Source: United States Attorneys General 12

Indictment Alleges that Company Violated Food Safety Laws, Lied to Regulators, and Sold Rotten and and Dangerous Juice Products to Customers, Including for Use in School Lunches

Yakima, Washington – Today, Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that a federal grand jury returned an Indictment charging Mary Ann Bliesner, age 80, of Sunnyside, Washington, with twelve felony counts of fraud, conspiracy, false statements, and violating food safety laws in connection with her company, Valley Processing Inc. (VPI), which was also charged in the Indictment.

The Indictment alleges that between October 2012 and June 2019, Bliesner and VPI conspired with others to introduce unsafe, adulterated, and misbranded fruit juice products, including apple juice and grape juice concentrate, into interstate commerce by selling them to customers worldwide. The Indictment alleges that these adulterated juice products contained harmful substances, that they were produced under unsanitary and filthy conditions, and that they were unsafe and unfit for human consumption. The Indictment further alleges that Bliesner and VPI lied to customers about the age and quality of their products, which, in some cases, included grape juice concentrate that had been stored in unsafe conditions outside the VPI facility for years and exposed to the elements before being sold and shipped to customers, including customers producing grape juice for the National School Lunch Program, which provides free or reduced-cost lunches to more than 20 million children each school day.

Additionally, the Indictment alleges that Bliesner and VPI failed to register two facilities that they used to store fruit juice products, and lied to inspectors with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about their existence and use. According to the Indictment, one of these facilities, located in Sunnyside, Washington, and known as the “Grape Road Facility” was used to store tens of thousands of gallons of grape juice concentrate for years in concrete vats that were not properly covered or cooled. According to the Indictment, when FDA investigators finally learned about the facility during a May 2018 inspection, the juice concentrate had a layer of mold and crust so thick and firm that a live rat was observed and photographed walking on top of it. The Indictment also alleges that testing of samples taken at the Grape Road Facility indicated that the product there was contaminated with bird and rodent feces, fur, insects, decaying remains of animals, mold, yeast, and other contaminants.

In November 2020, the United States filed a complaint in federal court seeking to enjoin Bliesner and VPI from producing, storing, or selling juice or juice products. In January 2021, Bliesner and VPI agreed to a consent injunction in which Bliesner and VPI promised that they were not processing, manufacturing, preparing, packing, holding, or distributing any type of food, and would not do so in the future without first notifying and receiving approval from the FDA.

The charges against Bliesner carry a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, while the potential charges against VPI carry fines of $500,000 or more for each of the twelve counts charged.

Reporting public health and safety concerns supports a safe community for all. EPA’s online reporting form directs concerns to the appropriate regulatory authority: https://echo.epa.gov/report-environmental-violations. Concerns regarding the safety of FDA-regulated products such as food, beverages and medicines, can be reported at 1-888-463-6332. When reporting environmental, health and safety concerns, U.S. Attorney Waldref encourages Eastern Washington residents to also contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office dedicated Civil Rights and Environmental Protection phone line at (509) 835-6306 or email at USAWAE.Environment@usdoj.gov. Notifying the U.S. Attorney’s Office helps us protect the community from harmful violations of federal environmental, health & safety laws.

This case was investigated by the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Tyler H.L. Tornabene and Trial Attorney James J. Hennelly of DOJ’s Consumer Protection Branch.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

Yakima, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, today announced a $400,000 Department of Justice grant to the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. The grant provides support and resources to the Tribes for maintaining a sex offender registry and ensuring sex offenders’ registration is current at all times.

The grant, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (the “SMART” Office), in the Office of Justice Programs, was awarded on September 6, 2022.  Funding was awarded pursuant to the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, 34 U.S.C. § 20901, et seq. In accordance with this Act, funding is made available to assist jurisdictions with developing and enhancing programs to meet two goals: (1) ensuring that all states and federally-recognized Indian Tribes maintain an active sex offender registry; and (2) requiring registered sex offenders to maintain a current registration in each jurisdiction where the individual lives, works, or goes to school.

In announcing the $400,000 award, U.S. Attorney Waldref stated, “The United States Justice Department is committed to devoting resources to support keeping communities safe and strong.” She continued, “Sex offender registration and community notification are essential to improving the safety of our communities. The $400,000 award will help ensure that the Yakama Nation and individual members of the community are able to track and monitor convicted sex offenders. This information is vital to ensure that parents, teachers and conscientious members of the community have the tools they need to keep our children and families safe in their schools, neighborhoods and homes.” 

The SMART Office administers the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), which sets forth a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. Among other things, SORNA requires that sex offender registries include the following information:  duration of registration, in-person verification of sex offender registration information, participation in the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW.gov), and interjurisdictional notification of relocating offenders. More specific information about the implementation of SORNA is available at https://smart.ojp.gov/sorna. Information specific to implementation of SORNA in Indian Country is available at https://smart.ojp.gov/IC-SORNA-guide. Additional information about grants and funding through the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs is available at https://www.ojp.gov/.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Charlottesville woman, who altered and forged checks she obtained without the consent of the checks’ owners, was sentenced yesterday to 42 months in federal prison.  

Samantha Leigh Thomas, 33, pleaded guilty in February 2022 to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents, Thomas devised a scheme in which she altered or forged stolen checks and then deposited all of her ill-gotten gains into one of five personal checking accounts maintained at five different financial institutions.  The eventual loss suffered by the victims exceeded $25,000.  In addition to being required to pay back the money she stole, Thomas will be on supervised release for a period of four years after her release from prison.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and  Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division made the announcement.

The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Albemarle County Police Department  investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald M. Huber is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

ABINGDON, Va. – A pair of drug traffickers, who conspired with several others to sell methamphetamine in Southwest Virginia, were sentenced last week in the Western District of Virginia to lengthy federal prison terms.

Amanda Dawn Skeens, 35, of Princeton, West Virginia, and Josh Goodman, 46, of Richlands, Virginia, both previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.  Last week, Skeens was sentenced to 11 years in prison and Goodman was sentenced to 9 years in prison. 

In August 2022, another member of the conspiracy, Zachary Thomas Justice, 26, also of Richlands, Virginia, was sentenced to 14 years on similar charges.

According to court documents, between August 2019 and January 2022, Skeens, Justice, Goodman, and co-defendants Steven Cantrell and Ronda Rose conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Tazewell and Russell Counties in Virginia.

Cantrell and Rose have all pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.

During 2019 and 2020, Justice and Cantrell sold methamphetamine out of an apartment they shared in Swords Creek, Virginia.  In addition, Justice also traded firearms to Cantrell in return for methamphetamine for resale.

As part of the conspiracy, Skeens supplied methamphetamine several times a week from her home in West Virginia to other conspiracy members, who then brought the methamphetamine into Russell and Tazewell counties for further distribution, bringing anywhere from two ounces to a pound per trip.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh made the announcement.

The Russell County Sheriff’s Office, the Mercer County, West Virginia Sheriff’s Office, the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office, the Southern West Virginia Drug Task Force, the Tazewell County Drug Task Force, the Virginia State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena L. Busscher prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

ROANOKE, Va. – A member of a Romanian criminal organization who traveled to the United States to conduct ATM skimming pleaded guilty last week in federal court.

Catalin Puscasu, 38, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft.  Puscasu is the third defendant to have pleaded guilty for his role in this scheme.

According to court documents, between December 2018 and March 2019, Puscasu and others worked together to obtain personal identifying information and then used that data to make unauthorized cash withdrawals from the accounts of these victims and/or use the victims’ credit for their personal gain.

Specifically, members of this criminal organization installed skimming devices and small hidden cameras onto ATM card readers at federally-insured banks throughout the Western District of Virginia in order to steal customers’ PINs and account numbers.  The scammers encoded that stolen information onto blank debit cards and then used them to withdraw money. 

In March 2019, Puscasu was arrested in Michigan for committing similar offenses.  After serving 36 months in federal custody for those crimes, he was returned to the Western District of Virginia to face charges related to his conduct here.  Pursuant to the terms of his plea agreement, Puscasu will serve an additional 18 to 37 months in prison and must pay restitution to the victims.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh made the announcement today.

The United States Secret Service, the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office, the Roanoke County Police Department, the Campbell County Police Department, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Farmville Police Department, the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office, the Blacksburg Police Department, and the Lynchburg Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Coleman Adams is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

LYNCHBURG, Va. – A federal jury convicted the final two defendants in a massive Lynchburg-based drug conspiracy that trafficked cocaine from Texas and North Carolina into Lynchburg for distribution throughout Central Virginia.

Today, a jury convicted Ricky Donnell Abner, 44, and Charay Lamont Trent, 43, on drug conspiracy and weapons charges.  In addition, the ringleader,  Jermel “Jah” Storey, and 13 other individuals, including Antonio Edwards, Jason Ellison, Dashonna Farmer, Jason Hamlette, Steven Hughey, Jabari Johnson, Corey Johnson, James Mason, Adrian Mays, Christopher McDonald, Donnell Miller, Maggie Smith, and Juan Valdez, all pled guilty for their roles in the conspiracy.

Between January 2016 and January 2021, Storey supplied his complex network of drug dealers from his residence in Lynchburg by maintaining a steady stream of large amounts of narcotics from sources in Texas.  Even after moving to Charlotte, North Carolina, Storey continued his drug-dealing conspiracy by directing his co-conspirators to meet him in Charlotte to collect the drugs and then return to Lynchburg for sales throughout Central Virginia. 

“Today’s convictions bring to a close the final phase of a long term, multi-agency investigation and prosecution that will have a lasting impact on Central Virginia,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today.  “These drug traffickers were responsible for bringing kilograms of narcotics into the Lynchburg area and were implicated in other violent criminal activity.  The Lynchburg community is absolutely safer tonight due to the hard work and dedication of the federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies involved in this case.”

“Combating violent crime and narcotics distribution within our communities is a job we all take very seriously,” said Special Agent in Charge Patterson. “We will continue to leverage our resources and expertise as we work cohesively with our law enforcement and judicial partners to disrupt the illegal possession of firearms, distribution of narcotics and other acts of violence within our community.”

“The Lynchburg Police Department values its long-term relationships with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners,” said Lynchburg Police Chief Ryan Zuidema.  “These convictions are just one example of the great work the women and men of these collective agencies perform on a daily basis.  We know drug activity directly ties into an increase in violent crime, and these convictions will have a significant impact on removing drugs from Lynchburg’s streets as well as keeping our residents healthy and safe.”

“These successful prosecutions are the product of a unified response to drug trafficking by federal and state law enforcement agencies.  The effects of this criminal activity are felt by those suffer from addiction to the poison these individuals spread into our communities.  Drug trafficking frequently is associated with violent crime.  This joint investigation, prosecution, and sentencing sends the message that there is a great price to pay for this illegal and dangerous activity.  Great thanks go to our partner agencies and especially to the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District for seeing these cases through the federal courts.” Bethany Harrison, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Lynchburg

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Lynchburg Police Department, the Virginia State Police’s Central Virginia Drug and Gang Task Force, and the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Lynchburg investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean M. Welsh and Ronald M. Huber prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.– A Staunton, Virginia man, who attempted to run over law enforcement officers serving arrest warrants, was sentenced last week to 57 months in federal prison.

Richard Lee Knight, 39, pled guilty in June 2022 to one count of assault on a federal officer.

According to court documents, the United States Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF) discovered that Knight, who was wanted on several fugitive warrants out of various jurisdictions in Virginia, was staying at a motel in the Charlottesville area.

Local law enforcement, in conjunction with CARFTF, located Knight in a Walmart parking lot on the morning of November 29, 2021 near his Mercedes Benz vehicle.  When a law enforcement officer moved in to arrest him by issuing an order to “show me your hands, don’t move,” Knight refused the order and entered his car instead.  Knight drove his Mercedes in reverse, striking both a CARFTF officer and a police vehicle, then drove forward, ramming into a second police vehicle.

After fleeing the scene, Knight led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase through Albemarle County, Virginia before being apprehended after crashing his vehicle on Interstate 64.

As a result of Knight’s actions, a CARFTF officer suffered cuts, bruises, back injuries, and a concussion.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and United States Marshal Thomas L. Foster of the Western District of Virginia made the announcement.

The United States Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Albemarle County Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ronald M. Huber and Jordan E. McKay prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

ABINGDON, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Pound, Virginia man on August 11, 2022 for conspiring to steal pandemic unemployment benefits as part of a larger scheme involving at least 37 other co-conspirators.

Danny L. Mullins Jr., 50, was convicted following a two-day jury trial of conspiracy to defraud the United States, fraud in connection with federal emergency benefits, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Mullins received more than $18,000 in fraudulent benefits by conspiring with others, including his sister, Veronica Mullins, and conspiracy leaders Danielle Chytka, Greg Tackett, and Jeffrey Tackett, to input his personally identifiable information to the Virginia Employment Commission in order to receive pandemic unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled. 

In all, the conspiracy involved submitting fraudulent claims for approximately 37 individuals, including multiple inmates incarcerated in southwest Virginia regional jails, all of whom were not eligible to receive pandemic unemployment benefits, and causing at least $499,000 in false claims to be paid. 

Mullins will be sentenced on November 7, 2022 and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia, Syreeta Scott, Special Agent-in-Charge, Philadelphia Region, U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, and Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service- Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office made the announcement.

The Department of Labor – Office of the Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation – Washington, D.C. Field Office, the Norton Police Department investigated the case. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel J. Murphy and Lena Busscher prosecuted the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

RICHMOND, Va. – A Duncan, South Carolina man was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

According to court documents, from around February 2020 through June 2020, Jeel Patel, 22, was part of an international fraud scheme originating from call centers in India that disproportionately targeted elders. These call centers would initially contact victims using automated robocalls designed to create a sense of urgency with the recipients. After making initial contact with victims, conspirators known as closers would impersonate government officials such as FBI or DEA agents. These closers would trick and coerce victims into wiring funds to bank accounts controlled by the conspiracy, or shipping parcels of cash to addresses to which conspirators had access. Couriers working for the conspiracy would retrieve the victims’ stolen money, save a portion for themselves, and forward the remainder to the call center operators in India.

Jeel Patel was one such courier, working for a defendant previously prosecuted by the Eastern District of Virginia (Case No. 3:21-cr-47) named Bhavinkumar “Sunny” Patel. Sunny Patel, 28, of Richmond, operated a cell of couriers in several states that was responsible for losses exceeding $3 million to more than 120 victims. On April 8, 2022, “Sunny” Patel was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

During the brief, four-month period that Jeel Patel worked for Sunny Patel, the defendant retrieved or attempted to retrieve 14 packages from 10 different victims, with total actual losses of $485,020. Jeel Patel also participated in repeated home pickups during which he traveled to the residences of two different 80-year-old victims located in Michigan and South Carolina, and under the guise of being a DEA official took the money directly from the victims.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. Senior District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina provided significant assistance on this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Hood and Kaitlin Cooke prosecuted the case.

Combatting elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a key priority of the Department of Justice. Elder abuse is an intentional or negligent act by any person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to an older adult. It is a term used to describe five subtypes of elder abuse: physical abuse, financial fraud, scams and exploitation, caregiver neglect and abandonment, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Elder abuse is a serious crime against some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, affecting at least 10 percent of older Americans every year. Together with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners, the Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to combatting all forms of elder abuse and financial exploitation through enforcement actions, training and resources, research, victim services, and public awareness. This holistic and robust response demonstrates the Department’s unwavering dedication to fighting for justice for older Americans.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-92.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Pinellas Corporation (Pinellas), a for-profit school offering computer training courses in McLean and Richmond, and CEO and sole owner Paul Giordano, of Washington, D.C., agreed to pay $450,000 to settle allegations that Pinellas paid bonuses to consultants based on their success in securing enrollments of students receiving military veterans benefits.

Under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (Post-9/11 GI Bill), military veterans can receive tuition assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enroll as students at approved educational institutions. Their tuition assistance is paid directly to the educational institution. During the relevant period, education institutions could not be approved to enroll students receiving Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits “if the educational institution provides any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on success in securing enrollments or financial aid to any persons or entities engaged in any student recruiting or admission activities or in making decisions regarding the award of student financial assistance.”

The United States alleged that from 2015 through 2016, Pinellas d/b/a New Horizons Computer Learning Center of Richmond Virginia, and New Horizons Computer Learning Center Of Washington, D.C., at Giordano’s direction, paid bonuses to consultants who recruited students receiving Post-9/11 GI Bill financial assistance based on their success in securing enrollments. The United States further alleged that, between August 15, 2015, and December 31, 2016, Pinellas falsely certified that it had exercised reasonable diligence in meeting all applicable requirements of Title 38 of the U.S. Code in submitting nearly 1,000 claims to the VA for Post-9/11 GI Bill payments.

The government alleged that because of the false certifications Pinellas made to the VA, the VA paid tuition payments to Pinellas that Pinellas was not eligible to receive, in violation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the False Claims Act.   

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and VA’s Veterans Benefits Administration.

The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Starr and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Krista Anderson. The civil claims settled by this False Claims Act agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.