Month: March 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

BOSTON – A former employee of the City of Worcester’s Housing Development Office and Executive Office of Economic Development was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for her role in a $2.3 million fraud scheme relating to the redevelopment of a multi-family property in Worcester.

Jacklyn M. Sutcivni, 48, of Dracut, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 40 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Sutcivni was also ordered to pay restitution in an amount that will be determined at a hearing on May 19, 2022. On Aug. 4, 2021, Sutcivni was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and false claims.

In August 2016, Sutcivni was indicted along with James E. Levin, a Natick real estate developer and attorney. Levin pleaded guilty in September 2020 and was sentenced on March 30, 2021 to 37 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $1,955,000.

“This fraud is not a victimless crime – the Worcester community and its families deserve and are entitled to city employees that do their jobs with integrity,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “Jacklyn Sutcivni repeatedly chose to dishonor her public office and the good people of Worcester who placed their trust in her. Today’s sentence reinforces our steady resolve to investigate public officials who abuse their positions and hold them accountable for breaching the public’s trust.”

“Today, Jacklyn Sutcivni was finally held accountable for using her official position for financial gain at the expense of hard-working taxpayers in the city of Worcester, particularly those in need of safe and affordable housing,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “She grossly betrayed the public’s trust, failed to take responsibility for her actions, and eroded confidence in city government. This case is just one example of the FBI’s commitment to rooting out public corruption in order to protect the integrity of the institutions that are supposed to serve the best interests of our citizens.”

The City of Worcester distributes grant funds on behalf of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Sutcivni, as part of her job with the City of Worcester’s Housing Development Office, was responsible for reviewing payment requests for HUD grant funds. From July 2010 to September 2011, Sutcivni approved seven fraudulent HUD grant funding requests submitted by Levin for work he falsely claimed to have completed on a building he managed and associated costs. Sutcivni approved the payment requests despite knowing they were fraudulent. As a result, the City of Worcester issued approximately $2,365,050 in federal funds to Levin that he was not entitled to. After the City issued the payment, Sutcivni or other City officials, submitted reimbursement requests to HUD or DHCD for HUD funds.

U.S. Attorney Rollins, FBI Boston Division SAC Bonavolonta and Christina Scaringi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Region, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danial Bennet, of Rollins’ Worcester Branch Office and Brendan Mockler, of Rollins’ Asset Recovery Unit, prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Charles “Man Man” Thompson to 45 years in prison today. The 35-year-old St. Louis resident pleaded guilty in January 2020 to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine; three counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death; and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, Thompson provided information to one or more members of a large-scale cocaine trafficking organization that existed between 2012 and 2016 while Thompson was incarcerated in Missouri state prison.  Thompson, who openly associated with and was a member of a group commonly known as the “Blumeyer,” provided information relating to other “Blumeyer” members to this large-scale cocaine trafficking organization, which was a rival to the “Blumeyer.” 

Armed with the information provided by Thompson, one or more members of the rival drug trafficking organization committed acts of violence, including murder, against multiple “Blumeyer” members.  Thompson provided the information about his fellow “Blumeyer” members in the hope of becoming a significant drug trafficker within the Saint Louis area upon his release from prison.  Thompson also expected to be supplied drugs by the rival drug trafficking organization upon release.  Through the rival drug trafficking organization’s killing of “Blumeyer” members, Thompson also expected to have a greater ability to spearhead drug trafficking activities within the Saint Louis area.

As a result of information provided by Thompson to one or more members of the rival drug trafficking organization, multiple acts of violence occurred, including, but not limited to: the shootings of Terrell Beasley on July 1, 2013, and August 8, 2013; the shooting of Anthony Anderson on December 23, 2013; the murders of Robert Parker and Clara Walker on December 29, 2013; the murder of Michail Gridiron on January 21, 2014; and the murder of Dion Stovall on March 5, 2014.

After these acts of violence occurred and Thompson was released from prison, Thompson received controlled substances from the rival drug trafficking organization for Thompson to distribute within the Saint Louis area.     

“As today’s significant sentence makes clear, you don’t have to be the one who pulls the trigger of a firearm to be a murderer.  The acts of Charles Thompson directly contributed to the untimely and unnecessary deaths of many victims,” said United States Attorney Sayler Fleming after today’s sentencing.  “I commend the investigative team who worked tirelessly to hold each person involved in these violent acts accountable, including Mr. Thompson.  While today’s sentence will not bring back those we have lost or lessen the impact of their injuries, it should send a clear message that anyone’s involvement in violent crime will be pursued to the fullest extent under the law.”    

“DEA investigators and our partners are well aware of the connection between drug trafficking and violence,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, head of DEA operations in Eastern Missouri. “But this case shows the absolute depravity of drug traffickers, how little regard they have for human life. We will never stop pursuing these criminals because these lives taken mattered to their families. Stopping drug traffickers in their illegal business really is a matter of life or death.”

This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration; Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; the United States Marshals Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

TYLER, Texas – A Tyler man has pleaded guilty to federal child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.

Daniel Dylan Skipworth, 20, pleaded guilty to transporting a minor to engage in sexual activity today before U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell.

According to information presented in court, Skipworth admitted that in April 2021, he transported a 13-year-old he met online from the state of Alabama to his residence in Tyler to commit the offense of sexual abuse of a minor.  Skipworth’s conviction is the result of a cooperative effort involving the FBI, Tyler Police Department, and the Smith County District Attorney’s Office, who undertook the investigation after analyzing GPS data associated with the phone of a child who had been reported missing by her foster parents in Alabama.

“Children in our community are safer today than yesterday,” said U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston.  “Parents must be aware that dangerous predators lurk behind computer screens in our homes.  Like protecting our children who play at the park, we too must take precaution to protect our most vulnerable population in the cyber-world.  Law enforcement places protecting children at our highest priority.  To those who harm children, we will find you, arrest you, prosecute you and, seek the harshest punishment for you.”

“No child should ever have to go through this, and we will do all that we can to ensure that vulnerable members of our community are protected from those who seek to do them harm,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “The defendant will be held accountable for his egregious actions, and we will remain committed to investigating anyone who exploits children.”

“The Smith County District Attorney’s Office is grateful for the cooperation of federal and local law enforcement to protect society and this child victim, while ensuring that the defendant is held accountable as a convicted sex offender,” said Smith County District Attorney Jacob Putman.

Skipworth faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison.  The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.  A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.  In addition, Skipworth will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.justice.gov/psc.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Tyler Resident Agency, Tyler Police Department and Smith County District Attorney’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

GREAT FALLS  — A Fort Peck Indian Reservation man who admitted to aiding in attacking a man in the head with a bat was sentenced today to 54 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.

Rick John Morales, Jr., 32, who resides in both Wolf Point and Poplar, pleaded guilty in November 2021 to assault resulting in serious bodily injury, aiding and abetting.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris also ordered $13,505 restitution to be joint and several with the codefendant.

In court documents filed in the case, the government alleged that Morales aided and abetted codefendant Harry B. Azure in assaulting the victim, identified as John Doe, on Nov. 19, 2019, in Wolf Point. John Doe called 911 for medical assistance and told a responding tribal officer that three individuals kicked in the door to his residence, struck him multiple times in the head with a small baseball bat and left. Doe ultimately was flown to a Billings hospital where staff determined the victim had a severe traumatic brain injury. The victim later told law enforcement that the assault occurred days after an incident involving Morales. Azure was sentenced previously to 32 months in prison for conviction in the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy Johnson, prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Fort Peck Tribal Police.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – An Ashland, Kentucky woman was sentenced today to one year and three months in prison for her role in a $4.3 million fraud scheme against Toyota Motor Corporation.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Tammy Newsome, 55, was ordered to serve 15 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $4,335,663 in restitution.

Newsome was employed as an administrative assistant for Kentucky used car dealership Big Blue Motor Sales, which bought trucks at wholesale prices at auction, obtained hundreds of copies of Kentucky and West Virginia residents’ driver’s licenses, and fraudulently titled the trucks in the name of those residents.

Newsome helped induce Toyota to repurchase hundreds of fraudulently titled trucks at 150% of value between 2013 and 2015, as part of a scheme to misuse its warranty extension program. The scheme relied on Newsome to make false representations to the Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain false vehicle titles in the names of false owners. The titles obtained by Newsome were then used by other scheme participants to induce Toyota to repurchase the vehicles.

Newsome admitted that she made false representations to the DMV, delivered cash bribes to other scheme participants, and forged signatures of false owners so that checks issued by Toyota in the name of a false owner could be deposited into Big Blue Motor Sales’ bank account.

Newsome pleaded guilty to mail fraud in July 2020. Three other individuals were sentenced to prison earlier this year for their roles in the scheme: James Pinson, 46, of Wayne County, the owner of Big Blue Motor Sales, to six years; Frank Russo, 69, of North Carolina, a Toyota dealership service manager, to two years; and Stanley Clark, 68, of Poca, a transfer agent, to one year and three months. All three were also ordered to pay restitution.

U.S. Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement. The United States Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the West Virginia State Police and the West Virginia Office of the Insurance Commissioner investigated the case.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Former Assistant United States Attorney Stefan Hasselblad and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew J. Tessman and Steven I. Loew prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:19-CR-00250, 2:19-cr-00222, and 2:20-cr-00028.  

 

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