Month: August 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Assistant U. S. Attorneys Paul E. Benjamin (619) 546-7579 and Colin M. McDonald (619) 546-9144

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 9, 2022

SAN DIEGO – Rene Robert Ruiz was sentenced in federal court to 68 months in prison for assaulting a Customs and Border Protection Officer at the San Ysidro Port of Entry when attempting to enter the United States from Mexico.

According to court records and trial testimony, on May 17, 2021, Ruiz walked towards the limit line separating the United States and Mexico at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. He was irate, yelling “f*** you!” at an officer near the line. As he reached the front of the line, Ruiz continued to yell at officers and made no effort to show documents permitting him to enter the United States. An officer told Ruiz he could not enter until he calmed down.

Ruiz responded, “F*** you, I’m a U.S. citizen, I’m coming in,” and attempted to push past the officer into the United States. Concerned for his safety, the officer pushed Ruiz back beyond the limit line. Immediately, Ruiz came back at the officer and punched him in the head with a closed fist. Ruiz then repeatedly struck the officer in the head as the officer attempted to restrain him. The officer suffered a concussion and other injuries because of Ruiz’s assaultive conduct. On October 13, 2021, following a two-day trial, a jury convicted Ruiz of two counts of assault on a federal officer.

At the sentencing hearing yesterday, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel observed that Ruiz attacked an officer who was simply doing his job. Judge Curiel further remarked that Ruiz’s assaultive conduct was the culmination of a thirty-year history of violence and disregard for law enforcement, including his self-admitted leadership role in a violent motorcycle gang. A restitution hearing to determine the financial penalty Ruiz owes to the officer is scheduled for August 29, 2022.

“This defendant viciously attacked a customs officer completing routine duties at the port of entry,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “Law enforcement officers—such as the victim here—perform vital services for us all and must be allowed to do their jobs without the risk of harm. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who place their safety and security at risk.” Grossman commended the excellent work of the prosecution team as well as officers and agents from Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations.

“Violent acts like these against our officers will not be tolerated and we are thankful to the San Diego USAO for ensuring justice was served,” said Anne Maricich, acting Director of Field Operations for the San Diego Field Office.

“This case unfortunately serves as yet another example of the dangers encountered by agents and officers along the border,” said HSI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “This sentence should serve as a reminder that assaults on the officers who protect our borders will not be tolerated.”

DEFENDANT                                   Case Number 21-cr-02911-GPC                           

Rene Robert Ruiz                               Age: 55                       Residence: San Diego, California

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

8 U.S.C. § 111(a)(1) – Assault on a Federal Officer

Maximum penalty: Five years in prison; $250,000 fine.

8 U.S.C. § 111(a)(1) and (b)  – Assault on a Federal Officer Inflicting Bodily Injury

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison; $250,000 fine.

AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations

Customs and Border Protection

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Assistant U. S. Attorney Lyndzie M. Carter (619) 546-8780 

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 9, 2022

SAN DIEGO – Christopher Craig Jones, a prolific drug dealer in San Diego County, was sentenced in federal court to 120 months in prison.

“This is a just sentence for the defendant and reflects the need to protect our community from fentanyl and methamphetamine dealers,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “We will continue to work closely with our federal and local law enforcement partners to ensure that prosecutions involving these deadly drugs remains a top enforcement priority.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and law enforcement agencies for their hard work on this case.

On December 16, 2020, San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop and arrested Jones for possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl with intent to distribute. Then again, on September 8, 2021, Carlsbad Police Department (CAPD) arrested Jones during a traffic stop with possession of fentanyl and heroin with intent to distribute.

Subsequently, Jones was booked into county jail and immediately posted bail. However, less than 24 hours later and wasting no time in returning to criminal drug activity, on September 9, 2021, CAPD conducted a third traffic enforcement stop on Jones, which resulted in the seizure of additional methamphetamine. The follow up investigation, pursuant to a search warrant at the Best Western Hotel in Carlsbad, where Jones had been staying, resulted in the seizure of additional quantities of heroin, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.   

Jones, a career offender, with arrests and multiple convictions for drug dealing, entered a guilty plea on May 16, 2022.

“Because of the great police work of our local counterparts, the immeasurable harms that would have been caused by the distribution of drugs in our community were prevented by the arrest and prosecution of Christopher Jones,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Shelly S. Howe.  “The DEA ensures our local counterparts receive support on investigations that merit federal prosecution.  This case is a prime example of the great working relationship between local and federal agencies in San Diego.”

“At the Carlsbad Police Department, we methodically investigate illegal narcotic possession and illegal narcotic sales with the mission of protecting the community we serve. We take pride in collaborating with our local partners at the DEA, the San Diego Sheriff’s Dept and the U.S Attorney’s Office with the common goal of reducing the negative impact brought on by these offenders,” said Assistant Chief Christie Calderwood. “This case is a great success for the agencies involved and the community,” she concluded.

“Keeping our communities safe from illegal narcotics and their associated crimes is a continuous mission for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department,” said Anthony C. Ray, Sheriff. “I am grateful to our deputies and detectives who assisted on this case, as well as our robust collaboration with our local, state, and federal partners. This allows us to share critical information that is necessary to hold drug traffickers accountable, as was exemplified in this case.”

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 22cr00682-BAS                                

Christopher Craig Jones                                             Age: 48                                   Oceanside, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute – 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C)

Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute – 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C)

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $1 million fine

AGENCY

San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Major Narcotics, North County

Drug Enforcement Administration, San Diego Field Division

Carlsbad Police Department, Special Investigations Division

San Diego Sheriff’s Department             

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CHICAGO — A jury has convicted two suburban Chicago men on drug conspiracy charges as part of a federal investigation that disrupted a Mexico-to-Chicago drug pipeline.

SHELDON MORALES and EDUARDO SANTANA conspired with a supplier in Mexico and two inmates in a prison in Texas to traffic methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine from Mexico to Evanston, Ill., and Morton Grove, Ill., in 2019.  The drugs were sent in packages from California and Arizona and later sold on the streets in the Chicago area. 

Law enforcement uncovered the drug trafficking activities through the use of wiretapped cellular phones and extensive surveillance.  The case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers and other criminal offenders that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

After a week-long trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago, the jury on Aug. 5, 2022, convicted Morales, 40, of Morton Grove, Ill., and Santana, 45, of Skokie, Ill., on a drug conspiracy charge.  Morales was also convicted of an individual drug charge related to his possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl.  Morales faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of life, while Santana faces a mandatory minimum of ten years and a maximum of life.

U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland has not yet scheduled sentencings.

The convictions were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago.  Substantial assistance was provided by the Evanston Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles W. Mulaney, Kirsten Moran, and Jeannice Appenteng represent the government.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

New Trade Ship Management S.A. (New Trade), a vessel operating company, and vessel Chief Engineer Dennis Plasabas pleaded guilty today in San Diego, California, for maintaining false and incomplete records relating to the discharge of oily bilge water from the bulk carrier vessel Longshore.

New Trade and Plasabas admitted that oily bilge water was illegally dumped from the Longshore directly into the ocean without being properly processed through required pollution prevention equipment. Oily bilge water typically contains oil contamination from the operation and cleaning of machinery on the vessel. The defendants also admitted that these illegal discharges were not recorded in the vessel’s oil record book as required by law. Specifically, on two separate occasions between October and December 2021, Chief Engineer Plasabas, who was employed by New Trade, ordered lower-ranking crew members to use a portable pneumatic pump and hose to bypass pollution prevention equipment by transferring oily bilge water from the vessel’s bilge holding tank to the vessel’s sewage tank, from where it was discharged directly into the ocean. Plasabas then failed to record these improper transfers and overboard discharges in the vessel’s oil record book. Additionally, in order to create a false and misleading electronic record as if the pollution prevention equipment had been properly used, Plasabas directed lower-ranking crew members to pump clean sea water into the vessel’s bilge holding tank in the same quantity as the amount of oily bilge water that he had ordered transferred to the sewage tank. Plasabas then processed the clean sea water through the vessel’s pollution prevention equipment as if it was oily bilge water in order to make it appear that the pollution prevention equipment was being properly used when in fact it was not. The electronic records indicate that approximately 9,600 gallons of clean sea water were run through the pollution prevention equipment.  

“This case demonstrates our commitment to investigating and prosecuting environmental crimes occurring at sea, no matter how wrongdoers may try to cover them up,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work with our partner agencies to ensure polluters are held fully accountable.”   

“We are committed to protecting our environment from people who cause immeasurable harm with short cuts,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California. “This was a very calculated plan to violate the rules, and today the offenders are being held to account.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and the U.S. Coast Guard for their excellent work on this case.

“This prosecution highlights the U.S Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard’s dedication in safeguarding our oceans against those that seek to deliberately harm our natural resources,” said Captain James W. Spitler, Sector Commander of the Coast Guard Sector San Diego. “Illegal dumping of oil and falsification of oil record books are egregious violations. Today’s guilty plea should serve as a reminder that the Coast Guard and our partners at the Department of Justice will work tirelessly to hold accountable those that seek to deliberately discharge oil and falsify ship records.”

New Trade and Plasabas each pleaded guilty to a felony violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships for failing to accurately maintain the Longshore’s oil record book. Under the terms of the plea agreement and subject to court approval, New Trade will pay a total fine of $1,100,000 and serve a four-year term of probation, during which any vessels operated by the company and calling on U.S. ports will be required to implement a robust Environmental Compliance Plan. Sentencing for the defendants is currently set for Nov. 18.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Diego and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie K. Pierson for the Southern District of California and Senior Trial Attorney Stephen Da Ponte of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, Environmental Crimes Section.