Month: June 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on June 2, 2022 Wayne Bailey, 68, of Swanton and Louis Bates, 49, of St. Albans pleaded guilty to abandoning a junk boat and setting it adrift in the Missisquoi River on the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle ordered Bailey to pay $684 in restitution and a $300 fine and Bates to pay $400 in restitution and a $200 fine. The restitution reimburses the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for the costs of disposing of the boat. 

The offense is a Class B misdemeanor and carried a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. In determining the fine amount, Magistrate Judge Doyle considered the defendants’ limited means to pay a larger fine. 

According to court records, in the early summer of 2021, Wayne Bailey bought a 19 ½ foot long Bayliner boat for $150. The boat was manufactured in 1989. Bailey removed the engine from the boat and sold the engine. Rather than paying to dispose of the boat properly, Bailey devised a plan to set the junk boat adrift in the Missisquoi River. Bailey, however, did not have a tow hitch on his vehicle so he recruited Bates to use Bates’s truck to tow the boat to the Missisquoi River. 

After dark on the evening of July 15, 2021, Bates towed the boat to Louie’s Landing boat ramp on the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, and Bailey followed in his own vehicle. Bates then backed the boat trailer into the river, and Bailey unhooked the boat and set it adrift. The next day FWS personnel discovered the boat. The engine was gone, but the remaining gas tank contained 4 ½ gallons of gas. The FWS incurred about $1,084 in costs for the proper disposal of the boat and the associated administrative expenses.

The following two photographs are of the boat in the Missisquoi River.

U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest stated that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to vigorously enforcing our federal environmental laws, which protect and preserve our public lands and waterways for all to enjoy. Enforcement is particularly important in cases such as this where the evidence established that the defendants displayed a callous disrespect for the Vermont environment. 

This case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Perella. Wayne Bailey was represented by Mary Nerino, Esq. of the Office of the Federal Public Defender and Louis Bates was represented by Michael Straub, Esq.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – Jan Astaphan, 41, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced today to 123 months in prison on a federal charge of traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Raymond Villanueva of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD)

            Astaphan pleaded guilty in June 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a charge of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.  He was sentenced by the Honorable Randolph D. Moss. Upon completion of his prison term, Astaphan will be placed on a term of 10 years of supervised release, and required to pay a special assessment fee. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for a minimum period of 15 years upon his release from prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, on January 29, 2019, Astaphan agreed to pay $300 to engage in sexual activity with an under-aged child at a hotel in Washington D.C.  HSI undercover agents identified Astaphan as a user of a website known to law enforcement as a site where members actively sexually exploit children. HSI agents identified Astaphan’s account in February 2018, and began communicating with him on multiple platforms, including by text message.  As their conversations continued, Astaphan arranged to travel from his home in Maryland, on January 29, 2019, to a hotel in the District of Columbia.  After handing $300 in cash to an individual he believed had access to the under-aged child, he was arrested by law enforcement.  He has been in custody ever since.

            This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Villanueva, and Chief Contee commended the work of the MPD Detectives and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). They also commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy E. Larson, who is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, and Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging KEJUAN WILLIAMS, 29, of Hartford, with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

The indictment was returned on May 24.  Williams has been detained since his federal arrest on May 12.

As alleged in court documents, on April 18, 2022, after an unidentified shooter opened fire at individuals who were standing in a parking lot outside of a memorial gathering in Hartford, surveillance cameras at the location recorded at least nine individuals drawing firearms, and some of them returned fire.  Shot Spotter technology recorded approximately 50 shots fired within approximately 90 seconds in and around the location, and law enforcement recovered at least 31 shell casings from the scene.  Williams was present at the memorial gathering and was recorded on video brandishing a handgun and firing approximately eight times at the fleeing assailant.  He then fled the scene in a black Acura.

It is further alleged that, on April 21, 2022, Hartford Police officers located Williams’ car parked near a restaurant on Westland Street.  Williams was found inside the restaurant crouching behind a counter.  Officers apprehended Williams and seized a loaded Taurus G2C 9mm handgun on the ground where Williams had been crouching.  Investigators subsequently submitted to the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) a test-fired shell casing from the seized handgun.  Analysis of the shell casing revealed that it matched shell casings that were recovered from the shooting on April 18.

It is alleged that Williams’ criminal history includes multiple felony convictions, including a conviction in 2015 for carrying a pistol or revolver without a permit.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

If convicted of the offense, Williams faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

Another individual alleged to be involved in the shooting incident on April 18, Kyrin Jackson, 31, of Hartford, is currently detained in federal custody on a federal supervised release violation.  It is alleged that surveillance video shows Jackson brandishing a handgun and holding a young child while facing oncoming gunfire.

“Gunfire erupting at a memorial service attended by families and young children cannot be tolerated in any community,” said U.S. Attorney Avery.  “The reckless shooting event on April 18 may cause lasting trauma to all who witnessed it.  Based on the number of shots fired, it is fortunate that no one lost their life and only one individual was injured.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to using the full weight of federal law to help bring an end to this senseless violence.”

“Some of those allegedly responsible for the blatant disregard of human life in this incident have been delivered to the judicial system,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sundberg.  “We are steadfast in our conviction to seek out those who choose violence over peaceful communities.  The FBI and all of our law enforcement partners remain in lockstep in our fight against gun crimes.”

“This investigation should send a clear message that this type of violence will not be tolerated” ATF Special Agent in Charge Ferguson.  “ATF will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners at the Hartford Police and the FBI to take violent offenders off the street.  The use of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), which allowed us to match ballistic evidence to the firearm seized, has been critical in this investigation.”

“This is another great example of technology, forensics and great police work coming together to take dangerous persons off the street and make our community safer,” said Hartford Police Chief Thody.  “We appreciate our federal partners for all that they do.”

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Hartford Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Pierpont, Jr.

U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the Hartford State Attorney’s Offices for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this matter.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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 address 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.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

BILLINGS — A Washington man who admitted to dealing methamphetamine and to illegal possession of a firearm after a traffic stop in Rosebud County was sentenced on June 2 to eight years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Andrew Rex Allenby, 35, of Richland, Washington, pleaded guilty in December 2021 to possession with intent to distribute meth and to prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that in September 2020, a Rosebud County Sheriff’s Office sergeant was patrolling along the interstate and made a traffic stop of Nissan Altima that was speeding. Allenby was the driver. The sergeant was familiar with both Allenby and his passenger because he had pulled over the passenger who was driving another car earlier in the day. The sergeant suspected there may be drugs in the car based on strange behaviors and other information. A K-9 was deployed and alerted on the car. The vehicle was seized and searched pursuant to a warrant. Law enforcement found 113 grams of meth, fentanyl pills and other drugs in a backpack belonging to Allenby. In the trunk, officers located a handgun that had been stolen in North Dakota. Allenby was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a felony conviction in Washington.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin M. Rubich prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Rosebud County Sheriff’s Office.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

          LOS ANGELES – An Orange County man has agreed to plead guilty to federal criminal charges that he fraudulently obtained more than $5 million in COVID-relief loans for three sham companies.

          Raghavender Reddy Budamala, 35, of Irvine, agreed to plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of money laundering in a plea agreement filed today in United States District Court. Budamala, who has agreed to forfeit his ill-gotten gains to the government, is scheduled to enter his guilty plea on June 21 before United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II.

          According to his plea agreement, in 2019 Budamala formed or acquired three shell companies with no operations – Hayventure LLC, Pioneer LLC, and XC International LLC. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the enactment of federal programs designed to address the economic fallout from the pandemic, Budamala submitted to the Small Business Administration seven applications for pandemic-relief loans under the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan.

          As part of the applications filed from April 2020 through March 2021, Budamala falsely represented to the banks administering the COVID-relief business loan programs that his companies employed dozens of individuals and earned millions of dollars in revenue, and that he needed the money for payroll and business expenses.

          The listed addresses for the companies were bogus, nonexistent or residential. The states where Budamala’s companies purportedly operated have no records of those companies paying wages to any employees, and bank records for the companies reflect no significant business income or operating expenses.

          The SBA and the banks funded six of the loans and disbursed $5,151,497. Budamala applied to have several of the loans forgiven and falsely represented that he had used the SBA money entirely for payroll.

          Once the loans were funded, Budamala used the money to pay for personal expenses, including the purchase of a $1.2 million investment property in Eagle Rock, the purchase of a $597,585 property in Malibu, the purchase of a personal residence in Irvine, a $970,000 investment in an EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program and a nearly $3 million deposit into Budamala’s personal TD Ameritrade account.

          Upon entering his guilty plea, Budamala will face a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.

          Budamala has been in federal custody since his arrest on February 23, when he attempted to abscond from the United States to Mexico via the San Ysidro border crossing. A criminal complaint was filed against him on February 24.

          IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General investigated this matter.

          Assistant United States Attorney Gregory D. Bernstein of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.

          In May 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.