fbi@fbi.gov or call 206-622-0460.

          The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

         Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

          The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Justin Arnold and Steven Masada.

BOSTON - A Dominican national was charged yesterday in U.S. District Court in Boston with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

Sandy Saul Pena, 35, was deported in February 2012, and in December 2016, federal agents in Boston discovered Pena and found him to be illegally present in the United States.

Pena faces a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. He will also be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and Matthew J. Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON - A Dominican national was charged yesterday in U.S. District Court in Boston with a federal immigration crime.

Manuel Bienvenido Pimentel-Pimentel, 54, was charged with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.  Pimentel-Pimentel was deported in August 2010, and in May 2017, federal agents discovered Pimentel-Pimentel and found him to be illegally present in the United States.

Pimentel-Pimentel faces a sentence of no greater than two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. He will also be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and Matthew J. Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON - A Dominican national was charged yesterday in federal court in Boston with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

Rafael Tejeda, 54, was deported in April 2013, and in May 2017, federal agents in Boston discovered Tejeda and found him to be illegally present in the United States.

Tejeda faces a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 and will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and Matthew J. Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

CHICAGO — A Chicago man was sentenced today to nine years in federal prison for aiding his cousin and Heather Mack in the 2014 killing of Mack’s mother at an Indonesian resort.

ROBERT RYAN JUSTIN BIBBS, also known as “Ryan Bibbs,” admitted in a plea agreement last year that he advised his cousin, Tommy Schaefer, and Mack about how to kill Mack’s mother, Sheila A. Von Wiese. Von Wiese, 62, was bludgeoned to death in her hotel room at the St. Regis Bali resort on Aug. 12, 2014.

Bibbs acknowledged in his plea agreement that he was aware of the couple’s plot to carry out the murder, and he counseled Schaefer on how to get away with it. Bibbs believed Schaefer would gain access to Von Wiese’s estate through Mack, and that Schaefer would share a portion of the inheritance with him, according to the plea agreement.

Bibbs, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit the foreign murder of a U.S. national. U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer imposed the nine-year sentence in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by Joel R. Levin, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Indonesian law enforcement provided valuable assistance.

“Repeatedly, the prospect of Von Wiese’s killing was broached and defendant elected to push the plot forward, rather than stop it or extricate himself from it,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Bolling Haxall argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “When Schaefer stood at the precipice, defendant provided a push forward.”

Evidence revealed that Bibbs, Schaefer and Mack discussed the murder during a meeting in Bibbs’ Chicago home prior to Mack and Schaefer traveling to Indonesia. Mack and her mother shared a hotel room in Bali, and Schaefer arrived at the resort on the morning of the murder. Soon after his arrival, Schaefer sent a text message to Bibbs, who was in the United States. The message stated that Mack had unsuccessfully attempted to kill Von Wiese, Bibbs’ plea agreement states. Bibbs replied with advice about alternative ways to carry out the murder, including by drowning, the plea agreement states.

Later that morning Schaefer sent a text message to Bibbs, stating, in part, “She wants me to right now… While she snoozing,” which Bibbs understood to mean that Mack had asked Schaefer to help her kill Von Wiese, the plea agreement states. Bibbs texted back to Schaefer, “Go sit on her face wit a pillow then,” according to the plea agreement. Bibbs intended this message to mean that Schaefer should go and suffocate Von Wiese, the plea agreement states. Subsequent messages from Bibbs encouraged Schaefer to kill Von Wiese but to be careful while doing so, the plea agreement states.

A short time later, Schaefer entered the hotel room occupied by Mack and Von Wiese and bludgeoned Von Wiese to death, Bibbs’ plea agreement states. Schaefer and Mack subsequently stuffed Von Wiese’s body into a suitcase, placed the suitcase in a taxicab and fled the resort, the plea agreement states.

Schaefer and Mack were arrested the following day by police in Indonesia. An Indonesian court in 2015 convicted Schaefer and Mack of charges related to Von Wiese’s murder. Schaefer was sentenced to 18 years in an Indonesian prison, while Mack was sentenced to ten years.

The government in Bibbs’ case is represented by Mr. Haxall, as well as Christine Duey, a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Berkeley County man was arraigned today after being named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Martinsburg, West Virginia on May 16, 2017, Acting United States Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen announced.

Bradley Markley, age 31, of Hedgesville, West Virginia was indicted on one count of “Distribution of Heroin.” The crime is alleged to have occurred in October 2016 in Berkeley County.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Z. Krasinski is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, is investigating.

An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK – Mohammed Nurey Ibrahim, age 41, an Eritrean national and resident of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, appeared yesterday on an indictment charging him with presenting a fraudulently obtained visa to a Border Patrol Agent.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Acting Director Christian J. Schurman of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service.

According to the indictment, on January 5, 2017, Ibrahim presented a fraudulently obtained United States non-immigrant tourist visa to a United States Border Patrol Agent in Champlain, New York. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Ibrahim will be arraigned Tuesday in Plattsburgh, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Gary L. Favro. He is detained pending arraignment and a detention hearing.

If convicted, Ibrahim would face up to 5 years in prison 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 Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, United States Customs and Border Protection, United States Border Patrol, and Homeland Security Investigations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Horsman.

A resident of Syracuse, New York was charged with stealing over $3.5 million from the City of Miami Beach’s bank account through unauthorized electronic transfers.

Benjamin G. Greenberg, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Daniel J. Oates, Chief, City of Miami Beach Police Department, made the announcement.

David J. Miller, 44, of Syracuse, New York, was charged by criminal complaint with bank fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344; and aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A(a)(1). The bank fraud offense carries a maximum penalty of twenty years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The aggravated identity theft offense carries a mandatory, consecutive two-year term of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

According to the complaint, Miller was responsible for the theft of approximately $3.5 million from the City of Miami Beach’s general depository account at SunTrust Bank. The complaint alleges that Miller caused the electronic transfer of these stolen funds to an account opened in the name of “Company A.” According to the complaint, Company A provides a service that allows customers to purchase, sell, and transfer seat licenses and seat location rights at sporting venues around the United States, including National Football League (NFL) stadiums.

The complaint alleges that between July 2016 and October 2016, Miller used the identity of victim “R.W.” in connection with the bank fraud scheme. Specifically, Miller used R.W.’s identity to create an online profile on Company A’s website. Miller also supplied Company A with the bank account number and routing number for one of the City of Miami Beach’s SunTrust Bank accounts.

Using funds from the City of Miami Beach’s account, Miller purchased approximately 157 seat licenses at NFL stadiums around the country. Miller also used stolen funds to purchase season and individual game tickets at NFL games and other sporting events. According to the complaint, Miller further used the City of Miami Beach’s money to pay his utilities bills. In one instance, Miller caused a counterfeit check, purportedly issued by the City of Miami Beach, to be deposited into a family member’s bank account.

According to court records, Miller is currently in custody in Onondaga County, New York, on state identity theft charges.

Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and the City of Miami Beach Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher B. Browne, Harold E. Schimkat, and Nalina Sombuntham.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

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 on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, todayannounced that a federal jury in Hartford has found PETER J. SANTOS, 41, of Manchester, guilty of one count of threatening a federal official. The trial before U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson began on May 30 and the jury returned the verdict this afternoon.

According to the evidence at trial, in January 2014, SANTOS was sentenced in the Southern District of New York to 25 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to transport stolen goods, conspiring to receive stolen goods and conspiring to commit wire fraud. On December 31, 2015, after completing his period of incarceration, he began serving his three-year period of supervised release, which was transferred to the U.S. Probation Office in the District the Connecticut.

While on supervised release, SANTOS tested positive for controlled substances on multiple occasions. On August 31, 2016, SANTOS appeared before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven for a supervised release violation hearing. Judge Arterton revoked SANTOS’ supervised release and imposed a penalty of six months of imprisonment to be followed by 24 months of additional supervised release. As the U.S. Marshals were walking SANTOS out of the courtroom, SANTOS looked at his supervising U.S. Probation Officer and stated “When I get out, I’m coming for you.” The Probation Officer responded, “Excuse me?” SANTOS responded, “You heard me.”

After they left the courtroom, a Deputy U.S. Marshal said to SANTOS, “That’s not smart.” SANTOS responded by stating that he did not care and he was tired of it, adding that, “Everyone has to meet their maker whether it is by me or some other way.”

The investigation revealed that SANTOS made additional threats while he was incarcerated on the supervised release violation.

Judge Thompson scheduled sentencing for August 29, 2017, at which time SANTOS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of six years.

This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John H. Durham.

RICHMOND, Va. – Fredericksburg Hospitalist Group, P.C. (FHG), and 14 of its member shareholders have agreed to pay approximately $4.2 million to settle a federal False Claims Act (FCA) case brought under the qui tam whistleblower provisions of the FCA.

“Rooting out fraudulent billing by healthcare providers is a priority,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This office will continue to pursue such matters vigorously.”

The whistleblower complaint, which was originally filed under seal, alleged that FHG and its member hospitalists knowingly and intentionally upcoded evaluation and management (E&M) codes to the highest code levels in billing Medicare and other federal healthcare payors in connection with their providing hospitalist services to patients at Mary Washington Hospital and Stafford Hospital. After an investigation into the matter, the United States alleged that from January 2010 through April 2015, the defendants knowingly and intentionally increased the level of E&M codes to the highest code levels, resulting in increased reimbursement amounts paid by the federal healthcare payors to the billing defendants.

“Whether it’s upcoding, billing for undelivered services, or delivery of substandard care, our nationally renowned Medicaid Fraud Control Unit will never stop working to root out fraud, waste, and abuse that steals from taxpayers and weakens these important programs for Virginians who need these services,” said Mark Herring, Virginia Attorney General.

The whistleblower, also known as a “relator,” alleged that the defendants’ conduct violated the FCA. In such cases, the United States has an opportunity to investigate the claims. Under the FCA relators may be awarded up to 25 percent, or more, of amounts collected.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the Virginia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit within the Office of the Virginia Attorney General, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Office of the Inspector General.

The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McIntosh, and Assistant Attorney Generals Vincent J. Vaccarella and Adele M. Neiburg. The civil claims settled by this FCA agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.

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

MONROE, La. –Acting U.S.Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a West Monroe man pleaded guilty Thursday to receiving child pornography.

John D. Owen, 30, of West Monroe, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. to one count of receiving child pornography. According to the guilty plea, law enforcement agents identified the defendant as possessing child pornography. Agents conducted a search of his residence on September 22, 2016 and found five videos of child pornography on his cell phone and 38 images of child pornography on a computer.

Owen faces five to 20 years in prison, five years to life of supervised release, mandatory registration as a sex offender and a $250,000 fine. The court set the sentencing date for September 27, 2017.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Those concerned may leave tips with the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. Tips may be submitted anonymously. The Monroe FBI office number is (318) 387-0773.

The FBI, Swiss Cybercrime Coordination Unit and the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tennille M. Gilreath is prosecuting the case.

McALLEN, Texas – A 29-year old resident of McAllen has entered a guilty plea to one count of receipt of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.

Rodrigo Garcia-Fuentes came to the attention of law enforcement following an investigation which began Feb. 12, 2016, into persons using the Internet to traffic in child pornography. A special agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was able to locate and identify a computer as offering to participate in the receipt of child pornography videos through a peer-to-peer network on the Internet. Through the investigation, it was determined that the computer was located at a residence in McAllen.

On July 29, 2016, HSI agents executed a federal search warrant at the McAllen residence, during which time they seized a computer. A forensic examination on the computer revealed 218 videos and 730 images of child pornography involving minor children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. These videos included children under the age of 12 involved in sadistic conduct and other depictions of violence. Some of the videos are of known victims as identified through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Garcia-Fuentes admitted he downloaded and viewed child pornography from the Internet, thereby receiving the child pornography found on his computer. He admitted he had been downloading child pornography for approximately four years.

U.S. District Judge Randy Crane accepted the guilty plea and set sentencing for Aug. 15, 2017. At that time, Garcia-Fuentes faces a minimum of five and up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine. He will remain in custody pending that hearing.

HSI conducted the investigation.

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

McALLEN, Texas ‐ The owner of a Rio Grande Valley area durable medical equipment (DME) company has been ordered to federal prison following her conviction in a scheme to defraud Texas Medicaid through fraudulent billings, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Elva Acevedo Santos, 37, of McAllen, pleaded guilty April 8, 2016, admitting she submitted false and fraudulent claims to Texas Medicaid for DME that was not authorized and/or not provided.

Today, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane handed Santos a 21-month sentence to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. She was further ordered to pay $581,743.39 in restitution to the Texas Medicaid program as a result of the fraudulent claims she submitted.

Santos was the owner of Hope & Miracle DME in Mission. As part of her plea, Santos admitted she forged and/or caused others to forge the signatures of physicians on the required DME prescription forms also known as Title XIX forms. Santos subsequently used the fraudulent forms as the basis to submit claims to Texas Medicaid and Medicare in order to receive reimbursements.

Santos further admitted she submitted or caused others to submit false or fraudulent claims with Medicare for a patient who was deceased on dates that Santos claimed to have provided diabetic supplies to the patient. The delivery tickets maintained by Hope & Miracle DME contained forged signatures of the deceased beneficiary after the date of her death.

Previously released on bond, Santos was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services‐Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Day and Andrew Swartz are prosecuting the case.

Portland, Maine: Acting United States Attorney Richard W. Murphy announced that Norma J. Duhamel, 71, of South Portland, Maine pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to stealing mail.

According to court documents, between August and October of 2016, Duhamel stole mail containing bank checks and a credit card from mailboxes of residents of Cumberland, Maine. She cashed about $1,125 worth of stolen checks and charged about $105 on the credit card.

The defendant faces up to 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

            WASHINGTON – Manuel Fernandez, 35, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to sexually assaulting six of his students while working as a teacher at the Latin American Montessori Bilingual Charter School (L.A.M.B.), announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Fernandez pled guilty in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia to two charges of Second Degree Child Sexual Abuse, one charge of Attempted Second Degree Child Sexual Abuse, and three charges of Misdemeanor Sexual Abuse of a Child. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a prison term of 1.5 to 8 years. Upon release, Fernandez would be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff scheduled sentencing for September 7, 2017 at 2:00 pm.

            According to the plea documents, while Fernandez was a teacher at L.A.M.B., he touched multiple students on their genitalia while in his classroom and in the school basement. He touched both male and female students, both under and over their clothing.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Tracy Owusu, Lezlie Richardson and Elsa Maltese, all of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit, former Intern Emma McArthur, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessi Camille Brooks and J. Matt Williams, who prosecuted the case.

Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Héctor Trujillo, general secretary of the Guatemalan soccer federation (the “federation”) from 2009 to 2015 and a former judge of the Constitutional Court of Guatemala, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and one count of wire fraud in connection with his participation in a scheme to accept hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks. Trujillo also agreed to forfeit $175,000. Trujillo faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for each count. Today’s plea proceeding took place before United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen.

The guilty plea was announced by Bridget M. Rohde, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assisting Director in Charge, FBI New York Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge R. Damon Rowe, IRS Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office.

According to court filings and facts presented during the plea proceeding, Trujillo and other officials of the federation agreed to accept hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from Media World, a sports marketing company based in Miami, in exchange for media and marketing rights to the Guatemalan soccer team’s home World Cup qualifier matches leading up to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments. Over a period of years, Media World transmitted these kickbacks from its U.S. bank accounts. After Media World wired some of the kickback money to a United States bank account controlled by Trujillo’s associate, the associate wired the money from that account to an account in Guatemala, where Trujillo received his share.

The guilty plea announced today is part of an investigation into corruption in international soccer being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the FBI New York Field Office, and the IRS-CI Los Angeles Field Office. The prosecutors in Brooklyn are receiving considerable assistance from attorneys in various parts of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division in Washington, D.C., including the Office of International Affairs, the Organized Crime and Gang Section, the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and the Fraud Section, as well as from INTERPOL Washington.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Tuchmann, Samuel P. Nitze, M. Kristin Mace, Keith D. Edelman, and Brian D. Morris of the Eastern District of New York are in charge of today’s prosecution.

The government’s investigation is ongoing.

The Defendant:

HÉCTOR TRUJILLO

Age: 63

Nationality: Guatemala

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 15 CR 252 (S-1)

United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man was acquitted of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, and Brandishing of a Firearm During a Crime of violence as a result of a federal jury trial in Pierre, South Dakota, on June 1, 2017.

Philip Anthony Battese, age 36, was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 19, 2017, for resisting a law enforcement officer with a pistol.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Lower Brule agency. The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case.