Category: Legal Issues

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Shinnston, West Virginia, man was found guilty this week of illegally having an assault rifle and tampering with a witness to cover up the crime.

Charles Raymond Wable, 62, was found guilty by a federal jury after a two-day trial. Wable, a person prohibited from having firearms because of prior drug convictions, was under supervision by the U.S. Probation Office. During a home check, officers found a loaded assault rifle hidden under his bed. During a hearing in federal court to revoke his probation, Wable had someone falsely testify about the ownership of the firearm.

Wable will be sentenced on August 2, 2023. He faces up to 10 years in prison for the firearms charge and faces up to 20 years for witness tampering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Probation Office investigated.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon Flower and Andrew Cogar prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.

Source: United States Attorneys General 11

A former mayor of Humacao, Puerto Rico, pleaded guilty today to engaging in a bribery scheme in which he received cash payments for awarding municipal contracts to two companies.

According to court documents, from January to July 2021, Reinaldo Vargas-Rodríguez, 49, was involved in a bribery conspiracy in which he accepted thousands of dollars in cash bribes from the owner of a construction company and the owner of a trash collection company. In exchange, Vargas-Rodríguez agreed to secure contracts for both companies.

Vargas-Rodríguez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to solicit and accept bribes. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph González of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI San Juan Field Office investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Nicholas Cannon of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Erbe for the District of Puerto Rico are prosecuting the case. Trial Attorney Ryan R. Crosswell of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott H. Anderson for the District of Puerto Rico assisted in the investigation.  

This case is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts to combat public corruption by municipal officials in Puerto Rico. In addition to the above matter, the Public Integrity Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico have recently obtained convictions against other former public officials and contractors in the district for soliciting and accepting bribes related to municipal contracts.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A West Virginia doctor has been indicted for the unlawful distribution of controlled substances and for destroying evidence of his alleged crimes.

David Elwood Hess, 59, of Bridgeport, West Virginia, was indicted today on twenty-five counts of improper prescribing and one count of destroying records in a federal investigation. According to court documents, Hess wrote prescriptions for Adderall, Xanax, Oxycontin, and other controlled substances to individuals without a legitimate medical purpose and beyond the bounds of professional practice. The indictment also charges Hess with remotely wiping his iPhone after it had been seized by law enforcement.

“Adderall is the chemical cousin of methamphetamine and a very powerful stimulant,” said United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld. “Given its high potential for misuse, medical practitioners must be cautious when prescribing it and when they are not, there will be consequences.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Cogar is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Attorneys General 11

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On March 29, 2023, a grand jury charged Brian Luis Valentín-Ramos with five counts related to the possession, distribution and sale of child pornography; conspiring to illegally obtain information from protected computers; and cyberstalking, all in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1030(a)(2), 2252(a)(4)(B), 2252A(a)(2), 2252A(a)(4)(B), and 2261A(2)(B), announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. 

According to the Government’s allegations, since at least 2020 through 2023, Valentín-Ramos conspired with others to gain unauthorized access to social media accounts, including SnapChat, of female victims primarily in Puerto Rico.  These included victims at the University of Puerto Rico.  The conspirators would then steal intimate pictures of the victims from those accounts, which Valentín-Ramos would publicize and sell using Twitter, Reddit and Telegram. Valentín-Ramos would claim that “I sell my content because it was obtained via hacking making it exclusive.” 

Valentín-Ramos is further charged with cyberstalking one of his adult victims. 

Valentín-Ramos also possessed, distributed, and sold sexually explicit photos of two female minors, including one who was fifteen years old.

U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Joseph González, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.

The sale and distribution of child pornography charges carry a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of twenty years. Cyberstalking carries maximum sentence of five years of imprisonment. Possession of child pornography carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The defendant was arrested on Friday, March 24, and ordered detained pending trial due to an adjudication that he is a danger to the community.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeanette Collazo is in charge of the prosecution of the case.  FBI Special Agent Christian Nieves of the San Juan Cyber Division is in charge of the investigation.

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Source: United States Attorneys General 11

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On March 22, 2023, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned a six-count indictment charging 22 individuals with drug trafficking in the municipalities of Sabana Grande, San Germán, Lajas, and Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau Aguadilla Strike Force are in charge of the investigation, with the collaboration of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the United States Marshals Service (USMS), the Mayagüez Strike Force, Mayagüez Homicide Division, and the Mayagüez District Attorney. This arrest operation is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program.

The indictment alleges that from 2019 to the date of the return of the indictment, the drug trafficking organization distributed heroin, cocaine base (commonly known as “crack”), cocaine, marihuana, Fentanyl, Tramadol, Oxycodone (Percocet), and Alprazolam (Xanax) in Majinas Ward, Las Guaras Ward, Cerro Gordo Ward, José A. Castillo Public Housing Project (PHP) in the municipality of Sabana Grande; Sabana Eneas Ward in the municipality of San Germán; Sabana Yeguas Ward in the municipality of Lajas; Parabueyon Ward in the municipality of Cabo Rojo, and areas nearby for significant financial gain and profit.

“The charges in this case reflect the Justice Department’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking organizations that sow violence and fear in our communities. We will continue to work closely alongside our law enforcement partners to dismantle criminal organizations throughout Puerto Rico and break the cycle of violence that they perpetuate,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.

“When I first came to San Juan, I said that violent crime would be amongst our top priorities. Today, I want to thank my FBI Aguadilla Team for helping me make good on that promise,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph González. “There will always be more work to be done, but this takedown dismantled an extremely violent criminal enterprise, which controlled most of the drug trafficking operations in the SW of Puerto Rico, with no regard for human life and no respect for law enforcement. I want to thank the USAO, IRS, USMS, PRPB Mayagüez Strike Force, USPIS, DEA, HSI, CBP and the Mayagüez District Attorney’s Office, for their assistance in this investigation and their continued support to the FBI mission.”

As part of the conspiracy, the members acted in different roles to further the goals of the conspiracy, including acting as leaders, enforcers, runners, sellers, and facilitators. The defendants had access to different vehicles which they used to transport money, narcotics, and firearms. They offered delivery services to their clients; they would meet up with clients at parking lots or wherever it was convenient to their customers.

The members of the gang used force, violence, and intimidation to maintain control of the areas in which they operated. Twenty-one defendants are also facing a charge of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The defendants are:

José Alberto Pagán-Casiano, a/k/a “Pito Cansio”

Victor Galindo-Padilla, a/k/a “Junito”

John M. Hernández-Méndez, a/k/a “El Buster”

Terril Rivera-Calder, a/k/a “TJ”

Julio Argenis Figueroa-Martínez, a/k/a “Argenis”

Renty A. Areizaga-García

Alexander Rivera-Casiano, a/k/a “Papal”

Gustavo González-González, a/k/a “Gotay/GTA/Negro/Tavo”

Christian Belén-Silva, a/k/a “Belén”

Michael Nazario-Rivera, a/k/a “Michael Bolso/El Pri”

Yomvier Torres-Ruiz

Jaime Rodríguez-Juliá

Victor Casiano-Alameda, a/k/a “Junito”

Rodney A. Santiago-Ramírez

Gabriel Olmeda-Mercado, a/k/a “Rasta”

Justin Carlo-Padilla, a/k/a “Donald Trump”

José M. Rodríguez-Torres, a/k/a “JM”

Alex Ramírez-Sánchez, a/k/a “Pote”

Axel Vélez-Denizac, a/k/a “Axel el Enano”

Shariel Mercado-González

Yehudy Toro-Vargas

Francisco Ayala-Vega, a/k/a “Cabra/Sico”

If convicted, the defendants face a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Corinne Cordero-Romo from the Gang Section is in charge of the prosecution of the case.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Source: United States Attorneys General 12

Tacoma – Two Puyallup, Washington, men will appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma today charged with conspiracy to damage energy facilities and possession of an unregistered firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown.  Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, were arrested Saturday, December 31, 2022, following a fast-moving investigation by the FBI.  Prosecutors will ask that both men remain detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac pending future hearings.

“I commend the work by the FBI to quickly identify these suspects and disrupt any future attacks on the east Pierce County power grid,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “We have seen attacks such as these increase in Western Washington and throughout the country and must treat each incident seriously.  The outages on Christmas left thousands in the dark and cold and put some who need power for medical devices at extreme risk.”

“I am so thankful for how quickly and diligently our investigators and partners worked to bring this to a resolution,” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “This case took many of them away from their families during the holidays but through their efforts, we have two men in custody we believe to be responsible for all four power station attacks. This demonstrates the commitment by all levels of law enforcement to protect our infrastructure and hold those accountable who put our community in danger.”

According to the criminal complaint filed with the court late Saturday, December 31, 2022, and unsealed today, the two men were identified as possible suspects through the analysis of cell phone records.  At one of the substations, Tacoma Power captured images of one suspect and the image of a pick-up truck that appeared to be connected with the attack.  A similar pick-up truck was connected to the defendants.  When law enforcement served a search warrant on the home of the suspects, they recovered distinctive clothing pictured in the surveillance photos.  Agents also seized two short-barreled firearms that had not been registered as required by law.  One of the firearms was equipped with a make-shift silencer. 

The four substations that were targeted were the Graham and Elk Plain substations operated by Tacoma Power and the Kapowsin and Hemlock substations operated by Puget Sound Energy.  The damage to the Tacoma Power substations alone is estimated to be at least $3 million.

Conspiracy to attack energy facilities is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.  Possession of an unregistered firearm is punishable by up to ten years in prison.

The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations.  A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), Tacoma Police Department, the Washington State Department of Corrections and the Federal Protective Service.

Assistant United States Attorneys Will Dreher, Stephen Hobbs, and Todd Greenberg all worked around the clock over the last week to obtain search warrants and arrest warrants to assist the FBI investigation.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

Seattle – A 50-year-old Washington State man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to seven years in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl pills, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Preston Joseph Smith was arrested in December 2021 in Port Angeles, Washington on allegations he distributed pound quantities of illegal drugs. Smith has a 30-year history of drug trafficking crimes.  At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said, that the drug trafficking organization Smith worked for was trafficking a higher quantity of drugs than most drug trafficking organizations the court has seen.

“This investigation revealed that the drug trafficking organization was distributing large amounts of drugs in the Northeast, Midwest, and the South, as well as in the Western District of Washington,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown.  “I commend our law enforcement partners who shut down a ring aiming to distribute 100 pounds of meth per month in Western Washington.”

According to records filed in the case, law enforcement identified the leaders of the drug trafficking ring as early as February 2020. Smith’s activities as a drug redistributor came into focus in June and July 2021, as he distributed pound quantities of methamphetamine, and hundreds of fentanyl pills. Smith was able to come up with thousands of dollars to pay up front for drugs – in one instance paying $25,000 for a kilo of heroin.

Smith was indicted along with more than a dozen others in the fall of 2021. The drug ring, headed by Jose Alfredo Maldonado-Ramirez and Iris Adrianna Amador-Garcia, distributed drugs widely: in Massachusetts, New York, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Virginia. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized 9 pounds of methamphetamine in a traffic stop on May 16, 2020. Another 30 pounds of meth were seized in a stop on April 2, 2021, and 57 pounds of methamphetamine and 20,000 fentanyl pills were seized in a traffic stop on September 28, 2021.  Additionally, on August 17, 2021, law enforcement seized 19 pounds of methamphetamine that conspirators attempted to mail to Fiji.

Smith pleaded guilty in September 2022.

In asking for an eight-year prison sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court, “While the number of people directly and indirectly impacted by Smith’s conduct is difficult to quantify, it is undeniable that the methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl Smith helped spread through our community undoubtedly fell into the hands of long-time addicts, first-time users, and everyone in between. Their lives, and the lives of those around them, will never be the same.”

Judge Coughenour ordered four years of supervised release to follow the prison term.

This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. 

The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Seattle Field Division (SFD) Tacoma Resident Office (TRO) and Bremerton Police Department (BPD), with assistance from  Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement (TNET); the Seattle, Puyallup, Auburn, Federal Way, Kent, Bonney Lake, Tacoma,  and Lakewood Police Departments; the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office; Washington State Department of Corrections; Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET): Centralia and Chehalis Police Departments; Valley Narcotics Enforcement Team (VNET); and Washington State Patrol; Thurston Narcotics Team (TNT), Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, and Mason County Sheriff’s Office; United States Postal Inspections Service (USPIS), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) with support from Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas ( HIDTA).

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys C. Andrew Colasurdo and Will Dreher.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

Seattle – 26-year-old Kent, Washington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 11 years in prison for his role as a drug trafficker and debt collector for a cartel-connected drug distribution ring, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown.  Jorge Mondragon pleaded guilty in July 2022 to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and being a felon in possession of a firearm.  At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said, the sentence was driven by Mondragon’s involvement with “firearms and threats of violence.”

“Not only did Mr. Mondragon deal large amounts of meth and heroin, he also used violence and threats of violence on behalf of the drug ring,” said U.S. Attorney Brown.  “These drugs not only destroy the lives of those who use them, they also destroy the lives of the users’ families and friends who are forced to watch the toll these drugs take on their son, their daughter, their mother, their father, their friend.”

As early as 2020, investigators repeatedly intercepted calls and surveilled Mondragon dealing in large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin. They also intercepted Mondragon in multiple conversations about the possession and sale of firearms and engaging in acts of violent debt collection on behalf of the drug trafficking organization.  At one point, investigators heard Mondragon plotting with others to kidnap another dealer.

“The efforts by all our partners in this investigation show our collective commitment to keep our communities free of illegal controlled substances and safe by preventing violent individuals like Mr. Mondragon from carrying out the acts he planned and conspired to commit,” said Jacob D. Galvan, Acting Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division.

In asking for an eleven-year prison sentence prosecutors wrote to the court, “Mondragon’s extensive involvement in gun possession and violence places him among the most violent individuals in this conspiracy. During the four months that law enforcement intercepted Mondragon’s activities, he engaged in multiple plots to kidnap and otherwise harm debtors, procured a seemingly endless supply of firearms for himself and organization leaders, was arrested three times for crimes (all of which involved gun possession), and agreed to “wheelchair” an individual for money – a plan he appeared intent on executing when he was intercepted by law enforcement with a loaded gun on his way to do the job.”

Mondragon will be on supervised release for five years following his prison term.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Tacoma Resident Office in partnership with Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement Team (TNET), Kent Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, SeaTac Police Department, Thurston County Narcotics Team (TNT), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amy Jaquette and C. Andrew Colasurdo.

Source: United States Attorneys General 11

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –A federal jury convicted a former mayor of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, yesterday for engaging in a bribery scheme.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ángel Pérez-Otero, 52, was involved in a bribery conspiracy in which, from approximately late 2019 through May 2021, he accepted thousands of dollars in cash bribes on a regular basis from the owner of a construction company. In exchange for these payments, Pérez-Otero agreed to obtain and retain contracts for the company and ensured that its invoices were promptly paid.

Pérez-Otero was convicted of conspiracy, federal program bribery, and extortion. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 8 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the extortion charge and 10 years in prison on the bribery charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph González of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI San Juan Field Office investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Nicholas Cannon of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Myriam Fernández-González for the District of Puerto Rico are prosecuting the case. Trial Attorney Ryan R. Crosswell of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott H. Anderson for the District of Puerto Rico assisted in the investigation. 

This case is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts to combat public corruption by municipal officials in Puerto Rico. In addition to the above matter, the Public Integrity Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico have recently obtained convictions against other former public officials and contractors in the District of Puerto Rico for soliciting and accepting bribes related to municipal contracts.

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Source: United States Attorneys General 12

Richland, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, today announced that a fully-staffed branch of the United States Attorney’s Office will be opening in Richland, Washington. At a press event earlier today, U.S. Attorney Waldref stated, “The number of cases prosecuted by the Richland Division of my office has risen significantly over the last two decades. As the number of cases continued to grow, it became clear that we need dedicated Assistant United States Attorneys, who live and work in the Tri-Cities area, to support our federal, state, and local partners and ensure that criminal defendants who commit federal crimes are prosecuted to the fullest extent.”

After learning that the U.S. Attorney’s Office would opening a staffed Richland Office, Senior United States District Court Judge Edward F. Shea stated, “I am pleased to join in celebrating the expansion of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Richland. This expansion will strengthen the ongoing Federal-Local law enforcement efforts in Southeastern Washington for the benefit of all who live here.”

The Richland Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office is in the Richland Courthouse and Federal Building, which is located at 825 Jadwin Avenue in Richland, Washington. Since 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has prosecuted an average of approximately 70 cases each year arising in the Richland Division. While the U.S. Attorney’s Office has continued to prosecute a large volume of cases in Richland, the federal prosecutors handling these cases have been traveling from Spokane and Yakima to appear for hearings in Richland’s federal courthouse.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington represents the United States in federal litigation, both criminal and civil, in the twenty Washington counties east of the crest of the Cascade Mountains. The Eastern District is home to approximately 1.5 million people, of which approximately 400,000 live in the Tri-Cities metropolitan area. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is responsible for enforcing federal criminal, civil, administrative, and tax laws. The Office works closely with federal, state, and local partners with one primary purpose: To ensure that justice is done in each individual case. The Richland Office, when it is fully staffed, is expected to have two fulltime Assistant United States Attorneys and one legal assistant.

“Many of the most significant federal cases and crimes we prosecute involve conduct in the Tri-Cities area,” said U.S. Attorney Waldref. She continued, “When I became the United States Attorney a little over a year ago, one of my top priorities was to build upon the work that the Department of Justice has been doing in the Tri-Cities. Today’s announcement is a realization of our goal to ensure the United States Attorney’s Office has a permanent and staffed presence serving Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla Counties. We are fortunate to already have Special Assistant United States Attorney Laurel J. Holland, who has prosecuted state and federal cases in the Tri-Cities area since 2009. In the coming months, we anticipate that two additional AUSAs and will be joining SAUSA Holland in our Richland Office to pursue justice on behalf of the Tri-Cities area and throughout all of Eastern Washington.”

The following are some of the significant recent federal cases prosecuted out of the Tri-Cities area:

• Ayoola Taiwo Adeoti, 4:22-CR-06005-SAB, indictment for business email compromise, money laundering, and bank fraud conspiracy involving fraud of approximately three quarters of a million dollars from the Benton County government;

• HPM Corporation; 4:22-MJ-07038-JPH, global criminal and civil fraud settlement in March 2022 recovering $3 million from Hanford Site prime contractor for fraudulent COVID-19 relief claims under the Paycheck Protection Program;

• Ali Abed Yaser, et al., 4:21-CR-6042-SMJ, twenty-three people indicted in January 2022, for an alleged staged automobile accident scheme;

• Cody Easterday, 4:21-cr-06012-SAB, sentenced to 11 years and $244 million in restitution in October 2022 for a massive fraud scheme involving fictitious cattle;

• U.S. ex rel. Avila v. Sunrhys, LLC, 4:21-cv-05013-TOR, civil prosecution involving civil rights violations and housing fraud, resulting in July 2022 recovery of significant civil penalties and other remedial measures for a landlord in Walla Walla that was overcharging tenants and fraudulently obtaining federal subsidies intended to assist homeless veterans;

• U.S. ex rel. Yam v. Providence Health and Services; 4:20-CV-05004-SMJ, civil fraud prosecution and recovery in April 2022 of over $22.7 million for fraudulent billing of medically-unnecessary neurosurgery procedures to Medicare and Medicaid at Providence St. Mary’s Medical Center in Walla Walla;

• Trent Drexel Howard, 4:19-CR-06036-SMJ, sentenced to 23 years in federal prison in January 2022 for child pornography offenses after being extradited from Kazakhstan;

• Julio Leal Parra et. al., 4:19-CR-06061-SAB, sentenced to 16 years for a large drug-trafficking conspiracy involving ties to the Sinaloa cartel – Parra was one of five charged defendants in the case;

• Dr. Janet Sue Arnold, 4:18-CR-6044-EFS-1, sentenced to four years in federal prison in April 2022, for conspiring to distribute medically unnecessary fentanyl patches, opioid pills and other controlled substances out of her medical practice;

• Dale Gordon Black, 4:18-CR-6029-EFS, sentenced to 30 years in prison in July 2019, for producing child pornography;

• Hector Medina, 4:18-cr-06024-SMJ, sentenced to 15 years for in an overdose death and drug-trafficking conspiracy;

• Reynaldo Perez Munoz, 4:18-CR-6008-EFS, sentenced to 26 years in transnational conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and to launder money gained from illegal drug distribution;

• Josue Medina-Perez and Francisco Delgado, 19-CR-06018-EFS, ten-defendant transnational drug conspiracy, which was one of the first fentanyl conspiracies involving prosecution of an Arizona-based source of supply;

• Sami Anwar, 4:18-cr-5064-EFS, sentenced to more than 28 years in October, 2020, after a three-week trial for falsifying human clinical research data;

• Rosalio Emmanuel Sanchez, 4:17-CR-06014-WFN-6, sentenced to 22 years in prison in May 2019, for distributing illegal narcotics in the Tri-Cities area after a five day jury trial in Richland;

• Bechtel Corporation et al., 4:17-CV-5074-SMJ, civil fraud prosecution and recovery in September 2020 of $57.75 million from Hanford Site prime contractor for fraudulent overbilling on radioactive waste treatment plant project;

• Miles Barton Nichols, 4:16-CR-6033-EFS-1, sentenced to life in prison in 2018 after being convicted in two separate jury trial of drug trafficking and firearms offenses.

• U.S. ex rel. Savage v. CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company; U.S. ex rel. Savage v. Washington Closure Hanford, et al; 4:14-CV-5002-SMJ and 4:10-CV-5051-SMJ; recoveries of approximately $10 million between 2017 and 2021 from Hanford Site contractors for use of fraudulent small business front companies on Hanford Site subcontracts.

• Bechtel National Inc., 13-CV-5013-EFS, civil fraud prosecution and $125 million recovery in November 2016 from Hanford Site contractor for use of substandard materials, quality assurance violations, and improper use of federal funds for lobbying activity.

• CH2M Hill Hanford Group, 09-CV-5038-EFS, civil and criminal prosecutions of time charging fraud at the Hanford Site, resulting in twelve criminal convictions and recovery of more than $18.5 million in damages and penalties between 2012 and 2015.

Currently the Tri-Cities area is served by several federal judges: U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Salvador Mendoza, Jr.; Senior U.S. District Court Judge Edward F. Shea, U.S. District Court Judge Mary K. Dimke, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Alexander C. Ekstrom. Relatedly, many federal law enforcement agencies – to include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Customs and Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; Department of Energy Office of Inspector General; and the U.S. Marshal’s Service to name a few – have staffed offices, agents, and task force officers in the Tri-Cities area.

Regarding the federal presence in the area, U.S. Attorney Waldref added, “We will continue to support our federal, state, and local partners who have a long-established presence in Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla Counties. We have been working closely with our law enforcement partners in Southeast Washington for years, and are thrilled to build even stronger relationships to make our growing communities in this region safer and stronger.”

United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref is the Chief Law Enforcement Officer for the Eastern District of Washington. She leads an office of 29 Assistant United States Attorneys: 23 in Spokane and 6 in Yakima. In the near future, that number is anticipated to grow by at least 2 in the new staffed Richland Office.