Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

SIOUX FALLS – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Gordon Weston, age 57, of Oglala, South Dakota, of Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet and Commercial Sex Trafficking following a two-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on January 10, 2024.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, up to life on supervised release, and a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. 

Weston was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of 2021. 

Weston was employed as the Activities Coordinator at the Emergency Youth Shelter in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, from 2009 to 2021. Weston commonly requested juvenile females who stayed at the shelter to be “friends” with him on Facebook after they had left the shelter. Weston contacted at least one juvenile female and offered her money and transportation in exchange for sexual encounters with him.

This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan Poppen and Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Mankato man has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm after firing at police officers during a violent home invasion, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

“These charges allege a night of terrifying home invasions and violent assaults,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger. “I commend the law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to apprehend this defendant.”

According to court documents, on January 14, 2024, a woman called 911 to report that a man had broken into her apartment in south Minneapolis. The woman and her two children fled the apartment after the man, identified as Kamau Evans, 31, shattered a window and entered the woman’s bedroom. Evans then went to a second residence in north Minneapolis and broke into the home by shattering a sliding glass door. Once inside, Evans assaulted two of the residents with a firearm and brandished the firearm at a minor who was hiding inside a closet. Evans then held all three residents in the home against their will. 

According to court documents, officers of the Minneapolis Police Department arrived at the residence and were able to pull one of the victims out of the house to safety. Officers entered the home behind a ballistic shield and as they were walking upstairs, Evans appeared in the stairwell and fired a shot at them. Evans then leaped out of a bathroom window and tried to escape through the backyard but was apprehended and arrested. Officers recovered an SCCY model CPX-1 9mm semiautomatic pistol on the side of the garage where Evans was apprehended.

Because Evans has prior felony convictions, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

The complaint charges Evans with one count of possession of a firearm as a felon. Evans made his initial appearance yesterday in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Minneapolis Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Calhoun-Lopez and Kristian Weir are prosecuting the case.

A complaint is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

NEWARK, N.J. – An Iowa man was sentenced today to 94 months in prison for robbing a bank in Secaucus, New Jersey, in January 2017, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Jose Luis Martinez, 33, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John M. Vazquez to a two-count indictment charging him with armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a bank robbery. U.S. District Judge William J. Martini imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

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

On Jan. 5, 2017, Martinez walked into a bank in Secaucus and pointed a handgun at a bank employee while demanding cash. Martinez told the bank employee that he would shoot her and other customers if the employee did not comply. Martinez took cash from the bank and fled. 

In addition to the prison term, Judge Martini sentenced Martinez to three years of supervised release and ordered restitution of $31,000.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy, Newark, with the investigation leading to the sentencing. He also thanked the FBI’s White Plains, New York Office; the New York City Police Department; the Greenwich, Connecticut, Police Department; and the Port Chester, New York, Police Department for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett Schuman of the Criminal Division in Newark.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

NEWARK, N.J. – A former president of a pharmacy business was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for his role in a health care kickback conspiracy involving prescriptions for Medicare and TRICARE beneficiaries, Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna announced today.

Elan Yaish, 54, of Israel, previously pleaded guilty on Aug. 16, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas to an information charging him with conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback statute. Judge Salas imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

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

From September 2017 to around December 2020, Yaish participated in operating pharmacies, including Apogee Bio-Pharm LLC, in Edison, New Jersey. Yaish and others agreed to engage in a scheme to pay marketing companies to direct prescriptions for expensive medications to the pharmacies. 

The marketing companies identified Medicare and TRICARE beneficiaries to target for expensive drugs and contacted the beneficiaries by telephone to pressure them to agree to try expensive medications, such as pain creams, scar creams, eczema creams, and migraine medication. The marketing companies then transmitted recordings of telephone calls with the beneficiaries, together with pre-marked prescription pads for particular drugs that would yield exorbitant reimbursements, to telemedicine companies. The marketers paid the telemedicine companies kickbacks for every beneficiary referred for a prescription, and the telemedicine companies paid doctors to approve the prescriptions. The marketing companies then directed the prescriptions to pharmacies, including Apogee, with which they had kickback arrangements. The pharmacies filled the prescriptions and sought reimbursement from federal health care benefit programs, including Medicare and TRICARE. The pharmacies, including Apogee, then paid a portion of each reimbursement to the marketing companies as a kickback. As a result of the scheme, Yaish and his conspirators caused a loss to Medicare and other federal health care benefit programs of over $32 million.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Salas sentenced Yaish to three years of supervised release and ordered restitution of $32 million.

Attorney for the United States Khanna credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz; and U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Solecki, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine M. Romano of the Health Care Fraud Unit and Barbara Ward, Senior Trial Counsel of the Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Unit, in Newark.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

Searching for Liam 

The FBI’s been on the case since January 2023, when the Marlboro Police Department in New Jersey sought our help, Suazo said. 

Soon after joining the investigation, case agents learned that Biran’s belongings—including camping equipment, clothes, and an electronic device they hope might yield clues—had been discovered in Italy’s Aosta Valley region. FBI case agents hope to leverage any information our Italian partners share to help find Biran. 

Meanwhile, Bureau agents have conducted extensive interviews with Biran’s relatives, friends, and former coworkers, Suazo said. And FBI Newark has also coordinated with its international law enforcement partners on a social media advertising campaign about Biran’s disappearance. 

“We’ve been reaching out to the public for help because there’s a big time gap between when he went missing from the train station versus them finding his stuff out in the in the Aosta Valley,” Suazo explained. “We want to encounter anyone who might have seen him or spoken to him while he was in transit there.” 

The FBI encourages anyone who traveled in Israel, Greece, or Italy in April 2019 and recognizes Biran from their travels to contact FBI Newark by calling 973-792-3000 or to submit a tip by visiting tips.fbi.gov. Overseas tipsters can also reach out to the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate to submit a tip. The public can share information with the FBI anonymously. 

Any recollections from the road—whether a conversation from a hostel or a chance sighting—could potentially help the Bureau find Biran and make sure he’s safe. Suazo believes tips from travel acquaintances can be powerful tools in the search for this missing man. Biran’s family is concerned for his safety. 

“Liam, if you are out there,” Suazo said, “your family just wants to know you’re OK.” 

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Zsanett Nagy, age 32, was given a sentence of time served, followed by two years of supervised release, for the offense of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Nagy was previously indicted, along with her then-husband Earl Marshawn Washington, for selling counterfeit artistic goods known as “woodblocks” or “woodcuts” to various buyers and then laundering the proceeds from the sale of those goods between 2018 and 2021. Washington and Nagy both pleaded guilty last year.

According to the indictment, xylography is the art of making “woodcuts,” or engravings made from wooden blocks, especially for printing using historical techniques. In traditional xylography, an artist uses a sharpened tool to carve a design into the surface of a woodblock. The raised areas that remain after the block has been cut are inked and printed, while the recessed areas that are cut away do not retain ink and will remain blank in the final print. Woodblock images can be printed onto paper, fabrics, textiles, or other materials. The technique has been used in different geographic regions at different times. One woodblock tradition stems from Germany starting around the 14th century and continuing for several hundred years thereafter.

Washington and Nagy sold inauthentic woodblocks and prints made from woodblocks that they as advertised as being from between the 15th and early 20th centuries. The buyers included a pair of woodblock collectors residing in France, as well as a buyer of a woodblock print who then resided in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The buyers of the woodblocks in France made PayPal payments to Nagy before learning that the woodblocks they purchased were not from the 15th and 16th centuries, as advertised. Nagy received these payments, moved the proceeds to a bank account in her name, and then quickly converted the proceeds to cash through withdrawals of several thousand dollars or more.

Nagy was ordered to pay restitution to these victims in the amount of $107,159.25. She also faces potential deportation for her conviction.

Washington is scheduled to be sentenced in March 2024.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Art Crime Team.

# # #

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Brandon B. Boyer, age 34, of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on January 18, 2024, by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to 18 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a two-year term of supervised release, for the computer hacking offense of obtaining information from protected computers.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, for a two-year period from approximately February 2020 to February 2022, Boyer unlawfully accessed the computers of dozens of adult female victims in order to search for and obtain nude photographs that he could then sell.  Boyer accessed victims’ Snapchat accounts at the behest of “clients” who paid him to break into the accounts and obtain the images.  Boyer admitted that he accomplished this, in part, through use of an app that allowed him to send text messages to victims posing as a Snapchat representative.  Through a technique known as “phishing,” Boyer then coaxed the victims into changing their passwords and sending him the verification codes that were generated.  This allowed him to then access the otherwise private sections of the accounts.  Boyer acknowledged earning between $50,000 and $60,000 from this activity.  Some of Boyer’s “clients” utilized the photographs that they obtained via Boyer to cyberstalk and to attempt to extort victims into providing additional photographs.       

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Philadelphia Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffery St John prosecuted the case.

# # #

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Jessica Navarro, 31, of Winter Springs, Florida, was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment and one year of supervised release by the Honorable Judge Nitza I. Quinones Alejandro.

In June 2023, Navarro pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with a flight crew, one count of assaulting a flight attendant, and one count of assaulting a passenger. On January 11, 2022, the defendant, under the influence of alcohol, had kicked the seats in front of her, spat on passengers, and physically resisted the flight crew. The defendant’s conduct escalated, with Navarro striking a flight attendant and a passenger, causing a Frontier Airlines flight that departed Orlando, Florida, to be diverted from its intended Islip, New York, destination and land at Philadelphia International Airport.

“Jessica Navarro’s violent conduct endangered and traumatized passengers, and severely inconvenienced everyone aboard that plane,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Air travel can already be a stressful experience, and the last thing anyone should have to deal with is such drunken and dangerous behavior en route to their destination. If you commit a federal crime aboard an aircraft, expect to be held accountable.”

“Passengers like Navarro do more than disrupt a flight, they put all passengers and the entire crew at risk,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, FBI Philadelphia’s Special Agent in Charge. “Today’s sentencing sends a message to anyone who might engage in disruptive behavior or violence aboard an aircraft: Upon your arrival, FBI agents will be waiting to bring you to justice.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josh A. Davison.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that a jury returned a guilty verdict against AMIT DAGAR for insider trading and conspiracy to commit insider trading.  The defendant was found guilty following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As the jury’s swift verdict shows, the proof at trial was overwhelming that Amit Dagar stole information about Paxlovid from his employer, Pfizer, and used that illegal edge to profit in the stock market.  Combatting the corruption of our financial markets continues to be a top priority of this Office.  Would-be insider traders tempted by the prospect of easy money should know that the Southern District of New York is watching, we’ll catch you, and we’ll make sure you pay the price for violating the law.”

According to the Indictment, statements made in public court proceedings and filings, and the evidence at trial:

In November 2021, DAGAR participated in an insider trading scheme to reap illicit profits from options trading based on inside information about the results of clinical trials of Paxlovid, a medicine used to treat COVID-19.  DAGAR was an employee of Pfizer Inc. (“Pfizer”) and assisted in managing the data analysis in certain clinical drug trials.

On November 4, 2021, DAGAR learned that a Pfizer trial of the drug Paxlovid, a medicine designed to treat mild to severe COVID‑19 infection, had produced positive results.  The results were confidential and meant to remain so until Pfizer publicized them on November 5, 2021.

Later that same day, and while the results remained confidential, DAGAR purchased short-dated, out-of-the-money Pfizer call options that expired days and weeks later.  DAGAR also tipped a close friend, who also purchased short-dated, out-of-the-money Pfizer call options.

The following day, on November 5, 2021, Pfizer publicly released results of its Paxlovid study prior to the market opening.  That same day, following the publication of the positive results, Pfizer’s stock price increased substantially, opening — and eventually closing — more than 10% higher than the prior day’s closing price.  In the following weeks, DAGAR sold his Pfizer call options for profits of more than $270,000.

*                *                *

DAGAR, 44, of Hillsborough, New Jersey, was convicted of one count of securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. 

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Mr. Williams also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which has filed a parallel civil action, for its assistance and cooperation in the investigation.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex Rossmiller and Justin V. Rodriguez are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Madeline Sonderby and Anna Gamboa.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James Smith, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the arrest of KYLE WHITE.  WHITE is charged with advertisement, receipt, and distribution of child pornography.  WHITE was presented this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Colin H. Lindsay of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Kyle White’s alleged conduct is abhorrent and depraved.  As alleged, from behind a computer screen in the comfort of his own home, White ran a lucrative and illegal online pornography marketplace called ‘The Ho Zone,’ where he sold access to child pornography and illegally obtained adult pornography to thousands of people.  White’s alleged callous disregard for his victims is striking — White profited at the expense of innocent children, whose sexual abuse and trauma White broadcasted to the world in high definition.  Let these charges against White serve as a warning to anyone who seeks to capitalize on the sexual exploitation of children: this Office will work relentlessly to hold you accountable for your crimes.”

FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith said: “Kyle White’s actions – allegedly running an online marketplace selling access to child pornography – are unconscionable.  Thankfully, he now faces a lengthy punishment for his crimes.  The FBI remains vigilant in our efforts to protect children.  Removing predators who seek to exchange and profit from sexually explicit material of minors will remain a top priority.”

According to the allegations in the Complaint:[1]

WHITE ran an online pornography marketplace known as “The Ho Zone” on the messaging application Telegram.  WHITE categorized the pornography he advertised and sold on “The Ho Zone” into dozens of groups and channels with thousands of members and subscribers, such as “Other Teen (18+) Leaks,” “THZ Black Market,” “MOST POPULAR GIRLS LISTS,” “Tiktoker Private Leaks,” “ATHLEAKS,” and more.  Within each of these groups and channels, WHITE further categorized the pornography by the name of the woman or minor girl featured in the sexually explicit content.  Each group and channel on “The Ho Zone” featured a variety of free content as a preview of what users could get if they were to pay WHITE for full access.  Such access cost between $15 and $75 depending on the pornography purchased.  Once a user paid WHITE for the content of a specific woman or minor girl available on “The Ho Zone,” the user gained permanent access to numerous sexually explicit photographs and videos of that woman or minor girl that WHITE had compiled, enhanced, and edited.

WHITE advertised and sold child pornography on “The Ho Zone,” which depicted minor victims as young as 11 years old, as well as minor victims engaging in sexually explicit conduct with their minor victim siblings. 

WHITE also sold illegally obtained adult pornography on “The Ho Zone,” including pornography that had been hacked from women’s cellphones and pornography that was the product of blackmail.  The victims featured in such pornography included women with large social media followings and female athletes, among others.

WHITE knew that running “The Ho Zone” was illegal but he continued to sell child pornography and illegally obtained adult pornography on the marketplace because it was lucrative.  For example, WHITE claimed in a message to another Telegram user that he “made over 300k in the first year” of operating “The Ho Zone.”[2]  In a chat with another Telegram user, WHITE stated that he “[p]rob made over $10k off the girls” in the “THZ Black Market” channel.  WHITE also stated that he did not want to stop selling child pornography because “[i]t’s just easier said than done givin up $1,000’s.”

*                *                *

WHITE, 24, of Louisville, Kentucky, is charged with advertisement of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.  WHITE is also charged with receipt and distribution of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The mandatory minimum and maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s Criminal Guardian Squad.

This case is being supervised by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Chelsea L. Scism is in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.