Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: West Palm Beach, Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIS

Gregory Hubbard, aka Jibreel, 54, of West Palm Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty on Feb. 8, to conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Edward O’Callaghan, Special Agent in Charge Robert F. Lasky of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, and members of the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), made the announcement.  The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg. 

“Individuals seeking to travel to take up arms with ISIS pose a threat to the security of all nations,” said U.S. Attorney Greenberg.  “The U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force continue to work proactively in order to stifle and disrupt any potential danger posed by terrorist organizations and their supporters.”

“Gregory Hubbard and his cohorts conspired to provide material support to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization,” said Robert F. Lasky, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami.  “Stopping terrorists before they can act is serious business that requires dedicated law enforcement professionals and eternal vigilance.  This vigilance includes anyone and everyone who sees or hears something that seems out of place.  If you see something, say something.”

According to the factual basis, Hubbard was arrested on July 21, 2016, at Miami International Airport where he and an FBI confidential human source (CHS) had been driven by co-defendant Jackson for a scheduled flight to Berlin, Germany.  From Berlin, Hubbard intended to travel to Syria to join ISIS. 

At various times during the conspiracy, which ran from approximately July 2015 until Hubbard’s arrest, Hubbard, and his co-defendants, Dayne Antani Christian and Darren Arness Jackson, talked with the CHS about their support for ISIS and jihad, including acts of terrorism committed by and attributed to ISIS and its supporters. During the conspiracy, Hubbard and his co-defendants including the CHS and others, practiced shooting weapons multiple times in preparation for Hubbard and the CHS traveling to Syria to join ISIS.

Hubbard faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.   A sentencing date of April 19, has been set.  Christian pleaded guilty, on March 29, 2017 to conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS, and to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Jackson pleaded guilty on April 4, 2017, to conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS.  Christian and Jackson both face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the conspiracy plea.  Christian faces an additional statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for his plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Both co-defendants are scheduled to be sentenced following Hubbard’s sentencing in April.

The FBI and JTTF investigated the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Transportation Security Administration; Miami International Airport Police Department; Boca Raton, Florida, Police Department; Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office; City of West Palm Beach Police Department; and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen E. Gilbert and Edward C. Nucci and Trial Attorneys Larry Schneider and Bridget Behling of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

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: Tampa Resident Convicted for Involvement with Tricare Health Care Fraud Scheme

Tampa resident convicted in federal court in the Southern District of Florida for his involvement in Tricare health care fraud scheme, kickbacks and money laundering.

Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, John F. Khin, Special Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative Services (DCIS), Southeast Field Office, Peter H. Kuehl, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), Miami Field Office, and Frank Robey, Director, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit, made the announcement. 

On February 5, 2018, a federal jury in Miami unanimously convicted Monty Ray Grow, 46, on 18 criminal counts including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1347; conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371; unlawful receipt of health care kickbacks, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7(b)(1)(A); and money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957. 

Evidence presented at trial established that during an 8-month span in 2014-15, Grow participated in a scheme to defraud the Tricare program out of tens of millions of dollars. Tricare is the health care program for the U.S. military that pays the health care costs of active and retired military personnel and their families. That insurance benefit includes paying for any medications that a Tricare beneficiary needs.  Grow enticed Tricare beneficiaries to order very expensive drugs that they did not need. Tricare, not the patients, paid the bill for these expensive drugs and the pharmacy split 50% of the profits with Grow.  Evidence at trial established that Grow targeted Tricare beneficiaries and induced them to order expensive drugs they did not need by paying them either directly for their own prescriptions or indirectly for those of their family and friends.  As a result of that scheme, Grow received nearly $20 million in kickbacks from a Broward County pharmacy.

In furtherance of his fraud scheme, Grow fraudulently inflated the price the pharmacy would bill to Tricare by manipulating the formulations and selling ingredients to the pharmacy that were artificially engineered in order to maximize profits.  Grow also paid telemedicine companies whose doctors ratified those prescriptions he pre-selected with the knowledge that no doctor ever examined a single patient.  Finally, Grow laundered the criminal proceeds of his scheme through the purchase of luxury items. 

To date, at least eight additional co-conspirators have pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges arising out of Grow’s fraud scheme, including Ginger Lay, 40, of Atlanta, Georgia; Paul Robinson, 40, of Ormond Beach, Florida; Deanna Dutting, 40, of Ormond Beach, Florida, Raymond Bear, 46, of Flemming Island, Florida; Robin Halliburton, 45 of Ponte Vedra, Florida; Michael Shane Matthews, 47, of Newberry, Florida, Michael Bowman, 43, of Jacksonville, Florida, and Sven Bjerke, 39, of Jacksonville, Florida.  These individuals have collectively remitted property back to the United States valued in the approximate amount of $3.3 million.  Grow is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Federico A. Moreno on April 16, 2018, at 9:30 a.m.

“Monty Grow has been held responsible for an egregious fraud scheme that unlawfully diverted approximately $20 million in federal health care monies that were set aside for the men and women in uniform who serve and protect our country and jeopardized the public’s health for personal gain,” stated United States Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg.  “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to identify for prosecution individuals, including healthcare providers, who not only carry out fraudulent schemes against Tricare or other federal health care programs for their own personal financial benefit at a loss to the deserving beneficiaries, but also endanger our community.”

“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service is committed to protecting the integrity of the U.S. military health care program to provide top quality medical care to America’s Warfighters and their families, while ensuring that health care providers and facilities comply with Federal laws,” said John F. Khin, Special Agent in Charge, DCIS – Southeast Field Office.  “Through joint investigations with our law enforcement partners, DCIS aggressively pursues criminal prosecutions and all available remedies to bring violators to justice.  This guilty verdict demonstrate the effectiveness of our investigative efforts.”

“The FDA is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who place their personal gain over the health of American consumers,” said Peter Kuehl, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, Miami Field Office‎.  “We commend the efforts of the Department of Justice for vigorously pursuing the prosecution of this matter.”

“We are extremely pleased with the jury’s verdict in this case,” said Frank Robey, Director of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit.  “To in any way be culpable in swindling millions of dollars from a federal program that provides medical insurance for the U.S. military is completely unconscionable to me.  Agents from our specialized fraud unit, along with investigators from other federal law enforcement agencies, are unwavering in our commitment to seek out and hold responsible all those who conduct criminal activity against the United States Army and the American taxpayer.”

Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of DCIS, FDA-OCI and U.S. Army CID.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Larsen and Jon Juenger.

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: District Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison For July 4, 2015 Slaying of Kevin Sutherland

            WASHINGTON – Jasper Spires, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for the July 4, 2015 slaying of Kevin Sutherland on a Metrorail train, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Ron Pavlik, Chief of the Metro Transit Police.

            Spires pled guilty on Oct. 19, 2017, to first-degree murder while armed (premeditated). The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence in the range of 30 to 35 years. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly at a hearing today in in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Following his prison term, Spires will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            “Kevin Sutherland was on his way to a Fourth of July celebration when he was robbed and murdered in the middle of the day in the first killing ever to take place on a Metro train,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “Other passengers were terrorized and remain traumatized to this day. Thanks to the excellent work of our law enforcement partners, Jasper Spires was arrested for this senseless crime. Today’s sentence will keep this predator off our streets for decades to come.”

            “This heinous crime shocked our entire community and deeply affected all of us at Metro,” said Metro Transit Police Chief Pavlik. “We continue to extend our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the family and friends of Kevin Sutherland, and hope that today’s sentencing may give them some comfort. I want to extend our gratitude to the Metropolitan Police Department for their work in quickly bringing this case to closure, as well as the prosecutors who ensured that justice is served.”

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, on July 4, 2015, at approximately 12:43 p.m., Spires was standing near the fare machines at the entrance to the Rhode Island Avenue – Brentwood Metro Station, in the 900 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE, when 24-year-old Kevin Sutherland entered the station.  Mr. Sutherland proceeded through the turnstiles and up the escalator to the platform, where he walked toward the front end of the platform to wait for a downtown-bound Red Line train.

            A short while later, Spires followed through the entrance and up the escalator.  As he stepped off the escalator and onto the platform, Metro digital surveillance cameras captured Spires putting gloves on his hands.  Spires also walked towards the front end of the platform.   

            When a downtown-bound Red Line train arrived, both Spires and Mr. Sutherland boarded the second car of the train.  Mr. Sutherland sat down near the middle of the car, in a seat facing inward, towards the center of the car.  As the train traveled between the Rhode Island Avenue and NOMA-Gallaudet University Metro stations, Spires approached Mr. Sutherland and snatched Mr. Sutherland’s cellphone from his hand.  Spires then began to attack Mr. Sutherland with a knife.  He stabbed Mr. Sutherland repeatedly in the abdomen, upper right back, left side, right side, left arm, and right arm.  As Spires stabbed him, Mr. Sutherland fell to the floor of the train.  Spires continued to stab Mr. Sutherland as he lay on the floor.  He also kicked Mr. Sutherland in the body and head.  At the end of the attack, Spires threw Mr. Sutherland’s cellphone at him, striking him in the head.

            Nine other passengers were on the train car at the time of the attack. As it unfolded, witnesses aboard the train attempted to notify the train’s operator.   Spires menaced one of these witnesses with his knife and told the witness to “Shut up.”  He also menaced two other witnesses on the train with a knife, one of whom was 76 years old, taking their property.  

            When the train pulled into the NOMA-Gallaudet station, Spires walked off the train and ran down the stairs leaving the platform.  He discarded the knife in a trashcan before continuing his flight.  As he hopped the exit turnstiles of the station, Spires dropped a backpack.  He hesitated for a moment, as though he would stop to pick up the backpack, but then continued his flight without retrieving the backpack. Metro employees and some civilians who had been on the train with Mr. Sutherland called 911, and some witnesses sat with Mr. Sutherland as they waited for emergency personnel to arrive.  By the time first responders got to the scene, Mr. Sutherland was unresponsive and emergency personnel pronounced Mr. Sutherland to be deceased.

            Spires was arrested on July 6, 2015, and has been in custody ever since.

            The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia conducted an autopsy on Mr. Sutherland. During the autopsy, the deputy medical examiner observed 19 stab wounds and 16 cutting wounds on Mr. Sutherland’s body.  Several of the stab wounds were very deep and caused damage to Mr. Sutherland’s internal organs. 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Chief Newsham, and Chief Pavlik  commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Metro Transit Police. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and Bode Cellmark Forensics.

            They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Donovan, David Gorman, Michelle D. Jackson, Colleen M. Kennedy, Silvia Gonzalez-Roman, Mark Aziz, Kara Traster, and Anwar Graves; Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Forensic Operation Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Criminal Investigators Durand Odom and Mark Crawford; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney, Sandra Lane, Lashone Samuels, and Michelle Chambers; former Paralegal Specialists Karen Hansen and Vanessa Trent- Valentine; the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit, including Victim/Witness Advocates Jennifer Clark and Marcia Rinker and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, and Administrative Services Specialist Sallie Rynas.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Macey and Kathryn Rakoczy, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Hartford Man Sentenced to Prison for Distributing Heroin and Fentanyl to Rocky Hill Overdose Victim

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EDWIN ESCRIBANO, also known as “Bebo,” 26, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 37 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing heroin and fentanyl to an overdose victim in 2016.

This prosecution is part of an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 14, 2016, Rocky Hill Police and emergency medical personnel responded to a restaurant on a report of a male who had overdosed and was not breathing.  The male, who was 29 years old, was pronounced deceased at the scene.  Officers seized drug and non-drug evidence, including a cellophane tourniquet and syringe in the restaurant bathroom that ultimately tested positive for the presence of heroin and fentanyl.  The investigation, which included analysis of the victim’s and ESCRIBANO’s cellphones, revealed that ESCRIBANO had provided the drugs to the victim shortly before the victim’s death.

Analysis of ESCRIBANO’s cellphone revealed thousands of text messages pertaining to his heroin trafficking activity between June 2016 and May 2017.

ESCRIBANO was arrested on federal criminal complaint on May 30, 2017.  On November 14, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of fentanyl and heroin.

ESCRIBANO, who is released on bond, was ordered to report to prison on March 13.

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Rocky Hill Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Lauren Clark.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Former Top Official with Guatemalan National Police Arrested on Visa Fraud Charge for Allegedly Failing to Disclose Murder Charges

LOS ANGELES – The former chief of the National Police in Guatemala’s second-largest city was arrested today on visa fraud charges in relation to his procurement of a “green card” after he allegedly failed to disclose to U.S. immigration authorities that he had been charged with murdering two political activists in Guatemala.

Catalino Esteban Valiente Alonzo, 77, of Fontana, who was the chief of the National Police in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, was arrested after being charged in a one-count indictment returned on Tuesday by a federal grand jury.

The indictment specifically alleges that Valiente entered the United States in April 2013 with a Lawful Permanent Resident card he fraudulently obtained by failing to disclose that he had been arrested and tried for kidnapping and murder in Guatemala.

In late 1987, Valiente and others were charged in Guatemala with the kidnapping and murder of two people affiliated with the Agronomy Department at the Centro Universitario de Occidente in Quetzaltenango. Valiente was convicted twice, but both convictions – and two 30-year sentences – were overturned on appeals, and the matter was remanded to a trial court for further proceedings in 1993. An arrest warrant for Valiente was issued in July 1993, and it renewed twice, but the warrant was rescinded in 2015. It is unclear if charges remain pending against Valiente in Guatemala.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

Valiente is expected to be arraigned on the indictment this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

If he were to be convicted of visa fraud, Valiente would face a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), in coordination with the HSI Attaché in Guatemala City and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate.

The investigation was supported by ICE’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC). Established in 2009 to identify, track and prosecute human rights abusers, the HRVWCC leverages the expertise of a select group of agents, lawyers, intelligence and research specialists, historians and analysts who direct the agency’s broader enforcement efforts against these offenders.

Members of the public who have information about foreign nationals suspected of engaging in human rights abuses or war crimes may call the ICE tip line at 1-866-DHS-2423 (1-866-347-2423). Callers may remain anonymous.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Stacey R. Fernandez of the Violent and Organized Crime Section.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Huachuca City Woman Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Assault on a Federal Officer, Intent to Distribute Marijuana

     TUCSON, Ariz. – Yesterday, Katherine Rose Sparks, 23, of Huachuca City, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Rosemary Marquez to serve 84 months in prison and pay $49,930.73 in restitution. Sparks had previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute marijuana and assault on a federal officer with a dangerous or deadly weapon.  Sparks’s term of imprisonment will be followed by five years of supervised release.

     On Feb. 23, 2017, a United States Border Patrol surveillance vehicle saw an SUV near Bisbee, Ariz. being loaded with bundles.  The SUV was then observed traveling west on Highway 92.  Border Patrol Agents  (BPAs) followed the SUV west, activating their law enforcement lights, until the vehicle stopped at a red traffic light on the east side of Highway 92’s San Pedro River bridge crossing.  At the stoplight, the SUV veered off the right side of the road, traveled down a steep embankment, and began driving on the dirt area on the side of the road, maintaining a high rate of speed.  At one point, the vehicle was briefly airborne as it drove through a trench.  When it landed, the SUV came to a stop, appearing to be stuck in a ditch on the roadside.

     Two BPAs exited their vehicles, proceeding to the front doors on either side of the SUV. When the passenger refused to exit the vehicle, the agent opened the door and attempted to remove him. During this altercation, Sparks, who had still not turned off the SUV, slammed the car into reverse, causing the open passenger door to trap and drag one of the agents underneath the door of the SUV.  While the agent was trapped under the door, the passenger climbed back into the SUV and, after the agent freed himself, shut the passenger’s door.  Afterward, Sparks successfully negotiated the vehicle back onto Highway 92 traveling east. Agents located the SUV the following day, still containing the bundles of marijuana.  The driver of the SUV was later identified as Katherine Rose Sparks. 

     The injured agent was transported to Canyon Vista Medical Center in Sierra Vista, Ariz. for medical treatment.  The injuries to his knee were substantial and resulted in significant surgery. 

     The investigation in this case was conducted by Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sierra Vista. The prosecution was handled by Erica L. Seger, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-17-00478-TUC         

RELEASE NUMBER:    2017-012_Sparks

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Maryland woman sentenced for heroin distribution

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Chasity Chadae Stone, of Brooklyn, Maryland, was sentenced today to 10 months incarceration for heroin distribution, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Stone, age 25, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin” in November 2017. Stone admitted to being in possession of heroin with the intent of distributing in May 2015 in Berkeley County.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara K. Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. 
 
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
 

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Baltimore man sentenced to more than 12 years for heroin distribution

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Christian Blunt, of Baltimore, Maryland was sentenced today to 151 months incarceration for heroin distribution, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Blunt, age 25, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin” in October 2017. Blunt admitted to distributing more than 100 grams of heroin in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties from October 2015 to March 2017. 

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Lydia Lehman, also with the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. 
 
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.