“Not only do we seek to hold public officials accountable when they violate the law, we also hold those accountable who benefit from such illegal activity,” said Acting US Attorney Mohsin. “Today’s plea is a step towards ensuring that the citizens of Taylor receive the honest government services they are entitled to.”

“Mr. Awad’s investigation is proof of the FBI’s resolve to root out fraud and corruption in all forms,” said Timothy Waters, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Division. “It is our continuing core mission to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of city governments and to take strong action against those who seek to personally benefit by corrupting the fair administration of government programs."

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man pleaded guilty today to wire fraud in connection with a scheme involving the sale of fictitious online businesses.

According to court documents, between 2018 and 2019, Harlan Barry Cox, 24, promoted the sale of internet-based businesses, including multiple companies that purported to specialize in the sale of drones, by listing those businesses on online marketplaces. When soliciting the sales of the purported businesses, Cox, using aliases, misrepresented information about the businesses, including that the businesses had generated millions of dollars in revenue. Cox also fabricated statements from banks and payment processors to support his false claims of substantial revenue.

Interested buyers of the misrepresented businesses subsequently wired substantial down payments to accounts controlled by Cox. Cox used the money for personal expenses and the upkeep of his lifestyle, including the purchase of a luxury Mercedes SUV and various trips to Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles. Ultimately, Cox defrauded five victims of at least $706,000.

Cox is scheduled to be sentenced on March 1, 2022. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Daniel A. Adame, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge David J. Novak accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Avi Panth and Michael C. Moore are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin S. Elliker assisted with the prosecution.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-078.

Tampa, Florida – A federal jury has found Keon Moore (29, Tampa) guilty of possessing a firearm or ammunition as a convicted felon and possessing controlled substances with the intent to distribute them. Moore faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, and up to, 40 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 6, 2022.

Moore had been indicted on June 4, 2020.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Moore is a convicted felon who stores guns and drugs for use by himself and others, sells guns and drugs, and threatens violence to collect drug debts. In one of Moore’s private Facebook communications, a person to whom Moore provided drugs on consignment, but who failed to pay on time, begged Moore not to kill him via drive-by shooting over the $90 he owed.

The charges and trial revolved around a Public Storage unit rented by Moore, but used by at least one other adult male. After a drug-detecting dog alerted to Moore’s unit, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant of the unit. Inside the otherwise empty 50 square-foot unit, officers found seven guns, including two assault rifles; ammunition; approximately 45 grams of pure methamphetamine; 34 grams of cocaine, 53 grams of Eutylone, and 1.6 kilograms of marijuana, among other drugs; and a clothing item containing Moore’s DNA.

Moore is a previously convicted felon, including multiple state burglary and drug possession convictions. As such, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael M. Gordon.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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.

TUCSON, Ariz. – On Wednesday, a federal grand jury returned a fifty-count indictment, charging Linh Cao Nguyen, M.D., 48, of Peoria, Arizona, with Health Care Fraud, False Statements Relating to a Health Care Matter, and Aggravated Identity Theft.

Dr. Nguyen ran a mobile multi-specialty medical practice that primarily treated patients in their homes and living facilities throughout Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. The indictment alleges that for over a decade, Dr. Nguyen, through his practice, engaged in a health care fraud scheme by submitting false claims to health care insurance programs for medical services: (1) that identified a physician as the rendering provider when Dr. Nguyen knew that the service was not completed by a physician and did not qualify for reimbursement as a physician; (2) that were not medically necessary; (3) that were billed at a higher complexity level than the actual level of care provided; and (4) that were not performed as the only legitimate service rendered was a Covid vaccination.  The indictment also alleges that Dr. Nguyen created false medical records to conceal and avoid detection of his fraudulent billing practices. During the timeframe of the indictment, Dr. Nguyen, through his medical practice, is alleged to have billed Medicare approximately $50 million dollars and received approximately $33 million dollars in Medicare funds.

Charges set forth in the indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.            

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (Office of Inspector General), the United States Defense Criminal Investigative Service (Department of Defense Inspector General) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:                   CR-21-2716-TUC-JCH (LCK)
RELEASE NUMBER:           2021-074_Nguyen

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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.

BOSTON – A Northborough man was arrested today for allegedly embezzling approximately $370,000 from a non-profit organization in Sturbridge.

Kyriakos Kapiris, a/k/a Rick Kapiris, 35, was indicted on two counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Kapiris was released on conditions following an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy.

According to charging documents, from April 2015 to May 2020, Kapiris worked as the Information Technology (IT) manager at the non-profit organization. As part of his responsibilities, the organization provided Kapiris access to two company credit cards to purchase IT equipment and services as needed. Beginning in 2016, Kapiris used the two company credit cards to purportedly purchase IT equipment from two vendor accounts on Square and one account on Amazon. In reality, it is alleged that Kapiris created the three vendor accounts to embezzle the funds and fabricated sales invoices for purportedly purchased equipment to conceal the scheme. Kapiris allegedly used the names of legitimate Massachusetts companies for the two Square accounts and created the Amazon account in the name of a fictitious company, “NetworkingPlus.” 

It is alleged that Kapiris linked the three vendor accounts to several of his own personal accounts at Bank of America into which he transferred the fraudulent proceeds. Kapiris then used the stolen funds for personal expenses including a $19,250 payment to a contractor that Kapiris hired to build a new residence in Northborough.

The charges of wire fraud provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. 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 Mendell and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistance was provided by the Sturbridge and Northborough Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucy Sun of Mendell’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

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.

PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced a partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division for the launch of DOJ’s new Combatting Redlining Initiative.

Redlining is an illegal practice in which lenders avoid providing services to individuals living in communities of color because of the race or national origin of the people who live in those communities. The new Initiative represents the Department’s most aggressive and coordinated enforcement effort to address redlining, which is prohibited by the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.

“Lending discrimination runs counter to fundamental promises of our economic system,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “When people are denied credit simply because of their race or national origin, their ability to share in our nation’s prosperity is all but eliminated. Today, we are committing ourselves to addressing modern-day redlining by making far more robust use of our fair lending authorities. We will spare no resource to ensure that federal fair lending laws are vigorously enforced and that financial institutions provide equal opportunity for every American to obtain credit.”

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is proud to partner with the Attorney General and the Civil Rights Division on this important initiative,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams. “Homeownership is the American dream.  Lending institutions that make decisions based on the color of a person’s skin, rather than their creditworthiness, violate the fundamental principles on which our Constitution is based. These entities are now on notice that they will be fully prosecuted by the Department of Justice.”

Redlining, a practice institutionalized by the federal government during the New Deal era and implemented then and now by private lenders, has had a lasting negative impact. For American families, homeownership remains the principal means of building wealth, and the deprivation of investment in and access to mortgage lending services for communities of color have contributed to families of color persistently lagging behind in homeownership rates and net worth compared to white families. The gap in homeownership rates between white and Black families is larger today than it was in 1960, before the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

This Initiative, which will be led by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section in partnership with U.S. Attorney’s Offices, will build on the longstanding work by the Division that seeks to make mortgage credit and homeownership accessible to all Americans on the same terms, regardless of race or national origin and regardless of the neighborhood where they live. The initiative will:

• Utilize U.S. Attorneys’ Offices as force multipliers to ensure that fair lending enforcement is informed by local expertise on housing markets and the credit needs of local communities of color.
• Expand the department’s analyses of potential redlining to both depository and non-depository institutions.  Non-depository lenders are not traditional banks and do not provide typical banking services, but engage in mortgage lending and now make the majority of mortgages in this country.
• Strengthen our partnership with financial regulatory agencies such as to ensure the identification and referrals of fair lending violations to the Department of Justice.
• Increase coordination with State Attorneys General on potential fair lending violations.

Individuals may report lending discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-833-591-0291, or submitting a report online.

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Matthew Curtis and Tyler Curtis, ages 24, both of Hampstead, Maryland, each to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 18 years and 17 years of supervised release, respectively, for possession of child pornography. Judge Hollander ordered that, upon their release from prison, the defendants must continue to register as sex offenders in the places where they reside, where they are employees, and where they are students, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). 

The twin brothers were previously convicted of child pornography-related charges in 2017 within the Circuit Court of Carroll County. Specifically, Tyler Curtis was previously convicted of the promotion and distribution of child pornography and was subsequently required to register as a sex offender. Matthew Curtis was convicted of possession of child pornography and was sentenced to one year and six months in prison and three years’ probation. He then was required to register as a sex offender.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Carroll County Sheriff James DeWees, and Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins.

“Thankfully, the Curtis brothers will spend the next decade in federal prison for their extensive and disturbing conduct.” stated United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron. “This office will continue to aggressively protect our children and relentlessly prosecute those who perpetuate child exploitation.”

According to their plea agreements, from 2019 to 2020, Tyler and Matthew Curtis downloaded, possessed, and distributed child pornography while on state probation for their previous convictions for child pornography related charges.  Furthermore, Matthew Curtis used an internet-based messaging application to repeatedly share depictions of prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct with other users of the application.

On March 5, 2020, the cloud-based service submitted a CyberTip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Specifically, the service reported that a user account had uploaded 22 files of suspected child pornography. Images included the sexual abuse of prepubescent children. The IP address used to login to the cloud-based application was assigned to the defendants’ Hampstead residence and the email address was an address used by Matthew Curtis.

The investigation revealed that within messaging chatrooms, Matthew Curtis frequently posed as the mother of an infant or toddler and discussed the sexual abuse of his purported children. Matthew Curtis also distributed images documenting the sexual abuse of what he claimed were his children. Matthew Curtis and other online users frequently discussed their sexual abuse of children and their desire to abuse Curtis’s purported children.

As stated in their plea agreements, on May 28, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the Curtis’s residence and seized electronic devices, including two of Matthew Curtis’s cell phones. A forensic review of Matthew’s cell phones revealed a total of 429 images and 129 videos of child pornography. Some of the images and videos depicted prepubescent minors and sado-masochistic conduct.

During an interview with law enforcement, Tyler Curtis falsely informed investigators that he had not viewed child pornography since his 2017 conviction and that he did not have a cell phone in his possession. As a result of the search warrant, law enforcement seized a cell phone that was hidden in the bottom of Tyler Curtis’s bedroom dresser. 

A forensic review of Tyler Curtis’s hidden cell phone revealed artifacts associated with at least 13 different email addresses. Investigators also discovered 115 images and 137 videos of child pornography on Curtis’s cell phone. The sexually abusive material contained sado-masochistic content as well as images of prepubescent females engaged in sexual acts with adult men, including at least two videos that depicted the sexual abuse of an infant or toddler. A forensic review of Tyler Curtis’s file storage and hosting service account revealed that he uploaded 185 images and 10 videos of child pornography to the service.

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 Attorney’s 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/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.         

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the Maryland State Police, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley, who prosecuted the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Numerous defendants were sentenced in connection with charges contained in a 50-count, 2^nd Superseding Indictment alleging various forms of Bank Fraud, Wire Fraud, Conspiracy, and Perjury.

The indictment charges that defendant Michael Griffin (“MGriffin”), operating from his business location in Raleigh and home in Knightdale, accepted fees from clients for alleged credit repair services.  The indictment alleges that, in reality, Griffin was creating fictitious credit profiles and fraudulently altering client credit data through the use of fictitious police reports.

The indictment further charges that various defendants, many of whom were family, conspired with MGriffin to defraud Synchrony Bank, a Lowe’s credit card provider, by opening credit accounts in the name of fraudulent identities, cashing out the accounts through prepaid card purchases, and then defaulting on the credit accounts.  The indictment also charges various defendants with similar frauds against other banks, including Capital One and Discover.

Regina Griffin(MGriffin’s sister), 49, of Raleigh, North Carolina, and former real estate agent; pled guilty to Count 29 of the 2^nd Superseding Indictment, which charged False Statement to Influence a Bank on a Loan, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014.  The offense occurred between February 11, 2019 and March 19, 2019, and involved Alcova Mortgage, LLC.  On Wednesday, October 20,2021, the Court sentenced Regina Griffin to 14 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.  She was also ordered to make restitution of $70,606.72.

Sharon Annita Edmond (MGriffin’s sister), 57, of Raleigh, North Carolina, and an online pastor; pled guilty to Count 25 of the 2^nd Superseding Indictment, which charged Wire Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343 and 2.  The offense occurred on or about April 16, 2018 and involved Strategic Funding Partners, doing business as Merchant Cash Group.  On Wednesday, October 20, 2021, the Court sentenced Sharon Edmond to 12 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.  She was also ordered to make restitution of $36,204.00.

Creshun Alexandria Griffin (MGriffin’s daughter), 27, of Knightdale, North Carolina; pled guilty to Count 16 of the 2^nd Superseding Indictment, which charged Bank Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 2.  The offense occurred between August 11, 2017 and December 31, 2018 and involved Capital One Bank.  On Wednesday, October 20, 2021, the Court sentenced Creshun Griffin to 30 day in custody, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and 200 hours of community service.   She was also ordered to make restitution of $8,406.51.

Katina Griffin Perry(MGriffin’s sister), 48, of Raleigh, North Carolina; pled guilty to Count 27 of the 2^nd Superseding Indictment, which charged Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.  The offense occurred between August 21, 2017 and September 19, 2017 and involved Kia Motor Finance.  On Wednesday, October 20, 2021, the Court sentenced Katina Perry to 2 years of probation and 50 hours of community service. 

Harvey Griffin(MGriffin’s brother) 47, of Raleigh, North Carolina; pled guilty to Count 11 of the 2^nd Superseding Indictment, which charged Bank Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 2.  The offense occurred between October of 2017 and January of 2018 and involved Synchrony Bank.  On Wednesday, October 20, 2021, the Court sentenced Harvey Griffin to Time Served, plus 3 years of supervised release.   He was also ordered to make restitution of $7,609.75.

Angela Griffin(MGriffin’s wife), 53, of Knightdale, North Carolina; pled guilty to Count 13 of the 2^nd Superseding Indictment, which charged Bank Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 2.  The offense occurred between November 21, 2017 and December 21, 2017 and involved Synchrony Bank.  Today, the Court sentenced Angela Griffin to 12 months confinement and five years of supervised release.  She was also ordered to make restitution of $9,614.31.

Melvin Griffin (MGriffin’s brother), 45, of Knightdale, North Carolina; pled guilty to Count 18 of the 2^nd Superseding Indictment, which charged Bank Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 2.  The offense occurred between October 5, 2017 and August 31, 2018 and involved Discover Bank.  Today, the Court sentenced Melvin Griffin to six months confinement plus three years of supervised release.  He was also ordered to make restitution of $42,861.98.

Jasmine Mariah Davis, 29, of Lakeland, Florida; pled guilty to Count 11 of the 2^nd Superseding Indictment, which charged Bank Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 2.  The offense occurred between October of 2017 and February of 2018 and involved Synchrony Bank.  Today, the Court sentenced Jasmine Davis to three months confinement plus three years of supervised release.  She was also ordered to make restitution of $69,502.71.

Tyrone Edmonds, 47 of Weldon, North Carolina, pled guilty on February 8, 2021 to Count 6, which charged Bank Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 2.  The offense occurred between July of 2017 and August of 2021, and involved Synchrony Bank.  Today, the Court sentenced Tyrone Edmonds to time served and three years of supervised release.  He was also ordered to make restitution of $12,407.86.

In January of this year, Shawn Allen Farmer, 52, of Cary, North Carolina, also named in the Second Superseding Indictment, pled guilty to Bank Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 2, and Making False Claims, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 287.  In May of 2021 the Court sentenced Shawn Farmer to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay $42,783 in restitution.

Additional defendants Michael Griffin and Jasper Deonta Goodman have also pled guilty but have not yet been sentenced.  The maximum punishment for committing Bank Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, violations of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 1349, is not more than 30 years in prison.  The maximum punishment for Wire Fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, is not more than 20 years imprisonment.  The maximum punishment for Making a False Statement to a Bank on a Loan is not more than 30 years in prison. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service and the United States Postal Inspection Service.  Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore represents the United States.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-CR-245-1D(2).

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, a jury returned guilty verdicts against Donal O’Sullivan, the founder, owner and President of Navillus Tile, Inc. d/b/a/ Navillus Contracting (“Navillus”), one of New York City’s largest construction firms, Padraig Naughton, Navillus’s Financial Controller, and Helen O’Sullivan, a Payroll Administrator, on all 11 counts charging wire fraud, mail fraud, embezzlement from employee benefits funds, submission of false remittance reports to union benefits funds, and conspiracy to commit those crimes.   The verdicts followed a three-week trial before United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen.  When sentenced, each of the defendants faces up to 20 years in prison.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the verdict.

“As found by the jury, the defendants deliberately devised a fraudulent scheme to avoid making required contributions to union benefits funds on behalf of Navillus’s workers, in order to deprive the workers of benefits they had earned and deserved,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office and its law enforcement partners will continue to investigate and prosecute these types of blatant frauds that are harmful to workers.” 

Mr. Peace expressed his thanks to the agents and investigators of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; the United States Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration; the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Office of Inspector General; and Homeland Security Investigations for their outstanding work on the case.   

Navillus was a signatory to multiple collective bargaining agreements that required the company to make contributions to union benefits funds, such as health, pension and vacation funds, for all “covered work” performed by its workers at construction sites.  Between 2011 and 2017, the defendants engaged in a scheme to avoid making these required contributions by placing some of Navillus’s workers on the payroll of another company (the “Consulting Company”).  The Consulting Company then issued weekly paychecks to those Navillus workers for work they did on Navillus construction jobs.  To conceal the scheme from benefits fund auditors, the defendants caused the Consulting Company to issue fraudulent invoices to disguise the fact that the funds Navillus had issued to the Consulting Firm were made to reimburse the Consulting Company for the wages the Consulting Company had paid to Navillus workers.  

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Turner Buford and Meredith Arfa, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Virginia Nguyen are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendants:

DONAL O’SULLIVAN
Age:  60
Queens, New York

PADRAIG NAUGHTON
Age:  49
New York, New York

Helen o’sullivan
Age:  61
Queens, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-272 (PKC)

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Reuben Jahmell Dauntez Donald, of Akron, Ohio, appeared in federal court today on a drug charge, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II announced.

Donald, 35, was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine.” Donald is accused of having nearly 150 grams of methamphetamine on Wheeling Island on October 20, 2021. According to the affidavit, the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force conducted a controlled buy of methamphetamine from Donald. The purchased methamphetamine weighed approximately 149.56 grams, with a street value of nearly $15,000.

Donald is facing up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn M. Adkins is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. The Wheeling Police Department, the West Virginia State Police, and the Marshall County Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, assisted.

U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.

BILLINGS — The former chairwoman of the Montana Native Women’s Coalition was sentenced today for conviction at trial of stealing federal grant funds for unapproved travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, and other unauthorized expenses, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.

Meredith McConnell, 52, of Lame Deer, was found guilty on April 2 at trial by a federal jury on all counts in a superseding indictment, including theft from a program receiving federal funding, wire fraud and false claims.

McConnell faced a possible sentence of 20 years in prison for wire fraud. The government requested a sentence within the guideline range of 12 months to 18 months in prison, and the court sentenced McConnell to four years of probation and ordered $29,114 restitution jointly and severally with co-defendant Sheryl Lynn Lawrence.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

“As chairwoman of the Montana Native Women’s Coalition, McConnell was entrusted with the responsibility of using federal money to help domestic violence victims on Montana’s Indian reservations. McConnell even received training on how not to commit fraud. Yet, she committed fraud anyway and used the money for her own benefit. Those who misuse grant funds will be held accountable and prosecuted. I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan G. Weldon and Bryan T. Dake and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General for investigating and prosecuting this case.”

“McConnell stole grant funds that were meant to help Native American victims of domestic and sexual violence.  Today’s sentencing shows that those who steal federal grant funds will be brought to justice,” said Douglas B. Bruce, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Denver Field Office.

In court documents and in evidence presented at trial, the government alleged that beginning in about August 2017, McConnell, along with others, misappropriated federal grant funds to give cash payments to others, to buy purses and earrings as door prizes, to meet in Las Vegas, a trip that cost $31,744, and to receive double payments for meals. Prosecutors alleged that during a four-month period, McConnell was responsible in the misappropriation of more than 10 percent of grant funds designed to help victims of domestic violence Montana’s Indian reservations.

The thefts occurred four months after McConnell and other board officials participated in training about conflicts of interest, whistleblower policies, ethics and financial oversight. The training came after the Coalition’s previous executive director, Toni Plummer, was convicted of fraud in March 2017 for stealing approximately $246,000 from the organization.

The Coalition is a Lame Deer-based organization that helps Native American victims of domestic and sexual violence. The Coalition receives funding from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), which provides grants for victim services. OVW awarded the Coalition $318,008 from October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018.

Co-defendants Sheryl Lynn Lawrence, of Colstrip, who was the Coalition’s executive director, and Barbara Mary Daychief, of Browning, who was a Coalition board member, each pleaded guilty to theft of federal funds. Lawrence was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay $35,127 restitution jointly and severally with McConnell. Daychief was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to be solely liable for $2,973 restitution.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan G. Weldon and Bryan T. Dake prosecuted the case, which was investigated by Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.

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BOSTON – Two former employees of a medical practice with locations in Framingham and Whitinsville were sentenced in federal court in Worcester in connection with a federal drug conspiracy involving Adderall.

Rene Ruliera, 54, of Southborough, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to two years in prison and three years of supervised release. In August 2019, Ruliera pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute Adderall and four counts of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute Adderall.

Meghan Giacomuzzi, 39, of Whitinsville, was sentenced today by Judge Hillman to one year and one day in prison and three years of supervised release. In February 2019, Giacomuzzi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute Adderall and six counts of distributing and dispensing Adderall.

Between March 2016 and February 2018, Ruliera and Giacomuzzi conspired with Leslie Caraceni M.D, to distribute Adderall, an amphetamine, for reasons other than for a legitimate medical purpose and not in the usual course of medical practice. Caraceni hired Ruliera and Giacomuzzi to work at her medical practice in Framingham and later in Whitinsville, and enlisted both in a conspiracy to sell and distribute Adderall to individuals who had not been medically examined or given a clinical diagnosis to warrant a prescription. Office visitors met with either Ruliera or Giacomuzzi, discussed their desired prescription, paid for their office visit and left with a signed prescription for Adderall. Office visits lasted just minutes and each such visit cost approximately $200, payable in cash or through a credit card or debit card. Caraceni collected the cash from the office or received funds through deposits to her bank account.

Caraceni provided Ruliera and Giacomuzzi with blank prescription pads and explained how to fill out prescriptions for sale. Electronic communications between Caraceni, Ruliera and Giacomuzzi documented Caraceni’s knowledge of the prescriptions written by Ruliera and Giacomuzzi, the number of office visitors seen in her absence and the profits resulting from their sale of prescriptions to those visitors. Between November 2015 and July 2018, records from the Massachusetts Prescription Monitoring Program show that well over 1,500 prescriptions for Adderall—amounting to over 110,000 pills—were filled in Massachusetts based on Caraceni’s prescriptions. 

On Jan. 15, 2021, Caraceni was sentenced by Judge Hillman to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute Adderall and three counts of distributing and dispensing Adderall.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; Uxbridge Police Chief Marc Montminy; and Southborough Police Chief Jane Moran made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Estes of Mendell’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted both cases.

A woman who operated a Tulsa spa was sentenced today in federal court for using medical devices on her patients that were not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. The devices are also known as cosmetic fillers.

U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Elisa Kaye Sanders, 62, of Tulsa, to three years of probation. As a condition of her probation, Sanders cannot apply for reinstatement of her nurse’s license for the duration of her sentence. Sanders was further ordered to pay a fine of $25,000.

“U.S. consumers rely on FDA oversight to ensure that the drugs and devices they receive are safe and effective. Rogue health care professionals who obtain foreign unapproved medical products and then dispense and administer them to their patients, put the health of those patients at significant risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles L. Grinstead, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Kansas City Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who choose to put the public’s health at such risk.”

Sanders was a majority owner and operator of L’Chaim Medical Spa, previously known as Enhance Skin and Body Medical Spa. She was originally charged in a 13-count indictment in January 2020 alleging Sanders defrauded clients seeking treatment from her spa; her staff; and state and federal regulatory agencies responsible for the oversight of the spa.

Sanders pleaded guilty on April 30, 2021, to misdemeanor fraud relating to misbranded devices. The defendant admitted that on March 10, 2017, she administered the medical devices Juvederm® Ultra 4 and Juvederm® Ultra with Lidocaine to a patient who, as a result, suffered adverse reactions. These specific devices are not approved by the FDA for distribution in the United States and are considered adulterated under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Sanders failed to tell the patient she was using unapproved fillers. The defendant purchased the fillers from unauthorized sources after previously being advised by the FDA that purchasing these prescription devices from unauthorized sources was illegal.

L’Chaim Medical Spa is no longer in operation.

The Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon Cozzoni prosecuted the case.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Yesterday, Virgil Fabian Brown, Jr., 44, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael T. Liburdito 54 months in prison, followed by ten years of supervised release. Brown previously pleaded guilty to two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact. 

On November 3, 2018, Brown touched the adult victim’s breast and genitalia while she was unconscious. His 54-month sentence includes two and a half years for Abusive Sexual Contact and a consecutive two years of confinement for Abusive Sexual Contact Without Permission. Brown is also required to register as a sexual offender for life. Brown is an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community,

The Gila River Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raynette Logan, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-19-01419-PHX-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2021- 075_Brown

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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.

BECKLEY, W.Va. – An Upshur County man was sentenced today to 168 months in federal prison for a sex crime against a minor.

George Albert Romer, Jr., 63, of Buckhannon, was convicted of attempted sex trafficking of a minor following a jury trial in June 2021. The evidence at trial revealed that on October 31, 2019, Romer began communicating via a dating application with a person he understood to a 15-year-old girl in Lewisburg, West Virginia. During the messages, Romer offered to pay the girl $100 to engage in sexual intercourse. On November 1, 2019, Romer drove from Buckhannon to Lewisburg and rented a hotel room in order to meet the minor. He was placed under arrest shortly thereafter.

Following his release from prison, Romer will be placed on supervised release for 15 years and will be required to register as a sex offender.  

United States Attorney William S. Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.  Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Courtney Cremeans handled the prosecution.

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. 

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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. 5:19-cr-00293.

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            WASHINGTON — A South Carolina man was indicted today for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election. A second man, from Texas, was indicted in the case on related charges.

            George Amos Tenney III, 35, of Anderson, S.C., was indicted on three felony charges, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, civil disorder, and obstructing an official proceeding. as well six other misdemeanor charges. Darrell Youngers, 32, of Cleveland, Texas, is charged with four misdemeanor offenses. Both men were arrested on June 29, 2021, following the filing of a criminal complaint. They will be arraigned on a future date in the District of Columbia.

            According to court documents, before Jan. 6, Tenney wrote on Facebook, “It’s starting to look like we may siege the capital building [sic] and [C]ongress if the electoral votes don’t go right.  We are forming plans for every scenario.”  Tenney and Youngers were captured on video as they moved through the U.S. Capitol together on Jan 6, entering by approximately 2:19 p.m. through the Senate Wing Door. Tenney and Youngers eventually made their way to the East Rotunda Doors. While there, Tenney sought to force open the doors from inside, despite police efforts to keep them closed, and helped rioters amassed outside get into the building. He also grabbed an employee of the House Sergeant at Arms, locked arms with a U.S. Capitol Police officer, and pushed another Capitol Police officer. Tenney and Youngers eventually retreated into the Rotunda. 

            This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Greenville, S.C. Resident Agency and Houston Field Office, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department. Significant assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police.

            In the nine months since Jan. 6, more than 650 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 190 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

            The charges contained in any criminal complaint or indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BECKLEY, W.Va. – David Alan Hunt, 30, of Hinton, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography.  At the time Hunt possessed the child pornography, he was on supervised release for a 2014 federal child pornography conviction.  Hunt was sentenced to an additional two years in prison, to run consecutively to the 10-year sentence, for violating his supervised release.

According to court documents, Hunt possessed child pornography of prepubescent minors on an iPad at his Hinton residence on January 22, 2021. Hunt’s supervising United States Probation Officer recovered the iPad containing the child pornography during a home visit.

United States Attorney William S. Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Probation Office.

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin F. Scott and Jennifer Rada Herrald handled 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. 5:21-cr-00075.

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced on October 19, 2021 that ALAN PARSON, age 21, a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced in the United States District Court for his participation in the June 17, 2019 robbery of the CVS pharmacy located at 4901 Prytania Street.

United States District Court Judge Greg G. Guidry imposed a sentence to each count of the three-count Indictment to which PARSON plead guilty. In Count One, PARSON was charged with conspiracy to commit a robbery involving a controlled substance, in violation of Title 18, United States Section, 2118.  For Count One, the court sentenced PARSON sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 120 months in the Bureau of Prisons.  In Count Two, PARSON was charged with armed robbery involving controlled substances in violation of Title 18, United States Sections, 2118(a) and (c)(1).  For Count Two, the court sentenced PARSON sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 121 months in the Bureau of Prisons. Count 1 and 2 were ordered to run consecutive with one another.  In Count Three, PARSON was charged with discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Section, 924(c)(1)(A)(iii).  The Court sentenced PARSON to a term of imprisonment of 120 months for this count. The sentence imposed in Count Three will run consecutive to the sentences imposed in Counts One and Two.  Following his term of imprisonment, PARSON will be placed on supervised release for a period of 4 years.  A restitution hearing will be held to determine if any restitution is owed to the victims in this case. Finally, PARSON was ordered to pay a $300 mandatory special assessment fee.

At approximately 6:06 a.m., PARSON and his co-defendant, Richard Sansburyentered the 24-hour pharmacy, armed with weapons.  Both wore hooded sweatshirts and blue medical gloves.  Upon entering the store, Sansburyremoved a firearm from his waistband, went behind the front counter, and detained a cashier by using zip-ties.  Sansburyled the cashier to another area of the store.   PARSON relocated to the rear of the store, in the pharmacy area, and forced another employee to the ground before securing the employee’s feet with zip-ties.  PARSON is then filled a large trash bag with several pill bottles that he retrieved from the pharmacy safe.  Sansbury relocated to the pharmacy area where he continued to zip-tie the employee’s hands whom PARSON initially detained.  Sansburyand PARSON began to exit the store.

Upon exiting the store, PARSON and Sansburyengaged on a shootout with responding officers of the New Orleans Police Department.  The confrontation resulted in a bullet wound to one of the officers, who was shot in the shoulder.  Video surveillance captured the robbery as it occurred inside of the CVS, as well as the subsequent shootout with police as Sansburyand PARSON fled the store.

United States District Court Judge Greg G. Guidry will sentence SANSBURY on November 30, 2021.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David Haller and Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime/Strike Force Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Parmelee, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Sexual Abuse.

Justis Running Bear, age 23, was indicted on October 13, 2021.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on October 22, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that on May 9, 2018, and March 28, 2021, in Mission, South Dakota, Running Bear knowingly engaged in a sexual act with the victim and that the victim was incapable of declining participation in the sexual act.

The charges are merely accusations and Running Bear is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.   

Running Bear was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial.  A trial date has not been set.