MAN SENT TO PRISON FOR TEACHING PEOPLE TO BEAT LIE DETECTOR TEST

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Owner of Polygraph.com Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Training Customers to Lie

A former Oklahoma City law enforcement officer and the owner of Polygraph.com has been sentenced to two years in prison for training customers to lie and conceal crimes and other misconduct during polygraph examinations.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Commissioner Matthew Klein of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Internal Affairs and Special Agent in Charge Scott L. Cruse of the FBI’s Oklahoma City Division made the announcement.

Douglas G. Williams, 69, of Norman, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty on May 13, 2015, to two counts of mail fraud and three counts of witness tampering.  Chief U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange of the Western District of Oklahoma imposed the sentence.

According to admissions made in connection with his plea, Williams owned and operated Polygraph.com, an Internet-based business through which he trained people how to conceal misconduct and other disqualifying information when submitting to polygraph examinations in connection with federal employment suitability assessments, background investigations, internal agency investigations and other proceedings.  In particular, Williams admitted that he trained an individual posing as a federal law enforcement officer to lie and conceal involvement in criminal activity from an internal agency investigation.  Williams also admitted to training a second individual, posing as an applicant seeking federal employment, to lie and conceal crimes in a pre-employment polygraph examination.  Williams also admitted to instructing the individuals to deny receiving his polygraph training.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Internal Affairs and the FBI’s Oklahoma City Division.  The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Heidi Boutros Gesch and Brian K. Kidd of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.

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.

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTING HANDCUFFED MAN IN JAIL

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Friday, November 22, 2013
Alabama Sheriff’s Investigator Indicted for Unlawfully Detaining and Assaulting Handcuffed Man at County Jail

The Department of Justice announced today that a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama has returned an indictment against J. Keith McCray, a criminal investigator with the Macon County, Ala., Sheriff’s Office for violating the rights of a man he unlawfully seized and assaulted.

McCray, 41, is charged with two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of witness tampering.  On July 4, 2013, the victim was going door-to-door in McCray’s neighborhood attempting to sell alarm systems.  According to the indictment, McCray unlawfully seized the victim using a firearm, and then brought the victim to the county jail.  The indictment alleges that at the jail, McCray struck the victim while he was handcuffed, which resulted in bodily injury.  The indictment further alleges that McCray engaged in witness tampering when he intimidated the victim and corruptly persuaded him not to file a complaint for the assault.

If convicted, McCray could face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each deprivation-of-rights count.  He could face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the witness tampering charge.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerusha T. Adams of the Middle District of Alabama and Trial Attorney Chiraag Bains of the department’s Civil Rights Division.

EDUCATION OFFICIAL SENTENCED IN SCHOOL BUS PARTS/SERVICES KICKBACK SCHEME

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, June 8, 2012
American Samoa Department of Education Official Sentenced to 35 Months in Prison for Witness Tampering and Obstruction of Justice
WASHINGTON – Paul Solofa, the former chief financial officer for the Department of Education for the government of the U.S. Territory of American Samoa was sentenced today to 35 months in prison following his conviction earlier this year for his efforts to obstruct a federal grand jury and law enforcement investigation into a bribery scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton in the District of Columbia.  After a four-day trial in January 2012, a federal jury in the District of Columbia found Solofa, 50, guilty of one count of witness tampering and one count of obstruction of justice.

According to evidence presented at trial, in approximately early 2008, federal authorities began conducting an investigation into allegations of cash bribes and kickbacks paid by vendors to officials of the American Samoa Government in connection with the government’s purchase of school bus parts and services.

According to the trial evidence, Solofa met on April 3, 2009, with a school bus parts vendor who told Solofa that the FBI was interested in interviewing the vendor regarding the bus parts investigation.  Solofa, in a recorded meeting, allegedly told the vendor that, “They cannot do anything with cash.  Nothing.  They cannot do anything with cash.  They cannot track down you on cash.  Because even if you say you gave me cash I'll tell them ‘no.’  They cannot take your word on cash.  Because that’s hearsay.  So you know, but the best thing for you to do is ‘nope, I never give them any cash, I never’ – because that will open up the whole operation . . . You get what I am saying.  All you do is just tell them ‘no, yes, no, yes,’ period.”

In addition, according to the evidence presented at trial, Solofa met on April 14, 2009, with the same bus parts vendor, who told Solofa that a grand jury subpoena requiring production of specific documents and records, some of which related to Solofa and to the bus parts kickback scheme, would be issued shortly.  After discussing how to respond, Solofa told the vendor that, as for documents he did not want to produce, “[t]he only way to do it with those copies is burn it.  That way, they won’t see it, and you won’t worry that they might see it, you know. . . .  Just burn it, and nobody has a copy.”

The head of the School Bus Division for the American Samoa Department of Education, Gustav Nauer, 47, was also convicted for his role in the bribery scheme.  On June 4, 2012, Nauer was sentenced to 25 months in prison.

This case was prosecuted by Principal Deputy Chief Raymond N. Hulser and Trial Attorney Tim Kelly of the Public Integrity Section in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  The case was investigated by the FBI; the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Education; and the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of the Interior.

AMERICAN SAMOA EDUCATION OFFICIAL CONVICTED OF OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE AND WITNESS TAMPERING

Thursday, January 26, 2012
The following excerpt is from the Department of Justice website:

“WASHINGTON – Paul Solofa, the director of the school lunch program for the government of the U.S. Territory of American Samoa, was convicted today in relation to his efforts to obstruct a federal grand jury and law enforcement investigation into a bribery scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

After a four-day trial, a federal jury in the District of Columbia found Solofa, 50, guilty of one count of witness tampering and one count of obstruction of justice.

According to evidence presented at trial, in approximately early 2008, federal authorities began conducting an investigation into allegations of cash bribes and kickbacks paid by vendors to officials of the American Samoa government in connection with the government’s purchase of school bus parts and services.

According to the trial evidence, Solofa met on April 3, 2009, with a school bus parts vendor who told Solofa that the FBI was interested in interviewing the vendor regarding the bus parts investigation. Solofa, in a recorded meeting, allegedly told the vendor, “They cannot do anything with cash. Nothing. They cannot do anything with cash. They cannot track down you on cash. Because even if you say you gave me cash I'll tell them ‘no.’ They cannot take your word on cash. Because that’s hearsay. So you know, but the best thing for you to do is ‘nope, I never give them any cash, I never’ – because that will open up the whole operation . . . You get what I am saying. All you do is just tell them ‘no, yes, no, yes,’ period.”

In addition, according to the evidence presented at trial, Solofa met on April 14, 2009, with the same bus parts vendor, who told Solofa that a grand jury subpoena requiring production of specific documents and records, some of which related to Solofa and to the bus parts kickback scheme, would be issued shortly. After discussing how to respond, Solofa told the vendor that, as for documents he did not want to produce, “ [t]he only way to do it with those copies is burn it. That way, they won’t see it, and you won’t worry that they might see it, you know. . . .  Just burn it, and nobody has a copy.”

Solofa faces a maximum penatly of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the witness tampering charge and 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the obstruction of justice charge. Sentencing is scheduled for April 27, 2012.

This case is being prosecuted by Principal Deputy Chief Raymond N. Hulser and Trial Attorney Daniel A. Petalas of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section. The case is being investigated by the FBI in Hawaii; the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Education; and the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of the Interior.”