Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Massachusetts Man Convicted of Receiving Firearms with Intent to Commit Murder

             CONCORD, N.H. – Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced that late Tuesday afternoon, a federal jury found Edward McLarnon, 69, of Malden, Massachusetts, guilty of receiving firearms with intent to commit murder, as well as three related weapons and explosive charges, after a six-day trial.           

            Evidence presented at trial showed that in October of 2015, McLarnon made contact with a person he believed to be an arms dealer (who was actually an undercover FBI agent) for the purpose of buying illegal weapons.  McLarnon negotiated with the undercover agent at a store in Chichester, New Hampshire and paid a total of $700 in cash to obtain the weapons.  On November 6, 2015, the defendant took possession of a .22 caliber pistol with a silencer, an AK-47-style semi-automatic rifle, ammunition, and two hand grenades containing high explosives at a rest stop in Seabrook.  He was taken into custody shortly after taking possession of these items.  The evidence further showed that McLarnon intended to use the weapons to kill his ex-wife’s husband, as well as a Boston federal judge, and a former Massachusetts Attorney General.      

            The jury found the defendant guilty of: (1) receiving an unregistered silencer; (2) receiving firearms with the intent to commit murder; (3) receiving explosive materials; and (4) receiving an explosive with the intent to harm persons or property.  He faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison for each count of conviction.  He will be sentenced on May 10, 2018.

            “I am grateful to the jury for rendering this swift and just verdict,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley.  “The evidence at trial demonstrated that the defendant devised a frightening plan to use weapons to kill several individuals to express his frustration with the legal system.  Thanks to the hard work of the brave law enforcement officers who participated in this investigation, the defendant’s violent plan was stopped before anyone was hurt.”

            “Edward McLarnon purchased an AK-47, grenades, a silencer, and ammunition with the sole intent of killing the former Massachusetts Attorney General, a sitting federal judge, and other government officials. Today’s conviction ensures that Mr. McLarnon will not be able to further endanger innocent lives,” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Boston Division. “This case is a testament to the tireless efforts of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, where the close coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement led to the successful disruption of McLarnon’s plot.  Each and every day, the Joint Terrorism Task Force strives for a perfect record, and we’d like to thank all of our partners for their dedication and hard work in bringing this case to a safe and successful conclusion.”

            This matter was investigated by the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John S. Davis and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter.

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Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Holyoke Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child Pornography

BOSTON – A Holyoke man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Springfield to receiving child pornography.

Edward F. Dupont, 75, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and is scheduled for sentencing on April 26, 2018.  Dupont was arrested in August 2015 and has been detained since.

On June 23, 2015, federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Dupont’s residence where they seized a computer containing over 16,000 images and 35 videos of child pornography. Four of the videos depicted the rapes of girls as young as five-years-old.

Dupont also possessed a 170-page manual entitled, “How to Practice Child Love.” The manual is a professionally designed document that presents itself as “an education and a step-by-step guide for adults to engage and practice sexual relationships with children.” The manual states: “You do not even need to leave your own house or lot to meet new children and child love candidates. If you are bound to stay at your house, and preferably living alone, you can actually get the kids all the way to your front door – and even inside. This might even be a very safe option too – since as soon as you get the kids inside, no one can watch your activities from outside.”

During the search, Dupont waived his Miranda rights and stated that he has a sexual interest in young children; he has used his computer to access child pornography sites and to download child pornography images and videos; and he possessed child pornography on his home computer. 

Though Dupont denied ever having sexual contact with children, he admitted that neighborhood children came over to play in his backyard and in his basement. He had also given copies of his house keys to the neighbors so that their children could come over any time they wanted, and he maintained a cupboard with games for the children to play.

If the Court accepts the terms of the binding plea agreement, Dupont faces a sentence of at least seven years and up to 15 years in prison, seven years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex J. Grant of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood.  In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse.  Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Boston-Area Investment Advisers Charged with Fraud

BOSTON – Two Boston-area investment advisors were charged today in federal court in Boston with using their clients’ funds to make their own investments and to pay personal expenses.

James Polese, 51, of Wenham, and Cornelius Peterson, 28, of Newton, were each charged with one count of conspiracy and investment adviser fraud and thee counts of bank fraud. Polese was also charged with an additional five counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.  Both men have agree to plead guilty.  

As alleged in court documents, from approximately 2014 to June 2017, Polese and Peterson misappropriated approximately half a million dollars from their clients by transferring funds out of their clients’ accounts without their knowledge or consent. Specifically, On Aug. 20, 2014, Polese and Peterson used $100,000 from a client’s account to invest in a wind farm project although it was not an investment opportunity authorized by their company. On May 15, 2015, Polese and Peterson used $400,000 from another client’s account to back a letter of credit in support of the wind farm project. On multiple occasions in 2017, Polese caused funds to be transfered from a client’s account to pay personal expenses, including college tuition payments and credit card bills. Polese and Peterson were both terminated from the company in June 2017.

The charges of conspiracy and investment adviser fraud each provide for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,00 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of no greater than 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,00 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory consecutive term of two years in prison. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. The U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission also provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom of Lelling’s Economic Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations.  The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law. 

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: East St. Louis Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Preparation of False Tax Returns

 

Evelyn Johnson, 56, of East St. Louis, Illinois was sentenced to serve eighteen months in prison following her conviction for 29 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false federal tax returns, Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today. Following her release from prison Johnson will serve one year of supervised release.

Johnson operated the E.J. Johnson Tax Service in East St. Louis. Evidence presented showed that the Internal Revenue Service sent an undercover agent to have her taxes prepared after the I.R.S. Scheme Development Center detected a potential pattern of fraudulent returns. Johnson prepared a false return for the undercover agent that falsified Schedule A itemized deductions. The tax service business offered a “refund guarantee.” The overall tax loss to the United States was established to be over $769,000. Johnson was convicted of preparing the false return for the undercover agent and convicted of preparing twenty-eight other false federal tax returns.

The indictment is the result of an investigation conducted by the Internal Revenue Service/Criminal Investigations. The prosecution of the case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Fitzgerald Drug Distribution Network Dismantled

United States Attorney Charles E. Peeler announces sentences imposed on the defendants listed below January 30, 2018[1], by United States District Court Judge Leslie J. Abrams in Albany, Georgia.

• Deaundrea C. Peal, age 30 of Fitzgerald, Georgia was sentenced to serve 240 months in federal prison.  Peal was designated a Career Offender by the court based on his prior convictions for Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; Possessing Controlled Substances in School; Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute; and Possessing Marijuana; on September 25, 2005, in the Superior Court of Ben Hill County, Georgia in case number 05CR-176; and Sale of Cocaine; Possessing Controlled Substances Near Schools; Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute; Trafficking In Cocaine; Trafficking in Ecstasy; Possession of Tools for The Commission of Crime on June 14, 2007, in the Superior Court of Ben Hill County, Georgia in case number 06CR-228.
• Dwayne Peal, age 36 of Fitzgerald, Georgia was sentenced to serve 24 months on probation;
• Gwen Peal, age 58 of Fitzgerald, Georgia was sentenced to serve 60 months on probation;
• Marisela Mier, age 27 of Douglas, Georgia was sentenced to serve 48 months in federal prison
• Irvin Falcon, age 23 of Fitzgerald, Georgia was sentenced to serve 260 months in federal prison.  This sentence is to run consecutive to a sentence he is currently serving in the custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections for a prior conviction for Burglary in the First Degree, to end in October 2025;
• Rendell Townsend, age 28 of Fitzgerald, Georgia was sentenced to serve 36 months in federal prison.  His sentence was imposed on January 10, 2018.
• Eujenio Falcon has entered a plea of guilty in the case as well and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, 2018.

There is no parole in the federal system.

Each of the defendants plead guilty in this case. Deaundrea Peal, Marisela Mier, Irvin Falcon, Eujenio Falcon and Rendell Townsend plead guilty to possessing, distributing or conspiring to possess and distribute methamphetamine.  Dwayne Peal plead guilty to possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute.  Gwen Peal plead guilty to Misprision of Felony.

At their plea hearings, the Defendants admitted the following facts:

Defendant Irvin Falcon was in the custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) at Calhoun State Prison in Morgan, Calhoun County, Georgia and was using a contraband cellular telephone to direct the activities of others in this case.  In Spring 2017, investigators developed a confidential informant who could contact I. Falcon on this contraband phone and arrange to have methamphetamine delivered in the Fitzgerald, Georgia area.  Multiple purchases of ounce and multi-ounce quantities of methamphetamine were arranged through I. Falcon.  I. Falcon arranged for others to deliver the drugs for him including Deaundrea Peal, Marisela Mier, and Eujenio Falcon. Later, investigators arranged for the informant to introduce an undercover agent to Deaundrea Peal for the purpose of the undercover agent obtaining methamphetamine directly from Deaundrea Peal.  On one occasion, Deaundrea Peal arranged for Rendell Townsend to deliver the methamphetamine for him.

As a result of Deaundrea Peal’s sales of methamphetamine to the agent, search warrants were authorized for a residence Deaundrea Peal shared with his brother, Dwayne Peal, and for the residence of Gwen Peal, their mother.  At the residence shared by the brothers, agents located approximately 16 grams of marijuana in multiple balloon-covered suppository-shaped bindles in a container with sexual lubricant and a letter from an inmate addressed to Dwayne Peal.  At Gwen Peal’s residence agents located approximately twelve (12) ounces of methamphetamine inside two (2) cereal boxes in her refrigerator.  Gwen Peal later admitted that she failed to tell the agents everything she knew about the methamphetamine stored at her residence by Deaundrea Peal.

In total agents seized approximately 750 grams of methamphetamine and approximately 16 grams of marijuana as a result of this investigation.

United States Attorney Peeler stated: “This office, with the assistance of our partnering federal and state law enforcement agencies, will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those persons who choose to engage in the illicit distribution of narcotics such as methamphetamine and marijuana.  The sentences handed down in this case reflect our commitment to holding drug dealers accountable for their actions, whether they choose to sell their drugs directly on the streets of our neighborhoods, or in Irvin Falcon’s case, from the inside of a prison cell.”

Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division commented on the pleas, “These guilty pleas are a direct result achieved only through the dedicated efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement and the subsequent prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The distribution of methamphetamine continues to ravage many communities and marijuana is a dangerous drug that poses a threat to its users who think it is a benign drug. Many communities are much safer because these individuals have been removed from the streets.”

“Criminal activity being carried out from behind the walls of our prisons will not be tolerated, and we are grateful to our State and Federal partners for their assistance in bringing this case to a close,” said GDC Commissioner Gregory C. Dozier.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Macon Office the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Sylvester Office and the Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Leah McEwen prosecuted the case for the United States.

Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Los Angeles Man Convicted For Possessing And Conspiring To Distribute Over One Kilogram Of Heroin

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that a federal jury has found William Harold Wright, Jr. (56, Los Angeles, CA), a/k/a “Flat Top,” guilty of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, possessing heroin with the intent to distribute it, and of possessing greater than 100 grams of heroin with the intent to distribute it. He faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 30, 2018.

Wright. was indicted on October 4, 2016.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, in April 2015, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and the St. Petersburg Police Department began investigating a heroin distribution network in Pinellas County. Law enforcement officers working in an undercover capacity conducted a series of controlled drug transactions from 2015 through 2016, purchasing from one to nine ounces of heroin in a series of transactions. Investigators later discovered that Wright. had been supplying the heroin that the undercover officer had purchased. In June 2016, law enforcement officers observed Wright. and a co-conspirator retrieve a crate in St. Petersburg that had been shipped from California. The crate contained a kilogram of heroin that had been concealed in a countertop. Officers later arrested Wright.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Petersburg Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys James C. Preston and Charlie D. Connally.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Former Jacksonville Police Officer Sentenced To Life Imprisonment For Sex Trafficking Of A Toddler

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Michael Eugene Williams (61, Jacksonville) to a term of life imprisonment for the commercial sex trafficking of a child, which began when the child was 3 years old. As part of his sentence, the Court also ordered restitution in the amount of $194,905.17 to the minor victim, and ordered the forfeiture of electronic devices used in the commission of the offense, including a cellular telephone, an electronic tablet, and an Internet router.

Williams pleaded guilty to the offense on June 5, 2017.

According to court documents, from at least February 25, 2016, through September 28, 2016, Williams solicited an adult woman in Texas to sexually abuse her 3-year-old daughter, take photographs of the abuse, and sell the photographs to him. An investigation of Williams began in late May 2016, when an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force detective with Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (“JSO”) received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip established that Williams was sharing child pornography. JSO obtained a search warrant for Williams’s residence and found more than 450 images and videos of child pornography on his cellular telephone. In addition, a JSO forensic examiner found text communications between Williams and an adult woman in Texas beginning in January 2016, and continuing through July 7, 2016. During this time period, there were approximately 337 messages, mostly sexual in nature, between Williams and the woman about her daughter.

Williams repeatedly requested more explicit pornographic pictures and videos of the minor for money, urging the mother to engage in sexual acts with her child and to have the child perform sexual acts on others and film the activity. Williams sent at least 19 Western Union wire transfers to the mother for the payment of visual depictions of the minor’s sexual abuse, which were funded by Williams’s retirement income from his career as a JSO officer.

Immediately, upon discovery of the depictions of sexual abuse of the then 4-year-old, Homeland Security Investigations and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office contacted Texas law enforcement officials and the child was removed from the abusive environment. In an interview with the mother, she indicated she had recently been in contact with Williams via “Kik” messenger and that she had communicated with him as recently as September 2016. On October 21, 2016, a federal search warrant was executed at Williams’s residence, where agents discovered his newly obtained cellular telephone containing additional sexually explicit videos of the 4-year-old child and messages in which Williams indicated his desire to perform sexual acts on the child.

The Texas woman pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography in federal court (Northern District of Texas). She was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison.

“This is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero. “Thanks to HSI special agents and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, this criminal will no longer be able to sexually abuse children.”

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (Jacksonville and Dallas), the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Cleburne Police Department (Texas). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys 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 individuals 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: New Haven Man Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Heroin Trafficking Ring

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that RUBEN GONZALEZ, 39, of New Haven, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 77 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for his role in a heroin trafficking ring.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad targeted a New Haven-based heroin trafficking organization led by GONZALEZ’s brothers, Bienvenido and Antonio Gonzalez.  The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical and video surveillance, revealed that the Gonzalez brothers regularly purchased bulk quantities of heroin from suppliers located in the Bronx, New York, and sold the heroin through a network of redistributors in New Haven and elsewhere.

The investigation resulted in federal charges against 24 individuals.

During the investigation, RUBEN GONZALEZ, who was incarcerated in state custody, instructed his girlfriend, Marimar Roman, to purchase large quantities of heroin from Bienvenido Gonzalez and then distribute the drug RUBEN GONZALEZ’s customers.

On November 6, 2017, RUBEN GONZALEZ pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin.

Judge Meyer ordered GONZALEZ to begin serving his 77-month federal sentence after he completes his state sentence, which is scheduled to conclude in approximately six months.

Bienvenido Gonzalez, Antonio Gonzalez and Marimar Roman previously pleaded guilty to related charges and await sentencing.

The DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad includes officers from the Bristol, Hamden, Milford, Monroe, New Haven, Shelton, Wallingford and Wilton Police Departments.  The New Haven, East Haven and West Haven Police Departments, together with the U.S. Coast Guard, provided valuable assistance to the investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Patrick F. Caruso.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Former Hamburg Resident Sentenced For Wire Fraud And Tax Evasion In Connection With Investment Fraud Scheme

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Christopher F. Venti, 49, of Ocala, Florida, formerly of Hamburg, NY, who was convicted of wire fraud and tax evasion, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Wolford to 46 months in prison. Venti was also ordered to pay approximately $1,700,000 in restitution.

Assistant U.S. Attorney MaryEllen Kresse, who handled the case, stated that the defendant devised and executed schemes to obtain money from individuals by misrepresenting the existence and success of investment opportunities in order to convince those victims to transfer funds to him or to bank accounts he controlled. Venti engaged in three separate investment schemes between May 2011 and February 2014 as a result of which investors were defrauded of approximately $7,700,000. The defendant, without the authorization of the investors, utilized a portion of those investor funds for personal use.

Between 2006 and 2012, Venti also filed individual income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service on which he willfully evaded the payment of approximately $216,000 in taxes due and owing.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Adam S. Cohen, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Office.