ALEXANDRIA, La. –Acting U.S.Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Lafayette tax preparation business owner was sentenced last week to 36 months in prison for filing a false tax return and not paying more than $350,000 in taxes owed.

Kevin Dalcourt, 49, of Lafayette, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of making and subscribing a false tax return. He was also sentenced to one year of supervised release, and he was ordered to pay $397,989.78 restitution and an $89,927 fine. According to the April 19, 2017 guilty plea, Kevin Dalcourt was a tax preparer who owned and managed Kevin’s Tax Service in Lafayette. He was incarcerated in 2010 on non-tax related state charges but continued to manage his tax preparation business. He trained his staff and managed his business prior to his incarceration to use false information in customer tax returns to increase the amount of the customers’ returns. The defendant’s wife, Tamiko Dalcourt, assisted in running the company from 2010 to 2013, while her husband was in prison. Tamiko Dalcourt pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failing to file the couple’s 2012 joint tax return. Kevin’s Tax Service was highly profitable, but Kevin Dalcourt did not report his income to avoid paying taxes for tax years 2009 to 2011. In that time he avoided paying an estimated total of $356,426.78 in taxes for those three years.

Tamiko Dalcourt pleaded guilty on March 23, 2017 to one count of willful failure to file a return, supply information or pay tax. She faces one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a $100,000 fine.

The IRS conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Myers P. Namie prosecuted the case.

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Steven M. Caravella, age 28, who formerly resided in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury for stealing social security benefits paid to his mother by the Social Security Administration. Caravella was indicted on April 12, 2016, but the case remained sealed until Caravella, a fugitive, was found and arrested in Youngstown, Ohio on July 18, 2017.

According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the indictment charges Caravella, with using a government-issued debit card to obtain his mother’s social security benefits for approximately one year after her death. Caravella allegedly obtained approximately $7,762 in benefits between August 2012 and July 2013, as a result of the theft. The government is also seeking forfeiture of the funds wrongfully obtained by Caravella.

The investigation was conducted by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo is prosecuting the case.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty under federal law is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

# # #

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

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division announced today that David Menzies, 51, of Floral Park, NY, who was convicted of tax fraud, was sentenced to 24 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. The defendant was also ordered to pay $280,930 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti and Tax Division Attorney Jason M. Scheff, who handled the case, stated that between January 2010 and April 2015, Menzies filed fraudulent tax returns for hundreds of clients that claimed fake business income and expenses and false dependents in order to claim refunds to which his clients were not entitled.  Menzies solicited, and sometimes purchased, the personal identifying information of minors from their parents, and claimed them as dependents on other clients’ returns.  Menzies charged clients $250 for the use of the phony dependents and often used the same children’s information in multiple years. He recruited people to assist him in filing these fraudulent returns and directed them to escort his clients to check cashers, in order to cash their refund checks and collect Menzies’ fee, including the money he charged for creating false dependents.       

In addition, Menzies concealed his identity as the preparer by soliciting other people to apply to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for preparer IDs and filing the fraudulent returns using the preparer identification numbers the IRS assigned to these individuals.  Menzies admitted that he caused a tax loss of more than $250,000.    

Menzies also acknowledged that he failed timely to file his 2009 through 2015 personal tax returns.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Division, under the direction of James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Office

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Edwin Ferrer, age 44, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced today to 63 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a handgun, ammunition, and crack cocaine.    

The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) New York Field Division.

On March 29, 2017, following a three-day trial, a jury voted to convict Ferrer of unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition, as well as a small quantity of crack cocaine.  The evidence presented at trial showed that on December 18, 2015, Ferrer was driving his Cadillac SUV in Schenectady when he accidentally shot himself in the leg with his Smith & Wesson pistol.  Investigators searched his SUV and recovered the pistol, six rounds of ammunition, and approximately a quarter of a gram of crack cocaine. As a felon, Ferrer was prohibited from possessing the pistol and ammunition.  

United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release, which will start after Ferrer is released from prison.   

This case was investigated by the ATF and the Schenectady Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss.
 

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DAVID NIKOLASHVILI, 52, a citizen of the Republic of Georgia residing in Stamford, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to engaging in an immigration fraud scheme.

According to court documents and statements made in court, NIKOLASHVILI operated an immigration fraud scheme through which he obtained false immigration status from U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services for approximately 50 to 60 citizens of European countries. As part of the scheme, after aliens paid NIKOLASHVILI between $12,000 and $16,000, he would arrange sham marriages between the aliens and U.S. citizens in order to obtain immigration benefits for the aliens. The U.S. citizens were paid to enter into the sham marriages.

NIKOLASHVILI pleaded guilty to one count of making a false swearing in an immigration matter, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny on October 27, 2017.

NIKOLASHVILI was arrested on June 21, 2016. He is released on a $75,000 bond pending sentencing.

This investigation has been conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Office of Fraud Detection and National Security Unit, and U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.

EUGENE, Ore. – On July 25, 2017, United States District Court Judge Ann Aiken sentenced Keith August Wayne Jones, 30, of Madras, Oregon, to 70 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Upon his release from prison, Jones will be on supervised release for three years.

According to court documents, on April 26, 2016, police officers found Jones in possession of a gun in a Bend motel room. Jones has numerous previous felony convictions, including second-degree robbery, delivery of methamphetamine and fleeing or attempting to elude police.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Bend Police Department. It was prosecuted by Nathan J. Lichvarcik, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, with the assistance of Kandy Gies, Deschutes County Deputy District Attorney.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Phoenix, Ariz. man was sentenced today to 819 months in prison in connection with the armed assault against federal law enforcement officers that occurred in the Bunkerville, Nev. area in April 2014, over rancher Cliven Bundy’s trespassing cattle from public lands. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Chief Judge Gloria M. Navarro sentenced Burleson to three years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Steven W. Myhre for the District of Nevada, Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse for the FBI’s Las Vegas Division, and Acting Director Michael D. Nedd of the Bureau of Land Management made the announcement.

Following a 32-day jury trial, Gregory P. Burleson, 53, was convicted on April 24, 2017, of assault on a federal officer; threatening a federal law enforcement officer; obstruction of the due administration of justice; interference with interstate commerce by extortion; interstate travel in aid of extortion; and three counts of use and carry of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.

According to the superseding indictment, Burleson traveled to Nevada with the intent to commit a crime of violence to extort federal law enforcement officers while they were executing a federal court order to remove and impound Cliven Bundy’s cattle that were trespassing on federal public lands in and around Bunkerville. On or about April 12, 2014, Burleson used and brandished a firearm to impede, intimidate, and to threaten to assault federal law enforcement officers involved in the federal impoundment operations. He also threatened and used force and violence to obstruct interstate commerce by extortion in that he obtained and attempted to obtain approximately 400 cattle that were in the possession of federal law enforcement officers.

The case was investigated by the FBI and BLM. The case was prosecuted by Acting U.S. Attorney Steven W. Myhre, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas D. Dickinson and Nadia J. Ahmed, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin M. Creegan.

###

EUGENE, Ore. – On Wednesday, July 26, 2017, U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken sentenced Michael Ray Emry, 55, of John Day, Oregon, to 30 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. Emry had previously pleaded guilty on January 23, 2017 to unlawfully possessing a fully automatic .50 caliber machine gun that was not registered to him.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 6, 2016, federal agents executed a search warrant on Emry’s trailer in John Day and recovered a Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun with an obliterated serial number. Emry told agents that the firearm was fully automatic and could fire between 550 and 650 rounds per minute, that he had stolen it from a man in Idaho and that he had removed the serial number prior to bringing it to Oregon.

"I applaud federal and state law enforcement officers for their swift and decisive action in removing a very dangerous stolen weapon from the community," said Billy J. Williams, United States Attorney for the District of Oregon. "Transporting stolen weapons is a serious crime and will be met with equally serious consequences."

"I appreciate the partnership with ATF and OSP in this investigation," said Loren Cannon, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. "The people's representatives pass laws to keep our communities safe. Mr. Emry broke those laws and as a consequence, he will spend time in federal prison."

The case was investigated by the FBI in collaboration with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Oregon State Police (OSP), and was prosecuted by Nathan J. Lichvarcik, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon.

EUGENE, Ore. – On Wednesday, July 26, 2017, U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken sentenced Jose Alfredo Morales, 34, of Albany, Oregon, to 24 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. Morales, who managed GNA Supplies, a Federally Licensed Firearms Dealer (FFL) in Albany, Oregon, previously pleaded guilty on May 17, 2017 to one count of unlawful possession of a silencer.

According to court documents, in November 2015, law enforcement conducted an undercover operation wherein they purchased an unregistered silencer from Morales. During the purchase, Morales stated he knew it was illegal to possess and sell unregistered silencers. On November 30, 2015, Albany Police executed a search warrant at GNA Supplies and found additional silencers not registered to Morales in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

There are approximately 1,700 federal firearms licensees in the District of Oregon actively engaged in the business of acquiring and transferring firearms. Licensees are regulated by Industry Operations Investigators of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Voluntary compliance with federal firearms regulations is critical in protecting communities from violent criminals, criminal organizations and the illegal use and trafficking of firearms.

The case was investigated by ATF and the Albany Police Department, and was prosecuted by Nathan J. Lichvarcik, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, with the assistance of Michael Wynhausen, Linn County Deputy District Attorney.

HAMMOND - Acting United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson announced that Bobby Ray Dejohnette, 46, of Lansing, Illinois, was sentenced on July 26, 2017 by District Court Judge James T. Moody for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and use of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Dejohnette was sentenced to 170 months imprisonment followed by 4 years of supervised release.

According to documents in this case, in 2015 an investigation revealed that Dejohnette conspired with others to sell crack cocaine within the Northern District of Indiana. A search of his then residence in Calumet City, Illinois revealed that he maintained both drugs and firearms within the residence.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, Hammond Police Department, Calumet City Police Department and with assistance from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas McGrath and Abizer Zanzi.

# # #

Ronald Eli Lewis, 72, of Sparta, Tenn., was arrested by U.S. Marshals and TBI agents this morning in Cumberland County, Tenn., announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jack Smith of the Middle District of Tennessee.

Lewis and his cousin, Clifford Lewis, were convicted in March 2012 of conspiring to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana throughout Middle Tennessee. The verdicts stem from the attempted delivery of nearly 900 pounds of marijuana to the Lewis’ family farm in Sparta, Tennessee on March 28, 2007. Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation had tracked the marijuana to the farm, where the defendants were arrested as they began to unload it. The jury heard evidence that the delivery was part of a larger scheme to ship thousands of pounds of marijuana via tractor trailer from Texas to Tennessee.

A few days after the trial began in March 2012, Ronald Lewis, who was free on bond, failed to show for the remainder of the trial. Lewis was subsequently convicted in absentia. His cousin, Clifford, was also convicted and later sentenced to prison. Two other co-defendants, Jimmy Clinton Smith, of Texas and Eliseo Gavin, of Oklahoma, had previously pleaded guilty and were later sentenced to prison.

“I join with the leadership of our law enforcement partners in commending the outstanding work of the U.S. Marshals’ Service and the TBI for the capture of Ronald Lewis,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jack Smith. “This district is fortunate to have the dedicated professionals of these agencies. Because of their efforts and their careful planning and execution of this operation, a dangerous fugitive is back in custody and his freedom to scoff at the justice system has come to an abrupt end.”

The investigation into the drug distribution conspiracy was conducted by the DEA and the TBI. The fugitive investigation was conducted by the U.S. Marshals’ Joint Fugitive Task Force.

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that Samuel Pratt, a/k/a “Promise,” age 35, of Gastonia, North Carolina was sentenced to life in federal prison and his mother, Daphne Pratt, age 53, of Gastonia, North Carolina was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison. Samuel Pratt had previously been found guilty on eight counts related to sex trafficking, child pornography, and firearm charges in federal court in Columbia.  Chief United States District Judge Terry L. Wooten, of Columbia, sentenced the defendant to life sentences on four counts related to sex trafficking, 360 months on production of child pornography, 120 months on possessing child pornography, 120 months on being a felon in possession of a firearm and 60 months for obstruction of justice. There was also over $40,000 of restitution ordered to be paid to the child victims. Daphne Pratt pled guilty to conspiracy to sex traffic minors and testified against her son in his trial, receiving a reduced sentence for her testimony.

Evidence presented trial established that Samuel Pratt ran a prostitution business of both adults and juveniles, in South Carolina, North Carolina, and New York.  The trial opened a window into the seedy world of human trafficking in the Carolinas.  Witnesses provided extensive testimony of the manipulation and abuse, as well as the inner-workings of the human trafficking operation. During the trial, Daphne Pratt testified about her son’s control of the minors, as well as her role in running the business at his direction after her son was incarcerated on federal charges. Telephone calls recorded from the jail corroborated Daphne Pratt’s testimony and, along with text messages, provided the jury a view of the depraved world of sex traffickers. Two of the victims of the trafficking were 14 and 17 years old. This was the first human trafficker convicted at trial in South Carolina.

Ms. Drake stated, “the first step on addressing the cancer of human trafficking is to hold the traffickers accountable and that is what this case and this sentence does. Those who traffic in sex need to take notice that our office, along with our federal and state law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute all those who operate in this destructive field.”

The case was investigated by agents of the FBI of both South Carolina and North Carolina, the ATF, the US Marshals and Richland County Sheriff’s Department.  Assistant United States Attorneys Jim May and Will Lewis of the Columbia Office prosecuted the case.

#####
 

Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Jose Alberto Nava-Reyes, age 35, from Guerrero, Mexico pled guilty in federal court in Florence, South Carolina, to Illegal Reentry into the United States after deportation, a violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a).  United States District Judge Bryan Harwell, of Florence, accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on April 15, 2017, ICE-Enforcement Removal Operations Officers in Charleston, SC, discovered Nava-Reyes, while he was in custody at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Horry County on state charges. Immigration records revealed that Nava-Reyes was a native and citizen of Mexico who had previously been deported from the United States back to Mexico on multiple occasions. Nava-Reyes has never received permission to enter or remain in the US.

Ms. Drake stated the maximum penalty the defendant can receive is imprisonment for 10 years and a fine of $250,000.

The case was investigated by agents of the Horry County Police Department and Immigration Custom Enforcement-Enforcement Removal Operations.  Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham of the Florence office prosecuted the case.

#####
 

Earlier today, a two-count indictment was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, charging Victor Agosto, also known as “Bebo,” Perfecto Deleon, also known as “Fec,” Luis Lopez, also known as “Lou,” Andres Reyes, also known as “Dre,” Nestor Rivera, also known as “Tito” and “Tito Bird,” and Peter Vasquez as members of a narcotics trafficking conspiracy. Agosto, Lopez, and Vasquez face an additional charge for use of firearms in connection with their narcotics trafficking. The defendants’ narcotics operation is based in Brooklyn and Queens.

The defendants’ initial appearances and arraignments are scheduled for this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Steven L. Tiscione at the United States Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, in Brooklyn.

The arrests and charges were announced by Bridget M. Rohde, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD). The arrests follow a long-term investigation by the FBI and NYPD into the narcotics activities of the defendants.

According to the indictment and other court documents, all of the defendants were members of a large-scale heroin trafficking organization with Mexican cartel connections that trafficked in hundreds of kilograms of heroin into New York City. The defendants transported the heroin from Los Angeles and Chicago, and traveled directly to Mexico for narcotics-related meetings in furtherance of their trafficking operation. One of the defendants relied on a crew of the violent street gang the Young Gunnerz, also known as the YGs, based in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn to provide protection of the illicit business.

Between December 2011 and February 2015, law enforcement seized over $800,000 in alleged drug proceeds hidden in “traps” designed to conceal contraband in vehicles connected to Lopez and his brother-in-law, Vasquez. The proceeds of their illicit narcotics operation have funded the purchase of a fleet of luxury vehicles, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in jewelry. Lopez celebrated Christmas with an Audemars Piguet watch worth approximately $20,000, and a birthday with a 256-gram piece of gold jewelry and diamond encrusted ring. One defendant chauffeured his infant child in a Versace baby stroller that retails for over $3,000, dressed his eight-year-old in Gucci sneakers worth hundreds of dollars, and showered his wife with a Rolex watch, Chanel handbag and Versace dress. Today, law enforcement seized approximately twelve kilograms of heroin valued at $900,000 from a stash house maintained by members of the conspiracy, and five luxury vehicles: a Rolls Royce Ghost, Lamborghini Hurácan, Audi R8 Spyder, Mercedes CLS63 AMG and Range Rover Sport. The ill-gotten proceeds of the narcotics trafficking conspiracy will be subject to forfeiture, according to the indictment.

“As charged, the defendants are members of a multi-million dollar heroin trafficking organization with access to firearms and ties to other states and a Mexican cartel,” stated Acting United States Attorney Rohde. “Today’s arrests are the latest example of the success that can be achieved through federal, state and local law enforcement cooperation to combat narcotics trafficking and the all too often associated violence in our communities.” Ms. Rohde gives particular thanks to the New York Metropolitan Safe Streets Task Force, which is comprised of detectives from the NYPD and agents from the FBI, and additionally thanks the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Pennsylvania State Police, Indiana State Police, New Jersey State Police, the Chicago Field Divisions of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration New York City Strike Force and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office for their participation and assistance in the investigation.

“Through their alleged heroin trafficking operation, the defendants not only lived a sham lavish life, but trafficked hundreds of kilograms of this deadly drug in New York City,” stated Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney. “It is our duty and priority to take out the leadership of these organizations. We’re not just going after the dealers of illegal prescription and street drugs, but everyone involved in the supply chain to stop the crippling impact both are having on our communities.”

“The heroin epidemic is real. These defendants not only moved large amounts of heroin across the country -- they carried firearms to protect their turf and extravagant lifestyle,” stated NYPD Commissioner O’Neill. “Today, the drugs, guns, and expensive cars are all in our possession; several are under arrest; and New Yorkers are safer with this poison off the street.”

The charges announced today are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, all of the defendants face mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years’ imprisonment and maximum sentences of life. In addition, for using firearms in furtherance of narcotics trafficking, defendants Agosto, Lopez and Vasquez face consecutive five-year minimum terms.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys David C. Pitluck, Lindsay K. Gerdes and Jennifer M. Sasso are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance provided by Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Morris of the Office’s Asset Forfeiture Unit.

The Defendants:

VICTOR AGOSTO, also known as “Bebo”

Age: 29

Brooklyn, New York

PERFECTO DELEON, also known as “Fec”

Age: 42

Brooklyn, New York

LUIS LOPEZ, also known as “Lou”

Age: 35

Brooklyn, New York

ANDRES REYES, also known as “Dre”

Age: 34

Brooklyn, New York

NESTOR RIVERA, also known as “Tito” and “Tito Bird”

Age: 39

Brooklyn, New York

PETER VASQUEZ

Age: 30

Queens, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-390 (RJD)

     TUCSON, Ariz. – On July 25, 2017, Patrick Paul Charley, 39, of Ajo, Ariz., and a member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer G. Zippsto concurrent terms of imprisonment for sexual offenses committed against two adult members of the Tohono O’odham Nation. Charley had previously pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse committed in 2014 and was sentenced to 43 months’ imprisonment. Charley was also sentenced to a term of 16 months’ imprisonment for his plea of guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact from a 2011 incident.

     After completing his imprisonment, Charley will be placed on lifetime federal supervision and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

     The investigation in this case was conducted by both the Tohono O’odham Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Micah Schmit, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson.

CASE NUMBERS: CR-16-0528-TUC-JGZ and CR-16-0529-TUC-JGZ

RELEASE NUMBER: 2017-064_Charley

# # #

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.

WILKES-BARRE—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Eric Mann, age 27, of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to three years’ imprisonment by Senior U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo, for trafficking in methamphetamine in the Lehighton area in September 2016.

According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Mann previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Mann admitted to possessing approximately 250 grams of the drug at a residence in Lehighton on September 8, 2016. Agents seized the methamphetamine, digital scales, and plastic baggies from Mann’s bedroom in the residence.

Judge Caputo also ordered Mann to serve three years on supervised release following his prison sentence.

Mann was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2016, as a result of an investigation by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration and local police in Carbon County. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa prosecuted the case.

# # #

St. Louis, MO – Ramon “Trey” Luina III, 42, Chesterfield, MO, pled guilty today to one charge of mail fraud in connection with his embezzlement of approximately $2.8 million from CMS Communications Inc. Luina appeared today before United States District Judge John A. Ross. Sentencing is set for November 2, 2017.

According to court documents, Luina wrote checks from CMS to himself and other entities for personal benefits such as the construction of his lake house, vehicles for private use, professional services, rent for other business ventures not related to CMS, vacations, and credit card payments. Luina used CMS funds, via wire transfers and ACH payments, to make payments to his personal credit cards and invoices related to construction on his lake house. Luina also created fictitious vendors and listed these companies as consultants to CMS. Luina then directed payments, for fictitious work, to the vendors as another route to direct funds from CMS to Luina. Additionally, Luina fraudulently increased his payroll salary which was received via direct deposit. This, in turn, falsely inflated his 401k match and bonuses. Additionally, Luina falsely took partnership disbursements for CMS Partnership although he never completed the process of partnership.

In total, Luina embezzled over $2.8 million from CMS for his personal benefit, and the benefit of others, during the relevant timeframe.

Mail fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Dianna Collins is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

DAYTON, Ohio – Mollie Parsons, 47, of Middletown, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 36 months in prison for healthcare fraud related to the death of a severely physically disabled minor.

She was previously sentenced by the state to serve 10 years in prison for her role in the death of her minor patient, and her federal sentence will be served consecutive to her state one. She is also banned from working for any governmental entity in the healthcare field for life.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Lamont Pugh, Special Agent in Charge, Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice.

According to the Statement of Facts in this case, Parsons was employed as a home healthcare nurse for a minor with severe physical impairments from at least 2009 until March 2011. Parsons was paid through Medicaid to provide daily nursing services, including but not limited to, wound care, personal hygiene maintenance and feeding assistance. The child under her care was unable to communicate, completely paralyzed and dependent upon feeding tubes.

Rather than working her eight-hour shift and providing the nursing services, Parsons was frequently absent from the home for extended periods of time. To conceal her neglect, the defendant submitted false claims to Medicaid to receive fraudulent payments for private duty nurse services.

Parsons pleaded guilty in the federal case in January 2016 to two counts of healthcare fraud.

“Parsons’ actions directly undermined the purpose for which Medicaid compensated her – providing medical care to a severely disabled child – as she deprived a child with cerebral palsy of the most basic medical care and comfort,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “The state prosecution served as the primary mechanism to address and punish the child victim’s death, but could not address the fraud against Medicaid. This federal prosecution therefore provides accountability for her fraudulent conduct as it relates to Medicaid.”

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by HHS-OIG, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Brent G. Tabacchi and Deputy Criminal Chief Laura I. Clemmens, who are representing the United States in this case.

###

A federal jury convicted William Steele, a member of the Detroit branch of the Rollin’ 60s Crips street gang, of RICO conspiracy and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. This verdict, which was announced yesterday, wrapped up a trial that began July 12, 2017. During the trial, two co-defendants of Steele, Jermell Coleman and Martel Strong, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy. These three individuals were the final remaining defendants of a fourteen-defendant indictment against the Rollin 60s Crips street gang and are the result of the collaborative efforts of law enforcement and the community to reduce homicide and other violent crime under the Detroit One program, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel L. Lemisch.

Joining in the announcement was Thomas Chittum, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, David P. Gelios, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Chief James Craig of the Detroit Police Department.

According to the indictment, the Rollin’ 60s Crips is a national street gang founded in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1970s. In 2008, Jerome Hamilton, who previously pleaded guilty, started a Detroit line of the Rollin’ 60s, which now boasts approximately 150 members and who operate primarily on the west side of Detroit in the vicinity of Seven Mile and Tracey.

Testimony and documentary evidence in the trial demonstrated how the Rollin’ 60s Detroit chapter is a violent organization responsible for numerous murders, assaults, robberies, carjackings, and the unlawful possession and trafficking of firearms and narcotics in and around the Detroit metropolitan area over the last nine years. The gang uses violence as a means of retribution for acts done by rival gang members, to intimidate witnesses, to control their territory, and as a means for individuals to maintain or advance their position within the gang. Specifically, the evidence revealed that Steele, 26, of Detroit, distributed marijuana, crack cocaine, and ecstasy, possessed weapons, and aided and abetted retaliatory shootings on behalf of the gang.

Other Rollin’ 60s Crips members have previously pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy for acts involving murders, carjackings, armed robberies, firebombing, unarmed robberies, and distributing narcotics on behalf of the gang. Those members are:

- Jerome Hamilton, 24, of Southfield, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence causing death;

- Darriyon Mills, 25, of Detroit, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence;

- Roderek Perry, 22, of Detroit, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence;

- Jonathan Barber, 26, of Detroit, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy;

- Deaires Foster, 23, of Irondale, Alabama, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy;

- Timothy Price, 27, of Detroit, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy;

- Sadeisha Johns, 32, of West Bloomfield, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy;

- Soumo Kennedy, 23, of Detroit, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy;

- Brandon Kennedy, 23, of Detroit, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy;

- Charles Anthony Smith, 32, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy; and

- Tre Tigner, 23, of Detroit, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy.

The case is being investigated by the ATF’s Comprehensive Violence Reduction Program, which includes representatives of the Detroit Police, Michigan State Police, and Michigan Department of Corrections, in coordination with the FBI Violent Crime Task Force, and Detroit Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shane Cralle and Michael Heesters.

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Gloucester County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 114 months in prison for being a previously convicted felon in possession of a weapon, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced.

Darius A. Robinson, 35, of Westville, previously pleaded guilty before Judge Noel L. Hillman to Count 2 of an indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a weapon. Judge Hillman imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On Feb. 11, 2016, Robinson was arrested while in possession of a Titan .25-cal. handgun in Gloucester County. Robinson had previously been convicted on drug charges and sentenced to three years in prison.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Hillman sentenced Robinson to three years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited special agents of the ATF, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John B. Devito, Newark Field Division, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline M. Carle of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.