SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jeffrey Miles Hayes, 55, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to 33 years in prison, to be followed by 25 years of supervised release for receiving child pornography, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, Hayes came to the attention of law enforcement through two related tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding an individual who was posting images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct to a social media blog. An Internet Protocol (IP) address used to access the blog site was registered to Hayes’s home. During a search of the residence, law enforcement identified an iPad containing a messaging application that Hayes used to send and receive images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Hayes had over 2,000 images of children engaged in sexually explicit acts, including images showing sadistic/masochistic abuse and the sexual abuse of an infant, as well as links to cloud storage accounts containing child pornography. At the time, Hayes had a prior conviction in the Sacramento County Superior Court relating to distribution of child pornography and was a registered sex offender.

This case was investigated by the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a federally and state-funded task force managed by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department with agents from federal, state, and local agencies. The Sacramento ICAC investigates online child exploitation crimes, including child pornography, enticement, and sex trafficking. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shelley D. Weger prosecuted the case.

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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet safety education.

            Concord, N.H.—Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced that Jose Serrano Ayuso, 31, and Lilian Zapata, a/k/a Marta Arus, 52, both previously of Manchester, New Hampshire, have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in 2016.

            According to court records and statements in court, on several occasions between August and October of 2016, investigators used a cooperating individual to make purchases of heroin from Ayuso.  On two occasions when Ayuso was unavailable, Zapata delivered the requested drugs.  Laboratory analyses later showed that the defendants actually were distributing fentanyl.

            During the execution of a search warrant at the defendants’ shared residence in Manchester in October 2016, investigators found more than 230 grams of fentanyl, a handgun, drug ledgers, over $5,000 of U.S. currency, and identifying documents in Ayuso’s bedroom.  In the apartment kitchen, investigators found an iced tea container containing over 640 grams of fentanyl.  Investigators also located a scale and a press for forming “fingers” of fentanyl for distribution in other areas of the apartment. In total, this investigation led to the seizure of more than one kilogram of fentanyl. 

            Both Zapata and Ayuso pleaded guilty in fall 2017.  On January 5, 2018, Zapata received a sentence of 54 months in prison.  On January 18, 2018, Ayuso received a sentence of 144 months in prison.

            “As our state grapples with the challenges of the opioid crisis, there are still those who seek to profit from the sale of fentanyl and other deadly drugs,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley.  “Far too many lives in New Hampshire have been lost to drug overdoses.  Those who choose to sell fentanyl and other deadly drugs are endangering their customers and causing great damage to our community.  We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to stop the flow of fentanyl into the Granite State and to protect our community from further harm.”

            “Mr. Ayuso and Ms. Zapata will now pay the price for their roles in a large scale drug operation that distributed more than a kilo of fentanyl, the top cause of drug related deaths in New Hampshire,” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Boston Division.  “Each and every day, the FBI New Hampshire Safe Streets Gang Task Force is hard at work targeting distributors and their supply chains, who are blatantly contributing to the tragic opioid crisis that is wreaking havoc in communities all over our state.” 

            The matter was investigated by the FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which consists of FBI Special Agents and members of the Manchester Police Department, the Hudson Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, the Nashua Police Department, and the New Hampshire Department of Corrections Probation and Parole.  Investigators also received assistance of the New Hampshire HIDTA.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau.

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John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CARRIE CAESAR, 47, of New Britain, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for embezzling funds from Webster Bank Corporation.

According to court documents and statements made in court, CAESAR was a long-time employee of Webster Bank where she served in a variety of roles, including bank teller, account manager and, most recently, as manager of the Avon branch office.  Between 2003 and 2016, CAESAR withdrew at least $535,600 from account holders’ certificate of deposit (CD) accounts at Webster Bank, without the knowledge or consent of the account holders, used the embezzled funds for her own purposes, and took steps to conceal her misconduct.

CAESAR targeted primarily six customers, all of whom were at least 79 years old and with whom she had developed a relationship as an account manager. 

Judge Thompson ordered CAESAR to pay $535,600 in restitution to the bank.

On February 13, 2017, CAESAR pleaded guilty to one count of theft, embezzlement and misapplication by a bank officer and employee.

CAESAR, who is released on a $150,000 bond, was ordered to report to prison on March 20, 2018.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Pierpont, Jr.

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA –United States Attorney Bill Powell has announced his Senior Leadership Team. Those appointed to the team bring a combined 109 years of service to the United States Attorney’s Office in the Northern District, and will assist Mr. Powell in the management of the Wheeling, Martinsburg, Clarksburg, and Elkins offices.

Those named are Randolph J. Bernard, First Assistant United States Attorney; Helen Campbell Altmeyer, Civil Division Chief; Paul T. Camilletti, Criminal Division Chief; Fawn E. Thomas, Administrative Officer; and Traci M. Cook, Branch Office Supervisor Clarksburg. 

“I am excited about our team. We have important work to do, but I am confident we will get it done. The guidance and support I have already received has been invaluable. Along with our dedicated Assistant United States Attorneys and all of our support staff, we will continue to do the work of our district in a professional and unwavering manner,” said Powell.

Assistant United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard has been named First Assistant United States Attorney, after the retirement of former First Assistant Betsy Steinfeld Jividen. Mr. Bernard previously served as the Chief of the Criminal Division. Mr. Bernard joined the office in 2002. Mr. Bernard has also served as the District Office Security Manager. Before becoming an Assistant United States Attorney, Mr. Bernard served as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the Wheeling, West Virginia Resident Agency. Prior to the FBI, he was a litigator with Coolidge, Wall, Womsley & Lombard in Dayton, Ohio.

Helen Campbell Altmeyer will continue in her role at the Civil Division Chief. She has served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division since 1989. Before joining the United States Attorney’s Office, Ms. Altmeyer was an Associate at Bachmann, Hess, Bachmann & Garden, in Wheeling, West Virginia. She also served as an Assistant County Prosecutor in Ohio County, West Virginia, where she was primarily responsible for handling child abuse and neglect cases.

Paul T. Camilletti has been named the Criminal Division Chief. Mr. Camilletti was most recently the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division. He joined the office in 1991 as an Assistant United States Attorney responsible for Asset Forfeiture. He has also served as a task force attorney for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. He presently serves as the National Security Cyber Specialist and Crisis Management Coordinator. Before joining the United States Attorney’s Office, Mr. Camilletti was a partner in the law firm of Camilletti & Sacco in Wheeling, West Virginia. He has also served as an assistant Prosecuting Attorney in both the Ohio County and Marshall County, West Virginia Prosecutor’s offices.

Fawn E. Thomas will continue in her role as Administrative Officer, serving as the Chief of the Administrative Division and as the primary advisor to the United States Attorney for planning and managing all office resources. Ms. Thomas has been with the office since 1983. Prior to her appointment as Administrative Officer, she served as the Public Affairs Specialist and the Human Resource Specialist. Ms. Thomas was previously an EEO Investigator for the Executive Office for United States Attorneys and an Evaluation and Review Staff Evaluator. Ms. Thomas also served on the Administrative Officers’ Working Group.

Traci M. Cook is the branch office supervisor in the Clarksburg office. Ms. Cook joined the office in 2016. Before becoming an Assistant United States Attorney, Ms. Cook was a senior assistant prosecuting attorney in Harrison County.  She also served as an associate attorney at Reed Kimble PLLC in Morgantown, West Virginia.  Prior to that, she was an assistant public defender in Clarksburg, West Virginia and an associate attorney at Seibert & Kasserman, LC in Wheeling, West Virginia.
 

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – A Middlebourne, West Virginia man has admitted to a drug distribution charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

William “Jack” Parr, age 51, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess With Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine” and one count of “Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.” Parr admitted to distributing methamphetamine from 2015 to August 2017 in Tyler County, West Virginia. Parr, having previously been convicted of a felony in the Circuit Court of Tyler County, also admitted to illegally possessing two .22 caliber pistols, a 9mm pistol, and a .45 caliber pistol.

Parr faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for the conspiracy charge, and up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the firearms charge. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert H. McWilliams, Jr., is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office are investigating. 

Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. presided.

            CONCORD, N.H. - Matthew Felton, 38, of Somersworth, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of production of child pornography, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, the defendant used several social media accounts to disguise his identity, pose as a female representative of a modeling agency, and solicit sexually explicit photographs of young girls purportedly to help them secure modeling contracts. Specifically, he persuaded three girls (ages 12 through 14), all of whom were located in Canada, to photograph themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The girls sent the photographs to the defendant over the Internet.

            Felton is scheduled to be sentenced on April 26, 2018.

            “Those who produce child pornography cause untold amounts of damage to their youthful victims,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley.  “Unfortunately, the widespread use of social media has increased the opportunities for young people to be victimized.  While we will work closely with our law enforcement partners to prosecute those who rob children of their innocence by committing crimes like this, we also encourage parents to speak to their children about the need to be extremely cautious when communicating on social media.”

               “This case was a great example of what strong coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors can achieve in combatting the scourge of child pornography and child endangerment from those who would engage in such depraved acts”, said Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent–In -Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Boston. “HSI is committed to ensuring that justice is delivered against these type of predators.”

            This matter was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations, the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and law enforcement authorities in Canada.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Georgiana Konesky. 

            In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States 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.

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BOISE – Karl Valencia, 39, of Twin Falls, Idaho, pleaded guilty yesterday in United States District Court to unlawful possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.  

According to the plea agreement, Valencia was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a 1997 aggravated assault conviction in Twin Falls County.  In 2016, Valencia was convicted for the first time of unlawful possession of a firearm in the United States District Court for the District of Idaho.  In July 2017, he was serving the remainder of his federal sentence in the 2016 case at the Port-of-Hope halfway house.  On July 16, 2017, after not returning to the Port-of-Hope as scheduled, Valencia was stopped for a traffic infraction in Mountain Home, where he was found in possession of a Ruger pistol.  As part of his plea, Valencia also agreed to forfeit the Ruger pistol.

Sentencing is set for April 18, 2018, before U.S. District Court Judge David C. Nye.   

Unlawful possession of a firearm is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and a term of supervised release up to three years. 

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office.  

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.  In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

CINCINNATI – Rodney D. Cydrus, 48, formerly of Chillicothe, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to mailing threatening communications. Cydrus was an inmate at Lebanon Correctional Institution at the time of this offense.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, and Yvonne DiCristoforo, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service, announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett.

According to court documents, on five separate occasions in January 2017, Cydrus mailed letters threatening to injure numerous government officials, including the President of the United States, federal judges, the FBI and the Federal Public Defender’s Office. Four of the letters were addressed to the FBI and one letter was addressed to the Federal Public Defender’s Office.

As part of the threat, Cydrus included a powdered substance (namely his own medication) in the letter to the Federal Public Defender’s Office on January 17, 2017.

Cydrus was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2017.

Mailing threatening communications is a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI and U.S. Secret Service, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan, who is prosecuting the case.

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RICHMOND, Va. – An Emporia man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for participating in a large-scale crack cocaine, heroin and marijuana trafficking conspiracy in the Emporia area from March 2015 through June 2017.

According to court documents, Vincent Demond Anderson, aka “Moosey”, 41, was identified by law enforcement as a primary customer of Deron Powell, a large-scale drug trafficker in the Emporia area from 2013-2017. From at least March 2016 through June 2017, Anderson distributed approximately 700 grams of crack cocaine that he purchased from Powell. Law enforcement intercepted numerous cell phone calls between Powell and Anderson, negotiating the purchase of crack cocaine, cocaine hydrochloride, and marijuana for distribution in the Emporia area.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Duffey prosecuted the case.

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. 3:17-cr-80.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Christopher Gerard Dickerson (39, Sanford) to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, distribution and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. A federal jury found him guilty on October 23, 2017.  

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Dickerson conspired with others to possess and sell street-level quantities of heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, and crack. On two occasions in September 2016, in parking lots in east Orlando, Dickerson sold grams of heroin to a confidential informant who was working for law enforcement. Thereafter, he agreed to sell firearms and drugs to an undercover agent with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. 

On March 17, 2017, at a hotel on International Drive in Orlando, Dickerson and a co-conspirator, David Charles Heineman, sold the undercover agent seven firearms, a bag of cocaine, ammunition, and a large-capacity drum magazine for one of the firearms. The firearms included semiautomatic pistols, a tactical rifle, shotguns, and an AK-47 style firearm. Three of the seven firearms had been reported stolen. Heineman also later sold two additional firearms, two bulletproof vests, and other drugs to the undercover agent.   

On April 19, 2017, agents executed a federal search warrant at Dickerson’s and Heineman’s apartment in Titusville. After Dickerson’s arrest, agents recovered a stash of drugs from the apartment, including crack and fentanyl. 

Due to his multiple prior felony convictions, including possession of cocaine, delivery of hydromorphone, possession of cocaine with the intent to sell or deliver, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, Dickerson is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

On October 3, 2017, Heineman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possessing with the intent to distribute controlled substances and possessing a firearm as an unlawful user of a controlled substance. On December 20, 2017, he was sentenced to 5 years and 10 months’ imprisonment.  

“ATF’s primary focus is protecting the public by reducing violent crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Daryl McCrary. “ATF continues to aggressively pursue violent offenders and will continue to protect and serve communities with our law enforcement partners.”

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Orlando Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean P. Shecter and former Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Searle.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a historical program involving the successful collaboration of law enforcement, at all levels, to reduce violent crime and making neighborhoods safer for everyone. In October 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to develop districtwide crime reduction strategies, incorporating the lessons learned since the program’s inception (2001). In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

BILLINGS - The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Susan Watters sentenced Todd Thomas Malmstrom, a 53-year-old resident of Billings to 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release. 

Malmstrom previously entered a guilty plea to felon in possession of a firearm. In February of 2017, Malmstrom was contacted by law enforcement officers after he was found in possession of a stolen vehicle in Billings, Montana.  Malmstrom was carrying a loaded .45 caliber handgun in a holster on his belt at the time of his arrest and he had three additional firearms stored inside the stolen vehicle.

Malmstrom admitted to ATF agents that he had possessed the four firearms and that he knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his prior felony conviction. In 2013, Malmstrom was convicted of another federal gun crime – subject of a court order in possession of a firearm. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Cobell and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement to identify those responsible for significant violent crime in Montana.  A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a recently reinvigorated Department of Justice program that has proven to be successful in reducing violent crime.  Today’s sentencing is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program.

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Robert Burgos and Vanessa Burgos pleaded guilty to an illegal importation of wildlife conspiracy stemming from a scheme to illegally import a dozen Fischer Lovebirds from Indonesia and elsewhere into the United States without a required permit, in violation of the Endangered Species Act.  Today’s proceeding took place before United States Magistrate Judge Ramon E. Reyes, Jr.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Edward Grace, Acting Chief of Law Enforcement, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), announced the guilty pleas.

Fischer Lovebirds, also known as Agapornis fischeri, are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international treaty that protects wildlife that may become endangered due to the demands of international markets.  As a result, Fischer Lovebirds may be imported into the United States from a foreign country only if the importer possesses a valid CITES export or re-export permit from the foreign country of origin.

As detailed in court filings, in late June 2015, a shipment of Fischer Lovebirds, arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, from Madrid, Spain, falsely labelled as Rosy-Faced Lovebirds (or Agapornis roseicollis), which are not CITES-protected.  The shipment was imported by Aviary La Familia, Inc., a Florida-based company operated by the defendants, who are married.  During the time that the shipment was held at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) quarantine center in New York, the USDA sent photographs of the lovebirds to a forensic ornithologist at the FWS National Forensics Laboratory, who confirmed that the lovebirds were not Rosy-Faced Lovebirds, but were, in fact, Fischer Lovebirds.

When sentenced, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia N. Washington.

The Defendants:

ROBERT BURGOS
Age: 43
Residence: Avon Park, Florida

VANESSA BURGOS
Age: 33
Residence: Avon Park, Florida

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-329 (FB)

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Two members of a massive drug conspiracy have been ordered to significant terms in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Julio Cesar Sala Stripling, 39, and Martin Lee Rodriguez, 30, both of Corpus Christi, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and cocaine base on Oct. 5, and Oct. 24, 2017, respectively.

Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos ordered Stripling to prison for 264 months, while Rodriguez received a 120-month-term. Both will also serve five years of supervised release following completion of their sentences.

Others convicted in the case were sentenced previously. Gilbert Arredondo, 21, Carlos Bustillos Flores Sr., 47, Mario Gonzales, 20, and Roxey Lynn Trevino, 27, all of Corpus Christi, received sentences of 120, 70, 57 and 65 months, respectively. They had all previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and 50 grams of methamphetamine, as did Carlos Villagomez Flores Jr., 21, also of Corpus Christi. He is set for sentencing Feb. 28, 2018.

Stripling was determined to be the leader of the conspiracy and supplied numerous drug dealers in Corpus Christi with methamphetamine, crack cocaine and powder cocaine. He had been hiding in Houston during much of the conspiracy because he was wanted by law enforcement for other crimes. At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of methamphetamine, crack cocaine and powder cocaine, as well as four firearms.

Rodriguez was one of the dealers Stripling supplied. He was found in possession of methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and 16 firearms - six of which were stolen - at the time of his arrest in October 2016.

Trevino assisted Stripling in the drug trafficking offense, while Gonzales, Arredondo and Flores Sr. were couriers for the organization. Flores Jr. assisted his father - Flores Sr.

With the exception of Flores Jr., who was permitted release pending his sentencing, all have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to U.S. Bureau of Prisons facilities to be determined in the near future.

Other members of the conspiracy have pleaded guilty to varying drug offenses and are also pending sentencing.

The Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; Texas Department of Public Safety; IRS – Criminal Investigation; San Patricio County Sheriff’s Office; and police departments in Corpus Christi, Aransas Pass and Ingleside all assisted in the joint investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hess is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Revere man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to failure to register as a sex offender. 

Steven Veno, 55, pleaded guilty to one count of failing to register as a sex offender. U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. scheduled sentencing for April 24, 2018.

Veno is required to register as a Level 2 sex offender in Massachusetts based on Massachusetts state court convictions for rape of a child in 1993. The federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act requires Veno to register in any jurisdiction where he lives or works.

Law enforcement officers learned that over the past several years Veno had been traveling from Massachusetts to Florida, where he lived and worked for periods of time over several years, without registering as a sex offender in that community. Veno has been in custody since his arrest in September 2017.

Failing to register as a sex offender provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to lifetime supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and John Gibbons, United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Lelling’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Timothy A. Garrison, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former corrections officer at the Jackson County Detention Center pleaded guilty in federal court today to her role in a conspiracy to smuggle contraband cell phones and other items to inmates at the Jackson County Detention Center.

Jalee Caprice Fuller, 30, of Independence, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to the charge contained in a July 18, 2017, federal indictment.

Fuller admitted that she conspired with others – including an inmate at the Jackson County Detention Center – to smuggle contraband to inmates between May 2 and June 26, 2017. Fuller also admitted that she actually smuggled contraband into the Jackson County Detention Center and delivered the contraband to an inmate.

Co-defendant Marion Lorenzo Byers, also known as “Cuddy,” 36, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty to the same offense on Dec. 6, 2017. By pleading guilty, Byers acknowledged that this federal conviction provides a sufficient basis to revoke his current probation in an unrelated state case. The government will seek to have whatever sentence is imposed in this case run consecutive to whatever revocation sentence may be imposed in state court.

Under federal statutes, Fuller and Byers are each subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison without parole. 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. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

The Travel Act

The Travel Act makes it a crime to use a facility of interstate commerce (such as telephone calls) with the intent to further unlawful activity. The Travel Act’s definition of “unlawful activity” includes bribery in violation of the laws of a state. Missouri state law makes it a crime for a public servant to solicit or accept a bribe in return for violating a known legal duty. This crime is known under Missouri state law as acceding to corruption, and it is a companion or sister statute to the Missouri state statute that makes it a crime for someone to bribe a public servant. These two Missouri state statutes criminalize bribery conduct involving a public servant, both for the person paying the bribe and for the public servant taking the bribe.

Fuller and Byers admitted they conspired to violate the Travel Act by using a facility of interstate commerce (a telephone) to facilitate the promotion of an unlawful activity, that is, acceding to corruption.

This case is being prosecuted by Deputy U.S. Attorney Gene Porter and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Venneman. It was investigated by the FBI and the Jackson County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department with assistance from the Missouri Department of Corrections, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Jackson County Detention Center.

ALEXANDRIA, La.–United StatesAttorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that Tunica-Biloxi Tribal Chairman Joey Barbry pleaded guilty Wednesday to illegally taking more than $83,000 from the tribe’s check cashing business.

Barbry, 40, of Mansura, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell to one count of theft from an Indian tribal organization. According to the guilty plea, Barbry cashed 105 non-sufficient fund (NSF) checks totaling $83,510 from July 2014 to November 2014 with the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana.  Barbry made the checks out to the Tunica Biloxi Financial Services (TBFS), which is an organization the tribe owns that functions as a check cashing business for the tribal casino.  Normal operation of the TBFS for NSF checks would require that the person writing NSF checks be placed into a computer tracking system and would be barred from writing further checks.  The violator would also be turned over to the Avoyelles Parish District Attorney’s Office for criminal prosecution if the money was not repaid.  TBFS manager Brent Barbre told employees not to input Barbry into the tracking system, and that he would handle the chairman’s NSF checks personally.  Brent Barbre allowed the defendant to continue writing NSF checks because he was the chairman of the tribe and Brent Barbre’s supervisor.

Barbry faces five years in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution and a $250,000 fine.

The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph is prosecuting the case.

GREAT FALLS - The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that Thomas Edward Mancha, a 61-year-old resident of Browning, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment, for the murder of his wife on New Year’s Day, 2017.  U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided over the hearing.   

At an earlier hearing, Mancha pleaded guilty to second degree murder.  On January l, 2017, Mancha was involved in an altercation with his wife at the Lewis and Clark Camp Disappointment Monument, which is located along the north side of U.S. Highway 2, approximately 13 miles east of Browning.  A witness arrived on the scene and observed Mancha holding his wife by the hair or back of shirt collar.  When the witness threatened to call 911, Mancha released his wife and she ran away from him.  However, Mancha got into a Dodge pick-up truck and intentionally drove the truck directly into her as she ran, knocking her to the ground.  According to the witness, Mancha turned the truck around and drove over his wife a second time.  The victim died at the scene from massive internal injuries and a severed spine. 

After killing his wife, Mancha fled the scene and drove to a train crossing near the small community of Blackfoot.  He waited in front of an oncoming train in an apparent suicide attempt.  Although he later denied that he was trying to kill himself, Mancha admitted that he was angry with his wife because she was divorcing him.

Judge Morris sentenced Mancha to 20 years in federal prison, with five years of supervised release to follow.  Because there is no parole in the federal system, Mancha will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court.  In the federal system, Mancha does have the opportunity to shorten the term of custody by earning credit for good behavior.  However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.      

U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme stated, “We are pleased with the court’s sentence today, and our sympathies go out to the victim’s family and the Blackfeet tribal community for their loss.  I also want to thank all of the people who helped successfully prosecute this case, including AUSA Jeff Starnes, the FBI agents and BIA law enforcement officers who worked on this case, and the victim and witness staff members from our respective offices.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office, the Blackfeet Law Enforcement Service and various other federal, state, and local agencies. 

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ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kristina Gross, age 37, of Wynantskill, New York, pled guilty today to misusing the names of the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a misdemeanor offense.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and William A. Kalb, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeastern Field Division of the Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).

As part of her guilty plea, Gross admitted that she worked for a construction services company in Rensselaer County, whose bank account had been levied by the IRS on February 14, 2017.  On February 23, Gross twice emailed a bank employee what she claimed was an IRS release of levy form, in an unsuccessful attempt to induce the bank to provide her company with access to funds that the bank had frozen as a result of receiving the IRS levy. 

Gross admitted that the document she sent to the bank on February 23 was forged, inaccurate and not approved or authorized by the Department of the Treasury or the IRS.  She also knew that the document would create the false impression at the bank that the IRS had actually issued the document when, in fact, the IRS had not.

Gross faces up to a year in jail and a maximum $10,000 fine when she is sentenced on May 18, 2018 by United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

This case was investigated by TIGTA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.

McALLEN, Texas – A 38-year-old Fort Worth area man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of conspiracy to import 29 kilograms of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Manuel Martinez Jr. pleaded guilty Aug. 31, 2017.

Today, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez, who accepted the guilty plea, handed Martinez a 120-month sentence.

On April 30, 2017, Martinez arrived at the Anzalduas Port of Entry from Mexico with his sister – Ofelia Hernandez Vasquez, 24, also of Fort Worth. Vasquez was driving the vehicle which had numerous milk and juice containers in the backseat. Upon Investigation, federal agents soon discovered 29 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden within those bottles.

Martinez admitted he assisted his sister in importing the narcotics-laden drinks from Mexico and that he did so to keep her safe from drug cartels.

In imposing the prison term, the court noted that although she believed his motivation was to protect his sister, that didn’t excuse his criminal conduct. Judge Alvarez also cited his lengthy criminal record and that as the older sibling he should have used his common sense to talk his sister out of the crime, rather than help her commit it.

Vasquez also pleaded guilty for her role in the offense and is awaiting sentencing.

Both will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Lindenmuth is prosecuting the case.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — John Brewer, 48, of San Francisco, pleaded guilty today to bid rigging, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, Brewer and his co-defendant Brent Vinch were the owners of, and senior executives for, a company called Expert Network Consultants (ENC), which submitted bids to the State of California for various government contracts. Brewer admitted that from 2008 through early 2012, he conspired with co-defendants Vinch and Loraine Dixon, among others, to rig the state’s competitive bidding process by creating inflated bids for submission by co-conspirators to state contracting agencies in an effort to ensure that Expert Network Consultants received the contracts. Brewer solicited bids from individuals and companies that had no intention or ability to perform the work called for in the contracts, and Brewer directed Vinch to create and submit non-competitive bids. In total, ENC won over 40 state contracts as a result of the bid-rigging conspiracy from multiple state agencies, including the Employment Development Department, Department of Justice, Department of Motor Vehicles, and Department of Insurance. The value of those contracts exceeded $3 million.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared C. Dolan and Matthew M. Yelovich are prosecuting the case. The United States is grateful for the assistance of the California Attorney General’s Office in conducting the initial investigation into this matter and referring it to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Vinch pleaded guilty to bid rigging on December 14, 2017, and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 15, 2018. Charges are pending against Dixon, and she has a status conference scheduled for March 29, 2018. The charges against her are allegations; and she is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Brewer is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. on April 26, 2018. Brewer faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine. 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.