Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Former Member of Westminster Planning Commission Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison for Accepting $15,000 Bribe

          SANTA ANA, California – A former member of the Planning Commission for the City of Westminster was sentenced today to 18 months in federal prison for taking a $15,000 bribe to help a person obtain a liquor license.

          Dave Vo, 43, of Westminster, was sentenced by United States District Judge James V. Selna.

          Following a three-day jury trial, Vo was convicted in September of one count of bribery.

          Vo, who is an attorney, served as a Planning Commissioner in the Orange County city from early 2009 through early 2013. By virtue of his position, he had influence over the issuance of conditional use permits.

          In 2011, Vo solicited a $15,000 bribe from a confidential informant. The informant reported to the FBI that Vo had solicited a bribe in relation to the issuance of a liquor license. During August 2011, over the course of four meetings, Vo received cash payments that totaled $15,000 in exchange for pushing the liquor license permit through the city’s approval process.

          During the trial, the jury heard audio recordings of Vo soliciting the bribe – at one point telling the informant to “stay quiet” and “don’t even mention what’s going on” – and then saw video recordings of the payments being made.

          “To line his pockets, [Vo] made a calculated decision to help a bribe payer at the expense of law-abiding members of the community who sought conditional use permits and liquor licenses through legitimate channels,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed with the court. “In so doing, [Vo] sold his influence on the Planning Commission, giving (as he called it) ‘inside’ access for ‘under the table’ money. That conduct reflects a profound breach of the public’s trust.”

          The case against Vo was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

          The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Ahn of the Santa Ana Branch Office.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Kenai Man Sentenced for Possession of Child Pornography

Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that a Kenai man was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage for possessing images of child pornography.

Phillip Miller, 27, of Kenai, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Burgess, to serve six years in prison, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release.  Miller previously pleaded guilty on Sept. 25, 2017, to possession of child pornography – access with intent to view.

According to court documents, on May 18, 2016, Miller became the subject of a federal investigation after law enforcement officials received images depicting child sexual exploitation, which were shared by Miller using the Bittorrent peer-to-peer file-sharing network.  A search warrant was executed on Miller’s Kenai residence, where law enforcement had seized Miller’s computer.  Located on Miller’s computer were approximately 36 images depicting the sexual exploitation of children under 12 involving bestiality, sadism, and bondage.  The investigation also revealed that Miller had used search terms to find images of child sexual exploitation to access and view, and that those search terms included the phrase “Toddlercon Incest” among others.  

Miller was previously adjudicated in 2005 for the sexual abuse of several children.  At sentencing in this matter, Judge Burgess noted the seriousness of the images in this case and of his prior conduct.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of this case in cooperation with state and local agencies comprising the Alaska Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce (ICAC).  Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of the Department of Justice ongoing Project Safe Child (PSC) initiative.  In May 2006, DOJ launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, identify and rescue victims and to educate the public about safe Internet use, thereby reducing the risk that children might fall prey to online sexual predators.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or call the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Another Guilty in Fort Hood Soldier Alien Smuggling Case

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 51-year old who had been illegally residing in Houston has entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to transport and harbor undocumented aliens and illegal re-entry after deportation, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Victoriano Zamora-Jasso aka “Tata,” made an appearance today in federal court today on the eve of jury selection.

In early 2014, Zamora-Jasso began supplying aliens to Arnold Gracia, 47, from Harlingen. Gracia would then make arrangements with others to transport the aliens through the immigration checkpoint at Sarita. Gracia recruited Brandon Troy Robbins, 23, of San Antonio, Eric Alexander Rodriguez, 24, of Odem, Texas, Christopher David Wix, 23, of Abilene, and Yashira Perez-Morales, 27, from Watertown, New York – all then active duty soldiers stationed at Ft. Hood – to transport and deliver the aliens further north.

The conspiracy continued from approximately March to September of 2014. The soldiers would conceal the aliens under their military gear and made many successful trips during the course of the conspiracy. 

Zamora-Jasso was indicted in 2016 and arrested after a traffic stop in Conroe in July 2017. Today, he admitted his involvement in the conspiracy and to being a previously convicted alien who returned after deportation in 2013.

Gracia and all the soldiers were previously sentenced in 2015 and 2016 with Gracia receiving a 73-month sentence while Robbins, Rodriguez, Wix and Perez-Morales received sentences of 20, 12 months, 12 months and a day and five years probation, respectively.  

Sentencing for Zamora-Jasso is scheduled for May 9, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera. At that time, he faces up to 10 years imprisonment and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

He will remain in custody pending that hearing.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigation conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Oscar Ponce and Angel Castro are prosecuting the case.  

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Philadelphia Man Admits Role in Scheme to Steal and Cash Postal Money Orders

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, man today admitted his role in fraudulently cashing stolen U.S. Postal Service money orders, resulting in more than $22,000 in losses, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Anthony J. Bell, 38, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez to an information charging him with one count of transmitting and presenting unlawfully issued U.S. Postal Service money orders with intent to defraud the United States. 

According to the documents filed in this case, other cases, and statements made in court:

Bell admitted that a former U.S. Postal Service employee, Marc. E Saunders, 39, of Sicklerville, New Jersey, provided Bell with stolen money orders and told him to recruit others to cash them. Bell admitted that he recruited individuals to cash the money orders and paid them a small fee, while keeping the rest of the money from the fraudulently cashed money orders for Saunders and himself. Bell also admitted he recruited an individual in York, Pennsylvania, to cash the money orders and paid the individual a small fee, keeping the rest of the money from the fraudulently cashed money orders for himself.  

The charge for transmitting and presenting unlawfully issued U.S. Postal Service money orders carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for May 2, 2018.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Executive Special Agent in Charge Kenneth Cleevely of the Eastern Area Field Office with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyson M. Oswald of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: MS-13 Member Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for RICO Conspiracy Involving Attempted Murder

BOSTON – An MS-13 member was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for RICO conspiracy involving attempted murder. 

 

Daniel Menjivar, a/k/a “Roca,” a/k/a “Sitiko,” 22, a Salvadoran national who resided in Chelsea, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 13 years in prison and three years of supervised release.  Menjivar will also be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence.  In September 2017, Menjivar pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy.  

 

After a multi-year investigation, Menjivar was one of 61 defendants named in an indictment targeting the criminal activities of alleged leaders, members, and associates of MS-13 in Massachusetts.  Menjivar was identified as a member of MS-13’s Enfermos Criminales Salvatrucha (ECS) clique, which operated in Chelsea. As described in court documents, MS-13 is organized into cliques, which are smaller groups acting under the larger mantle of MS-13 and operating in a specific region, city, or part of a city.

 

On May 29, 2014, Menjivar and another member of the ECS clique repeatedly stabbed and shot an alleged rival gang member in Chelsea. A cooperating witness recorded Menjivar admitting to the attempted murder on video, proudly telling his fellow gang members how he stabbed the victim 21 times. The victim survived the attack following life-saving efforts by first responders as well as emergency surgery.   

 

In April 2015, federal agents used a cooperating witness to make other recordings in which Menjivar and two other MS-13 members plotted to murder another MS-13 member who they incorrectly believed was cooperating with law enforcement. Menjivar also participated in at least one robbery in furtherance of MS-13 activities.

 

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Commissioner Thomas Turco of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger; Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Thompkins; Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley; Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett; Boston Police Commissioner William Evans; Chelsea Police Chief Brian A. Kyes; Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie; Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary; Revere Police Chief James Guido; and Somerville Police Chief David Fallon made the announcement.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: United States Attorney’s Office Issues 2017 Annual Report

Acting United States Attorney Corey R. Amundson announced today the release of the 2017 Annual Report for United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana. 

 

The report is available on the USAO’s website at https://www.justice.gov/2017annual report/download.

The annual report highlights some of the office’s public efforts over the past year to ensure fair justice, keep our communities safe and secure, and fairly represent the interests of the federal government in legal matters, among other things.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Bridgeport Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Illegal Gun Possession

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ROBERT BOWENS, 34, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to 76 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 22, 2017, Connecticut State Police stopped a vehicle BOWENS was operating on I-95 in Bridgeport.  BOWENS attempted to flee and, during a struggle with troopers, produced a 9mm handgun.  Troopers knocked the firearm from BOWENS’ hand, but BOWENS broke free, jumped into an SUV that had arrived at the scene, and the vehicle fled.  BOWENS was apprehended on May 9.

BOWENS’ criminal history includes state felony convictions for possession with intent to sell, criminal possession of a weapon, and forgery.  He also has a prior federal conviction for possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, for which he was sentenced, in May 2009, to 57 months of imprisonment.

BOWENS has been detained since his arrest.  On November 6, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut State Police, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacabed Rodriguez-Coss.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Jury Finds Fresno Couple Guilty of National Guard Recruiting Fraud

FRESNO, Calif. — After a four-day trial, a federal jury found Jimmy D. Maldonado, 37, and Mayra L. Maldonado, 31, both of Fresno, guilty of three counts of wire fraud in a scheme to fraudulently obtain payments from a military recruitment program for the California Army National Guard, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to evidence presented at trial, Jimmy Maldonado, a former full-time recruiter for the National Guard in the Fresno area, and his wife Mayra Maldonado, a former member of the Guard, defrauded a military recruiting program out of tens of thousands of dollars. The program, the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (G-RAP), offered a financial incentive to members of the Guard who, on their own civilian time, recruited new soldiers. Guard members, also called Recruiting Assistants, who successfully recruited new soldiers into the Guard were typically eligible to receive $1,000 when a new solider enlisted and another $1,000 when the solider left for basic training.

Mayra Maldonado participated in the G-RAP program as a Recruiting Assistant. Based on documents and testimony presented at trial, Jimmy Maldonado was a full-time recruiter who was ineligible to participate in G-RAP as a Recruiting Assistant and was therefore forbidden to receive G-RAP incentive payments. However, he provided information about new soldiers to his wife Mayra Maldonado. Mayra Maldonado then used that information to claim G-RAP payments for those soldiers, even though she had never met the soldiers and played no role in their decision to join the Guard. In exchange for Jimmy Maldonado giving her information about new soldiers, Mayra Maldonado, on numerous occasions, shared G-RAP money she received with Jimmy Maldonado.

Jimmy and Mayra Maldonado are scheduled to be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill on April, 23, 2018. The Maldonados each face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of wire fraud. The actual sentence 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 factors.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Army Criminal Investigative Command Major Procurement Fraud Unit, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Tierney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacklin Chou Lem prosecuted the case.

Other National Guard members and recruiters have been charged in similar schemes in the Eastern District of California. The following defendants have been convicted:

• 2:14-cr-153 TLN — Brian Kaps, 44, of Chico, pleaded guilty on November 21, 2014, to one count of wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2018.
• 2:14-cr-152 TLN — Sarah Nattress, 30, of Paradise, pleaded guilty on October 23, 2014, to one count of wire fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2018.
• 1:14-cr-107 DAD — Leonardo Pesta, 49, of Mountain View, pleaded guilty on July 27, 2015, to one count of wire fraud and was sentenced to two years of probation.
• 1:14-cr-108-LJO — Nicholas Huerta, 36, of Fresno, pleaded guilty on September 14, 2015, to one count of wire fraud and was sentenced to four years of probation.
• 2:14-cr-151 JAM — Richard C. Sihner, 55, of Elk Grove, was convicted on January 22, 2016 of 18 counts of wire fraud and one count of making false statements following a seven-day jury trial and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
• 1:14-cr-106 DAD — Joaquin Cuenca, 40, of San Diego, was convicted on February 1, 2016, of three counts of wire fraud and one count of making false statements following a seven-day jury trial. He was sentenced to six months in prison.