Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: New Orleans Men Plead Guilty to Gun and Carjacking Charges

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that RODNEY BROWN, age 22 and MICHAEL PORTIS, 27, both of New Orleans, pled guilty to carjacking related charges.  PORTIS pled guilty to brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a carjacking and BROWN pled guilty to carjacking.

According to court documents, on April 24, 2016, at approximately 2:29 a.m., two females were carjacked in the driveway of a house located in the 5000 block of N. Derbigny Street.  The victims stated that they exited the house and entered a vehicle that was parked in the driveway of that location.   PORTIS and BROWN, dressed in black and brandishing guns, approached from opposite sides of the vehicle. BROWN tapped on the window of the vehicle with a gun and stated, “You move I’ll shoot.”  A third suspect stood nearby and acted as a lookout.  The two females exited the car and the suspects entered and drove away.  A short time later, the car was returned and left in the driveway.

One of the victims told the police officers that one of the suspects had facial tattoos.  Officers canvassed the area, set up a perimeter and searched the block.  Officers located PORTIS and two other subjects hiding in high bush nearby.  PORTIS had facial tattoos and was wearing dark pants and a dark, hooded sweatshirt, consistent with the description given by the victims.  The victim positively identified PORTIS as one of the gunmen.  BROWN was not apprehended on the date of the incident, but was later identified and implicated on jail phone call recordings.

PORTIS faces a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a fine of $250,000 and up to five years on supervised release.  BROWN faces up to 15 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and up to three years on supervised release.  U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier scheduled PORTIS and BROWN to be sentenced on May 17, 2018.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Gramercy and Laplace Men Indicted on Drug Charges

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that THORNE BROWN, age 30, of Gramercy, and EDWIN WATSON, age 36, of LaPlace, were indicted on January 26, 2018 by a federal grand jury for charges of distributing and conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.  The indictment was unsealed on January 31, 2018.

According to the indictment, since October 9, 2017, BROWN and WATSON conspired to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than fifty grams of methamphetamine and more than five hundred grams of a mixture containing a detectible amount of methamphetamine. In addition, BROWN and WATSON are charged with more than fifty grams of methamphetamine and more than five hundred grams of a mixture containing a detectible amount of methamphetamine on October 17, 2017. If convicted of these charges, the defendants face a term of imprisonment of at least ten years and up to life.

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

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan L. Shih and Nicholas D. Moses are in charge of the prosecution.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Guatemalan Pleads Guilty to Illegal Use of a Social Security Number

YONI LOPEZ-ROJAS, age 25, a citizen Guatemala, pleaded guilty today to a one-count bill of information for illegal use of a Social Security Number in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B).

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security in investigating this matter.  Assistant U. S. Attorney Spiro G. Latsis is in charge of the prosecution.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Mexican Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry

According to court documents, GARCIA was previously removed from the United States on April 21, 2012. He was later found in the Eastern District of Louisiana on September 15, 2017, and had not received permission from the Attorney General of the United States or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reenter.

GARCIA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years, a fine of $250,000, one year of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment fee. U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon set sentencing for March 1, 2018.

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

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: District Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Assaulting Stranger in Her Home

            WASHINGTON – Iray Turner, 41, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 12 years in prison on one count of assault with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse and one count of kidnapping for his assault of a stranger in her home, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Turner pled guilty in September 2017 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a prison sentence between 10 and 12 years. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz accepted the plea and sentenced Turner accordingly. Following his prison term, Turner will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He also will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life. .

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of Aug. 24, 2016, the victim arrived at her home in Northeast Washington in an intoxicated state. She does not remember how she got home. The first memory she has is of Turner, a stranger to her, on top of her in her bed, strangling her. She remembers screaming and calling for help. She remembers Turner telling her to be quiet and to calm down. Both of the victim’s neighbors called 911 to report the screams, and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) responded to the location.

            When MPD officers arrived, they heard a woman screaming for help. They observed house keys hanging from the outdoor lock, and entered the home to locate the victim. Upon entering the home, the officers continued to hear the screams, coming from a bedroom on the second floor. Officers moved upstairs and continued to hear screaming for help. Officers also heard a male voice inside the bedroom, later determined to be the voice of Turner.

            Officers pleaded with Turner to open the door, and he refused to do so. Officers urged Turner to allow them to see that the victim was okay. Despite the continued screams, Turner told officers that she was okay. On two occasions, Turner cracked open the bedroom door. However, he refused to allow the victim to exit the bedroom. Officers breached the door and moved in.

            When officers entered the bedroom, Turner was sitting on the floor with his back against the door. He was wearing only boxer shorts and socks. The victim was seated on the bed, crying, unclothed from the waist down. She told officers that Turner did not rape her, but that he tried to rape her. Turner was arrested on the scene and has been in custody ever since.

            The victim was transported to Washington Hospital Center, where she was examined by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE). The examination identified 49 different injuries on the victim’s body, including multiple abrasions on her face, hemorrhaging to both eyes, bruising all over her body, and red marks to her neck. An expert would have testified at trial that many of those observed injuries were consistent with strangulation, and that the injuries were acute. The expert would also have testified at trial that some of the scratches on the victim’s neck were consistent with defensive injuries that may resulted from the victim scratching her neck while trying to remove Turner’s hands from strangling her on her neck.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu praised the work of detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit, who investigated the case, the officers from the Fifth District of the Metropolitan Police Department who initially responded to the scene, crime scene technicians from the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, and toxicologists from the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

            She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists D’Yvonne Key, T.J. McPhail, and Michelle Wicker, Victim/Witness Advocates Tracey Hawkins and Veronica Vaughan, and Litigation Technology Specialist Jeanie Latimore-Brown. Finally, she commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elana Suttenberg, Jessica Brooks, and Julianne Johnston, who investigated and prosecuted this case. 

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Repeat Investment Fraudster Convicted of Wire Fraud, Securities Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

          A federal jury convicted RICHARD THOMAS ZIESKE, a Renton man who presented himself as an investment advisor, of eight federal felonies late yesterday, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes.  ZIESKE was previously convicted of federal fraud charges for defrauding members of his church and others out of over $1.2 million by posing as an investment advisor.  In the present prosecution, ZIESKE was charged with a similar scheme to defraud victims he met through a Renton martial arts studio.  The jury deliberated for about two hours following the three-day trial before finding ZIESKE, 48, guilty of eight federal felonies.  ZIESKE was convicted of five counts of wire fraud, one count of securities fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.  U.S. District Judge James L. Robart scheduled sentencing for April 30, 2018.

            According to records in the case and testimony at trial, in 2005 ZIESKE pleaded guilty to mail fraud, securities fraud and wire fraud for a scheme in which he solicited nearly $2 million from members of his church and others, fraudulently promising big returns on investments.  ZIESKE was sentenced to 41 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $1.3 million in restitution.  The Washington Department of Financial Institutions also entered a cease and desist order against him. 

          Nevertheless, in 2013, ZIESKE overheard a member of his Renton martial arts studio talking about his 401k account.  The victim had been forced to retire and limit his martial arts due to a degenerative neck condition.  ZIESKE convinced the victim to allow him to manage more than $95,000 in retirement funds, promising big returns.  Instead, ZIESKE used the money to purchase a limited edition Harley Davidson motorcycle, to pay for liposuction surgery, and to finance a luxury SUV.  ZIESKE attempted to recruit other ‘investors,’ and convinced the founder of the martial arts studio to invest about $40,000 with him.  A brokerage firm closed ZIESKE’s trading account after its check revealed ZIESKE’s prior conviction.  ZIESKE then opened another brokerage account using the identity of another member of the martial arts studio.  That conduct is the basis for the aggravated identity theft convictions.

            Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.  Securities fraud is punishable by up to five years in prison.  Aggravated identity theft is punishable by two years in prison consecutive to any other sentence imposed on other counts of conviction. 

            The case was investigated by the FBI.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Seth Wilkinson and Michael Dion.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Chinese National Admits Trafficking Counterfeit Apple Goods Into The United States

NEWARK, N.J. – A Chinese national living in the United States on a student visa today admitted his role in a scheme to traffic and smuggle counterfeit Apple products, including phony iPhones and iPads, from China into the United States.

U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito of the District of New Jersey; Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Newark, and Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo made the announcement.

Jianhua “Jeff” Li, 43, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty in Newark federal court to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods and labels and to smuggle goods into the United States and one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods.

According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From July 2009 through February 2014, Li, working through his company Dream Digitals, conspired with Andreina Becerra, Roberto Volpe, Rosario LaMarca, and others to smuggle and traffic into the United States from China more than 40,000 electronic devices and accessories, including iPads and iPhones, along with labels and packaging bearing counterfeit Apple trademarks.

Li shipped the devices separately from the labels to avoid detection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. The devices were then shipped to conspirators all over the United States. Proceeds were funneled back to conspirator accounts in Florida and New Jersey via structured cash deposits and then a portion was transferred to conspirators in Italy, further disguising the source of the funds. Over $1.1 million in sales proceeds were wired from U.S. accounts into accounts Li controlled overseas.

The conspiracy charge to which Li pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The trafficking charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine. His sentencing is scheduled for May 30, 2018.

LaMarca previously pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and was sentenced July 21, 2017 to 37 months in prison. Becerra and Volpe have also pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

The HSI Newark Seaport Investigations Group and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Financial Crimes Unit investigated the case with significant assistance from Europol and Italy’s Guardia di Finanza.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Schwartz of the District of New Jersey and Senior Trial Attorney Kebharu Smith of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and are prosecuting the case.

Defense counsel: Perry Primavera Esq., Hackensack, New Jersey 

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Essex County Loan Officer Charged With Mortgage Fraud

NEWARK N.J. – A Nutley, New Jersey, man was charged today with using fraudulent documents to deceive his employer into approving a loan, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Richard Patino, 42, is charged by complaint with one count of wire fraud. He made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court and was released on bail.

According to the complaint:

Patino was a loan officer with a mortgage company based in New Jersey. On Aug. 15, 2013, a person identified in the complaint as “Individual A” signed a loan application in connection with Individual A’s purchase of a property in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Patino signed the loan application indicating that he had reviewed and approved it.

However, the bank statements that were included in the application were allegedly Patino’s own bank statements that he altered to make them appear as though they belonged to Individual A. Afterwards, the mortgage company approved the application and issued the loan to Individual A.

The loan was later sold to another financial institution, which was provided with both the loan application and supporting documents, including the fraudulent statements Patino created. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) guaranteed the loan based in part on those phony documents.

As of January 2018, Individual A has ceased paying the loan and the financial institution has begun foreclosure proceedings on the property. Overall, law enforcement is aware of approximately 23 loans that Patino approved that are suspected of fraudulent activity.

The wire fraud charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.

U .S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christina Scaringi, with the investigation leading to today’s charge.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defense counsel: Aidan P. O’Connor Esq., Hackensack, New Jersey 

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Three Alleged Gang Members Charged with Dealing Firearms

BOSTON – Three alleged members of the Latin Gangsta’ Disciples were charged yesterday with federal firearm offenses.

Jose Ilarraza, a/k/a “Kae-Kae,” 26, of Newburyport; Bryan Torres-Almanzar, a/k/a “Flex,” 19, of Lawrence; and Eric Valentin, a/k/a “Jefe,” 22, also of Lawrence, were charged with dealing firearms without a license and conspiracy to deal firearms without a license. Torres-Almanzar and Valentin were arrested yesterday in Nashua, N.H., and detained following an appearance in federal court in Boston. Ilarraza is in state custody for an unrelated offense.  

As alleged in court documents, in September 2017, an individual who was working as a cooperating witness for federal investigators was approached by Ilarraza after hearing that the cooperating witness was interested in obtaining firearms that could be sent to the Dominican Republic. Ilarraza, who was incarcerated at the time at the Essex County Jail following a conviction for breaking and entering and resisting arrest, instructed the cooperating witness to contact Torres-Almanzar, who was allegedly heavily involved in firearms trafficking.

This information and another cooperating witness were used to purchase firearms from Torres-Almanzar and his “partner,” Valentin, on six occasions between Sept. 12, 2017, and Oct. 19, 2017. For example, on Sept. 14, 2017, the cooperating witness arranged to purchase a 9mm semiautomatic pistol with a laser sight and an extended magazine for $1,000 from Torres-Almanzar and Valentin. During the sale, Torres-Almanzar and Valentin talked about future gun purchases and told the cooperating witness that “we do business and will take care of you.” They also said that they were in the business of “growing our organization” and that it was a “good thing that he [Ilarraza] introduced us.” During the course of the investigation, the cooperating witness purchased eight firearms from Torres-Almanzar and Valentin.

The charges of dealing in firearms without a license and conspiracy each provide for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $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; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Lawrence Police Chief Roy P. Vasque; Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett; Lowell Chief of Police William Taylor; and Nashua (N.H.) Police Chief Andrew J. Lavoie made the announcement today. 

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations.  The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.