Source: United States Attorneys General

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

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

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

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

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

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

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: United States Attorneys General

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: United States Attorneys General

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: United States Attorneys General

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: United States Attorneys General

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Connecticut Man Sentenced for Federal Firearms Offenses

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

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

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

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

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Renewal Resident Charged with Escape

PITTSBURGH – An Allegheny County resident has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of escape, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The one-count indictment, returned on January 30, 2018, named Derek Webb, 53, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

According to the indictment, on June 26, 2017, the defendant escaped from the Renewal, Inc. Residential Reentry Center, where he had been confined pursuant to a judgment order of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Tonya Sulia Goodman is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

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

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Pittsburgh Man Charged with December Robbery of First National Bank in Mt. Washington

PITTSBURGH – One resident of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on a charge of bank robbery, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The one-count indictment, returned on January 30, 2018, named Matthew Gallo, age 34, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment, on or about December 4, 2017, Gallo robbed First National Bank, located at 55 Wyoming Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15211. First National Bank is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000.00, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Shanicka L. Kennedy is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

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

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Federal Jury Finds Pittsburgh-Area Man Guilty of Defrauding Investors of $2 Million, Tax Evasion

PITTSBURGH – After deliberating seven hours, a federal jury of eight men and four women yesterday found Albert P. Majkowski, Jr. guilty of three counts of wire fraud, two counts of tax evasion and two counts of a lesser included offense of failure to file a tax return, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Majkowski, Jr., 59, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was tried before United States District Judge Reggie B. Walton in Pittsburgh.

According to evidence presented at trial established that Majkowski defrauded potential investors of nearly $2 million over a five-year period by, among other things, making false statements about his own success in “incubating” start-up businesses and misrepresenting that investor monies’ would be used only for legitimate business expenses. He also evaded his income tax obligations for the years 2009 through 2010 by a variety of means including failing to file tax returns, putting his assets into the names of other persons and cashing a series of checks made out in blank. Additionally, he failed to file income tax returns for the years 2007 through 2008. The total loss for the tax charges was $181,456.

Judge Walton scheduled sentencing for May 25, 2018 at 2 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 27 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, or both, for each wire fraud count and up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, or both, for each count of tax evasion. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based on the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Pending sentencing, the court revoked the defendant’s bond.

Assistant United States Attorneys James Wilson and Shardul Desai are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Majkowski.