Month: March 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari (619) 546-8402

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 18, 2022

SAN DIEGO – A federal grand jury indictment was unsealed in San Diego against Guatemalan national Axel Bladimir Montejo Saenz, aka “Mosh,” aka “Kraken.” 

The indictment returned on November 1, 2018, charges Montejo Saenz with Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Intended for Unlawful Importation and Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine on Board a Vessel.  Montejo Saenz remains a fugitive. 

The indictment alleges that the conspiracy continued up to and including November 2018 and involved the distribution of cocaine in the countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico and elsewhere. 

“Today marks another important step in disrupting the corridor of illicit drug trafficking from Central America into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman.  “This complex, multi-agency investigation demonstrates the breadth of the Department’s mission to stop the flow of narcotics well before they reach our shores.”  U.S. Attorney Grossman thanked the prosecution team, Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their excellent work on this case.

“This high-level indictment highlights the success of HSI’s collaborative efforts with the government of Guatemala and all of our foreign and domestic law enforcement partners. This partnership has resulted in significant seizures of narcotics, firearms and U.S. Currency from international cartels,” said Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge for HSI San Diego. “HSI is committed to bringing international drug trafficking cartel members to justice and to dismantling these criminal organizations.”

“DEA and our law enforcement partners are determined to bring members of transnational criminal organizations that inundate our country with cocaine to justice in the United States,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Shelly S. Howe.  “We will continue to work with our foreign partners to stop the importation of illicit drugs.”

This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

DEFENDANT                                              

Case Number 18cr4701-DMS         

Axel Bladimir Montejo Saenz                                    Age: 35            Huehuetenango, Guatemala

   aka “Mosh,” aka “Kraken,”

   aka “Gladiator,” aka “Baraja,”

   aka “Solin,” aka “Ron Zacapa,”

   aka “Captain Morgan,” aka “Corralejo”

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances – Title 21, U.S.C., Section 959, 960, 963
Criminal Forfeiture – Title 21, U.S.C., Section 853

Maximum Penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine

Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine on Board a Vessel Subject to the Jurisdiction of the United States –
Title 46, U.S.C., Sections 70503, 70506(b)
Criminal Forfeiture – Title 46, U.S.C., Section 70507(a)

Maximum Penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine

AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

U.S. Coast Guard

HSI Attaché Guatemala City, Guatemala

HSI Attaché Mexico City Mexico

Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs

Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations

Department of Justice, Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF)

Joint Task Force-Investigations (JTF-I)

Joint Interagency Task Force-South (JIATF-S)

U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC)

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari (619) 546-8402

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 18, 2022

SAN DIEGO – A federal grand jury indictment was unsealed in San Diego against alleged Guatemalan drug kingpin Eugenio Dario Molina-Lopez, aka “Don Dario,” who is accused of being a leader of a transnational criminal organization known as Los Huistas. 

Los Huistas are primarily based in the Huehuetenango region of Northwest Guatemala that borders Mexico. This marks the latest indictment unsealed as part of Operation Guerrilla Unit, a multi-year investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Attorney’s Office in San Diego that targets high-level Guatemalan drug traffickers and their suppliers.

The indictment returned on January 29, 2019, charges Molina-Lopez with Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Intended for Unlawful Importation and Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine on Board a Vessel.  Molina-Lopez remains a fugitive. 

The U.S. Department of State also announced today that it is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Molina-Lopez.  This award is offered under the U.S. Department of State’s Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP).  More than 75 transnational criminals and major narcotics traffickers have been brought to justice under the NRP and the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) since 1986.  The Department has paid more than $135 million in rewards to date. 

The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs manages the NRP in close coordination with Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other U.S. government agencies. 

ALL IDENTITIES ARE KEPT STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.  Government officials and employees are not eligible for rewards

Operation Guerrilla Unit targets high-level cocaine traffickers operating in northwest Guatemala and their suppliers.  This investigation has offered one of the most comprehensive views to date of the inner workings of cocaine trafficking in Guatemala. High-level cocaine traffickers were targeted in a massive probe involving multiple countries, multiple law enforcement agencies around the United States, and a number of federal districts. 

“This extraordinary case is one of this district’s most significant, comprehensive and large-scale drug trafficking prosecutions,” said U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman.  “We are working tirelessly to dismantle cartels by taking down the leaders, one by one.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team, Homeland Security Investigations for spearheading this multi-year investigation, and the many law enforcement agencies that have worked so diligently on this case.

“HSI remains committed to combating the flow of dangerous drugs into the U.S. This includes disrupting and dismantling transnational criminal organizations and their supply networks beyond our borders. The indictment of Molina, the leader of Los Huistas, demonstrates HSI’s efforts to target these criminal organizations at their highest levels,” said Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge for HSI San Diego. “The reward proposed by the Department of State for Molina’s capture is a significant step forward in the investigation and reflects HSI’s holistic approach to countering transnational criminal organizations by collaborating not only with law enforcement partners, but also with our foreign policy and regulatory agencies.”

“The fight against drug cartels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea requires unity of effort from operational detection, monitoring, and interdiction, to criminal prosecutions by international partners and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices,” said Rear Admiral Brian Penoyer, the Eleventh Coast Guard District commander. “These charges showcase the threat posed by dangerous cartels, gangs and criminal groups that make up extensive organized crime networks.”

This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

DEFENDANT                                              

Case Number 19cr0327-DMS         

Eugenio Dario Molina-Lopez                                                 Age: 57            Huehuetenango, Guatemala

   aka “Don Dario,” aka “Molis”

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances – Title 21, U.S.C., Section 959, 960, 963
Criminal Forfeiture – Title 21, U.S.C., Section 853

Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine on Board a Vessel – Title 46, U.S.C., Section 70503(b), 70506

Maximum Penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine

AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

U.S. Coast Guard

HSI Attaché Guatemala City, Guatemala

HSI Attaché Mexico City Mexico

Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs

Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations

Department of Justice, Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF)

Department of Justice, Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS)

Joint Interagency Task Force-South (JIATF-S)

U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)

U.S. Department of State

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

SHREVEPORT, La. – Marie Kemp, 58, of Benton, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to spend 30 months in prison, followed by 1 year of supervised release, United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced.  Kemp was ordered to pay a fine in the amount of $50,000 and restitution in the amount of $1,069,609 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In addition, Kemp was permanently enjoined from the preparation of tax returns for anyone other than herself.

Marie Kemp was indicted by a federal grand jury on tax fraud charges in March 2018. She pleaded guilty on October 4, 2021, to making and subscribing a false tax return. Kemp worked in the tax return preparation business for approximately 20 years. In 2008, she opened Marie’s Tax Service with locations in Bossier City, Minden, and Ringgold, Louisiana, and was the sole proprietor.

Marie’s Tax Service prepared and submitted client tax returns electronically to the IRS. Kemp earned over $3 million in gross receipts for fees charged for the preparation and filing of client’s individual tax returns during the tax years 2011 and 2012 from her tax preparation business. Kemp did not register her business as a corporation with the IRS until 2018 and therefore, the business income of her tax preparation business should have flowed into her personal income tax return reportable on Schedule C.

Kemp personally prepared and electronically filed her 2011 and 2012 U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns, Forms 1040, with the IRS and underreported her business income. Kemp reported false figures in total gross receipts for her tax preparation business on Schedule C and losses and income on her Form 1040. These false amounts which she reported on her return were substantially lower than what the actual amounts were. Kemp’s 2012 tax return did not include a Schedule C for her tax preparation services business and false amounts were reported on Form 1040.  

According to evidence presented in court, Kemp only reported taxable income in the amount of $1,819 for tax year 2011, when in truth and in fact, her taxable income was $1,604,208. For the tax year 2012, Kemp did not report any income from her tax preparation business, when in fact she knew that her taxable income should have been $1,632,795. Because of her false reporting, Kemp owes taxes for years 2011 and 2012 in the amount of $1,069,609.

“Tax season is upon us, and this case should be a strong reminder that all citizens are subject to tax laws and should abide by them,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “Whether you are a paid tax preparer or one who files your own taxes, we must all adhere to the tax laws of the United States. This office will continue to work with the IRS to deter this type of criminal activity in the Western District of Louisiana.”

“Today’s sentencing of Marie Kemp again emphasizes the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Attorney’s office will continue their aggressive pursuit of those who use fraudulent methods in an attempt to corrupt our nation’s tax system,” said James E. Dorsey, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge, Atlanta Field Office. “Honest taxpayers have been reassured today that no one is above the law–especially when the integrity of tax administration is at stake.”

This case was investigated by the IRS – Criminal Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary J. Mudrick and Mike Shannon.

# # #

Source: United States Department of Justice News

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that John Matthew Tatum, 45, of Converse, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Donald E. Walter to 63 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for his involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy in Sabine Parish between August 2020 and May 2021.

Tatum pleaded guilty on November 18, 2021 to a Bill of Information charging him with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, following an investigation by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office.

On May 6, 2021, investigators executed a search warrant upon Tatum’s residence and located a safe containing approximately 413 net grams of pure methamphetamine. Also found in Tatum’s possession were 22 firearms, including a stolen handgun inside his vehicle, and cash proceeds from drug sales.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cadesby B. Cooper and Mike Shannon.

# # #

Source: United States Department of Justice News

A man who arranged the shipment of more than 10 kilograms of ketamine into the United States pleaded guilty this week in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Xiao Yang Zhang, 28, a Chinese citizen living illegally in the United States, pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy.

As part of his plea agreement, Zhang admitted to participating in a plan to bring ketamine into the United States through international shipments. The ketamine was hidden in packages of retail goods so they would pass through U.S. Customs unnoticed. Zhang rented two rooms in the Tulsa area for the purpose of receiving the packages of ketamine from France and Italy. Zhang traveled to the Tulsa locations to retrieve the ketamine then transported the drug back to California for delivery to others. Zhang admitted to importing a total of 10.5 kilograms of ketamine into the United States from Europe and understood it was against the law. Zhang took part in the drug conspiracy from October 2020 to July 2021.

While ketamine has accepted medical uses for short-term sedation and anesthesia, it is also illegally distributed for its hallucinogenic affects. It has also been used to facilitate sexual assault. According to a Drug Enforcement Administration fact sheet, street names for the drug include Cat Tranquilizer, Cat Valium, Jet K, Kit Kat, Purple, Special K, Special La Coke, Super Acid, Super K, and Vitamin K. Learn more here.

In 2016, Zhang was apprehended crossing the U.S. border from Mexico. He was released pending immigration hearings but failed to appear. He is known to have lived in Hawaii and California.

Zhang will be sentenced at a later date. As part of the plea agreement, Zhang will be deported following any term of imprisonment imposed by the Court.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case.