Month: March 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

PITTSBURGH – An individual has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of wire fraud, interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle and aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

The seven-count Indictment, returned on March 17, named Serge Ahmed Zeba, age 31, who has resided at multiple addresses in several states, as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment, from November 2020 to January 2022, Zeba schemed with others known and unknown to use victim’s stolen PII to complete online applications to obtain lines of credit in victims’ names from automobile financing companies, without those victims’ permission or knowledge. Zeba then traveled to automobile dealerships throughout the country, including dealerships located in the Western District of Pennsylvania, and presented to employees fraudulent identification in the names of victims whose PII had been stolen, as well as fraudulent money orders, purportedly to cover the down payments for the vehicles. The grand jury further alleges that from August 24, 2021 to November 29, 2021, Zeba transported a stolen motor vehicle, namely, a 2021 Lexus RX350, in interstate commerce. The grand jury further alleges that on August 19, 2021 through August 24, 2021 and on August 29, 2021 through September 2, 2021, in relation to the felony wire fraud, used a means of identification of another person.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 20 years in prison, a fine of $1,750,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Karen Gal-Or is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of State (Buffalo Field Office) and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal grand jury sitting in Charlotte has returned a criminal indictment against Spenc’r Denard Rickerson, 35, of Claremont, N.C., charging him with wire fraud and bank robbery offenses, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The indictment was returned on March 15, 2022, and was unsealed today following Rickerson’s arrest on Monday. 

U.S. Attorney King is joined in making today’s announcement by Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division.

According to allegations in the indictment, between June 30, 2020, and March 20, 2021, Rickerson used false information to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan and multiple Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

To obtain the PPP loan, the indictment alleges that Rickerson submitted a fraudulent application for a non-existent company that contained a number of falsehoods, including the purpose of the loan and the company’s payroll costs. The indictment also alleges that Rickerson submitted fraudulent applications for several loans under the EIDL program, in which he provided fake information about the number of company employees and gross revenues. As a result of the fraudulent PPP and EIDL loan applications, Rickerson allegedly received over $74,200 in fraudulent funds intended to assist businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to the fraudulent loan scheme, according to allegations in the indictment, on March 18, 2021, Rickerson committed an armed robbery of a BB&T Bank located at 12 North Main Avenue, in Newton, N.C. Rickerson allegedly used the stolen funds from the fraudulent loan scheme and the bank robbery to pay bills and to buy cryptocurrency.

Rickerson remains in federal custody. The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum statutory penalty for the bank robbery offense is 25 years and a $250,000 fine.

The charges contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The FBI in Charlotte investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lambert Guinn and Jenny G. Sugar of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are in charge of the prosecution.

To report suspected COVID-19 fraud, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) at (866) 720-5721 or file an online complaint at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. Complaints filed will be reviewed by the NCDF and referred to federal, state, local or international law enforcement or regulatory agencies for investigation. Members of the public in the Western District of North Carolina are also encouraged to call 704-344-6222 to reach their local Coronavirus Fraud Coordinator.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Fairfax man pleaded guilty last week to attempted production of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, Brian Scott McGalem, 24, repeatedly engaged in sexually explicit discussions with at least six minors where he attempted to persuade several of the victims to produce sexually explicit pictures of themselves and send them to him. At least three of the minor victims were under the age of 12 at the time of the offense. During these discussions, which took place on several social media platforms under the monikers “Random Hipster#2429” and “Sircoolbeans,” McGalem attempted to groom and entice the minors to record themselves engaging in sexually explicit activity and he sent some of the minors sexually explicit images of himself. Moreover, McGalem’s electronic devices contained several images and videos of child sexual abuse material.

McGalem is scheduled to be sentenced on August 17. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Keim and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Kramer are prosecuting the case.

The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, continues to attempt to identify additional victims. Anyone with information regarding these crimes is encouraged to e-mail the HSI Tip Line: www.ice.gov/tips or by calling: 1-866-DHS-2-ICE. 

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:22-cr-48.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on March 21, 2022, Malik Pratt, 24, of Burlington, Vermont was arrested and appeared in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont for his initial appearance following the filing of a complaint which alleges that he robbed People’s United Bank in Burlington, Vermont on March 1, 2022.

According to the complaint, Burlington Police Department officers were dispatched to the People’s United Bank on North Avenue in Burlington, Vermont on March 1, 2022 at 10:06 a.m. following reports of a bank robber. Also, according to the complaint, bank employees stated that the robber threatened to shoot them and demanded cash. After acquiring cash, the robber fled the bank on foot, jumping over a fence near Ethan Allan Parkway to escape. The bank reported a total of $1,316 in U.S. currency stolen.

The criminal complaint lodged against Pratt contains accusations only, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The defendant is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Burlington for a detention hearing on March 23, 2022. The charged offense carries a maximum penalty of 20 years. Any actual sentence will be determined with reference to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The Burlington Police Department and United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are jointly investigating the crime. Pratt is represented by Richard R. Goldsborough, Esq. The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Paul Van de Graaf.

U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Burlington Police Department in their collaborative investigation of Pratt.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. https://www.justice.gov/psn