Month: April 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling announced that on March 25, 2022, Paul R. Vanderlinden (age: 42) of Appleton, Wisconsin, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Green Bay to charges that he willfully filed a false tax return and failed to truthfully account for and pay over payroll taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

According to court filings, Vanderlinden, as owner and operator of Muncheez Pizzeria in Appleton, Wisconsin, skimmed approximately $800,000 from his business’ receipts between 2012 and 2016. Large cash deposits were made to Vanderlinden’s personal bank account during this timeframe. Vanderlinden failed to include this revenue in his tax returns, and fraudulently underreported his gross receipts by at least $130,000 for each tax year.

Vanderlinden gave his employees the option of being “paid in cash without taxes taken out, or by check with taxes taken out,” and used a large portion of the skimmed revenue to pay his employees “under the table.” Federal law requires employers to collect payroll taxes. Vanderlinden willfully failed to withhold and pay over approximately $88,000 in payroll taxes between 2012 and 2016, and he filed employer tax returns containing false statements regarding the wages paid to his employees.

“This case reflects the strong commitment of the Department of Justice and our federal law enforcement partners to investigating and prosecuting individuals who seek to abuse our tax laws,” said United States Attorney Frohling.  “This type of fraud not only undermines the rule of law but also puts individuals and businesses that act in a forthright and honest manner at an unfair disadvantage in the marketplace.”

“Business owners have a responsibility to withhold income taxes for their employees and then remit those taxes to the Internal Revenue Service,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Justin Campbell, Chicago Field Office. “The failure to pay over withheld taxes is a serious offense. It results in the loss of tax revenue to the United States government and the loss of future social security or Medicare benefits for the employees.”

Vanderlinden will be sentenced on July 7, 2022, before Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach.

This investigation was undertaken by Special Agents from the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Farris Martini.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Alejandro Alvarado (30, Crescent City), Miguel Angel Perez (29, Deland), and Jose Martinez (43, Crescent City) for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Alvarado, who was the head of the Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison, and Perez and Martinez were each sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. All three had previously pleaded guilty.

According to court documents, Alvarado worked to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine along with a number of intermediaries – including Martinez, Perez, Jonathan Arroyo Ontiveros (25, Crescent City), Noel Bueno Jr. (27, Crescent City) and others – all of whom lived in close proximity to one another in Crescent City. Miguel Angel Ortiz (29, Crescent City) also served as a courier to deliver multi-kilogram shipments of methamphetamine from Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia to the Crescent City neighborhood in which Alvarado and the others operated. Alvarado, through his intermediaries, would deliver ounces and pounds of methamphetamine primarily to Robert Wayne Watson (59, Seville), who operated out of his home. Watson, in turn, redistributed ounces of methamphetamine to mid-level dealers located throughout central Florida, including George Edward Sykes (46, Bunnell), Danny Wayne Holmes (61, Kathleen), Dina Dynnette Kempher (38, Satsuma), and David John Doerr (56, Astor).

On July 17, 2021, FBI agents arrested Alvarado, Martinez, Ontiveros, Ortiz and Watson. At the time of his arrest, Alvarado had nearly five kilograms of methamphetamine and nearly two kilograms of cocaine in his possession along with more than $13,000 in U.S. currency, two loaded handguns, and a drum magazine for an AK-47 assault rifle containing 172 rounds of ammunition.  

Eleven charged conspirators have pleaded guilty for their roles in this case. See below for details.

Defendant	Date of Guilty Plea	Sentenced or Hearing Date:	Incarceration:
Alejandro Alvarado (30, Crescent City)	11/2/21	3/31/22	300 months
Miguel Angel Perez (29, Deland)	12/14/21	3/31/22	135 months
Jose Martinez (43, Crescent City)	11/16/21	3/31/22	135 months
Miguel Angel Ortiz (39, Crescent City)	11/30/21	2/15/22	70 months
Jonathan Arroyo Ontiveros (25, Crescent City)	11/30/21	2/16/22	71 months
Noel Bueno Jr. (27, Crescent City)	8/24/21	11/16/21	36 months
Robert Wayne Watson (59, Seville)	3/29/21	TBD	TBD
David John Doerr (56, Astor)	11/16/21	2/16/22	57 months
Dina Dynnette Kempher (38, Satsuma)	11/30/21	2/15/22	24 months
George Edward Sykes (46, Bunnell)	11/16/21	4/7/22	TBD
Danny Wayne Holmes (61, Kathleen)	2/23/22	5/12/22	TBD

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.

This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani sentenced James Garris, Jr., age 52, to 14 years’ imprisonment, and Emilio Tejeda, age 33, to 57 months’ imprisonment, for fentanyl trafficking offenses.  Both men were residents of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, prior to being incarcerated on the instant offenses.

According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, James Garris, Jr. previously pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl that resulted in death.  On September 19, 2019, Garris distributed fentanyl to James Tindol, Jr., who subsequently distributed the fentanyl to an individual identified as A.V.  Shortly after ingesting the fentanyl, A.V. overdosed and died.  Garris served as a drug dealer in a drug trafficking organization run by brothers Edwin Tejeda and Jose Raymer Tejeda.

Emilio Tejeda, a third brother, served as a courier in the drug trafficking organization.  Emilio Tejeda previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute between 400 grams and 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl, which is the equivalent of approximately 200,000 to 600,000 potentially lethal individual doses of fentanyl.  Emilio Tejeda also forfeited a firearm and ammunition that were seized during the investigation.

In addition to James Garris, Jr. and Emilio Tejeda, five other Luzerne County men have been charged and convicted in the broader investigation, for various fentanyl, cocaine, and tramadol trafficking offenses, including fentanyl trafficking that resulted in death:

1. James Tindol, Jr., age 38, of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 120 months of imprisonment after pleading guilty to distributing fentanyl that resulted in death;
2. Edwin Tejeda, age 31, formerly of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, which resulted in death, and awaits sentencing;
3. Jose Raymer Tejeda, age 37, formerly of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, which resulted in death, and awaits sentencing;
4. Kearon Brinson, age 41, formerly of West Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and marijuana, and awaits sentencing; and
5. Lamont Hubbard, age 50, formerly of Plymouth, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and marijuana, and awaits sentencing.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Luzerne Country Drug Task Force, and the Kingston Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo is prosecuting the case.

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.

This case also was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Lorena Keglic, age 50, of Monroe County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to time served of two months in prison and two years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for making a threat in interstate commerce.

According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Keglic was indicted by a grand jury in Omaha, Nebraska, on January 23, 2020. Keglic was charged with making a threatening telephone call from Pennsylvania, where she resides, to a victim in Bellvue, Nebraska. Keglic called an abortion clinic and left a voice message for a doctor, threatening to come after the doctor and his family and cut them to pieces.  Keglic’s case was transferred to the Middle District of Pennsylvania after she signed an agreement to plead guilty.  She entered her guilty plea on August 3, 2021, in Scranton.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni prosecuted the case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Memphis, TN- Cordarion K. Thompson of Union City, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 115 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Joseph C. Murphy Jr., United States Attorney, announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, on November 12, 2019, members of the United States Marshals Service executed an arrest warrant for Thompson at his residence in Union City, Tennessee, in relation to an aggravated assault charge. Upon arrival, officers discovered Thompson in the air conditioner return air vent of the apartment. He was placed in custody and found in possession of a black backpack, which contained a loaded Lorcin, .380 caliber pistol. A special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) subsequently reviewed this firearm and determined that it was manufactured outside the state of Tennessee.

Thompson waived his Miranda rights and admitted ownership of the firearm. As a convicted felon, Thompson is prohibited from possessing firearms under state and federal law.

Subsequent investigation revealed that Thompson was involved in an altercation with an individual in Union City on November 4, 2019, and during that incident he shot the person in the leg.

On March 29, 2021, United States Chief District Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Thompson to 115 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the Union City Police Department, United States Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Assistant United States Attorney Josh Morrow prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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