Category: United States Attorneys General

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Berkeley County man admits to firearm charge

MARTISNBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Jarius Jovanghn Styles, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, has admitted to a firearm charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Styles, age 31, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Styles, having previously been convicted of felonies in Virginia, admitted to illegally possessing a Rock Island Armory 10mm pistol. The crime occurred in June 2017 in Berkeley County.

Styles 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 is investigating. 
 
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Two Men Indicted for Scheme to Export Firearms to Kurds In Iraq

          Two men were indicted by a federal grand jury in Seattle late yesterday for three federal felonies in connection with their scheme to smuggle dozens of firearms to Turkey and Iraq in violation of the Arms Export Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes.  PAUL STUART BRUNT, 51, of Bellevue, Washington, and RAWND KHALEEL ALDALAWI, 29, of Seattle, were arrested on a criminal complaint January 24, 2018.  They will be arraigned on the indictment on February 8, 2018.

            According to records filed in the case, between October 2016 and November 2017, BRUNT and ALDALAWI engaged in a scheme to smuggle firearms from the U.S. to people associated with the Peshmerga military in Kurdistan, a part of Iraq.  BRUNT purchased the firearms at gun stores and gun shows around the Puget Sound region.  The men then attempted to ship the guns from the Port of Seattle through Turkey and on to Iraq, hidden in the side panels of vehicles.  In the first shipment in February 2017, some 30 guns were hidden in three cars.  In the second shipment in November 2017, 47 firearms were concealed in two vehicles.  That second shipment was discovered by authorities in Turkey, and the shipment was traced back to BRUNT and ALDALAWI.  The men had not obtained any export licenses for the firearms and smuggled them in violation of the Arms Export Control Act.

            The conspiracy is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  Violating the Arms Export Control Act is punishable by twenty years of imprisonment.

            The charges contained in the indictment 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 case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Woods.  The U.S. Department of Justice National Security Division is assisting with the prosecution.

brunt_and_aldalawi_indictment.pdf

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: 2017 Year In Review:

• 144 cases filed involving members/associates of gangs in Utah
• 204 Project Safe Neighborhoods cases filed – the majority targeting felons with guns
• 41 indictments returned in child exploitation cases
• 41 robbery cases indicted, including 29 bank robbery cases
• 300 cases filed charging illegal re-entry into the country

SALT LAKE CITY — Efforts to capitalize on existing law enforcement partnerships and re-invigorate successful programs already in place to reduce violent crime and make communities safer for everyone are well under way in Utah.

“As the United States Attorney in Utah, I use my position to ensure that the efforts aimed at reducing violent crime in our state are working toward the same goal without duplicating efforts.  We are promoting collaboration between federal, state, local and tribal agencies, existing task forces, and other stakeholders to prioritize efforts to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods,” U.S. Attorney John W. Huber said today.

“We look to identify the offenders who are responsible for violent crime in Utah neighborhoods.  The cases we filed last year are representative of those efforts,” Huber said. “My partners and I will build on the momentum we established last year with targeted and prioritized enforcement efforts.  Our primary goal is to reverse recent trends and reduce violent crime in Utah, where every resident deserves to live and thrive in a safe neighborhood. The recent spate of violence on the west side of Salt Lake County – likely gang related – brings into focus the urgency of our combined efforts.”

Transitioning into 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is focused on enhancing and expanding Utah Project Safe Neighborhoods, an initiative targeting violations of federal firearms laws, to include other areas of violent crime such as gang activity, drug distribution, organized crime, domestic violence and robberies. 

Utah is fortunate to have well-established working relationships between law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal levels, Huber said. “Our law enforcement officers and agents in Utah are skilled at helping us identify the most violent offenders in a community.”

Case examples:

Gangs

• Operation Rio Grande case – US v Jose Rodriguez, aka King Kong: A grand jury returned a six-count indictment in December charging Jose Rodriguez, aka King Kong, with drug and firearms violations. The two incidents that make up the indictment come from investigations done by Salt Lake City police officers working as a part of Operation Rio Grande.  Rodriguez is charged with distribution of heroin, distribution of cocaine base, carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime and felon in possession of a firearm for the first incident in late September.  He also faces distribution of heroin and felon in possession of a firearm in connection with an October incident. Rodriguez, age 35, a Mexican national living in Salt Lake City, faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each of the drug distribution counts and up to 10 years for each of the felon in possession counts.  Carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense has a mandatory five-year sentence which would run consecutive to any other sentence imposed.  Indictments are not findings of guilt.  Individuals charged in indictments are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in court.  A five-day jury trial has been set for March 5, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby.  Rodriguez, who has entered not guilty pleas to the charges, will remain in custody pending the resolution of this case.  U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul M. Warner found him to be a danger to the community and a risk of non-appearance at a detention hearing. 
  Salt Lake City police officers are investigating the case.

Robberies

• 112-month sentence for serial bank robber:  Bret Michael Edmunds, age 41, of Salt Lake City, was charged with seven counts of bank robbery in an indictment returned May 3, 2017.  As a part of a plea agreement in October 207, he admitted to a March 28, 2017, robbery of Zions Bank in Draper and an April 3, 2017, robbery of Utah First Credit Union in Provo.  In both cases, Edmunds told the teller he had a gun. Edmunds is serving 112 months in federal prison for the convictions.  He was ordered to pay $8,977 in restitution to the victim banks.   
   
  The FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force, which includes officers from the Salt Lake City Police Department and the Unified Police Department, investigated the case.  Local police agencies in Salt Lake and Utah counties also assisted with responses to the robberies. 

 

Firearms

• Criminal career spanning a decade:  Jonathan Fernando Chavez, age 31, of Logan, Utah, was sentenced to 77 months in federal prison Nov. 9, 2017, after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition following a felony conviction.  U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby issued the sentence.  Chavez was charged with felon in possession of a firearm and associated ammunition and possession of a sawed off shotgun in April 2017.  In a sentencing memorandum, a federal prosecutor told the Court that Chavez’ criminal career – which spans more than a decade – includes a drug charges, escape from custody, and aggravated burglary. “The defendant’s criminal history score does not tell everything about his troubling characteristics, particularly his gang affiliation,” the prosecutor told the Court.  “An examination of the defendant’s criminal history suggests that the only apparent periods of non-criminality in the life of the defendant occur, for the most part, when he is in custody.  The defendant’s criminal history and characteristics are as disturbing as they are diverse,” the prosecutor wrote in the memorandum
   
  The Cache County Sheriff’s Office and special agents of the ATF investigated the case.  Utah AP&P also contributed to the case. 

• Assault on a federal officer:  Jarvis Charlie Cuch, age 28, of  Ft. Duchesne, will be sentenced in February after pleading guilty in December to assault on a federal officer and possession of a firearm after a felony conviction in U.S. District Court Monday afternoon.  The plea agreement includes a stipulated 12-year sentence, subject to the Court’s approval. As a part of stipulated facts included in the plea agreement, Cuch admitted that on Dec. 18, 2016, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) police officers working in Ft. Duchesne attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle he was driving. Cuch fled from the BIA officers. As the officers continued their pursuit, Cuch admitted he reached out of the vehicle window and fired two rounds from a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, according to the plea agreement.  The pursuit went from Ft. Duchesne through Vernal City.  Vernal City police officers and Uintah County Sheriff’s Office deputies assisted the BIA in apprehending Cuch after his tires were spiked and his car came to a stop in Vernal. Cuch was on escape status with federal authorities when the crimes occurred. Cuch was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in March 2017.
  Special agents of the FBI investigated the case. Vernal police officers and Uintah County Sheriff’s Office deputies assisted in stopping Cuch’s car and his bringing him into custody.

 

Child Exploitation

• 27 ½ years in prison, lifetime supervision: Donald Ray Fritcher, age 36, of Salt Lake City, is serving 27 ½ years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distribution of child pornography.  He was sentenced in July 2017.  Fritcher will be on supervised release for life when he finishes his federal prison sentence. Fritcher admitted that between about July 1, 2015, and April 2016, he shared, through a file sharing program, images and videos of child pornography.  These images included depictions of prepubescent and minor children posing in various stages of undress and in sexually explicit poses.  He further stipulated that the images also depicted the sexual abuse of minor children.  Fritcher had more than 600 images and videos in his possession. Included in the pictures Fritcher took were images of two minor victims. Fritcher, a registered sex offender in Utah, has two previous state convictions for attempted sex abuse of a child.  According to the indictment filed in the case, the pictures of the two minors were taken after his convictions in state court.
  Federal authorities arrested Fritcher in Utah in May 2016.  His arrest followed an investigation conducted by special agents of Homeland Security Investigations in Salt Lake City and Philadelphia working in collaboration with an investigator with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  The special agents of Homeland Security Investigations in Utah are members of the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force.

• Second case from Dr. Ward investigation:  Robert Edwin Francis, age 41, of Lehi, Utah, will serve 144 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to receipt of child pornography.  U.S. District Judge Dee Benson imposed the sentence Jan. 22, 2018.  Francis was charged with production, receipt, and possession of child pornography in an indictment returned in August 2017.  Francis admitted he engaged in sexually explicit conduct involving children via an on-line social network and that he possessed at least 150 but fewer than 300 images of child pornography.     
  Special agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Davis County Sheriff’s Office, and the Utah ICAC Task Force are investigating these cases.

• Change of plea hearing set in Dr. Ward case:  A change of plea hearing for Dr. Nathan Clark Ward has been scheduled for March 5, 2018, at 3 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Dee Benson. 

 

Immigration

• Four deportations – four DUIs: Oscar Antonio Lara-Garcia was charged in September 2017 with illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien.  (There are 14 versions of his name – also known as — on his plea agreement document.) Lara-Garcia has been removed from the United States four times.  He has four DUI convictions and two prior possession of controlled substances convictions. Lara-Garcia pleaded guilty to illegally re-entering the country in November 2017. He faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced Feb. 5, 2018.

• Firearms and drug distribution:  Mario Roman-Cornello was charged with illegal re-entry, alien in possession of a firearm, possession of an unregistered sawed off shotgun, and possession with intent to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin in September 2017. He was selling heroin and had agreed to facilitate the sale of the sawed off shotgun and possibly other firearms at the time of his arrest.  He pleaded guilty in January to possessing a firearm while illegally present in the country and possession of heroin with intent to distribute. Roman-Cornello faces a minimum mandatory five years in prison with a maximum of 40 years when he is sentenced in March.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Mission Resident Sentenced to Prison for Cocaine Possession

McALLEN, Texas – A lawful permanent resident who was residing in Mission has been ordered to prison for possessing with the intent to distribute approximately 50 kilograms of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. A McAllen federal jury convicted Leonel Luis Nordhausen-Cuevas, 59, on July 21, 2017, following a two-day trial and less than an hour of deliberation.

Today, U.S. District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa handed Nordhausen-Cuevas a 10-year sentence. Nordhausen-Cuevas is expected to face loss of his legal status in the U.S. and deportation proceedings following his release from prison.

During trial, the jury heard that a Border Patrol (BP) agent was conducting surveillance at the StarrCo farms south of La Grulla on March 11, 2016, and observed Nordhausen-Cuevas drive down to a ramp near the Rio Grande River, enter the brush and return to his truck carrying something heavy. He then drove to a building on the farm and carried something inside.

Soon after, another agent arrived and observed Nordhausen-Cuevas standing outside the truck. He claimed the truck was not his and that someone else had just exited the truck and ran south. The agent searched the truck and found a fertilizer bag containing approximately 25 kilograms of cocaine wrapped in small brown bundles with distinctive markings. 

Nordhausen-Cuevas had the truck’s keys on him, but still claimed it was someone else who was driving it.

The first agent arrived at the scene and identified Nordhausen-Cuevas as the person he saw pickup something from the river area based on his clothing and stature. That agent then investigated the first building that Nordhausen-Cuevas entered and found another fertilizer bag full of cocaine bundles, just like the one in the truck. 

Nordhausen-Cuevas later claimed that a “Martin” had been the driver, but gave no more information about “Martin,” upon questioning. The jury heard that there were no employees named “Martin” working on the farm at that time.

Nordhausen-Cuevas will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

BP and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph T. Leonard and Roberto Lopez Jr. are prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: St. Francis Woman Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a St. Francis, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Involuntary Manslaughter.

Omalewin Neck, age 24, was indicted on January 17, 2018.  She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on January 31, 2018, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 8 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that on October 1, 2017, Neck unlawfully killed another human being, while operating a motor vehicle, in a grossly negligent manner.

The charge is merely an accusation and Neck is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel C. Nelson is prosecuting the case.   

Neck was released on bond pending trial.  A trial date has not been set.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Coventry Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm Charge

PROVIDENCE, RI – Marcus A. Venson, 29, of Coventry, pleaded guilty in federal court in Providence today to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Venson, previously convicted in Rhode Island state court for drug trafficking, was found to be in possession of a loaded firearm at the time of his arrest in May 2017 by Rhode Island State Police following an incident in Newport.

Venson’s guilty plea is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch; Newport Police Chief Gary T. Silva; Colonel Ann C. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police; and Mickey Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Project Safe Neighborhoods is a federal, state and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

According to information presented to the Court, during the afternoon of May 26, 2017, the Newport Police Department transmitted a broadcast for law enforcement to be on the lookout for Venson who was in possession of a handgun and who was a passenger in taxi, after allegedly brandishing a firearm earlier in the day. The broadcast provided law enforcement with a detailed description of the cab that it was traveling on Route 138 over the Newport Bridge and possibly heading to Coventry.

Shortly after the police broadcast, North Kingston Police contacted the Rhode Island State Police and advised them that one of their officers observed the cab traveling on Route 4 North passing Exit 6. A Rhode Island State Police Trooper observed the cab traveling on Route 4 North and then exit the highway, at which time Rhode Island State Police Troopers conducted a motor vehicle stop.

A Rhode Island State Police trooper approached the rear of the cab and observed a rear seated passenger that fit the description of the suspect sought by the Newport Police Department. The trooper ordered the suspect out of the cab and to lay face down on the ground. The State Police trooper searched the suspect and seized from him a fully loaded, Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver.

Venson is scheduled to be sentenced on April 19, 2018, by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. Felon in possession of a firearm is punishable by statutory penalties of up to 10 years in federal prison; 3 years supervised; and a fine of up to $250,000.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard W. Rose.

The matter was investigated by the Newport Police Department and the Rhode Island State Police, with the assistance of the North Kingstown Police Department, Warwick Police Department and members of the ATF Task Force, including the Special Investigations Unit at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.

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Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Veteran Civil Litigator Appointed Civil Division Chief

PROVIDENCE, RI – Assistant United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha, a civil litigator since 2001 and an Assistant United States Attorney since 2005, has been appointed by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch to serve as the Civil Division Chief for the United States Attorney’s Office. 

Prior to being named Civil Division Chief, Mr. Cunha served as the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Coordinator in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island.  In that capacity, he was responsible for cases in which the United States, as plaintiff, seek to vindicate governmental interests, combat fraud, and recover funds under the Federal False Claims Act. 

Prior to joining the Rhode Island office in 2014, Mr. Cunha served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts for five years.  While in the Boston office, he was appointed Chief of that office’s Affirmative Litigation Unit and was responsible for litigating and supervising the investigation of a number of nationally significant health care fraud matters.  In 2010, Mr. Cunha was recognized with the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, the highest honor conferred by the Department of Justice, for his work on the prosecution team in United States v. Pfizer, which resulted in a recovery of $2.3 billion dollars; the largest civil and criminal healthcare fraud recovery made by the United States as of that time. 

Mr. Cunha began his career with the Justice Department in the Eastern District of New York, where he served as an Assistant United States Attorney from 2005-2008.  Before joining the Department, Mr. Cunha worked as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of New York, representing the City and its officers in federal litigation. 

Mr. Cunha received his Bachelor of Arts, with honors, from Brown University in 1998, and his Juris Doctorate, also with honors, from the George Washington University Law School in 2001.  

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Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Two Additional Defendants Charged In Monroe County-Based Drug And Sex Trafficking Conspiracies

SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that a federal grand jury in Scranton returned a second superseding indictment on January 30, 2018, charging two additional defendants, Arthur Taylor, age 35, of Tobyhanna, PA and Jordan Capone, age 23, of Mt. Pocono, PA, with participating in Monroe County-based drug and sex trafficking conspiracies.  

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the second superseding indictment charges Taylor, Capone, and Jamiell Sims, age 29, of East Stroudsburg, PA, with conspiring with each other and others, to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”), percocet, molly (MDMA), and heroin in an operation that allegedly stretched from New York to Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania to the state of Maine. The second superseding indictment alleges that the drug trafficking conspiracy began in 2010, and continued until the present.

The case was unsealed today following the arrest of Taylor and Capone. Sims had been charged in a previous indictment in October 2016.  All three defendants are in custody.   

It is alleged that the defendants were involved in trafficking more than 100 grams of heroin, which is approximately equivalent to more than 4,000 retail bags. Sims is also charged with four counts of distributing heroin in September-October 2016, and Capone is charged with possession with intent to distribute “molly” (MDMA) during 2012-2014.

The second superseding indictment further alleges that Taylor, Capone, and Sims conspired with each other and others to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion. All three defendants are also charged with four counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion taking place between 2011 and 2014.

The second superseding indictment alleges that the defendants were part of a street gang known as the “Black P-Stones,” whose members allegedly were “beaten-in” or “sexed-in” to the gang.

According to the second superseding indictment, the defendants and/or their co-conspirators obtained heroin and other drugs from suppliers in New York and elsewhere, and distributed the drug to others in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, and Maine.   

It is further alleged that the defendants used intimidation and drugs to coerce females to engage in prostitution at hotels and motels in the Monroe County area, and posted advertisements on the adult entertainment section of a website to solicit customers for prostitution.

Sims is also charged with attempting to tamper with a witness connected to the case. Taylor is charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce (drugs and money) by robbery.

The charges against the defendants resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, Maine State Police, and local police in Monroe County. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

If convicted of the drug conspiracy charge, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a potential maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment. The drug distribution counts against Sims and Capone each carry a potential maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. The sex trafficking offenses carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Sims’ witness tampering charge carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. Taylor’s charge of interference with commerce by robbery carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

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Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Former CEO Of Scranton Federal Credit Union Sentenced To 70 Months’ Imprisonment

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion sentenced Sean Jelen, age 35, of Breezy Point, NY, to 70 months’ imprisonment and four years of supervised release on January 31, 2018, for bank fraud and attempted bank fraud offenses.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Jelen served as the CEO of Valor Federal Credit Union (Valor), now known as Pentagon Federal Credit Union, from 2012 to 2015.  In July 2016, Jelen pleaded guilty to defrauding and attempting to defraud Valor and several insurance companies, both before and after his tenure as CEO.  Jelen’s criminal activities, many of which involved the use of forged and altered documents, and the impersonation of others, included:

• Causing Valor to pay $34,500 of his personal credit card debt by forging a fake service contract between Valor and a non-existent entity;
• Obtaining a $450,000 line of credit from Valor by using altered bank records to conceal his existing mortgage liability;
• Causing Valor to pay over $30,000 to fund his wife’s birthday party, by forging a fake service contract between Valor and a non-existent entity;
• Embezzling nearly $140,000 from Valor by causing it to double-pay his life insurance premium directly to his own bank account;
• Rigging the Valor Board of Directors election to elect two candidates who he subsequently impersonated;
• Causing Valor to fund a $25,000 golf tournament sponsorship at his alma mater, while altering records to disguise it as a donation to a local soup kitchen;
• Providing false documents to the National Credit Union Administration to deflect its investigation of his activities;
• Forging a severance contract in an attempt to trigger millions of dollars in payouts and benefits upon his termination from Valor;
• Attempting to obtain the surrender value of various life insurance contracts owned by Valor; and
• Impersonating his physician, psychiatrist, and former employee in an attempt to obtain disability insurance payments after his termination from Valor.

In pronouncing the sentence, Judge Mannion highlighted the disturbing nature of Jelen’s conduct, and that his criminal activities continued after he was aware of the federal criminal investigation.  Judge Mannion also focused on Jelen’s use of embezzled money to fund life luxuries, naming greed and power as his motivation.

Judge Mannion ordered Jelen to pay $694,971.88 in restitution to the victims of his crimes.  The United States is seeking forfeiture of a vacation home in Breezy Point, New York, that Jelen purchased with the proceeds of his frauds.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Phil Caraballo and Evan Gotlob.

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Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: York Woman Charged With Wire Fraud

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Wendi E. Detter, age 44, of York, Pennsylvania, was charged in a criminal information on January 31, 2018, with wire fraud.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Detter, who had been President and part owner of YCP, Inc., a construction and excavation business, embezzled more than $100,000 from YCP, Inc.  The information alleges from January 2010 through June 2016, Detter used her position and her access to financial accounts to write herself checks for her own personal use and financial gain.  The information also alleges that, in order to conceal the embezzlement, Detter made false entries in the company’s QuickBooks accounting software she maintained as part of her duties.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph J. Terz is prosecuting the case.

Criminal Informations are only allegations.  All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty under the federal statute is 20 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs.  For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

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