Month: June 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

FAYETTEVILLE – An Arkansas man and former University of Arkansas Professor was sentenced today to 12 months and a day in prison followed by one year of supervised release on one count of making a false statement to the FBI about the existence of patents for his inventions in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

According to court documents, Simon Saw-Teong Ang, 65, of Fayetteville, filed 24 patents in the People’s Republic of China bear Ang’s name or Chinese birth name. The University of Arkansas, where Ang worked as a professor, required individuals such as Ang to promptly furnish to the University “full and complete” disclosures of inventions, and University policy provided that it, not individual inventors, would own all inventions created by those subject to the policy. This policy was established “in furtherance of the commitment of the University to the widest possible distribution of the benefits of University Research, the protection of Inventions resulting from such research, and the development of Inventions for the public good.”

Despite this requirement, Ang did not disclose his Chinese patents to the university and, when interviewed by an FBI agent, lied about his involvement in the inventions. Specifically, when asked whether his name would be listed as “the inventor” of numerous patents in China, Ang denied being the inventor, despite knowing he was. In addition, Ang also received numerous talent awards from the PRC government, which he did not list on the university’s annual conflict of interest disclosure forms.

U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson made the announcement.

The FBI, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), NASA Office of Inspector General and Air Force Office of Special Investigations investigated the case.

U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas and Trial Attorney Christine Bonomo from the Department of Justice National Security Division prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

ABINGDON, Va. – A Richlands, Virginia woman, who owned and operated a local hair and nail salon, pled guilty this week to defrauding the federal government out of pandemic unemployment assistance benefits and committing mail fraud.

Mandi Dawn Hammond, 36, waived her right to be indicted and pled guilty this week to one count of fraud in connection with a major disaster or emergency benefits program and one count of mail fraud. 

“As the world faced a once-in-a-generation global pandemic, Congress and the President passed sweeping legislation to assist businesses and individuals in surviving economic upheaval,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “These programs were designed as a safety net for those in need, not as a get-rich-quick scheme for those looking to commit fraud. I am continually grateful for the work of our local, state, and federal law enforcement for pursuing these important prosecutions.”

“Mandi Hammond continued to fraudulently take taxpayer assistance to enrich herself during a time of national crisis that was meant to help people who truly needed it,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge, Darrell Waldon, of the Washington, D.C. Field Office.  “This is yet another example of IRS-CI’s commitment to work with our partners and pursue those who commit COVID-19 related fraud and bring them to justice.”

According to court documents, Hammond owned and operated Jama Nail Beauty Bar & Gift Shop in Richlands, Virginia.  After an executive order signed in March 2020 by the Governor of Virginia closed all close-contact salons, Hammond closed her business for approximately six weeks.

On April 19, 2020, Hammond filed an application for pandemic unemployment assistance via the Virginia Employment Commission website where it was reviewed, processed, and approved. For approximately six weeks, she legitimately received pandemic unemployment assistance as intended by the government.

In May 2020, the executive order closing all close-contact salons was lifted and Hammond reopened her business. However, she continued filing weekly certifications to receive pandemic unemployment benefits from May 2020 through August 2021, each week reaffirming fraudulent representations that she was still unemployed because of COVID-19.  Court records indicate Hammond received at least $29,154 in funds to which she was not entitled.

Hammond is scheduled to be sentenced on September 15, 2022.  The charges with which she has been convicted carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The IRS-Criminal Investigations Division and the Russell County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Murphy 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 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.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Indictment Alleges that Defendant Dragged Officers with His Vehicle and Drove Over One Officer’s Legs

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            CONCORD –Leith Sukkar, 22, of Merrimack was indicted by a federal grand jury on Monday and charged with one count of making a false statement during the acquisition of a firearm, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.

            Sukkar was arrested in Manchester on Thursday, June 16, 2022 and will have his initial court appearance at 3:30 pm today.

            The original complaint filed in court alleges that on May 3, 2022, Sukkar made a false statement during the purchase of a Glock model 29, 10mm pistol and a Glock model 43, 9mm pistol from Shooter’s Outpost, a federally licensed firearms dealer, located in Hooksett, New Hampshire.  Sukkar falsely represented that he was the actual purchaser of the firearms, when, in fact, he was purchasing the firearms for another person.

            The charges in the indictment are only allegations.  The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

            The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Manchester Police Department Special Investigations Unit and the New Hampshire State Police.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

            CONCORD –Kyle Morris, 22, of Salem was indicted by a federal grand jury on Monday and charged with one count of possession of a machinegun, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.

            Morris was arrested in Salem on Thursday, June 16, 2022 and will have his initial court appearance at 3:45 pm today. 

            The indictment alleges that on February 16, 2022, Morris possessed two machineguns in violation of federal law.

            The charges in the indictment are only allegations.  The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

            The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Hampshire State Police and the Salem Police Department.   

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