HOUSTON – A Houston doctor has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction on five counts related to health care fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. A jury deliberated for approximately three hours following a three-day trial before convicting Dr. Warren Dailey, 68, on March 30, 2016, of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, two counts of false statements relating to health care matters, one count of conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks and one count of payment and receipt of health care kickbacks.  

Today, U.S. District Judge David Hittner, who presided over the trial, handed Dailey a 63-month sentence. He was further ordered to pay restitution of $913,620. Dailey will also be required to serve a term of three years of supervised release following completion of the prison term.

At trial, the jury heard that from approximately 2009 through 2012, Dailey was a physician specializing in family practice in Houston and defrauded Medicare by authorizing Medicare beneficiaries for home health care when such services were not needed. The evidence at trial demonstrated Dailey conspired with a home health care owner here in Houston and agreed to sign Medicare authorization forms certifying services in exchange for a monthly flat fee from the home health owner. Dailey signed hundreds of authorization forms for beneficiaries that would falsely certify the patients were homebound, that home health was medically necessary and that the beneficiaries were under his care. Medicare paid the home health owner approximately $913,620 for home health services Dailey referred. 

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

The charges are a result of the investigative efforts of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations and the FBI. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blan and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tina Ansari prosecuted the case.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma –  Carlos Alexander Davila, 23, of Edmond, pleaded guilty today to production of child pornography, announced Mark A. Yancey, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.  

According to an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint, Davila contacted a 14-year-old Florida girl in March of 2016 through Facebook, after seeing her post a comment that her friend had committed suicide.  They began communicating via Facebook and later by texting and the smartphone application, Kik.  It is alleged that Davila told the girl that he was studying to become a psychologist, and he would help her deal with her friend’s suicide. Eventually, the defendant asked the girl for nude photos in exchange for his emotional support.  The girl told Davila that she was only 14, but he said it did not matter. The girl eventually sent Davila nude images of herself.

According to court records, the girl reported that Davila became very possessive of her, and when she tried to end their online relationship, he threatened to post online the nude images she had sent him.  According to text messages described in court records, the girl begged Davila to delete her images, but he said he would "keep every single pic and video" and would "leak everything" about her "to everyone," especially his "hungry friends in need of fresh meat." Davila allegedly texted her, saying, "The more you ignore me the more I’ll expose you without a care in the world."  He allegedly texted her that if she did not respond to him in five minutes, he would post a picture she had sent him—alongside a request that listed her contact information and asked for pictures of men’s penises.  Davila allegedly used a phone-number-spoofing app to send the girl text messages to give her the impression that her images had in fact been posted online and that people were contacting her.

On July 13, 2016, Davila was charged in an information with production of child pornography depicting the Florida girl. During the plea hearing today before United States District Judge David L. Russell, Davila admitted he persuaded, induced, and coerced the 14-year-old to produce pornographic images of herself and to text them to him. At sentencing, Davila faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison.  A sentencing hearing will be set by the court in approximately 90 days.

This case was investigated by the Hillsborough County (Florida) Sheriff’s Department and the Edmond Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Hale.

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ANTHONY VELEZ, also known as “Tone,” 37, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 34 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing heroin.

This matter stems from a joint investigation headed by the DEA New Haven Task Force, FBI and New Haven Police Department into the distribution of heroin in New Haven.  The investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, physical surveillance and controlled purchases of heroin from wholesale and street-level distributors operating in the area of Ferry Street, Grand Avenue and Blatchley Avenue in New Haven’s Fair Haven neighborhood.

In July 2015, a grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging VELEZ and 16 other New Haven residents with heroin trafficking offenses.

As part of the investigation, law enforcement has seized approximately 500 grams of raw heroin, three handguns and five vehicles.  In addition, bank accounts containing more than $300,000 have been frozen.

TORRES has been detained since his arrest on July 15, 2015.  On February 16, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin.

The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, East Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden and Derby Police Departments, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney H. Gordon Hall.

BOSTON – A Milford woman was charged today in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with stealing over $70,000 in rent payments owed to the Framingham Housing Authority (FHA).     

Rosa A. Famania, 33, was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds.

 According to the complaint, in February 2010, Famania began working for FHA as an accounting assistant, and resigned from her position in August 2015, shortly after FHA suspended her in connection with an internal investigation into missing rent payments.  Famania’s responsibilities at the FHA included collecting cash rent payments from FHA tenants; recording these cash payments in the electronic accounting system; securing the cash in a locked cash box; and, depositing the cash payments into a FHA bank account. 

The complaint alleges that, between February 2014 and August 2015, Famania stole approximately 181 cash rental payments totaling $70,649 from FHA and utilized an FHA accounting software program to assist in concealing the theft.  It is alleged that Famania came into possession of the rent payments, but did not deposit them into the FHA bank account.  Instead, Famania allegedly kept the cash rent payments and adjusted the tenants’ balance downward in the electronic accounting system.  Federal agents discovered that approximately $55,100 in cash was deposited into a joint account maintained by Famania and her boyfriend between July 2014 and July 2015, and between February 2014 and July 2014, nineteen U.S. Postal Service money orders totaling $17,900 were deposited into another bank account maintained by Famania.

The charging statute provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Christina Scaringi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Regional Office; Shelly Binkowski, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Investigation Service; Framingham Police Chief Kenneth Ferguson; and Stephen G. Keane, Executive Director of the Framingham Housing Authority, made the announcement today.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Bloomer of Ortiz’s Public Corruption Unit. 

The details contained in the complaint are allegations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

SAN JUAN, P.R. – Today, Carmelo Velázquez-Aponte a.k.a. “Boty,” was found guilty of four carjackings, carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence (carjacking), and possession of a stolen firearm, announced United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. United States Senior Judge Daniel Dominguez presided over the trial.

 On July 6, 2011, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Velázquez-Aponte with four counts of carjacking, one including the murder of Richardson Mieses-Pimentel, four counts of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and two counts of possession of a stolen firearm.

During the 14-day trial, the government presented pictures and witness’ testimony that narrated the criminal incidents of carjacking and robbery that the defendant perpetrated against innocent victims. According to the testimony on June 18, 2011, the defendant stole the licensed firearm belonging to Richardson Mieses-Pimental and his vehicle, and then executed him. After that event, Velázquez-Aponte committed other carjackings. During his attempt to escape his arrest on June 20, 2011, he also stole a police officer’s gun and shot a Police officer. The defendant also stole a police cruiser and engaged in two other shootouts with police officers, until he was arrested. The defendant fired the stolen weapons at the police officers.

“I commend the victims who came forward in order to seek justice and hope that this conviction will help them find some closure,” said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “I commend the FBI, the Carolina Municipal Police and the Puerto Rico Police Department for their excellent work in bringing this defendant to justice. We will continue to work diligently to prosecute violent criminals to the fullest extent of the law.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Edward Veronda and Aaron Howell. The defendant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 18, 2016 at 10:00 am.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Louisville, Kentucky, dentist was sentenced to 78 months in prison, followed by ten years of supervised release, today in United States District Court by Senior District Judge Charles R. Simpson III, for attempting to receive child pornography and possession of child pornography  that had been transported by computer, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.

Gregory Witte, age 55, was charged in a four count grand jury indictment on July 7, 2015, and pleaded guilty to two of the counts on March 29, 2016.  The United States agreed to dismiss the remaining two counts today during sentencing.

According to the plea agreement, using a peer-2-peer program, Kentucky State Police downloaded child pornography on November 5, 2014 and December 11, 2014, from an IP address traced to Greg Witte’s residence in Louisville.  On January 7, 2015, a state search warrant was executed on Witte’s residence.  At that time, officers observed Witte’s computer actively downloading files from the internet with filenames indicative of child pornography.  An onsite preview of Witte’s electronic devices revealed several files of child pornography.  A forensic review of Witte’s electronic devices revealed that he possessed 91 image files and 21 video files of child pornography.  The forensic review also revealed several search terms indicative of child pornography.

Witte faced a minimum sentence of five years in prison.  As part of the plea agreement, Witte forfeited real and personal property used in the commission of the offenses including $40,000 in lieu of real property located on Happiness Way, in Louisville and computer equipment.

Assistant United States Attorney A. Spencer McKiness prosecuted this case.  Kentucky State Police and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

***

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."

EUGENE, Ore. – Nicholas Jacobson and his twin brother Matthew Jacobson, 30, of Jackson County Oregon, were sentenced to prison on Wednesday, July 20, 2016, by U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken for conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.  Nicholas Jacobson was sentenced to 97 months in prison, and Matthew Jacobson was sentenced to 78 months in prison.  Following their release from prison, both defendants will be on supervised release for five years.

In July 2014, the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team (DINT) and the DEA began investigating the Jacobson brothers who were well known to DINT as having been involved in dealing heroin in Douglas and Jackson counties for years.  Assisted by a confidential informant, DINT and the DEA began making controlled buys of heroin from the Jacobson brothers, who lived in Jackson County on a large rural property.

A search warrant was executed at the Jacobsons’ property in Jackson County on October 9, 2014.  Approximately four pounds of heroin and $20,000 was located, along with body armor, night vision googles and 17 firearms.  The firearms—most of which were loaded—included multiple assault rifles and pistols, along with extended capacity magazines.  Most of the heroin and firearms were located in the main residence where Nicholas lived, although a large amount of heroin paraphernalia, $1237 and two pistols were located in Matthew’s trailer.  Law enforcement determined that the brothers worked together to deal heroin but that Nicholas had more involvement than Matthew.

Within a month after being charged in federal court and placed on pre-trial release, the Jacobsons absconded.  They were arrested four months later in Medford, Oregon at a residence where officers also found approximately six ounces of heroin and $10,000.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance by the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement Task Force.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Sweet.

MISSOULA – Joseph David Robertson, 77, was sentenced today to eighteen months in prison and three years’ supervised release for unauthorized discharge of pollutants into waters of the United States and injury or depredation of United States property.  Robertson must also pay $129,933.50 in restitution.  U.S. District Court Judge Donald W. Molloy issued the sentence and ordered that Robertson be detained immediately.  Robertson was convicted in April following a four day federal trial.

Robertson was indicted by a grand jury in May of 2015 as a result of illegal ponds he built on two parcels of land near Basin, Montana, one on Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest land and the other on adjacent private property.  Robertson has continually asserted that he owns the property where ponds were built, but he does not.  The ponds resulted in the discharge of dredged and fill material into a tributary stream and adjacent wetlands and caused widespread damage to both properties.

At trial, the government introduced evidence that in October of 2013, a United States Forest Service (USFS) Special Agent visited the National Forest property to determine whether Robertson had complied with previously issued conditions of probation for misdemeanor violations of USFS regulations.  The Agent testified at trial that during the site visit, she observed multiple ponds dug into an existing stream on both USFS and adjacent private property not owned by Robertson.

During a subsequent site visit in November of 2013, Robertson admitted to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and USFS Criminal Special Agents that he had performed the work on the National Forest property using an excavator.  State and federal officials visited the site again in May of 2014, and observed that Robertson had done additional work.  The site was now approximately 1.2 acres in size, and extended beyond the National Forest property to a private property that he did not own.  The work consisted of nine ponds of varying sizes, including some as large as approximately 4900 square feet that were placed directly in the stream and wetlands area.  Unconsolidated dredged material from the ponds had been used to create the berms and had been placed in and around the stream and wetlands.  Robertson admitted that he had completed the additional work.  Additional investigation revealed that Robertson continued to construct ponds on the USFS property after May of 2014, despite being told repeatedly that he had no legal right to do so.

One of the central legal issues at trial was whether the waters polluted by Robertson were “waters of the United States” for purposes of the Clean Water Act.  The United States introduced evidence and expert testimony from the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA that the stream and wetlands had a significant nexus to traditional navigable waters, and therefore were “waters of the United States.”  Fishery biologists from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and the USFS testified that this headwater and wetland complex provided critical support to trout in downstream rivers and fisheries, including the Boulder and Jefferson Rivers.

“Robertson damaged federal land that the government holds in trust for the people of the United States,” said United States Attorney for the District of Montana Mike Cotter.  “Clean waterways and healthy riparian ecosystems benefit the people who are the true owners of our public lands.  This is not merely an issue of dumping a little dirt into a small stream, it is an illustration of the fact that waterways and riparian ecosystems are interconnected, and this type of destruction has significant environmental consequences downstream.  This sentence sends a message that meaningful enforcement of environmental laws serves to protect resources owned by all Americans.”

“Like all Americans, Montana residents expect their local waterways to be clean and free of pollution,” said Jeffrey Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s criminal enforcement program in Montana.  “This defendant is a repeat violator, with the conduct in this case affecting a Montana waterway, National Forest Service Lands, and private property not belonging to the defendant.  The EPA and its law enforcement partners are committed to protecting public health and our nation’s natural resources.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Whittaker and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Nelson from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.  This case was investigated by multiple state and federal agencies including the United States Forest Service, the Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.    Other agencies that assisted the investigation included Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Jefferson Valley Conservation District.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that three Nixa, Mo., residents, a Springfield, Mo., resident and a Mexican national were indicted by a federal grand jury today for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, which resulted in the murder of a Mexican national, Oscar Adan Martinez-Gaxiola.

Brooke Danielle Beckley, 19, Nathiel Austin Lee, 18, and Jourdan Ashley McGinnis, 27, all of Nixa,  Anthony Edward Donovan, 19, of Springfield, and Yovanny Aroldo Mendivil-Balderrama, 22, a citizen of Mexico, were charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield. These defendants were originally charged by Webster County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Berkstresser; those state charges will be dismissed in lieu of federal prosecution.

Today’s indictment alleges that Beckley, Donovan, Lee, McGinnis and Mendivil-Balderrama participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Greene County, Dallas County, Webster County and Christian County, Mo., from April 28, 2015, to April 26, 2016.

In addition to the conspiracy, Beckley, Donovan, Lee and Mendivil-Balderrama are charged together with using firearms in relation to a drug-trafficking crime, resulting in the murder of Martinez-Gaxiola on April 25, 2016 in Webster County. A Stoeger .40-caliber pistol, a Glock .40-caliber handgun and a Taurus 9mm handgun allegedly were used during the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

Beckley and McGinnis are also charged together in one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Beckley is also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Beckley allegedly was in possession of a Sears Roebuck & Company 20-gauge bolt-action shotgun with a sawed-off barrel and stock and a Phoenix Arms .22-caliber pistol on April 8, 2016, in furtherance of the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Garrison. It was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Christian County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Lawrence County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Webster County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Seymour, Mo., Police Department, the Rogersville, Mo., Police Department, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the Combined Ozarks Multijurisdictional Enforcement Team (COMET).

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that an Alexandria man was sentenced to 20 months in prison for attempting to send obscene material to a minor.

William Ware, 40, of Alexandria, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of attempting to transfer obscene material to a minor. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. According to the April 12, 2016 guilty plea, on December 9, 2014, Ware contacted what he believed was a 13-year-old minor female using social media over the internet. He then sent the purported minor two sexually explicit videos using an internet chat service. The minor was in fact an undercover law enforcement agent, and Ware was later arrested.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations/Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) also encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423.  Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls. Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online by visiting their website at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp or through the Operation Predator smartphone application www.ice.gov/predator/smartphone-app. Tips may be submitted anonymously.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that ALMA DE JESUS MOJICA HERRERA, age 52, and LEONARDO SERRATO POLANIA, age 42, both of Bogota, Colombia, pled guilty today to making false statements on their U.S. Nonimmigrant Online VISA applications.

According to court records, while in Colombia, MOJICA HERRERA and SERRATO POLANIA each completed a U.S. Nonimmigrant Online Visa Application (“Visa Application”) with the U.S. Department of State (“State Department”) and did not answer truthfully questions concerning their travel companions, the persons paying for their trip, and the location of their stay.  These Visa Applications were relied upon by federal agencies of the Executive Branch including by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in New Orleans and the U.S. State Department.  On September 28, 2015, MOJICA HERRERA and SERRATO POLANIA travelled from Bogota, Columbia and arrived in the United States at the New Orleans International Airport using the VISAs containing materially false statements.  On September 29, 2015, MOJICA HERRERA and SERRATO POLANIA were taken into custody by special agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”).

MOJICA HERRERA and SERRATO POLANIA each face a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.  In addition, both face a fine of $250,000 per count and up to three years of supervised release.  U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance set sentencing for August 24, 2016. 

U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-HSI,   U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Department of State in investigating this matter.  Fraud Unit Chief, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba is in charge of the prosecution.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that DONALD FONTENOT, age 63, of Bogalusa, was sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to four counts of selling oxycodone tablets to an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent.  Oxycodone is a prescription-only Schedule II controlled substance and a highly addictive and abused opioid drug.

U.S. District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt sentenced the defendant to a term of imprisonment of 24 months, 3 years of supervised release, and a $400 special assessment.

U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the DEA Tactical Diversion Squad in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorney Michael B. Redmann was in charge of the prosecution

COEUR D’ALENE – John Kent Davis, 66, of Pocatello, Idaho, was sentenced today for interstate communication of a threat of bodily injury, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. 

Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge sentenced Davis to 30 months in prison, three years supervised release, a $5,000 fine, and he was ordered to forfeit $2,500 in cash proceeds.  Davis pleaded guilty on May 13, 2016.

The plea agreement states on July 29, 2015, Davis placed a telephone call from the state of Idaho to the state of Utah for the purpose of soliciting the physical beating of the victim.  During the call, Davis spoke with an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent.  Davis asked the undercover agent to badly beat the victim in a way that was “short of permanent” and a “pretty explicit display of hatred.”  Davis told the undercover agent he wanted photographs to prove the victim had been beaten.  Davis paid the undercover agent $2,500 to beat the victim. 

The case was being investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force (NIVCTF).

BOISE – Veronica Cantu, 27, of Nampa, Idaho, was sentenced today for distributing methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.  Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill sentenced Cantu to 38 months in prison and three years of supervised release.  Cantu pleaded guilty to the charge on April 25, 2016.

According to the plea agreement, the co-defendant, Tara Rivera, 30, of Nampa, Idaho, arranged to distribute methamphetamine to a person working with law enforcement as an informant.  When the informant arrived to purchase the methamphetamine, Rivera introduced the informant to Cantu, who was also present.  Cantu then sold the informant approximately one-quarter ounce of methamphetamine on March 4, 2014, in Nampa, Idaho.  Cantu was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 14, 2014.  She was a fugitive with an outstanding warrant for her arrest until she was arrested in Michigan in November 2015.  On June 17, 2015, Rivera was sentenced to 24 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine.

 This case and other related cases are the result of an investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force, which focused on the “Norteno” Northside gang that is active in Nampa and other parts of the Treasure Valley.  Fourteen individuals were indicted on drug and gun charges as a result of the investigation. 

These cases are the result of a joint investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force and the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  The Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force is comprised of federal, state and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Boise Police Department; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Caldwell Police Department; Nampa Police Department; Meridian Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; and Idaho Department of Probation and Parole.  The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), includes the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and U.S. Marshals Service.  The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.

These cases are being prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership, the Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes.  The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth.  For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Stephen Cebula, 28, of Sacramento, charging him with making threats to injure employees of the video-game company Blizzard Entertainment Inc., Acting United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between July 2, 2016, and July 3, 2016, Cebula transmitted messages over the internet to Blizzard Entertainment, in which he stated that he “may or may not pay [Blizzard] a visit with an AK47 amongst some other ‘fun’ tools,” and “might be inclined to ‘cause a disturbance’ at [Blizzard’s] headquarters in California with an AK47 and a few other ‘opportunistic tools.’” Cebula was arrested on July 12, 2016, and is in custody. He is scheduled to be arraigned July 26, 2016.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Heiko P. Coppola and Owen Roth are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Cebula faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an 11-count indictment today against Leslie Michelle Hays, 49, of Fresno, charging her with wire fraud for embezzling over $1 million from her employer, Acting United States Attorney Phillip Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Hays was the director of human resources at Borges USA, a food distribution company based in Spain with regional headquarters in Fresno. Between February 2005 and April 2014 when she was terminated, Hays embezzled funds from Borges USA by misreporting her salary, expenses, and vacation time. Based on the false payroll information, the company’s payroll processor made wire transmissions via direct deposit into Hays’ bank account. In total, Hays stole more than $800,000 in inflated salary payments and $400,000 in false expenses reimbursements and vacation pay.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Grant B. Rabenn is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Hays faces a maximum statutory penalty of twenty years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Kenneth Apple, 65, of Beaverton, Oregon, was convicted today by a federal jury on charges related to his role in awarding $2 million in micro-dairy contracts from the U.S. government for use in Iraq.

Apple was indicted on Dec. 17, 2015. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Apple, a former employee with the U.S. Department of State, helped to steer the sole-sourcing of $2 million in micro-dairy contracts to a company in which his son, Jonathan Apple, owned a 50 percent interest.  However, Jonathan Apple and his partner had no technical experience in the industry.  Kenneth Apple conspired to use his official position to pass on non-public information to his son in order to fraudulently award and administer government contracts.  The conspirators further provided false information to, and concealed material details from the U.S. government.

Apple provided templates and technical specifications used in the proposal submitted by Jonathan Apple and his partner to the U.S. government.  In addition, Kenneth Apple caused false and misleading statements to be made to the U.S. government regarding his experience, ownership interest, and the status of the projects.  For example, Kenneth Apple directed a conspirator to keep Jonathan Apple’s name off the company’s website and any ownership documents.  When federal law enforcement agents confronted Kenneth Apple about the scheme, he made false statements, including that he could not recall the owner of the company that won the micro-dairy contracts and that he did not receive any money from the contracts.

Apple faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on October 14.  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, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Frank Robey, Director of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit (MPFU); and Robert E. Craig, Special Agent in Charge for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis, III.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Uzo Asonye and Katherine Wong are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:15-cr-363.

BOSTON – A Springfield couple was charged in U.S. District Court in Springfield today with additional crimes of sex trafficking in connection with operating a prostitution business advertised as Sinful Innocence.

Milford Lewis, 35, and Tiana Lewis, 31, were charged in a superseding indictment with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking, interstate transportation to engage in prostitution, interstate inducement to engage in prostitution, and extortionate threats.

In January 2016, Milford and Tiana Lewis were originally charged in a ten count indictment with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking, interstate transportation to engage in prostitution, interstate inducement to engage in prostitution, and extortionate threats.  The superseding indictment contains eight additional charges relating to five additional sex trafficking victims. 

According to charging documents, beginning in August 2015, Milford and Tiana Lewis were the CEOs of Sinful Innocence, which purported to be a talent agency for the adult entertainment industry.  Through the purported talent agency, the Lewis’s recruited and induced young women to work as models, adult entertainers, adult pornography actors, and escorts.  It is alleged that the Lewis’s convinced the women to travel to Springfield from other states, and in one case, they picked a woman up from Connecticut and drove her to Springfield.  The young women were quickly put to work as prostitutes at a house in Springfield and in motels in West Springfield, sometimes without receiving pay.  Women who wanted to leave or who broke the rules of Sinful Innocence were subjected to beatings and threats to kill or harm them.  The women were also allegedly threatened with violence when they were unable to pay a termination fee imposed by Sinful Innocence.

The charge of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking each provides for a sentence of no greater than a lifetime in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.  The sex trafficking statute also imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison for offenses committed by means of force, threats of force, fraud, or coercion.  The charge of interstate inducement to engage in prostitution provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine $250,000.  The charge of interstate transportation to engage in prostitution provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine $250,000.  The charge of extortionate threats provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.   

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Hampden County District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni; Matthew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; West Springfield Police Chief Ronald Campurciani; and Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today.  The case is being prosecuted by Alex J. Grant of Ortiz’s Springfield Branch Office.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations.  The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case is brought as a result of the investigative collaboration of the Western Massachusetts Human Trafficking Working Group, which includes the United States Attorney’s Office, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, and the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office, as well as federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  The Working Group began meetings in August 2015 to work cooperatively to address crimes involving commercial sex trafficking in Western Massachusetts.