Month: June 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

SALT LAKE CITY – Samuel J. Webster, 18, of Woods Cross, was charged by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City with 23 felony counts related to the alleged torture of four guinea pigs obtained from pet supply stores across the Wasatch Front. Webster was charged with 18 felony counts of distributing animal crush videos on YouTube, one felony count of creating an animal crush video, and four felony counts of animal crushing.

The term “animal crush video” as defined under federal law, makes it illegal to depict, via photograph, motion-picture film, video, digital recording or electronic image, actual conduct in which one or more living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians is intentionally crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled or otherwise subjected to serious bodily injury, and is obscene.

According to allegations in the Indictment, Webster obtained the four guinea pigs from pet supply stores in Farmington, Salt Lake City, and West Jordan, in October of 2021. Shortly thereafter, it is alleged that Webster posted 23 videos of himself torturing the guinea pigs and posted the videos to multiple YouTube accounts. It is alleged that Webster posted the videos with graphic titles including “Guinea Pig Torture” and “Torture is Fun.” After posting the videos on YouTube, Webster allegedly posted comments to his own videos reinforcing his desires about killing and torturing guinea pigs.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case. FBI Special Agents are conducting the investigation.

An Indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

PORTLAND, Ore.—A resident of The Dalles, Oregon was sentenced to federal prison today for transporting and possessing thousands of images depicting child sexual abuse.

Nickolas K. Parsons, 27, was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison and 10 years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, in late 2019, as part of an ongoing investigation, officers identified a Twitter user who sent two MEGA links to child pornography. MEGA is an encrypted online file sharing service. Investigators traced the user’s Twitter account to Parsons’ residence in The Dalles where, in March 2020, they executed a federal search warrant. After seizing his mobile phone, Parsons admitted to viewing child pornography online and provided investigators with his MEGA account information. The account was later found to contain thousands of files containing child pornography.

On June 9, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a two-count indictment charging Parsons with transporting and possessing child pornography. On February 22, 2022, he pleaded guilty to both charges.

U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Natalie K. Wight, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at www.ice.gov/tips.

Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. Child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, child victims suffer re-victimization each time the image of their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the NCMEC’s website at www.missingkids.org.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: United States Department of Justice

A federal grand jury in Detroit, Michigan, returned an indictment today charging a Michigan man for not paying over employment taxes to the IRS.

According to the indictment, Yigal Ziv, of West Bloomfield, owned and operated Multinational Technologies Inc. (MTI), a software developer for manufacturing products. Ziv allegedly was responsible for filing MTI’s quarterly employment tax returns and collecting and paying to the IRS payroll taxes withheld from employees’ wages. From the first quarter of 2014 through the first quarter of 2018, Ziv allegedly collected approximately $691,000 in employment taxes from MTI’s employees but did not file employment tax returns or pay the withheld taxes to the IRS. Even after learning of the IRS’s ongoing criminal investigation in May 2018, Ziv allegedly also did not file MTI’s employment tax returns from the fourth quarter of 2019 through the fourth quarter of 2020 and did not pay over to the IRS approximately $199,000 in payroll taxes withheld from MTI’s employees. According to the indictment, during the same period he did not pay over taxes to the IRS, Ziv caused MTI to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for his own personal benefit, including home mortgage payments, luxury auto lease payments and department store purchases.

If convicted, Ziv faces up to five years in prison for each of the 22 counts of willful failure to collect or pay over employment taxes. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan made the announcement.

IRS Criminal-Investigation is investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Kenneth C. Vert and George Meggali of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

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

A federal grand jury in Detroit, Michigan, returned an indictment today charging a professional tax return preparer with filing false tax returns for himself and his business, obstructing the IRS, and other tax crimes.

According to the indictment, Raj Paruthi, of Novi, owned and operated Raj Paruthi CPA PC, an accounting and tax preparation business located in Farmington Hills, Michigan. For tax years 2013 and 2014, Paruthi allegedly filed false corporate and individual income tax returns on which he did not report hundreds of thousands of dollars in business receipts and profits he personally received from the business. Paruthi allegedly also did not disclose to the Department of Treasury a foreign bank account he held in India, which he was required to do by law. According to the indictment, he also made false statements to the IRS about his personal and business finances, including the types of payments his tax preparation business received, the number and location of his business bank accounts and his personal receipt of funds from the business. Paruthi allegedly also did not file a 2015 tax return for MVD Advisory Services LLC, another company he owned and operated.

If convicted, Paruthi faces up to three years in prison for each false tax return count, three years in prison for interfering with the IRS, one year in prison for failing to file a tax return, and five years in prison for not disclosing a foreign bank account. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan made the announcement.

IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Kenneth C. Vert and Catriona M. Coppler of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

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