Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Former Division of Highways engineer pleads guilty for fraudulent scheme

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Lewis County man pleaded guilty today for his fake hotel invoice and expense report scheme to defraud the State of West Virginia, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Steven Hull, 54, of Jane Lew, entered his guilty plea to mail fraud.  U.S. Attorney Stuart commended the investigative efforts of the West Virginia Legislature Commission on Special Investigations.

“This scheme was literally highway robbery. Stealing from West Virginia taxpayers is a crime you won’t get away with,” said U.S. Attorney Stuart. “We take our obligation to protect taxpayer dollars extremely seriously, and I can assure you that my office is committed to uncovering public corruption and aggressively prosecuting this kind of theft.”

Hull admitted that from January 2011 through January 2017, he submitted false invoices attached to inflated expense reports for reimbursement by the State of West Virginia. Hull worked as an engineering technician at the West Virginia Division of Highways, and often traveled as part of his job, staying overnight throughout West Virginia. After each trip, the State of West Virginia would reimburse him. Hull admitted that during the course of his scheme, he provided expense reports for reimbursement that falsely represented the number of days he stayed at hotels, and further falsely represented that he paid for rooms for all those days.

Hull also admitted that from June 2014 until the end of his scheme, he entirely fabricated his hotel room expense reports. The reports would often state that he stayed at a Holiday Inn for a week at a time, when he was actually renting a room on a monthly basis from a less expensive hotel. Hull further admitted that he pocketed the difference in price between his monthly rental and his reimbursements. To disguise the scheme, Hull would produce detailed entries to legitimize the appearance of the fake invoices, including line items for taxes and a hotel rewards code number. From February 2011 through January 2017, Hull received $70,653.14 from submitting false hotel invoices. He paid approximately $18,144 for his monthly rental from June 2014 to December 2016.  

Hull faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on May 15, 2018. As part of the plea agreement, he has also agreed to pay at least $52,509.14 in restitution.

Assistant United States Attorney Meredith George Thomas is in charge of the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Man Charged with Illegal Use of a Social Security Number

RUFINO MEJIA-ACOSTA, a/k/a Miguel A. Pacheco-Gonzalez (MEJIA-ACOSTA), age 38, a citizen of Mexico and residing in Chalmette, Louisiana, was charged in federal court in a one-count Bill of Information for illegal use of a Social Security Number. 

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorney Irene González is in charge of the prosecution.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Getaway Driver Sentenced In Village West Robbery

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – An Illinois man was sentenced Monday to 73 months in federal prison for driving the getaway car in a $53,000 holdup at a Verizon store in Village West, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said. The robbers held store employees at gunpoint and bound them with zip ties.

Terry Curtis, 34, Rockford, Il., pleaded guilty to one count of commercial robbery. In his plea, he admitted that on Sept. 14, 2016, he was involved when four men robbed the Verizon Wireless store at 10621 Village West Parkway. Two of the robbers entered the store, followed two minutes later by the other two. The robbers locked the door and ordered the employees and a customer into a break room. The robbers ordered them to lay face down on the floor and tied their hands behind their backs. The robbers forced an employee to open a safe before they fled the store with phones and cash worth $53,000. Eventually, an employee managed to get loose and call police.

Investigators used surveillance photos from the robbery to tie the Kansas City robbery to a similar robbery weeks earlier at an AT&T Store in Rochester, Minn. They also received an anonymous call that led them to one of the co-defendants who was on parole in Illinois.

During the investigations, agents learned that some of the defendants in the Verizon robbery were part of a group involved in dozens of similar robberies in several states.

Co-defendants who are awaiting trial include:

Mario Lambert, 33, Rockford, Il.

Sir T. Love, 32, Rockford, Il.

Domonique V. Walker, 26, Rockford, Il.

Sharod Pitts, 35, Chicago, Il.

McAllister commended the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their work on the case.

 In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Wichita Man Charged With Operating Gambling Businesses

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Monday, February 12, 2018

WICHITA, KAN. – A Wichita man was charged Monday in federal court with operating illegal gambling businesses, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

Jack Oxler, 41, Wichita, Kan., was charged with one count of operating an illegal poker gambling business and one count of operating an illegal sports betting business.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The FBI, the Wichita Police Department and the Internal Revenue Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst are prosecuting.

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Updated February 12, 2018

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Honduran Man Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Returning to the United States Following Two Deportations

A Honduran man who had previously been deported following a federal conviction for illegal reentry was sentenced today to one year in federal prison.

Geovany Rodriguez-Carrasco, age 38, a citizen of Honduras who had been living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 1, 2017, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry of a removed alien after a felony conviction.

At the guilty plea, Rodriguez-Carrasco admitted he illegally reentered the United States without permission after having been last deported from the United States in August 2013.  Prior to his deportation, Rodriguez-Carrasco was convicted in July 2013 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa on one count of illegal reentry of a removed alien, a felony offense.  Rodriguez-Carrasco was also deported in 2004 following a misdemeanor conviction in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas for illegal entry into the United States. 

Rodriguez-Carrasco was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade.  Rodriguez-Carrasco was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Rodriguez-Carrasco is 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 Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.

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

The case file number is 17-CR-87.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Mexican Man Sentenced to 112 Days in Prison for Illegally Returning to the United States Following Deportation

A Mexican man who had previously been deported following state convictions for domestic abuse and false imprisonment was sentenced today to 112 days in federal prison.

Efren Palacios-Ramirez, age 29, a citizen of Mexico who had been living in Polk County, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 16, 2017, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry of a removed alien after a felony conviction.

At the guilty plea, Palacios-Ramirez admitted he illegally reentered the United States without permission after having been deported from the United States in December 2012.  Prior to his deportation, Palacios-Ramirez was convicted in Polk County, Iowa, of theft 5^th degree in April 2012, and of domestic abuse and false imprisonment in October 2012.  At the time of his arrest in October 2017, Palacios-Ramirez provided law enforcement a false name and his true identity could not be verified until his fingerprints were analyzed by immigration officials.

Palacios-Ramirez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade.  Palacios-Ramirez was sentenced to 112 days’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Palacios-Ramirez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.

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

The case file number is 17-CR-82.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Rockford Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal Prison for Cocaine and Firearm Charges

ROCKFORD — A Rockford man was sentenced today in federal court by U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala for possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute it and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon on April 8, 2016. 

RYAN A. PANCYRZ, 29, was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  Pancyrz pleaded guilty to the charge on Nov. 6, 2017.

According to the written plea agreement, on April 8, 2016, Pancyrz, a convicted felon, possessed a loaded .32-caliber revolver and 49 plastic baggies of cocaine at a residence on South Fifth Street in Rockford.  In the plea agreement, he admitted that he intended to sell the cocaine.  He further admitted that he possessed other items associated with drug distribution, including a digital scale, two bottles of Inositol, a vitamin supplement used to dilute controlled substances, and $666 in cash.  Pancyrz was arrested by Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office deputies at the residence on South Fifth Street on April 8, 2016, and has remained in custody since his arrest. 

The sentencing was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Celinez Nunez, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Joseph Bruscato, Winnebago County State’s Attorney; and Gary Caruana, Winnebago County Sheriff.

The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Pedersen.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Hialeah Man Convicted of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Five Kilograms or More of Cocaine

A Miami jury convicted a Hialeah resident of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine after a five-day trial.

Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Robert F. Lasky, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Juan J. Perez, Director, Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), made the announcement.

Maikel Vigil Gallardo, 35, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846.  He faces a statutory maximum of life imprisonment, and sentencing is scheduled before U.S. District Judge Marcia G. Cooke, on April 25, 2018, at 10:30 a.m.

The evidence presented at trial established that in April 2017, Gallardo met on multiple occasions with an FBI confidential human source (“CHS”) to develop a multi-kilogram cocaine pipeline from Miami to Chicago, Illinois.  During the trial, the United States introduced recordings from these meetings, in which Gallardo talked about his experiences trafficking cocaine and marijuana around the United States, using trucking routes and paid off customs checkpoints to evade law enforcement.  On April 26, Gallardo delivered a one-kilogram sample of cocaine to the CHS in the Orlando area, which triggered his arrest.

Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and MDPD.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan K. Osborne and Breezye Telfair.

This investigation and prosecution was carried out by members of the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.  The South Florida HIDTA, established in 1990, is made up of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies who, cooperatively, target the region’s drug-trafficking and money laundering organizations.  The South Florida HIDTA is funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy which sponsors a variety of initiatives focused the nation’s illicit drug trafficking threats.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Broward Doctor and Staff Arrested for Running a Pill Mill

Dr. Andres Mencia, 64, of Ft. Lauderdale, Oscar Luis Ventura-Rodriguez, 41, of Ft. Lauderdale, Nadira Sampath-Grant, 51, of Margate, and John Mensah, 50, of Miami, were arrested for their involvement in a scheme where they billed Medicare and Medicaid for medical consultations during which in actuality, they issued prescriptions for opioids and other drugs in exchange for cash payments, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 and 841(a)(1), 18 U.S.C. § 2, 18 U.S.C. § 1347 and 18 U.S.C. § 1349.

Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Adolphus P. Wright, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, Shimon R. Richmond, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and Mark Selby, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

As alleged in the indictment, beginning in or around January 2015, Dr. Mencia, Venutra-Rodriguez, Sampath-Grant and Mensah conspired to perform sham consultations with Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and other patients, the true intent of which was to issue them prescriptions for opioids and other drugs in exchange for cash payments.  In some instances, the defendants billed Medicare and Medicaid for these consultations and the prescriptions were filled at Medicare and Medicaid participating pharmacies. 

Ventura-Rodriguez, Sampath-Grant and Mensah are charged with knowingly and intentionally dispensing a controlled substance, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 and 841(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 2. 

Dr. Mencia is also charged with knowingly and intentionally dispensed a controlled substance, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 and 841(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 2.  The indictment further alleges that Dr. Mencia purchased two residential properties with the illicit proceeds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957.

If convicted on all charges, each defendant faces a possible maximum sentence of up to 20 years imprisonment on each count.  

Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of DEA, HHS-OIG and ICE-HSI.  Mr. Greenberg also thanked the Aventura Police Department, City of Miami Police Department, Miami-Dade Police Department, and Miami Gardens Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Gilfarb. 

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.