Category: United States Attorneys General

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Dallas Woman Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison for Disaster Fraud

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – DOROTHY D. BARNEY, 58, of Dallas, Texas, has been sentenced to 14 months in federal prison for fraud in connection with federal disaster relief, announced Robert J. Troester, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.

On May 20, 2013, a tornado caused significant damage in Moore, Oklahoma.  According to an indictment filed on December 6, 2016, Barney applied for disaster aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) relating to the tornado in early June 2013.  Rather than using her own name, she used the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of a person with the initials C.W.  The application claimed damage to an apartment at 854 S.W. 10th Street in Moore.  There was no apartment at that address, however.  Furthermore, C.W. had not given Barney permission to submit an application for disaster aid and did not live in Moore.

On August 11, 2017, Barney pleaded guilty and admitted she had used a materially false document to request disaster aid from FEMA.

Today U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot sentenced Barney to 14 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.  She was also ordered to pay $14,974.83 in restitution to FEMA.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security–Office of Inspector General and the United States Secret Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Maxfield Green prosecuted the case.

Reference is made to court filings for further information.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Latham Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing a Short-Barreled Rifle

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Joseph T. Clemente, Jr., age 34, of Latham, New York, pled guilty today to illegally possessing a short-barreled rifle.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).

As part of his plea, Clemente admitted that he intentionally removed the upper receiver of a rifle that he had purchased at a gun store, and replaced it with an upper receiver he purchased on the Internet, which he knew included a 9-inch barrel.  The resulting firearm he possessed was a rifle with a barrel of less than 16 inches, also known as a “short-barreled rifle,” which is illegal to possess.

Clemente faces up to 10 years in prison and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years when he is sentenced on May 31, 2018 by Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors

This case was investigated by ATF and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Rensselaer Man Charged with Drug and Gun Offenses

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Darrell Chapman, also known as “Bishop” and “Sly Foxx,” age 37, of Rensselaer, New York, was indicted today for narcotics and firearms offenses.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, New York State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II, and Vadim D. Thomas, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

A four-count superseding indictment charges Chapman with conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 100 grams or more of heroin, from approximately November 2016 until October 18, 2017; possession with intent to distribute the same quantities of cocaine and heroin; possession of four handguns and two rifles in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.  The charges in the indictment are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

If convicted of one of the drug offenses, Chapman faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $8 million, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 8 years and up to life.  Chapman also faces a consecutive sentence of 5 years in prison if convicted of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

Chapman previously appeared before United States Magistrate Judge F. Christian Hummel in Albany, and was detained pending trial.  

This case is being investigated by the New York State Police and the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyrus P.W. Rieck. 

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Cohoes Woman Sentenced for Social Security Fraud

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Donna M. Smith, age 58, of Cohoes, New York, was sentenced today to 14 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, for fraudulently obtaining disability insurance benefits. 

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant. C. Jaquith and John F. Grasso, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Office.

As part of her October 19, 2017 guilty plea, Smith admitted to submitting two false statements in which she claimed to have not worked between 2006 and 2015, when in fact she had worked for a total of eight Capital Region employers during this time.  Disability insurance benefits are designed to replace, in part, the loss of income due to a disability.

Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn also ordered Smith to pay $108,866.20 in restitution to the SSA.

This case was investigated by the SSA Office of the Inspector General and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jason White.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: North Carolina man pleads guilty to attempted enticement of a minor

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A North Carolina man pleaded guilty today to a federal sex crime involving a minor, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Timothy Sean Coogle, 46, of Lexington, entered his guilty plea to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. U.S. Attorney Stuart commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force, the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the FBI in North Carolina.

“There are severe consequences for those who prey on our children, and these penalties should serve as a warning for anyone who even attempts this criminal activity,” said U.S. Attorney Stuart. “The officers working on these cases deserve our thanks. Their work protects our most vulnerable from sexual predators.”

Coogle admitted that from August 12, 2017, through September 22, 2017, he used his cell phone and the Internet to attempt to persuade, induce, and entice a minor residing in the Southern District of West Virginia to engage in sexual activity. Specifically, Coogle admitted that he sent messages to a 13-year-old minor female, commenting on a photo of her. The minor’s mother discovered messages from Coogle and contacted law enforcement. Soon after, Coogle began engaging in sexually explicit conversation with a person he believed to be the minor, but was actually an undercover officer. He additionally requested that the person he believed to be the minor send him sexually explicit photos and video footage, and he also sent a sexually explicit video. Coogle admitted that he engaged in all of this communication in order to persuade the person he believed to be the minor to engage in sexual activity when she visited North Carolina. 

Coogle faces at least 10 years and up to life in federal prison. After his release from prison, Coogle will be required to serve a term of federal supervised release of at least five years and up to life, and he will also be required to register as a sex offender. Sentencing is scheduled for May 2, 2018.

Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is in charge of the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Final Defendant Pleads Guilty in Nationwide Scheme to Defraud Casinos and Credit Card Companies

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Vivian Wang, 54, of Alpharetta, Georgia, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to a nationwide casino and credit card scheme, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. 

According to court documents, between August 2008 and August 2014, Wang and co-defendant Frank Luo, 49, of Las Vegas, Nevada, participated in a scheme to defraud casinos and credit card companies across the country. The scheme involved using false identities in the names and Social Security numbers of migrant workers to apply for casino credit called “markers” and to open credit card accounts. A marker is a cash advance provided by a casino to a patron, and it is often secured by a check from the patron’s bank account. Wang and Luo initially timely repaid several markers at different casinos and several credit cards in order to give the impression of creditworthiness to future casinos and credit card companies. Wang and Luo recruited “clients” to participate in the scheme to induce the casinos and credit card companies to part with even more money under fraudulent pretenses.

Wang, and others working with her, coordinated their gambling activity in order to give the appearance of losing money (and thereby encouraging the casinos to issue future markers) when in fact one schemer would “lose” money while another would gain the same. In other instances, one schemer would surreptitiously deliver the issued gambling chips to another in order to give the appearance of having spent them. At the end of the scheme, Wang and her co-schemers did not repay the casino markers or the significant outstanding credit card balances accrued in a short amount of time once creditworthiness had been established. The combined fraud led to over $1.1 million in losses to casinos and credit card companies.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gambling Control. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Yelovich is prosecuting the case

Co-defendant Luo pleaded guilty, and on August 23, 2017, he was sentenced to three years in prison. Wang is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on May 16, 2018. Wang faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for wire fraud, and a mandatory minimum of two years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for aggravated identity theft. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: DEA, Pittsburgh Police Investigation Results in Indictment of Pittsburgh Man for Dealing Heroin and Crack Cocaine

PITTSBURGH – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine base, commonly known as crack, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The one-count indictment, returned on January 30, 2018, named Devon Horne, 31, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

According to the indictment, on or about January 4, 2018, Horne did knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute quantities of heroin and crack cocaine.

For Horne’s offense, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 30 years in prison, a fine of not more than $2,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Bronx Man Admits Transporting Multiple Kilograms Of Heroin As Part Of A Cross-Country Drug Distribution Conspiracy

TRENTON, N.J. – A Bronx, New York, man who was arrested in Warren County on Christmas Eve in 2014 while transporting 15 kilograms of heroin pleaded guilty today in Trenton federal court, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Vionel Rondon Cortorreal, 29, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan to an information charging him with conspiracy to distribute heroin.   

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

In December 2014, Rondon Cortorreal engaged in a conspiracy with members of a drug trafficking organization to transport and distribute kilogram quantities of heroin. On Dec. 24, 2014, Rondon Cortorreal was arrested after law enforcement seized 15 kilograms of heroin from a hidden compartment in the vehicle that he and another conspirator, Dany Francisco-Valerio, 44, of Bronx, were operating. 

The narcotics charge to which Rondon Cortorreal pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for May 30, 2018.

Francisco-Valerio previously pleaded guilty to the same charge before Judge Sheridan on Oct. 26, 2017 and awaits sentencing.      
    
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Valerie Nickerson in Newark, and officers of the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Acting Superintendent Col. Patrick J. Callahan, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.  

Defense counsel: Brian J. Neary Esq., Hackensack, New Jersey                                               
 

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and Illegal Reentry After Deportation

BOSTON – A Guatemalan national pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to failing to register as a sex offender and to illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

Jary Vincente Valenzuela, 27, a Guatemalan national formerly residing on Nantucket, pleaded guilty to one count of failing to register as a sex offender and one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for March 27, 2018.

On July 16, 2012, Valenzuela was found guilty in state court of rape of a child – a 14-year-old – and sentenced to 18 months in prison. As a result of his conviction, Valenzuela was classified as a Level 1 sex offender and is required to register as such. Upon release from his state sentence, Valenzuela was taken into immigration custody and processed for deportation to Guatemala. On Aug. 8, 2013, Valenzuela was deported.

In June 2017, law enforcement learned that Valenzuela had re-entered the United States and was living on Nantucket.  Law enforcement confirmed with the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board that Valenzuela had a legal obligation to register as a sex offender and had not done so since illegally returning to the United States. On July 25, 2017, law enforcement arrested Valenzuela.

The charge of illegal reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.  The charge of failure to register as a sex offender provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Valenzuela will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and John Gibbons, United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Connecticut Man Sentenced for Federal Firearms Offenses

BOSTON – An Enfield, Conn., man was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield for unlawfully possessing firearms. 

Kenneth Finch Jr., 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. In September 2017, Finch Jr. pleaded guilty to two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Finch has a prior felony conviction in North Carolina for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  

In June 2015, law enforcement received information that Finch was a source for illegal firearms in the Springfield area. On June 3, 2015, Finch sold a Ruger Model P-90 .45 caliber pistol and six rounds of .45 caliber ammunition to two undercover officers in exchange for $1,200. Finch was later arrested on May 12, 2016, and charged. The following day, Finch called his girlfriend from jail and directed her to a firearm that he had concealed in her apartment. Law enforcement later recovered a Duetsche Werke 7.65 mm caliber pistol from Finch’s girlfriend at her apartment in Springfield. On Nov. 10, 2016, Finch was charged in a superseding indictment with an additional count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine A. Wagner of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.