Month: April 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Two criminal complaints were unsealed today in federal court in the Eastern District of New York charging six defendants with conspiring to bribe correction officers employed by the New York City Department of Corrections (DOC) as part of contraband smuggling conspiracies. Correction Officers Krystle Burrell and Katrina Patterson, as well as Ashley Medina, Imani Matthews and Terrae Hinds were arrested earlier today, and their initial appearances are scheduled for this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom. Defendant Michael Ross is currently in New York State custody and will make his initial appearance at a later date.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Ricky J. Patel, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York Field Office (HSI), Jocelyn E. Strauber, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD) announced the arrests and charges.

“The defendants, public servants on the City’s payroll, allegedly smuggled contraband, including cell phones and drugs, to incarcerated gang members at Rikers Island. The flow of contraband into our jails is a serious problem which puts inmates, fellow officers and potentially the public at risk,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “We will continue to root out corruption at Rikers Island and work to protect incarcerated individuals and correction officers in our jails.”

“As alleged, Burrell and Patterson, both New York City Correctional Officers, brought shame and disgrace to New York’s Boldest by putting the safety of fellow officers and inmates at risk by conspiring to introduce contraband at Rikers Island Correctional Facilities on behalf of known Bloods Gang members,” said HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Patel. “The details in the complaint allege that both officers brazenly betrayed their oath to act with integrity and professionalism to create a safe environment in correctional facilities – their actions tarnish the great reputation of the men and women who put on the uniform of a New York City Correction Officer and risk their lives on a daily basis. HSI New York’s Violent Gang Task Force, with our local and federal partners, will continue to conduct violent crime and gang investigations throughout the New York City area to ensure those perpetrating criminal activities in any manner are held accountable.”

DOI Commissioner Strauber said, “As alleged, these correction officers facilitated the illegal entry of drugs and cellphones into the City’s jails in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribes, enriching themselves at the expense of the safety and security of inmates as well as their fellow officers. The contraband trade fuels violence that endangers inmates and staff, and undermines the rules and regulations intended to maintain order on Rikers Island. DOI is committed to continued collaboration with our law enforcement partners in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations, and the New York City Police Department to expose and stop this type of corruption that destabilizes the City’s jails.”

“The charges detailed in today’s federal complaints reflect an intolerable betrayal of public trust – including by those who allegedly abandoned their sworn oath to uphold the law,” said Police Commissioner Sewell. “I commend our NYPD officers, along with our law enforcement partners and the prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, for working together to build this important case.”

HSI, DOI and the NYPD have been investigating contraband smuggling rings involving the payment of bribes to DOC officers in exchange for smuggling contraband, including unauthorized cell phones and narcotics, to Bloods gang members on Rikers Island.

As alleged in one complaint, New York City Correction Officer Katrina Patterson accepted at least $34,090 in bribes from Ashley Medina and Imani Matthews on behalf of Michael Ross in exchange for Patterson smuggling contraband into the Robert N. Davoren Center on Rikers Island for Ross. Ross, who was incarcerated on unrelated offenses, arranged for the bribes to be sent to Patterson. DOC subsequently located narcotics and cell phones in Ross’ cell. In addition to obtaining surveillance video from Rikers Island showing Patterson bringing unauthorized items to Ross, law enforcement also seized Patterson’s text messages, including messages with Matthews where Matthews told Patterson that some of the contraband would be “4 black joints in 1 paper,” and Patterson responded, “it better be wrapped so many times I don’t want to smell it.” Patterson and Matthews also discussed the need to delete their text messages.

As alleged in a separate complaint, New York City Correction Officer Krystle Burrell accepted bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband into the Anna M. Kross Center on Rikers Island for Terrae Hinds, facilitating Hinds’ contraband smuggling business and permitting Hinds and others to violate DOC regulations. Hinds, who was incarcerated on unrelated offenses, arranged for approximately $9,780 in bribe payments to be sent to Burrell. In exchange, Burrell smuggled at least two unauthorized cell phones to Hinds, and also facilitated Hinds’ sale of narcotics and other contraband items at the Anna M. Kross Center.

The charges in the complaints are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Philip Pilmar.

The Defendants:

KATRINA PATTERSON
Age: 31
Jamaica, NY

IMANI MATTHEWS
Age: 25
Bronx, NY

ASHLEY MEDINA
Age: 24
Bronx, NY

MICHAEL ROSS
Age: 36
Comstock, NY

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-MJ-377

KRYSTLE BURRELL
Age: 35
Lawrence, NY

TERRAE HINDS
Age: 28
Yonkers, NY

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-MJ-378

Source: United States Department of Justice News

PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois man, Kiantre Dykeman, 24, of the 5100 block of N. Karen Court, pleaded guilty on April 4, 2022, to distribution of child pornography. Sentencing for Dykeman has been scheduled for August 4, 2022, at the federal courthouse in Peoria, Illinois.

In court before U.S. District Judge James Shadid, Dykeman admitted to advertising and selling images of child pornography on an internet-based application. During the hearing, the government stated that in November 2020, Dykeman advertised online that he had over 1,000 pictures of child pornography for sale, providing various prices for differing levels of access to the images. The investigation revealed that Dykeman in fact received payment via a mobile application money transfer service and, in turn, provided child pornography to a purchaser by sending images over a text messaging platform. Dykeman admitted to law enforcement that he sold the child pornography because he needed the money, indicating that he profited approximately $60 from the sales.

Dykeman was on bond in the custody of a third-party custodian and was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Dykeman faces a statutory penalty of five to 20 years in prison for the offense of distribution of child pornography. The offense also carries up to a $250,000 fine, a $5,000 Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA) assessment if he is determined not to be indigent, and up to a $35,000 special assessment for child pornography cases under 18 U.S.C. § 2259A. He also faces a minimum of five years and up to a life term of supervised release.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service, the Peoria Police Department, the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department, and the Bloomington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna is representing the government in the prosecution.

The case against Dykeman was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kyle Bower, age 32, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on April 4, 2022, to 2 months’ imprisonment to be followed by 2 months of home detention by United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner for smuggling cellular telephones into Dauphin County Prison.

According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Bower was a correctional officer at Dauphin County Prison when he agreed to smuggle cellphones into the prison for money on behalf of inmates. Between October 2015 and January 2016, he smuggled phones into the prison for inmates and was paid hundreds of dollars for each phone.  

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Dauphin County Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Consiglio prosecuted the case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida has ordered Florida company, Windows Service Center LLC, and its owner and operator, Erica Herson, 41, of Miami, to stop operating a technical-support fraud scheme that is alleged to have defrauded elderly and vulnerable U.S. victims out of over $1 million.

In a complaint filed on March 30, the United States alleges that Herson operated a scheme through Windows Service Center, as well as through her prior company USEL Support LLC, in which she contacted individuals over the phone and convinced them to purchase overpriced and unnecessary technical support services and anti-virus software by falsely claiming that their computers were infected with viruses or malware or were accessed by hackers. The complaint alleges that, in reality, Herson had no specific knowledge of the security of the victims’ computers prior to making the calls.

The complaint also alleges that Herson charged victims thousands of dollars for the installation of software that is available online for free or for a low cost. In addition, the complaint alleges that once a victim had made a purchase from USEL Support, Herson and USEL Support contacted that same victim repeatedly to try to obtain further payments by falsely claiming that the victim’s computer had additional security problems. The complaint alleges that Herson is continuing the same technical support fraud scheme through her new company, Windows Service Center.

“Technical support fraud schemes often prey on America’s seniors, exploiting their fear of online threats to steal their hard-earned savings,” said Principal Deputy Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to using all tools available to protect seniors from telemarketing fraud, whether those fraudulent phone calls are coming from call centers abroad, or from right here in the United States.”

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will hold accountable anyone engaging in schemes to defraud our seniors,” said U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez for the Southern District of Florida. “We urge the public to avoid giving computer access to unsolicited callers claiming a computer needs repair, to use caution before clicking on links in emails or on social media and to report suspected fraud to the appropriate authorities.” 

“Schemes of this nature target our elderly citizens under the guise of helping them,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigation Division. “The FBI works hand-in-hand with our law enforcement partners to dismantle crimes and scams like these, and we will bring to justice those fraudsters who commit them. Protecting our nation’s senior and vulnerable citizens is of the utmost importance to the FBI.”

The temporary restraining order entered March 31 prohibits Herson and Windows Service Center from engaging in telemarketing activity related to computer or software technical support and from accepting consumer payments related to any computer or software technical support service.

This case is being handled by Trial Attorneys Amy Kaplan and Ann Entwistle of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney James A. Weinkle for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida.

The department’s extensive and broad-based efforts to combat elder fraud seeks to halt the widespread losses seniors suffer from fraud schemes. The best method for prevention, however, is by sharing information about the various types of elder fraud schemes with relatives, friends, neighbors and other seniors who can use that information to protect themselves.

The public can report suspected fraud to law enforcement and file a complaint at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/ and/or www.ic3.gov/Home/FileComplaint.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud, and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.

Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An Italian national and a U.S. national, both New York residents, were sentenced on charges of conspiring to transfer false identification documents on the darknet marketplaces AlphaBay Market and Dream Market. According to court documents, from at least from May 2015 until October 2017, defendants Andrea Alessandrini and Evan Hayes sold New York state driver’s licenses, fraudulent identity information for individuals (including fake social security numbers and birthdates), credit card holograms, and ATM skimmers on the darknet, all in exchange for cryptocurrency.

On April 4, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California sentenced Evan Hayes, 28, of Buffalo, New York, to 18 months in prison, and on April 5, 2021, Alessandrini, 34, of Italy, was sentenced to 20 months in prison, for their roles in the charged identity fraud conspiracy. Alessandrini and Hayes pleaded guilty to the offenses on Nov. 16, 2020, and July 12, 2021, respectively.

According to court filings and statements made in connection with the defendants’ guilty pleas, Alessandrini created and operated the vendor account PlasticA on numerous darknet marketplaces, including AlphaBay Market and Dream Market. With his business partner, Hayes, Alessandrini sold over 300 fraudulent New York identity cards, four social security cards, 15 false birth certificates, 28 state identity card holograms, one ATM skimmer, and 410 “farmed” (i.e., stolen or fraudulently produced) identity packages to buyers in the Eastern District of California and elsewhere. Alessandrini operated the primary darknet accounts used to make these sales, while Hayes produced and mailed most of the fraudulent documents sold. On AlphaBay alone, Alessandrini and Hayes conducted between $250,000 and $400,000 worth of transactions between May 2015 and October 2017.

In connection with the case, the United States seized evidence concerning the wide range of fraudulent identity documents created and sold to buyers throughout the United States, evidence which has been shared with a range of law enforcement agencies for use in additional investigations. Finally, the United States forfeited the proceeds of the offense conduct, which included approximately $134,881 in U.S. currency, 14.78 bitcoins, 285 ounces of silver, 4 ounces of gold, and 22 prepaid Visa gift cards.

The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.

Senior Counsel Louisa K. Marion of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hemesath of the Eastern District of California prosecuted the case.