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

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Yordani Ramirez Salgado, 28, of Miami, Florida, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Bonanno, who is handling the case, stated that on January 18, 2017, the defendant and co-conspirators Ernesto Alvarez Santos and Abel Garcia Fernandez, flew from Miami, Florida to Hartford, Connecticut. After arriving in Connecticut, Salgado and Santos rented a car and drove to Hamburg, NY where they re-united with Fernandez. In Hamburg, Fernandez provided the defendant and Santos with numerous counterfeit access devices including gift cards re-encoded with account numbers for actual credit card or debit card accounts at various financial institutions.

Between January 23, and January 24, 2017, Salgado and Santos used 129 different counterfeit access devices to purchase gift cards at various Walmart stores in Erie, Niagara, and Orleans Counties. Upon purchasing the legitimate Walmart gift cards, the defendants transmitted the legitimate gift card numbers by cellular telephone to another co-conspirator. In addition, Salgado and Santos possessed an additional 102 different counterfeit access devices, which consisted of gift cards re-encoded with account numbers for actual credit card or debit card accounts at various financial institutions.  The account holders of these credit card or debit card accounts did not authorize use of their credit card or debit card account information. The total estimated loss amount is $120,689.02.
 
Ernesto Alvarez Santos has previously been convicted and sentenced.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Lewis Robinson.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 5, 2018, before Chief Judge Geraci.

BOSTON – An MS-13 member pleaded guilty on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, in federal court in Boston to racketeering conspiracy involving the murder of a 15-year-old boy in East Boston.

Joel Martinez, a/k/a “Animal,” 23, a Salvadoran national formerly residing in East Boston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy.  U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for March 22, 2018.

Martinez was identified as a member of MS-13’s Eastside Loco Salvatrucha (ESLS) clique, which operated in Chelsea, Everett, and elsewhere in greater Boston.  Martinez admitted that on Sept. 20, 2015, he murdered a 15-year-old boy on Trenton Street in East Boston.

In recorded conversations between Martinez and a cooperating witness, Martinez acknowledged being a member of MS-13 and admitted that he stabbed the victim to death. Specifically, Martinez said, “I stabbed the asshole three times, and it was a beautiful thing! Just beautiful!” As a result of the murder, Martinez was “jumped in” and made a “homeboy,” or full member of MS-13, during a ceremony that was surreptitiously recorded by federal agents. When a prospective member is “jumped in,” members of the MS-13 clique beat the new member with their hands and feet while one of the leaders of the clique counts aloud slowly to thirteen.

After a three-year investigation, Martinez was one of 61 individuals named in a superseding indictment targeting the criminal activities of alleged leaders, members, and associates of MS-13 in Massachusetts. Martinez is the 27^th defendant to plead guilty in this case.

Martinez faces up to life in prison, five years of supervised release, and will be subject to deportation upon the completion of his sentence.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Commissioner Thomas Turco of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger; Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Thompkins; Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley; Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett; Boston Police Commissioner William Evans; Chelsea Police Chief Brian A. Kyes; Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie; Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary; Revere Police Chief James Guido; Somerville Police Chief David Fallon; and Herndon (VA) Police Chief Maggie A. DeBoard made the announcement.

LAFAYETTE, La. –Acting U.S.Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Honduran citizen was sentenced last week to 18 months in prison for possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.

Franklin Reyes, 36, of Honduras, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by an alien illegally present in the United States. According to the September 1, 2017 guilty plea, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s officers responded to a report of shots fired on January 7, 2017 at a Lafayette apartment complex. After arriving, they heard a gunshot come from one of the apartments. Reyes opened the door of an apartment holding a .38 special revolver, which officers knocked from his hand as they arrested him. Officers found bullet holes in the walls and ceiling of the apartment and 11 expended ammunition casings scattered around the apartment. Reyes was previously removed in February of 2003, May of 2007, March of 2012, January of 2013 and December of 2013.

The ATF, Homeland Security Investigations and Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph T. Mickel prosecuted the case.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that two Sacramento, Calif., residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury for the sex trafficking of six victims.

Ronald Ean Taylor, 43, and Kimberly Anne Sanford, 33, both of Sacramento, were charged in a 10-count federal indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Taylor was arrested in California and Sanford in Nebraska on Friday, Dec. 15, 2017. The indictment was unsealed today.

The federal indictment charges Taylor and Sanford together in six counts of sex trafficking of an adult by force, fraud or coercion. According to the indictment, Taylor and Sanford trafficked six separate victims at various times between Nov. 1, 2014, and May 31, 2017. They allegedly used force, fraud or coercion to cause (or attempt to cause) the six victims to engage in prostitution, from which Taylor and Sanford benefitted financially.

Taylor and Sanford are also charged together in four counts of transporting (or attempting to transport) an individual across state lines for prostitution. According to the indictment, Taylor and Sanford transported, or attempted to transport, four of the sex trafficking victims across state lines for prostitution.

Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Moore. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Los Angeles, Calif., Police Department and the Sacramento, Calif., Police Department in conjunction with the Human Trafficking Rescue Project.
 

A 14-count indictment was unsealed today in federal court in the Eastern District of New York charging three owners of independent diagnostic testing facilities in Brooklyn for their roles in an allegedly fraudulent scheme that involved submitting over $44 million in claims to Medicare and private insurers, which included government-sponsored managed care organizations. Defendant Iskanderova is expected to make an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres of the Southern District of Florida at the federal courthouse in Miami.  The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Margo K. Brodie.

Bridget M. Rohde, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, John P. Cronan, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Scott J. Lampert, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), New York Region, announced the indictment.

Tea Kaganovich and Ramazi Mitaishvili were the co-owners of Sophisticated Imaging, East Coast Diagnostics, East Shore Diagnostics, East West Management and RM Global.  Syora Iskanderova, also known as “Samira Sanders,” was the owner of Global Testing, Liberty Mobile Imaging, Liberty Mobile Testing, Med Tech Services and Scanwell Diagnostics.  The three defendants were each charged with one count of health care fraud, two counts of making false claims to a federal agency, one count of conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks, two counts of paying health care kickbacks and four counts of money laundering.  Kaganovich and Mitaishvili were also charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States by obstructing the lawful functions of the IRS.  Iskanderova was also charged with two counts of making false statements to federal agents. 

According to the indictment, beginning in approximately January 2014 and continuing through at least December 2016, Kaganovich, Mitaishvili and Iskanderova executed a scheme in which they submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid managed care plans and other health care benefit programs for diagnostic testing services.  As part of the scheme, the defendants allegedly paid kickbacks for the referral of beneficiaries who submitted themselves to diagnostic testing and other purported medical services.  The indictment also alleges that the beneficiaries themselves received kickbacks as part of the scheme.  The defendants allegedly submitted and caused to be submitted claims to Medicare, Medicaid managed care plans and other health care benefit programs for services that misrepresented which diagnostic testing company purportedly performed the services.  The indictment further alleges that the defendants disguised their illicit payments by moving the proceeds of this illegal activity through shell companies and engaged in financial transactions greater than $10,000 involving the proceeds of unlawful activity.  Kaganovich and Mitaishvili are alleged to have falsely reported to the IRS that the illegal payments made to co-conspirators were legitimate business expenses, which caused relevant tax forms to falsely under-report business income and claim deductions.  In addition, the indictment alleges that Iskanderova, on two separate occasions, lied to federal agents about her role in the alleged fraud scheme.   

As alleged in the indictment, the defendants submitted and caused to be submitted at least $44 million in claims to Medicare, Medicaid managed care plans and other health care benefit programs for diagnostic testing services and were paid at least $19 million on those claims.

The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The FBI, IRS-CI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.  Trial Attorneys Debra Jaroslawicz and Richard Powers of the Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. 

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force.  Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 3,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $12.5 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

The Defendants:

TEA KAGANOVICH

Age: 45

Residence: Brooklyn, New York

RAMAZI MITAISHVILI

Age: 57

Residence: Brooklyn, New York

SYORA ISKANDEROVA (also known as “Samira Sanders”)

Age: 42

Residence: Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-649 (MKB)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Fulton, Mo., man who fired at law enforcement officers and other motorists during a high-speed pursuit pleaded guilty in federal court today.

Russell Dean Moore, Jr., 27, of Fulton, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr., to the charges contained in an April 21, 2016, federal indictment.

Moore pleaded guilty to three criminal violations that occurred during a high-speed pursuit on Interstate 70 by law enforcement officers, in which Moore fired shots at both the officers and at semi-trailer trucks in an effort to block the pursuit. Moore pleaded guilty to one count of the destruction of a motor vehicle (a USF Holland, Inc., semi-tractor trailer), one count of the use of a firearm in furtherance of that crime, and one count of the use of a firearm in furtherance of the destruction of another motor vehicle (a DCE Transportation, Inc., semi-tractor trailer).

According to the plea agreement, Boone County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a Columbia, Mo., residence on the afternoon of April 6, 2016, for a stolen vehicle complaint. A woman told deputies that her 2007 Jeep, as well as firearms and other items, had been stolen from her residence. Among the items stolen was a Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

At 2:44 a.m. the following morning, a sergeant with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department spotted the stolen Jeep in the parking lot of Midway Travel Center, 6401 E. Hwy. 40, Columbia. The sergeant drove over to the Jeep, which appear to be unoccupied, got out of his vehicle and walked towards the Jeep. As he did so, a woman appeared in the front passenger seat. She moved to the driver’s seat and drove away, stopping in the parking lot to allow Moore to get in the front passenger seat.

The sergeant pursued the Jeep with his emergency lights active. The Jeep turned onto Highway 40 and, as it was crossing Interstate 70, Moore shot at the sergeant multiple times. The Jeep turned onto Highway UU and stopped at the intersection of Sugar Creek Road. The sergeant saw Moore exit the Jeep and started shooting at him. Moore got back into the Jeep and the pursuit continued.

After the sergeant’s patrol vehicle was struck by at least one bullet, disabling it, other officers continued the pursuit of the stolen Jeep into the southern part of Columbia. The chase eventually moved onto Interstate 70 East, where officers continued to pursue the stolen Jeep into Callaway County. Throughout the pursuit, multiple shots were fired from the Jeep at various officers. Shots were also fired from the Jeep at four semi-trailer trucks traveling on Interstate 70, nearly striking one of the drivers.

The Jeep ran out of gas on County Road 172 in Callaway County and the occupants of the Jeep were arrested.

Moore told investigators that his intent when shooting at semi-trailer trucks on Interstate 70 East was to cause a serious accident, which would terminate the officers’ pursuit and aid in their escape. Two tractor trailers were shot during the pursuit. One of the drivers stopped his vehicle and discovered that his cab was damaged, and there was a 9mm bullet lodged behind the driver’s seat. Another driver told investigators he heard a pop and his truck engine began smoking and overheated. He pulled into a rest stop and called his employer. There was a hole in his tractor grill and the radiator, air cooler and condenser were damaged.
 
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the government and Moore agree to recommend to the court a sentence of 40 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Callaway County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
 

            WASHINGTON – Joseph Brown, 49, of North Franklin, Conn., was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Brown pled guilty to the charge in February 2017 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Senior Judge Thomas F. Hogan. Following completion of his prison term, Brown will be placed on 15 years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

            According to the government's evidence, beginning on Aug. 31, 2015, Brown engaged in communications with an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, through a social network site. During the course of the communications, Brown provided the undercover officer with video and images of child pornography. Brown also expressed interest in engaging in sexual acts with a purported female minor.

            In order to confirm the identity of the defendant, the undercover officer, together with other FBI agents, initiated an investigation that led them to Brown. Brown was registered as a sex offender as a result of a 2005 conviction in Connecticut for distribution of child pornography for which he was sentenced to five years in prison. Brown was arrested in Connecticut on Sept. 17, 2015, and was brought to the District of Columbia to face charges, and has remained in custody ever since. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement seized a cellular phone and tablet. These were submitted for forensic analysis. Law enforcement located thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography on the two devices.

            This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD.  In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director Vale, and Chief Newsham praised the work of the MPD Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also commended the efforts of Criminal Investigator John Marsh and Paralegal Specialist Michelle Wicker, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea L. Hertzfeld, who prosecuted the case.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma– A federal grand jury has charged EUNJA VASQUEZ, 55, and LAWRENCE VASQUEZ, 61, of Edmond, Oklahoma, with Medicaid fraud, announced Mark A. Yancey, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, and Mike Hunter, Oklahoma Attorney General. 

According to the 115-count indictment, the Vasquezes used their own Oklahoma City company, Mercy Diabetic Supply, Inc., to defraud the Oklahoma Health Care Authority.  Mercy Diabetic Supply is not affiliated with Mercy Health System.  The indictment alleges that the Vasquezes submitted Medicaid claims for insulin pump supplies in the names of 29 Medicaid beneficiaries who did not, in fact, use insulin pumps in the treatment of their diabetes and whose physicians had not prescribed the use of insulin pumps for them.  According to the indictment, some had not been diagnosed with diabetes.  It is further alleged that Eunja Vasquez falsified medical forms and forged physician signatures as part of the scheme.

Attorney General Hunter’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case and brought the charges to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.  The Attorney General said his office is dedicated to working with federal prosecutors to pursue individuals and companies committing fraud in the state.

"I commend the attorneys and investigators in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, who worked tirelessly on this case," Attorney General Hunter said.  "Our office remains committed to fighting fraud, waste, and abuse of the state’s Medicaid program that helps vulnerable Oklahomans.  I appreciate U.S. Attorney Mark Yancey and his team for taking this case."

U.S. Attorney Yancey said his office will continue its partnership with state agencies and state law enforcement to prevent fraud and corruption.

If convicted, the Vasquezes could each be imprisoned for a maximum of ten years on each count, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  They could also be fined up to $250,000 on each count and would be subject to mandatory restitution.

The public is reminded these charges are merely accusations and that the Vasquezes are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a unanimous jury.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Maxfield Green and Assistant Oklahoma Attorney General Lory Dewey, who is also a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, are prosecuting the case.  Reference is made to court filings for further information.

Savannah, GA – Javel Roberts, 17, of Valdosta, Georgia, entered a guilty plea Thursday, December 14, 2017, before Senior U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore, Jr., for the armed robbery of the SunTrust Bank in Garden City, Georgia, on September 7, 2017, and for brandishing a firearm during the bank robbery.  In addition to the SunTrust Bank robbery, Roberts was charged with the armed robberies of the Wells Fargo Bank at 10422 Abercorn Street in Savannah on July 25 and August 8, 2017.  Although a juvenile under federal law, the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted Roberts as an adult.  He faces up to life imprisonment.

Roberts’ guilty plea follows the guilty pleas of India Janette Henderson, 31, and Ira King, 39, of Savannah, both of whom pled guilty before Judge Moore on November 28, 2017, to aiding and abetting the SunTrust armed robbery, and both of whom face up to twenty-five years in prison.  Jamal Henderson, 30, of Savannah, previously pled guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun and faces up to ten years in prison. 

Oraefein Jabre King, 20, of Savannah, Georgia, was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama on December 12, 2017.  King was charged in an eight-count indictment by a federal grand jury in Savannah with conspiring to rob the Wells Fargo Bank and SunTrust Bank, aiding and abetting the armed bank robberies committed on July 25, August 8, and September 7, 2017, aiding and abetting the carrying of a firearm during the bank robberies, and unlawfully transferring a handgun to a juvenile.  If convicted, King faces not less than 57 years in prison and up to life imprisonment.

United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine said, “Our office will aggressively prosecute those who commit violent crimes in our neighborhoods and anyone who aids and abets them.  Those who think they may avoid federal prosecution because of their youth, let this prosecution serve notice.”

“It very disconcerting that anyone would brandish a weapon during a bank robbery, let alone a 17-year old youth,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.  “The disregard for employees and customers is reprehensible. These arrests and prosecution of this case demonstrate the determination of the FBI Southeast Georgia Violent Crime Task Force and its local law enforcement partners to make our community a safer place.”

United States Attorney Christine emphasized that an indictment is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilty.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

The investigation into the three bank robberies was led by the FBI Southeast Georgia Violent Crime Task Force, along with assistance from Savannah-Chatham Police Department, and Garden City Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Chris Howard is prosecuting these cases for the United States. For any questions, please contact Appellate Chief R. Brian Tanner at (912) 652-4422.

John H. Durham. United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DARRYLL HARMON, 44, of Stratford, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to one count of bankruptcy fraud.

According to court documents and statements made in court, HARMON was in default on his HUD-insured mortgage, which was held by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (“CHFA”).  In January 2009, CHFA commenced foreclosure proceedings in Connecticut Superior Court.  Between January 2009 and October 2013, HARMON filed seven petitions for bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut, which caused the foreclosure proceedings to be automatically stayed until the bankruptcy proceedings were resolved.  The bankruptcy court dismissed all but one of the bankruptcy petitions because HARMON failed to pay filing fees or to file required information.  On July 25, 2014, the bankruptcy court dismissed HARMON’s seventh bankruptcy petition and issued an order barring HARMON from filing for bankruptcy for the two-year period from July 17, 2014 through July 17, 2016. 

On July 1, 2016, HARMON filed another bankruptcy petition, this time in the name of another individual who lived in Texas.  HARMON falsely listed his home as the other individual’s residence and forged that individual’s signature on the bankruptcy petition.  The individual did not authorize the petition to be filed and did not have knowledge that it was being filed.  The filing of the false bankruptcy petition caused another automatic stay of the foreclosure sale on HARMON’s home, thereby hindering and preventing CHFA from foreclosing on the HUD-insured mortgage and collecting the debts owed to it. 

Bankruptcy fraud carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.  A sentencing date has not been scheduled.  HARMON is released on a $75,000 bond.

This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Lamont Moran was sentenced by United States District Judge I. Leo Glasser to 84 months’ imprisonment to be followed by four years of supervised release, after his conviction for conspiring to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin.  The defendant ran a heroin distribution operation near the Baisley Park Houses in South Jamaica, Queens from 2015 until his arrest in September 2016.  Moran pled guilty to the charge in April 2017.

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 Division (FBI), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentence.

“The defendant Lamont Moran promoted and profited from the opioid epidemic in our District,” stated Acting United States Attorney Rohde.  “Today he was held accountable.  Together with our law enforcement partners, this Office will continue to investigate and prosecute those like the defendant who seek to line their own pockets by selling these dangerous drugs and harming our community.”

According to court filings, the defendant was affiliated with the violent street gang “Get it in Stacks” (also known as “GI$”), a subset of the nationwide Bloods gang operating near the Baisley Park Houses in South Jamaica, Queens.  The defendant supervised street-level dealers near the Baisley Park Houses—including at least one GI$ member and several elderly heroin addicts—who distributed heroin and fentanyl labeled with brand names such as “Batman,” “Call of Duty” and “Sleepys.”  The defendant also sold heroin and fentanyl directly to users.  From March 2016 to August 2016, for example, the defendant made more than 15 drug sales to a confidential FBI source.  On many of these occasions, the defendant sold the source fentanyl instead of heroin—without ever revealing this fact to the source. 

The defendant acknowledged in post-arrest statements that he personally did not use heroin: “I don’t use this [expletive].  I don’t touch this [expletive]. . . .  I don’t view it as drugs, I view it as money.”  A search of the defendant’s phone revealed more evidence of gang affiliation, plus photographs of the defendant with wads of cash and multiple firearms.

Four other defendants have been charged with heroin distribution crimes in this case, and each has pleaded guilty.  On August 8, 2017, co-defendant Michael Singletary was sentenced to a year and a day of imprisonment for a single incident of heroin distribution.  On October 3, 2017, co-defendant David Young—one of the defendant’s street-level dealers—was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment.  On October 27, 2017, co-defendant William Parker—a career offender and another one of the defendant’s street-level dealers—was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment.  Co-defendant Dennis Pristell—a street-level dealer who worked for the defendant—is awaiting sentencing.   

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Jacobs is in charge of the prosecution.

Defendant Sentenced Today:

LAMONT MORAN
Age: 30
Residence: Queens, New York

Defendants Previously Sentenced:

WILLIAM PARKER
Age: 53
Residence: Queens, New York

MICHAEL SINGLETARY
Age: 43
Residence: Baldwin Harbor, New York

DAVID YOUNG
Age: 66
Residence: Queens, New York

Defendant Awaiting Sentencing:

DENNIS PRISTELL

Age: 57

Residence: Queens, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-506 (S-1) (ILG)

          CONCORD, N.H. -   Acting United States Attorney John Farley announced today that Judith Morale (formerly known as Judith Remo), 54, currently a resident of Webster, New York, has pleaded guilty to health care fraud.

          According to court documents, from 2006 to 2012, Morale owned and operated a business, Bedford Geriatric Physical Therapy, LLC, that provided physical therapy services to Medicare beneficiaries.  Through the business, Morale provided routine foot care (e.g., toenail trimming, ingrown toenail repair and callus shaving) to patients in an assisted living facility in Bedford, New Hampshire.  Knowing that the services were not covered by Medicare, Morale obtained payments totaling $41,127.89 by submitting claims for payment to Medicare that falsely described these routine services as wound care.

          Morale is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Court Judge Joseph DiClerico on March 27, 2018.

          “Fraud against federal health care programs such as Medicare is a very a serious crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley.  “When health care providers fraudulently obtain money from the Medicare program, they will be held accountable for their actions.  I commend the efforts of the law enforcement agents whose work led to this conviction.”

         “By literally using the Medicare system as her own personal ATM, Ms. Morale violated the basic trust that taxpayers extend to healthcare providers.” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Boston Division.  “Fraudulently billing the government defrauds every American taxpayer, and the FBI is committed to finding those who abuse public health care programs to which we all contribute and depend on.”

         “Every Medicare dollar is needed to provide necessary patient care, thus skimming off funds by providers will not be tolerated,” said Phillip M. Coyne, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  “The message is clear.  Those who steal from Medicare will have to pay the price.”

          This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Davis and Robert Kinsella.

###

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a former police officer today of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and obstruction of justice.

“Nicholas Young swore an oath to protect and defend, and instead violated the public’s trust by attempting to support ISIS,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “I want to thank the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metro Transit Police, and the trial team for their tireless work and dedication to this case.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Nicholas Young, 38, of Fairfax, was formerly employed as a police officer with the Metro Transit Police Department. In late July 2016, Young attempted to provide material support and resources to ISIS by purchasing and sending gift card codes that he believed would allow ISIS recruiters to securely communicate with potential ISIS recruits.

Between Dec. 3, 2015, and Dec. 5, 2015, Young attempted to obstruct and impede an official proceeding. In specific, Young believed an associate of his, who was actually an FBI confidential human source (CHS), had successfully joined ISIS in late 2014. During an FBI interview, Young was told the FBI was investigating the attempt of his associate (the CHS) to join ISIS. Nevertheless, in an attempt to thwart the prosecution of the CHS and himself, Young attempted to deceive investigators as to the destination and purpose of the CHS’s travel. 

Additionally, in November 2014, Young attempted to obstruct, influence, and impede an official proceeding of the Grand Jury by sending a text message to the CHS’ cell phone in order to make it falsely appear to the FBI that the CHS had left the United States to go on vacation in Turkey. In actuality, Young believed the CHS had gone to Turkey and then to Syria in order to join and fight for ISIS.

Young faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in prison when sentenced on Feb. 23, 2018. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the verdict. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gordon D. Kromberg and John T. Gibbs, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Turgeon, and Trial Attorney David P. Cora of the National Security Division.

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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-265.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Prince George Kelly (36, Apollo Beach) to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison for possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. The Court also ordered him to serve three years of supervised release and to forfeit the ammunition seized in the offense.

Kelly pleaded guilty on September 28, 2017.

According to court documents, on December 16, 2016, officers with the Tampa Police Department responded to a domestic violence call. When the officers arrived at the home, Kelly was standing outside. He informed the officers that he did not have any weapons on his person and invited the officers to pat him down. When Kelly raised his arms, the officers observed the bottom of a Glock magazine sticking out of his front pants pocket. The magazine was loaded with .45 caliber ammunition. As a previously convicted felon, Kelly is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaitlin R. O’Donnell.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, Acting U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. 

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that a federal jury has found Gustavo Enrique Llanos Miranda (62) and Jair Mendoza Montoya (49), both of Colombia, South America, guilty of conspiring to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and possessing with the intent to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Llanos Miranda faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years, up to life, in federal prison. Mendoza Montoya faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. The sentencing hearings are scheduled for March 20, 2018. They were indicted on September 19, 2017.

According to evidence presented at trial, Llanos Miranda and Mendoza Montoya participated in a plan to smuggle more than 1,500 kilograms of cocaine on board a large oil tanker named FAT CROW. In August 2017, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) interdicted the vessel in international waters in the Caribbean Sea. After conducting an exhaustive search of the ship, the USCG found 1,504 kilograms of cocaine in a hidden compartment that the crew had constructed in the ship’s bow. Llanos Miranda and Mendoza Montoya, along with several other FAT CROW crewmembers, had participated in extensive negotiations with a drug cartel representative concerning their compensation for smuggling the cocaine and participated in loading the cocaine onto the ship. Five other crewmembers pleaded guilty to the conspiracy prior to trial. The wholesale value of the cocaine exceeds $45 million.

This case was investigated by agents of the Panama Express Strike Force, an OCDETF Strike Force comprised of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Interagency Task Force South. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Taylor G. Stout and Carlton C. Gammons.

HOUSTON – Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, the 25-year-old refugee who was born in Iraq and resided in Houston, has been ordered to federal prison for 16 years following his conviction of attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. He pleaded guilty Oct. 17, 2016.

Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana Boente, Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Division and Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Houston made the announcement.

“Any person who provides material support to a foreign terrorist organization will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Martinez. “Al Hardan’s actions were treacherous and completely antithetical to the freedoms we as U.S. citizens value. The sentence imposed today reflects the Department of Justice’s resolve to seek out and punish all violators who would give aid and comfort to international terrorists.” 

Today, U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes, who accepted the guilty plea, handed Al Hardan a 192-month sentence. He will also be on supervised release for the rest of his life.

At the time of his plea, Al Hardan had admitted he attempted to provide material support – specifically himself – to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Al Hardan entered the United States as a refugee on or about Nov. 2, 2009. Prior to entering the country, Al Hardan was in at least two refugee camps in Jordan and Iraq. After being admitted into the U.S. as an Iraqi refugee, he was granted legal permanent residence status on or about Aug. 22, 2011, and had resided in Houston.

In 2013, federal agents began investigating Al Hardan who had been communicating with a California man whom he understood  was associated with the Al-Nusrah Front. In those communications, the individual had told Al Hardan that he had previously traveled to Syria to fight for Al-Nusrah and discussed plans to return to Syria with Al Hardan to fight for Al-Nusrah.

Beginning in June 2014 and continuing through 2015, Al Hardan also developed a relationship with a Confidential Human Source (CHS). During that time, they discussed traveling overseas to support ISIL in fighting jihad and various ways to assist ISIL. Al Hardan also said he wanted to be trained in building remote transmitter/receiver detonators for improvised explosive devices, wanted to learn to use cell phones as the remote detonators and wanted to build remote detonators for ISIL. Al Hardan indicated he taught himself how to make remote detonators by accessing online training videos and other resources he found online and showed the CHS a circuit board he built to be used as a transmitter for a detonator. 

On Nov. 5, 2014, Al Hardan took an oath of loyalty to ISIL. Two days later, Al Hardan and the CHS participated in approximately one hour of tactical weapons training with an AK-47 that Al Hardan indicated he wanted.   

During the investigation, Al Hardan had also posted many statements on social media in support of ISIL. One of those included a photo of a Humvee with an ISIL flag. Above the photo, Al Hardan posted, “ISIS yesterday in Iraq, today in Syria and Allah willing, tomorrow in Jerusalem.” He also made numerous statements about his plans to travel to Syria and fight alongside ISIL and become a martyr. In one instance he said “I want to blow myself up. I want to travel with the Mujahidin. I want to travel to be with those who are against America. I am against America.”

Upon his arrest in January 2016, investigators discovered training CDs on how to build remote detonators, electronic circuitry components, tools used to build circuitry, multiple cell phones (that had not been activated), a prayer list for committing Jihad and becoming a martyr and the ISIL flag. 

Al Hardan has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and HSI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ted Imperato, Carolyn Ferko and S. Mark McIntyre prosecuted the case.

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on December 14, 2017, Manish Patel (age: 26) was sentenced to 38 months imprisonment, and ordered to pay $1,101,901.61 in restitution for committing wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.  Additionally, Nikita Shukla (age: 26) was sentenced to one year and one day imprisonment, and ordered to pay $149,531.28 in restitution for committing wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.

According to the plea agreements and other court documents, unknown members of the scheme located in India called victims and made material misrepresentations to them, which caused the victims to send a MoneyGram, which is an electronic, interstate transfer of money to a specific location and to a specific, fictitious name. One misrepresentation that the callers made was that they were from the Department of Homeland Security’s United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, and that the individuals (legal immigrants) had to pay for new passports or other items in order to avoid being sent to jail or deported.  The caller would then instruct the victim to send a MoneyGram for a certain amount of money to a specific location and to a specific, fictitious name.  The callers made numerous other misrepresentations to the many victims of this scam.    

Manish Patel and others possessed fraudulent driver’s licenses that included the fictitious names of the MoneyGram recipients, but contained a photo of themselves.  They used these fraudulent driver’s licenses to pick up MoneyGrams throughout the country.  Patel frequently picked up several MoneyGrams a day from various locations using fraudulent driver’s licenses.  For at least part of the scheme, Nikita Shukla drove Manish Patel throughout the country, including in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.  Patel and Shukla were allowed to keep a certain percentage of fraud proceeds, but then deposited the remaining cash into various bank accounts or handed the cash off to unknown individuals. 

Using 134 different fraudulent identifications, Patel picked up $1,101,901.61 in fraud proceeds in 1,081 transactions, from 780 victims from September 28, 2016 through May 10, 2017.  Shukla aided and abetted by driving Patel to pick up $149,531.28 in fraud proceeds from 100 victims.  When they were arrested in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Patel and Shukla possessed 147 fraudulent driver’s licenses with fake names and Patel’s photo in them.  Law enforcement also found $21,672 in cash in the car.       

The case was investigated by the Greenfield Police Department, the United States Secret Service Financial Crimes Unit, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, Digital Forensics and Analysis Unit. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Corey. 

The public should be aware that neither the Department of Homeland Security nor the Internal Revenue Service (or any other federal government agency) will ever ask you to pay money to them via MoneyGram, RIA, Western Union, or especially iTunes or Steam (online gaming) gift cards.  

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For Additional Information Contact:

Public Information Officer Dean Puschnig 414-297-1700

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ISMAEL RUIZ, also known as “Papo,” 51, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in New Haven to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in a heroin trafficking ring.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad targeted a New Haven-based heroin trafficking organization.  The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical and video surveillance, revealed that members of the organization regularly purchased bulk quantities of heroin from suppliers located in the Bronx, New York, and sold the heroin through a network of redistributors, including RUIZ, on the streets of New Haven.

The investigation has resulted in federal charges against 24 individuals.

RUIZ was arrested on March 15, 2017.  On August 10, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin.

The DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad includes officers from the Bristol, Hamden, Milford, Monroe, New Haven, Shelton, Wallingford and Wilton Police Departments. 

The New Haven, East Haven and West Haven Police Departments, together with the U.S. Coast Guard, provided valuable assistance to the investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Patrick F. Caruso.

FRESNO, Calif. — Rosario Beltran-Leal (Beltran), 43, of Sinaloa, Mexico, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to manufacture or cultivate, distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana in the Giant Sequoia National Monument in Tulare County, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Beltran was found last spring bringing over 31,000 marijuana seeds to a cultivation site in a remote area closed to the public in the Giant Sequoia National Monument. He was also in possession of a large quantity of food and cultivation supplies, including 100 hose connectors. In pleading guilty, Beltran acknowledged that he had delivered food supplies to marijuana growers in the same area in 2016. The irrigation system from the previous year was intact. Native vegetation and trees had also been trimmed to make room for the marijuana plants and water had been diverted from a tributary of Mill Creek.

Beltran is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill on March 12, 2017. Beltran faces a maximum prison term of 20 years and a fine of up to $1 million. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a registered sex offender in Lebanon, Mo., was sentenced in federal court today for receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet.

Kavin Dywayne Finley, 45, of Lebanon, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Finley to supervised release for the rest of his life following incarceration.

Finley, who pleaded guilty on April 27, 2017, is registered with the Missouri Sex Offender Registry due to his 1999 convictions in Arizona for molesting a 12-year-old child multiple times.

According to court documents, Finley was actively engaged in trading child pornography with other individuals on the Internet. The investigation began on April 16, 2015, when a Missouri State Technical Assistant Team investigator received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which reported child pornography in Finley’s Google Gmail account. Finley’s e-mail had multiple images of child pornography that he was sending to another user, and he remarked that he had more images and videos he could send.

On May 12, 2015, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Finley’s residence and seized a laptop computer, which contained multiple videos of child pornography, and Finley was arrested. Investigators also found child pornography on Finley’s cell phone.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team and the FBI.

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