Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Law Enforcement to Announce New Charges in MS-13 Case, Including Five Central Ohio Murders

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A second superseding indictment returned here today charges 23 individuals alleged to be members and associates of the Columbus clique of MS-13 in a racketeering conspiracy. The most recent indictment includes crimes that could make some of the defendants eligible for the death penalty.

The briefing will be held:

TODAY: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018

WHEN:           2:30 P.M.

WHERE:         U.S. Attorney’s Office

                        Main Conference Room

                        303 Marconi Blvd. Suite 200

                        Columbus, Ohio 43215

WHO:             U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman

                        Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, FBI

                        Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin

                        Caleb Lowe, Assistant Field Office Director, ICE Enforcement & Removal Operations

                        Tim Becker, Deputy Chief, Columbus Division of Police

Room available beginning at 2:15 P.M. No TV lighting or multbox will be available. ID will be required for entrance at Security.

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Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: U.S. Attorney’s Office collects nearly $15 million in civil, criminal, asset forfeiture actions in FY2017

SHREVEPORT/LAFAYETTE/ALEXANDRIA/LAKE CHARLES/MONROE, La.:  United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana collected $14,869,623 through civil, criminal and asset forfeiture actions in fiscal year 2017.  Generally, the money collected is used to restore funds to crime victims and to recover money owed to the United States. 

The District collected more than $13 million in criminal actions and $1.2 million in civil actions. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also worked with its law enforcement partners to collect almost $60,000 in asset forfeiture actions in fiscal year 2017.

Included in the FY2017 criminal collections is $9.5 million collected from Wood Group PSN Inc. and $1.2 million collected from Omega Protein Inc.  Wood Group previously pleaded guilty to violations of the Clean Water Act, as well as one count of falsifying documents, and was sentenced to pay more than $9 million in criminal fines and restitution. Omega Protein also pleaded guilty to Clean Water Act violations and was sentenced to pay a criminal fine of $1 million plus $200,000 restitution.

The total amount collected by the District in FY2017 included almost $1 million collected in garnishment proceedings commenced by the District’s Financial Litigation Unit (FLU). The money collected is attributable to aggressive asset investigations and garnishment of various financial interests of debtors including retirement and other investment accounts, pensions and annuities, life insurance policies, bank accounts and wages. The FLU also placed an emphasis on increasing its garnishment of assets held in the name of nominee business entities.

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the Department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims.  The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss.  While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the Department’s Crime Victims’ Fund, which distributes the funds to state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

Overall, the Justice Department collected more than $15 billion in civil and criminal actions in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017. 

“It takes long hours and great effort from our attorneys and support staff to track down and collect these funds,” stated U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. “The money is often owed by defendants who resist repaying victims of crime.  I am thankful for our dedicated employees who, for another year, brought in a record amount in collections on behalf of crime victims and taxpayers.”

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Houma Man Sentenced for Drug Conspiracy

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Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Two Men Sentenced To Federal Prison For Meth-Distribution Conspiracy

Two men have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy.

Matthew Vance Query, age 34, of Mason City, Iowa, received his prison term after an August 10, 2017, guilty plea; and Ronald William Frank, age 31, of Mason City, Iowa, received his prison term after an August 28, 2017, guilty plea.  Query and Frank each pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. 

Query and Frank admitted their involvement in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in northern Iowa and Colorado between 2012 and April 7, 2017.  On April 3, 2017, search warrants were executed as part of the investigation into Frank and Query, including a traffic stop, search of Query’s residence, a storage unit and a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu driven by Frank.  Located in the vehicle was marijuana, and a container containing 378.9 grams of ice methamphetamine.     During the search of Query’s residence, marijuana, scales, packaging materials and cash was located.  Stolen property was located at Query’s residence and storage unit.  Query was responsible for the distribution of more than 500 grams of actual (pure) methamphetamine.  Frank was responsible for the distribution of more than 150 grams of actual (pure) methamphetamine.

Query and Frank were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade.  Query was sentenced to 151 months’ imprisonment.  A special assessment of $100 was imposed.  He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  Frank was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment.  A special assessment of $100 was imposed.  He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Both Query and Frank are being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jack Lammers and investigated by the North Central Iowa Narcotics Task Force and the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 17-3026.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Two Cedar Falls Men Charged with Possessing Carfentanil Disguised as Oxycodone Pills with Intent to Distribute

Cameron James Lensmeyer, age 20, and Evan Paul Sage, age 20, from Cedar Falls, Iowa, have each been charged with one count of possessing with intent to distribute carfentanil, as well as other drugs.  Sage has also been charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.­  The charges are contained in an Indictment unsealed on February 9, 2018, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids. 

The Indictment alleges that, on or about June 30, 2017, Lensmeyer possessed with intent to distribute carfentanil and marijuana.  It further alleges that, on the same date, Sage possessed with intent to distribute carfentanil, marijuana, and cocaine, and that he possessed a firearm in furtherance of those drug crimes. 

Evidence at a detention hearing held on February 13, 2018, showed that, in June 2017, the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force conducted a search of Lensmeyer’s and Sage’s shared Cedar Falls residence.  During the search, investigators seized over 800 blue pills that appeared to be prescription oxycodone pills (depicted below), over $20,000 in cash, over 30 grams of cocaine, over 600 grams of marijuana, and a loaded .32 caliber handgun.  Later testing determined that the blue pills contained carfentanil.  Carfentanil is a powerful narcotic that is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl.  It is not approved for use by humans, but is used as an elephant tranquilizer.

If convicted, Lensmeyer faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, $100 in special assessments, and a lifetime of supervised release following any imprisonment.  If convicted on all charges, Sage faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $5,250,000 fine, $200 in special assessments, and a lifetime of supervised release following any imprisonment.­ 

Both men appeared on February 9, 2018, in federal court in Cedar Rapids.  Trial for both men is set for March 26, 2018. 

As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The case is being investigated by the Tri‑County Drug Enforcement Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 18-CR-2004-LRR.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Former Social Security Administration Employee Convicted Of Theft Of Government Money

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that Vasty Araceli Jimenez (32, Ellenton) has pleaded guilty to theft of government money.  She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 19, 2018. 

According to the plea agreement, between 2011 and 2014, Jimenez applied for child care subsidies for her children through the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County (“ELC”). The funding for these subsidies was administered by the Office of Early Learning (“OEL”), a component of the Florida Department of Education that administered federal and state child care funds, including federal Child Care and Development Fund dollars, for the state of Florida. OEL funded various local early learning coalitions to assist families who qualified for subsidized daycare services. The subsidies were paid directly to the daycare providers.

During the relevant time period, Jimenez provided the ELC with pay stubs purportedly from her employer, the Social Security Administration. Jimenez, however, had altered the pay stubs to make it appear that her gross pay was less than it actually was. Based on these falsified pay stubs, the ELC determined that she qualified for child care subsidies. In addition, in her applications and re-certification paperwork, she failed to disclose that she was married and that her husband was part of her household, which would have affected the family’s eligibility for child care. Likewise, Jimenez failed to disclose any of her husband’s income in her ELC paperwork. These omissions resulted in Jimenez receiving child care subsidies to which she would not have otherwise been entitled. In total, Jimenez received approximately $48,895. She resigned from her position with the Social Security Administration prior to pleading guilty. 

This case was investigated by the United States Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Public Assistance Fraud, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Scruggs.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Largo Man Sentenced To Four Years In Federal Prison For Viewing Child Sexual Abuse Videos And Images Using The “Dark Web”

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Benjamin McKenzie (42, Largo) to four years in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse videos and images. He was also sentenced to a 20-year term of supervision and ordered to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

McKenzie pleaded guilty on November 28, 2017.      

According to court documents, FBI agents began an online undercover investigation to identify individuals who were using a particular anonymizing website on the “dark web” to access and download images and videos depicting child pornography. Further investigation revealed that McKenzie had accessed child pornography on this website between September 2014 and March 2015. FBI agents executed a search warrant at McKenzie’s residence and a forensic examination of his computer revealed that it contained at least 400 videos and 100 images depicting children being sexually abused, as well as evidence that McKenzie had downloaded child pornography over the Internet.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.

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: Citizen of Mexico Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the U.S.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that VICTOR MANUEL AGUILAR CAMACHO, 39, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to approximately five months of imprisonment, time already served, for illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in September 2013, the Willimantic Police Department arrested AGUILAR CAMACHO after a domestic violence incident.  The victim reported to police that AGUILAR CAMACHO, against whom the victim had obtained a protective order, had hid outside of her home, forced his way inside and assaulted her.

On March 11, 2014, AGUILAR CAMACHO pleaded guilty to violation of a protective order and strangulation in the second degree, and was sentenced to five years of incarceration, execution suspended, and three years of probation.  He was removed to Mexico in September 2014.

AGUILAR CAMACHO illegally reentered the U.S. and returned to Connecticut.  In September 2017, he was spotted outside the home of the victim.

AGUILAR CAMACHO has been detained in federal custody since October 5, 2017.  On November 20, he pleaded guilty to one count of reentry of a removed alien.

At the conclusion of today’s court proceeding, AGUILAR CAMACHO was taken into ICE custody and will be removed to Mexico.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alina Reynolds.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Former State Legislator Sentenced for Mail Fraud

       Montgomery, Ala. –    On Thursday, February 15, 2018, former State Representative Micky Ray Hammon, 60, of Decatur, Alabama, received a sentence of three months’ imprisonment for committing mail fraud, announced United States Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr.  Hammon served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2003 until 2017, when he entered his guilty plea. During his service, Hammon represented the fourth district.  From 2010 to 2017, Hammon served as the chamber’s majority leader.  Hammon will be subject to three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence.

       According to court documents, Hammon used money donated to his 2014 reelection campaign to pay personal expenses.  This is a violation of Alabama law, which strictly limits the ways that donated money can be used.  Hammon used the United States Postal Service to commit his offense when he received campaign donation checks through the mail.  All of the donors reasonably expected that the campaign would use money for legal purposes.   

       “The victims of Hammon’s offense were not only the donors to his campaign, but all Alabama voters,” stated United States Attorney Franklin.  “All voters trust that elected officials will serve honorably, not line their own pockets.  Hammon violated that trust.  I would like to thank the United States Postal Inspection Service for the excellent work that led to this prosecution.  My office will continue to hold our elected officials accountable.” 

       “This sentencing sends out the clear message that nobody is above the law when it comes to the sanctity of the U.S. Mail,” said U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Adrian Gonzalez, Houston Division.  “Postal Inspectors steadfastly work to defend the nation’s mail system from fraud in hopes of bringing anyone to justice that uses the U.S. Postal Service in violating the trust of the American public.”          

       The United States Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.  Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross prosecuted the case.