Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Medford Man Sentenced for Oxycodone Trafficking

BOSTON – A Medford man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for distributing oxycodone throughout the North Shore.

Paul Williams, 54, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. to three years in prison and three years of supervised release. In March 2017, Williams pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute oxycodone.  

In March 2014, investigators began tracking the activities of Joseph Romano and eight co-defendants. Through surveillance and a cooperating source, investigators were able to make controlled purchases of oxycodone from Romano and his associates. Paul Williams, along with co-defendants Anthony Panarese and Jarod Presterone supplied Romano with oxycodone. On roughly a weekly basis, Romano contacted each of the suppliers separately to arrange meetings to obtain pills for redistribution. Co-defendant Eric Vaughn assisted Panarese in distributing Oxycodone pills. Through the conspiracy, Romano distributed more than 5,000 30 mg. Oxycodone pills.

In May 2015, Romano advised co-defendant Ashley Turner that he was going on vacation and asked that she distribute Oxycodone pills for him while he was away. Romano explained that Ashley Turner would need to get the pills to distribute from Paul Williams.  Ashley Turner agreed to the arrangement and distributed pills on Romano’s behalf. Ashley’s father, David Turner Sr., served as a liaison and obtained pills from Paul Williams for Ashley Turner to distribute.

During an August 2017 search of William’s home, agents seized 400 30 mg. Oxycodone pills and approximately $23,350. In total, Williams was held accountable for the distribution of 1,678 Oxycodone 30 mg. pills.

Eight of the nine defendants have been sentenced. Romano was sentenced to four years in prison; Panarese was sentenced to 46 months in prison; Vaughn was sentenced to two years in prison; Marcelle Milbury was sentenced to one year in prison; David Turner Sr. was sentenced to five years of probation; Ashley Turner, who graduated from the Court-sponsored RISE program, was sentenced to four years of probation with a six-month curfew; and Sans Milbury, who also graduated from the Court-sponsored RISE program, was sentenced to three years of probation. Co-defendant Presterone has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Office; Colonel Kerry Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Danvers Police Chief Patrick M. Ambrose made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Arnold of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: FBI New Haven Task Force Investigation Results in Crack and Oxycodone Charges against 19 Individuals

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Patricia M. Ferrick, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and New Haven Police Chief Anthony Campbell today announced that a grand jury in New Haven returned a 30-count indictment yesterday charging 19 individuals with federal narcotics offenses related to the distribution of crack cocaine and oxycodone in and around New Haven.

According to allegations made in court, in June 2017, the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force initiated an investigation into a New Haven drug trafficking organization headed by Jermayne Butler.  The investigation, which included physical surveillance, 13 controlled purchases of narcotics, and court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones, revealed that Butler and others were distributing crack cocaine and oxycodone in the New Haven area.

Charged in the indictment are:

JERMAYNE BUTLER, a.k.a. “Main,” “Main Live” and “Liver,” 36, of New Haven
TYRESE HARGROVE, a.k.a. “T.Y.,” 36, of New Haven
DEQUEISHA SLEDGE, a.k.a. “Queish” and “Shontay,” 35, of New Haven
TORRENCE GAMBLE, a.k.a. “Bones” and “Bone,” 44, of New Haven
RONNIE GORDON, a.k.a. “Pop,” 36, of New Haven
ANTHONY MCBRIDE, a.k.a. “Moto,” 49, of New Haven
JOEY FULLER, 28, of New Haven
MALCOLM NEWTON, a.k.a. “Biggie,” 23, of New Haven
MARQUIS PARKER, 25, of New Haven
MARVIN SPRUILL, a.k.a. “Marv,” 25, of West Haven
MILTON VEREEN, a.k.a. “M.D.,” 38, of New Haven
RASHAAN WOOLFOLK, a.k.a. “Booka,” 26, of West Haven
HUSAIN REDMOND, a.k.a. “Pullie,” 37, of West Haven
ROBERT THOMPSON, a.k.a. “Bobby D” and “Bobby Diesel,” 49, of New Haven
CHAUNCEY EVANS, a.k.a. “Chaos,” 45, of New Haven
CARNELL EDWARDS, 47, of Bridgeport
OSVALDO SAEZ, 30, of New Haven
ZARKEE SANDERS, 40, of Hamden

On February 6, 2018, investigators arrested all of the defendants with the exception of Tyrese Hargrove, Anthony McBride and Chauncy Evans, who were already incarcerated in state custody.  One defendant is still being sought.

In association with the arrests, investigators conducted court-authorized searches of seven properties in New Haven and Hamden and seized seven firearms, ammunition, approximately 100 grams of crack cocaine, and approximately $14,000 in cash.

The indictment charges Butler, Gamble and Sanders with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 280 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack”).  If convicted of this charge, the defendants face a minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.

Hargrove, Sledge, Gordon, McBride, Fuller, Newton, Parker, Spruill, Redmond, Evans, Edwards and Saez are charged with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 28 grams or more of cocaine base.  If convicted of this charge, the defendants face a minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.  Woolfook is charged with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, a quantity of cocaine base, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

Butler, Hargrove, Sledge, Spruill, Vereen and Thompson are charged with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, oxycodone, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

In addition, the indictment charges each of the defendants with one of more counts of possession and/or distribution of crack cocaine and/or oxycodone.

U.S. Attorney Durham noted that the investigation is ongoing, and some of the defendants may face additional charges related to the firearms that were seized at the time of their arrests.

U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force, which includes members from the New Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, West Haven Police Department and Connecticut Department of Correction.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick F. Caruso and David C. Nelson.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Convicted Felon Sentenced to Probation for Possessing a Firearm

PROVIDENCE, RI – A 33 year-old Providence man previously convicted of drug trafficking and assaulting several police officers was sentenced today to 3 years probation, the first six months to be served in home confinement with electronic monitoring, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of imprisonment in this matter is 27-33 months. The government recommended the court impose a sentence of 27 months in prison.

According to court documents, Kevin Malave has an adult criminal record beginning at the age of 18 involving eight arrests on 15 charges resulting in 12 counts of conviction.

Malave was arrested by Providence Police on May 17, 2017, following a foot pursuit in the area of the Chad Brown housing development, during which time Malave removed a firearm from his waistband and tossed into a bin as he ran up onto the front porch of a residence. After drawing his firearm and ordering Malave to show his hands, the officer arrested Malave and retrieved the firearm.

According to court documents, the Providence Police officer who arrested Malave had responded to a police dispatch of a man with a gun. As the officer approached the area, he saw and drove toward a man fitting the description of the person described in the police broadcast as having a gun. The individual, later identified as Malave, concealed both of his hands in the area of his waistband and began walking in the opposite direction. Malave fled when the officer accelerated his cruiser toward him.

During the foot pursuit, Malave injured his hand while climbing over a fence. A rescue transported Malave to a hospital for treatment. According to court documents, while at the hospital, Malave was overheard by two members of law enforcement telling a nurse, “I want to kill all the East Side (blank). I’m gonna carry a gun ‘till the day I die.”

Malave’s sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch and Colonel Hugh T. Clements, Jr.

Project Safe Neighborhoods is a federal, state and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Malave, who had been free on unsecured bond, pleaded guilty on November 17, 2017, to felon in possession of a firearm.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard B. Sullivan, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams.

United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch thanks the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their assistance in the prosecution of this case.

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Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Seneca Falls Man Sentenced For Filing False Tax Returns

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

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that James LaRock, II, 43, Seneca Falls, NY, who was convicted of filing a false tax return, was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $107,000 by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard A. Resnick and Tiffany H. Lee, who handled the case, stated that for the tax years 2010-2013, the defendant, who is self-employed in the logging and firewood business, filed false personal income tax returns. Among other things, LaRock understated his gross receipts and omitted the cost of goods. In total, the defendant omitted approximately $280,470.72 in taxable income, resulting in a tax loss of $107,749 to the Internal Revenue Service.  

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Division, under the direction of James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Office.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Ghanaian Man Pleads Guilty To His Role In Internet Romance Fraud Scheme

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

BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy announced today that Adams Amen, 32, a citizen of Ghana, who resides in Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott S. Allen, Jr., who is handling the case, stated that between March 28, 2015, and June 15, 2017, the defendant conspired with Jason Osei Bonsu and other Ghanaian nationals to devise an internet romance scheme to defraud victims and obtain money.

In furtherance of the scheme, Amen’s co-conspirators utilized a dating website, MillionaireMatch.com, to engage victims in communications online and over the phone to develop a rapport with victims and convince victims that they were developing romantic relationships via the internet. Victims received alleged pictures of the co-conspirators that were actually photographs of others downloaded from the internet. For example, Victim 1, who resides in the Western District of New York, received images of a person known to her as “Marvin Roecker,” but the image actually depicted a real estate agent from Texas, whose name is not “Marvin Roecker.”

After successfully building rapport, victims were asked to wire money to assist with fictitious business ventures, family emergencies, or inheritances. Victims did so, wiring funds to accounts in Ghana, the United Kingdom, and to accounts in the United States controlled by Ghanaian nationals, including Amen.

On March 2, 2016, Victim 1 wired $65,000 to Amen’s TD Bank account. Text messages between the defendant and co-defendant Jason Osei Bonsu demonstrate that both were participants in the scheme to defraud Victim 1. For instance, Amen and Bonsu discussed quickly withdrawing Victim 1’s money to prevent the bank from becoming suspicious. Subsequently, on March 21, 2017, following a request by “Marvin Roecker,” Victim 1 wired another $180,000 to a bank account located in the United Kingdom, which was controlled by a co-conspirator.

Between March 28, 2015, and June 15, 2017, victims wired $881,656 directly to accounts controlled by the defendant. One victim deposited $27,990 cash directly into Amen’s account. Victims lost a total of $909,646.

Today’s plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin P. Lyons.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 23, 2018, at 1 p.m. before Judge Arcara.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: California Man Pleads Guilty To His Role In Illegal Immigration 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 Marguin Sanchez, 23, of California, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to employ unlawful aliens before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant, along with co-defendant Jose Sanchez-Ocampo, assisted co-defendant Sergio Ramses Mucino, in hiring illegal aliens to work at four Mexican restaurants including Don Tequila on Allen Street in Buffalo, El Agave on Union Road in Cheektowaga, Agave on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, and La Divina on Delaware Avenue in Kenmore. The defendant was responsible for paying wages to the workers in cash and purchasing homes in his name where the illegal aliens who worked in the restaurants resided.

Jose Sanchez-Ocampo has been convicted and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 5, 2018. Charges are pending against Sergio Ramses Mucino. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.  

The plea is the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly.

Marguin Sanchez is scheduled to be sentenced on June 7, 2018, at 2:30 p.m. before Chief Judge Geraci.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Mexican National Sentenced to 37 Months for Immigration Offense

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that LUIS CHAVEZ-LOPEZ, age 31, a native of Mexico, was sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to a one-count Indictment for illegal reentry of a removed alien.

United States District Court Judge Susie Morgan sentenced CHAVEZ-LOPEZ to 37 months imprisonment followed by two years of supervised release.  According to court documents, CHAVEZ-LOPEZ was previously removed from the United States on February 5, 2015.  He was found in the Eastern District of Louisiana on May 3, 2017, without permission from the Attorney General of the United States or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reenter the country. 

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in investigating this matter.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David Howard Sinkman is in charge of the prosecution.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Texas Woman Charged in Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud as Part of Lottery Scam

United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that DEBRA KROM, age 36, a resident of Wylie, Texas was charged yesterday in a one-count Bill of Information for Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud.

According to the Information, on or before August 2013, and continuing through December 2015, KROM and others operated a scheme to contact elderly individuals and people with diminished capacity who would be susceptible to being scammed. The scheme involved contacting victims by telephone through Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and informing them they had won the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes (PCH) or similar lottery and needed to pay KROM and others monies by cash, check, wire, and other methods in order to claim their lottery winnings.

Unknown members of the conspiracy, but believed to be residing in Jamaica, obtained names, addresses, and other biographical information from an unknown source. These individuals used the information to identify victims, telephone them, or directed others to telephone the victims and tell them that they had won the PCH sweepstakes. They needed to send KROM or other co-conspirators money to claim their winnings.

Co-conspirator, Andre Bowyer, charged in case 16-96 “J” in the Eastern District of Louisiana, directed KROM and others residing in the United States, including A.S., to open bank accounts in the United States for the purpose of receiving money from elderly victims and transferring the proceeds into Bowyer’s account in Jamaica. It was part of the scheme and artifice to defraud that on certain dates between August 2013 and December 2015, the defendant, KROM, A.S. and others, conspired with Bowyer to accomplish the unlawful scheme of fooling elderly victims into believing they had won a sweepstakes, causing the victims to send money via the United States Postal Service or by wire transfer to KROM, A.S. or others. Immediately after receiving the funds in the mail from the victims, KROM, A.S., and others transferred the ill-gotten proceeds from their accounts to Bowyer’s account in Jamaica.

If convicted, KROM faces a maximum of 5 years imprisonment, a fine of not more than $250,000 supervised release of up to 3 years, and a special assessment of $100.

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

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, and the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Sharan E. Lieberman.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Greene Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography

A man who received child pornography pled guilty on February 6, 2018 in federal court in Cedar Rapids. 

David Myers, age 54, from Greene, Iowa, was convicted of one count of receipt of child pornography.  At the plea hearing, Myers admitted that, between 2005 and 2014, he used the Internet to receive child pornography.  In a plea agreement, Myers admitted that, in 1998, he was convicted of three charges of sexual abuse in the third degree. 

Sentencing before Chief United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Myers was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  Myers faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and supervised release for 5 years to life following any imprisonment. 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. 

This case was 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 the 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.usdoj.gov/psc.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.” 

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is CR 17-2077.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Man Sentenced for ID Theft and Credit Card Fraud

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland man was sentenced today to four years in prison for his role in a credit card fraud and identity theft scheme that stole over 5,000 credit card numbers and resulted in a loss of over $1.5 million.

According to court documents, Alvin Serry, aka Blue, 24, was part of a years-long conspiracy that committed credit card fraud throughout Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.  Members of the conspiracy would purchase stolen credit card numbers belonging to Americans from foreign-based criminal websites. Serry would then encode the stolen credit card numbers onto physical cards, provide those cards to a crew of individuals, and direct them to use the cards to make fraudulent purchases at retail stores using the credit card numbers of unsuspecting victims. Serry was twice caught in possession of stolen credit cards and thousands of dollars in cash, and is the fourth member of the conspiracy to be sentenced. Moussa Sy, Musa Kamara, and Maxx Tapp received sentences of 60, 37, and 12 months, respectively, for their roles in the scheme.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander P. Berrang and Kellen S. Dwyer prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-82.