BOSTON—A member of the Montes Park street gang in New Bedford was sentenced today in federal court on drug charges.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; James C. Burrell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Division; C. Samuel Sutter, Bristol County District Attorney; Massachusetts State Police Colonel Marian McGovern; New Bedford Police Chief Ronald Teachman; and Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson, announced that AARON VAUGHAN, 34, of New Bedford, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph L. Tauro to 40 months' incarceration, to be followed by six years of supervised release.
On May 3, 2010, VAUGHAN pleaded guilty to a one count indictment charging him with distribution of cocaine base and abetting and abetting. On the date of the plea, the prosecutor informed the court that, had the case proceeded to trial, the evidence would have proven that on March 26, 2008, VAUGHAN and a co-defendant sold 1.6 grams of crack cocaine to a undercover cooperating witness in exchange for money.
The indictments, as well as a detention affidavit filed with the court in connection with the investigation into the Montes Park gang, alleged that VAUGHAN was a member of the New Bedford Montes Park street gang. Throughout the more than nine-month investigation, it is alleged that law enforcement made purchases of crack cocaine or firearms from various Montes Park street gang defendants. It is alleged that the Montes Park street gang has a long history of involvement in a variety of illegal activities, including violence against rival gang members, and drug and firearm trafficking. It is further alleged that the Montes Park street gang has been involved in a gang war in New Bedford with a rival area gang over a period of time resulting in numerous shootings, murders, and other acts of violence.
VAUGHN is the second Montes Park gang member to be sentenced in federal court in the past week. On July 15, RAYMOND GREEN, 40, of New Bedford, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr., to 78 months' incarceration, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In May, GREEN pleaded guilty to a two-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute cocaine base, distribution of cocaine base, and abetting and abetting.
Both cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Southeastern Massachusetts Gang Task Force and were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan in Ortiz’s Strike Force Unit.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
League City Man Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Child Pornography
Court Orders Defendant Register as Sex Offender and Serve a Life Term of Supervised Release
HOUSTON—Michael Simeon Sadowski, 51, a League City resident, has been sentenced to 97 months in federal prison without parole, was ordered to register as a sex offender, and must serve a life-term of supervised release for possessing child pornography, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today. U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison handed down the sentence a hearing today.
Sadowski’s conviction is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspectors Service (USPIS), members of the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the League City Police Department which began in August 2009. At that time, Sadowski responded to an e-mail from someone who purported to trade in child pornography requesting that a flyer offering the opportunity to purchase “exotic and special interest” videos via catalog be sent to him in a different format. The “someone” was actually an undercover postal inspector. On Aug. 21, 2009, Sadowski sent an e-mail to the undercover inspector asking that a detailed catalog be sent to him. The catalog, which was sent to him as requested, described videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct and included an order form, the price for one video ($15) and instructions regarding how to send payment to an undercover mailing address.
Correspondence between the postal inspector and Sadowski continued between Aug. 20, 2009, and Sept. 15, 2009. On Sept. 1, 2009, the postal inspector received via the U.S. Mail at his undercover address a handwritten letter from Sadowski ordering seven videos. Sadowski’s order request included $116.00 in the form of U.S. currency. Sadowski provided his name and home address in League City, Texas, as the address to which the child pornography videos he ordered should be shipped. On Oct. 1, 2009, the seven DVDs were delivered to Sadowski.
On Oct. 8, 2010, USPIS inspectors, FBI agents, Houston Metro ICAC members and the League City Police Department executed a federal search warrant at Sadowski’s residence. Sadowski was alone at his residence at the time and admitted to ordering and paying for the seven DVDs containing child pornography that were delivered to him. The DVDs were found in a wicker chest in the living room; the shipping packaging was also found. Sadowski also told officers they would find child pornography images and videos on his desktop computer and that the links would be on his desktop.
Investigating officers seized one desktop computer, more than 500 CDs, DVDs, and video tapes, as well as three video cameras, one digital camera, one pair of binoculars, one Bushnell Digital Imaging Scope, and approximately 67 8 ½ ” x 11” photographs depicting child pornography and/or child erotica. Several of the photos were from the LS series and BD series which are known to contain child pornography and child erotica.
Sadowski had a video camera on a tri-pod facing out the window on the front of his house which he used to videotape underage girls outside his house and at public events. A forensic analysis of his computer resulted in the discovery of more than 1000 images and hundreds of videos of child pornography, including images with prepubescent minors and the sexual penetration of those minors by adult males.
Sadowski was arrested on Oct. 8, 2009, and has been in federal custody without bond since then. He will remain in custody to serve his sentence. During his life-term of supervised release, Sadowski is required to comply with a number of special conditions designed to protect children and prohibit the use of the Internet including registration as a sex offender. Failure to abide by any of the conditions imposed can result in a revocation of the supervised release term and a prison term.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Stabe prosecuted the case.
HOUSTON—Michael Simeon Sadowski, 51, a League City resident, has been sentenced to 97 months in federal prison without parole, was ordered to register as a sex offender, and must serve a life-term of supervised release for possessing child pornography, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today. U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison handed down the sentence a hearing today.
Sadowski’s conviction is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspectors Service (USPIS), members of the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the League City Police Department which began in August 2009. At that time, Sadowski responded to an e-mail from someone who purported to trade in child pornography requesting that a flyer offering the opportunity to purchase “exotic and special interest” videos via catalog be sent to him in a different format. The “someone” was actually an undercover postal inspector. On Aug. 21, 2009, Sadowski sent an e-mail to the undercover inspector asking that a detailed catalog be sent to him. The catalog, which was sent to him as requested, described videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct and included an order form, the price for one video ($15) and instructions regarding how to send payment to an undercover mailing address.
Correspondence between the postal inspector and Sadowski continued between Aug. 20, 2009, and Sept. 15, 2009. On Sept. 1, 2009, the postal inspector received via the U.S. Mail at his undercover address a handwritten letter from Sadowski ordering seven videos. Sadowski’s order request included $116.00 in the form of U.S. currency. Sadowski provided his name and home address in League City, Texas, as the address to which the child pornography videos he ordered should be shipped. On Oct. 1, 2009, the seven DVDs were delivered to Sadowski.
On Oct. 8, 2010, USPIS inspectors, FBI agents, Houston Metro ICAC members and the League City Police Department executed a federal search warrant at Sadowski’s residence. Sadowski was alone at his residence at the time and admitted to ordering and paying for the seven DVDs containing child pornography that were delivered to him. The DVDs were found in a wicker chest in the living room; the shipping packaging was also found. Sadowski also told officers they would find child pornography images and videos on his desktop computer and that the links would be on his desktop.
Investigating officers seized one desktop computer, more than 500 CDs, DVDs, and video tapes, as well as three video cameras, one digital camera, one pair of binoculars, one Bushnell Digital Imaging Scope, and approximately 67 8 ½ ” x 11” photographs depicting child pornography and/or child erotica. Several of the photos were from the LS series and BD series which are known to contain child pornography and child erotica.
Sadowski had a video camera on a tri-pod facing out the window on the front of his house which he used to videotape underage girls outside his house and at public events. A forensic analysis of his computer resulted in the discovery of more than 1000 images and hundreds of videos of child pornography, including images with prepubescent minors and the sexual penetration of those minors by adult males.
Sadowski was arrested on Oct. 8, 2009, and has been in federal custody without bond since then. He will remain in custody to serve his sentence. During his life-term of supervised release, Sadowski is required to comply with a number of special conditions designed to protect children and prohibit the use of the Internet including registration as a sex offender. Failure to abide by any of the conditions imposed can result in a revocation of the supervised release term and a prison term.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Stabe prosecuted the case.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Mexican Citizen Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Conspiracy and Money Laundering
Anchorage, Alaska — United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced that on July 16, 2010, Gilberto Gonzalez, a.k.a. “Toro,” a.k.a. Victor Manuel Reyes, a citizen of Mexico who illegally returned to the United States after a prior conviction for drug trafficking, was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage to 20 years of imprisonment for his conviction of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine, and money laundering.
United States District Court Judge John W. Sedwick imposed the sentence on Gonzalez, 35.
According to information presented to the court by Lead Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force AUSA Stephan A. Collins, Gonzalez was a manager of a conspiracy that trafficked in cocaine and methamphetamine between Nevada, California, Alaska, and Hawaii. During a four-month period, the conspiracy distributed multiple kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine in Alaska and transfered drug proceeds through fictitious bank accounts from Alaska to Nevada. Other members of the conspiracy were previously convicted and sentenced included Alfonso Acosta Ruiz, 32, Mirina Millan Guitierrez, 47, Martin Ochoa Valara, 36, Jose Mata-Linares, 24, and Jose Inoa-Ramos, 34. With the exception of Inoa-Ramos, who is a citizen of the Dominican Republic, all of the conspirators are citizens of Mexico. The Court ordered that all fo the defendants were to be deported from the United States after they complete their respective sentences.
Ms. Loeffler commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Gonzalez and his co-conspirators.
United States District Court Judge John W. Sedwick imposed the sentence on Gonzalez, 35.
According to information presented to the court by Lead Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force AUSA Stephan A. Collins, Gonzalez was a manager of a conspiracy that trafficked in cocaine and methamphetamine between Nevada, California, Alaska, and Hawaii. During a four-month period, the conspiracy distributed multiple kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine in Alaska and transfered drug proceeds through fictitious bank accounts from Alaska to Nevada. Other members of the conspiracy were previously convicted and sentenced included Alfonso Acosta Ruiz, 32, Mirina Millan Guitierrez, 47, Martin Ochoa Valara, 36, Jose Mata-Linares, 24, and Jose Inoa-Ramos, 34. With the exception of Inoa-Ramos, who is a citizen of the Dominican Republic, all of the conspirators are citizens of Mexico. The Court ordered that all fo the defendants were to be deported from the United States after they complete their respective sentences.
Ms. Loeffler commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Gonzalez and his co-conspirators.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Parkville Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Over $400,000 in Counterfeit Goods, Money Laundering Conspiracy
KANSAS CITY, MO—Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Parkville, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to traffic more than $400,000 worth of counterfeit designer purses, shoes, and other items, and to a money laundering conspiracy.
James L. Dicapo, also known as “Jimmy,” 57, of Parkville, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert E. Larsen to a federal information that charges him with conspiring to traffic in counterfeit goods and to commit money laundering.
By pleading guilty today, Dicapo admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods in the Kansas City, Mo., area from Nov. 1, 2007, to Sept. 9, 2009. Dicapo admitted that he sold more than $400,000 worth of counterfeit goods, including Burberry, Coach, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Dooney & Bourke, Ed Hardy, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Prada trademarked merchandise, at prices far below the retail value of the genuine goods.
Dicapo received the counterfeit goods from a supplier in New York, who shipped them via UPS to Dicapo’s residence or to Dee Fashion in Kansas City, Kan. Dicapo used the proceeds from the sale of counterfeit goods to purchase money orders to pay for the COD deliveries of additional counterfeit goods. For example, from Nov. 20, 2007, to Jan. 12, 2009, Dicapo paid approximately $173,032 for counterfeit goods shipped from his New York supplier.
According to today’s plea agreement, Dicapo sold more than $400,000 worth of counterfeit goods during the conspiracy.
Dicapo sold several purses to undercover law enforcement officers. Dicapo sold a counterfeit Prada purse and a counterfeit Coach purse for $85 each. On another occasion, Dicapo sold a counterfeit Coach purse for $75 and a counterfeit Coach wallet for $35. Dicapo also sold a counterfeit Coach purse and a counterfeit Dolce & Gabbana purse for $65 each.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Dicapo must forfeit to the government hundreds of counterfeit goods that were seized from him by FBI agents. On March 31, 2009, Dicapo possessed approximately 576 pieces of counterfeit designer merchandise in his residence and in his van, including 21 18-gallon plastic tubs in his van that contained counterfeit purses, shoes, blue jeans, t-shirts, sunglasses, and wristlets, which were seized by law enforcement. On Sept. 9, 2009, Dicapo possessed approximately 70 pieces of counterfeit designer merchandise in his residence and in his van, including counterfeit purses, sunglasses, baseball hats, and t-shirts, which were seized by law enforcement.
Dicapo also admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to conduct financial transactions that involved the proceeds of his illegal activity, which was intended to promote that activity and designed to conceal the source of the proceeds.
Under federal statutes, Dicapo is subject to a sentence of up to 25 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $750,000. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jess E. Michaelsen. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department.
James L. Dicapo, also known as “Jimmy,” 57, of Parkville, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert E. Larsen to a federal information that charges him with conspiring to traffic in counterfeit goods and to commit money laundering.
By pleading guilty today, Dicapo admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods in the Kansas City, Mo., area from Nov. 1, 2007, to Sept. 9, 2009. Dicapo admitted that he sold more than $400,000 worth of counterfeit goods, including Burberry, Coach, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Dooney & Bourke, Ed Hardy, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Prada trademarked merchandise, at prices far below the retail value of the genuine goods.
Dicapo received the counterfeit goods from a supplier in New York, who shipped them via UPS to Dicapo’s residence or to Dee Fashion in Kansas City, Kan. Dicapo used the proceeds from the sale of counterfeit goods to purchase money orders to pay for the COD deliveries of additional counterfeit goods. For example, from Nov. 20, 2007, to Jan. 12, 2009, Dicapo paid approximately $173,032 for counterfeit goods shipped from his New York supplier.
According to today’s plea agreement, Dicapo sold more than $400,000 worth of counterfeit goods during the conspiracy.
Dicapo sold several purses to undercover law enforcement officers. Dicapo sold a counterfeit Prada purse and a counterfeit Coach purse for $85 each. On another occasion, Dicapo sold a counterfeit Coach purse for $75 and a counterfeit Coach wallet for $35. Dicapo also sold a counterfeit Coach purse and a counterfeit Dolce & Gabbana purse for $65 each.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Dicapo must forfeit to the government hundreds of counterfeit goods that were seized from him by FBI agents. On March 31, 2009, Dicapo possessed approximately 576 pieces of counterfeit designer merchandise in his residence and in his van, including 21 18-gallon plastic tubs in his van that contained counterfeit purses, shoes, blue jeans, t-shirts, sunglasses, and wristlets, which were seized by law enforcement. On Sept. 9, 2009, Dicapo possessed approximately 70 pieces of counterfeit designer merchandise in his residence and in his van, including counterfeit purses, sunglasses, baseball hats, and t-shirts, which were seized by law enforcement.
Dicapo also admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to conduct financial transactions that involved the proceeds of his illegal activity, which was intended to promote that activity and designed to conceal the source of the proceeds.
Under federal statutes, Dicapo is subject to a sentence of up to 25 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $750,000. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jess E. Michaelsen. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Beltsville Leader in Mortgage Fraud Scheme Sentenced to Over Four Years in Prison
Paid Over 15 Straw Purchasers and Used False Documents to Buy 25 Properties; Received Over $3.8 Million in Fraud Proceeds
BALTIMORE, MD—U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Timothy Reed, age 45, of Beltsville, Maryland, today to 51 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for mail fraud arising from the fraudulent purchase of 25 properties in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia using false mortgage and settlement documents. Judge Motz also ordered that Reed pay $4,196,967 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel S. Cortez of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy and his Economic Crimes Unit; and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Irvine of the United States Secret Service - Washington Field Office.
According to Reed’s plea agreement, Reed and others paid over 15 straw purchasers $10,000 per property to purchase houses for Reed and others. Reed created false mortgage and settlement documents, many of which misrepresented the straw purchasers’ income and assets. Reed and others also created false invoices to claim that their company, Brotherly Investment Group, performed “renovations” on some of the properties. Using these false invoices, Reed and others were “repaid” at closing for the purported renovations. Reed was an organizer and leader in this scheme.
From 2006 to 2008, Reed and others received approximately $3,830,418 in fraudulent funds as part of this scheme. Many of the purchased properties have been foreclosed upon.
The Maryland Mortgage Fraud Task Force was established to unify the agencies that regulate and investigate mortgage fraud and promote the early detection, identification, prevention and prosecution of mortgage fraud schemes. This case, as well as other cases brought by members of the Task Force, demonstrates the commitment of law enforcement agencies to protect consumers from fraud and promote the integrity of the credit markets. Information about mortgage fraud prosecutions is available http://www.justice.gov/usao/md/Mortgage-Fraud/index.html.
This law enforcement action is part of President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Kwame J. Manley, who prosecuted the case.
BALTIMORE, MD—U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Timothy Reed, age 45, of Beltsville, Maryland, today to 51 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for mail fraud arising from the fraudulent purchase of 25 properties in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia using false mortgage and settlement documents. Judge Motz also ordered that Reed pay $4,196,967 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel S. Cortez of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy and his Economic Crimes Unit; and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Irvine of the United States Secret Service - Washington Field Office.
According to Reed’s plea agreement, Reed and others paid over 15 straw purchasers $10,000 per property to purchase houses for Reed and others. Reed created false mortgage and settlement documents, many of which misrepresented the straw purchasers’ income and assets. Reed and others also created false invoices to claim that their company, Brotherly Investment Group, performed “renovations” on some of the properties. Using these false invoices, Reed and others were “repaid” at closing for the purported renovations. Reed was an organizer and leader in this scheme.
From 2006 to 2008, Reed and others received approximately $3,830,418 in fraudulent funds as part of this scheme. Many of the purchased properties have been foreclosed upon.
The Maryland Mortgage Fraud Task Force was established to unify the agencies that regulate and investigate mortgage fraud and promote the early detection, identification, prevention and prosecution of mortgage fraud schemes. This case, as well as other cases brought by members of the Task Force, demonstrates the commitment of law enforcement agencies to protect consumers from fraud and promote the integrity of the credit markets. Information about mortgage fraud prosecutions is available http://www.justice.gov/usao/md/Mortgage-Fraud/index.html.
This law enforcement action is part of President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Kwame J. Manley, who prosecuted the case.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Former Pharmacy Technician Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud
HUNTSVILLE—A Rainbow City woman pleaded guilty today to health care fraud totaling more than $330,000 for illegal prescription reimbursements she received while working as a pharmacy technician at a discount department store in East Gadsden, U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI Special Agent in Charge Patrick Maley announced.
CHARLOTTE TURLEY, 52, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge C. Lynwood Smith Jr. to four counts of health care fraud and agreed to forfeit at least $331,118 to the government as proceeds of illegal activity. A federal grand jury indicted TURLEY on the fraud charges in April.
“When someone steals money intended to pay legitimate claims, it results in higher overall health insurance costs to everyone,” Vance said. “We intend to be vigilant in detecting and prosecuting this type of crime. Would-be health care criminals are not welcome in Alabama.”
According to TURLEY’s plea agreement, she schemed to defraud Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama between June 2005 and July 2008 while she worked at an East Gadsden K-Mart store. As a pharmacy technician, TURLEY entered insurance claim information for prescription drugs into the store’s computer system. TURLEY acknowledged in her plea agreement that she entered false information to reflect she received prescriptions that were never prescribed, and that she received reimbursements from Blue Cross and Blue Shield for the fake prescriptions.
The defendant faces maximum sentences of 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 on each count. Sentencing is scheduled Nov. 18 at 11 a.m.
The FBI investigated the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lloyd Peeples and Henry Cornelius.
CHARLOTTE TURLEY, 52, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge C. Lynwood Smith Jr. to four counts of health care fraud and agreed to forfeit at least $331,118 to the government as proceeds of illegal activity. A federal grand jury indicted TURLEY on the fraud charges in April.
“When someone steals money intended to pay legitimate claims, it results in higher overall health insurance costs to everyone,” Vance said. “We intend to be vigilant in detecting and prosecuting this type of crime. Would-be health care criminals are not welcome in Alabama.”
According to TURLEY’s plea agreement, she schemed to defraud Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama between June 2005 and July 2008 while she worked at an East Gadsden K-Mart store. As a pharmacy technician, TURLEY entered insurance claim information for prescription drugs into the store’s computer system. TURLEY acknowledged in her plea agreement that she entered false information to reflect she received prescriptions that were never prescribed, and that she received reimbursements from Blue Cross and Blue Shield for the fake prescriptions.
The defendant faces maximum sentences of 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 on each count. Sentencing is scheduled Nov. 18 at 11 a.m.
The FBI investigated the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lloyd Peeples and Henry Cornelius.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Pine Ridge Man Sentenced on Marijuana Charge
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Pine Ridge man charged with distribution of marijuana was sentenced on July 16, 2010, by Chief U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier. Charles Schrader, age 44, was sentenced to 33 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $100 victim assessment. Schrader was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 18, 2009. In April 2009, he distributed marijuana on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Schrader pled guilty to the charge on March 2, 2010. This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Bureau of Indian Affairs, ATF, and FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Vargo prosecuted the case. Schrader was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Eagan Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography
A 35-year-old Eagan man pleaded guilty earlier today in federal court in St. Paul to possessing child pornography. Appearing before United States District Court Judge Richard H. Kyle, Yem Nguyen pled guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. Nguyen was indicted on March 11, 2010.
In his plea agreement, Nguyen admitted that on July 3, 2007, he possessed computer images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. For his crime, Nguyen faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Judge Kyle will determine his sentence at a future hearing, yet to be scheduled.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Eagan Police Department and the Joint FBI-Secret Service Minnesota CyberCrimes Task Force, which is comprised of the FBI, the United States Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the St. Paul Police Department, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Minnesota Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erika R. Mozangue.
In his plea agreement, Nguyen admitted that on July 3, 2007, he possessed computer images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. For his crime, Nguyen faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Judge Kyle will determine his sentence at a future hearing, yet to be scheduled.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Eagan Police Department and the Joint FBI-Secret Service Minnesota CyberCrimes Task Force, which is comprised of the FBI, the United States Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the St. Paul Police Department, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Minnesota Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erika R. Mozangue.
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