Month: April 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Pablo Valentin, age 44, of Pittston, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday to 64 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, for possession with intent to distribute heroin and felon in possession of firearms offenses.

According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, on February 7, 2019, Valentin possessed with the intent to distribute a quantity of heroin, along with a digital scale, packaging materials and other items associated with narcotics distribution.  Additionally, Valentin, a previously convicted felon, unlawfully possessed two firearms, which were seized pursuant to a search warrant.     

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Hanover Township Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffery St John prosecuted the case.

This case was 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 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 was also 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

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a 21-count indictment Thursday against 18 individuals, charging them with illegally trafficking fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, methamphetamine, and cocaine as well as illegally possessing firearms, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

Horacio Torrecillas Urias Jr., 22, of Fresno, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute fentanyl (two counts), conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine, and distribution of fentanyl.

 Amadeo Sarabia Jr., 22, of Fresno, is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Justin Dwayne Riddle, 34, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine.

Alma Garza, 21, of Fresno, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine and distribution of fentanyl.

Juan Valencia Jr., 22, of Fresno, is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.

Abel Lozano, 28, of Sanger, is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

 Henry Cox, 22, of Sanger, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and attempted distribution of fentanyl.

Alejandro Guzman, 28, of Fresno, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Erica Ramirez, 22, of Fresno, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Brayan Cruz, 24, of Fresno, is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute fentanyl.

Jacob Valles, 26, of Fresno, is charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Cody Fyfe, 22, of Fresno, is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Christian Harris-Blanchette, 26, of Fresno, is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Marvin Carreno, 23, of Fresno, is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

 Victor Yair Torrecillas-Urias, 27, of Fresno, is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine.

Oscar Jaramillo-Cortez, 26, of Fresno, is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

Alex Garcia, 23, of Fresno, is charged with distribution of fentanyl.

Agustin Hernandez, 28, of Fresno, is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to court documents, the investigation began after a series of fentanyl-pill overdoses in the Fresno area. These overdoses were caused by counterfeit oxycodone M30 tablets containing fentanyl, referred to on the street as M30s. Similar to authentic oxycodone M30 tablets, they are small, round, and light blue or green in color with “M” stamped on one side and “30” on the other. The investigation, dubbed “Operation Killer High,” aimed to search for the drug dealers believed to have supplied the toxic pills that caused the recent spike in fentanyl-related overdoses. The operation uncovered a large drug-trafficking ring led by Horacio Torrecillas Urias Jr., the self-proclaimed “M30 king of Fresno.”

According to the criminal complaint, Torrecillas Urias Jr. was obtaining, directly from sources in Mexico, tens of thousands of counterfeit M30 fentanyl pills and large quantities of fentanyl powder, cocaine and methamphetamine. He and his co-defendants were then distributing these illicit narcotics to drug dealers inside and outside of California. During the investigation, federal, state, and local law enforcement agents conducted traffic stops, intercepted packages, and executed residential search warrants that resulted in the recovery of over 55,000 counterfeit M30 fentanyl pills, 6 pounds of fentanyl powder, 10 pounds of methamphetamine, a pound of cocaine, 25 firearms, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition

The case was the result of an investigation by FORT (a multi-agency team composed of Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Fresno Police Department), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Clovis Police Department, the Fresno County Sherriff’s Office, and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office. The Bakersfield Police Department and the California Highway Patrol assisted in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Laurel J. Montoya are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. 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.

If convicted, the defendants each face a statutory penalty range including a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison and fines up to $1 million to $10 million. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia alleging that Steve’s Towing Inc. in Virginia Beach, Virginia, violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by failing to obtain court orders before auctioning off vehicles belonging to at least seven SCRA-protected servicemembers, including two vehicles belonging to a member of a Navy Seal team who was deployed overseas. The SCRA, which provides a variety of financial and housing protections to members of the military, prohibits towing companies from auctioning off servicemembers’ vehicles without a court order.    

Federal law requires towing companies to determine whether a vehicle in their possession belongs to a servicemember. The complaint alleges that several facts should have put Steve’s Towing on notice that the Navy Seal’s vehicles belonged to a servicemember, including that the vehicles were towed from a military base and one contained a duffel bag filled with military uniforms.  

“The flagrant disregard of a law designed to protect the rights of those in military service will not be tolerated,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is taking action to ensure that all servicemembers harmed by unscrupulous actions receive just compensation. We must put an end to unlawful business practices that bring harm and distress to those selflessly serving in our armed forces.”

In addition to seeking damages for the Navy Seal and the other affected servicemembers, the Justice Department is requesting a court order preventing Steve’s Towing from illegally auctioning off servicemembers’ vehicles in the future. The lawsuit also seeks a civil penalty.

This lawsuit is the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. The complaint contains allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.

Servicemembers and their dependents who believe their SCRA rights have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations may be found at http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/. The department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the department has obtained over $476 million in monetary relief for over 121,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. Additional information on the Justice Department’s enforcement of the SCRA and other laws protecting servicemembers is available at www.servicemembers.gov.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that a federal grand jury recently returned a fifteen-count indictment charging Monty Matthews, age 52, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with wire fraud, extortion in interstate communications, attempted escape, and assault on an officer. 

According to the indictment, between the summer of 2017 and March 2022, Matthews devised a fraud scheme targeting elderly victims through false representations about the existence of companies and investment opportunities, resulting in a loss of more than $1M.  During the period of the scheme, Matthews would send false and, at times, threatening messages via cellular phone to the victims to induce them to make and continue to make investments in the form of cash that could only be delivered to him.  Matthews, however, never invested any of the cash on behalf of the victims, nor returned any type of refund, profit, dividend, interest, or any other thing of value to them.  After his arrest on March 23, 2022, Matthews attempted to escape from the custody of FBI agents and, in the process of attempting to escape, assaulted two FBI special agents.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, with assistance by Acadian Ambulance personnel, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul L. Pugliese. 

NOTE: An indictment is an accusation by a grand jury.  The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless adjudicated guilty at trial or through a guilty plea.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Joseph Whitbeck, 56, of Tamaqua, PA, was sentenced to two years in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine by United States District Court Judge Edward G. Smith for devising a scheme to defraud fellow union members out of rightfully earned overtime compensation.

In November 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to multiple charges of wire fraud and honest services wire fraud. While serving as the Vice President for the Local 274 branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers in the Lehigh Valley area, Whitbeck operated a kickback scheme involving certain letter carriers at the Allentown Post Office. As the Vice President, the defendant filed numerous grievances on behalf of groups of letter carriers, claiming that U.S. Postal Service managers violated overtime rules. Whitbeck then settled these class-action grievances for total lump sums, without designating the specific individuals to whom overtime grievance payments were owed, so that he could select the payees at a later time. Meanwhile, Whitbeck offered to secure extra overtime grievance payouts for some letter carriers who agreed to kick back a portion directly to him, generally in cash. This kickback scheme prevented non-participating letter carriers from receiving overtime grievance funds to which they were entitled. The defendant often made false and misleading statements to convince letter carriers to participate in his scheme; for example, he frequently told letter carriers that he would use the kick-backed funds to assist other letter carriers who were out of work.

The defendant’s covert kickback scheme lasted more than a decade and was uncovered only when a concerned letter carrier raised the issue at a union Executive Board meeting in March 2018.

“Union representatives are supposed to act in the best interest of their members, not swindle them out of rightfully earned pay or urge them to participate in fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “As Vice President of the local branch of Letter Carriers, Whitbeck had a duty to advocate on behalf of all members in the Allentown Post Office in connection with the equitable distribution of overtime grievance settlements. He abused his position and for that he will now spend [months or years] in prison.”

“Mr. Whitbeck used his union position to take financial advantage of the very colleagues he was charged with representing. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General together with the U.S Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will pursue those individuals who would use their positions of public trust within the Postal Service to victimize or steal from others for personal gain,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Spolidoro, Mid-Atlantic Area Field Office-Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Postal Service.​

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Labor-Management Standards, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Murray.