Category: Office of United States Attorneys

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Jackson, Miss. – A Fayette woman pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining possession of a controlled substance.

According to court documents and facts admitted in open court, Rosie Marie George, 57, used her position as a pharmacy technician at a pharmacy in Jefferson County, Mississippi to fraudulently acquire large numbers of prescription hydrocodone pills from the pharmacy’s inventory. 

George will be sentenced on April 30, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of four years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Acting Special Agent in Charge Steve Hofer of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.

The case was investigated by the DEA as well as the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham is prosecuting the case.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

            WASHINGTON — A New Jersey man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges related to his conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

          Lee A. Giobbie, 40, of Eastampton, New Jersey, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding. In addition to the felonies, Giobbie is charged with several misdemeanor offenses, including knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

          Giobbie was arrested today in New Jersey and will make his initial appearance in the District of New Jersey.

          According to court documents, Giobbie was identified on open-source video as present among other rioters near a line of bike rack barricades established on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. Giobbie wore a black leather jacket, a green-knitted Eagles stocking cap, blue jeans, white and gray sneakers, black gloves, a black backpack, and carried a white and red bullhorn.

          Court documents say that Giobbie can be heard in an open-source video repeatedly shouting, “Move the gates!” before the bike rack barricades in this area were breached. Giobbie is then captured in video footage walking toward other rioters while they were violently pushing against the bike rack barricades and the police. He repeatedly stated, “We’re going in,” and “The gates have been breached.”

          After other rioters had pushed past police, Giobbie moved a barricade and entered the portion of the Capitol grounds that were cordoned off and restricted from public access. He then walked by police in riot gear and was one of the first rioters to the Central steps of the Capitol building as police fell back and formed a new defensive line. Giobbie then turned, faced the crowd, shouted “Stop the steal” through a bullhorn, and led chants of “USA” on the Central steps. He then faced police on the steps and shouted, “Push, push, push, push,” while standing one row back from other rioters who were pushing against the police line. Additionally, Giobbie can be seen in an open-source video pushing against other rioters who were, in turn, pushing against the police line. He then rushed by the police line toward the Rotunda Doors after the police line broke and a huge mass of rioters rushed up the Central steps.

          Near the Rotunda Doors, Giobbie shouted into the bullhorn, “We need something to break the door down!” During a confrontation with police outside the doors, a United States Capitol Police officer is seen grabbing Giobbie’s left arm. Giobbie then pushed the officer’s arm away and used his left forearm to push against the officer’s riot shield.

          Police repeatedly attempted to clear the rioters from the Rotunda Doors. In spite of that, Giobbie was one of the first rioters to breach the Capitol via the Rotunda Doors within minutes after other rioters first breached it, aggressively pushing his way through the doors as police were actively trying to defend it. 

          Once inside the Capitol, Giobbie made his way to the Rotunda, the Small Senate Rotunda, and was briefly detained by a police officer in a hallway. He then walked to the northwest side of the building and exited through the Senate Wing Door, leading out to the Northwest Courtyard.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Newark and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 36 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,265 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 440 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

NEWARK, N.J. – A Morris County, New Jersey, woman employed by the U.S. Postal Service today admitted making false statements in several claim forms seeking disability compensation, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Pamela VanSyckle, 60, of Oak Ridge, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court to an information charging her with one count of federal employee compensation fraud. 

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

VanSyckle worked for the U.S. Postal Service as a rural carrier. In September 2020, VanSyckle signed and filed a claim form alleging that she sustained an injury at work.  Thereafter, she signed and filed multiple federal claim forms alleging that she had not worked or had outside employment for extended periods of time. Based on the submission of those claims, VanSyckle received $156,872 in disability payments from the federal government.

During the time in which she received disability benefits, VanSyckle was in fact working as the owner and operator of a travel agency. While alleging in her claim forms that she was neither self-employed nor involved in any business enterprise, VanSyckle performed a variety of services for the travel agency including sales, marketing, and financial operations. 

The fraud charge carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison and a maximum fine equal to the greatest of $250,000 or twice the gross amount of any pecuniary gain that any persons derived from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for June 12, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modaferri in Newark; special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone; and members of the Jefferson Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Paul Castimore, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas S. Kearney of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Unit in Newark.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Collins, Mo., man who is a registered sex offender was sentenced in federal court today for receiving child pornography on his cell phone.

Billy Puckett, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 17 years in federal prison without parole.

On June 6, 2023, Puckett was found guilty at trial of one count of receiving child pornography. Puckett, a registered sex offender, has two prior felony convictions for statutory rape and a prior felony conviction for statutory sodomy.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper initiated a traffic stop near the intersection of Highway 13 and East 316 Road in Bolivar, Mo., on Aug. 28, 2020. The trooper, who learned that Puckett was a registered sex offender, searched Puckett’s vehicle and found a cell phone plugged into a cigarette lighter. When the phone’s screen activated, the trooper noticed Puckett had Facebook and Snapchat applications on the phone, which were not authorized due to Puckett’s status as a registered sex offender. The trooper seized Puckett’s phone, on which he located multiple images of child pornography, and Puckett was arrested.

Investigators conducted a forensic examination of Puckett’s phone and found hundreds of images of child pornography.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Gloucester County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for filing false claims against the IRS, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Christian L. Whittaker, 43, of Williamstown, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn to one count of an indictment charging him with making false claims against the IRS. Judge O’Hearn imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Whittaker knowingly and willfully prepared, electronically signed, and filed with the IRS false U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns (Forms 1040) for the tax years 2016 to 2019.  Whittaker claimed that a business paid him significant wages and incurred substantial losses, when in fact the business was fictitious. Based on the false claims, the IRS paid more than $300,000 in refunds to Whittaker. More than $80,000 was paid by the IRS and garnished to pay debts that Whittaker had previously incurred.

In addition to the prison term, Judge O’Hearn sentenced Whittaker to three years of supervised release and ordered restitution of $390,682.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel A. Friedman and Andrew D’Aversa of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on January 17, 2024, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Robert C. Starnes with two counts of committing wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343. 

According to the indictment, Starnes allegedly operated Robert C. Starnes Financial Services, and was a registered investment advisor. Starnes, citing his role as an investment advisor, would seek investment funds from his clients, promising safe returns on those investments. Once someone agreed to invest, Starnes would ask for funds, which he then deposited into his personal bank account. The indictment alleges that Starnes then used these funds to pay his personal expenses. The indictment further explains that Starnes would provide investors with fabricated account statements showing fake investment returns, and, when an investor asked to withdraw money from these accounts, Starnes would send them funds to continue the scheme by persuading them that he had invested their assets.

If convicted, each count carries a maximum of twenty years in prison and up to three years of supervised release.

The Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation and the United States Internal Revenue Service investigated the case, which Assistant United States Attorney Carter B. Stewart will prosecute.

The public is cautioned that an indictment or criminal complaint is merely a charge, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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Source: Office of United States Attorneys

            WASHINGTON — A Georgia man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including for assaulting law enforcement during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

            Justin McAllister, 29, of Douglasville, Georgia, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. In addition to the felonies, McAllister is charged with several misdemeanor offenses, including disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. 

            McAllister was arrested on Jan. 28, 2024, by the FBI in LaGrange, Georgia, and made his initial appearance in the Northern District of Georgia.

            According to court documents, McAllister was identified in an open-source video posted to YouTube among a crowd of rioters who had gathered near a police line on the West Front of Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, as law enforcement officers attempted to prevent rioters from advancing towards the building. McAllister approached the police line holding a flagpole with a dark-colored flag that read “Jesus is My Savior” and “Trump is My President.” McAllister also carried with him a second flagpole. McAllister is then seen using both poles to repeatedly strike at Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers and made contact with the helmet of at least one officer holding the line. 

            Later, closed-circuit television footage showed McAllister entering the Capitol building through the Senate Parliamentarian Door at approximately 2:53 p.m. Surveillance footage and open-source video further depicted McAllister interacting with law enforcement while inside the Capitol. McAllister left the Capitol at approximately 3:02 p.m. via the North Door. 

            This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. 

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Atlanta and Washington Field Offices, which identified McAllister as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #429 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 36 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,265 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 440 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

The Justice Department announced today that it filed a complaint and proposed consent decree in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland to resolve allegations that MedStar Health Inc., a leading health care provider in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by denying people with disabilities equal access to medical care by excluding their necessary support persons.

“For some people with disabilities, having a family member, aide or other support person by their side is critical to ensure they have the same access to health care as everyone else,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When health care providers impose visitor restrictions that do not appropriately account for the needs of people with disabilities, they may run afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Justice Department is committed to safeguarding the civil rights of people with disabilities, including ensuring equal access to medical care.”

“Patients are entitled to equal access to health care,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “We appreciate Medstar Health’s cooperation in this investigation and are pleased that Medstar Health has agreed to take comprehensive steps to ensure that patients with disabilities have the same opportunities to obtain medical care and services.” 

Some individuals with dementia, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder and other disabilities may require the assistance of a support person (such as a family member, companion or aide) to provide their medical history or understand medical directions when accessing medical care. The complaint alleges that MedStar Health failed on numerous occasions to modify its visitor restrictions so that people with certain disabilities which affected their ability to independently access medical care could be accompanied by their support persons. As a result, they were unable to receive equal care without the assistance of their support person. 

Under the proposed consent decree, which the court must approve, MedStar Health has agreed to pay a total of $440,000 to compensate multiple eligible affected individuals. MedStar Health will also revise its policies to ensure ADA compliance, train its workforce on the new policies and report to the department on any future exclusion of support persons, as defined in the decree. 

This matter was handled jointly by the department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. Title III of the ADA requires private hospitals and other health care providers to provide individuals with disabilities with full and equal enjoyment of their goods and services.

For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TTY 1-833-610-1264) or visit www.ada.gov. If you believe you’ve been discriminated against, you may file a complaint online at www.civilrights.justice.gov/. Anyone in the District of Maryland may also report civil rights violations by emailing USAMD.Civilrightscomplaint@usdoj.gov.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

A Mansfield, Texas man who used Snapchat to inappropriately communicate with 14-year-old boy was sentenced Friday to 210 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.

Juan Aguilera Duran, 33, was charged via criminal complaint in May 2023 and was indicted in August 2023. He pleaded guilty in October 2023 to receipt of child pornography. He was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor, who also ordered the defendant to a lifetime of supervised release.

“Our dedicated federal prosecutors are committed to taking child predators like this defendant off the street,” said U.S. Attorney Simonton.  “We thank the Secret Service and Mansfield Police Department for their tireless efforts in investigating cases like this to keep the kids in our communities safe.”

“The Secret Service is committed to using our forensic and investigative capabilities to help catch criminals who prey on the most vulnerable among us,” said Christina Foley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Dallas Field Office. “We are proud of the coordinated effort with our partners from the Mansfield Police Department and U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure that justice was served.”

“The Mansfield Police Department values partnerships,” said Mansfield Chief of Police Tracy Aaron. “This case is a testament to the great work that occurs when agencies collaborate and work together for the common good to fight evil in our community. This particular unit is established to protect our most valuable and vulnerable, our kids. Job well done from the start to the finish.” 

According to court documents, on August 13, 2022, the Mansfield Police Department was dispatched to a residence in Mansfield, Texas to meet with a 14-year-old boy who received sexually explicit messages, images and videos via Snapchat from Mr. Duran. Search and arrest warrants were obtained that later resulted in Duran pleading Guilty to receiving Child Pornography.

Mr. Duran later pled guilty to receiving images of child pornography on his computer.

The Mansfield Police Department, Tarrant Co. District Attorney’s Office Digital Forensics and Technical Services, and Secret Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandie Wade prosecuted the case.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

FORT WAYNE  – On January 25, 2024, Donald E. James, age 65, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to bankruptcy fraud, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

James was sentenced to 24 months of probation.

According to documents in the case, on or about October 9, 2018, James lied in relation to his bankruptcy case filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Indiana. James falsely stated on the Voluntary Petition of Individuals Filing for Bankruptcy, that he had not  filed for bankruptcy within the last 8 years and falsely stated that he had received a briefing from an approved credit counseling agency within 180 days before the filing of the petition, both which were not true.    

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division with assistance from the Northern Indiana Bankruptcy Fraud Working Group coordinated by Region 10 U.S. Trustee Nancy J. Gargula. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey Speith.

The United States Trustee Program is the component of the Justice Department that protects the integrity of the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws.  Region 10 is headquartered in Indianapolis with additional office in South Bend, IN and Peoria, IL.