Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: New Boston Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Bank Robbery

          CONCORD, N.H. – Robert A. Ruggiero, 24, of New Boston, was sentenced to serve 37 months in federal prison for bank robbery, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.

             According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 8, 2017, Ruggiero walked into a Citizens Bank branch in Goffstown, New Hampshire, and handed the teller a note demanding money. The teller gave Ruggiero a quantity of United States currency. Surveillance cameras captured images of the robbery, which were broadcast on local news outlets and distributed via social media. Numerous individuals identified Ruggiero from the photographs and he was apprehended later that day. 

            Ruggiero pleaded guilty to the offense on November 9, 2017.  After serving his sentence, he will be on supervised release for three years.

            “Bank robbery is a violent crime that endangers both bank employees and members of the public,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley.  “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who commit bank robberies and other violent offenses so that we can improve the safety of our community.”

          “Mr. Ruggiero’s unlawful behavior brought fear and concern to bank employees,” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Boston Division. “The FBI is grateful for the public’s assistance in helping us identify him, and we are fully committed to working with all of our law enforcement partners to combat violent crime and improve the safety of our communities.”

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Goffstown Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Dronzek.

###

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Manchester Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking Charges

          CONCORD, N.H. – Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today that Derrick Jennings, 48, formerly of Manchester, pleaded guilty to fentanyl trafficking charges.

          Court documents and statements in court showed that while on supervised release for a prior drug trafficking crime, Jennings sold fentanyl on three separate occasions in January and February 2016, to an individual who was cooperating with the Rochester Police Department.  On April 6, 2016, two individuals were arrested by the Manchester Police Department during a traffic stop after a search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of 244.45 grams of fentanyl that had been packaged for sale.  Investigators determined that the individuals were drug “runners” for Jennings.  On July 18, 2016, 57.7 grams of fentanyl, a digital scale, multiple cellphones, and $6,100 in cash were recovered when a search warrant was executed at Jennings’ apartment in Manchester.  Jennings became a fugitive, but was arrested in November of 2016.  The cash was forfeited to the United States.

            Jennings pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, and one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.  He will be sentenced on May 31, 2018.

          “The aggressive investigation and prosecution of fentanyl trafficking is a top priority of the United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley.  “Individuals like this defendant who seek to profit from the sale of this deadly drug are causing grave damage to our community.  We will work tirelessly to stop fentanyl trafficking and to protect the citizens of the Granite State from its deadly effects.”

          “Those suffering from the disease of opioid addiction need access to treatment and recovery,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson.  “But those responsible for distributing lethal drugs like fentanyl to the citizens of New Hampshire need to be held accountable for their actions.  DEA’s top priority is combatting the opioid epidemic by working with our local, county and state law enforcement partners to bring to justice those that distribute this poison.”

            This investigation was conducted by the DEA, the Strafford County Drug Task Force, and the Manchester and Rochester, New Hampshire Police Departments.  The United States Marshals-led New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force also provided valuable assistance.  Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Cole Davis is prosecuting the case.

                                                                                                                                                    ###

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Mailing Threatening Communications

          CONCORD, N.H. – Michael Dube, 48, of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, was sentenced to five years of probation and a $16,500 fine for mailing threatening communications, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.

             According to court documents and statements made in court, between March 2, 2016 and June 2, 2016, Dube sent three letters to victims located in New Hampshire, which contained threats to break the addressee’s legs, sexually assault his daughter, and to kill his son.  The letters were postmarked in Boston and delivered to a residence in Sandown, New Hampshire.        

            Dube previously pleaded guilty to three counts of mailing threatening communications.

            “By sending these threatening communications to the victim, the defendant attempted to create a climate of fear and intimidation,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley.  “Such conduct cannot be tolerated.  I commend the law enforcement officers whose work led to the successful identification and prosecution of this defendant.”

          “Mr. Dube was blinded by his obsession and oblivious to the impact of his crimes. He carried out a relentless stalking campaign whereby he violated his victim’s privacy and threatened those around him,” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division. (FBI)  “Violence through words or actions cannot be tolerated and the FBI will continue to do everything it can to identify, arrest, and bring those to justice who engage in similar criminal conduct.”

            This Sandown Police Department initiated the investigation of the case.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Derry Police Department, the Salem Police Department, the Raymond Police Department, and the Tewksbury Police Department assisted in the investigation.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Helen Fitzgibbon and Donald Feith.

###

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Involving Cocaine, Marijuana, Heroin and Methamphetamine

 

Gulfport, MS – Jose Luis Chavez a/k/a “Big Head,” 47, of Edinburg, Texas, pled guilty today before U.S. District U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine, 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, and 100 grams or more of heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and DEA Special Agent in Charge Stephen G. Azzam.

During an arrest in Gulfport, Mississippi, in March 2016, agents with DEA began an investigation that led to the arrest of Chavez. Confidential sources met with law enforcement and stated that Chavez was a major source of supply for cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine and heroin for the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The confidential sources stated Chavez conspired with at least three other individuals to traffic narcotics from Texas to Mississippi. Agents with DEA corroborated the information provided by the confidential sources and arrested Chavez in Texas and brought him to Mississippi for prosecution.

Chavez will be sentenced on May 17, 2018, by Judge Ozerden, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.

The case was investigated by the DEA and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathlyn R. Van Buskirk.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Billerica Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Two Young Boys

BOSTON – A Billerica man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for sexually exploiting two young boys over a five-and-a-half year period.

Philip Toronto, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 40 years in prison and five years of supervised release. In November 2017, Toronto pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of children.

On Feb. 28, 2017, a search warrant was executed at Toronto’s home in response to multiple CyberTips that tracked the trade of child pornography over Skype to Toronto’s Billerica address. During the search, law enforcement recovered evidence of child pornography. Law enforcement confronted Toronto with evidence that some of the child pornography appeared to be homemade. Toronto admitted to filming his sexual abuse of two young boys: a five-year-old boy as recently as September 2016; and a now 15-year-old boy between 2011 and 2014.

More extensive forensic review of the devices seized from Toronto’s home revealed surreptitious recordings of the children in various stages of undress as well as videos and images of Toronto raping and indecently assaulting each of the boys.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Raymond Moss, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today. This case was investigated in conjunction with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, which indicted Toronto for the rape and assault of both boys. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Lelling’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of his Major Crimes Unit, prosecuted 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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: West Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges

BOSTON – A Beckley, W.Va., man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with a scheme where he purported to sell paintings stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990, on Craigslist.  

Todd Andrew Desper, a/k/a “Mordokwan,” 48, pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud and attempted wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel scheduled sentencing for May 15, 2018. In May 2017, Desper was arrested in West Virginia and charged in a criminal complaint. 

Desper, acting under the pseudonym “Mordokwan,” solicited foreign buyers for both the Storm on the Sea of Galilee and Vermeer’s The Concert on Craigslist in a number of foreign cities including Venice and London. Desper directed interested buyers to create an encrypted email account to communicate with him.  Authorities were notified of the foreign Craigslist notices by individuals seeking to assist in the recovery of the artwork, as well as those seeking the multi-million dollar reward offered by the Museum.  

At the direction of federal authorities, the security director for the Gardner Museum engaged in encrypted communications with Desper in an attempt to determine whether Desper had access to the stolen masterpieces. Desper instructed the security director to send a cashier’s check for $5 million to a location in West Virginia and that the Storm on the Sea of Galilee would then be sent in return, concealed behind another painting. The investigation ultimately revealed that Desper had no access to, nor information about, the stolen paintings, but was instead engaged in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme targeting foreign art buyers.  

On March 18, 1990, 13 pieces of artwork were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the early morning hours. According to security guards, two white males dressed in Boston Police uniforms gained entrance to the Gardner Museum by stating that they were responding to a report of a disturbance within the museum compound.  Upon entry, the thieves subdued and secured the guards and went on to commit the largest art theft in history, taking 13 works of art including Rembrandt’s Storm on the Sea of Galilee and Vermeer’s The Concert.  The combined value of the art stolen during the Gardner theft is estimated at $500 million, although several of the works are considered priceless within the art community.

The charging statute provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine 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 today. Assistance was provided the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, the FBI Pittsburgh Field Division, and the Beckley Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Former Church Pastor Indicted for Theft of Over $200,000 in Social Security Funds

United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that OTHO SCHILLING (“SCHILLING”), age 58, of Mt. Hermon, Louisiana, was indicted today by a federal grand jury for Theft of Government Funds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. ‘ 641.

According to the indictment, SCHILLING, while the pastor of a church in Bush, LA between 2005-2016,  required the church to pay his personal expenses, such as his health and car insurance premiums, car payments, and personal land note in lieu of the church paying him a salary directly. During this period, SCHILLING was receiving Retirement, Survivors and Disability Insurance (“RSDI”) from the Social Security Administration in the amount of $1,728 a month.  SCHILLING concealed both his earnings and employment from the Social Security Administration.   Accordingly, SCHILLING fraudulently received over $200,000.00 in RSDI benefits he was not entitled to due to his employment with the church.

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

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General.  The prosecution of this case is being handled by Fraud Unit Chief, Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Olney, Illinois Woman Sentenced on Methamphetamine Related Charges

 

Kylee D. Black, 34, of Olney, IL, was sentenced on February 14, 2018, to federal prison on methamphetamine related charges, Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.

Black was sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment and four years’ supervised release following her imprisonment. Black previously pled guilty to six counts of a federal indictment brought against her.

Count 1 charged that from around 2015, until on or about April 21, 2017, in Richland County, Vickie Sanders, 57, of Olney, Illinois, and Black conspired with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury to knowingly and intentionally manufacture fifty (50) grams or more of methamphetamine.

Counts 3-6 charged that Sanders and Black knowingly and intentionally possessed Pseudoephedrine knowing that the Pseudoephedrine would be used to manufacture methamphetamine. The dates involved were December 21, 2016 (Count 3), December 15, 2015 (Count 4), September 30, 2015 (Count 5), and April 3, 2015 (Count 6).

Count 7 charged that on May 14, 2017, in Richland County, Black knowingly and intentionally distributed methamphetamine.

Sanders has also pleaded guilty to charges against her and is scheduled for sentencing on March 13, 2018, in the United States District Court in Benton, Illinois.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Richland County Sheriff’s Office.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Man Sentenced to Over 11 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearms Offenses

 

Mark Day, 31, of St. Louis, Missouri will serve 138 months in federal prison for possession with intent to deliver heroin and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Donald S. Boyce, announced today. Following his prison sentence, Day will be on federal supervised release for 4 years. Day has been in custody since January 4, 2017.

Documents filed in the U.S. District Court establish that on February 26, 2015, Day and a juvenile accomplice were observed by MEGSI officers making hand-to-hand drug deliveries in Washington Park, Illinois. When officers attempted to stop the car driven by the juvenile accomplice, he fled at a high rate of speed and eventually crashed the car into a ditch. Day and the juvenile were arrested. Inside the car and on Day’s person officers found 2,626 capsules of heroin and three loaded firearms which included a Century Arms AK-47 rifle, a Taurus 9 mm semiautomatic handgun that had been stolen, and a Taurus .45 caliber handgun.

The case was investigated by theMetropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois (MEGSI). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ali Summers.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Chicago Trader Facing Federal Fraud Charge for Allegedly Misappropriating $2 Million in Cryptocurrencies

CHICAGO — In the first criminal prosecution in Chicago involving the cryptocurrency trading industry, a Chicago trader was charged today with fraud for allegedly misappropriating $2 million in Bitcoin and Litecoin.

JOSEPH KIM, 24, of Chicago, was charged in a federal criminal complaint with one count of wire fraud.  He is scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Feb. 16, 2018, at 10:30 a.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel G. Martin in Courtroom 1743 of the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago.

Kim worked as an assistant trader for Consolidated Trading LLC, a Chicago trading firm that recently formed a cryptocurrency group to engage in cryptocurrency trading, the complaint states.  Over a two-month period in the fall of last year, Kim misappropriated at least $2 million of the firm’s Bitcoin and Litecoin cryptocurrency for his own personal benefit, and he made false statements and representations to the company’s management in order to conceal the theft, according to the complaint.

The complaint was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

According to the complaint, from September through November 2017, Kim transferred more than $2 million of the trading firm’s Bitcoin and Litecoin to personal accounts to cover his own trading losses, which had been incurred while trading cryptocurrency futures on foreign exchanges.  In order to conceal the transfers, Kim lied to the firm’s management about the location of the company’s cryptocurrency and his trading of the company’s cryptocurrency, the complaint states.  Consolidated’s management team discovered the misappropriation in late November, the complaint states.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sunil Harjani and Sheri Mecklenburg.