Category: United States of America

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Worcester Man Charged with Marriage Fraud

BOSTON – A Worcester man was arrested yesterday in connection with entering into six fraudulent marriages in order to evade immigration laws. 

 

Peter Hicks, 57, was charged in federal court with one count of marriage fraud. Hicks was released following an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester yesterday. 

 

According to the criminal complaint unsealed yesterday, in 2014 federal law enforcement agents uncovered evidence that Hicks married six foreign national women from Sub-Saharan Africa between 2003 and 2013. Hicks allegedly filed for immigration benefits for four of his six wives. 

 

During a routine interview as part of his application for benefits for a non-citizen spouse, Hicks admitted to marrying three of the women solely to obtain immigration benefits for them. During a second interview with immigration officials, Hicks admitted that he was paid to recruit people for fraudulent marriages. During an interview with federal agents on Jan. 8, 2015, Hicks admitted that he was involved in marriage fraud for approximately 13 years, and that he received payments to marry undocumented African women and to find willing United States citizens to marry illegal aliens for the purpose of allowing the women to establish legal status in the United States. 

 

It is further alleged that on at least one occasion, Hicks was still married to one spouse at the time of his marriage to another spouse. Hicks also fraudulently claimed on an immigration form submitted on behalf of one of his spouses, that he had only one former spouse and that he had only petitioned for immigration benefits for the one former spouse, when, in fact, Hicks had actually been married five times and submitted requests for immigration benefits for a number of his former spouses. 

 

The charge of marriage fraud provides for sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. 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 Denis C. Riordan, District Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, District 1, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

 

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Federal Drug Charges Filed Against Southeast Kansas Man Who Was Arrested After Boat Chase

WICHITA, KAN. – A southeast Kansas man was indicted Tuesday on federal drug and firearm charges, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

 

Scott Joseph Skibo, 54, Chetopa, Kan., was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The indictment alleges that on Sept. 18, 2017, Skibo possessed fifty or more marijuana plants and a .40 caliber Glock 22 handgun.

 

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation announced in September that agents arrested Skibo for cultivating marijuana on an island in Elmore Park within the city limits of Chetopa, Kan. He attempted to flee law enforcement in a boat before he was arrested.

 

If convicted, Skibo faces not less than five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the firearm charge, and up to five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the marijuana charge. The KBI, the Labette County Sheriff’s Department and the Chetopa Police Department investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Rodebaugh is prosecuting.

 

 

OTHER INDICTMENTS

 

Danny Acosta-Zavala, 32, and Cecilia Ann Rios, 36, are charged with one count of possession of more than 12 pounds of heroin. The crime is alleged to have occurred Jan. 1, 2018, in Thomas County, Kan.

 

If convicted, they face not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Rodebaugh is prosecuting.

 

Manuel Hernandez, 43, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of escaping from custody at the Mirror, Inc., in Wichita.

 

If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Marshals Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.

 

 Rodolfo Moreno-Banuelos, 29, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien illegally in the United States. He was found Jan. 13, 2018, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is prosecuting.

 

Jesus Benito Vergara-Gonzalez, 24, of Kansas City, Mo., is charged with one count of misusing a Social Security number and one count of aggravated identity theft. The crimes are alleged to have occurred March 21, 2017, in Kansas City, Kan.

 

If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the Social Security charge and a mandatory two years (consecutive) and a fine up to $250,000 on the identity theft charge. The Kansas Department of Revenue investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith is prosecuting.

 

William Daniel Wycoff, 32, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of ammunition following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Jan. 13, 2018, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

 

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith is prosecuting.

 

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Chicago Man Sentenced to Four and a Half Years in Federal Prison For Illegally Buying Guns in Indiana and Bringing Them to Chicago

CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been sentenced to four and a half years in federal prison for illegally buying 17 handguns in Indiana and bringing them across the border to Chicago.

RICKY HATCH, also known as “Rick Hatchet” and “Ricky Hatchet,” purchased the firearms from an unlicensed individual in a parking lot in Bloomington, Ind., on three occasions in February 2015.  In the first sale, Hatch recruited a resident of Indianapolis, Ind., to serve as the ostensible buyer.  The seller reviewed the Indiana resident’s driver’s license and listed some of her information on a purported “firearms bill of sale” before selling the guns to Hatch in exchange for cash.  Although the Indiana resident did not accompany Hatch to the next two transactions, Hatch used aliases in those deals to conceal his identity.

After each purchase, Hatch brought the guns to Chicago.  The Chicago Police Department has subsequently recovered five of the guns from individuals other than Hatch.

Hatch, 25, pleaded guilty last year to unlawful interstate transportation of firearms.  On Jan. 18, 2018, U.S. District Judge Ronald A. Guzman imposed a 55-month prison sentence.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Celinez Nunez, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Eddie Johnson, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.

“The impact of firearms brought from Indiana and sold to individuals in Illinois is well documented,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian S. Wallach argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “Defendant’s actions, and those like him who bring gun after gun into this city, are fueling the violence that we read about on a daily basis.”

The government was represented by Mr. Wallach and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie M. Durick.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Mexican Citizen Sentenced for Illegally Reentering US

MADISON, WIS. — Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jose Aguila-Flores, 40, a citizen of Mexico found in Madison, Wis., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to one year and one day in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States.  Aguila-Flores, who had been deported previously, pleaded guilty to this charge on November 21, 2017.

Aguila-Flores had been convicted of manufacturing/delivering cannabis in Illinois in 2007.  In 2009, Aguila-Flores was issued an Administrative Order of Removal.   
  
The charge against Aguila-Flores was the result of an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office.  The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Schlipper.
 

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Convictions of Human Trafficking in North Mississippi

OXFORD, Miss. – United States Attorney William C. Lamar and Christopher Freeze, Special Agent in Charge at the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced today that Ricky Robertson a.k.a. “Slick Rick” and Ladarius Jackson, a.k.a. “Dee Don” were sentenced on sex trafficking charges before Chief District Judge Sharion Aycock in Federal Court in Oxford, Mississippi.  Robertson previously entered a guilty plea on Count One of the Indictment – Sex Trafficking Conspiracy – in violation of Title 18 United States Code Section 1594(c) and was sentenced to serve 188 months imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release.  Jackson previously entered a guilty plea to Count Three of the Indictment – Travelling in Interstate Commerce to Engage in Prostitution – in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 2421 and was sentenced to serve 33 months imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release.

Both Robertson and Jackson admitted to transporting prostitutes from Memphis, Tennessee to Oxford, Mississippi in order to engage in commercial sex acts.  Robertson admitted to trafficking the prostitutes through fraud and coercion by controlling the money they earned from commercial sex.

“Human trafficking is not a victimless crime,” remarked United States Attorney William C. Lamar.  “Women, many of whom are very young, are often coerced into prostitution by predators, taken advantage of, and are frequently victims of violence.  Along with federal, state and local law enforcement, we will continue to address this problem in our District and prosecute those responsible.”

Human trafficking steals the innocence from our children and young women, and the individuals who prey upon the vulnerable need to be removed from our society,” said Christopher Freeze, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Mississippi.  “Human trafficking victims often feel pressured with the threat of violence toward them or their families, giving them the false reality that prostitution is their only means of making a living.  We ask the public to be vigilant to the signs of human trafficking and notify law enforcement when they see what they believe is the unconscionable act of buying and selling human beings.”

This matter was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Clay Dabbs of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi, and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Oxford Police Department and the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Man Sentenced After Intimidating Spirit Airlines Flight Attendants

Michael Anthony Minko, 36, of White Springs, Florida, was sentenced to two concurrent sentences of two months imprisonment, after pleading guilty to two counts of intimidating a flight attendant of an aircraft in flight in the United States.

Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Robert F. Lasky, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

On July 18, 2017, Minko intimidated two Spirit Airlines flight attendants on a flight from Newark, New Jersey to Fort Lauderdale, and interfered with the performance of their duties.  Specifically, after the flight departed, the defendant drank an excessive amount of whiskey from a bottle in his possession and consumed prescription alprazolam (generic form of Xanax).  During the course of the flight, Minko cursed, used abusive language, made verbal threats and exhibited threatening actions.  As a result, a flight attendant and three passengers used plastic flex cuffs to secure Minko’s hands behind his back.

U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered Minko to report on Friday, February 23, 2018, to commence his term of imprisonment at that time, thereby allowing the defendant to continue his treatment at an alcohol and drug treatment facility. 

Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the FBI in connection with this matter.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William T. Shockley.

Michael Anthony Minko, 36, of White Springs, Florida, was sentenced to two concurrent sentences of two months imprisonment, after pleading guilty to two counts of intimidating a flight attendant of an aircraft in flight in the United States.

Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Robert F. Lasky, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

On July 18, 2017, Minko intimidated two Spirit Airlines flight attendants on a flight from Newark, New Jersey to Fort Lauderdale, and interfered with the performance of their duties.  Specifically, after the flight departed, the defendant drank an excessive amount of whiskey from a bottle in his possession and consumed prescription alprazolam (generic form of Xanax).  During the course of the flight, Minko cursed, used abusive language, made verbal threats and exhibited threatening actions.  As a result, a flight attendant and three passengers used plastic flex cuffs to secure Minko’s hands behind his back.

U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered Minko to report on Friday, February 23, 2018, to commence his term of imprisonment at that time, thereby allowing the defendant to continue his treatment at an alcohol and drug treatment facility. 

Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the FBI in connection with this matter.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William T. Shockley.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov. 

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: City of Miami Police Officer Charged in Ponzi Scheme

City of Miami police officer Dermis Hernandez, 41, of Homestead, was arrested by the FBI for participation in a scheme where Hernandez falsely represented to victim investors that he was able to offer a low risk investment with guaranteed returns through high-interest loans his company made to Costa Rican property owners.   

 

Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Robert F. Lasky, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Jorge Colina, Chief, City of Miami Police Department (MPD), made the announcement. 

 

On January 29, 2018, Hernandez was arrested at the Fort Lauderdale airport before boarding a flight to Costa Rica.  Hernandez was charged by complaint with a conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349.  It is alleged that, Hernandez told investors that their investment funds provided loans for the property owners in Costa Rica whose real property would be used as collateral for the loan and forfeited if the loan was not paid.  In truth, Hernandez and his co-conspirators used the majority of investor funds for personal enrichment and to pay the returns of other investors. 

 

Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and the MPD.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Langley. 

 

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

 

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Two Arrested In Major Antiquities Theft

Richard Steven Johnson, 41, of Rio Linda, California, and Jarred Alexander Goldman, 32, of Palm Beach Gardens, were arrested today, after being charged with conspiring to steal and stealing a 17th century gold bar on or about August 18, 2010, from the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum in Key West. 

 

Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney, Southern District of Florida, Robert F. Lasky, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Donald J. Lee, Jr., Chief, Key West Police Department, made the announcement.

 

Johnson will make his initial appearance in Sacramento, California, later today.  Goldman will make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lurana S. Snow, in Key West, on January 30, 2018, at 9:30 a.m.

 

The defendants are accused of driving to Key West from West Palm Beach on or about August 18, 2010, and entering the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum.  It is alleged that Goldman then stood guard as a lookout to enable Johnson to steal the gold bar.  Johnson then allegedly removed the gold bar from its display case at the museum and both defendants then drove back to West Palm Beach.  The gold bar has not been recovered.

 

Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and the Key West Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Marcet.

 

An indictment is only an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: London Man Sentenced to Prison and Faces Deportation for Assaulting and Attempting to Rob Man in Georgetown

            WASHINGTON – Paolo Aldorasi, 35, of London, was sentenced today to a prison term and now faces deportation for assaulting and attempting to rob a man who he forced into his sport utility vehicle in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Aldorasi pled guilty in November 2017 to assault with intent to commit robbery, a District of Columbia offense. The plea took place in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. As part of the plea agreement, a federal kidnapping charge was dismissed.

            Aldorasi was sentenced by the Honorable Richard J. Leon to 24 months in prison, with all but 11 months of that time suspended. Because Aldorasi already has been incarcerated for 11 months, he now faces deportation back to London. Judge Leon also ordered that Aldorasi be placed on five years of probation; during that time, the judge barred him from the United States.

            According to a factual proffer submitted at the plea hearing, on Jan. 26, 2017, at about 3:20 p.m., Aldorasi saw the victim walking eastbound in the 3400 block of O Street NW. Aldorasi, who was operating a sport utility vehicle, pulled alongside the victim and asked for directions to Washington Dulles International Airport. The victim, who speaks limited English, said he did not know the location. As the conversation continued, Aldorasi grabbed the victim and ordered him into the SUV. He then drove off with the victim, taking him to four ATMs in the District of Columbia, in unsuccessful attempts to withdraw money, as well as to two retail establishments in unsuccessful attempts to make purchases. After the last failed attempt, at a retail store in the 4500 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW, he finally let the victim go.

            Aldorasi was arrested by the FBI’s Seattle Field Office on Feb. 24, 2017, in SeaTac, Washington, and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. They expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the FBI’s Seattle Field Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington. Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz, Catherine O’Neal and Teesha Tobias; Legal Assistants Peter Gaboton and Holly Crouse, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kamilah O. House and Emory V. Cole, who prosecuted the matter.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: St. Joseph Woman Sentenced for $1.5 Million Tax Fraud Scheme

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Timothy A. Garrison, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a St. Joseph, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for her role in a $1.5 million tax fraud scheme as well as for individual tax fraud.

Dawn Langlais (formerly Ankrom-Brown), 60, of St. Joseph, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to 18 months in federal prison without parole.

On July 7, 2017, Langlais pleaded guilty to failing to pay over employee payroll taxes to the IRS. Her daughter, her sister, and her sister’s husband have also pleaded guilty.

Langlais helped her sister and co-defendant Dinorah Lynn Stoll-Weaver, 50, of St. Joseph, operate Homeward Bound Health Services, Inc., a home health provider located in St. Joseph, from 2001 through early 2010. Stoll-Weaver was the owner of Homeward Bound. In 2010, Homeward Bound’s name was changed to Silver Linings, Inc., and nominee owners were put in place who signed the checks but made no business decisions. Stoll-Weaver and Langlais continued to operate Silver Linings until it closed in 2013.

Homeward Bound and Silver Linings withheld and collected federal income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes from employees and then kept those withheld taxes instead of paying them over to the IRS. The total criminal tax loss attributed to Homeward Bound and Silver Linings for failure to pay employment taxes due and owing from 2001 to 2012 is $1,459,727.

Homeward Bound and Silver Linings also withheld from employee paychecks and kept child support payments, employee IRA contributions, and medical and dental insurance payments. The theft of these payments had negative collateral consequences for their employees.

Langlais and Stoll-Weaver admitted they received income from Homeward Bound and Silver Linings, which they failed to report on their individual federal income tax forms, and as a result, underpaid their federal income taxes. Langlais willfully failed to make an income tax return or pay personal income taxes from 2010 to 2012, for a total personal tax loss of $56,860.

Stoll-Weaver employed her husband, co-defendant Thad Weaver, 46, of St. Joseph, and Langlais employed her daughter, co-defendant Jennifer Sturgis, 39, of St. Joseph, at Homeward Bound and Silver Linings. They also employed other relatives at the business.

Stoll-Weaver also pleaded guilty to failing to pay over employee payroll taxes to the IRS. Weaver and Sturgis each pleaded guilty to making false statements on a tax return. Weaver and Sturgis admitted they received income from Homeward Bound and Silver Linings, which they failed to report on their individual federal income tax forms, and as a result, underpaid their federal income taxes.

Weaver and Stoll-Weaver were married and filed individual income tax returns for 2010 through 2012; Stoll-Weaver filed a separate return in 2009. Their combined unreported income was at least $257,827. Weaver’s total personal tax loss was at least $27,488. Stoll-Weaver’s personal tax loss was $34,264.

Sturgis willfully failed to make an income tax return or pay personal income taxes from 2007 to 2012, for a total personal tax loss of $148,347, including relevant conduct.

Additionally, from 2009 to 2012, Stoll-Weaver, Weaver and Sturgis each claimed personal federal income tax refunds, knowing that Homeward Bound and Silver Linings had not paid any income taxes to the IRS.

Weaver and Sturgis were each sentenced to five years of probation; Stoll-Weaver awaits sentencing.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen D. Mahoney. It was investigated by IRS – Criminal Investigation.