Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), and Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Office of the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), announced today the unsealing of a superseding indictment in Manhattan federal court charging PEDRO GUZMAN MARTINEZ, a/k/a “Peter,” ABEL MONTILLA, a/k/a “Coche Bomba,” JORGE MIRANDA-SANG, a/k/a “Chinito,” and LUIS GOMEZ ORTIZ, a/k/a “Kiké,” with participating in a drug trafficking organization that shipped approximately 4,500 kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to the continental United States, including to New York, Massachusetts, Florida, and Connecticut, for sale and distribution over a period of approximately 10 months.  GUZMAN MARTINEZ and MIRANDA-SANG were arrested this morning in Puerto Rico and are expected to be presented before a magistrate judge in the District of Puerto Rico later today.  GOMEZ ORTIZ was arrested this morning in Florida and is expected to be presented before a magistrate judge in the Middle District of Florida later today.  MONTILLA was arrested this morning in Springfield, Massachusetts, and is expected to be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker in the Southern District of New York later today.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel.    

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “These defendants allegedly hid nearly five tons of cocaine in furniture so they could ship it from Puerto Rico to New York City and elsewhere.  As alleged, for a time, the defendants were able to hide their cocaine, but they were unable to hide the scheme from our law enforcement partners.  We will continue to focus on prosecuting large-scale traffickers of illegal drugs.”

DEA Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan said: “Traffickers have always found new and innovative methods of smuggling drugs into the United States. In this case, they allegedly concealed cocaine into hollowed out furniture. This nearly three-year investigation has dismantled an international drug trafficking organization that allegedly has been shipping thousands of kilograms of cocaine, ultimately destined for our communities.  I applaud our law enforcement partners from the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, the ATF and the USPIS for their efforts in bringing this organization to justice.”

ATF Special Agent in Charge John B. DeVito said: “The defendants are alleged to run a drug trafficking organization which conspired to flood our streets with unprecedented levels of illegal narcotics. Thankfully, through the diligent efforts of our law enforcement partners, their alleged operation has been disrupted and dismantled successfully. ATF is committed to the fight against the illegal drug trade and will stand shoulder to shoulder with all of our local, state and federal partners to see that these organizations are eradicated from our communities. I would like to thank the United States Attorney’s Office for their leadership during this investigation.”

USPIS Inspector-in-Charge Philip R. Bartlett: said: “Winning the battle against illicit drugs is a top priority for the Postal Inspection Service and our law enforcement partners. Our objectives are to rid society of illicit drug trafficking and the associated violence, and most importantly, provide a safe environment for the American public.”

According to the allegations contained in a Superseding Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court and other filings in the case[1]: 

Between at least September 2018 and June 2019, GUZMAN MARTINEZ, MONTILLA, MIRANDA-SANG, and GOMEZ ORTIZ were members of a drug trafficking organization (“DTO”) who conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms and more of cocaine.

The defendants operated the drug trafficking scheme by arranging for the shipment of approximately 70 large parcels from Puerto Rico to the continental United States.  The cocaine was concealed in custom tables and other furniture, and the packages containing the cocaine were represented to be furniture on shipping documentation, but the hollowed-out furniture in fact concealed hundred-kilogram quantities of cocaine.  In total, the trafficking organization shipped approximately 4,500 kilograms of cocaine, worth approximately $144 million on the street.

GUZMAN MARTINEZ was responsible for delivering the packaged cargo (containing hollowed-out furniture filled with cocaine) to co-conspirators whom GUZMAN MARTINEZ hired to facilitate the shipping logistics using a false company name.

MIRANDA-SANG and GOMEZ ORTIZ identified and hired individuals in the continental United States to receive and sign for DTO shipments, to unpack and distribute the cocaine to other DTO members as directed, and to dispose of the packaging materials to evade detection by law enforcement.

MONTILLA was a Massachusetts-based coordinator of cocaine deliveries who traveled to many delivery locations and coordinated the delivery of cocaine shipments with package recipients.  At least a dozen packages were sent to addresses affiliated with MONTILLA.

*                *                *

MONTILLA, 48, of Springfield, Massachusetts, and GUZMAN MARTINEZ, 47, MIRANDA-SANG, 42, and GOMEZ ORTIZ, 29, all of Puerto Rico, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.  The statutory maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants will be determined by the judge.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA, ATF, and the USPIS in this investigation.

The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit.  Assistant United States Attorneys Juliana N. Murray, Ryan B. Finkel, and Peter J. Davis are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Superseding Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced by Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Judge.

Keanu Dillon, age 29, was sentenced on July 19, 2021, to 3 years in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The conviction stems from Dillon, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, being in possession of a Taurus, model 856, .38 Special caliber, double-action revolver, which was found after Dillon came into contact with law enforcement in Rapid City in April 2020.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives, and the Black Hills Fugitive Taskforce. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

Dillon was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSEPH RYAN, 58, of Trumbull, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to six months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for unlawful possession and transfer of five firearms on behalf of his drug dealer.  Judge Meyer also ordered Ryan to pay a $5,000 fine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 27, 2018, Ansonia Police executed a state search warrant at an address in Ansonia in order to locate and seize 12 firearms that were registered to a pistol permit holder at the residence.  Investigators could only locate five firearms during the search.  The five firearms were then transported to the Ansonia Police Department for safekeeping.  On April 3, 2019, Ryan, who at the time was a police officer with the Greenwich Police Department, went to the Ansonia Police Department and took custody of the five firearms that had been seized.

In August and September 2019, members of ATF and the New Haven Police Department made controlled purchases of four firearms from Malique Martin.  Three of the four firearms purchased were among the firearms that Ryan took into his custody from the Ansonia Police Department on April 3, 2019.  The investigation revealed that Ryan, who was addicted to heroin, transferred firearms to an individual who helped facilitate heroin transactions between Ryan and a heroin supplier.  Some of the firearms were then transferred to Martin.

Ryan was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on February 21, 2020.  On April 12, 2021, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of firearms by an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

Ryan, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on September 15, 2021.

Martin, of Ansonia, previously pleaded guilty to one count of dealing firearms without a license and one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.  On June 16, 2020, he was sentenced to 12 months and one day of imprisonment.

This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), New Haven Police Department, Ansonia Police Department, and Connecticut State Police.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria del Pilar Gonzalez.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Dennis Hutton, 33, of Parkersburg, pleaded guilty today to a federal gun crime.

According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on June 28, 2019,  at a hotel room at the Quality Inn in Mineral Wells, Wood County.  During the search, officers found Hutton, digital scales, quantities of suspected methamphetamine and heroin and a Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver.  Hutton admitted to the officers he was selling the drugs to others because of the financial obligations he had.  The drugs were sent to the DEA Mid-Atlantic Laboratory and were confirmed to be methamphetamine and carfentanil.  Hutton admitted that he carried the gun to protect both his drugs and the proceeds of his drug dealing.

Hutton pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and faces five years and up to life in prison when he is sentenced on October 18, 2021.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). 

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing.  Assistant United States Attorney L. Alexander Hamner is handling the prosecution.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00143.

###

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Interference with Commerce by Robbery and Use and Brandishing of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence was sentenced by Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Judge.

Shannon Larive, age 27, was sentenced on July 12, 2021, to 12 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Between March 16, 2020, and March 21, 2020, Larive and his co-defendants were involved in the armed robbery of three casinos in Rapid City and one attempted armed robbery. During each armed robbery, Larive brandished a firearm and demanded money from an employee of the casino. Those employees, fearing injury, complied with the demands and gave the cash from the register to Larive. Larive and his co-defendants would then flee the scene. Larive was later apprehended by law enforcement following a vehicle and foot pursuit. Officers recovered dozens of .22 caliber rounds of ammunition from Larive’s vehicle, as well as a .22 caliber pistol that Larive had discarded during the foot pursuit.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

Larive was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

          LOS ANGELES– A former union president was sentenced today to 28 months in federal prison for abusing her leadership position to embezzle union funds – corrupt behavior that depleted the union’s bank accounts and led her to double the due paid by union members.

          Aja Ann Jasmin, 42, of Glendora, was sentenced by United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald, who said she committed “a very serious crime” that required “a huge amount of planning and cunning.” Judge Fitzgerald also ordered Jasmin to pay $185,000 in restitution.

          Jasmin, the former president of the International Chemical Workers Union Council Local 350C, pleaded guilty on February 11 to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

          From 2013 to August 2018, Jasmin used her position as union president to embezzle union funds by forging the signatures of other union officers on union checks to herself and by electronically transferring union funds to pay her credit card and other bills.

          To hide her embezzlement, Jasmin falsified union bank account statements, so they showed greater balances than in fact remained. When the balances of the union bank accounts were insufficient to cover its checks, Jasmin falsely told the union’s members’ employer, Southern California Gas Co., that the union had voted to double the union dues it had to deduct from union members’ paychecks – from $21 to $42 per pay period – in order to replenish the union’s funds.

          Jasmin also sought and obtained compensation from the union by falsely representing that time she spent on union business prevented her from getting her hourly wage at Southern California Gas Co. In fact, the union paid her for hours when she was also receiving pay while on disability leave.

          In total, Jasmin defrauded her union out of approximately $190,000.

          “[Jasmin] betrayed her fellow union members to enable her conspicuous consumption, which included an equestrian lifestyle, driving a Maserati, cosmetic medicine, and shopping at luxury retailers like Van Cleef & Arpels,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum. “[She] tried to work as little as possible while collecting the most money, generally through fraud.”

          The United States Department of Labor – Office of Labor-Management Standards, and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General investigated this matter.

          Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.

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

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Donald Snyder, 50, of Akron, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to embezzlement by union officials. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and a fine of $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Rudroff, who is handling the case, stated that between October 2013 and November 2019, the defendant served as president of the International Association of EMTs and Paramedics, Local 394, a labor organization affiliated with the National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Local 394 represents approximately 200 private sector employees of Twin City Ambulance in Amherst, NY. During his time as President of Local 394, Snyder embezzled approximately $94,649.85 in funds belonging to Local 394. The defendant did so by writing checks payable to himself, writing checks payable to cash, which he endorsed and withdrew, and making unauthorized bank withdrawals. None of the funds stolen by Snyder were used for a legitimate union purpose, all were used for the defendant’s personal benefit.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor Management Standards, under the direction of the Boston-Buffalo District Director Jonathan Russo.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 17, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. before Judge Sinatra.

# # # #

The U.S. Department of Justice today launched five cross-jurisdictional strike forces to help reduce gun violence by disrupting illegal firearms trafficking in key regions across the country.  Leveraging existing  resources, the regional strike forces will better ensure sustained and focused coordination across jurisdictions and help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms from source cities, through other communities, and into five key market regions:  New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area/Sacramento Region and Washington, D.C.

Each strike force region will be led by designated United States Attorneys, who will collaborate with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and with state and local law enforcement partners within their own jurisdiction (where firearms are used in crimes) as well as law enforcement partners in areas where illegally trafficked guns originate. These officials will use the latest data, evidence, and intelligence from crime scenes to identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes.

“All too often, guns found at crime scenes come from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. We are redoubling our efforts as ATF works with law enforcement to track the movement of illegal firearms used in violent crimes.  These strike forces enable sustained coordination across multiple jurisdictions to help disrupt the worst gun trafficking corridors,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Department of Justice will use all of its tools – enforcement, prevention, intervention, and investment – to help ensure the safety of our communities – the department’s highest priority.”

According to gun trace data, a significant number of firearms recovered in Chicago originate from outside the city of Chicago, and many originate from Indiana, among other locations. The new strike force will help ensure sustained and focused coordination between law enforcement and prosecutors in Chicago with their counterparts in those other locations.

“Firearms in the hands of criminals puts every law-abiding citizen at risk,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John E. Childress. “We will do everything we can to protect the people of the Southern District of Indiana and to prosecute those who threaten their safety.”

The strike forces represent one important, concrete step in implementing the Department’s Comprehensive Violent Crime Reduction Strategy, which was announced on May 26, 2021. The comprehensive strategy supports local communities in preventing, investigating, and prosecuting gun violence and other violent crime—and requires U.S. Attorneys’ offices to work with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement, as well as the communities they serve, to address the most significant drivers of violence in their districts. In guidance to federal agents and prosecutors as part of that comprehensive strategy, the Deputy Attorney General made clear that firearms traffickers providing weapons to violent offenders are an enforcement priority across the country.

Department of Justice Efforts to Address Violent Crime

Since April 2021, the Department has taken the following steps to reduce and prevent violent crime, especially the gun crime that is often at the core of the problem:

• April 8, 2021 – Attorney General Garland, alongside President Biden, announced four concrete steps for addressing gun violence:  ATF would propose a new rule  within 30 days to help curb the proliferation of so-called ghost guns, ATF would propose a new rule within 60 days on stabilizing braces used to convert pistols into short-barreled rifles, the Department would publish model state extreme risk protection order legislation within 60 days; and ATF would begin preparing a thorough and detailed new public study of firearms trafficking for the first time in 20 years.
• In April 2021, the Office of Justice Programs also made clear when existing grant funds could be used to support Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs.
• On May 7, 2021, meeting the Attorney General’s announced timeline, ATF issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to update outdated firearms definitions and to help address the proliferation of ghost guns.
• May 26, 2021, the Attorney General announced the Department’s comprehensive strategy to reduce violent crime, including an overall Department Violent Crime Reduction Strategy, the strengthening of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), and a directive to the U.S. Attorneys to work with their local partners in addressing the increase in violence that typically occurs over the summer (with specific support from DOJ law enforcement agencies)
• On June 7, meeting the Attorney General’s announced timeline, ATF issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to clarify that the restrictions imposed by the National Firearms Act apply when stabilizing braces are used to convert pistols into short-barreled rifles.
• On June 8, meeting the Attorney General’s announced timeline, the Department published model state extreme risk protection order legislation.
• On June 22, 2021, the Attorney General announced that the Department would be forming five Firearms Trafficking Strike Forces within 30 days.
• On, June 23, 2021, the Attorney General, alongside President Biden, announced steps that ATF would take to hold rogue gun dealers accountable for their actions. They include applying a “no tolerance” policy for federal firearms licensers (FFLs) that willfully commit violations that endanger public safety; designating  points of contact for state and local government officials to report concerns about rogue FFLs; formalizing the use of public safety factors for inspection prioritization; sharing inspection information with states that regulate firearms dealers themselves; resuming the practice of notifying revoked dealers on how to dispose of their inventory and the potential criminal consequences of continuing to engage in the business; increasing ATF’s resources for inspections (see, FY 2022 Budget request); and publicly posting disaggregated inspection information to ATF’s website.

ATLANTA – Seventeen more individuals have been charged in connection with a fraudulent scheme to obtain approximately $11.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and to use those funds to purchase luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other personal items.  To date, a total of 22 individuals have been charged in connection with the fraudulent scheme.  Six individuals, including the scheme’s mastermind, Darrell Thomas, have pleaded guilty.    

“The defendants allegedly took advantage of emergency financial assistance intended for business owners suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine.  “The charges reinforce our resolve to prosecute anyone who used pandemic relief funds for personal gain.”

“So many businesses needed federal emergency assistance to stay afloat during a pandemic, and these defendants allegedly misdirected millions of dollars of that assistance money to their own pockets for luxury items,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Their alleged greed affects every American taxpayer, and the FBI is making every effort possible to stop it and make sure PPP funds are used as intended.”

“When tragedy strikes and citizens find themselves in a vulnerable situation to no fault of their own, the influx of government assistance unfortunately also attracts criminals,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge James E. Dorsey.  “While the government is helping those in need, law enforcement is swiftly addressing these vulnerabilities.  IRS-CI will continue to help illuminate these criminal deeds with our financial expertise.”

“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration aggressively pursues those who endeavor to defraud programs afforded to the American people under the CARES Act,” said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  “We appreciate the efforts of the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners in this effort.”

“Scheming to fraudulently obtain federal funds that are meant to provide assistance to nation’s small businesses is unacceptable,” said SBA OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “Our Office will remain relentless in the pursuit of fraudsters who seek to exploit SBA’s vital economic programs. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment to seeing justice served.”

According to Acting U.S. Attorney Erskine, the first superseding indictment, and other information presented in court: From April 2020 through August 2020, the conspirators in the scheme allegedly submitted, or assisted in the submission of, PPP loan applications on behalf of fourteen businesses, seeking loans of approximately $700,000 - $850,000 for each company:

In the loan applications, the defendants certified that each applicant business was in operation on February 15, 2020 and had employees for whom it paid salaries and payroll taxes or paid independent contractors; that the funds would be used to retain workers and maintain payroll or make mortgage interest payments, lease payments, and utility payments; and that the information provided in the application and in all supporting documents and forms was true and accurate in all material respects.

The PPP loan applications reported that each business had between 59 and 69 employees and approximately $295,000 to $342,000 in average monthly payroll expenses.  To support these payroll figures, each business’s loan application was accompanied by an Internal Revenue Service Form 941, which employers use to report payroll taxes, for each quarter of 2019 and by a bank statement or a spreadsheet reflecting payroll expenses.  In reality, however, none of the businesses had employees or payroll expenses.  The Form 941s, bank statements, and W2 payroll spreadsheets had all been fabricated.  Indeed, some of the supporting documents the businesses submitted were substantively identical, including identical Form 941s, identical bank statements, and W2 payroll spreadsheets where the reported figures were identical but purported employee names had been changed.  

After the PPP loan proceeds were deposited into the businesses’ accounts, the businesses transferred more than $5.5 million of the PPP loan proceeds into accounts controlled by Darrell Thomas, purportedly for rental payments and payroll.  However, none of the businesses had any legitimate business with any of the businesses or accounts to which they sent the proceeds.  Based on the investigation, none of the companies allegedly engaged in any business-related transactions or used the PPP loan proceeds for any authorized purposes.  Instead, the businesses used the funds for various personal expenses.  In connection with the investigation, the United States seized nearly $4 million in PPP loan proceeds, four luxury vehicles, and several jewelry items. 

Fourteen additional defendants were charged in a First Superseding Indictment unsealed on Wednesday, July 14, 2021:

• Ricky Dixon, 52, of Warren, Michigan, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured financial institution, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering in connection with his involvement in the loan obtained by his business, RK Painting Co., and several other businesses’ loans.

• Meghan Thomas, 32, of Alpharetta, Georgia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and false statements to a federally insured financial institution in connection with her involvement in several businesses’ loans.

• Jesika Blakely, 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured financial institution, and money laundering in connection with her involvement in several businesses’ loans.

• Amanda Christian, 33, of Blythewood, South Carolina, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and false statements to a federally insured financial institution in connection with her involvement in the loan obtained by her business, Advertising and Then Some Inc., and several other businesses’ loans.

• Dwan Ashong a/k/a Dwan Gilpin, 40, of Jacksonville, Florida, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with her involvement in several businesses’ loans.

• John Gaines a/k/a Marty Gaines, 56, of Marietta, Georgia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured financial institution, and money laundering in connection with the loan obtained by Gaines Reservation and Travel.

• Charles Petty a/k/a Charles Knight, 48, of Atlanta, Georgia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured financial institution, and money laundering in connection with the loan obtained by Transportation Management Services Inc.

• Jerry Baptiste, 43, of College Park, Georgia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured financial institution, and money laundering in connection with the loan obtained by Transportation Management Services Inc.

• Derek Parker, 56, of Rochester Hills, Michigan, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with the loan obtained by his business, D Parker Holdings Inc.

• David Belgrave II, 49, of Lexington, South Carolina, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured financial institution, and money laundering in connection with the loan obtained by his business, Continuing Success Inc.

• Charles Hill IV, 45, of Norcross, Georgia, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with the loan obtained by his business, Infinite Education Services Inc.

• Ryan Whittley, 35, of South Holland, Illinois, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with the loan obtained by his business, ML Exotic Customs Inc.

• El Hadj Sall, 39, of Jacksonville, Florida, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with the loan obtained by his business, Bellevie Corp.

• Rick McDuffie, 50, of Little Rock, South Carolina, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud in connection with the loan obtained by his business, Mickies Auto and Tire LLC.

Three additional defendants have been charged by Criminal Information:

• Teldrin Foster, 39, of Decatur, Georgia, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the loan obtained by Bellator Phront Group Inc.

• Denesseria Slaton, 52, of Stockbridge, Georgia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud in connection with the loan obtained by Transportation Management Services Inc.

• Charmaine Redding, 27, of Macomb, Michigan, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the loan obtained by her business, All Star Room and Board Services of Michigan Inc.

• Another defendant, Carla Jackson, 53, of Tucker, Georgia, was previously charged by indictment on August 4, 2020 with money laundering in connection with laundering the proceeds of Gaines Reservation and Travel’s PPP loan. 

Six defendants have pleaded guilty based on their roles in the fraudulent scheme since the original indictment was returned on August 4, 2020, including the mastermind, Darrell Thomas, and one defendant has been sentenced to date:

• Darrell Thomas, 35, of Duluth, Georgia, pleaded guilty on June 16, 2021 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and one count of money laundering.  As part of his guilty plea, Darrell Thomas admitted his participation in fraudulent conduct totaling more than $14.7 million, including more than $11.1 million in fraudulent PPP loans, more than $1.15 million in fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loans, and more than $2.4 million in fraudulent automobile loans.  He also agreed to forfeit various assets, including more than $2.1 million in seized funds, three luxury vehicles – a 2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class S65AMG, a 2018 Land Rover Range Rover, and a 2017 Acura NSX – and several items of jewelry, including a gold Rolex.  Darrell Thomas’s sentencing is set for September 15, 2021 before Judge J.P. Boulee.   

• Denesseria Slaton, pleaded guilty on June 16, 2021 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud in connection with the loan obtained by Transportation Management Services Inc.  Slaton’s sentencing is set for October 6, 2021.

• Khalil Gibran Green, Sr., 47, of Cleveland, Ohio, pleaded guilty on September 1, 2020, to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud in connection with the loan obtained by his business, Impact Creations LLC.  On January 14, 2021, Judge J.P. Boulee sentenced Green to three years and five months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release, and Judge Boulee ordered him to pay $830,000 in restitution, forfeiture of $157,035.71, and a special assessment of $100. 

• Bern Benoit, 45, of Burbank, California, pleaded guilty on March 11, 2021 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud in connection with the loan obtained by his business, Transportation Management Services Inc.  Benoit’s sentencing is set for September 8, 2021 before Judge J.P. Boulee.

• Charmaine Redding, pleaded guilty on July 14, 2021 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the loan obtained by her business, All Star Room and Board Services of Michigan Inc.  Redding’s sentencing is set for October 21, 2021 before Judge J.P. Boulee.

• Andre Lee Gaines, 67, of Dallas, Georgia, pleaded guilty on June 17, 2021 to one count of making false statements to the FBI in connection with the loan obtained by his business, Gaines Reservation and Travel.  Andre Gaines’s sentencing is set for October 6, 2021 before Judge J.P. Boulee.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only charges.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the Small Business Administration-Office of the Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tal Chaiken and Nathan Kitchens of the Northern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Siji Moore of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.  The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts,  For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.      

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Raleigh County man pleaded guilty today to possession of 100 grams or more of heroin and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

According to court documents, Richard James Pfost, 38, of Beaver, was the front seat passenger in a vehicle traveling in Belle when deputies with the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle. Deputies observed marijuana in the vehicle and conducted a search of the vehicle. In the front passenger side of the vehicle where Pfost was seated, deputies located approximately 112 grams of heroin, 88 grams of methamphetamine, 11 grams of cocaine, a loaded Smith and Wesson M&P Shield 9mm pistol, and a loaded Ruger EC9 9mm pistol. Pfost also had $420 in his possession, which he admitted were drug distribution proceeds. Pfost also admitted that he intended to distribute the heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine for money, and that the firearms in his possession were to protect himself, the drugs he possessed and the drug proceeds.

Pfost is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2, 2021 and faces a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Cremeans is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00094.

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – The U.S. Department of Justice today launched five cross-jurisdictional strike forces to help reduce gun violence by disrupting illegal firearms trafficking in key regions across the country. Leveraging existing  resources, the regional strike forces will better ensure sustained and focused coordination across jurisdictions and help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms from source cities, through other communities, and into five key market regions: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area/Sacramento Region and Washington, D.C.

Each strike force region will be led by designated United States Attorneys, who will collaborate with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and with state and local law enforcement partners within their own jurisdiction (where firearms are used in crimes) as well as law enforcement partners in areas where illegally trafficked guns originate. These officials will use the latest data, evidence, and intelligence from crime scenes to identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes.

“All too often, guns found at crime scenes come from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. We are redoubling our efforts as ATF works with law enforcement to track the movement of illegal firearms used in violent crimes. These strike forces enable sustained coordination across multiple jurisdictions to help disrupt the worst gun trafficking corridors,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Department of Justice will use all of its tools – enforcement, prevention, intervention, and investment – to help ensure the safety of our communities – the department’s highest priority.”

According to gun trace data, a significant number of firearms recovered in California originate from outside the state, and many originate from the District of Arizona, among other locations. The new strike forces will help ensure sustained and focused coordination between law enforcement and prosecutors in California with their counterparts in those other locations, including Arizona.

“Combatting violent crime is a national priority that requires a coordinated effort,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Glenn B. McCormick. “Because many crime-involved firearms recovered in California can be traced to purchases in Arizona, our office will work closely with the strike forces launched in the Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay, and Sacramento regions to address the flow of firearms trafficked from our state for illegal purposes.” 

The strike forces represent one important, concrete step in implementing the Department’s Comprehensive Violent Crime Reduction Strategy, which was announced on May 26, 2021. The comprehensive strategy supports local communities in preventing, investigating, and prosecuting gun violence and other violent crime—and requires U.S. Attorneys’ offices to work with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement, as well as the communities they serve, to address the most significant drivers of violence in their districts. In guidance to federal agents and prosecutors as part of that comprehensive strategy, the Deputy Attorney General made clear that firearms traffickers providing weapons to violent offenders are an enforcement priority across the country. 

RELEASE NUMBER:    2021-043_Strike Force

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

          LOS ANGELES– An electrical engineer who schemed to illegally obtain integrated circuits with military applications that were exported to China without the required filing of electronic export information was sentenced today to 63 months in federal prison.

          Yi-Chi Shih, 66, of Hollywood Hills, was sentenced by United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt, who also ordered him to pay $362,698 in restitution to the IRS and fined him $300,000.

          After a seven-week jury trial that concluded in July 2019, Shih was convicted of one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Shih also was convicted of four counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, one count of making false statements to an FBI agent, three counts of subscribing to a false tax return, and four counts of making false statements to the IRS about his foreign assets.

          Shih defrauded a United States company that manufactured broadband, high-powered semiconductor chips known as monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) out of its confidential and proprietary business information that was part of its MMIC manufacturing services, according to trial evidence. As part of the scheme, Shih accessed the victim company’s web portal after obtaining that access through an associate who posed as a domestic customer seeking to obtain custom-designed MMICs that would be used solely in the United States. In this way, Shih concealed his true intent to export the U.S. company’s MMICs to the People’s Republic of China.

          The victim company’s semiconductor chips have several commercial and military applications. MMICs are used in missiles, missile guidance systems, fighter jets, electronic warfare, electronic warfare countermeasures and radar applications. The MMICs Shih exported to China were intended for AVIC 607, a state-owned entity in the PRC.

          Shih was the President of Chengdu GaStone Technology Company (CGTC), a Chinese company that was building a MMIC manufacturing facility in Chengdu. In 2014, CGTC was placed on the Commerce Department’s Entity List, according to court documents, “due to its involvement in activities contrary to the national security and foreign policy interest of the United States – specifically, that it had been involved in the illicit procurement of commodities and items for unauthorized military end use in China.”

          Shih used a Hollywood Hills-based company he controlled – Pullman Lane Productions, LLC – to funnel funds provided by Chinese entities to finance the manufacturing of the MMICs by the victim company. Pullman Lane received financing from a Beijing-based company that was placed on the Entity List the same day as CGTC “on the basis of its involvement in activities contrary to the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States,” according to court documents.

          Shih’s associate, Kiet Mai, pleaded guilty in December 2018 to one felony count of smuggling and was sentenced to 18 months’ probation and a $5,000 fine.

          The FBI, the United States Department of Commerce – Bureau of Industry and Security Office of Export Enforcement, and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter with the assistance of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

          This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Judith A. Heinz of the National Security Division; Melanie Sartoris, Chief of the General Crimes Section; Khaldoun Shobaki of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section; William M. Rollins of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section; James C. Hughes of the Major Frauds Section; and Daniel G. Boyle of the Asset Forfeiture Section; with assistance from Elizabeth Cannon, Deputy Chief of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

BOSTON – A Stoneham man was indicted today in connection with his alleged involvement in a fraudulent scheme to obtain COVID-19-related unemployment assistance.

Daniel Maleus, 33, was indicted on one count of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Maleus was charged by criminal complaint and arrested on April 8, 2021.

In March 2020, in response to the global coronavirus pandemic, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which among other things, created a temporary federal unemployment insurance program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). The PUA, which in Massachusetts is administered by the Department of Unemployment Assistance, provides unemployment insurance benefits for individuals who are not eligible for other types of unemployment benefits. 

According to the charging documents, Maleus filed and conspired with others to file fraudulent PUA claims in the names of other people. It is alleged that Maleus and his co-conspirators obtained more than $250,000 in payments on fraudulent unemployment claims submitted between April 2020 and April 2021. 

The charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud each provide for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater and forfeiture. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolanta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Nikitas Splagounias, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations made the announcement. Special assistance was provided by the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Markham of Mendell’s Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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

BOSTON – A Pittsfield man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Springfield to heroin distribution charges.

Eulises Rosado, 51, pleaded guilty to six counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute heroin. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Nov. 19, 2021. Rosado was indicted in January 2019.

Rosado admitted that on six occasions between March 2017 and August 2017, he distributed heroin to a cooperating witness. On five of those occasions, Rosado sold the heroin from his home.

The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors 

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Office; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by the Pittsfield, Springfield, West Springfield, Holyoke and Easthampton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches of Mendell’s Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

A Sweetwater man who perpetrated a $12.3 million fraud while on pretrial release in a separate fraud case had almost nine years tacked onto his sentence today, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah.

Stewart Kile Williams, 31, pleaded guilty in March to two counts of  wire fraud and two counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity (money laundering). He was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix to 105 months in federal prison, to be served consecutive to his existing 70 month sentence, and ordered to pay roughly $7.4 million in restitution.  

According to court documents, Mr. Williams committed these crimes in late 2018 and early 2019, while on pretrial release for crimes committed in the Southern District of Texas. (He was first charged by the Southern District in summer 2018 for selling non-existent cattle to a ranch in Decatur for $2.5 million. Following an indictment, he was released on bond, but would go on to have that release revoked in late 2019 after a local arrest for theft of hay bales. He eventually pleaded guilty in to four counts of wire fraud and was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $2 million in restitution.)

“They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Mr. Williams wasn’t insane, but he was brazen. While on pretrial release for one fraud in south Texas, he had the audacity to perpetrate a similar fraud in north Texas. If he thought federal prosecutors would content themselves with holding him accountable in only one case, he was sorely mistaken. We will not tolerate repeated maleficence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah.  

“Mr. Williams’ bold actions in committing additional crimes while on pretrial release for other crimes shows his complete lack of concern for our laws or his fellow citizens and this additional sentencing is deserved,” said IRS – Criminal Investigations Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr., Dallas Field Office.

In plea papers, Mr. Williams admitted that while on pretrial release, he formed AZS Trenching, an unregistered sole proprietorship that provided freight transport and trenching services in the Permian Basin. In January 2019, he entered into an agreement with Navarone Capital, a privately held factoring company that purchased outstanding invoices from businesses like AZS.  

At first, everything was above-board – Mr. Williams sent Navarone invoices for work AZS performed for pipeline company M.G. Dyess, Navarone wired advance payment to his bank account, and when M.G. Dyess paid Mr. Williams, he mailed the checks to Navarone.

Two months later, however, Mr. Williams asked Navarone to factor invoices provided for work he said AZS purportedly performed for pipeline company HIS. In fact, AZS had never serviced HIS.

In order to convince Navarone that the bogus HIS invoices were legitimate, Mr. Williams assumed the identity of an HIS construction manager. He obtained a temporary cell phone with an area code that matched HIS’s, and then, posing as the HIS employee, called Navarone to assure them that AZS was indeed performing the work outlined on the invoices. He also created a fake email address through godaddy.com, purportedly belonging to the HIS employee, from which he approved the bogus invoices complemented AZS’s “work.”

Of course, when the bogus invoices came due, Mr. Williams could not pay Navarone. After months of excuses and non-payment on HIS invoices, Navarone contacted HIS headquarters. The pipeline company told Navarone they did not have, and never had, a business relationship with AZS or Mr. Williams.

In total, Mr. Williams presented 38 bogus invokes to Navarone, causing them to wire approximately $12.3 million into his bank account. He used the criminally derived proceeds to make a number of large purchases, including a home in Abilene and $500,000 in construction equipment.

Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations,  the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Howey of the Northern District of Texas prosecuted the north Texas case with significant assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Hagen and Jason Corley of the Southern District of Texas.

      LOS ANGELES– The U.S. Department of Justice today launched five cross-jurisdictional strike forces to help reduce gun violence by disrupting illegal firearms trafficking in key regions across the country. One of the strike forces will be in the Central District of California, where the Los Angeles-based United States Attorney’s Office will coordinate strike force efforts.

      Leveraging existing resources, the regional strike forces will better ensure sustained and focused coordination across jurisdictions and help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms from source cities, through other communities, and into five key market regions: Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area/Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

      Each strike force region will be led by local United States Attorneys, who will collaborate with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), state and local law enforcement partners in their district, and law enforcement partners in areas where illegally trafficked guns originate. These law enforcement partners will use the latest data, evidence, and intelligence from crime scenes to identify patterns, leads and potential suspects in violent gun crimes.

      “All too often, guns found at crime scenes come from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. We are redoubling our efforts as ATF works with law enforcement to track the movement of illegal firearms used in violent crimes. These strike forces enable sustained coordination across multiple jurisdictions to help disrupt the worst gun trafficking corridors,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Department of Justice will use all of its tools – enforcement, prevention, intervention, and investment – to help ensure the safety of our communities – the department’s highest priority.”

      According to gun trace data, a significant number of firearms recovered in the Los Angeles region come from other states and are illegally trafficked into Southern California. The new strike force will help ensure sustained and focused coordination between law enforcement and prosecutors in the greater Los Angeles region with their counterparts in locations where many of the firearms originate.

      “Reducing the flow of weapons into this region will have an impact in reducing violent crime,” said Acting United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison. “Because many of the firearms used in crimes come from states that also supply Northern California, our strike force will work closely with the law enforcement officials associated with the strike force based in Northern California, as well as our colleagues in San Diego.”

      “The goal of our Los Angeles strike force is to reduce the proliferation of firearms from the legal to illegal market by utilizing crime gun intelligence and working with our local, state and federal partners,” said ATF Los Angeles Field Division Special Agent in Charge Monique Villegas. “Through partnerships, ATF will target firearms traffickers to help reduce crime rates that have been steadily rising. ATF is dedicated to this sustained collaboration with the U.S. Attorney’s office to make our communities safer.”

      The strike forces represent one important, concrete step in implementing the Department’s Comprehensive Violent Crime Reduction Strategy, which was announced on May 26. The comprehensive strategy supports local communities in preventing, investigating and prosecuting gun violence and other violent crime – and requires U.S. Attorneys’ offices to work with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement, as well as the communities they serve, to address the most significant drivers of violence in their districts. In guidance to federal agents and prosecutors as part of that comprehensive strategy, the Deputy Attorney General made clear that firearms traffickers providing weapons to violent offenders are an enforcement priority across the country.

GREAT FALLS – An off-duty federal law enforcement officer accused of pointing an assault rifle at three Blackfeet tribal employees who were testing water on his property admitted simple assault charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.

Harrison Garrett Alvarez, 30, of Cut Bank, who is a Customs and Border Protection officer, pleaded guilty to three counts of simple assault as charged in a superseding information. Alvarez faces a maximum six months in prison, a $5,000 fine and one year of supervised release on each count. In a plea agreement in the case, the parties concur that a five-year term of probation is appropriate.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Sentencing was set for Nov. 18. Alvarez was released pending further proceedings.

In court documents filed in the case, the government alleged that on July 24, 2019, three employees of the Blackfeet Tribe’s Environmental Office went to Alvarez’s property outside of Cut Bank, and within the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, to field test water in Cut Bank Creek. The victims, who are tribal members, traveled by truck past Alvarez’s house to the creek. The trip was the victims’ fourth time to that testing site that season, having sought, and they believed received, permission for the testing from Alvarez’s wife.

The government alleged that as the victims were collecting water samples, a rifle shot rang out. The victims saw Alvarez approaching, pointing an assault rifle at them and yelling. Alvarez demanded to know what they were doing and who had given them permission to be there. When the victims explained that his wife had given them permission to collect samples, Alvarez disputed that fact. Even after they told him they would go, Alvarez, while still leveling the rifle at the victims, ordered them closer to him and demanded they drop their equipment. When Alvarez finally allowed the victims to leave, he told them that now they knew he “shoots first, asks questions later.” All three victims believed Alvarez was going to shoot them.

The government further alleged that Alvarez disputed the victims had permission to be on the property but admitted to discharging the rifle before holding them at gunpoint and ordering them to leave his property. Alvarez’s wife remembered that the victims had sought permission but told law enforcement she had told them they needed to speak with Alvarez. Upon seeing the truck on the morning of the incident, Alvarez’s wife told him that it was probably “the water people.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah A. Paisley is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office, FBI and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services.

XXX

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 38-year-old Mexican national has entered a guilty plea to possessing a dangerous weapon while in custody, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

On June 11, 2020, Sergio Anguiano-Camarillo was awaiting transfer to a Bureau of Prisons facility from the Coastal Bend Detention Center. On that date, law enforcement responded to an assault in the recreation yard. At that time, authorities had observed Anguiano-Camarillo go under the fence and enter the recreation yard.

As part of the plea, Anguiano-Camarillo admitted he used a sharp object he possessed to attack another inmate. The victim sustained several puncture and laceration wounds to the head and neck areas as well as to one of his eyes.

Authorities conducted a search of the area near the assault and recovered a homemade weapon or “shank.” It was a jagged plastic object approximately six inches in length with a makeshift fabric handle. 

Anguiano-Camarillo also admitted the shank was his.

Sentencing has been set for Oct. 20 before U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos. At that time, Anguiano-Camarillo faces up to five years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing. 

The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Manning is prosecuting the case.

NEW ORLEANS –  U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that EDD SCAFIDEL, JR., age 62, a resident of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, was sentenced to 72 months imprisonment and payment of a mandatory $100 special assessment fee by United States District Judge Eldon E. Fallon after previously pleading guilty as charged to an Indictment charging him with receiving images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, including children as young as approximately one (1) year old, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2).  Additionally, Judge Fallon ordered that SCAFIDEL serve a five-year period of supervised release and register as a sex offender after he is released from prison, Judge Fallon also scheduled a restitution hearing in the matter on September 16, 2021. 

HOUSTON – A 47-year-old Katy woman has entered a guilty plea to scheming to defraud British Petroleum (BP), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Angelica Garcia Dunn admitted to diverting over $2.2 million in vendor payments to her own business accounts. She worked as a contract escrow agent with BP. As part of her duties, she provided third-party services by making vendor payments to BP’s railcar lessors and repair vendors. Dunn received lump sum payments from BP in order to make vendor payments through a bank account over which she had sole authority. It was from these funds that she took approximately $2,282,148.53 in BP funds that were supposed to be for vendors.

U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett accepted the plea and set sentencing for Sept. 30. At that time, Dunn faces up to 20 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. She was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing. 

The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Annis is prosecuting the case.