FIVE PERSONS RECEIVE PRISON SENTENCES FOR ROLES INVOLVING THE IMPROPER DISPOSAL OF ASBESTOS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Owners & Managers of Former Salvage Operations at Former Textile Plant in Tennessee Sentenced to Prison for Conspiracy Associated with Illegal Asbestos Removal

U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer sentenced five people to prison terms in federal court in Greeneville, Tennessee, late yesterday for conspiring to commit Clean Air Act offenses in connection with the illegal removal and disposal of asbestos-containing materials at the former Liberty Fibers Plant in Hamblen County, Tennessee, the Justice Department announced.  A&E Salvage had purchased the plant out of bankruptcy in order to salvage metals which remained in the plant after it ceased operations.

U.S. District Judge Greer sentenced Mark Sawyer, 55, of Morristown, Tennessee, a former manager of A&E Salvage, to the statutory maximum of five years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release.  A&E Salvage manager Newell Lynn Smith, 59, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced to 37 months and two years of supervised release.  A&E Salvage Manager Eric Gruenberg, 50, of Lebanon, Tennessee, received a 28-month sentence.  Armida, 56, and Milto DiSanti, 54, of Miami, Florida, each received sentences of six months in prison, to be followed by six months of home confinement.  The judge ordered all the defendants to pay restitution of more than $10.3 million, which will be returned to Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Superfund, which was used to clean up the plant site contamination.

The sentencing took place over three days and included expert testimony that the exposures of the A&E Salvage workers to asbestos resulted in a substantial likelihood that the workers would suffer death or serious bodily injury as a result of their exposure constituted a risk of death or serious bodily injury.

“These co-conspirators took unacceptable and illegal risks with workers lives and the community’s health,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.  “These significant sentences should send a message that illegal asbestos removal can have serious consequences, including a prison term for those responsible.”

According to court documents, all the defendants pleaded guilty to one criminal felony count for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act’s “work practice standards” salient to the proper stripping, bagging, removal and disposal of asbestos.  According to the charges, the conspirators, engaged in a multi-year scheme in which substantial amounts of regulated asbestos containing materials were removed the former Liberty Fibers plant without removing all asbestos prior to demolition and stripping, bagging, removing and disposing of such asbestos in illegal manners and without providing workers the necessary protective equipment.  Asbestos has been determined to cause lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, an invariably fatal disease.  The EPA has determined that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos.

“We take our responsibility to protect the environment of East Tennessee very seriously, especially when it involves the health and safety of its residents,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Killian of the Eastern District of Tennessee.  “We will continue to aggressively prosecute those who violate the laws restricting substances which can potentially cause serious diseases.  EPA, TDEC, Senior Trial Attorney Todd Gleason and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Morris should be commended for their combined efforts which resulted in a successful outcome in this case.”

“Illegal disposal of asbestos endangers human health, plain and simple,” said Special Agent in Charge Maureen O’Mara of EPA’s Criminal Enforcement Program in Tennessee.  “The defendants conspired to violate the Clean Air Act by hiring untrained workers to remove materials, without proper safety equipment, that contained asbestos.  This put not only the workers’ health and safety at great risk, but that of the entire community.  Today’s sentencing demonstrates that EPA and its partner agencies will prosecute those who pollute the environment by breaking the law.”

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Environmental Protection Agency and individuals from the Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S.  Attorney Matthew T. Morris and Senior Trial Attorney Todd W. Gleason, Environmental Crimes Section of the Department of Justice.

IR-2015-14: Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs Co-Host First International Criminal Tax Symposium

IR-2015-14: Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs Co-Host First International Criminal Tax Symposium

U.S. Department of Education Releases New Guide on Identifying and Preventing Child Trafficking in Schools

U.S. Department of Education Releases New Guide on Identifying and Preventing Child Trafficking in Schools

U.S. MARSHALS MAKE ARRESTS RELATED TO DRIVE-BY SHOOTING IN CHESAPEAKE VIRGINS

FROM:  U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE 

For Immediate Release

Contact:

January 15, 2015 Chris Leuer, Deputy U.S. Marshal

Eastern District of Virginia – Norfolk Division (

U.S. Marshals Arrest Two Wanted for Chesapeake Drive-by Shooting

Norfolk, VA – United States Marshal Robert W. Mathieson announces the capture of Taquan Worsley and Jamar Gay. Worsley and Gay were wanted by Chesapeake Police Department in connection to a drive-by shooting that injured three people.

On the evening of November 23rd, 2014, two adult males and one juvenile male were standing outside on the 1400 block of Martin Avenue in Chesapeake, when a vehicle allegedly drove by and fired multiple shots at them. All three were shot in the lower leg area and sustained non-life threatening injuries. They were transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

Chesapeake Police Department’s investigation showed Taquan Worsley and Jamar Gay as lead suspects in the triple-shooting. Warrants were obtained charging both men with three counts of malicious wounding and three counts of possession of a firearm in commission of a felony. In December of 2014, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force adopted the case from Chesapeake, and began tracking down the two wanted men. It was believed both men were hiding out together somewhere in Hampton Roads.

On January 15th, investigators were able to narrow down the whereabouts of the two fugitives. Around 1:00 this afternoon, Worsley and Gay were spotted walking together near the intersection of Ashaway Road & Spring Garden Lane in Virginia Beach. The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and Detectives from the Virginia Beach Fugitive Unit quickly swooped in on the two fugitives and apprehended both men without incident. Worsley and Gay are being held at Chesapeake City Jail.

The U.S. Marshals-led Fugitive Task Force consists of law enforcement officers from the U.S. Marshals, Chesapeake Sheriff’s Department, Newport News Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. The main objective of the task force is to seek out and arrest violent offenders with outstanding federal and state warrants.

The U.S. Marshals Service, America’s oldest federal law enforcement agency, arrested more than 36,050 federal fugitives, 74,000 state and local fugitives and 11,800 sex offenders in 2013. Our investigative network and capabilities allow for the unique ability to track and apprehend any fugitive who attempts to evade police capture, anywhere in the country.

FORMER CIA OFFICER CONVICTED FOR UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURES AND OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Monday, January 26, 2015

Former CIA Officer Convicted For Unauthorized Disclosure of National Defense Information and Obstruction of Justice

A former CIA officer was convicted today by a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia, of illegally disclosing national defense information and obstructing justice.

Attorney General Eric Holder, FBI Director James B. Comey, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia made the announcement.

“This is a just and appropriate outcome,” said Attorney General Holder.  “The defendant’s unauthorized disclosures of classified information compromised operations undertaken in defense of America’s national security.  The disclosures placed lives at risk.  And they constituted an egregious breach of the public trust by someone who had sworn to uphold it.  As this verdict proves, it is possible to fully prosecute unauthorized disclosures that inflict harm upon our national security without interfering with journalists' ability to do their jobs.  And I want to thank the investigators, prosecutors and support staff who made this outcome possible for their relentless efforts in advancing a complex case that spanned multiple years.”

“He violated his sworn duty to protect our nation's secrets and he betrayed our country,” said Director Comey.  “The FBI will continue to pursue these cases vigorously.”

“Jeffrey Sterling was trusted with the nation's most sensitive secrets and chose to expose them - putting our national security at risk, and endangering lives in the process,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell.  “These cases are challenging, but vitally important to our efforts to secure critical intelligence on behalf of the American people.”

“Over 10 years ago a disgruntled former CIA employee disclosed extremely sensitive classified information to a journalist,” said U.S. Attorney Boente.  “That classified information was critical to our national defense, and releasing it was illegal and went against Mr. Sterling's professional commitments to the CIA.  Mr. Sterling's vindictive and careless choices ultimately led us here today and to this unanimous verdict. I would like to thank the trial team and our partners at the FBI's Washington Field Office and the Central Intelligence Agency for their hard work and commitment to this case.”

Jeffrey Alexander Sterling, 47, of O’Fallon, Missouri, was convicted today in the Eastern District of Virginia of six counts of unauthorized disclosure of national defense information, and one count each of unlawful retention of national defense information, unauthorized conveyance of government property and obstruction of justice.  Sterling was indicted on Dec. 22, 2010, and arrested on Jan. 6, 2011.  Sentencing is scheduled for April 24, 2015.

According to evidence presented at trial, Sterling was employed by the CIA from May 1993 to January 2002.  From November 1998 through May 2000, he was assigned to a classified clandestine operational program designed to undermine the Iranian nuclear weapons program.  He was also the operations officer assigned to handle a human asset associated with that program, a person identified at trial as Merlin.  Sterling was reassigned in May 2000, at which time he was no longer authorized to receive or possess classified documents concerning the program or the individual.

In connection with his employment, Sterling, who is a lawyer, signed various security, secrecy and non-disclosure agreements in which he agreed never to disclose classified information to unauthorized persons, acknowledged that classified information was the property of the CIA and also acknowledged that the unauthorized disclosure of classified information could constitute a criminal offense.  These agreements also set forth the proper procedures to follow if Sterling had concerns that the CIA had engaged in any “unlawful or improper” conduct that implicated classified information.  These procedures permit such concerns to be addressed while still protecting the classified nature of the information.  The media was not an authorized party to receive such classified information.

In August 2000, Sterling pursued administrative and civil actions against the CIA.  Evidence at trial showed that Sterling, in retaliation for the CIA’s refusal to settle those actions on terms favorable to him, disclosed information concerning the classified operational program and the human asset to a New York Times reporter working on an unpublished article in early 2003 and a book the reporter published in January 2006.  Sterling’s civil and administrative claims were ultimately dismissed by the court.

Evidence demonstrated that in February and March 2003, Sterling made various telephone calls to the reporter’s residence and e-mailed a newspaper article about the weapons capabilities of a certain country that was within Sterling’s previous clandestine operational assignment.  While the possible newspaper article containing the classified information Sterling provided was ultimately not published in 2003, evidence showed that Sterling and the reporter remained in touch from December 2003 through November 2005 via telephone and e-mail.  In January 2006, the reporter published a book that contained classified information about the program and the human asset.

Evidence at trial showed that Sterling was aware of a grand jury investigation into the matter by June 2006, when he was served a grand jury subpoena for documents relating to the  reporter’s book.  Nevertheless, between April and July 2006, Sterling deleted the e-mail containing the classified information he had sent from his account in an effort to obstruct the investigation.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington, D.C., Field Office, with assistance in the arrest from the FBI’s St. Louis Field Office.  This case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Eric G. Olshan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Senior Litigation Counsel James L. Trump and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Fitzpatrick of the Eastern District of Virginia.

LEADER LOS VEGAS PLAYBOY BLOODS GANG RECEIVES 23 YEAR PRISON TERM

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Leader of Las Vegas Playboy Bloods Street Gang Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison

A leader of the Las Vegas Playboy Bloods street gang was sentenced to 23 years in prison today for engaging in a racketeering conspiracy and possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute it, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden of the District of Nevada.

Markette Tillman, 31, of Las Vegas, Nevada, pleaded guilty on July 29, 2014, two days into his jury trial, before U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson of the District of Nevada.

According to Tillman’s plea agreement and evidence presented at trial, the Bloods is a nationally-known criminal street gang whose members engage in drug trafficking and acts of violence.  The Playboy Bloods is a local “set” or affiliate of the national Bloods gang with local control and operation within the Las Vegas metropolitan area.  The Playboy Bloods operate primarily in the Sherman Gardens Annex, a Las Vegas public housing complex commonly called the “Jets.”

Tillman admitted that on Jan. 20, 2004, he aided and abetted the murder of a security guard at the Jets.  The guard approached Tillman and several other Playboy Bloods and told them to leave the property.  An argument ensued and the guard rode away on his bicycle to get help.  One of the Playboy Bloods fired a gun at the guard, hitting him two times and killing him.

Tillman further admitted that he agreed with other members of the Playboy Bloods to manufacture and distribute narcotics, primarily crack cocaine, and to operate drug houses within the Playboy Bloods’ turf.  Tillman specifically admitted to distributing in excess of 280 grams of crack cocaine over the course of the racketeering conspiracy.

Tillman was the last of 10 gang members charged in the indictment filed in 2008 to be sentenced.  The nine other convicted gang members received the following sentences:

Jacorey Taylor, aka “Mo-B,” 31, was sentenced to life in prison on Oct. 21, 2013, after being convicted by a jury of engaging in a racketeering conspiracy, committing violent crimes in aid of racketeering activity, using a firearm during a crime of violence, engaging in a drug-trafficking conspiracy and possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute it.

Steven Booth, aka “Stevie-P,” 27, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on April 10, 2013, after pleading guilty to engaging in a racketeering conspiracy involving two murders.

Reginald Dunlap, aka “Bowlie,” 30, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on April 9, 2013, after pleading guilty to engaging in a racketeering conspiracy involving one murder.

Demichael Burks, aka “Mikey P,” 29, was sentenced to 6 ½ years in prison on Dec. 3, 2010, after pleading guilty to engaging in a racketeering conspiracy.

Anthony Mabry, aka “Akim Slim,” 43, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Oct. 20, 2010, after pleading guilty to engaging in a racketeering conspiracy.

Delvin Ward, aka “D-Luv,” 37, was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Sept. 17, 2010, after pleading guilty to engaging in a racketeering conspiracy.

Terrence Thomas, aka “Seven,” 40, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on June 16, 2010, after pleading guilty to engaging in a drug-trafficking conspiracy.

Sebastian Wigg, aka “Rock,” 36, was sentenced to five years in prison on March 29, 2010, after pleading guilty to engaging in a drug-trafficking conspiracy.

Fred Nix, aka “June P,” 36, was sentenced to five years in prison on March 29, 2010, after pleading guilty to engaging in a drug-trafficking conspiracy.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Las Vegas Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes officers from the North Las Vegas Police Department and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Kevin L. Rosenberg of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas D. Dickinson and Phillip N. Smith Jr. of the District of Nevada.

IRS EMPLOYEE, CORRECTIONS OFFICER, FDA EMPLOYEE, CHARGED IN MULTIMILLION DOLLAR TAX REFUND FRAUD

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Friday, January 16, 2015

FDA Employee, Former New York City Corrections Officer and Former IRS Employee Charged in Multimillion Dollar Tax Refund Conspiracy

Three New York residents were indicted in the Eastern District of New York for defrauding the U.S. government by filing false claims for millions in false tax refunds, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.

Charged in a 20-count indictment are Rodney Chestnut, of Middle Island, New York, a retired New York City Department of Corrections officer; Clive Henry, a former IRS employee in the business of preparing tax returns and Nafeesah Hines, a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) employee, both of  Jamaica, New York.  Chestnut and Henry were arrested on Jan. 15, and appeared in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.

The defendants are each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, 11 counts of assisting preparation of false returns and four counts of filing false tax returns.  Hines and Chestnut are each charged with one additional count of filing false tax returns.  If convicted, the defendants each face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy and a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison for each false return charged against them.  All of the defendants are also subject to fines and mandatory restitution, if convicted.

According to the indictment, between 2008 and 2012, Hines, Chestnut and Henry recruited clients to a scheme using fake IRS Forms 1099-OID (Original Issue Discount) claiming fictitious tax withholdings and were attached to tax returns that falsely claimed refunds of taxes that were never paid to the IRS.  Hines used an electronic system to transmit the false Forms 1099-OID to the IRS.  The false refund claims listed in the indictment total more than $3.4 million.

According to the indictment, the defendants collected fees based on a percentage the false refunds that they claimed as part of the scheme.  The indictment also charges the defendants with filing false income tax returns for themselves pursuant to the scheme.

In 2013, a federal court permanently barred Hines and Chestnut from promoting an alleged tax fraud scheme involving thousands of false tax returns and from preparing tax returns for anyone other than themselves.

The case was investigated by special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation.  Trial attorneys Mark Kotila, Jeffrey McLellan and Erin Pulice of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.  An indictment is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.      

MICHIGAN MAN SENT TO PRISON FOR ROLE IN HOME MORTGAGE FRAUD CONSPIRACY

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Friday, January 23, 2015

Michigan Man Sentenced to Prison for Home Mortgage Fraud Conspiracy
A Northville, Michigan, resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to serve 15 months in prison, five years of supervised released and was ordered to pay $394,000 in restitution to five defrauded banks for committing bank fraud, the Department of Justice announced.

Wasseem Shamoun pleaded guilty on Aug. 12, 2014, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.  The superseding indictment alleged that from approximately January 2006 to December 2008, Shamoun and his six other co-defendants conspired to defraud financial lending institutions to obtain residential mortgage loans by providing fraudulent information on loan applications.  According to court documents, the defendants devised a scheme to purchase single-family homes for approximately $5,000 to $40,000 each, and then recruited straw buyers to submit fraudulent loan applications for home mortgages substantially above the original purchase price.  The loan applications falsified the straw buyers’ assets, income and down payment, among other things.  The straw buyers were paid fees for their participation, which were sometimes falsely disguised as “landscaping” or “construction” fees.  The conspirators made a substantial profit and paid themselves commissions on the sales.  Every home purchased and sold as part of the scheme went into foreclosure.  According to court documents, Shamoun’s role in the conspiracy was to sell properties to the straw buyers.  He was directly responsible for a criminal loss of approximately $394,000.

In addition to the seven individuals indicted in the case, two others connected to the scheme have pleaded guilty.  One individual is a straw buyer of multiple properties who received substantial fees as part of the scheme.  The other individual is a mortgage broker who assisted in the preparation of the false mortgage loan applications.  Both are awaiting sentencing in their cases.

This case was investigated by the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Senior Litigation Counsel Corey Smith and Trial Attorney Mark S. McDonald of the Justice Department’s Tax Division prosecuted the case.

INDIANA WOMAN ARRESTED AFTER MULTI-STATE MANHUNT

FROM:  U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE

For Immediate Release

January 15, 2015

Nicholas Bonifazi, Deputy U.S. Marshal

Northern District of Iowa ;

USMS Office of Public Affairs 

U.S. Marshals Apprehend Indiana Fugitive Following Multi-State Manhunt

Cedar Rapids, IA - The U.S. Marshals arrested in Dubuque this morning an Indiana woman wanted on charges of attempted homicide. Danette Jones, 31, is a suspect in a 2014 attempted murder in Gary, IN.

Gary Police Department Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Jones on December 08, 2014, and began working with the United States Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Task force, in the hunt for multiple suspects. With additional suspects in custody, Jones was the remaining fugitive. In early January 2015, members of the U.S. Marshals Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force (NIFTF), working with the Dubuque Police Department, and the Dubuque County Sheriffs office, developed information Jones had likely fled to eastern Iowa, where she stayed in hiding in a downtown Dubuque residence.

Jones was found in a family members apartment in the seventeen hundred block of John F. Kennedy Road in Dubuque. Jones was arrested without incident and transported to the Dubuque County Jail, where she will await extradition. Jones’ arrest was a result of a culmination of investigative efforts by the U.S. Marshals, the Gary Police Department, the Dubuque Police Department, and the Dubuque County Sheriffs office.

The U.S. Marshals Service is the federal government’s primary agency for fugitive investigations. Nationwide, 60 local task forces are dedicated to violent crime reduction by locating and apprehending wanted criminals. These task forces also serve as the central point for agencies to share information on fugitive matters. The Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force is composed of officers from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Linn County Sheriff’s office, Cedar Rapids Police Department, and the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.

MAJOR DRUG ARRESTS RESULT FROM INVESTIGATION

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Friday, January 16, 2015

Fourteen Charged in Connection with Lewiston Drug Arrests

A federal grand jury in sitting in Portland indicted Tasheem Carter, 29, of Far Rockaway, New York, and Lewiston, Maine, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and oxycodone and Christian Dent, 31, of Far Rockaway and Lewiston, for conspiracy to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base and being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced today.

Also charged were Sabree Branch, 23, of Philadelphia and Lewiston, for use of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of cocaine base and unlawful use of a communication facility; Michael Boney,  28, of Far Rockaway and Auburn, Maine, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Isar Coleman, 31, of Lewiston, for conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; Angela Crabtree, 32, of Auburn, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Katelynn Dubois, 21, of Wales, Maine, for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone; Lee Eirby, 66, of Lewiston, for maintaining a drug-involved premises; Isaac Fofie, 26, of New Sharon, Maine, for conspiracy to distribute heroin and distribution of heroin; Kourtney Francoeur, 21, of Lewiston, for conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; Jamel Hamilton, of Far Rockaway, for conspiracy to distribute heroin; Willie Jackson, 32, of Lewiston, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Rebecca Thompson, 33, of Lewiston, for conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; and Barney Whitfield, 33, of Lewiston, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and heroin.

According to court records, the charges arise out of the distribution of cocaine and heroin in the greater Lewiston and Auburn area.  This morning, federal, state and local agents arrested Branch, Coleman, Crabtree, Dubois, Eirby, Fofie, Francoeur, Hamilton, Jackson, Thompson and Whitfield while executing warrants.  Carter, Dent and Boney were all previously arrested on criminal complaints.  The defendants arrested today will make their initial appearances in the U.S. District Court in Portland today.

Dent faces between five and 40 years in prison, a $4 million fine and supervised release for life on the drug charge or between 10 years and life in prison and an $8 million fine if he has a prior felony drug conviction.  On the gun charge, Dent also faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release.  For the gun charge, Branch faces between five years and life in prison, a fine of $250,000 and five years of supervised release; for the possession charge, Branch faces up to one year in prison, a $100,000 fine and up to one year of supervised release; and for the communication facility charge, faces up to four years in prison, a $250,000 fine and supervised release of up to one year.  Eirby faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release for maintaining a drug-involved premises.  The other defendants face up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and supervised release for life.

The case was investigated by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Lewiston and Auburn Police Departments, the Maine State Police, the Southern Maine Gang Task Force comprised of agents and officers from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Portland and Biddeford Police Departments.

An indictment or criminal complaint is merely an accusation and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, at 10:30 a.m, U.S. Attorney Delahanty, Chief Michael Bussiere for the Lewiston Police and District Attorney Andrew Robinson for Androscoggin County will hold a press conference regarding these cases at the Lewiston Police Department at 171 Park Street in Lewiston.  Media members should arrive by 10:20 a.m., and will be asked to provide identification credentials.

U.S. MARSHALS ARREST HEROIN DISTRIBUTOR IN DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA

FROM:  U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE 

January 15, 2015

Chris Atwater, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal 

Michael Potter, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal 

Heroin Distributor Arrested by U.S. Marshals in Durham, North Carolina

Durham, NC – This morning at 11:10 AM, Booker T. Gattis, a 38 year old, Black Male was arrested by members of the U.S. Marshals Joint Fugitive Task Force (JFTF) and the Durham Police Department. On December 19, 2014, warrants were issued for the following charges: trafficking opium or heroin (four counts), possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver heroin, sell heroin, deliver heroin, maintaining a vehicle, dwelling, place controlled substance, which was a result of a drug investigation by the Durham Police Department.

After a brief foot chase, Gattis was taken into custody at 3009 E. Weaver Street in front of apartment #15 in Durham. While detectives were searching Gattis, a bundle of heroin was found in his front right pocket. Additional charges were filed for the heroin found in his possession.

Gattis is serving a five year period of Federal Supervised Release in the Middle District of North Carolina following his previous conviction for possession of firearm in which he received a one hundred ninety-two months sentence.

The U.S. Marshals Joint Fugitive Task Force for the Middle District of North Carolina is comprised of investigators from the U.S. Marshals Service, Chapel Hill Police Department, Durham Police Department, Greensboro Police Department, High Point Police Department, Winston-Salem Police Department, Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Department of Community Corrections – Probation & Parole.

WHAT IT TAKES TO BE EPA SPECIAL AGENT

FROM:  U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 

Criminal Enforcement: Special Agents

EPA's Criminal Investigation Division (EPA CID) Special Agents are fully authorized law enforcement officers empowered to enforce our nation's environmental laws as well as any other federal law in accordance with the guidelines established by the Attorney General of the United States (18 U.S.C. 3063).

EPA's Criminal Enforcement Program agents are highly trained men and women dedicated to the enforcement of federal laws protecting our environment; specifically, our air, water, and land resources. EPA CID Special Agents work within a structure of sophisticated environmental science and technology. EPA's CID Special Agents bring with them diverse backgrounds and a variety of work experience. An EPA CID Special Agent is a career position in the federal government with stringent qualification requirements.

What are the qualifications of EPA CID Special Agents?

Applicants for the position of EPA CID Special Agent must be a United States citizen, between the ages of 21 and 37 years old, and in excellent physical condition. EPA CID Special Agents receive eight weeks of basic federal law enforcement and Criminal Investigator training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center located in Glynco, Georgia. In addition to the basic law enforcement training, EPA CID Special Agents receive an additional eight weeks of training in conducting investigations of the criminal provisions of our federal environmental laws. Our Special Agents receive periodic in-service training, as well as advanced training in various investigative techniques.

FORMER BANK EMPLOYEE SENTENCED FOR ROLE IN LARGE IDENTITY FRAUD SCHEME

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Maryland Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Massive Identity Theft and Tax Fraud Scheme

A former bank employee was sentenced today to serve 87 months in prison for her role in a far-reaching identity theft and tax fraud scheme in which she used her position to help process deposits and withdrawals of nearly $1.1 million in fraudulently obtained federal income tax refunds.

Yvette Haden, 50, of Suitland, Maryland, is among approximately a dozen people who have pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to charges in one of the largest prosecutions to date involving the use of stolen identifying information.  The overall case involves the filing of at least 12,000 fraudulent federal income tax returns.

The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Larry J. Wszalek for the Justice Department’s Tax Division, Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Kelly of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Washington Field Office, Acting Inspector in Charge David M. McGinnis of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations John L. Phillips for the  U.S. Department of Treasury, and Special Agent in Charge Kathy A. Michalko for the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office.

Haden pleaded guilty in April 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of bank fraud.  She was sentenced by the Honorable Rosemary M. Collyer.  As part of her plea agreement, Haden must pay $973,376 in restitution to the IRS and she also is subject to a forfeiture money judgment of the same amount.  Upon completion of her prison term, Haden will be placed on three years of supervised release.

Haden was among participants in a massive and sophisticated identity theft and false tax refund scheme involving an extensive network of more than 130 people, many of whom were receiving public assistance.  At least 12,000 fraudulent federal income tax returns were filed for the tax years of 2005 through 2012, seeking refunds of at least $40 million.  The returns were often filed in the names of people whose identities had been stolen, including the elderly, people in assisted living facilities, drug addicts and incarcerated prisoners.  The refunds listed more than 400 “taxpayer” addresses in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

The government’s evidence showed that participants in the schemes had various roles: some stole the identifying information; some permitted their personal identifying information to be used; some created and mailed the fraudulent federal tax returns; some permitted their addresses to be used for receipt of the refund checks; some helped cash the checks; some provided bank accounts for negotiation of checks; and some forged endorsements of identity theft victims on the refund checks.

According to the government’s evidence, from 2007 through 2010, Haden was employed as a financial services representative at a bank branch in Southeast Washington, D.C.  She assisted co-conspirators in the scheme and violated the bank’s policies and procedures through a series of actions, including opening three business checking accounts in the names of three purported sole proprietorships.  Haden, who at the time of her crimes had more than 25 years of banking industry experience, was solely responsible for verifying client identities and documents and entering client information directly into the computer.  Once the accounts were opened, Haden aided the co-conspirators by processing deposits of fraudulently obtained U.S. income tax refund checks, as well as withdrawals.  To hide her activity, she falsified slips documenting withdrawals.  Haden was compensated by one of the co-conspirators for her role in the offenses.

Also, according to the government’s evidence, Haden opened a checking account in her own name at a credit union in 2012 and deposited or transferred 14 refund checks to that account.

In total, from June 2010 through November 2012, Haden negotiated 398 fraudulent income tax refund checks totaling $1,024,271.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Wszalek, Special Agent in Charge Kelly, Acting Inspector in Charge McGinnis, Assistant Inspector General Phillips and Special Agent in Charge Michalko commended those who investigated the case.  They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Schornstein and Paralegal Specialist Donna Galindo.  Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Chubin Epstein of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Fraud and Public Corruption Section and Trial Attorneys Jessica N. Moran and Jeffrey B. Bender of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting cases in the investigation.

MICHIGAN DOCTOR SENTENCED FOR ROLE IN $2.1 MILLION MEDICARE FRAUD

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Michigan Physician Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for her Role in a $2.1 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A Michigan physician involved in a $2.1 million home health care fraud scheme was sentenced today to 15 months in prison.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade of the Eastern District of Michigan, Special Agent in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations Detroit Office made the announcement.

Dr. Paula Williamson, 69, of Redford Township, Michigan, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul D. Borman of the Eastern District of Michigan.  In addition to her prison term, Williamson was ordered to pay $1,343,261.61 in restitution.

According to her plea agreement, from August 2009 through October 2012, Williamson conspired with others to commit health care fraud by referring Medicare beneficiaries for home health care services that were medically unnecessary and never provided.  Williamson also falsified documents that were used to support false and fraudulent claims to Medicare.

According to her admissions, Williamson signed referrals for a home health care agency known as AMB Healthcare Inc. (AMB), which was located in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and owned by a co-conspirator.  AMB needed a physician’s referral to bill Medicare for purported home health care services.  Williamson admitted that, at the request of her co-conspirators, including the owner of AMB, she falsified medical documentation and certified Medicare beneficiaries as homebound—a requirement for Medicare reimbursement—when, in fact, she had never examined nor even met the beneficiaries, and they were not homebound.  AMB used the falsified documents to support fraudulent claims to Medicare for home health care services that were never rendered and not medically necessary.

Between April 2009 and December 2012, Medicare paid AMB approximately $2.1 million for purported home health care services.  Of that amount, approximately $1.3 million was based on Williamson’s false home health referrals.

This case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.  The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Matthew C. Thuesen and Niall M. O’Donnell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 2,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $6 billion.  In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

FTC Video: Computer Security

FTC Video: What Is Identity Theft?

DETROIT GANG LEADER TO SPEND 346 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR ROLE IN ARMED ROBBERY OF A LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA RESTAURANT

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Detroit Gang Leader Sentenced to 346 Months in Prison for Planning Armed Robbery

A leader of a street gang that operated on the east side of Detroit was sentenced to 346 months in prison today for aiding and abetting an armed robbery of a Little Caesars pizza restaurant, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade of the Eastern District of Michigan and Special Agent in Charge Steven Bogdalek of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in Detroit.

Christopher LaJuan Tibbs, 38, of Detroit, was convicted on Aug. 29, 2014, of aiding and abetting an armed robbery after a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Bernard A. Friedman of the Eastern District of Michigan.

The evidence at trial established that Tibbs, also known as “Chief Fatah,” was the leader of the Michigan branch of the Mafia Insane Vice Lords, a violent street gang that operated primarily on the east side of Detroit.  The Mafia Insane Vice Lords was a local faction of the national Vice Lord gang that originated in Chicago.  The evidence at trial further showed that, during his leadership of the Mafia Insane Vice Lords, Tibbs recruited and used young adults and children to commit crimes for the gang, and ordered the murder of a witness in connection with this case.

The evidence at trial showed that Tibbs helped plan an armed robbery of a Little Caesars restaurant in Redford, Michigan, in September 2013.  Tibbs “blessed” it as a mission for the gang, and sent four subordinate members to commit the crime.  As part of the planning for the robbery, Tibbs instructed the robbers to disable the cameras and phones in the Little Caesars.  Tibbs also told the robbers what to wear, had them diagram the Little Caesars, and instructed them how to use the gun during the robbery.  During the robbery, one of the robbers brandished a gun and forced the employees, including a pregnant woman, inside the store, where the robbers tore down the surveillance cameras.  At the robbers’ direction, the employees disabled the alarm and opened the safe.  Although he was not present for the robbery itself, Tibbs took a majority of the proceeds, some of which were spent on the gang.

This case marked the first time that the federal criminal street gang enhancement was charged in the Eastern District of Michigan.  Because the jury found that Tibbs committed the crime to advance the criminal activities of his gang, the maximum penalty for aiding and abetting the robbery was increased.

The case was investigated by the ATF, with assistance from the Redford Police Department, Detroit Police Department, and Chicago Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Joseph Wheatley of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Gabel of the Eastern District of Michigan.

WOMAN GOES TO PRISON FOR VIOLATING IMMIGRATION, LABOR LAWS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Monday, January 5, 2015
Lexington Woman Sentenced to 18 Months for Immigration and Labor Violations
Defendant Harbored Undocumented Mexican Migrant for Labor on Tobacco Farm

The Department of Justice announced today that Pedra Perez-Gumeta, 52, of Lexington, Kentucky, was sentenced to serve 18 months in federal prison by United States Senior District Court Judge Joseph M. Hood for harboring an undocumented Mexican migrant for labor at a tobacco farm, illegally re-entering the United States after deportation and failing to pay a minimum wage to the undocumented Mexican migrant.  Judge Hood also ordered Perez-Gumeta to pay restitution to the Mexican migrant in the amount of $1,311 and mandatory special assessments totaling $210.

Perez-Gumeta previously admitted that she had brought a woman to Lexington from Mexico to provide the woman with a job.  Perez-Gumeta also admitted that she knew the woman was from Mexico and not legally within the United States, nor was the woman able to work legally in the United States.  Perez-Gumeta also admitted that she had been previously deported from the United States and that she had re-entered the United States illegally.  Perez-Gumeta further admitted that she did not pay the woman for all of the labor the woman performed, instead keeping a portion of the woman’s wages for herself.  Perez-Gumeta pleaded guilty to the charges in September of 2014.  In sentencing Perez-Gumeta, the court found that the defendant used coercion in the course of harboring the undocumented Mexican woman for financial gain.

Under federal law, Perez-Gumeta must serve 85 percent of her prison sentence, and, upon release, will be under the supervision of the United States Probation Office for one year, unless she is deported.

Kerry B. Harvey, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Steven L. Igyarto, Resident Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Rodney Brewer, Commissioner, Kentucky State Police (KSP), and Mark Barnard, Chief, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Division of Police, jointly made the announcement today after the sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by the DHS-HSI, the KSP, and the Lexington Police Department.  The United States was represented by Trial Attorney Victor Boutros of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit and Assistant United States Attorneys Hydee R. Hawkins and David A. Marye.

TWO WOMEN PLEAD GUILTY TO ASSAULTING AFRICAN-AMERICANS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Friday, December 12, 2014

Two Mississippi Women Plead Guilty to a Series of Racially-Motivated Assaults on African-Americans

The Justice Department announced today that Shelbie Brooke Richards, 21, and Sarah Adelia Graves, 21, from Brandon, Mississippi, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Jackson to federal hate crime charges in connection with a series of racially-motivated assaults on African-Americans, which culminated in the death of James Craig Anderson, an African-American man, in the summer of 2011.

Richards and Graves each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act for their roles in a scheme to target African-Americans in Jackson for violent assaults with dangerous weapons, including their roles in the murder of Anderson, who was run over by a FordF250 truck driven by members of the conspiracy.  The maximum penalty for this charge is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  Richards pleaded guilty to an additional count of misprision of a felony for her role in concealing information about the murder of Anderson from investigating authorities.  The maximum penalty for this charge is 3 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

“The continuing investigation into the events surrounding the vicious murder of James Craig Anderson that resulted in today’s guilty pleas demonstrates that the Department of Justice will vigorously pursue justice for every victim of racially-motivated violence,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta for the Civil Rights Division.  “No person should have to fear that they will be attacked because of the color of their skin as they walk the streets of their own city.  We will continue to use the tools at our disposal to ensure that racial equality in America is a reality as well as an ideal.”

“Hate based crimes have no place in America,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis for the Southern District of Mississippi.  “In addition to the injury to the victim, these crimes damage the fabric of our society.  The citizens of this district should know that this office will continue to vigorously enforce federal laws that guarantee the civil rights of all citizens.”

“This investigation started with the tragic death of James Anderson, “said Special Agent in Charge Donald Alway of the FBI Mississippi Division.  “Since then, the FBI has continued its efforts to identify and bring to justice all those individuals who conspired to deprive Mr. Anderson and other African-American citizens of their civil rights simply because of the color of their skin.”

Today in court, Richards and Graves admitted that, beginning in the spring of 2011, they and others conspired with one another to harass and assault African-Americans in west Jackson.  On numerous occasions, the co-conspirators used dangerous weapons including beer bottles, sling shots and motor vehicles to cause and attempt to cause bodily injury to African-Americans.  They would specifically target African-Americans they believed to be homeless or under the influence of alcohol because they believed that such individuals would be less likely to report an assault.  The co-conspirators would often boast about these racially motivated assaults.  Richards and Graves admitted that on June 26, 2011, they encouraged their co-conspirators to leave Brandon with them to assault “niggers,” in Jackson.  Richards further admitted that she encouraged her co-conspirator Deryl Paul Dedmon to hit Anderson with his truck.  In addition, Richards admitted that she falsely told law enforcement officers that she did not remember a fight between Dedmon and Anderson, and that she did not encourage Dedmon to strike Anderson with his truck.

Defendants Deryl Paul Dedmon, John Aaron Rice, Dylan Wade Butler, William Kirk Montgomery, Jonathan Kyle Gaskamp, and Joseph Dominick, all from Brandon, have previously entered guilty pleas in connection with their roles in these offenses.

These guilty pleas were the result of a cooperative effort among the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi and the Hinds County, Miss. District Attorney’s Office.  This case was investigated by the Jackson Division of the FBI and the Jackson Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sheldon L. Beer and Deputy Chief Paige M. Fitzgerald of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and Glenda R. Haynes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.

INTERPOL MEETING LOOKS AT IDENTIFYING AND SIEZING CRIMINAL ASSETS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Identifying new law enforcement tools to enhance asset tracing and recovery focus of INTERPOL meeting

UNITED NATIONS, New York – Identifying new mechanisms to assist law enforcement efforts in identifying and seizing criminal assets was the focus of an INTERPOL meeting at the United Nations headquarters.

During the three-day (17 – 19 December) working group meeting some 90 experts from 32 countries and six international organizations, including a number of UN agencies, the International Criminal Court and the World Bank, discussed the creation of operational tools through which INTERPOL could assist in asset tracing and recovery.

Organized by the INTERPOL General Secretariat in cooperation with the US National Central Bureau in Washington DC, the aim of the second session of the Expert Working Group on the Identification, Location and Seizure of Assets was to provide practitioners with new insight and instruments to enhance law enforcement and judicial cooperation.

Headed by chairman Ambassador Eugenio María Curia and Joël Sollier, INTERPOL General Counsel, the group recommended the creation of a new INTERPOL notice to locate, identify and obtain information on, seize or freeze criminal assets in compliance with national and international laws and obligations, supported by the establishment of an operational database.

The experts also recommended further consideration of developing mechanisms to simplify and expedite the transmission of mutual legal assistance requests using the secured INTERPOL communications channel (e-MLA). Rapid law enforcement action is particularly important to bridge the gap between lengthy legal assistance procedures and the high speed at which criminals move and hide proceeds.

With studies showing less than 10 percent of all criminal gains are being recovered, one of the key drivers behind the creation of the expert working group is to increase the number of criminal assets being frozen, confiscated for the benefit of society or given back to original owners.

The working group session was addressed by New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton who highlighted the important role of asset recovery in daily police work.

The meeting, attended by three INTERPOL Executive Committee members, Vice President for the Americas, Alan Bersin and Delegates for Europe, Filippo Dispenza and Alexander Prokopchuk, followed the recent briefing to the UN Security Council by INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock.

In his address to the Security Council, Mr Stock emphasized INTERPOL’s important role in providing assistance for the implementation of UN sanctions, and highlighted the work of the expert working group in supporting the coordination of international law enforcement efforts in asset tracing and freezing.

SHIP'S CHIEF ENGINEER CONVICTED IN CASE INVOLVING ILLEGAL OILY WASTE WATER DISCHARGE

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Cargo Ship Chief Engineer Convicted of Environmental Crimes, Obstruction of Justice and Witness Tampering

A chief engineer from the M/V Trident Navigator was convicted by a federal jury in New Orleans late yesterday after a week-long trial, of knowingly falsifying the vessel’s oil record book in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), obstruction of justice and witness tampering, announced the Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Matthaios Fafalios, 64, a resident of Greece, was convicted of knowingly falsifying the vessel’s oil record book, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering related to his service onboard the M/V Trident Navigator and a subsequent U.S. Coast Guard boarding of the vessel in January 2014.  In late December 2013, Fafalios ordered his engineering crew to construct a hose known in the industry as a “magic hose” to discharge the oily waste water that was in the vessel’s bilge holding tank.  Two crewmembers onboard the vessel reported this illegal discharge to the Coast Guard.  When coast guard inspectors boarded the vessel, Fafalios attempted to hide critical documents from the inspectors that indicated the illegal discharge occurred.  Additionally, Fafalios ordered engineers under his command to lie to the Coast Guard about the illegal oily waste water discharge.

Consistent with requirements in the APPS regulations, a vessel like the M/V Trident Navigator, must maintain a record known as an oil record book in which transfer and disposal of all oil-contaminated waste and the discharge overboard and disposal otherwise of such waste, must be fully and accurately recorded by the person in charge of the operations. Oil-contaminated bilge waste can be discharged overboard if it is processed through on-board pollution prevention equipment known as the oily water separator (OWS).

The operator of the vessel, Marine Managers LTD., had previously pleaded guilty to knowingly falsifying the oil record book and obstruction of justice and paid a total criminal penalty of $900,000.00.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service.  The case was prosecuted by Kenneth E. Nelson of the Environmental Crimes Section of the Department of Justice and by Emily Greenfield of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

CA DOCTOR SENTENCED TO 22 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR ROLE IN HEALTH CARE FRAUD SCHEME

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Monday, December 15, 2014

Southern California Physician Sentenced to 22 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud

A Southern California physician was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison today for his role in a conspiracy to commit Medicare fraud.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Yonekura of the Central District of California, Special Agent in Charge Glenn R. Ferry of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Los Angeles Region and Assistant Director in Charge Bill Lewis of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.

Dr. Jason C. Ling, 43, of Spring Valley, California, pleaded guilty in June 2014, to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.  According to his plea agreement, between March and November 2010, Dr. Ling conspired with others to defraud the Medicare program by writing medically unnecessary prescriptions for expensive power wheelchairs and other durable medical equipment (DME).  Dr. Ling obtained patients for his Spring Valley medical clinic from a street-level recruiter, or “marketer,” who referred Medicare beneficiaries for medically unnecessary DME prescriptions.  Dr. Ling’s prescriptions were provided to owners of DME companies, including Eucharia Okeke, who used the fraudulent prescriptions to submit approximately $496,794 in false claims to Medicare.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge George H. Wu of the Central District of California ordered Dr. Ling to pay $311,145 in restitution to the Medicare program.

Eucharia Okeke, pleaded guilty for her role in the conspiracy on Aug. 25, 2014.  Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 26, 2015.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Los Angeles Region of HHS-OIG.  The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Alexander F. Porter of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.  Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 2,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $6 billion.  In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

SEX OFFENDER SENT TO PRISON FOR 35 YEARS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Transportation and Possession of Child Pornography

A registered sex offender was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for transporting and possessing child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney John F. Walsh of the District of Colorado and Special Agent in Charge David Thompson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) Denver Field Office.

“Insidious crimes like this steal the innocence and youth of our nation’s children,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell.  “The Department of Justice is committed to investigating, prosecuting and incapacitating those who prey upon the most vulnerable members of our society.”

“Defendant Hopson, by his repeated acts of victimization and criminal conduct, has made clear that he poses a real and present danger to children and to society,” said U.S. Attorney Walsh.  “The sentence imposed today will neutralize this dangerous perpetrator for 35 years and is a true victory for the community and for Colorado’s children.”

“Anyone who collects and shares child pornography victimizes the most innocent and most vulnerable members of our society,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Thompson.  “This lengthy prison sentence recognizes the trauma that predators inflict on helpless children.”

Gregory Lynn Hopson, 44, of Westminster, Colorado was indicted on Oct. 24, 2012, and pleaded guilty to transportation and possession of child pornography on Sept. 29, 2014.  He has been in custody since his arrest on March 5, 2011.  Based on the conduct described below, Hopson is currently serving a state prison sentence of 16 years to life for violating the terms of his state probation in connection with his prior conviction for sexual assault on a child.  In addition to the prison sentence imposed today, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Lewis T. Babcock of the District of Colorado ordered Hopson to pay restitution to the victim of his crime.

According to Hopson’s admissions in his plea agreement, during the execution of a search warrant at his residence on March 5, 2011, ICE agents seized Hopson’s encrypted computer and CD-ROMs, which contained a well-organized collection of thousands of images and videos of child pornography.  The material depicted children, including infants, being sexually abused.  One of the CD-ROMs contained images and videos of Hopson engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a child under the age of 12 with whom Hopson was in a position of trust.

Hopson further admitted in his plea agreement that he exchanged child pornography with others over the Internet.  In fact, ICE agents recovered approximately 300 emails that Hopson sent or received containing approximately 1,700 images and videos of child pornography.

At the time of the search warrant, Hopson was already a registered sex offender, having been convicted of sexually abusing two children under the age of 12.  He was on intensive probation and was undergoing sex offender treatment when he committed these offenses.

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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the resources tab.

This case was investigated by HSI, and prosecuted by Trial Attorney Keith Becker of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and Chief Judith A. Smith and Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth N. Gibson of the District of Colorado’s Special Prosecution Section.