Month: April 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Price possessed a loaded gun after being convicted of Robbery, Burglary and Assault With a Dangerous Weapon.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Torrez, the subject of a domestic assault call, was found by police asleep in his car with a loaded gun and marijuana.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            CONCORD – Kermit Ceasar, 45, of Manchester, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court to six counts of distribution of cocaine, United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, in mid-April 2021, Ceasar’s  cocaine base dealing was brought to the attention of the Manchester Police Department. Working with law enforcement officers, a cooperating individual (CI) arranged for controlled purchases from Ceasar between April 22, 2021, and August 13, 2021.  During a total of six hand-to-hand drug transactions, Ceasar sold over 86 grams of cocaine base and over 341 grams of cocaine. 

           Ceasar is scheduled to be sentenced on July 27, 2022.

           “Drug traffickers in New Hampshire are seeking to profit from the sale of dangerous substances in our state,” said U.S. Attorney Farley.  “As part of our ongoing effort to improve public safety, we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute the drug dealers who are damaging our communities.  By working together, we are holding drug dealers like Kermit Ceasar accountable for their dangerous and unlawful conduct.”

           “On at least six occasions, we caught Kermit Ceasar dealing cocaine or crack cocaine out of his vehicle in the city of Manchester, in exchange for thousands of dollars in cash, and today, he finally admitted to committing these crimes,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Targeting illegal drug traffickers like him who degrade the quality of life in our communities and bring with them unacceptable levels of violence will continue to be a collective focus of the FBI and our law enforcement partners because no one should have to live in fear of this activity in their neighborhoods.”

            “Individuals like this defendant are a danger to society. I am grateful for the detectives who dedicated a great deal of time and effort to this lengthy investigation,” says Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg. “This case is an excellent example of the partnership that we have with the FBI. We will continue to collaborate with them as we target the drug trade within Manchester and also work to reduce the associated violence.”

            This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Manchester Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Aframe and Jennifer Cole Davis.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

SAN ANTONIO – On Monday a San Antonio woman was sentenced to 60 months in prison and ordered to pay $1,784,817.96 in restitution for her role in a health care fraud scheme and theft of Social Security benefits. The Court also entered a money judgment against the defendant in the amount of $1,784,817.96.  The money judgment represents the proceeds that she obtained as part of her scheme.

According to court documents, Scherry Lynn Moses, 54, owned and operated adult day care centers in and around the San Antonio area.  Doing business as Scherry’s Adult Day Activity Center, Moses defrauded the Texas Medicaid Program by fraudulently billing for items and services that had not been provided to the clients of the day care centers.  Moses also ran New Creation Residential Care Homes, a room and board business for Social Security recipients. Moses was also the representative payee for Social Security recipients who resided in her boarding homes. She charged each boarder from $500 to $700 a month to live in a rental property, often placing five to seven boarders to a property.  Moses inconsistently provided the boarders with basic needs and at times left them to fend for themselves.  In addition, she would refuse to make rent payments on the properties resulting in forcible evictions of the boarders. Moses used the money from the scheme for her own personal gain.  

The defendant carried out the scheme between 2008 and 2016, resulting in an actual loss of $1,784,817.96. 

On March 4, 2020, Moses pleaded guilty to one count of Health Care Fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of theft of government funds.

“Instead of providing necessary services to trusting elderly and disabled Texas citizens, this defendant chose to fleece them of their Medicaid and Social Security benefits for her own selfish gain,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff.  “We will continue to seek justice on behalf of these vulnerable members of our society and the critical government programs that serve them.”

“Organizational representative payees are a vital resource to Social Security beneficiaries who need help managing their benefits. Scherry Moses knowingly abused her role and ignored her responsibilities when she misused multiple Social Security beneficiaries’ benefit payments for her own use,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “We will continue to work with the Social Security Administration and other agencies to identify organizations and people who abuse their role as representative payees and steal program funds from beneficiaries. I thank the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their partnership in this investigation, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts to hold Ms. Moses accountable for her crimes.”

The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the Texas Attorneys General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated this case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Fidel Esparza III, and Rex Beasley prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Department of Justice today announced the creation of the National Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab, a free training, technical assistance and resource hub for law enforcement, designed to promote constitutional policing, improve public safety and build trust in communities across the country. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta will make the announcement today at the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters where she will be joined by police leaders, civil rights advocates, researchers and others from across the country dedicated to ensuring that law enforcement has access to the tools, trusted guidance and best practices for fair, impartial policing.

“Providing law enforcement with the tools, resources and support they need to do their jobs effectively and fairly makes our communities safer and stronger,” said Associate Attorney General Gupta. “The Knowledge Lab is the latest step in the Justice Department’s ongoing work to listen, learn and take action to build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”

Law enforcement agencies nationwide will be able to turn to the Knowledge Lab for free, voluntary resources, including research summaries, profiles of best practices, training curricula and a roster of constitutional policing experts to support their needs.

It will build on multiple Justice Department initiatives designed to support best practices in policing in America, including the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services’ (COPS Office) Collaborative Reform Initiative, which Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced in March. Existing resources from across the department will feed into the Knowledge Lab, making it a one-stop-shop for the latest information, training and guidance on strategies to reduce crime, protect civil rights and build public trust.

The Knowledge Lab is managed by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), a division of the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), through a partnership with the National Policing Institute in collaboration with 21st Century Policing Solutions, and a diverse cohort of policing experts from across the country. It is intended to grow and adapt over time to meet the needs of law enforcement agencies and communities. This week’s convening in Los Angeles is bringing together police leaders, civil rights advocates and experts to help build the foundation of the Knowledge Lab and inform what it will look like moving forward.

“Constitutional policing is foundational to a just and equitable society, and it remains the bedrock of effective public safety,” said Director Karhlton F. Moore of the BJA. “America’s law enforcement officers work hard to serve our communities. The Knowledge Lab will assist agencies in their efforts to serve with fairness and integrity, and we are determined to help them live up to the highest ideals of their profession.”

For almost 30 years, the Justice Department has used its enforcement authority and has entered into settlements and consent decrees to remedy systemic patterns or practices of unconstitutional conduct. Along with other resources, the Knowledge Lab will make all Justice Department consent decrees and associated materials available online and allow law enforcement agencies to learn from in-the-field experience, not just theory, about how best to promote a positive and healthy relationship between the police and the communities they serve.

The Knowledge Lab will offer free training and technical assistance that adapts this base of information to the needs of individual law enforcement agencies. The National Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab will enable law enforcement agencies to build on a foundation supported by evidence and experience.

Associate Attorney General Gupta was joined in today’s announcement by BJA Director Moore, local officials and law enforcement and civil rights experts from across the country.