Month: May 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston woman pleaded guilty to distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Caila Vance, 26, admitted to selling suspected methamphetamine to a confidential informant on February 8, 2022. The substance later tested positive as methamphetamine.

Vance is scheduled to be sentenced on September 15, 2022, and faces mandatory minimum of  five years and up to 40 years in prison as well as at least four years of supervised release and a $5 million fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for conducting the investigation.

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Steve Loew is prosecuting the case.

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-57.

 

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

INDIANAPOLIS – A federal grand jury has indicted fifteen people on drug trafficking and money laundering charges. Specifically, the indictment charges the defendants with a conspiracy to distribute semi-truckload quantities of marijuana and THC-containing products and to launder the bulk cash proceeds from selling the drugs. Adewale Adediran, the alleged leader of the conspiracy, was also charged with engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. Nathan Canary was charged with firearms-related offenses.

The charges are being announced today following a week-long effort by federal agents, in conjunction with state and local law enforcement partners in Indiana, California, Kentucky, and Florida, to arrest the charged defendants and seize drugs and drug proceeds. Over the past seven days, authorities have arrested ten of the defendants, executed search warrants at twenty-three different locations in three states, and executed seizure warrants on over a dozen bank accounts and a trove of high-end jewelry. Five defendants remain at large.

According to the indictment, from 2016 until this year, Adediran and the drug trafficking organization he led used commercial-level logistics and warehousing to distribute large quantities of marijuana throughout the United States and collect millions of dollars in cash proceeds. The indictment alleges that the organization utilized commercial trucking and airplanes to facilitate the shipment of tractor-trailer loads of marijuana to warehouses and other commercial locations in various states, including Indiana. The indictment further alleges that the organization used semi-trucks and an airplane to transport large quantities of cash back to Adediran and his co-conspirators in California, and later, used cashier’s checks and bank accounts to launder the proceeds. Adediran was arrested in California and was ordered detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service pending trial.

To date in this investigation, authorities have seized or restrained nearly $40 million in drugs, alleged drug proceeds, and assets purchased with drug proceeds. Authorities have seized over three tons of marijuana and THC-containing products, valued at over $10 million, along with over a dozen firearms. In addition to the drug and gun seizures, authorities have seized or restrained cash and bank accounts totaling over $8 million; a private jet valued at $900,000; numerous luxury automobiles, including two Rolls-Royces, two Bentleys, a Ford GT, and a Lamborghini, valued at $2 million; high-end jewelry valued at over $8 million; numerous pieces of artwork and collectible items valued at $850,000; and nine pieces of real estate with a total value of $10 million.

The following defendants were charged in the indictment:

Defendant	Charge(s)
Adewale Adediran, 36, Orange, CA	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana; Continuing Criminal Enterprise; and Money Laundering Conspiracy
Jazmine Adediran, 31, Orange, CA	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana; Money Laundering Conspiracy
Crystal Thomas, 33, Irvine, CA	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana
Hugo Molina, 45, Irvine, CA	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana
Tayo Muyiwa Olukoya, 53, Irvine, CA **FUGITIVE**	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana
Stephen Lamar Richardson, 51, Noblesville, IN	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana
Teoddy Carillo Domingo, 46, Tustin, CA	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana; Money Laundering Conspiracy
Jeremy Quire, 44, Tampa, FL **FUGITIVE**	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana
Marquis Bruce, 34, Tampa, FL **FUGITIVE**	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana
Nathan Canary, 37, Indianapolis, IN	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm as a Previously Convicted Felon
Richard Davis, 32, Fishers, IN	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana;
Rafael Smith, 30, Fortville, IN	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana;
John Carson, 36, Louisville, KY	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana;
Mercedes Blackwell, 27, Woodland Hills, CA **FUGITIVE**	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana; Money Laundering Conspiracy
Donnell Cooper, 30, Las Vegas, NV **FUGITIVE**	Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana; Money Laundering Conspiracy

If convicted on the conspiracy with intent to distribute marijuana charges, each face between ten years to life imprisonment, no less than five years supervised release, and a $10,000,000 fine. If convicted on the continuing criminal enterprise charge, Adediran faces a mandatory twenty years up to lifetime imprisonment, no more than five years supervised release, and a $2,000,000 fine. If convicted on the money laundering charge, each faces up to twenty years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $500,000 fine. Actual sentences are determined by a federal district court judge and are typically less than the maximum penalties.

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Indianapolis Field Office, and Justin Campbell, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office made the announcement. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Brownsburg Police Department, the Clarksville Police Department, the Southern Indiana Drug Task Force (Jeffersonville Police Dept, New Albany Police Dept, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, and Floyd County Sheriff’s Office), and the Hamilton/Boone County Drug Task Force investigated the case in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle P. Brady, who is prosecuting the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Rota, who is handling asset forfeiture in this case.

This prosecution is 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.

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

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Detroit man pleaded guilty to the distribution of a quantity of fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Kyle L. Thomas, also known as “Trip,” 22, admitted to selling a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant in Amigo, Raleigh County, on October 18, 2021.

Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 2, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $1 million fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit (BRCDVCU) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for conducting the investigation.

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the case.

The case is a result of a months-long investigation dubbed “Operation Wolverine Carousel,” an investigation into the wide-spread distribution of heroin and fentanyl in Raleigh and Fayette Counties.

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

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. 5:22-cr-29.

 

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Baltimore, Maryland – Philip Abramowitz, age 50, of Pikesville, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  As part of his guilty plea, Abramowitz will be ordered to pay $373,684 in restitution.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Shawn A. Rice of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General.

According to his guilty plea, from May 2016 to April 2017, Abramowitz and others conspired to defraud two financial institutions by fraudulently obtaining Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans and property under false pretenses.  Specifically, Abramowitz used his company 163 N. Potomac St., LLC., to facilitate the fraudulent sales of his Potomac Street, Baltimore, Maryland properties.

For example, in May 2016, Abramowitz sold one of his Potomac Street properties (Property 1) to a family member (Relative 1) and entered into an agreement with Relative 1 to purchase the property using an FHA-insured loan.  The FHA is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and provides mortgage insurance on loans made by FHA-approved lenders.  To qualify for the FHA-insured loans, the buyer must use the residence as their primary residence, disclose any familial or business relationship between the seller and buyer, and disclose the source of the money the buyer intends to use for the down payment and closing costs.

As stated in his guilty plea, Relative 1 applied for and received a $294,566 FHA-insured loan with a mortgage company (Mortgage Company 1) by falsely representing Abramowitz’s bank account records as his own.  Relative 1 and Abramowitz also concealed their familial relation from Mortgage Company 1 by submitting false company filings during the loan application process, having Abramowitz’s property manager (Property Manager 1) pose as the sole seller and manager of 163 N. Potomac St., LLC and arranging Property Manager 1 to sign the FHA-loan contact as the official seller of the property.  Abramowitz’s ownership of 163 N, Potomac St., LLC. or involvement in the sale was never disclosed.

To meet the requirements of the loan procurement process, Abramowitz gave Relative 1 $10,500 to pay for the closing costs for Property 1 as Relative 1 did not have the financial means to make the purchase.   Based on the fraudulent financial information presented during the loan application process, Mortgage Company 1 loaned Relative 1 $294,566 for the purchase of Property 1.  The majority of the loan proceeds were subsequently deposited into Abramowitz’s bank account.  Ultimately, Relative 1 never used Property 1 as a primary residence and rented the property to tenants for a year before ceasing mortgage payments and allowing the property to fall into foreclosure.

Further, Abramowitz arranged the sale of his second Potomac Street property (Property 2) in March 2017 to another family member (Relative 2) using an FHA-insured loan.  To facilitate the sale of Property 2, Relative 2 applied for an FHA-insured loan with another mortgage company (Mortgage Company 2).  Using the same manner to defraud Mortgage Company 1, Abramowitz concealed his familial relation to Relative 2, falsely listed his property manager as the sole seller and owner of Property 2 and submitted multiple fraudulent documents to Mortgage Company 2, including an LLC affidavit of title asserting that no other person or entity had ownership in Property 2.

In a similar manner as the sale of Property 1, Abramowitz violated FHA-loan requirements by providing Relative 2 $8,750 for the closing costs of the sale, misrepresented his own bank account information as Relative 2’s in the FHA-loan procurement process, and received the majority of the loan proceeds to his personal bank account.  Relative 2 never used Property 2 as a primary residence or paid monthly mortgage payments to Mortgage Company 2 which caused the property to fall into foreclosure.

Abramowitz faces a maximum of 30 years in prison followed up by 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for August 9, 2022, at 2:30 p.m.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HUD-OIG for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Martin J. Clarke, who is prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

WILLIAMSPORT- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Amy B. Leister, age 55, of Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, was charged on May 18, 2022, by criminal Information with knowingly possessing and making a fake COVID-19 vaccine card. 

According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the information charges Leister with knowingly possessing and making an unauthorized COVID-19 vaccine card, specifically a fake COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card, purportedly issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control to record medical information about vaccines purportedly received, and bearing the insignia of the Center for Disease Control.

The case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney George J. Rocktashel is prosecuting the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 6 months’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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