Month: April 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

FRESNO, Calif. — Adam Lee Campbell, 43, of Fresno, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 15 years in prison for receipt of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between Jan. 17, 2019, and Feb. 23, 2021, Campbell received images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct onto a cellphone while on parole. Campbell has a prior conviction for hands-on contact with minors, along with prior state convictions for possession of child pornography and for failing to register as a sex offender.

This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorney Laura D. Withers prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Beckley woman pleaded guilty to interstate travel in aid of the distribution of methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Ciara Harvey, 26, admitted that she traveled between Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Beckley on December 15, 2017, to deliver a package containing methamphetamine.

Harvey further admitted that she made these roundtrips to transport drug packages about once every two weeks from October 2017 until mid-2019, and that she was paid $16,000 to $20,000 annually for doing so. 

Harvey is scheduled to be sentenced on July 7, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for conducting the investigation.

United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Negar M. Kordestani is prosecuting the case.

This prosecution was 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.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-52.

 

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Source: United States Department of Justice 2

A federal grand jury in Las Vegas returned an indictment Wednesday charging a Nevada man with using fraudulent checks to steal money from victims’ bank accounts. Michael Zeto, 76, of Las Vegas, is charged in a 20-count indictment with wire fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. He made his initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cam Ferenbach of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.

According to court documents, Zeto partnered with foreign telemarketers who provided Zeto with the names, bank account numbers and other personal information for American consumers who supposedly had purchased products. These consumers often had not, in fact, agreed to purchase the products and had not authorized anyone to debit their bank accounts. 

Zeto allegedly knew that at least one of his telemarketing partners was engaged in fraud, that many of the supposed sales sent by his telemarketing partners were not real sales and that consumers had not authorized debits from their bank accounts. Despite knowing that sales were fraudulent, the indictment alleges that Zeto (using the information provided by his telemarketing partners) created fraudulent checks payable to companies he controlled and arranged to open accounts with banks and payment processors in the United States to deposit the fraudulent checks — thereby taking and attempting to take millions of dollars from victims’ accounts. The indictment also alleges that Zeto knew that many of the victims were older Americans and that he took steps to reduce the likelihood that financial institutions would scrutinize, and possibly close, the bank accounts into which he was depositing the fraudulent checks.

“The defendant is charged with acting as a vital link in a scheme with foreign telemarketing partners to defraud American victims,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to protecting older Americans from fraud, including people who knowingly help fraudsters.”

“This indictment reflects our office’s commitment to bring to justice criminals who prey on the elderly,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada. “Working closely with the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and our law enforcement partners, we will continue to prosecute fraudsters who target seniors and other vulnerable Nevada residents. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the Department of Justice’s National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).”

“Crimes against the elderly target some of the most vulnerable people in society,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Criminal Investigations Group. “The Inspection Service has been at the forefront of protecting customers from fraud schemes for many years and we will continue to investigate and stop those who exploit older Americans for their own illegal gains.”

“This indictment charges the defendant for his alleged role in a fraudulent check scheme that took and attempted to take millions of dollars from the bank accounts of American consumers,” said Special Agent in Charge Kathy A. Enstrom of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG).  “The FDIC OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to pursue those who seek to defraud banking customers and threaten the integrity of the banking system.”

If convicted, Zeto faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years for wire fraud and 30 years for bank fraud and a mandatory two-year term of imprisonment for aggravated identity theft. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Daniel Zytnick and Timothy Finley of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Anthony Lopez of the District of Nevada are prosecuting the case.

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. Eastern time. 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.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

United States Attorney Jan W. Sharp announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned 14 unsealed Indictments charging 17 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

*          Michael Bender, age 50, of Omaha, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) on or about February 15, 2022.  The penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a five-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

*          Judith Ann Deandrade, age 37, of Amesbury, Massachusetts, and Arica Marie Downs, age 35, of Rumford, Maine, are charged with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (mixture) on or about March 9, 2022.  The penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a five-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

*          Matthew J. Doherty, II, age 35, of Valley, Nebraska, is charged with delay or destruction of mail on or about March 12, 2022.  The penalty if convicted is 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

*          Johnny A. Dolph, age 49, of Omaha, and Jennifer Norwood, a/k/a Jennifer Dolph, age 42, of Omaha, are charged in a two-count Indictment.  Count I charges each with conspiracy to tamper with documents or proceedings on or about March 30, 2022.  The penalty if convicted 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment.  Count II charges both with tampering with documents or proceedings on or about March 30, 2022.  The penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment. 

*          Sheraz J. Gill, age 27, of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, is charged in a two-count Indictment.  Count I charges Gill with transmitting threatening communications on or about August 2, 2020.  The penalty if convicted 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment.  Count II charges Gill with cyberstalking beginning on or about July 26, 2020 and continuing to on or about August 3, 2020.  The penalty if convicted is 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment. 

*          Juwan Grant, age 23, of Decatur, Nebraska, is charged with sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country beginning on or about February, 2021 and continuing through May, 2021.  The penalty if convicted is 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a not less than five-year term of supervised release up to life, and a $100 special assessment. 

*          Joey D. Huston, age 53, of Bellevue, Nebraska, is charged with destruction of government property on or about March 15, 2022.  The penalty if convicted is 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

*          Loretta L. Janssen, age 57, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, is charged in a five-count Indictment alleging wire fraud between July 20, 2017 and continuing to on or about July 7, 2021.  The penalty on each count if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment.

There is also an allegation to forfeit United States currency seized on or about July 7, 2021.   

*          Lidia Irena Kula, age 33, is charged in a four-count Indictment. Count I charges Kula with distribution of heroin resulting in serious bodily injury on or about December 27, 2021.  The penalty if convicted is not less than 20 years and up to life imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.  Counts II through IV charge Kula with distribution of heroin on or about January 14, 2022 and continuing to on or about January 24, 2022.  The penalty on each count if convicted 20 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

*          Elias Ramirez, Jr., age 33, of Provo, Utah, and Chaminque Porter, age 35, are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine (mixture) on or about December 20, 2021 and continuing to on or about December 21, 2021.  The penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, a four-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

*          Eric K. Rose, age 35, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Rose with possession with intent to distribute of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) on or about January 26, 2022.  The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, a four-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.  Count II charges Rose with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on or about January 26, 2022.  The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 5 years’ imprisonment consecutive to Count I, a $250,000 fine, a five-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.  Count III charges Rose with felon in possession of a firearm on or about January 26, 2022.  The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.

There is also an allegation to forfeit United States currency seized on or about January 26, 2022.   

*          Austin T. Tenbrink, age 22, of Grandville, Michigan, is charged with a two count Indictment.  Count I charges Tenbrink with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (mixture) and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) on or about October 26, 2021.  The penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a five-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.  Count II charges Tenbrink with felon in possession of a firearm on or about October 26, 2021.  The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

*          Esteban Vasquez Gomez, age 40, is charged with illegal reentry after deportation on or about March 29, 2022.  The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.

*          Jordan Wolfe, age 23, of Macy, Nebraska, is charged with assault on an officer with physical and bodily injury on or about March 28, 2022.  The penalty if convicted is up to 8 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.