Category: United States Attorneys General

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Morgan County man admits to firearms charge

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Matthew Dean Smith, of Great Cacapon, West Virginia, has admitted to a firearms charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Smith, age 39, pled guilty to one count of “Possession of an Unregistered Firearm.” Smith admitted to possessing an unregistered silencer. The crime took place in Berkeley County in October 2017.

Smith faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara K. Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the West Virginia State Police investigated. 
 
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
 

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Brattleboro Man Convicted of Distribution of Crack Cocaine While on Federal Supervised Release

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that, on January 29, 2018, Norman Hardy, 40, of Brattleboro, appeared before Judge Christina Reiss to plead guilty to distribution of crack cocaine.

According to Court records, Hardy sold crack cocaine to an informant working with the Vermont State Police Drug Task Force on two separate occasions in May 2017. When he was arrested on June 20, 2017, he had an additional quantity of crack cocaine on his person. In January 2016, Hardy was federally convicted in Vermont of distribution of heroin, and subsequently sentenced to 15 months of imprisonment. Hardy told investigators at the time of his arrest that he had been selling drugs since the time of his release from that sentence.

Under the terms of the plea agreement filed with the Court – acceptance of which was deferred until the sentencing hearing – the parties have agreed that Hardy should be sentenced to 30 months in prison.

The United States is represented in this case by Assistant United States Attorney Nate Burris. Hardy is represented by attorney Ernest “Bud” Allen of Burlington.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Quebec Man Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Over 100 Handguns From Vermont to Quebec

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated today that Alexis Vlachos, 40, of Montreal, Quebec, pled guilty to two counts relating to the smuggling of over 100 handguns from Vermont to Quebec. Specifically, Vlachos pled guilty before United States District Judge William K. Sessions III to conspiring to export, and actually exporting, firearms from the United States to Canada, without a license, in violation of the Arms Control Export Act.

As part of his guilty plea, Vlachos agreed to the following facts: From July 2010 to April 2011, Vlachos and other persons, including defendants Annette Wexler and Jaime Ruiz, executed a plan to smuggle over 100 handguns, purchased in Florida, to Quebec, Canada, by way of northern Vermont and northeast New York. As part of this conspiracy, Annette Wexler and another coconspirator purchased these handguns from multiple federally licensed firearms dealers in the Tampa, Florida area. At the time of purchasing these firearms at the gun stores, Wexler and a coconspirator made multiple misrepresentations about the nature of these purchases on forms required by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

After purchasing these firearms, Annette Wexler, Jaime Ruiz, and another coconspirator transported these firearms to Quebec through northeastern Vermont and northeastern New York. As part of the conspiracy, Vlachos would usually take custody of the firearms in Quebec, where he sold many of them.

Some of the firearms smuggled into Quebec were first brought to the Haskell Free Library in Derby Line, Vermont by Annette Wexler and Jaime Ruiz. The Haskell Free Library building straddles the international border of Derby Line, Vermont and Stanstead, Quebec.

On at least two occasions, in about March of 2011, Annette Wexler and Jaime Ruiz worked together to stash several firearms contained in small backpacks inside the trashcan of the library bathroom. Wexler then coordinated with Vlachos, who had entered the library from Quebec, to retrieve the firearms from the bathroom. Vlachos then transported the firearms to Quebec, where he sold many of them.

In April 2011, a coconspirator in Florida purchased thirty-four firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer in the Tampa, Florida area. Vlachos and Wexler then drove these guns to a remote section of northeastern Vermont near Lake Wallace. Vlachos hiked these firearms across the international border into Quebec.

This conspiracy involved the smuggling of at least 104 handguns from the United States to Canada. Neither Vlachos, nor any of the others involved in these offenses, obtained a license from the United States Department of State prior to exporting these handguns to Canada.

Annette Wexler previously pled guilty to conspiring to make false statements to licensed gun dealers and unlawful exportation. On July 25, 2017, United States District Judge J. Garvan Murtha sentenced Wexler to time-served and two years of supervised release. Ruiz also pled guilty to two offenses relating to this smuggling conspiracy but, due to his death by illness, the charges against him were dismissed.

Vlachos was originally charged with these offenses in January 2015 but the process of extraditing him to the United States took over two years to complete. Vlachos now faces a maximum possible term of imprisonment of twenty years. However, Judge Sessions will determine the actual sentence pursuant to the advisory federal sentencing guidelines and the federal statutory sentencing factors. The sentencing is scheduled for May 7, 2018.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Perella. Vlachos is represented by Paul Volk, Esq. of Burlington. This case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the United States Border Patrol, and Homeland Security Investigations of the Department of Homeland Security. In addition, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Surete du Quebec provided assistance in this investigation.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Prior Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Exploitation, Illegal Firearm

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Timothy A. Garrison, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Noel, Mo., sex offender pleaded guilty in federal court today to charges related to child sexual exploitation and illegally possessing firearms.

Raymond Adair, 58, of Noel, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of traveling across state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct and one count of being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of firearms.

Adair, a registered sex offender, was previously convicted in Colorado of attempted second-degree kidnapping of a minor and two counts of indecent exposure to a minor.

By pleading guilty today, Adair admitted that he traveled from Missouri to Arkansas on May 9, 2016, to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Bentonville, Ark., police officers received two separate complaints on that day of Adair exposing himself to children walking home from school. One of the children was walking home from a school bus stop, according to the plea agreement, and investigators obtained images of Adair’s vehicle from the school bus’s surveillance cameras.

On May 11, 2016, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Adair’s residence and he was arrested. During the search, officers found an AR-15 rifle, a Marlin rifle, a Ruger rifle, and approximately 12 and a half pounds of marijuana.

Under federal statutes, Adair is subject to a sentence of up to 70 years in federal prison without parole. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Adair must pay a fine of $150,000. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bentonville, Ark., Police Department and the McDonald County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Sanford Man Pleads Guilty to Transporting Child Pornography

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Rusty Hood, 38, of Sanford, Maine, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to transporting child pornography.

According to court records, in May 2016, Hood chatted online with an individual in Ohio. During the chat, the two men exchanged images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Hood claimed during the chat that he was interested in babies, and that he had engaged in sexual activity with a young girl.

Hood faces between five and 20 years in prison, between five years and life on supervised release and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit and the Sanford Police Department.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Harpswell Man Sentenced to 52 Months for Theft of Firearms from a Licensed Firearms Dealer

Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Hyunkook Korsiak, 36, of Harpswell, Maine was sentenced today by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen in U.S. District Court to 52 months in prison for theft of firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer.

According to court records, on January 3, 2017, the defendant stole firearms from C&R Trading Post.  Brunswick Police discovered the theft when they responded to a burglar alarm and found a broken window near the building’s entrance.  The police, using a police dog, located several firearms, a sledgehammer and drops of blood on snow in nearby woods.  The blood was later determined to be the defendant’s.  Korsiak pled guilty to the charge last September. 

The case was investigated by the Sagadohoc County Sheriff’s Office; the Brunswick Police Department; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: District Man Found Guilty of First-Degree Burglary And Other Charges in Home Invasion in Northwest Washington

            WASHINGTON – James Rousseau, 23, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of burglarizing a house in Northwest Washington and then riding off in the family’s car, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

            Rousseau was found guilty of charges of first-degree burglary, first-degree theft, and unauthorized use of an automobile. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Rousseau remains held pending his sentencing on April 10, 2018, by the Honorable Robert A. Salerno.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of Oct. 10, 2016, Rousseau was stalking the 5100 block of 7^th Street NW, looking for a house to burglarize. After going up and down the block, he located an unlocked rear deck door. He entered this house, which was occupied only by a teenager and three small sleeping children. The teenager was getting ready for bed and showering in the basement bathroom. She heard footsteps upstairs, but mistakenly believed that it was the rest of the family returning to the house.

            Only later, when the teenager heard Rousseau peel off in the family’s MINI Cooper sedan, did she realize that a burglar had been inside. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) quickly responded to the scene and canvassed the neighborhood. An exterior fingerprint at the home helped lead to Rousseau’s identification. In addition, MPD was able to recover surveillance footage from security cameras belonging to neighbors on the block. The surveillance footage showed the same person, and the footage from the driveway showed that person driving off with the car.  Rousseau was arrested 10 days after the crime. Pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement recovered a cellphone from Rousseau’s house that included a picture of the defendant wearing the same outfit shown in the surveillance footage.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica Trigoso, Sonali D. Patel, Stephen Rickard, Veronica Sanchez, and Denise Cheung; Paralegal Specialists Donice Adams and Crystal Waddy; Litigation Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia, and Criminal Investigator John Marsh.

            Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Manzo, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: New Haven Woman Sentenced to 2 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Heroin Trafficking Ring

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WANDA PISCIL, 52, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing heroin.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad targeted a New Haven-based heroin trafficking organization led by Bienvenido Gonzalez, also known as “Antonio” and “Julian,” and his brother, Antonio Gonzalez, also known as “Bienve.”  The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical and video surveillance, revealed that the Gonzalez brothers regularly purchased bulk quantities of heroin from suppliers located in the Bronx, New York, and sold the heroin through a network of redistributors, including PISCIL, in New Haven and elsewhere.

The investigation resulted in federal charges against 24 individuals.

PISCIL was arrested on March 16, 2017.  On November 1, she pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribution of, heroin. 

Bienvenido and Antonio Gonzalez previously pleaded guilty to related charges and await sentencing.

The DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad includes officers from the Bristol, Hamden, Milford, Monroe, New Haven, Shelton, Wallingford and Wilton Police Departments.  The New Haven, East Haven and West Haven Police Departments, together with the U.S. Coast Guard, provided valuable assistance to the investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Patrick F. Caruso.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Businessmen Sentenced for Operating BHO Lab in Warehouse Destroyed by Fire

PROVIDENCE, RI – Two Rhode Island businessmen responsible for running a butane honey oil (BHO) lab inside a Providence warehouse where a massive fire erupted in March 2015, destroying the warehouse and causing more than $1 million dollars in damages, were sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to two years probation with community service.

Graeme Marshall, 52, of Cranston, and Christopher White, 51, of Providence, appeared before U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., in August 2017, for change of plea hearings. White pleaded guilty to endangering human life while manufacturing a controlled substance. Marshall pleaded guilty to money laundering. According to court documents and other evidence presented to the Court, White and Marshall used a portion of the Kinsley Avenue warehouse to operate a butane hash oil manufacturing laboratory. The fire that destroyed the warehouse began inside the room where the lab was located.

BHO labs are highly dangerous facilities used to extract tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a Schedule I controlled substance found in marijuana plants, through the use of butane.

Over a period of approximately two years, White and Marshall manufactured over 1,000 grams of BHO inside the Kinsley Avenue warehouse, which they sold for between $15 and $30 per gram. In addition to operating the BHO lab, Marshall and White operated a business that sold equipment and supplies for marijuana cultivation.

The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of imprisonment in the matter of the United States vs. Christopher White is 41-51 months. The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of imprisonment in the matter of the United States vs. Graeme Marshall is 37-46. In each matter, the government recommended a sentence within the U.S. Sentencing guidelines and a fine of $83,472. No fines were imposed.

The matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Providence Arson Squad, Providence Police Department, Rhode Island State Police and Rhode Island State Fire Marshal’s Office.

The sentences are announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of ATF, Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Pare, and Colonel Ann C. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.

The cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra R. Hebert and Richard B. Myrus.

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Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Two Individuals Plead Guilty To Possession Of Electronic Image Of Currency

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Brandon Everett Barker, age 36, of Austin, Texas; and Michelle Denise Carson, age 39, of Indianapolis, Indiana, each pled guilty to one count of Possession Of An Electronic Image Of An Obligation Of The United States, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 474(a) and 2, punishable by not more than 25 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000.00 fine, or both. 
                
The Indictment alleged that on or about September 17, 2017, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendants, Brandon Everett Barker and Michelle Denise Carson, did unlawfully and with intent to defraud, have in in their control, custody, and possession, a digital and electronic image of an obligation or other security of the United States, to wit: a one hundred dollar bill. 

The charges arose from an investigation by the Atoka Police Department and the United States Secret Service. 

The Honorable Kimberly E. West, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.

Assistant United States Attorney Rob Wallace represented the United States.