Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Former Attorney Sentenced to Prison for Money Laundering

**Video entered into the public record at sentencing will be available at: https://www.dvidshub.net/ice

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former attorney was sentenced today to seven years in prison for conspiring to launder over $2 million dollars derived from a business email compromise scheme and for attempting to launder funds he believed to be the proceeds of smuggling illegal aliens into the United States and trafficking firearms in Africa.

According to court documents, from at least March 2013 to February 2017, Raymond Juiwen Ho, 48, of Vienna, engaged in a large-scale money laundering scheme that resulted in millions of dollars being moved through bank accounts (some of which were attorney trust accounts) that Ho or his co-conspirators controlled. Specifically, between July and November 2014, Ho participated in a conspiracy in which co-conspirators sent emails from compromised or imitation accounts that duped victims into transferring money to accounts controlled by Ho and others. Ho then laundered these stolen funds, moving them through and to accounts located in the United States and abroad. Ho, who recruited others to aid his laundering activities, laundered over $2 million in unlawfully obtained funds.

Ho engaged in his money laundering business despite multiple instances of banks closing his accounts due to fraud and inquiries by law enforcement. Eventually, in November 2015, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) initiated an operation in which undercover HSI agents sought Ho’s assistance in moving the proceeds of human smuggling and firearms trafficking between bank accounts located in the United States and overseas. Ho engaged in four such transactions between December 2015 and June 2016, involving over $175,000 that he believed were the proceeds of the illegal smuggling and trafficking activity.

Throughout the criminal conduct described above, Ho was a practicing attorney for an intellectual property law firm based in Washington, D.C. As part of this case, he has surrendered his bar licenses from Georgia and the District of Columbia.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, John P. Cronan, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Patrick J. Lechleitner, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) HSI Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Berrang, Senior Counsels Ryan K. Dickey and James S. Yoon of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and Trial Attorney Kendrack D. Lewis and Former Trial Attorney Elizabeth Wright of the Justice Department’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section investigated and prosecuted the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Nguyen and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph V. Longobardo provided assistance investigating the case.

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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-215.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Heroin Traffickers Plead Guilty

Memphis, TN – Jacqueline DeAvila Montoya, 23 and Selene Yanira Castillo-Meraz, 19, pleaded guilty to federal charges of distribution of heroin and conspiracy to distribute heroin. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the guilty pleas today.

According to the information presented, on October 4, 2017, Montoya and Castillo-Meraz were charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin and distribution of heroin in a 4-count indictment handed down by a federal grand jury in Memphis.

United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: “Our nation and our district are suffering from the heroin and opioid epidemic, causing increases in drug trafficking, violence, addition, and overdose deaths that are tearing our communities apart. This office will use every available resource to prioritize cases involving the distribution of heroin, and to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations that deliver this deadly poison to citizens in the Western District of Tennessee”.

On September 7, 2017, the two women were stopped for speeding on Interstate 40 in Memphis. A subsequent search of their vehicle revealed over 18 pounds of heroin and other illegal narcotics. The defendants were bringing the drugs from California through Tennessee on their way to a delivery in New York City. David Silva Garcia has been identified as another co-conspirator from California, and is currently under indictment in Memphis for his role in the drug trafficking organization.

At the plea hearing, the two women pleaded guilty to Counts 1 and 3 of the indictment for trafficking heroin. They each face a mandatory minimum of 10 years imprisonment.

This case was investigated by the West Tennessee Drug Task Force, an arm of the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office; and the Drug Enforcement Administration in Memphis along with their DEA partners in Riverside, California, New York City and Mexico City.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph F. Griffith is prosecuting this case on the government’s behalf.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Brooklyn Man Arrested For Attempting To Induce A Minor To Have Sex

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the arrest of SHMUEL ZARZAR on a charge of attempted inducement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.  ZARZAR was arrested yesterday and will be presented today in Manhattan federal court before the Honorable Kevin N. Fox.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “As alleged, Shmuel Zarzar attempted, through a month-long correspondence, to induce a 12-year-old to have sex with him.  He was arrested yesterday when the meeting he allegedly thought he was having with the child victim turned out to be a meeting with the FBI.” 

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said:  “The alleged behavior of the subject is nothing short of outrageous, and we simply won’t tolerate this in our community.  The FBI New York Crimes Against Children Task Force fights each day to protect the most vulnerable among us, and we will aggressively pursue predators who target our children.”

According to the allegations in the Complaint sworn out today in Manhattan federal court:[1]

Over the course of several weeks in December 2017, ZARZAR exchanged text messages with a 12-year-old whom ZARZAR had met in person in Brooklyn, New York.  ZARZAR repeatedly requested to meet with the victim and, when the victim refused to confirm a date and time, ZARZAR indicated that he had gone to an area near where the victim attended school in order to see her.  After law enforcement officials were notified of these text message exchanges, a law enforcement officer operating in an undercover capacity (UC-1) assumed the victim’s identity and began to communicate with ZARZAR from the victim’s cellphone with the consent of her parents.  During the course of these conversations, throughout January 2018, ZARZAR requested photographs of the victim, including ones in which the victim was nearly naked, and described explicit sexual activity that he intended to engage in with the victim.  During the investigation, law enforcement officials observed ZARZAR standing near the victim’s school for several hours.  On February 1, 2018, after ZARZAR and UC-1, who was acting as the victim, arranged to meet in Manhattan, law enforcement officials observed ZARZAR at the pre-arranged meeting location and apprehended him shortly thereafter.

*                      *                     *

ZARZAR, 30, of Brooklyn, New York, is charged with one count of attempted inducement of a minor under the age of 18 to engage in sexual activity, which carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.  The maximum potential sentences in this case 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. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s Crimes Against Children squad.

This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant United States Attorney Elinor L. Tarlow is in charge of the prosecution.

The charge contained in the Complaint is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Santa Fe Cardiologist Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Justice While Awaiting Sentencing on Health Care Fraud Charge

ALBUQUERQUE – Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney, Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division and U.S. Marshal Conrad E. Candelaria today announced that Roy G. Heilbron, 54, a cardiologist residing in Santa Fe, N.M., pled guilty in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to an obstruction of justice charge.  The charge against Heilbron arises out of his alleged attempt to obstruct and impede sentencing proceedings in a pending criminal case.  

“The administration of justice depends on the honesty and good faith of all concerned, even those charged with crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tierney.  “In this case, Mr. Heilbron impeded the administration of justice by falsely claiming that he required medical treatment in Costa Rica for the purpose of delaying or avoiding sentencing for committing healthcare fraud.  For this, he deserves just punishment.”

“A doctor who cheats Medicare and private insurance companies by billing them for unnecessary tests is a criminal,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Wade.  “When that doctor tries to delay sentencing by lying and making up phony documents, he’s a criminal looking at possibly spending a lot more time in prison.  The FBI hopes today’s guilty plea sends a message that we will not allow wrongdoers to avoid paying for their crimes.”

Heilbron was charged on Sept. 6, 2017, in a two-count indictment with making and presenting fraudulent documents regarding his medical condition to a U.S. Probation Officer, and submitting the fraudulent documents for the purpose of postponing or avoiding sentencing in a pending health care fraud prosecution.  The indictment alleges that Heilbron committed the two crimes in Bernalillo County, N.M., and elsewhere, between Aug. 3, 2017 and Aug. 7, 2017.

Heilbron previously had pleaded guilty in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a health care fraud charge on Feb. 17, 2017, under a plea agreement recommending a sentence of two years of imprisonment followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.  

On Aug. 7, 2017, Heilbron’s attorney filed a motion to continue Heilbron’s sentencing hearing, which was then scheduled for Aug. 28, 2017, to permit Heilbron to begin chemotherapy in Costa Rica for prostate cancer.  The motion included two attachments:  a one-page “Treatment Protocol for Roy Heilbron” dated Aug. 3, 2017, which purported to detail Heilbron’s alleged prostate cancer diagnosis, and a three-page “Clinical Summary” dated June 24, 2017, which purported to outline a four-cycle chemotherapy treatment plan.  The two documents purported to be authored by a physician with offices in San Jose, Costa Rica, and Miami, Fla.

On Aug. 9, 2017, a U.S. Magistrate Judge issued a warrant for Heilbron’s arrest based on a criminal complaint setting forth the same charges as those contained in the indictment.  The complaint outlined the FBI’s investigation into the claims made in the “Clinical Summary” and “Treatment Protocol,” and asserted that Heilbron created the two documents himself and that Heilbron was not a patient of the physician whose name appears on the fraudulent documents.  According to the complaint, Heilbron allegedly provided the fraudulent documents to his U.S. Probation Officer on Aug. 4, 2017, in support of a request to postpone his sentencing hearing.

During today’s proceedings, Heilbron entered a guilty plea to the obstruction of justice charge of the indictment.  According to the plea agreement, Heilbron acknowledged that he previously pled guilty to a health care fraud charge on Feb. 17, 2017, and had a sentencing hearing on Aug. 28, 2017.  In entering his guilty plea, Heilbron admitted that on Aug. 4, 2017, he sent his Probation Officer an email requesting to postpone his sentencing hearing based on the representation that he was scheduled to begin chemotherapy treatments in Costa Rica on Aug. 14, 2017.  In support of his request, Heilbron attached a clinical summary and treatment protocol purportedly authored by Heilbron’s physician.  Heilbron further admitted that the email was false and created for the purpose of delaying or avoiding the sentencing hearing on his health care fraud plea, and at the time he made the request for the postponement, he was on vacation in Europe with no intention of beginning chemotherapy treatments in Costa Rica beginning on Aug. 14, 2017. 

In entering the guilty plea, Heilbron acknowledged that when he sent the false email, he was on release under a July 1, 2015 order of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico relating to his health care fraud charge that put him on notice on the effect of committing crimes while on presentence release. 

At sentencing, Heilbron faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison, which will run consecutive to the two-year term of term of imprisonment he faces as the result of his guilty plea in the health care fraud case.  Heilbron remains in federal custody pending sentencing hearings in in his obstruction of justice and health care fraud cases, which have yet to be scheduled.

The obstruction of justice case was investigated by the Santa Fe and Albuquerque offices of the FBI, with assistance from the Charlotte office of the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Santa Fe office of the FBI investigated the health care fraud case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy Peña and George C. Kraehe are prosecuting both cases.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Former Kentucky River Regional Jail Deputy Jailer Pleads Guilty To Civil Rights Violation For Using Excessive Force Against An Inmate

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A former deputy jailer at an Eastern Kentucky jail has entered a guilty plea to a federal criminal civil rights charge related to his role in an unprovoked assault of a pretrial detainee.

Jarrod Allen Lucas, 28, entered his guilty plea today, before U.S. District Chief Judge Karen K. Caldwell.

In his plea, Lucas admitted that, on October 10, 2011, he assaulted an inmate immediately after his Supervisor – Damon Hickman – punched the inmate on the side of his head.  Hickman struck the inmate with such force that he broke his hand and caused the inmate’s ear to bleed. Lucas and another supervisor, Matthew Amburgey, then knocked the inmate to the ground and repeatedly kicked him.  Lucas admitted that he kicked the inmate without justification.

The Kentucky River Regional Jail houses pretrial detainees from Perry and Knott Counties. As a deputy jailer, Lucas was responsible for the custody, care, safety and control of the inmates at the jail.

Hickman pleaded guilty last year for his role in a separate assault at the same jail. The victim of that assault died.

Amburgey pleaded guilty last week for his role in the October 10, 2011, assault involving Lucas and Hickman.

Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John M. Gore, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division; and Amy Hess, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, jointly made the announcement.

The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hydee Hawkins of the United States Attorney’s Office and Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel of the Civil Rights Division prosecuted this case on behalf of the federal government.

Sentencing for Lucas is scheduled for May 1, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. in Lexington. He faces up to 12 months imprisonment. The U.S. District Court will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statutes before imposing sentence.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: McHenry Man Convicted of Child Pornography Charges

ROCKFORD — A McHenry man was found guilty of child pornography charges following a four-day jury trial in federal court in Rockford. 

MICHAEL L. CHAPARRO, 29, was charged with one count of transporting child pornography via the internet, and two counts of accessing child pornography that had crossed state lines, including an image of a prepubescent minor and a minor under 12 years of age, with intent to view the child pornography.

According to the indictment and the evidence at trial, on Aug. 7, 2014, Chaparro knowingly transported to Pennsylvania and Texas materials depicting one or more actual minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  In addition, evidence at trial indicated that Chaparro accessed a smart phone on Nov. 24, 2014, and computer hard drive on July 30, 2013, with intent to view child pornography, knowing that one or more persons depicted in an image involved a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.

Transporting child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, and accessing child pornography carries a maximum of ten years in prison and up to 20 years in prison for an offense involving a minor under 12 years of age.  Each count carries a $250,000 maximum fine.  The court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.  A sentencing hearing will be set by the Court at a later date.

The conviction was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Bill Prim, McHenry County Sheriff.  The Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force assisted in the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Love and Margaret J. Schneider.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Two Area Men Charged With Drug Offenses Following Investigation of Drug Trafficking at D.C. Barber Shop

            WASHINGTON – Two area men have been arrested in an investigation that led to the seizure of firearms, ammunition and narcotics at various locations in the District of Columbia and Maryland, including a barbershop and surrounding property in Southeast Washington.

            The charges were announced today by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Thomas L. Chittum III, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Daniel L. Board, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Baltimore Field Division, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Henry P. Stawinski III, Chief of the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department.

            On Feb. 1, 2018, law enforcement agents from ATF, MPD and the Prince George’s County Police Department executed search warrants on three locations and five vehicles linked to a seven-month investigation into alleged drug trafficking from the Next Level Cuts barbershop and surrounding property in the 2400 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE, which led to the seizure of firearms, ammunition, and quantities of narcotics.

            The investigation established that drug traffickers would use the barbershop and adjoining property as a stash location for the trafficking of narcotics. A search at that location led to the seizure of more than $7,000 in cash, more than 800 grams of PCP, more than 300 grams of heroin, boxes of Suboxone strips, three firearms, and ammunition.

            As a result of the search warrants, Anthony Fields, 44, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with two drug trafficking offenses. Fields made his first court appearance today and was ordered held pending a detention hearing set for Feb. 7, 2018.

            As a result of a search warrant executed in Prince George’s County, James Venable, 46, of Fort Washington, Md., was arrested by Prince George’s County officers on narcotics and firearms charges.

            The charges in criminal complaints are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  

            In announcing the arrests and seizures, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Chittum, Special Agent in Charge Board, Chief Newsham, and Chief Stawinski commended the work of those who are investigating the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who are handling the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Macchiaroli, and from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Sykes.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: New Orleans Men Plead Guilty to Gun and Carjacking Charges

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that RODNEY BROWN, age 22 and MICHAEL PORTIS, 27, both of New Orleans, pled guilty to carjacking related charges.  PORTIS pled guilty to brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a carjacking and BROWN pled guilty to carjacking.

According to court documents, on April 24, 2016, at approximately 2:29 a.m., two females were carjacked in the driveway of a house located in the 5000 block of N. Derbigny Street.  The victims stated that they exited the house and entered a vehicle that was parked in the driveway of that location.   PORTIS and BROWN, dressed in black and brandishing guns, approached from opposite sides of the vehicle. BROWN tapped on the window of the vehicle with a gun and stated, “You move I’ll shoot.”  A third suspect stood nearby and acted as a lookout.  The two females exited the car and the suspects entered and drove away.  A short time later, the car was returned and left in the driveway.

One of the victims told the police officers that one of the suspects had facial tattoos.  Officers canvassed the area, set up a perimeter and searched the block.  Officers located PORTIS and two other subjects hiding in high bush nearby.  PORTIS had facial tattoos and was wearing dark pants and a dark, hooded sweatshirt, consistent with the description given by the victims.  The victim positively identified PORTIS as one of the gunmen.  BROWN was not apprehended on the date of the incident, but was later identified and implicated on jail phone call recordings.

PORTIS faces a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a fine of $250,000 and up to five years on supervised release.  BROWN faces up to 15 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and up to three years on supervised release.  U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier scheduled PORTIS and BROWN to be sentenced on May 17, 2018.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Gramercy and Laplace Men Indicted on Drug Charges

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that THORNE BROWN, age 30, of Gramercy, and EDWIN WATSON, age 36, of LaPlace, were indicted on January 26, 2018 by a federal grand jury for charges of distributing and conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.  The indictment was unsealed on January 31, 2018.

According to the indictment, since October 9, 2017, BROWN and WATSON conspired to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than fifty grams of methamphetamine and more than five hundred grams of a mixture containing a detectible amount of methamphetamine. In addition, BROWN and WATSON are charged with more than fifty grams of methamphetamine and more than five hundred grams of a mixture containing a detectible amount of methamphetamine on October 17, 2017. If convicted of these charges, the defendants face a term of imprisonment of at least ten years and up to life.

U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely an allegation and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan L. Shih and Nicholas D. Moses are in charge of the prosecution.