James L. Porter, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on April 29, 2016, Richard Hogg, 56, Highland, IL, was sentenced on an Indictment charging him, in Count 1, with Distribution of Child Pornography; in Counts 2 and 3, with Receipt of Child Pornography; in Count 4, with Access with Intent to View Child Pornography; and, in Count 5, with Possession of Prepubescent Child Pornography. Hogg received 210 months in federal prison on Counts 1-3 and 5 and 120 months on Count 4, all to run concurrently, to be followed by15 years of supervised release on each count, also to run concurrently, and was ordered to pay a $500 special assessment. Hogg was also ordered, pursuant to a plea agreement with the United States, to pay restitution in the amount of $2,000 to each of three victims depicted in the images and/or videos of child pornography that he distributed, received and/or possessed, and to forfeit the electronic media that contained these images and/or videos of child pornography. Hogg has been detained since he entered his guilty plea on January 25, 2016.

The charges arose after the FBI found information on the internet that Hogg had engaged in a sexually explicit chat with what he apparently believed to be a minor female, as well as other reports of Hogg soliciting minors to engage in sex acts. Based on this information, on February 3, 2015, the FBI went to Hogg’s residence. Hogg agreed to provide a voluntary statement, in which he admitted chatting online with a girl he believed to be sixteen years old who resided in New York, and that the chats were sexual in nature.

Hogg stated that he began viewing pornography in 2007, and that he gradually started viewing younger females. When asked if images of prepubescent children would be found on his computer, he replied in the affirmative. When asked what the pictures he owned showed with respect to the minor females, he replied "everything." When asked how often he chatted with young females online, he said that it likely occurred a "few times a month." Hogg estimated that he had approximately 1,000 images and four videos of child pornography on his computers, and that they would be found in the "My Pictures" folder on his computers. Hogg said that the images typically included a "dad" with their children.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Springfield Child Exploitation Task Force. The case was assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott.

James L. Porter, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today, that Eric Rogers, 23, of St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced on Friday, April 29, 2016, in the U.S. District Court in East Saint Louis, Illinois, on the charge of Conspiracy to Manufacture, Possess and Pass Counterfeit United States Currency. The district court sentenced Johnson to 30 months in federal prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

Rogers pled guilty to the charge on December 9, 2015. During his plea he admitted that he along with several others had engaged in an agreement to use counterfeit United States Currency to buy vehicles. Once in possession of the vehicles they would then resell them for genuine United States currency.

During August of 2013, the group contacted a person in Sandoval Illinois, who had listed his vehicle for sale on Craigslist. Johnson, along with the other conspirators then met with the seller in Sandoval, Illinois and purchased the vehicle for $2,400 in counterfeit $100 Federal Reserve Notes. Johnson and others involved in the conspiracy were arrested a short time after the fraudulent purchase by law enforcement from Carlyle, Clinton County and Sandoval.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Carlyle and Sandoval Police Departments, the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ranley R. Killian.

Today in Brooklyn federal court, Ringo Delcid, a member of the violent Predator Set street gang operating primarily in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, was sentenced to 130 months of imprisonment for conspiring to commit two Hobbs Act robberies and for the use of a firearm in connection with one of those robberies.  Last month, two other members of the gang were also sentenced for their roles in these crimes:  Steele was sentenced to 130 months’ imprisonment for his participation in both robberies, and Hall was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment for his participation in one of those robberies.  All three defendants were convicted following their previously-entered guilty pleas. 

The sentence was announced by Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Diego G. Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York Field Office; and William J. Bratton, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD).

The convictions resulted from a series of police impersonation robberies committed in 2013.  On January 16, 2013, Steele and Delcid committed a home invasion robbery of a narcotics trafficker in Brooklyn.  Posing as undercover police officers, the defendants gained access to the residence and proceeded to tie up the trafficker’s girlfriend and twelve-year-old son and ransack the apartment.  On July 10, 2013, Steele, Hall, Delcid, and others attempted to rob another narcotics trafficker by carrying out a traffic stop while posing as undercover police officers, complete with a rental car modified to look like a police car.  The robbery was thwarted when real NYPD officers arrived at the scene and the defendants fled. 

At a hearing on April 14, 2016, U.S. District Judge I. Leo Glasser found that Steele and Hall also conspired to commit a September 27, 2014, armed robbery in which the victim was shot in the leg after he withdrew money from a check-cashing establishment in East Flatbush.  The evidence at the hearing established that Steele and Delcid had accumulated an arsenal of weapons in a storage unit in Brooklyn, including three firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and three homemade silencers, all of which was seized by law enforcement.

“The defendants’ crimes were carefully planned, brazenly executed, and demonstrated a complete disregard for the safety for their victims and the community,” stated United States Attorney Capers.  “By impersonating police officers, the defendants took advantage of their victims’ trust in law enforcement; their actions also undermined the operation of legitimate law enforcement officers.  The sentences imposed appropriately reflect the seriousness of their crimes and demonstrate our commitment to keeping our neighborhoods safe.”  Mr. Capers expressed his grateful appreciation to the FBI’s Violent Crimes squad and the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Division for their cooperation and assistance in the investigation.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Rodriguez stated, “Delcid not only intruded on a residence but he also intruded on the trust the public has with police when he and his coconspirators posed as police officers to commit violent crimes.  Serious offenses like this warrant serious sentences and today’s sentencing of Delcid is no exception.”

“These gang members committed gunpoint robberies, violating the public’s trust by impersonating police officers and, in one case, preying upon a woman and child,” said Police Commissioner Bratton.  “I would like to thank the members of the NYPD, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s office whose work has led to lengthy prison sentences for the defendants.”

The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Alixandra Smith and David Pitluck are in charge of the prosecution. 

The Defendants:

BENJAMIN HALL
Age: 21
Brooklyn, New York

RINGO DELCID
AGE: 27
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

KASAGAMA STEELE
Age: 30
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 14-CR-576 (ILG)

DALLAS— Kenneth Richardson, 33, of Dallas, pleaded guilty Friday afternoon, before U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater, to one count of using a facility of interstate commerce in aid of a racketeering enterprise, stemming from his operation of a prostitution “ring,” announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Richardson has been in custody since his arrest in November 2015 on an indictment charging him with that offense.  He faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Sentencing is set for August 19, 2016.

According to plea papers filed in his case, from approximately July 2014 to mid-August 2015, Richardson engaged in a prostitution enterprise in various hotels in Dallas, including the Crowne Plaza located off of Interstate 35.  During this time, Richardson was employed as a U.S. military contractor, and his duties included assisting new military recruits as they began processing into the military.  As part of his job, Richardson had access to numerous hotel rooms at that hotel each day.

Richardson recruited several women to work for him in his prostitution enterprise and used a cell phone and hotel rooms to promote, manage, and facilitate their involvement in commercial sex acts.  On more than one occasion, Richardson provided the women with hotel rooms at the Crowne Plaza to which he had access by virtue of his employment and at no cost to himself or the women.  Richardson used a cell phone to communicate with these women regarding their prostitution activities, and he received payments from the women that they earned from engaging in those commercial sex acts.

The FBI is in charge of the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cara Foos Pierce is in charge of the prosecution.

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WICHITA, KAN. - An Overland Park woman pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a 13-year-old victim, Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Tricia Rodarmel, 39, Overland Park, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. In her plea, Rodarmel admitted that in October 2013 she began a relationship with co-defendant Robert Dickson through social media. Dickson told her of his interest in having sex with minors. Rodarmel helped by putting Dickson in contact with a 13-year-old minor.

On March 16, 2014, Rodarmel took the 13-year-old from Missouri to a hotel in Kansas where Dickson was to meet them. Rodarmel knew that Dickson intended to engage in sex with the minor.

Sentencing is set for July 25. Both parties have agreed to recommend Rodarmel be sentenced to 17 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.

Co-defendant Dickson is set for sentencing July 11. Both parties in his case have agreed to recommend Dickson be sentenced to 25 years, followed by lifetime supervised release.

Beall commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.

Contact Person: William Witherspoon (803) 929-3000

Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that Martiquos Javon McIlwain, age 23, of Lancaster County, South Carolina was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Columbia, South Carolina, for possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c).  United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. of Columbia sentenced McIlwain to sixty-four (64) months incarceration followed by five (5) years of supervised release and a special assessment of $200.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department received a call for an ongoing burglary.  The caller gave the police a description of the burglars.  The caller also gave the description of the vehicle they were driving as a white pickup truck with a dealer’s tag.  As officers arrived, the owner of the car dealership arrived on the scene and gave the officers the name of the person whom he had allowed to test drive that vehicle earlier that morning.  He told the officers that the person had not returned the vehicle nor returned telephone calls. 

As the officers searched the area for the vehicle, they saw a black Lexus driven by McIlwain’s co-defendant Reco Cauthen and 3 other persons in the car.  Officers were familiar with these individuals and knew they had been mentioned as receivers of stolen items.  When the officers began to follow the car, the rear driver’s side door opened and McIlwain jumped out of the car with a book bag and began to run.  The officers gave chase on foot.  They later caught McIlwain and smelled marijuana coming from the book bag.  They opened the book bag and found 88 grams of marijuana in three individually wrapped packages, a mason jar containing approximately 11 grams of marijuana, 3 digital scales, a cellphone and a Taurus Model PT24/7 Pro, 9mm pistol.  The firearm had been reported stolen.  McIlwain also had 2 grams of marijuana in his pocket.  McIlwain was arrested. 

The case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Lancaster County Sheriff's Department.  Assistant United States Attorney William K. Witherspoon of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases.

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ALBUQUERQUE – Ronnie D. Rael, 30, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 18 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release for his conviction on burglary and theft charges arising out of the burglaries of Albuquerque area post offices in Oct. and Nov. 2015.

Ronnie Rael and codefendant Venessa Rael, 48, also of Albuquerque, were arrested in Dec. 2015, on a criminal complaint charging them with burglary of a U.S. Post Office and theft of stolen mail.  According to the complaint, the Foothills and Academy Stations of the U.S. Postal Service in Albuquerque experienced several alarm activations in Oct. and Nov. 2015.  Surveillance video from those Post Offices revealed that Ronnie Rael and Venessa Rael removed large amounts of mail from the Post Offices when the alarms were activated.  The complaint charged Ronnie Rael and Venessa Rael with attempting to use credit cards stolen from the Post Offices in Nov. 2015.

Ronnie Rael and Venessa Rael were subsequently charged in a five-count indictment that was filed on Dec. 17, 2015. Counts 1 and 5 charged Ronnie Rael alone with theft of mail on Nov. 15, 2015 and with breaking into a Post Office on Nov. 26, 2015.  Counts 2, 3 and 4 charged Rael and his codefendant with fraudulently attempting to obtain money from the bank account of a person who had not authorized them to do so on Nov. 16, 2015; breaking into a Post Office on Nov. 17, 2015; and theft of mail on Nov. 17, 2015.

On Feb. 1, 2016, Ronnie Rael pled guilty to all five counts of the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement.  Codefendant Venessa Rael pled guilty to Counts 2, 3 and 4 of the indictment on April 14, 2016.  At sentencing, Venessa Rael faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.  A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mysliwiec.

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOHN VESCERA, 60, of Dana Point, Calif., waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty today before Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to false advertising and misusing a government seal in connection with the provision of mortgage modification services.

According to court documents and statements made in court, VESCERA was the President of First One Lending Corporation (“First One”) in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.  During the peak of the national mortgage crisis, VESCERA and First One offered home mortgage loan modification assistance to homeowners across the United States, including in Connecticut, who were having difficulty repaying their mortgage loans.

From approximately February 2010 until approximately February 2012, VESCERA and First One solicited clients through television advertisements and infomercials produced by National Media Connection of New London, Conn.  These advertisements touted the mortgage modification services of an entity known as the National Mortgage Help Center (“NMHC”).

Matthew Goldreich, of East Lyme, Conn., had incorporated NMHC approximately two months after the U.S. Treasury Department announced that it would partner with financial institutions to reduce struggling homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments through a program called the Home Affordable Modification Program (“HAMP”).  HAMP consisted of a number of incentives to encourage homeowners and financial institutions to modify existing loans on owner-occupied primary residences in order to help keep these properties out of foreclosure.

NMHC advertisements misrepresented NMHC as being affiliated with or regulated by the U.S. government and falsely stated that NMHC “help[ed] thousands of homeowners every day.”  When viewers called the advertised telephone number, they were connected not to NMHC, which operated only as a front and did not provide mortgage modification services for any homeowners, but to clients of National Media Connection, including First One.

VESCERA and First One used NMHC’s name and logo in First One’s promotional materials, application package and other documents.  VESCERA also instructed First One employees to introduce themselves to prospective clients as “with the National Mortgage Help Center.”

First One also misrepresented its status with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”).  First One employees were instructed to inform homeowners that “[w]e’re a HUD approved lender and we represent the government loan modification programs.”  In addition, certain of First One’s forms claimed that the company provided “HUD . . . Housing Counseling assistance” and bore HUD’s seal.  In truth, First One had no affiliation with the government mortgage loan assistance programs and was not licensed or approved by HUD for housing counseling or home mortgage loan modification services. 

VESCERA pleaded guilty to one count of misuse of a government seal and one count of false advertising.  Chief Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for July 26, 2016, at which time VESCERA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of six years.

Goldreich previously pleaded guilty to one count of false advertising.  On November 5, 2015, he was sentenced to two years of probation, in including three months of home confinement.  He also was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine and $75,794 in restitution.

This investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, and Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Avi Perry and Liam Brennan.

          GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN– Shane Scott, age 41, of Coldwater, Michigan, received a sentence of 33 years in federal prison for attempting to coerce or entice a mentally disabled 17-year-old into sex, U.S. Attorney Patrick Miles announced today.

          Scott committed the offense while incarcerated at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility serving a sentence for criminal sexual conduct involving a 12-year-old girl in 2000. Scott committed the 2000 criminal sexual conduct offense just three months after being released from prison on a previous child sexual abuse conviction in Alabama. Between August 2014 and January 2015, he used the prison mail system to write countless times to a woman whose daughter he wanted to have sex with as soon as he was released. The 17-year-old daughter has severe mental disabilities, and Scott admitted that he knew that she had the mental capacity of someone well under age 10 and that she would not understand what sex was. Scott was scheduled for release from Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility on February 14, 2015, but authorities arrested him on the federal charge of attempted coercion or enticement just prior to his release. Scott pled guilty to the charge in January 2016.

         Scott’s efforts to set up a sexual encounter with the child were persistent and detailed. He sent numerous letters directing the girl’s mother to make arrangements so he could sexually molest the child in a car and at his workplace. He specifically requested that the mother tattoo the girl, send him sexually explicit pictures of the girl, and sexually molest the child for him. Scott stated that the mother was the one who initially proposed the idea of Scott having sex with the daughter, but the mother backed out and Scott spent five months trying to persuade her to allow him to do it, thereby attempting to coerce or entice the child into sex with him through the mother as the intermediary. Scott admitted to authorities that he would have gone through with having sex with the child if law enforcement had not intervened. The child’s mother was convicted in state court for this and a related offense and is now serving up to seven years in prison.

          In delivering the 33-year sentence, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney described this offense as "shocking" and "virtually incomprehensible" in its gravity. Judge Maloney described Scott as "a predator" who is "virtually certain to reoffend" without a lengthy term of incarceration to incapacitate him. He ordered that the 33-year prison term – which was above the recommended guideline range – be followed by 20 years of supervised release, which will subject Scott to intensive federal monitoring and supervision.2

          "If not for careful screening and monitoring of inmate mail by the Michigan Department of Corrections staff at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility, this predator would have carried out his perverse plan and victimized a child who never could have reported it," stated U.S. Attorney Miles. "This case represents the priority that West Michigan law enforcement agencies place on collaborating to protect the most vulnerable among us."

          "Mr. Scott’s propensity, ambition, and planning to offend again once he was released is disturbing, and it is gratifying to see justice served against someone who was plotting to choose among the most vulnerable of our society to victimize so egregiously," said David P. Gelios, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Detroit Division. "It is our law enforcement partners who got us this result. From the Michigan Dept. of Corrections, to the Social Security Administration, the Ionia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Michigan State Police: their partnership with us kept a predator off the streets, and a vulnerable victim safe."

         This case resulted from a joint investigation by the FBI, Michigan State Police, Michigan Department of Corrections, Social Security Administration, and Ionia County Sheriff’s Office working under the FBI’s West Michigan Based Child Exploitation Task Force (WEBCHEX). Assistant U.S. Attorney Tessa K. Hessmiller prosecuted the federal case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office; county prosecutor’s offices; and federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. Individuals with information or concerns about possible child exploitation should contact local law enforcement. For more information about Project Safe Childhood in West Michigan, visit: http://www.justice.gov/usao/miw/programs/psc.html.

END

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Moises Morales Cano, 31, of Astoria, N.Y., pleaded guilty in federal court in Providence, R.I., today to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, admitting to his role in a scheme to manipulate bank ATM machines. The scheme resulted in the theft of personal information skimmed from debit cards belonging to more than 1,300 individuals and the loss of more than $709,000.

Appearing before U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., Moises Morales Cano admitted to the court that between January 1 and April 4, 2015, he conspired with another individual to attach skimming devices on ATMs at banks in several communities in Rhode Island and Connecticut. According to information presented to the court, approximately 1,329 individuals had their debit cards compromised resulting in a total loss of approximately $709,597.50. 

An ATM skimming device is a technology that directly attaches to an ATM in order to intercept unknowing customers’ debit card information from the magnetic strip on ATM cards.  The stolen information and PINs are downloaded and re-encoded onto counterfeit debit cards. The counterfeit debit cards are used to make fraudulent transactions from the accounts of unknowing victims.

Cano’s guilty plea is announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, Ted A. Arruda, Resident Agent in Charge of the Providence office of the U.S. Secret Service, and Warwick Police Chief Colonel Stephen M. McCartney.

Cano has been detained in federal custody since his arrest in Queens, N.Y., on September 9, 2015. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 20, 2016.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee H. Vilker.

The matter was investigated by the United States Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Warwick Police Department, with the assistance of the Smithfield, East Providence, Cranston, and Johnston Police Departments.

###

Contact:

Jim Martin (401) 709-5357

email: USARI.Media@usdoj.gov

on Twitter @USAO_RI

ABINGDON, VIRGINIA – The former mayor of Clinchco, Virginia in Dickenson County, pled guilty today in Federal Court to fraud charges stemming from her use of town funds used to make improvements and repairs to her personal home while she was Mayor, United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced.

Peggy Sue Stanley Mickens, 50, of Clinchco, Virginia, pled guilty today to one count of theft concerning programs receiving Federal funds, one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud.

“This defendant misused her position of public trust for her own personal benefit,” United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. said today. “We will continue to look into all manners of public corruption and prosecute those who misuse public money for their own benefit.”

According to evidence presented at previous hearings by Russell County Commonwealth’s Attorney and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Patton, Mickens was elected Mayor of Clinchco in May 2012, at which time she gained access to, and possession of the town’s banking instrument, credit cards, invoices and banking statements.

In 2013, Clinchco received approximately $20,000 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD] via a Community Development Block Grant, to be used to rehabilitate homes and/or construct new homes in the town.

Mickens admitted today that, without any type of procurement formalities or approval she hired a contractor to remodel her home and paid for it from the town’s BB&T bank account via a checks signed by Peggy Sue Stanley Mickens.

The defendant took these actions without the knowledge or consent of town officials.

Mickens also admitted today to using a Lowe’s credit card maintained by the Town of Clinchco on August 26, 2013. The defendant admitted to using the town’s credit card, without the knowledge or consent of town officials, to charge $662 from the Lowe’s store in Wise, Virginia to obtain materials for her personal home.

The investigation of the case was conducted by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia State Police.  Russell County Commonwealth’s Attorney and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Patton prosecuted the case for the United States.

NEWARK, N.J. – A Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, man today admitted his role in a scheme to steal and convert hundreds of blank U.S. Postal Service money orders, resulting in nearly $200,000 in losses, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Jonel Normil, 26, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to embezzle, convert to his use and the use of others U.S. Postal Service money orders. 

According to the documents filed in this case, other cases, and statements made in court:

Normil was employed as a letter carrier with the U.S. Postal Service in Cape May Court House, New Jersey. He also picked up and dropped off mail at the U.S. Post Office in Stone Harbor, New Jersey.

Normil admitted that he used his position as a letter carrier to steal hundreds of U.S. Postal Service money orders from the Stone Harbor and Cape May Court House post offices. Normil gave the stolen money orders to other conspirators, who made them look legitimate and imprinted them with dollar values of $900 or $1,000 before depositing them into bank accounts or cashing them at post offices in New Jersey, New York, and Georgia.

The charge for conspiring to embezzle, steal, and convert blank U.S. Postal Service money orders carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $250,000 fine. As part of his plea agreement, Normil agreed to the entry of a forfeiture order against him in the amount of approximately $181,000, which represents the approximate losses to financial institutions and the U.S. Postal Service resulting from the scheme. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 16, 2016.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Executive Special Agent in Charge Monica Weyler of the Eastern Area Field Office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge David W. Bosch, Philadelphia Division, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rahul Agarwal of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

Defense counsel: H. Robert Boney Esq., Mays Landing, New Jersey

NEWARK, N.J. – The former chief executive officer of a company that provided pharmacy dispensing services today admitted to filing a false federal income tax return, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Gary J. Sekulski, 68, of Flanders, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden to Count 3 of an indictment charging him with filing a false federal income tax return for tax year 2009.

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

Sekulski was the CEO and President of Healthcare Corporation of America (HCA), a New Jersey company that controlled a pharmacy dispensing service to public and non-profit entities. Sekulski admitted that for tax year 2009, received approximately $172,000 from HCA that he willfully failed to report on his federal income tax return. Sekulski admitted that he prepared this return himself, signed it under penalty of perjury, and caused it to be filed with the IRS knowing that it falsely reported his income. He admitted that he intentionally filed materially false federal income tax returns with the IRS for the 2007 and 2008 tax years. In all, Sekulski failed to report approximately $353,000 in taxable income.  

The tax count to which Sekulski pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the amount of pecuniary gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 8, 2016.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen; and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher, for the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lee M. Cortes Jr. and Shirley U. Emehelu, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

Defense counsel: William C. Cagney Esq., New Brunswick, New Jersey

CAMDEN, N.J. - A West Wildwood, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for possessing images and videos of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Jeffrey Spicer, 45, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas to an information charging him with one count of knowingly possessing child pornography. U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Simandle imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.

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

Spicer admitted that he possessed images and videos of child sexual abuse on electronic and digital media that were seized from his residence pursuant to a search warrant executed on March 19, 2014. According to a forensic examination of these items, numerous images and videos of child sexual exploitation were discovered, including images on his cellular telephone, which he saved by taking screenshot photos with the telephone. The forensic examination further revealed that Spicer was using a password-protected “app” on his cell phone to store the child pornography.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Simandle sentenced Spicer to 10 years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $7,200 in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Terence S. Opiola; the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Robert L. Taylor; the Lower Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief William Mastriana; and the West Wildwood Police Department, under the direction of Chief Jackie Ferentz, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423 or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Skahill of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Camden.

Defense counsel: Lisa Evans Lewis Esq., Camden

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Matthew Hynd, age 40, of Mundah, Queensland, Australia, was sentenced today to serve 78 months in prison for distributing and possessing child pornography.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Andrew W. Vale, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In 2010, while Hynd was living and working in Albany, FBI Agents executed a search warrant on his home, after Hynd distributed child pornography images over the Internet.  Agents found hundreds of images of child pornography on Hynd’s computers.  Hynd then fled the United States and returned to his native Australia. 

Hynd was indicted in 2012 and extradited from Australia in August 2015.  In December 2015, he pled guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also sentenced Hynd to serve a lifetime term of post-imprisonment supervised release, to forfeit several electronic devices on which child pornography was found, and to pay $1,000 in restitution to a child pornography victim.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Kopita.

A man was indicted for robbing two Canton banks last month, Acting U.S. Carole Rendon said.

Richard Ricky Martin, 58, robbed the First Merit Bank on Atlantic Boulevard of $4,820 on April 8. Three days later, he robbed the Key Bank on Cleveland Avenue South of $2,183, according to the indictment.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Barr following an investigation by the FBI and the Stark County Sheriff’s Office.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

ROANOKE, VIRGINIA – A previous convicted sex offender, who due to her previous criminal conduct was required to register as a sex offender, pled guilty today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke for failing to maintain her sex offender registration, United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced.

Kimberly Ann Avery, 53, of Augusta County, pled guilty today in District Court to one count of failing to register as a previously convicted sex offender.

“Keeping and maintaining an accurate and up-to-date sex offender registry is an important tool in keeping our communities informed and safe,” United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. said today. “When individuals fail to comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, they will be held accountable.”

According to evidence presented at today’s guilty plea hearing by Assistant United States Attorney Charlene R. Day, Avery was aware that she was required to register as a sex offender under SORNA and had, on two separate occasions in 2011 and 2015, completed Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registration Forms.

However, on September 29, 2015, a probation officer prepared a major violation report for Avery, citing multiple probation violations, including having contact with minor children, using illegal drugs and absconding from state probation. The report further stated that Avery failed to report for a scheduled appointment and that her whereabouts were unknown.

On November 4, 2015, investigators with the United States Marshals Service in the Southern District of Texas located Avery and conducted and interview with Avery, during which she stated she was tired of being labeled a monster and that she absconded because she wanted to live a normal life.

On November 5, 2015, investigators interviewed GT, a friend of Avery. GT admitted to knowing Avery for 30 years and further admitted that he knew Avery was a convicted sex offender and said Avery had picked him up from Connecticut, that they had traveled to California and then to Texas. GT stated that Avery did not register as a sex offender because she knew she would be arrested if she did. GT also stated that Avery wanted to abscond because she was not the monster she was being made out to be.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the United States Marshals Service and the Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Charlene R. Day prosecuted the case for the United States.

An indictment was filed charigng Antwuan T. Lawson, 35, of Toledo, with being a felon in possession of a firearm, said Carole S. Rendon, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.       

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

The investigating agency in this case is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas P. Weldon.

This case is being prosecuted as part of "Project Safe Neighborhoods," a gun violence reduction program administered by the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio.  The program targets armed criminals for federal prosecution.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The burden of proof is always on the government to prove a defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.          

A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment charging Maurice J. Sinkfield, 33, of Cleveland, with assaulting federal officers as well as firearms offenses, said Carole S. Rendon, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. 

The indictment alleges that Sinkfield, who was wanted on an arrest warrant, assaulted a Deputy U.S. Marshal and a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal with a motor vehicle. Sinkfield also possessed a firearm and ammunition despite prior convictions for robbery and domestic violence that precluded him from having firearms. 

Assistant United States Attorney Megan R. Miller is prosecuting the case following an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 

If convicted, the court will determine the defendant’s sentence after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum.  In most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

Memphis, TN – Sixteen alleged members of the Gangster Disciples, a nationwide violent criminal organization, have been indicted for allegedly conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise. Dozens of alleged Gangster Disciples members have also been arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, on a separate indictment. Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee; and Gerard J. Cocuzzo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Memphis Field Office, announced the indictment today.

Fifteen defendants were taken into custody today; one remains a fugitive. Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies participated in the early morning round-up.

"As the indictment alleges, the Gangster Disciples flooded communities throughout the southeast and beyond with large amounts of drugs and ruthlessly used fear, intimidation, and even murder to promote and protect their nationwide criminal enterprise," said U.S. Attorney Stanton. "We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to eliminate the terror gang members inflict upon our communities. And we will exhaust every available resource, including the federal RICO statute, to bring them to justice. Dismantling violent gangs at the highest levels remains a priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office."

According to the indictment, the defendants named in the RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute charges committed attempted murders; robberies; assaults; distribution of large quantities of heroin; cocaine and marijuana; firearms trafficking; kidnappings; intimidation of witnesses and victims; extortion; obstruction of justice; and other offenses in furtherance of the Gangster Disciples enterprise and to raise funds for the gang.

The Gangster Disciples were organized into different positions, including board members and governor-of-governors who each controlled geographic regions; governors, assistant governors, chief enforcers, and chief of security for each state or regions within the state where the Gangster Disciples were active; and coordinators and leaders within each local group. To enforce discipline among Gangster Disciples and adherence to the criminal organization’s rules and structure, members and associates were routinely fined, beaten and even murdered for failing to follow the gang’s rules.

According to the indictment, the Gangster Disciples has a highly-organized structure with a nationwide reach. In addition to Tennessee, the gang reportedly operates in more than 35 states.

"The coordinated arrests of Gangster Disciples around the country today should send a message to all those intent on victimizing our communities through acts of violence and racketeering," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Cocuzzo. "The FBI is constantly working in Memphis, in Tennessee, around the country, and globally, along with our federal, state, and local partners, to mitigate the threat of violent gangs. We will relentlessly pursue those who terrorize our neighborhoods, whether in urban or rural areas; and today's law enforcement actions demonstrate our commitment to this fight."

The following defendants have been indicted on RICO conspiracy charges in West Tennessee. They have also been charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute five kilos of cocaine; 280 grams of cocaine base; and 1,000 kilos of marijuana:

• Byron Montrail Purdy, a/k/a "Lil B" or "Ghetto," 37, of Jackson, Tennessee. Purdy held the rank of Governor of Tennessee;
• Derrick Kennedy Crumpton, a/k/a "38," 32, of Memphis, Tennessee. Crumpton held the rank of Assistant Governor of Tennessee;
• Demarcus Deon Crawford a/k/a "Trip," 32, of Jackson, Tennessee. Crawford held the rank of Chief of Security of Tennessee;
• Henry Curtis Cooper, a/k/a "Big Hen," 36, of Memphis, Tennessee. Cooper held the rank of Chief Enforcer for Tennessee;
• Rico Terrell Hassis, a/k/a "Big Brim," 43, of Memphis, Tennessee. Hassis held the rank of Enforcer of Memphis;
• Shamar Anthony James, a/k/a "Lionheart," 37, of Memphis, Tennessee. James held the rank of Governor of a region in Memphis;
• Demario Demont Sprouse, a/k/a "Taco," 35, of Memphis, Tennessee. Sprouse held the rank of Chief of Security of a region in Memphis;
• Robert Elliott Jones, a/k/a "Lil Rob" or "Mac Rob," 36, of Memphis, Tennessee. Jones held the rank of Governor of a region in Memphis;
• Denton Suggs, a/k/a "Denny Mo" or "Diddy Mo,"40, of Memphis, Tennessee. Suggs held the rank of Chief of Security in a section of Memphis;
• Santiago Megale Shaw, a/k/a "Mac-T," 23, of Jackson, Tennessee. Shaw was a member of the Security Team or Blackout Squad in Jackson;
• Tommy Earl Champion, Jr., a/k/a "Duct Tape," 27, of Jackson, Tennessee. Champion held the rank of Chief of Security of Jackson;
• Cory DeWayne Bowers, a/k/a "Bear Wayne," 32, of Jackson, was associated with the Gangster Disciples and acted as a member of the Security Team in Jackson;
• Gerald Eugene Hampton, a/k/a "G30," 30, of Jackson, Tennessee. Hampton was a member of the Security Team or Blackout Squad in Jackson;
• Daniel Lee Cole, a/k/a "D-Money," 37, of Jackson, Tennessee. Cole acted as Assistant Governor and Assistant Education Coordinator for the Gangster Disciples in Jackson; and
• Tommy Lee Wilkins (Holloway), a/k/a "Tommy Gunz," 28, of Memphis, Tennessee. Wilkins was a member of the Security Team in Memphis.

The RICO conspiracy charge in this case carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine up to $250,000. The conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute charge carries a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment, and a fine up to $10 million.

Four of the defendants — Crawford, Shaw, Champion, and Bowers — are charged with seven counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering. They are also charged with seven counts of using a firearm during the commission of those offenses. Those crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment for each offense, and a fine up to $250,000.

This case is being investigated by the Multi-Agency Gang Unit, which is comprised of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Memphis Police Department; and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. Other agencies contributing to the investigation include the Drug Enforcement Administration; Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI); the 28th District West Tennessee Drug Task Force; the 25th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office; the Jackson Police Department Gang Enforcement Team; the police departments of Bartlett, Tennessee; Germantown, Tennessee; Columbia, Tennessee; and West Memphis, Arkansas; and the Sheriff’s Offices for Tipton, Desoto, Madison, and Fayette Counties.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jerry Kitchen, Samuel Stringfellow, Beth Boswell, and Michelle Parks. David N. Karpel, trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, is also assisting with this case’s prosecution.

The charges and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.