Month: September 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Memphis, TN – Craig Parham, 41, has been sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for drug 
trafficking. Joseph C. Murphy Jr., United States Attorney announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, from September 2017 through March of 2020, Craig 
Parham and his co-conspirators formed a group named the Smokey City Bullies or SCB. This group 
distributed illegal narcotics in the North Memphis (Smokey City) area of Memphis, TN. Most of these 
individuals displayed their affiliation to the Smokey City Bullies through their Facebook accounts.

Furthermore, these Facebook accounts depicted these individuals displaying  SCB memorabilia, inside 
of locations where controlled purchases during this investigation have been made, and in front of 
other locations where state search warrants have been previously executed. They also posted 
photographs of themselves displaying drugs, guns, and cash.

The SCBs primarily sold illegal narcotics out of two residences in Smokey City. The first residence 
was a duplex on North Dunlap St., Memphis, TN. The second residence was located on Keel Avenue, 
Memphis, TN.  Members of the Smokey City Bullies worked rotating shifts to sell illegal narcotics 
to customers at those houses. These residences were around the corner from one another, and their 
backyards were adjacent.

This  long-term  investigation involved  confidential  informants, undercover buys, undercover 
surveillance, and Facebook search warrants.  Craig Parham participated in the following controlled 
buys: On December 19, 2019, Parham possessed in his waistband a revolver when he sold approximately 
54 grams of a cocaine base to an undercover ATF agent. On March 4, 2020, Parham sold approximately 
28 grams of a cocaine base and 14
grams of powder cocaine to an undercover ATF agent inside on Dunlap, Memphis, TN.

Craig Parham pled guilty on May 3, 2022.
On September 15, 2022, U.S. Senior Judge John T. Fowlkes, Jr., sentenced Parham to 15 years 
imprisonment to be followed by three years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal 
system.

Assistant United States Attorneys P. Neal Oldham and Wendy K. Cornejo prosecuted this case on 
behalf of the government.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Charlottesville woman, who altered and forged checks she obtained without the consent of the checks’ owners, was sentenced yesterday to thirty-six months in federal prison.  

Samantha Leigh Thomas, 33, pleaded guilty in February 2022 to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents, Thomas devised a scheme in which she altered or forged stolen checks and then deposited all of her ill-gotten gains into one of five personal checking accounts maintained at five different financial institutions.  The eventual loss suffered by the victims exceeded $25,000.  In addition to being required to pay back the money she stole, Thomas will be on supervised release for a period of four years after her release from prison.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and  Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division made the announcement.

The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Albemarle County Police Department  investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald M. Huber is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

TRENTON, N.J. – A Monmouth County, New Jersey, man who ran an illegal gambling business was sentenced to 18 months in prison for filing a false tax return, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Steven Bryce, 52, of Howell Township, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson to Count Five of an indictment charging him with subscribing to a false tax return. U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi imposed the sentence on Sept. 20, 2022, in Trenton federal court.

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

In 2013, Bryce operated an illegal gambling business. On July 14, 2014, Bryce filed with the IRS U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, Form 1040, for the calendar year 2013 on behalf of himself and his spouse, which falsely stated that they had total income of $112,899. The 2013 tax return was not true and correct: Bryce received significant income from his gambling business, and, as a result, had income substantially in excess of the amount he reported. As part of his plea agreement, Bryce agreed to pay full restitution of $338,885 to the IRS for tax losses resulting from false tax returns filed by Bryce for calendar years 2011 to 2016.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Quraishi sentenced Bryce to one year of supervised release, a $50,000 fine, and ordered to pay $338,885 in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the IRS-Criminal Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins, and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara F. Merin and J Fortier Imbert of the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

Defense counsel: Edward C. Bertuccio Hamilton, New Jersey

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that a jury returned a guilty verdict against MUSTAPHA RAJI for his participation in a $1.7 million business email compromise and money-laundering scheme that targeted a Manhattan hedge fund.  RAJI was convicted on four counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, receipt of stolen property, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.  RAJI was convicted after a jury trial before U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman which lasted approximately one week.  RAJI was previously arrested on December 20, 2019.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “Email scams that target businesses in this District will not be tolerated.  Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to zealously prosecute online scammers abroad, and the U.S.-based money launderers they work with, to protect American businesses.”

As reflected in the Indictment, public filings, and the evidence presented at trial:

RAJI participated in an international fraud ring that conducted phishing and other email fraud campaigns.  One of those campaigns involved the July 2018 compromise of the business email account of a hedge fund founder in New York.  That compromise resulted in the fraudulent diversion of a $1.7 million wire transfer from the hedge fund to a corporate bank account used to facilitate the scheme.  RAJI was a registered officer of the company that received the stolen funds, he fabricated documents to cover up the fraudulent transfer of funds from the hedge fund, and he directed a co-conspirator to launder the stolen funds to other co-conspirators domestically and overseas.  RAJI took a $50,000 cut for his participation in the scheme.

*                *                *

RAJI, 52, of Hollywood, Florida, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of receipt of stolen money, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

RAJI is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Furman on January 11, 2023, at 3:15 p.m.

The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit.  Assistant United States Attorneys Catherine Ghosh, Jilan Kamal, Dina McLeod, and Robert B. Sobelman are in charge of the prosecution.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

INDIANAPOLIS – Micah Moore, 31, of Indianapolis, was indicted by a federal grand jury for possession of a machinegun and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.

According to court documents, on July 17, 2022, Moore was in possession of three auto sears as well as multiple live rounds of ammunition. Auto sears are conversion devices designed and intended to convert semiautomatic rifles into fully automatic machineguns. Such devices qualify as machineguns, which are prohibited under federal law. Moore also has three prior felony convictions in state court, including one conviction for robbery and another for unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. Moore is federally prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because of these convictions.

Moore made his initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tim A. Baker of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Columbus Field Division, made the announcement.

The ATF investigated the case in conjunction with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey L. Massa who is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.