Month: June 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

NEWARK, N.J.– A New York man today admitted his role in a scheme to alter and deposit hundreds of checks stolen from mailboxes across New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Nigel Lynch, 21, of Yonkers, New York, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden to an information charging him with one count of bank fraud conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to receive and possess stolen mail.

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

From February to November 2020, Lynch and two conspirators stole over 290 checks from New Jersey mailboxes in Morris, Essex, Somerset, and Passaic counties. They then altered the stolen checks and deposited them into bank accounts controlled by Lynch and his conspirators. After the stolen checks were deposited, Lynch and his conspirators withdrew cash from the accounts totaling over $550,000.

The bank fraud charge conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine; and the conspiracy to receive and possess stole mail carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 8, 2022.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Damon Wood, Philadelphia Division, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. 

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Blake Coppotelli of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Justice Department announced that it had resolved a claim that Tapesouth Inc. violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) by failing to promptly reemploy U.S. Navy Reservist James Radtke following his leave for a military service obligation. Radtke is a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve assigned to Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida.

“Given the sacrifices that servicemembers already make every day, and the uncertainties they face during their military service obligations, it is simply inexcusable when employers violate USERRA by failing to promptly reemploy them in their proper positions upon the completion of their service obligations,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division. “We honor all servicemembers for their service to our nation, and this settlement signals the Justice Department’s ongoing commitment to protecting and enforcing their rights under federal law.”

In March 2020, Lt. Cdr. Radtke notified Tapesouth Inc. that he would be away on a full-time active-duty military service obligation from April through July 2020. Radtke alleged that after contacting Tapesouth Inc. in July 2020, to return to his previous position as the company’s Vice President of Operations, Tapesouth Inc. terminated his employment in violation of USERRA. Under the terms of the settlement, Tapesouth Inc. has agreed to compensate Radtke for lost income in the amount of $2,500 and provide USERRA training to all its employees.

Congress enacted USERRA to encourage non-career service in the uniformed services by reducing employment disadvantages; to minimize the disruption to the lives of persons performing military service, their employers and others, by providing for the prompt reemployment of such persons upon their completion of such service; and to prohibit discrimination against persons because of their service in the uniformed services or if they pursue a claim under USERRA.

The Department of Labor (DOL) referred this matter following an investigation by their Veterans’ Employment and Training Service. The Employment Litigation Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division handled the case and continues to work collaboratively with the DOL to protect the jobs and benefits of military members. The Justice Department gives high priority to the enforcement of servicemembers’ rights under USERRA. Additional information about USERRA can be found on the Justice Department’s websites at www.justice.gov/crt-military/employment-rights-userra and www.justice.gov/servicemembers, as well as on the Department of Labor’s website at www.dol.gov/vets/programs/userra.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

United States Attorney Alison Ramsdell announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of Child Pornography was sentenced on June 27, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.

Shilo Ziegler, age 39, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Ziegler was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 9, 2020.  He pled guilty on March 28, 2022.

The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred sometime prior to December 13, 2015, in Lower Brule, South Dakota.  Ziegler set up a video tablet in a room he knew a minor victim was about to enter and change in after she exited the shower.  A video was later recovered on the same tablet which showed the nude minor.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services, and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.

Ziegler was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Flandreau, South Dakota, woman convicted of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer was sentenced on June 27, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.

Caley Studsdahl, age 24, was sentenced to three years of probation and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $25.

Studsdahl was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 8, 2021.  She pled guilty on April 4, 2022.

The conviction stemmed from an incident on or about April 21, 2020, when Studsdahl was approached by the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe Acting Chief of Police because there was a tribal warrant for her arrest.  The Acting Chief of Police placed Studsdahl in handcuffs, conducted a search, and placed her in the rear cage of his patrol vehicle.  Before he could close the door, Studsdahl voluntarily and intentionally assaulted the Acting Chief of Police by spitting on his face and said an obscenity directed at him. 

This case was investigated by the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging JERMAINE CANNON, 19, of New Haven, with charges stemming from two gunpoint robberies of a New Haven business in November 2021.

The indictment was returned on June 7, 2022.  On June 24, Cannon appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.  He has been detained since his arrest on state charges on November 11, 2021.

The indictment alleges that on November 10, 2021, and again on November 11, 2021, Cannon, brandishing a firearm, robbed Howard Mini Mart & Deli, located on Howard Avenue in New Haven.

The indictment charges Cannon with two counts of interference with commerce by robbery, an offense that carries a maximum term imprisonment of 20 years, and two counts of carrying, using and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, an offense that carries mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of at least seven years.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment 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 matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the New Haven Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel J. Gentile and Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis.

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.