Month: August 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

BOSTON – A former Somerville man was sentenced on Aug. 4, 2022 in federal court in Boston for his role in a cross-country methamphetamine conspiracy and illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition. 

Antonio Gribaudo, a/k/a “Tony,” 41, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr. to 50 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Gribaudo was also ordered to pay forfeiture of $5,300. In November 2020, Gribaudo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a substance or mixture containing methamphetamine and one count of illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.

In November 2018, Gribaudo was introduced to Brandon Greenberg, a methamphetamine supplier living in Phoenix. Between November 2018 and July 23, 2019, Greenberg mailed more than 30 methamphetamine packages through the United States mail to Gribaudo and Gribaudo’s girlfriend and co-conspirator Mary Stout at their apartments in Boston and Somerville. Upon receipt of the drugs, Gribaudo and Stout then distributed the methamphetamine to their customers. One of Gribaudo and Stout’s customers was co-conspirator Aaron Smith, who later contributed funds with Gribaudo and Stout to purchase the methamphetamine from Greenberg and distributed the narcotics in the Boston area.

In April 2019, a parcel mailed from Phoenix and addressed for delivery to Stout was intercepted by law enforcement and found to contain 887.1 grams of “ice” methamphetamine. This methamphetamine was later determined to be 99% pure. Investigators subsequently determined that Gribaudo, Stout and Smith had contributed funds toward the purchase of this methamphetamine and that the parcel had been mailed by an individual acting on Greenberg’s behalf.

In July 2019, Gribaudo left a backpack with a loaded firearm at a blackjack table inside an Everett casino.. During a search of Gribaudo’s storage unit in September 2019, investigators recovered 50 rounds of ammunition and a small quantity of additional methamphetamine.

On Oct. 28, 2021, Greenberg was sentenced to 50 months in prison. On Feb. 17, 2022, Smith was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. On June 22, 2022, Stout was sentenced to time-served and five years of supervised release. 

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; Melissa Llosa, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Phoenix Division; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement today. The Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Arlington Police Department, and Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office assisted in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Arnold of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on August 5, 2022, Den Lam, age 48, and Danny Sing, age 59, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were charged in criminal informations with various federal tax offenses and commercial bribery.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the information filed against Den Lam alleges that he conspired with other individuals to evade federal income taxes for approximately $1,600,000 in wages paid by Global Staffing Services, Inc. (Global Staffing), a temporary staffing company that he and his coconspirators owned and operated.  Global Staffing leased temporary employees to a manufacturing business in northeastern Pennsylvania.  Den Lam also was charged with failing to withhold and remit approximately $1,360,000 in federal employment taxes owed, but never paid, by Global Staffing to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The information filed against Danny Sing alleges that he conspired with other individuals to evade federal income taxes for approximately $1,600,000 in wages paid by Global Staffing, and to fail to withhold and remit approximately $1,360,000 in federal employment taxes to the IRS.  Den Lam and Danny Sing allegedly paid Global Staffing employees in cash, paid themselves in cash, and cashed all checks received from Global Staffing’s client, to conceal the income and wages from the IRS.  The criminal activities allegedly occurred between 2013 and 2020.  Sing also was charged with allegedly providing in excess of approximately $400,000 in bribes and kickbacks to managers and supervisors at Global Staffing’s client, to obtain business for Global Staffing.

Three other individuals were previously prosecuted in this investigation:

1. Mark Holmes, age 66, of Hughes Springs, Texas, pleaded guilty to failing to remit approximately $135,000 in employment taxes to the IRS that were owed by Encore.  Holmes also pleaded guilty to accepting, as the General Manager of a Pennsylvania food services company, approximately $400,000 in bribes and kickbacks from two temporary staffing companies, one of which was Penns Independent Staffing, in exchange for hiring their employees.  The two temporary staffing companies, in turn, received approximately $7,800,000 from Holmes’s employer.  Holmes awaits sentencing.

2. Nari Lam, age 29, of Wilmington, Delaware, pleaded guilty to failing to remit employment taxes to the IRS.  From 2016 through 2020, Nari Lam, the owner of Pennsylvania-based temporary staffing company Penns Independent Staffing, failed to pay approximately $300,000 in employment taxes owed by Penns Independent Staffing to the IRS.  Nari Lam awaits sentencing.

3. Madeline Nieves, age 48, of Plains, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on tax fraud and conspiracy offenses.  Nieves allegedly conspired with other individuals to defraud the IRS, from 2018 to 2020, in connection with a temporary staffing company, Encore Staffing Solutions LLC (Encore), that she and her coconspirators owned and operated.  Encore leased temporary employees to manufacturing businesses throughout Pennsylvania.  Nieves also was charged with failing to report Encore employee wages to the IRS, resulting in approximately $67,000 in employment taxes owed, but never paid, by Encore to the IRS.  Nieves further was charged with three counts of tax evasion, for failing to report her own personal income from Encore.  Nieves awaits trial.

The cases were investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for each tax offense is five years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.  The maximum penalty under federal law for the commercial bribery offense is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.  A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments and Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis pleaded guilty Monday to a murder-for-hire charge and a drug conspiracy charge and admitted trying to have a man who owed him more than $100,000 killed.

Kevin Cunningham, 36, pleaded guilty Monday in front of U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig to the murder-for-hire charge. He pleaded guilty later in the day in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to a charge of conspiring to distribute fentanyl.

Cunningham admitted as part of his plea that the victim owed more than $100,000, and that he approached higher-ranking members in the conspiracy to arrange the victim’s murder. A Mexico-based member of the organization connected a confidential source secretly working with the Drug Enforcement Administration to a woman working with the drug group. The woman said the confidential source and an associate would each get $5,000 for the murder and gave the source Cunningham’s phone number.

On Oct. 13, 2021, the source and another person met with Cunningham, who said he wanted them to pick up the debtor, get as much money as they could from him and kill him.

Cunningham later texted a picture of the target and his address to the source and provided them with $600 in expense money and four firearms.

Cunningham and a co-defendant were arrested after the guns were handed over.

Cunningham agreed in his plea to forfeit those guns: two .45-caliber pistols, a 12-gauge shotgun and an AR-15 style pistol with a 50-round drum magazine. He is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

“We often say that drug trafficking and violence are closely connected,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey of the DEA’s St. Louis office. “But this case of murder between drug traffickers shows the people in this illegal industry have no limits to the criminal activities they are willing to engage in. Selling fentanyl that causes overdose deaths and plotting to kill someone? It’s best for St. Louis that this man will not be on our streets.”

The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Louis Torres, 37, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to seven years and seven months in prison for possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Torres is a member of the Loma Bakers criminal street gang and goes by the moniker, “Youngster.” On July 23, 2021, Torres was driving a vehicle in Bakersfield that was stopped by police officers for traffic violations. After exiting his vehicle, Torres fled on foot, but was pursued and apprehended by police. After Torres was arrested, police officers discovered that he possessed methamphetamine and heroin that he intended to distribute to others. At the time of his arrest, Torres was under active court supervision for a burglary conviction and had a suspended driver’s license. Torres has more than 20 adult criminal convictions and in the last 15 years has violated the terms of his parole and court supervision approximately 22 times.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher D. Baker and Jessica Massey prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis on Monday admitted threatening to blow up a St. Louis synagogue in 2021.

Cody Steven Rush admitted calling the St. Louis office of the FBI on Nov. 5, 2021 and saying, “I’m going to blow up a church.” Rush gave his name and identified his target as the Central Reform Congregation in St. Louis. Rush said he would take action the next morning, when people were inside. Rush said he hated Jewish people. He called back later and again threatened to attack the synagogue “while they are in service.” Asked if had anything else he wanted to say, Rush said, “Yeah, that I hate them with rage.”

In a third call, Rush gave his location, which was on the same street as the CRC. When authorities called Rush back, he again made threats.

Officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI found Rush, who told them, “I am feeling suicidal and homicidal. I just feel like killing Jews.” He was arrested without incident.

Rush, 30, pleaded guilty Monday in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to use of a telephone and instrument of interstate commerce to make a threat. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 8.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department.