FORT WORTH— Four Fort Worth bank robbers were sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge John McBryde for their roles in the November 3, 2016 robbery of a Woodhaven National Bank. The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Judge McBryde sentenced Tony Kalumba Tshiansi, 22, to 180 months in federal prison, Justin Corie Murry, 20, to 70 months in federal prison, Tremain Keyon Smith, 22, to 37 months in federal prison, and Nykesciah Danielle Williams, 25, to 37 months in federal prison.

According to documents filed in the case,on November 3, 2016, Williams drove the four defendantsto the Woodhaven National Bank located at 6301 North Beach Street, Fort Worth, Texas. Tshiansi advised of the best parking location to avoid detection and entered the bank with Murray. Murray presented a bank robbery note to a bank teller while the others waited. After the bank teller provided money the defendants fled the bank. As they fled the bank, a dye pack contained in the money exploded, rendering most of the money unusable.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fort Worth Police Department investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Cole prosecuted.

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FRESNO, Calif. — Carlos Piedra-Murillo (Piedra), 30, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today to two years and one month in prison for conspiring to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana in connection with a large-scale cultivation operation that impacted a prehistoric site, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Piedra was also ordered to pay $5,233 to the U.S. Forest Service to cover the cost to repair damage to the land and natural resources.

According to court documents, between May 1, 2016, and August 26, 2016, Piedra conspired with Juan Carlos Lopez, 32, of Lake Elsinore; Rafael Torres-Armenta (Torres), 30, and Javier Garcia-Castaneda (Garcia), 38, both citizens of Mexico, to cultivate marijuana in the Domeland Wilderness in the Sequoia National Forest. The Domeland Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area about 55 miles northeast of Bakersfield and is known for its many granite domes and unique geologic formations. Law enforcement officers located over 8,000 marijuana plants at that location and seized 15 pounds of processed marijuana, a .22‑caliber rifle, a pellet rifle, and numerous rounds of .22‑caliber ammunition.

The marijuana cultivation operation caused extensive environmental damage. It covered about 10 acres and was within the burned area of the 2000 Manter Fire. Some of the new vegetation and trees that sprouted after the fire had been cut and trimmed to make room for the marijuana plants. Water was diverted from a tributary stream of Trout Creek, a major tributary to the Kern River. Fertilizer and pesticides, including illegal carbofuran and zinc phosphide, highly toxic pesticides from Mexico, were found at the site. Large piles of trash were found near the campsite. The moving of soil to accommodate a basin around each marijuana plant caused extensive damage to a large prehistoric Tűbatulabal archaeological site. Holes were dug in the middle of the archaeological site and artifacts were found scattered on the surface among the marijuana plants.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Torres, Lopez, and Garcia have also pleaded guilty and are scheduled for sentencing on June 26, 2017. They face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

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BOSTON – Two men were arrested for allegedly trafficking nearly seven kilos of cocaine that was sent from the Dominican Republic to Boston on a commercial airline.

Juan Luis Perez Garcia, 44, a Dominican national residing in Bronx, N.Y., and Juan Artiles Taveras, 43, of Lakewood, N.J., were arrested Friday, June 3, 2017, in Attleboro, Mass., and charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

According to court documents a cooperating witness (CW) worked with investigators to identify members of a narcotics organization based in the Dominican Republic.  At a meeting in the Dominican Republic in June 2015, the CW and an undercover officer learned that one of the members of the narcotics organization had contacts who could put drugs on JetBlue flights destined for the United States, but they needed assistance in Boston taking the drugs off the plane.  The CW responded saying that he worked at the airport in Boston and could get the drugs off the aircraft without having them discovered.  In July 2015, another member of the drug organization told the CW that he had the ability to smuggle contraband into the United States from the Dominican Republic via JetBlue commercial flights.

It is alleged that in February 2016, the CW spoke with Perez Garcia about arranging for cocaine to be put on a plane in the Dominican Republic, to be received by the CW in Boston.  Over the course of the next year, several attempts were made that did not come to fruition.  On June 2, 2017, arrangements were allegedly made for a suitcase containing cocaine to arrive on a JetBlue flight from the Dominican Republic to Boston.  Upon arrival of the flight in Boston, federal agents intercepted the suitcase and conducted a field test which tested positive for cocaine and weighed nearly seven kilos.  On the evening of June 3, 2017, Perez Garcia and Artiles Taveras met the CW and undercover officer at a parking lot in Attleboro, Mass., to exchange money for the drugs.  Federal agents placed the two men under arrest.

The charging statute for possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to a lifetime in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of $10 million. 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; Matthew J. Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Stephen A. Marks, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by Customs and Border Protection and the Attleboro Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

AMARILLO, Texas — James Kenny Crawley, 60, of Amarillo, Texas, was sentenced today before U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater to 97 months in federal prison following his guilty plea in February 2017 to one count of possession of prepubescent child pornography, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Crawley was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prison on July 18, 2017.

According to documents filed in the case, Crawley used a laptop computer at his residence to search the Internet for images and videos of child pornography. In the course of searching for this material, Crawley located, downloaded and viewed approximately 5,000 images and over 100 videos constituting child pornography, and some of those images involved prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The Ochiltree County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Rangers and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Frausto prosecuted.

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AMARILLO, Texas — Three defendants in two separate cases were sentenced today before U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater for various methamphetamine distribution offenses. U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas made the announcement.

Judge Fitzwater sentenced Colleen Mossberger, 48, of Joliet, Illinois, to 120 months in federal prison following her guilty plea in February 2017 to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Mossberger has been in custody since the time of her arrest in September 2016.

According to documents filed in Mossberger’s case, on September 13, 2016, two Potter County deputies were working routine patrol on Interstate 40, in Potter County, Texas. The deputies stopped a vehicle for driving in the left lane not passing. The vehicle was occupied by Mossberger and a passenger. Mossberger and the passenger provided conflicting stories about their travels. A search of the vehicle revealed 1,316.7 grams of methamphetamine.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Potter County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Oscar Martin Cota, 25, of San Diego, California, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison following his guilty plea in February 2017 to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Co-defendant Edgar Isaac Castaneda Cota, 25, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison following his guilty plea also in February 2017 to the same offense. Both defendants have been in custody since their arrests in December 2016. Castaneda will be deported after serving his sentence.

According to documents filed in the case, on December 10, 2016, a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) trooper was working routine patrol on Interstate 40 in Carson County, Texas. The DPS trooper stopped a vehicle for speeding over the limit and the passenger not wearing a seatbelt. The vehicle was occupied by Cota and Castaneda. While speaking with Castaneda and Cota, the trooper noticed several indicators of possible criminal activity. A search of the vehicle revealed 6,698.9 grams of methamphetamine in the passenger side quarter panel. Cota and Castaneda were transporting the methamphetamine from California to Oklahoma in exchange for $1,500 each.

The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Frausto prosecuted the cases.

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Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that brothers BURNELL SCOTT, a/k/a “B.U.,” and BURCHANTI SCOTT, a/k/a “Napp,” were sentenced in Manhattan federal court today. BURCHANTI SCOTT was sentenced to 11 years in prison for distributing heroin, while BURNELL SCOTT was sentenced to 25 years in prison in connection with the 2005 drug-related murder of Kason Pinnick, a/k/a “Marijuana” (“Pinnick”) in Paterson, New Jersey. U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain imposed both sentences.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said: “As they admitted in their guilty pleas, Burnell and Burchanti Scott, brothers and longtime members of the Bloods street gang, distributed heroin and used violence to protect their drug distribution territory. Burnell Scott in fact shot and killed Kason Pinnick over a territorial dispute in Paterson, New Jersey. Today, each brother was sentenced to the lengthy prison term their crimes merit.”

BURCHANTI SCOTT previously pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin.

BURNELL SCOTT previously pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin.

According to the indictments and the felony information previously filed in Manhattan federal court, and public information:

BURNELL SCOTT, a long-time member of the G-Shine set of the Bloods street gang, was arrested on October 30, 2013, in Paterson, New Jersey. On February 24, 2016, SCOTT pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin, from 2005 through 2014. SCOTT admitted that, as part of the charged narcotics distribution offense, he and his co-conspirators were engaged in an ongoing dispute concerning, inter alia, drug distribution territory in Paterson. In connection with that ongoing dispute, on or about September 28, 2005, SCOTT encountered Pinnick in the vicinity of Twelfth Avenue and East 23^rd Street, in Paterson. SCOTT pulled out a firearm, and discharged multiple rounds at Pinnick at point-blank range, striking Pinnick in the head, and killing him.

BURCHANTI SCOTT, the brother of BURNELL SCOTT and a high-ranking member of the Fruit Town Brims set of the Bloods street gang, who used violence or the threat of violence to protect his drug distribution territory, was writted into federal custody on March 18, 2014, from the New Jersey Department of Corrections, where he was incarcerated. On August 17, 2016, BURCHANTI SCOTT pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin, from 2012 through 2014.

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Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) Safe Streets Task Force, Newark Division, the Paterson Police Department, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, the Clifton Police Department, and the New Jersey State Police.

The Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit is overseeing the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justina L. Geraci is in charge of the prosecution.

CHICAGO — A Lake County woman was sentenced today to four years in federal prison for defrauding the State of Illinois out of nearly $7 million in unemployment benefits.

LETICIA GARCIA assisted hundreds of individuals, mostly undocumented immigrants, in preparing and filing unemployment insurance claims that Garcia knew contained false information, such as invalid Social Security numbers, false assertions of U.S. citizenship, and phony dependents. As a result of the fraudulent claims, the Illinois Department of Employment Security paid out approximately $6.8 million in unemployment benefits to hundreds of ineligible claimants.

Garcia, 54, of Round Lake Beach, pleaded guilty earlier this year to three counts of mail fraud. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang imposed the sentence in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by Joel R. Levin, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and James Vanderberg, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General in Chicago. The Illinois Department of Employment Security and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations provided valuable assistance.

“Defendant committed wholesale fraud against a state program designed to help some of the most vulnerable state residents get back on their feet after an unexpected job loss,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Eichenseer argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Her crime diminished the resources available to eligible UI claimants who played by the rules.”

“Garcia defrauded taxpayers of millions of dollars by assisting hundreds of ineligible workers in their efforts to receive unemployment insurance benefits intended for Americans who were out of work,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Vanderberg. “The Office of Inspector General will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate those who attempt to fraudulently obtain money from Department of Labor Programs.”

Many of Garcia’s clients were Mexican-born immigrants without lawful immigration status or U.S. work permits, making them ineligible for unemployment insurance benefits. From 2006 through May 2012, Garcia operated an office out of a converted garage in her home, where she and her employees saw as many as 15 clients per day. It was understood that Garcia would not ask clients for immigration papers.

Garcia charged each client $300 to $400 to prepare and file a claim online, with half of the fee due upfront and the balance owed when the client received the benefits. Through her fraud, Garcia made tens of thousands of dollars, which she hid in bank accounts in her daughter’s name.

The government is represented by Mr. Eichenseer.

FRESNO, Calif. — Raymond Arthur Gentile, 56, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced to five years in prison by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd for conspiring to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, manufacturing marijuana, possessing marijuana with intent to distribute, and two counts of making false statements during firearms transactions, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to evidence presented at trial in July 2016, from 2009 to 2012, Gentile was the owner and operator of ANP, a marijuana storefront, in Bakersfield. When agents executed a federal search warrant, they seized 170 marijuana plants, over 24 pounds of processed marijuana, over $68,000 in cash, and a loaded shotgun. The testimony at trial established that Gentile made $25,000 to $30,000 a month in gross proceeds. Agents found the marijuana plants growing in two separate grow rooms within the store and sales receipts indicated 40 to 50 sales to customers each day. In addition, the evidence showed that Gentile made false statements on a Firearms Transaction Record, ATF Form 4473, in order to purchase two Glock firearms. One of the firearms was seized from ANP during the investigation of this case.

Under federal law, marijuana is a controlled substance without any legitimate medical purpose. The city of Bakersfield, where Gentile’s marijuana store was located, has prohibited the operation of marijuana dispensaries within its limits. Prior to sentencing, Judge Drozd found that even under California law Gentile was not in compliance.

The case was initiated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) following a report to Bakersfield Police Department regarding an assault that allegedly occurred at Gentile’s business. In sentencing the defendant, the judge found that the defendant used threats of violence in connection with the sale of marijuana.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), California Highway Patrol and Bakersfield Police Department assisted in the DEA investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Karen A. Escobar and Melanie L. Alsworth prosecuted the case.

RENO, Nev.– A California woman was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Miranda M. Du to 15 months in prison for making counterfeit $100 bills, then spending the counterfeit money at businesses in Northern Nevada, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Steven W. Myhre for the District of Nevada.

Yvonne Geneal Flores, 38, of Sacramento, Calif., pleaded guilty on Feb. 15, 2017, to one count of making counterfeit currency. Co-defendant Thomas Michael Morla, 42, pleaded guilty to making counterfeit currency and was sentenced on Oct. 31, 2016, to serve 18 months in prison.

According to the plea agreement, from Oct. 7, 2015 to May 5, 2016, Flores and Morla manufactured counterfeit $100 bills and spent the counterfeit money at various businesses in Reno, Sparks, and Carson City. In May 2016, law enforcement arrested Flores and Morla for possession of an embezzled rental car in Carson City. At the time of Morla’s arrest, he was in possession of counterfeit money. During the execution of a search warrant of Morla and Flores’ hotel room, law enforcement found equipment and supplies used to manufacture the counterfeit currency. Law enforcement collected approximately $50,000 in counterfeit $100 bills from businesses that can be attributed to Flores and Morla based on the similarities of the fraudulent notes.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Carson City Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian L. Sullivan.

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BOSTON – Two men were arrested for allegedly trafficking nearly seven kilos of cocaine that were sent from the Dominican Republic to Boston on a commercial airline.

Juan Luis Perez Garcia, 44, a Dominican national residing in Bronx, N.Y., and Juan Artiles Taveras, 43, of Lakewood, N.J., were arrested Friday, June 2, 2017, in Attleboro, Mass., and charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

According to court documents, a cooperating witness (CW) worked with investigators to identify members of a narcotics organization based in the Dominican Republic. At a meeting in the Dominican Republic in June 2015, the CW and an undercover officer learned that one of the members of the narcotics organization had contacts who could put drugs on JetBlue flights destined for the United States, but who needed assistance in Boston taking the drugs off the plane. The CW responded that he worked at the airport in Boston and could get the drugs off the aircraft without having them discovered. In July 2015, another member of the drug organization told the CW that he had the ability to smuggle contraband into the United States from the Dominican Republic via JetBlue commercial flights.

It is alleged that in February 2016, the CW spoke with Perez Garcia about arranging for cocaine to be put on a plane in the Dominican Republic for delivery to the CW in Boston. On June 2, 2017, arrangements were allegedly made for a suitcase containing cocaine to arrive on a JetBlue flight from the Dominican Republic to Boston. When the flight arrived in Boston, federal agents intercepted the suitcase and field-tested its contents which yielded a positive result for cocaine and weighed nearly seven kilos. On the evening of June 2, 2017, Perez Garcia and Artiles Taveras met the CW and undercover officer at a parking lot in Attleboro, Mass., to exchange money for the drugs. Federal agents placed the two men under arrest.

The charging statute for possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to a lifetime in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of $10 million. 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; Matthew J. Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Stephen A. Marks, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by Customs and Border Protection and the Attleboro Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Edward Tillinghast, age 47, of Chesapeake City, Maryland, today for production of child pornography.

The sentencing was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Cecil County State’s Attorney Steven Trostle.

According to his plea agreement, on May 17, 2016 Maryland State Police, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Elkton Police Department, executed a search warrant for the Defendant’s residence. The agents recovered several electronic devices. Tillinghast admitted he had viewed child pornography using his computers and had used peer-to-peer file sharing programs to obtain the child pornography. The total number of relevant images recovered is at least 600. The defendant also admitted to sexually abusing a minor victim over the past year. Images recovered from at least one of the defendant’s electronic devices showed that he had abused the minor victim starting when the minor victim was eleven years old.

As part of his plea agreement, Tillinghast must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

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

Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning commended Homeland Security Investigations, the Maryland State Police and the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Ayn Ducao, who prosecuted the federal case.

NEW YORK – Alfred Laquann “Merc” Thomas, 32, of Rome, New York, was sentenced today to serve 115 months in prison for his possession of ammunition as a convicted felon in connection with an August 2012 drive by-shooting in Syracuse, New York, announced United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Special Agent in Charge Vadim D. Thomas, FBI Albany Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The defendant was also sentenced to serve three years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment.

After being acquitted on an unrelated September 2014 murder in Syracuse, Thomas admitted on Facebook that he had actually committed that murder. He repeated those admissions to federal agents. In sentencing the defendant today, United States District Judge Brenda Sannes noted Alfred Thomas’ long criminal record of offenses involving the use of violence including his admissions about that murder.

"The lengthy sentence reflects Thomas’s long record of violent crime including his admissions that he had killed someone after being acquitted in a state homicide prosecution. This successful prosecution is the result of outstanding collaboration and dogged persistence to bring him to justice by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Southwick, FBI, ATF, and Syracuse Police with assistance from the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office,” said United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian.

“People like Mr. Thomas terrorize and destroy our communities through violence,” Special Agent in Charge Vadim D. Thomas. “Today’s sentencing is the result of countless hours of hard work and dedication, and the FBI, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate individuals who jeopardize the safety of our communities through gun violence.”

December 23, 2016, Alfred Thomas pled guilty in Federal Court to being a convicted felon in possession of two 12-gauge shotgun shells. Thomas possessed the shells in his pants pocket after an August 16, 2012 drive-by shooting at 115 West Bissell Street, Syracuse. Several people, including an infant, were in the house at the time. Two expended 12-gauge shotgun shells were found in the rear seat of the car he had been driving, and the same caliber ammunition was used during the shooting. In addition, 911 callers identified Thomas and his car when they called to report the shooting. After learning about the defendant’s Facebook admissions, FBI and ATF Agents in Syracuse revisited the 2012 West Bissell Street drive-by shooting in light of federal law violations, which led to the current case in United States District Court.

This case was investigated by The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the Syracuse Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard R. Southwick with assistance from the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office.

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y.- Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Horace Garfield Tajah, 35, of Kingston, Jamaica, who was convicted of reentering the United States after a conviction for an aggravated felony, was sentenced to time served (four years) by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Lamarque who handled the case, stated that on January 23, 2013, the defendant attempted to enter the United States from Canada at the Peace Bridge port of entry. Tajah was in possession of a valid United States passport belonging to another individual and claimed to be an American citizen. Standard database checks revealed that the defendant was an aggravated felon following a 2010 conviction in the Southern District of New York on multiple offenses including drug, gun, and conspiracy to commit murder charges. After serving a 72 month prison sentence, Tajah, in 2012, was deported to Jamaica and banned from the United States for life.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy.

ALBANY, NEW YORK - Jeffrey Butler, age 33, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced today to serve 87 months in prison for receiving and possessing child pornography.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and James C. Spero, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also sentenced Butler to 15 years of supervised release, to begin following his release from prison.

As part of his February 6, 2017 guilty plea, Butler admitted that he used the Internet and a peer-to-peer file sharing program to download child pornography. In his home, Butler possessed electronic devices that contained videos and still images depicting the sexual exploitation of children.

At sentencing today, Judge D’Agostino told Butler: “Many, many people continue to believe that viewing child pornography is a victimless crime. But it is important, I think, for the record to establish that what you were viewing, Mr. Butler, was horrendous crimes being committed against children who are real children. They're not fake, they're not three-dimensional caricatures, and it's not victimless. Because every time you view child pornography, you are prolonging and perpetuating the agony that these real children sustained when they were being tortured and raped as depicted in many of the images and films that you viewed.”

This case was investigated by HSI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.

Portland, Maine: Acting United States Attorney Richard W. Murphy announced that Nicholas Coy, 32, of Lewiston, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge George Z. Singal to six years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm.

According to court records, on December 12, 2016, Lewiston police officers responding to a 911 call at an apartment on Knox Street encountered Coy behaving irrationally and appearing to be under the influence of a controlled substance. While inside the apartment, the police recovered a handgun belonging to Coy. Coy was prohibited from possessing firearms based on prior felony convictions for robbery, aggravated assault and theft.

The case was investigated by the Lewiston Police Department; the U.S. Marshals Service; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Portland, Maine: Acting United States Attorney Richard W. Murphy announced that Adam Brake, 29, of Berwick, Maine pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to illegally possessing firearms.

According to court records, in May 2016, Brake committed eight burglaries in the Berwick area. He traded some of the stolen items for heroin in Lawrence, Massachusetts and hid other items in a wooded area in Berwick. Law enforcement agents recovered items stolen during six of the burglaries, including nine firearms. Brake was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a prior drug felony conviction.

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

The case was investigated by the North Berwick, South Berwick, Berwick, Wells and Eliot Police Departments; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Acting United States Attorney Steve Butler of the Southern District of Alabama announces that United States District Court Chief Judge Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Jay Kimberly Ponder on June 2, 2017 to serve a term of imprisonment of 120 months followed by 5 years of supervised release for the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in violation of 21 USC § 846(a)(1).  Both federal and local authorities began their initial investigation of the case in 2015 and discovered that the defendant was distributing methamphetamine throughout the Mobile, Alabama region.  The defendant, who had an extensive criminal history, entered a guilty plea before the Court on December 1, 2016.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the Mobile Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lawrence J. Bullard for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.

A Hudson man was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for laundering approximately $1.5 million in proceeds from marijuana trafficking, said Acting U.S. Attorney David A. Sierleja.

Stuart Pflaum, 35, was sentenced to 70 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver. Eight people have now been sentenced for their crimes related to the conspiracy.

James Sorgi operated a drug trafficking and money laundering organization that shipped marijuana from California to Cleveland. He grew the marijuana in California and obtained marijuana from other growers. Sorgi then worked with Pflaum and Robert Serina to direct others to receive multi-pound shipments of marijuana in Ohio and sell it there, according to court documents.

Pflaum, Sorgi, Serina and others directed people to collect the drug proceeds and make cash deposits into various bank accounts. Sorgi, through Pflaum and Serina, then directed people to convert the cash into money orders and send the money to California, according to the indictment.

This took place between June 2013 and February 2015, according to court documents.

Sorgi was sentenced to 80 months in prison. Serina’s case is pending.

Pflaum, also known as DJ Xplosive, also worked as a music producer and was nominated for a Grammy Award, according to court documents.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret Sweeney and Michelle Baeppler following an investigation by the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The NOLETF is a task force comprised of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cleveland Division of Police, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the police departments of Cleveland Heights, Euclid, Lakewood, the Regional Transit Authority, Westlake and Shaker Heights. The NOLETF is also one of the initial Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area initiatives, which supports and helps coordinate numerous Ohio drug task forces in their efforts to eliminate or reduce drug trafficking in Ohio.

            CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE–Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced that Jonathan Cruz-Marte, age 34, formerly of Lawrence, Massachusetts, was sentenced on Friday to serve 55 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute over a kilogram of heroin.

            After a lengthy investigation, law enforcement officers determined that from late 2014 through March 2015, Cruz-Marte, a member of a Lawrence, Massachusetts-based heroin trafficking organization, conspired to supply a heroin distributor in Keene with multiple kilograms of heroin for distribution in Keene and the surrounding towns. Law enforcement officers arrested Cruz-Marte on March 12, 2015, after Cruz-Marte delivered two kilograms of heroin to an individual in Salem, New Hampshire.

            Cruz-Marte pleaded guilty on November 23, 2016.

            “The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to address the opioid crisis in New Hampshire by continuing to identify and target drug traffickers who are responsible for the distribution of large quantities of heroin and fentanyl in New Hampshire. We will continue to work each day to identify and prosecute drug traffickers who seek to profit from selling these drugs that are killing our citizens and damaging the fabric of our communities,” Acting U.S. Attorney Farley said.

            This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The investigation was conducted by the: (1) United States Attorney’s Office; (2) Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations; (3) New Hampshire Attorney General’s Drug Task Force; (4) New Hampshire State Police; (5) Keene, New Hampshire Police Department; and (6) Massachusetts State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Cole Davis prosecuted the case.

            CONCORD, N.H.– Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced that Anthony Barth, 25, of Derry, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in federal court today to two counts of distributing fentanyl and one count of possessing with intent to distribute 400 or more grams of fentanyl.

            According to statements made in court, Barth sold fentanyl to a confidential informant on two occasions in July and August of 2016. On August 17, 2016, the confidential informant placed an order for 50 “fingers” or approximately 500 grams of fentanyl. The defendant arrived at the predetermined meeting location in Derry, New Hampshire where officers attempted to arrest him. Barth tried to flee, hitting a police car and eventually abandoning his own vehicle behind a nearby business. He ran into a wooded area where he attempted to discard the drugs but was apprehended shortly thereafter. Officers searched the wooded area and found the drugs, which lab results confirmed contained approximately 490 grams of fentanyl.

            A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for September 14, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at the United States District Court. The defendant faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

            “The United States Attorney’s Office is dedicated to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to arrest and prosecute individuals who are distributing deadly drugs like fentanyl,” Acting U.S. Attorney Farley said. “While the law enforcement community recognizes that those who suffer from addiction require treatment, those who profit from the sale of these deadly products are damaging the fabric of our communities. This case is another example of our continuing efforts to stop the distribution of illegal opioids into our state.”

            “The state of New Hampshire is faced with a fentanyl and heroin crisis unlike ever before,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson. “Those suffering from fentanyl and heroin addiction need treatment and recovery, but those that distribute and profit from spreading this misery need to be held accountable. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative law enforcement in New Hampshire and our strong partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to aggressively seek and bring to justice anyone who distributes this poison.”

            This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Manchester and Derry Police Departments. It is being prosecuted by AUSA Georgiana L. Konesky.

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