Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Rhode Island Man Sentenced to 90 Months for Robbing Banks in Connecticut and Massachusetts

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ROBERT CHADRONET, 41, formerly of East Providence, R.I., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 90 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for committing three bank robberies in 2015, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release following a previous federal conviction.

According to court documents and statements made in court, CHADRONET used force, violence and intimidation to rob approximately $1,000 from a branch of TD Bank located at 1003 West Main Street in Branford, Conn., on July 27, 2015; approximately $2,329 from a branch of Citizens Bank located at 1187 Boston Post Road in Westbrook, Conn., on August 27, 2015, and approximately $697 from a branch of Citizen’s Bank located at 2991 Cranberry Highway in Wareham, Mass., on September 9, 2015.

At the time of this criminal conduct, CHADRONET was on federal supervised release for a prior bank robbery conviction in the District of Rhode Island.

On October 4, 2016, CHADRONET pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of bank robbery.

CHADRONET has been detained since September 10, 2015, when he was arrested on state charges related to a bank robbery that occurred in Milford, Connecticut, on August 18, 2015.  CHADRONET pleaded guilty in state court for the Milford robbery and was sentenced to 10 years of incarceration.

Judge Bryant ordered CHADRONET to pay $4,026 in restitution.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Connecticut State Police, Branford Police Department, Milford Police Department and Wareham (Mass.) Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Former Fannie Mae Employee Arraigned on Charges of Accepting Bribes and Approving Below-Market Sale of Foreclosed Homes

          LOS ANGELES – A Riverside woman who worked at Fannie Mae offices in Irvine faces fraud charges alleging that she earned more than $1 million from a scheme in which she took bribes and approved discounted sales of Fannie Mae-owned properties to herself and to brokers in exchange for cash kickbacks.

          Shirene Hernandez, 45, of Corona, was arraigned Friday afternoon on two counts of wire fraud.  After entering a plea of not guilty and being released on a $65,000 bond, Hernandez was ordered to stand trial on March 20, 2018.

          As alleged in the indictment, at all relevant times Hernandez was a real estate owned (REO) foreclosure specialist at the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae). Fannie Mae is a government-sponsored entity under conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). As part of its operations, Fannie Mae acquires properties – sometimes called REO properties – through foreclosure and otherwise, and it then manages and sells those properties for Fannie Mae’s benefit. Under FHFA’s conservatorship, since at least 2012 Fannie Mae’s profits have gone to the United States Treasury Department, for the benefit of the American taxpayer.

          As an REO foreclosure specialist, Hernandez’s duties included assigning Fannie-Mae owned properties to listing brokers and approving sales of those properties based on offers submitted by those brokers. During the scheme, which is alleged to have begun no later than April 2011 and continued through at least July 2016, Hernandez allegedly approved sales of Fannie Mae-owned properties at discounted prices to herself and to brokers who paid her cash kickbacks, and she allegedly received bribes, in the form of cash payments, gifts, and other things of value, from brokers in exchange for listing opportunities and the resulting commissions that brokers earned on sales.

          According to the indictment, one of the Fannie-Mae owned properties that Hernandez purchased was purchased through intermediaries and alter egos who rented out the property and provided rent proceeds to Hernandez.

          The indictment alleges that Hernandez’s profits from the fraud exceeded $1 million.

          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.

          If Hernandez were to be convicted of the two charges in the indictment, she would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison on each count.

          The case is being investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG).  Agents continue to investigate this case and other allegations of bribes accepted by other Fannie Mae employees.  If you believe you have information relevant to this investigation, please contact FHFA-OIG Senior Special Agent James Shields at 202-730-4013.

          The prosecution of Hernandez is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Kerry L. Quinn of the Major Frauds Section.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Two charged with illegally reentering U.S. after deportation

Two people were indicted in federal court for illegally reentering the United States, U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman said.

Jose Guillermo Uribe Perez, 30, a citizen of Mexico, was found in Austintown in December 2017 after having been previously deported to Mexico, according to the indictment.

Timateo Calel-Herrera, 32, a citizen of Guatemala, was found in Dover on Jan. 22 after having been previously deported three times to Guatemala, according to the indictment.

Assistant United States Attorney Brad J. Beeson is prosecuting the cases following investigations by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial, in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Southbury Man Who Detonated Pipe Bomb Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRIAN FLUMAN, 34, of Southbury, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford to 57 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing and detonating a pipe bomb.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 15, 2017, FLUMAN detonated a pipe bomb, which he had built, in the vicinity of Upper Grassy Hill Road in Woodbury.

On June 8, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of FLUMAN’s Southbury residence and seized three pipes with end caps, Pyrodex, a fuse, an electric blasting cap, and a semi-automatic rifle.

FLUMAN’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for larceny, burglary and narcotics possession.

FLUMAN has been detained since his arrest on July 26, 2017.  On November 15, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a destructive device by a convicted felon.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Connecticut State Police and Woodbury Resident Trooper’s Office.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacabed Rodriguez-Coss.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Brooklyn-Based Home Health Care Service and Its President Agree to Pay Over $6.4 Million to Settle False Claims Act Suit Alleging Improper Billing Practices

Home Family Care, Inc. (HFC), a Brooklyn-based company that provides home health care services, and Alexander Kiselev, the co-owner and President of HFC, have entered into a civil settlement agreement under which they have agreed to pay $6,415,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the federal and state False Claims Acts by falsely billing Medicaid for home health care services that HFC did not provide to Medicaid recipients.  HFC’s former Vice President, Michael Gurevich, entered into a separate settlement regarding the same allegations. The settlement agreements were approved by United States District Judge Sterling Johnson, Jr.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the settlements.

“When health care providers seek and receive Medicaid funds for services that they never provided, they jeopardize the fiscal integrity of a critical health care program,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “We will hold health care providers accountable for their violations of federal law.”  Mr. Donoghue thanked the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the New York State Attorney General, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the New York Office of Field Operations and the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (New York) of U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their assistance in the investigation.

An investigation revealed that, from the time HFC began operating in or about 2008 until at least May 2014, HFC engaged in a fraudulent scheme to enrich itself at the expense of Medicaid by knowingly and systematically billing for home health aide and personal care aid services that were not in fact provided to Medicaid recipients.  To carry out this scheme, HFC directed its employees to deliberately circumvent its own system for verifying the attendance of aides at the homes of Medicaid recipients for whom the aides were allegedly providing care and to deliberately circumvent HFC’s internal controls that purported to ensure that aides were present in the recipients’ homes. 

The allegations were brought to the government’s attention through the filing of a complaint pursuant to the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  Under the Act, private citizens can bring suit on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery. 

The United States’ case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Elliot M. Schachner of the Office’s Civil Division.

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 10-CV-2490 (SJ)

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Pharr Woman Convicted of Bank Fraud

McALLEN, Texas – A former bank employee has entered a guilty plea to allegations she stole more than $1 million from customer accounts, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. 

Cynthia Luna Rodriguez, 45, of Pharr, acknowledged she committed two counts of bank fraud and one count of embezzlement that occurred over eight years. Rodriguez admitted to illegally withdrawing money from customers’ accounts and to hiding the unauthorized withdrawls by back-filling the accounts with money from other customers’ accounts and by changing the address on the customer accounts without authorization. 

Rodriguez worked at First National Bank in Edinburg. Beginning in at least January 2006, she began taking money from customer accounts without authorization. She continued to do so during the time PlainsCapital Bank took over First National Bank.

A PlainsCapital Bank audit resulted in her firing on Aug. 12, 2014. Following her termination, employees discovered documents at her desk including a 1099 statement belonging to one of the victims. The statement had been altered with whiteout over the address and interest earned sections and new information typed over them. The new address was actually a private mailbox that Rodriguez leased.  

Law enforcement executed a search warrant on that private mailbox, at which time they discovered multiple mailings to account holders at her address. 

Further investigation revealed a large amount of unexplained money deposited into some of Rodriguez’s accounts which corresponded with the time of the unauthorized withdrawls from the victim accounts. The victim accounts belonged to individuals who interacted with Rodriguez directly when she was employed at the bank. The accounts primarily belonged to elderly individuals and to individuals living out of the country whom were not likely to regularly monitor their accounts. When account holders or their representatives came in to close their statements, Rodriguez moved money from another victim’s account to backfill the account about to be closed. 

A forensic audit conducted by an outside accounting firm determined that approximately $1.3 million was taken from six victim accounts over an eight-year time span. As part of her plea, Rodriguez agreed to pay more than $1.1 million in restitution.  

U.S. District Court Judge Micaela Alvarez accepted the plea and sent sentencing for April 11, 2018. At that time, Rodriguez faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a possible $1 million fine. She was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.  

The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Leonard is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: California Woman Sentenced for Importing Methamphetamine and Heroin

LAREDO, Texas – A 42-year-old woman has been ordered to federal prison following her conviction of conspiracy to import methamphetamine and heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Aurelia Rufino-Pilar pleaded guilty Sept. 5, 2017.  

Today, U.S. District Court Judge Diana Saldaña ordered her to serve a total of 108 months in prison. She is a legal permanent resident, but could face deportation proceedings following her term of imprisonment.   

On April 21, 2017, Rufino-Pilar arrived at the Lincoln-Juarez Bridge port of entry in Laredo in a taxi and applied for admission to the United States. At primary inspection, she stated she had luggage and some bags in the taxi. She claimed they were not hers and was just taking them to San Antonio for a friend.

She further stated that she was a legal permanent resident who had traveled from her home in Bakersfield, California, to Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and had stayed there two hours to receive treatment for psoriasis. She said she was going to take her friend’s luggage to San Antonio and then return to her home in California.

The taxi was referred to secondary inspection where agents discovered eight tubs of mole inside four duffle bags. The officers opened one tub and found a cylindrical object from which a sample was taken and tested positive for methamphetamine. A sample from another cylinder tested positive for heroin. In total, authorities discovered a total of 36.18 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine and 4.14 kilograms of heroin.

Rufino-Pilar ultimately admitted that the purpose of her trip was to transport narcotics to San Antonio and to seek treatment for her skin condition. She planned to take a bus to San Antonio to deliver the narcotics.

She has been in custody where she will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.  

Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Bukiewicz is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: New Haven Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Robbery and Gun Charges

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SHAQUILLE RICHARDSON, 23, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to federal robbery and firearm charges.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 30, 2016, at approximately 1:41 a.m., New Haven Police officers were dispatched to Ferry Street after a report of person who had been shot.  At the scene, officers found two victims.  One victim had been shot in the left elbow and was bleeding heavily, and the other victim was bleeding from the nose. 

The investigation, which has included witness interviews, DNA evidence, ballistics evidence and footage from a surveillance video, revealed that RICHARDSON and another individual attacked the two victims after they exited a convenience store in an attempt to steal marijuana from the victims.  RICHARDSON struck one of the victims in the face with a gun.

Officers apprehended RICHARSON near the scene of the robbery.  When RICHARDSON was found, he was bleeding from a gash to his hand where one of the victims had slashed him with a knife in self-defense. 

RICHARDSON pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of carrying a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of five years.  Judge Shea scheduled sentencing for April 25, 2018.

RICHARDSON has been detained since his arrest on June 30, 2016.

This matter is being investigated by the New Haven Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter D. Markle and Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis.