Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: McKeesport Man Sentenced to Prison and Ordered to Pay Restitution for Overseas Reshipping Scheme

PITTSBURGH – A resident of the Western District of Pennsylvania has been sentenced in federal court on his conviction of fraud conspiracy; mail fraud; wire fraud; conspiracy to commit money laundering; trafficking or using unauthorized access devices aggregating $1,000 or more (attempt); and possession of 15 or more access devices, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence yesterday on Daniel K. Miller, 52, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Miller received a sentence of 33 months in prison, followed by three years supervised release, and was ordered to pay approximately $71,472 in restitution.

According to information presented to the court, Miller falsely represented to be employees of companies in order to arrange and cause the unauthorized purchases of merchandise, and thereafter directing its shipment to individuals (re-shippers) who would re-ship the merchandise to co-conspirators overseas or would sell the products online and transfer the proceeds to co-conspirators overseas. Miller also knowingly transported, transmitted, or transferred monetary instruments or funds from a place in the United States to a place outside the United States (Nigeria). On or about September 10, 2010, Miller attempted to traffic in and use an unauthorized credit card in the amount of $2,213.44. On or about September 17, 2010, Miller possessed 15 or more unauthorized credit cards.

Assistant United States Attorney Shardul S. Desai prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Scott Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Miller.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Georgia Man Sentenced to Probation for Transporting Stolen Car Across State Lines

PITTSBURGH – A Georgia man has been sentenced in federal court to two years’ probation with six months’ home detention on his conviction of interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Tom Smith, 55, of Atlanta, Georgia.

According to information presented to the court, on or about July 1, 2015, Smith transported a stolen Range Rover Sport, valued at $74,000, from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania across state lines into the State of West Virginia.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Cercone stated that the sentence satisfies all of the factors set forth under 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

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

United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Monroeville Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Smith.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Pineville man sentenced to 30 months in prison for possessing child pornography online

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Pineville man was sentenced last week to two and a half years in prison for using an online storage site to house child pornography.

Brandon McNamara, 26, of Pineville, La., was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of possession of child pornography. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release and is required to register as a sex offender. According to the August 28, 2017 guilty plea, Canadian law enforcement agents arrested a resident of British Columbia in 2016 for online child pornography distribution. Canadian agents identified McNamara’s online alias as one of 57 different users exchanging child pornography with the Canadian defendant. Canadian agents alerted U.S. law enforcement, and McNamara was questioned on December 9, 2016. He admitted to possessing images of child pornography and said they were being stored on an online storage account.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) also encourage the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423.  Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls.  Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online by visiting their website at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp or through the Operation Predator smartphone application www.ice.gov/predator/smartphone-app.  Tips may be submitted anonymously.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Vancouver Royal Canadian Mounted Police conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamilla A. Bynog and David J. Ayo prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Pollock prisoner pleads guilty to possessing knife

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Pollock prisoner pleaded guilty last week to possessing a knife.

Eric Judy Blair, 40, a Pollock prisoner, pleaded guilty Friday before U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell to one count of possessing contraband in a prison. According to the guilty plea, prison guards were observing inmates going through a metal detector during a random search on June 11, 2017 at the U.S. Penitentiary at Pollock, La. When Blair could not clear the metal detector, he entered a second time and failed again. During a pat down, guards found a homemade metal knife approximately six and one-half inches long.

Blair faces up to five years in prison, one year of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The court set sentencing for May 18, 2018.

The FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons-Special Investigative Services conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Ayo is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Pollock prisoner sentenced to 24 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a prisoner at the U.S. Penitentiary in Pollock, La., was sentenced last week to two years in prison for assaulting another inmate who later died.

Lee Adams, 53, of Santa Clara County, Calif., was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of involuntary manslaughter. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release. According to the October 20, 2017 guilty plea, Adams entered a fellow inmate’s cell on October 31, 2014 and beckoned for him to follow. After the inmate entered Adams’ cell, Adams struck the inmate causing him to fall backwards. The back of the inmate’s head struck the floor, and he was found laying motionless. Adams exited the cell and entered the common area. Correctional officers locked down the area and transported the injured inmate to a local hospital where he died on November 4, 2014. The coroner concluded that the inmate sustained a skull fracture and massive injury to the brain, concluding that he died from blunt force to the side of his head that struck the floor. There is no indication that Adams specifically intended to kill the inmate.

The FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons-Special Investigative Services conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Shreveport man pleads guilty to drug distribution, firearm offense

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Shreveport man pleaded guilty last week to distributing marijuana and firearm possession.

Xavier Breonte Strickland, 29, of Shreveport, pleaded guilty Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark L. Hornsby to one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote. According to the guilty plea, parole officers went to Strickland’s residence on June 2, 2017 in response to a parole violation. While there, they noticed Strickland exit a bedroom. After searching the bedroom, officers found a Ruger pistol, model: SR1911, caliber: .45 with one round of ammunition in the chamber underneath a green tote bag in the bedroom closet. Next to the bag was a black zipper pouch that contained a digital scale and a bag with 31 grams of marijuana.

Strickland faces up to 20 years in prison for the drug count and no less than five years in prison for the firearms count, which is in addition to the term of imprisonment the court imposes for the drug count. He also faces five years in prison and a $1 million fine. The court set sentencing for June 1, 2018.

The ATF and the Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Panama City Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for Federal Child Pornography Offenses

PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA – Russell Scott Hardman, 57, of Panama City, was sentenced yesterday in the U.S. District Court in Panama City to 84 months in prison for distribution, receipt, and production of child pornography after pleading guilty on November 30, 2017.  The sentence was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

In May 2017, Homeland Security Investigations received a tip from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in which a user of the social media platform Kik was uploading child pornography.  Agents were able to determine that Hardman was using his cellular telephone to access Kik, as well as using his e-mail to upload images of child pornography while at work and at home.  A forensic review of Hardman’s cellular telephone revealed 561 images and 135 videos of child pornography.  Investigation disclosed that Hardman distributed at least 20 of those videos in a group chat.  At least 20 videos of child pornography depicted infants, toddlers, and prepubescent children engaged in sex acts.

United States Attorney Christopher P. Canova stated, “We will continue to utilize the resources of our office to aggressively prosecute anyone who attempts to steal the innocence of a child while hiding in the shadows of the Internet.”

“This child predator thought he could hide in anonymity behind the Internet,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero.  “Thanks to the investigative skills of our HSI special agents, and partners at the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, his crimes were exposed, and he will now be held accountable.”

“The Bay County Sheriff’s Office is committed to maintaining strong working partnerships with fellow law enforcement agencies,” Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford said.  “These partnerships serve to increase our success in finding and bringing criminals like Hardman to justice.”

The case was investigated by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher J. Thielemann.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Citizen of El Salvador Sentenced to 42 Months for Trafficking Cocaine

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MIGUEL LARA, 47, a citizen of El Salvador last residing in Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 42 months of imprisonment for trafficking cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in September 2016, the DEA’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force began an investigation into the cocaine trafficking activities of Christian Paulino Rodriguez.  The investigation revealed that Rodriguez’s cocaine supplier was LARA, the co-owner of Café Luna, a restaurant in Stamford.  In November 2016, an individual working with law enforcement arranged to purchase five kilograms of cocaine from Rodriguez for a price of $28,000 per kilogram.  On November 15, 2016, Task Force officers arrested LARA and Rodriguez after LARA delivered the cocaine to a prearranged location.

LARA has been detained since his arrest.  On November 27, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 500 grams or more of cocaine.

Rodriguez, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty to the same charge on July 18, 2017.  On November 21, he was sentenced to 42 months imprisonment.

LARA and Rodriguez face immigration proceedings when they are released from prison.

This matter was investigated by the DEA’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Stamford and Norwalk Police Departments.  The case was prosecuted Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Vizcarrondo.