Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Federal Gun Defendant Sentenced to 72 Months

Columbia, South Carolina —- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that United States District Judge David C. Norton sentenced Frank “Kilo” Odom, age 30, of North Charleston, South Carolina, to 72 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.  Odom was convicted at trial earlier this year in federal court in Charleston on charges of felon in possession of a firearm and of selling cocaine to an undercover ATF agent.  The investigation, which began in 2015, was launched to investigate gun and drug-trafficking activities in the Charleston-metropolitan area.  During this investigation, agents made undercover buys from Odom, to include the purchase of cocaine and a .40 caliber pistol. 

Ms. Drake commended the agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for their work on this case.  Assistant United States Attorney Sean Kittrell prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.  In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

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Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Augusta Doctor Pleads Guilty to Drug Distribution

Columbia, South Carolina —- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Fred Gilliard, a/k/a “Dr. Gilliard,” age 76, of Augusta, Georgia, has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Columbia, to drug distribution, a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841.  United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs, of Columbia, accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed a presentence report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. Following the guilty plea, United States Magistrate Judge Paige Jones Gossett denied Gilliard a bond, ordering he be detained pending sentencing.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that through the investigation into the Travelers of Murphy Village, located in North Augusta, the FBI and US Marshals Service learned that a doctor in the area was providing Travelers prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances that were then being sold throughout Murphy Village. Investigative efforts identified the defendant, Dr. Gilliard, as the doctor. The defendant’s background revealed two federal criminal convictions, once for illegal distribution of drugs – as a result of that conviction the defendant had an agreement with the DEA about the proper distribution of drugs. Law enforcement interviews with patients revealed that the defendant prescribed them various types of drugs, often accompanied with a sexual proposition. Using one cooperating witness to buy opioids from a source of pills, law enforcement then approached the person selling opioids. The pill seller agreed to cooperate and explained that Dr. Gilliard would proposition her for sexual favors in exchange for prescriptions and that Dr. Gilliard would contact her at all hours of the night. A review of Dr. Gilliard’s phone records showed an abnormal pattern of contacting his female patients. The cooperating individual selling the pills began to record telephone calls with Dr. Gilliard. In the recordings, Dr. Gilliard requested sexual favors from the cooperating witness in exchange for prescriptions. On June 14, 2017, the cooperating seller of pills recorded a meeting with Dr. Gilliard at a restaurant off exit 5 in South Carolina. Dr. Gilliard recounted that he knew that the cooperator’s mother had sold the last set of pills that Dr. Gilliard had prescribed to the mother. Dr. Gilliard further discussed providing the witness with a prescription only if the cooperating witness would have sex with him and described how he now had to go back to his office to make up notes to justify the prescription – the prescription was for hydrocodone, a Schedule II controlled substance.

Ms. Drake stated the maximum penalty for drug distribution is imprisonment for 20 years and/or a fine of $500,000.

The case was investigated by agents of the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service.  Assistant United States Attorneys Jim May and Jay Richardson of the Columbia office are prosecuting the case.

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Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Former High School Librarian Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Kidnapping Conspiracy

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that CHRISTOPHER ASCH was sentenced yesterday to 15 years in prison for conspiring to kidnap, rape, and murder the wife of a man he had met over the Internet, as well as a female Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) agent working in an undercover capacity.  ASCH was convicted of two counts of kidnapping conspiracy following a jury trial before U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe, who imposed the sentence.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Christopher Asch, a former New York City public school librarian, received a significant prison term for his involvement in two sadistic kidnapping, rape, and murder conspiracies.  Prosecuting and bringing to justice perpetrators of such depraved and violent crimes is at the core of this Office’s mission.  We thank our law enforcement partners at the FBI for their tireless efforts to bring Asch to justice.”

According to the charging document, other documents previously filed in Manhattan federal court, and in statements made during court proceedings:

Between the spring of 2011 and January 2013, ASCH, Richard Meltz, and Michael Van Hise engaged in a series of email and instant message communications during which they discussed and planned the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Van Hise’s wife and other members of Van Hise’s family.  Van Hise sent ASCH and Meltz photographs of these family members, and the approximate location of their residence. 

In addition, beginning in approximately January 2013, ASCH, Meltz, and an FBI agent working in an undercover capacity (“UC-1”),  began discussions about kidnapping a woman, who unbeknownst to ASCH and his co-conspirators was also an FBI agent working in an undercover capacity.  UC-1 and ASCH met on a number of occasions in Manhattan, and during one meeting ASCH provided UC-1 with a bag of materials to be used during the kidnapping and torture of the intended victim, including, among other things, a ski mask, hypodermic needles, leather ties, chrome forceps, a three-page gun show itinerary, documents relating to a “leg-spreader” and “dental retractor” that ASCH claimed to have purchased, and the liquid form of doxepin hydrochloride, commonly used as a sleep agent.  ASCH also traveled from New York to Pennsylvania to attend a gun show and purchased a high-voltage Taser gun to incapacitate the victim during the planned kidnapping. 

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In addition to the prison term, ASCH, 65, of Manhattan, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.

Meltz, 67, of Linden, New Jersey, pled guilty in September 2014 before Judge Gardephe and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Van Hise, 27, of Newark, New Jersey, was convicted in March 2014 following a jury trial before Judge Gardephe and is awaiting sentence.

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hadassa Waxman and Brooke Cucinella are in charge of the prosecution.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Silver Spring Man Sentenced To 21 Years In Prison For Production Of Child Pornography

                                                                           

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                           Contact ELIZABETH MORSE

www.justice.gov/usao/md                                                     at (410) 209-4885        

Greenbelt, Maryland – On January 29, 2018, United States District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Demetrius Murray, age 23, of Silver Spring, Maryland to 21 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for Production of Child Pornography.  Judge Hazel also ordered forfeiture of electronic devices seized from Murray and used by Murray to produce and store child pornography.  Murray is also required to register as a sex offender.

 

The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI);  and Sheriff Terry Thompson of the Weber County, Utah, Sheriff’s Office.

 

According to his plea agreement, Murray contacted an eleven-year-old boy in Utah, Victim A, through Xbox Live and then through a private chat on KIK, an internet-based chat service.  Murray and Victim A at some point switched to Skype, an internet-based chat and video streaming service.  Murray streamed pictures of himself masturbating to the boy over Skype.  Victim A created a video of himself masturbating, which depicted child pornography, and sent the video to Murray as part of a text message.  Murray, after receiving the video, converted it into six still-frame pictures and sent the pictures back to Victim A.  Victim A’s mother learned of Murray’s interaction with her son and reported Murray’s conduct to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”).

 

As a result of the NCMEC Cybertip, HSI agents and officers from the Montgomery County Police Department executed a search warrant at Murray’s home in January 2016.  Agents recovered more than 600 images and more than 400 videos depicting minors, the vast majority of which depicted child pornography.

 

Forensic examination of Murray’s iPhone seized during the search showed that in May and June 2015, Murray had engaged in text messaging with a boy, Victim B, who lived in Alabama.  Victim B told Murray that he was 14 years old.  Nevertheless, Murray requested that Victim B send pictures of his body and pictures of himself masturbating.  Victim B sent the requested pictures.  When Murray learned that Victim B had a four-year-old relative, Victim C, Murray requested that Victim B send pictures of Victim C performing oral sex on Victim B.  Victim B sent the pictures, which depicted child pornography.

 

Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning praised HSI, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Weber County Utah Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Baldwin, who prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Two Miami-Area Men Sentenced For $1.8 Million Robbery Of Armored Truck

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Diosme Fernandez Hano (44, Hialeah) to 10 years and 1 month in federal prison and Reinaldo Arrastia-Cardoso (48, Hialeah) to 10 years in federal prison for armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. A federal jury found Hano and Arrastia-Cardosowere guilty on October 31, 2017.

According to evidence presented at trial, on November 30, 2009, Hano and Arrastia-Cardoso committed an armed robbery of a Brink’s armored truck outside of the Fifth Third Bank on Daniels Parkway and Treeline Avenue in Fort Myers. Almost $1.8 million was stolen during the robbery. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey F. Michelland and Simon R. Eth.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Huntington drug dealer pleads guilty to federal heroin charge

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man pleaded guilty yesterday to a federal drug trafficking crime, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Cortez Quayveon Brown, 27, entered his guilty plea to distribution of heroin.

A confidential informant working with law enforcement called Brown on March 3, 2016, to arrange a drug deal for heroin. Brown later met the informant at his 7th Street apartment in Huntington, where he distributed approximately 5.5 grams of heroin in exchange for $1,500. Brown also provided the informant with additional heroin weighing approximately 10.4 grams.

Special agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration seized nearly 8 grams of heroin and $5,500 in cash during the execution of a federal search warrant at Brown’s apartment on March 10, 2016. Special agents also discovered a loaded .380 semi-automatic handgun and a loaded .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun in the kitchen stove. Brown admitted to arranging additional controlled buys of heroin in which he used others to make the actual deliveries. The heroin recovered from all the controlled buys and the search was sent to the DEA Mid-Atlantic Laboratory, which confirmed that the substance was heroin with a total weight of 94.71 grams.

U.S. Attorney Stuart commended the Drug Enforcement Administration for their investigative efforts.

Brown faces up 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on May 7, 2018.

Assistant United States Attorney R. Gregory McVey is responsible for the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.

This case is part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District. 

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Financial advisor from Shaker Heights charged with embezzling $287,000 from client

A Shaker Heights man was charged in federal court with defrauding an investor out of more than $287,000, said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman, FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony and IRS Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Korner.

James M. Unger, 51, was charged via criminal information with two counts of wire fraud and five counts of filing false tax returns.

Unger worked as a securities broker and investment advisor who provided financial advice to clients. Between 2006 and 2014, Unger devised a scheme to defraud an investor identified in court documents as E.C., according to court documents.

E.C. executed a durable power of attorney in 2007, which gave Unger control of her financial affairs. A few months later, Unger convinced E.C. to invest in a high-risk international casino project based on Unger’s assurances that it was a safe, lucrative investment opportunity. Unger and others provided E.C. with promissory notes guaranteeing a 15 percent annual rate of return, according to court documents.

E.C. invested approximately $407,000 in the project between 2008 and 2009. By 2012, Unger had wired money from E.C.’s bank account, without her knowledge or consent, to another client. He converted her investment to stock in a new company and convinced E.C. to invest an additional $79,985, according to court documents.

In 2014, E.C. told Unger she wanted to liquidate her investment in the casino project. She believed her investment, including earnings, totaled approximately $1.9 million, but her total investment was actually lost, according to court documents.

Unger had actually embezzled funds from E.C.’s bank accounts to enrich himself and pay for his own personal expenses, including pay his daughter’s college expenses, according to court documents.

In total, Unger embezzled approximately $287,464 from E.C. He also failed to claim some of this income on his tax returns between 2011 and 2015, according to court documents.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert J. Patton and Alejandro A. Abreu following an investigation by the FBI and IRS – Criminal Investigations. 

 

An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Grand Rapids Man Indicted For Possession Of Stolen Mail, Credit Card Fraud, And Aggrivated IdentityI Theft

          GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — United States Attorney Andrew Birge announced today that Kahwahnas Nucumbhi Potts, age 38, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was arrested today on federal charges related to his possession of stolen mail, aggravated identity theft and credit card fraud. Potts remains in federal custody.

          According to the indictment, from at least March 2015 until April 2016, Potts possessed stolen mail belonging to various residents of Kent County, Michigan. Potts applied for numerous credit cards in the names of these residents and unlawfully used credit cards issued to these individuals. Potts carried out his criminal activities by knowingly transferring, possessing and using the means of identification of these individuals, including their names, social security account numbers, and dates of birth, when transacting business with various banks and other financial institutions.

          Potts arraignment on these charges is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on February 1, 2018, in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

          The charges for possession of stolen mail and unlawful use of social security account numbers carry a statutory penalty of up to 5 years’ imprisonment. The use of an unauthorized access device (credit card fraud) carries a statutory penalty of up to 5 years’ imprisonment. The aggravated identity theft charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 2 years’ imprisonment, consecutive to any other sentence that the court may impose. If convicted, Potts will also be ordered to pay restitution to his victims.

          The Grand Rapids Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, in conjunction with the Grand Rapids Police Department Metropolitan Fraud and Identity Theft Team, is handling the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald M. Stella is prosecuting the case.

          The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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