Month: June 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Jeffrey Walt Boston (45, Orlando) to 8 years and 8 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and for possessing with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing cocaine. He was also required to forfeit the firearm and ammunition used in the offense. Boston had pleaded guilty on February 15, 2022.

According to the plea agreement, Boston is a felon who had previously been convicted in state court of resisting arrest with violence, battery on a law enforcement officer, delivery of cocaine, and possession of cocaine. On June 4, 2021, while in Lake County, Boston tossed a cigarette box containing cocaine from the window of the car he was driving. A nearby deputy retrieved the box, recognized the contents, then pursued and stopped Boston. During the pursuit, Boston discarded a bag of marijuana that hit the deputy’s windshield.

A subsequent search of the car revealed another cigarette box containing cocaine, a stolen pistol under the driver’s seat loaded with ammunition, 13 bags of cocaine, 5 alprazolam pills, and marijuana. Boston later admitted that all of the drugs and the loaded firearm belonged to him. He also confirmed that his fingerprints would be on the firearm. As a convicted felon, Boston is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.

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 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

McALLEN, Texas – Two Edinburg residents have been indicted on multiple charges to include hostage taking, labor trafficking and financially benefitting from the labor of three victims, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Today, a federal grand jury returned a seven-count superseding indictment against Eduardo Javier Gomez, 31, and Margarita Alvarez, 40. They are expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott Hacker for their arraignment in the near future.  

Both had been previously indicted for hostage taking and labor trafficking. The superseding indictment returned today adds the charge of financially benefitting from the forced labor.

According to the complaint originally filed in the case, authorities learned that three individuals had allegedly been taken at gun point and forced to work in McAllen for approximately two weeks. 

The investigation revealed the victims were allegedly being harbored separately and forced to work without pay. The two male victims were forced to sell drugs outside of a club, while a female was required to act as a nanny and housekeeper at the house Gomez and Alvarez shared, according to the charges. All three victims were also allegedly made to work at a local fireworks stand Gomez managed.

If convicted, the couple faces up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliza Carmen Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CAMDEN, N.J.  – A Michigan man was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for defrauding victims of more than $5 million in connection with the sale of medical-related business opportunities, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Vijay Reddy, 46, of Milan, Michigan, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From December 2015 through November 2020, Reddy and his conspirators, David Weinstein and Kevin Brown, advertised business opportunities for sale on various websites. They purported to sell “blocks” of contracts with medical providers who allegedly wanted to outsource their medical billing, collections, appeals, answering, credentialing, or transcription functions. The buyers would then provide the contracted services to the medical providers and earn a profit. The conspirators promised to deliver a specified number of providers and pledged that their proprietary marketing efforts would provide a guaranteed client base to the buyers.

To induce buyers to purchase the business opportunities, the conspirators created fake references purporting to be buyers who vouched for their prior business purchases from the conspirators. In fact, the references were Reddy, Weinstein, and their friends and family members, and they used aliases and disguised phone numbers to speak with potential buyers.

After agreeing to purchase the blocks of medical providers, victims entered contracts with companies represented by Weinstein or Reddy and wired down payments ranging from $15,000 to $240,000 to accounts controlled by Weinstein or Brown. The remainder of each purchase price was payable when the conspirators fulfilled the contract by delivering the agreed-upon number of providers.

After receiving the down payments, Weinstein and Reddy typically delivered to each victim only a small number of medical providers. Despite not fulfilling the contracts of any of the buyers identified by law enforcement, the conspirators continued to sell blocks of medical providers to new buyers and refused to provide refunds for their failures to satisfy the terms of the contracts. The conspirators also periodically sold batches of previously signed contracts and disclaimed further responsibility for those contracts to insulate themselves from complaints or legal action from disgruntled buyers.

Brown acted as the business broker for most of the transactions and received a commission for the sales he brokered. Reddy or Weinstein acted as the seller and signed the contracts with the victims. At least 77 victims sent more than $5 million to accounts controlled by the conspirators. The conspirators spent the victims’ money on personal expenses and business investments.

Weinstein was sentenced in December 2021 to 12 years in prison; Brown pleaded guilty in February 2022 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 8, 2022.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Kugler sentenced Reddy to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $5.93 million.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI’s South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire in Philadelphia; special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins in Newark; and postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Damon Wood in Philadelphia, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel A. Friedman and Diana V. Carrig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

LAREDO, Texas – A 73-year-old Houston man entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to transport an undocumented alien, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Anthony Alfred Boring arrived at the Border Patrol checkpoint April 15 on IH-35 approximately 29 miles north of Laredo. He was driving a tractor that was pulling a locked utility trailer.

Upon questioning about what he was hauling, Boring appeared shocked. His face also turned pale, his eyes became glassy, and he sunk into his seat. He then shrugged his shoulders and mumbled “I don’t know.”

Law enforcement unlocked the trailer and discovered 145 individuals in the trailer. A total of 86 were from Mexico, 49 from Guatemala and five, three and two from Honduras, El Salvador and Ecuador, respectfully.

One of the people described how hot it was in the trailer and that it was excessively packed with bodies. Further, there was no drinking water in the trailer.

At the time of his sentencing, Boring faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Homero Ramirez is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

NEWARK, N.J. – A pharmacist and pharmacy owner pleaded guilty today to violating the Controlled Substances Act by filling fraudulent and counterfeit prescriptions in exchange for cash, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Anthony Duncan, 61, of Hillside, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone and codeine.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Duncan was a licensed pharmacist who owned and operated Parkway Central Pharmacy in East Orange, New Jersey. Duncan’s conspirators obtained bogus prescriptions for controlled substances, including oxycodone and codeine. They brought those bogus prescriptions to Duncan at Parkway Central, who filled the prescriptions knowing that they were false or counterfeit and that he was prohibited from dispensing controlled substances without a valid prescription.

Duncan accepted cash payments from his conspirators in exchange for filling the fraudulent and counterfeit prescriptions and dispensing controlled substances. He was generally paid $4 for every oxycodone 30mg pill; $2 for every oxycodone and acetaminophen combination product; and $10 for every eight ounces of cough syrup containing codeine. From November 2014 through November 2018, Duncan filled more than 1,100 false or counterfeit prescriptions for controlled substances. He illegally sold to one conspirator at least 47,000 tablets of Oxycodone 30 mg; 46,000 tablets of oxycodone and acetaminophen combination product; and 56,000 milliliters of cough syrup containing codeine.

The count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone and codeine is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million, or twice the gross profit to the defendant, whichever is greater. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 8, 2022.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hayden M. Brockett of the Health Care Fraud Unit in Newark.