Month: September 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

On the 28^th anniversary of the original authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Department of Justice announced $224.9 million in grants designed to enhance victim services and justice solutions for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.  Since the passage of VAWA, the United States has monumentally transformed the way communities and systems such as law enforcement, courts, prosecution, and service providers effectively address the needs of survivors.  Funding, appropriated through VAWA and administered by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), has supported communities to implement policies and practices that protect and honor survivors.

“For nearly three decades, VAWA has enabled the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women to provide essential support to help empower survivors, hold offenders accountable, and keep communities safe,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The grants we are announcing today represent the Department’s renewed commitment to working alongside our partners across the country — victim services providers, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, and community-based organizations — to meet the crisis of gender-based violence with the urgency it demands.”

Grantees can use the grants to provide lifesaving services for hundreds of thousands of survivors each year, improve investigations and prosecutions, reach survivors in rural communities, and leverage the services of statewide coalitions charged with supporting local programs with trainings and service coordination.

• A total of $140,466,152 has been awarded across all 50 states and 6 territories under the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grants to develop and strengthen the criminal justice system’s response to violence against women and to enhance direct services for survivors.
• To address economic stability central to ending violence, 73 grants totaling $36,195,932 will provide housing and related wrap-around-services to survivors and their children under the Transitional Housing Program.
• OVW’s Rural Program awarded a total of $33,404,213 to support 44 projects uniquely designed to prevent and respond to these crimes in rural areas and promote safety and healing for survivors. The funding supports collaboration among victim advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors, court personnel, and community leaders to reach survivors and their families whose safety may be further jeopardized by geographical isolation.
• Eighty-seven grants totaling $14,887,922, awarded under the State and Territory Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions Program, will support state and territorial coalitions to expand the capacity of local domestic violence and sexual assault programs, identify statewide gaps in services, and coordinate state, local, and territorial systems to address the needs of survivors.

“The grants announced today represent the Justice Department’s commitment to furthering the progress VAWA has achieved over the last three decades,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “They help ensure that survivors who come forward to report abuse are met with competent and compassionate professionals who have the resources, training and institutional support to do their jobs.”

“Projects funded by the grants announced today build the community-wide partnerships that help break the cycle of violence using holistic and innovative approaches,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “An effective response to gender-based violence requires engagement by justice and healthcare professionals, victim advocates, culturally specific service providers, forensic scientists, and educators, among others. It takes all of us to bring about real change.”

“In communities throughout the country, VAWA has literally opened doors for millions of individuals and families who have suffered violence and needed somewhere safe to go,” said OVW Acting Director Allison Randall. “The grants issued today help keep those doors open and create new pathways to a life free of violence through innovative interventions that keep in step with the dynamic needs of survivors, especially for survivors from rural communities and historically underserved populations.”

OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation of VAWA and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies, and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.

On the 28^th anniversary of the original authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) the Department of Justice announced $224.9 million in grants designed to enhance victim services and justice solutions for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.  Since the passage of VAWA, the United States has monumentally transformed the way communities and systems such as law enforcement, courts, prosecution, and service providers effectively address the needs of survivors.  Funding, appropriated through VAWA and administered by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), has supported communities to implement policies and practices that protect and honor survivors.

“For nearly three decades, VAWA has enabled the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women to provide essential support to help empower survivors, hold offenders accountable, and keep communities safe,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The grants we are announcing today represent the Department’s renewed commitment to working alongside our partners across the country — victim services providers, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, and community-based organizations — to meet the crisis of gender-based violence with the urgency it demands.”

Grantees can use the grants to provide lifesaving services for hundreds of thousands of survivors each year, improve investigations and prosecutions, reach survivors in rural communities, and leverage the services of statewide coalitions charged with supporting local programs with trainings and service coordination.

• A total of $140,466,152 has been awarded across all 50 states and 6 territories under the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grants to develop and strengthen the criminal justice system’s response to violence against women and to enhance direct services for survivors.
• To address economic stability central to ending violence, 73 grants totaling $36,195,932 will provide housing and related wrap-around-services to survivors and their children under the Transitional Housing Program.
• OVW’s Rural Program awarded a total of $33,404,213 to support 44 projects uniquely designed to prevent and respond to these crimes in rural areas and promote safety and healing for survivors. The funding supports collaboration among victim advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors, court personnel, and community leaders to reach survivors and their families whose safety may be further jeopardized by geographical isolation.
• Eighty-seven grants totaling $14,887,922, awarded under the State and Territory Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions Program, will support state and territorial coalitions to expand the capacity of local domestic violence and sexual assault programs, identify statewide gaps in services, and coordinate state, local, and territorial systems to address the needs of survivors.

“The grants announced today represent the Justice Department’s commitment to furthering the progress VAWA has achieved over the last three decades,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “They help ensure that survivors who come forward to report abuse are met with competent and compassionate professionals who have the resources, training and institutional support to do their jobs.”

“Projects funded by the grants announced today build the community-wide partnerships that help break the cycle of violence using holistic and innovative approaches,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “An effective response to gender-based violence requires engagement by justice and healthcare professionals, victim advocates, culturally specific service providers, forensic scientists, and educators, among others. It takes all of us to bring about real change.”

“In communities throughout the country, VAWA has literally opened doors for millions of individuals and families who have suffered violence and needed somewhere safe to go,” said OVW Acting Director Allison Randall. “The grants issued today help keep those doors open and create new pathways to a life free of violence through innovative interventions that keep in step with the dynamic needs of survivors, especially for survivors from rural communities and historically underserved populations.

OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation of VAWA and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies, and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

On the 28^th anniversary of the original authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) the Department of Justice announced $224.9 million in grants designed to enhance victim services and justice solutions for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.  Since the passage of VAWA, the United States has monumentally transformed the way communities and systems such as law enforcement, courts, prosecution, and service providers effectively address the needs of survivors.  Funding, appropriated through VAWA and administered by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), has supported communities to implement policies and practices that protect and honor survivors.

“For nearly three decades, VAWA has enabled the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women to provide essential support to help empower survivors, hold offenders accountable, and keep communities safe,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The grants we are announcing today represent the Department’s renewed commitment to working alongside our partners across the country — victim services providers, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, and community-based organizations — to meet the crisis of gender-based violence with the urgency it demands.”

Grantees can use the grants to provide lifesaving services for hundreds of thousands of survivors each year, improve investigations and prosecutions, reach survivors in rural communities, and leverage the services of statewide coalitions charged with supporting local programs with trainings and service coordination.

• A total of $140,466,152 has been awarded across all 50 states and 6 territories under the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grants to develop and strengthen the criminal justice system’s response to violence against women and to enhance direct services for survivors.
• To address economic stability central to ending violence, 73 grants totaling $36,195,932 will provide housing and related wrap-around-services to survivors and their children under the Transitional Housing Program.
• OVW’s Rural Program awarded a total of $33,404,213 to support 44 projects uniquely designed to prevent and respond to these crimes in rural areas and promote safety and healing for survivors. The funding supports collaboration among victim advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors, court personnel, and community leaders to reach survivors and their families whose safety may be further jeopardized by geographical isolation.
• Eighty-seven grants totaling $14,887,922, awarded under the State and Territory Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions Program, will support state and territorial coalitions to expand the capacity of local domestic violence and sexual assault programs, identify statewide gaps in services, and coordinate state, local, and territorial systems to address the needs of survivors.

“The grants announced today represent the Justice Department’s commitment to furthering the progress VAWA has achieved over the last three decades,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “They help ensure that survivors who come forward to report abuse are met with competent and compassionate professionals who have the resources, training and institutional support to do their jobs.”

“Projects funded by the grants announced today build the community-wide partnerships that help break the cycle of violence using holistic and innovative approaches,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “An effective response to gender-based violence requires engagement by justice and healthcare professionals, victim advocates, culturally specific service providers, forensic scientists, and educators, among others. It takes all of us to bring about real change.”

“In communities throughout the country, VAWA has literally opened doors for millions of individuals and families who have suffered violence and needed somewhere safe to go,” said OVW Acting Director Allison Randall. “The grants issued today help keep those doors open and create new pathways to a life free of violence through innovative interventions that keep in step with the dynamic needs of survivors, especially for survivors from rural communities and historically underserved populations.

OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation of VAWA and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies, and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.

On the 28^th anniversary of the original authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) the Department of Justice announced $224.9 million in grants designed to enhance victim services and justice solutions for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.  Since the passage of VAWA, the United States has monumentally transformed the way communities and systems such as law enforcement, courts, prosecution, and service providers effectively address the needs of survivors.  Funding, appropriated through VAWA and administered by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), has supported communities to implement policies and practices that protect and honor survivors.

“For nearly three decades, VAWA has enabled the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women to provide essential support to help empower survivors, hold offenders accountable, and keep communities safe,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The grants we are announcing today represent the Department’s renewed commitment to working alongside our partners across the country — victim services providers, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, and community-based organizations — to meet the crisis of gender-based violence with the urgency it demands.”

Grantees can use the grants to provide lifesaving services for hundreds of thousands of survivors each year, improve investigations and prosecutions, reach survivors in rural communities, and leverage the services of statewide coalitions charged with supporting local programs with trainings and service coordination.

• A total of $140,466,152 has been awarded across all 50 states and 6 territories under the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grants to develop and strengthen the criminal justice system’s response to violence against women and to enhance direct services for survivors.
• To address economic stability central to ending violence, 73 grants totaling $36,195,932 will provide housing and related wrap-around-services to survivors and their children under the Transitional Housing Program.
• OVW’s Rural Program awarded a total of $33,404,213 to support 44 projects uniquely designed to prevent and respond to these crimes in rural areas and promote safety and healing for survivors. The funding supports collaboration among victim advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors, court personnel, and community leaders to reach survivors and their families whose safety may be further jeopardized by geographical isolation.
• Eighty-seven grants totaling $14,887,922, awarded under the State and Territory Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions Program, will support state and territorial coalitions to expand the capacity of local domestic violence and sexual assault programs, identify statewide gaps in services, and coordinate state, local, and territorial systems to address the needs of survivors.

“The grants announced today represent the Justice Department’s commitment to furthering the progress VAWA has achieved over the last three decades,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “They help ensure that survivors who come forward to report abuse are met with competent and compassionate professionals who have the resources, training and institutional support to do their jobs.”

“Projects funded by the grants announced today build the community-wide partnerships that help break the cycle of violence using holistic and innovative approaches,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “An effective response to gender-based violence requires engagement by justice and healthcare professionals, victim advocates, culturally specific service providers, forensic scientists, and educators, among others. It takes all of us to bring about real change.”

“In communities throughout the country, VAWA has literally opened doors for millions of individuals and families who have suffered violence and needed somewhere safe to go,” said OVW Acting Director Allison Randall. “The grants issued today help keep those doors open and create new pathways to a life free of violence through innovative interventions that keep in step with the dynamic needs of survivors, especially for survivors from rural communities and historically underserved populations.

OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation of VAWA and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies, and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

PORTLAND, Ore.—A former Oregon dentist pleaded guilty today in federal court for fraudulently converting to his personal use nearly $11.5 million in loans intended to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Salwan Adjaj, 43, of West Linn, Oregon, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents, beginning no later than September 2020 and continuing until at least May 2021, Adjaj submitted dozens of fraudulent loan applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA) in an attempt to obtain Economic Impact Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds. The EIDL and PPP programs were among several economic relief programs originally authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES). They enabled SBA to issue low-interest loans to small businesses adversely impacted by the pandemic and associated mitigation measures. 

Adjaj used the names and employer identification numbers (EIN) of fictitious business entities on his fraudulent applications. He further provided false information about the business start dates, number of employees, and locations, and the identities of the purported applicants and business owners. Most of the fraudulent applications were submitted in other peoples’ names, but with Adjaj’s personal residence as the business mailing address. All of the applications were submitted online from an internet protocol (IP) address associated with Adjaj’s dental practice.

After SBA rejected most of Adjaj’s initial EIDL applications, he began focusing primarily on the PPP program as well as the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), a pandemic economic relief program aimed at supporting restaurants, bars, and other food- and drink-related businesses. The RRF program was authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in March 2021. Adjaj had substantially greater success stealing PPP and RRF funds than he did EIDL. In May 2021, Adjaj submitted three RRF applications for restaurants allegedly located Sarasota, Miami, and Daytona Beach, Florida. Like his fraudulent EIDL and PPP applications, Adjaj’s RRF applications contained false business information and all listed his personal residence as the business mailing address. 

Together, Adjaj’s fraudulent applications caused the SBA to pay out more than $11.5 million in loans, grants, and associated lender fees.

On October 14, 2021, Adjaj was charged by criminal complaint with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. On December 14, 2021, he was arrested following a pretrial release violation and, one day later, ordered detained pending further court proceedings. Adjaj remains in custody pending sentencing.

On July 13, 2022, in a separate criminal case, Adjaj pleaded guilty to illegally distributing controlled substances, including thousands of pills of prescription drugs and anabolic steroids. Adjaj further admitted to using his position as a dentist to obtain some of the drugs he illegally distributed.

In his Covid-relief fraud case, Adjaj faces a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison, a $250,000 fine (or twice his gross gains or his victims’ gross losses), and three years’ supervised release. In his drug case, Adjaj faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $500,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced in both cases on December 6, 2022, by U.S. District Court Judge Michael W. Mosman.

As part of his plea agreement, Adjaj has agreed to pay no less than $10.5 million in restitution to SBA and his victim lenders.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the SBA Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Secret Service, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan W. Bounds and Meredith Bateman are prosecuting the case.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’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

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that REGINO MORILLO-ESPINAL, 40, a citizen of the Dominican Republic last residing in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to 48 months of imprisonment for a fentanyl trafficking offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, members of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force identified Morillo-Espinal as a member of a fentanyl trafficking ring.   On March 26, 2021, investigators stopped Morillo-Espinal’s vehicle on I-91 South after he had traveled from Allentown to multiple locations in Hartford.  He was arrested after a search of the vehicle revealed approximately two kilograms of suspected fentanyl.

Morillo-Espinal has been detained since his arrest.  On October 27, 2021, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

Morillo-Espinal faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term.

The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

RICHMOND, Va. – A Midlothian woman was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for defrauding the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Program, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, using victims’ personal identifying information that she obtained from her state government employment. 

According to court documents, in the first of three fraud schemes, from May 2020 to August 2021, Sadie Mitchell, 30, with the assistance of her co-conspirator, executed a scheme to defraud the Virginia Employment Commission by filing at least 20 fraudulent unemployment applications using the personal identifying information of inmates. Among the false information included in these applications were false physical addresses, false last employers, and a false certification that the inmates were ready, willing, and able to work in the event employment became available. The conspirators further defrauded the Virginia Employment Commission by filing at least 30 fraudulent applications in the names of other individuals whose personal identifying information was obtained, in part, by Mitchell querying a government database she had access to as an employee of the Virginia Motor Vehicle Dealer Board. Through this fraud scheme, the conspirators obtained approximately $1 million in PUA and Unemployment Insurance benefits.

Additionally, from June 2020 to June 2021, Mitchell devised and executed a scheme to defraud the PPP and EIDL programs. The defendant submitted 5 PPP applications to a financial institution, each containing false statements, false representations, or false certifications. For instance, these applications contained false and fabricated gross figures and false certifications that the businesses were in operation on February 15, 2020. The defendant further executed a scheme to defraud the EIDL program, which was intended to give forgivable loans to small businesses. Mitchell submitted several fraudulent EIDL applications to the Small Business Administration for businesses that had no customers, employees, or business activity, and in those applications, she made false statements, representations, and false certifications.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Tira A. Hayward, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division; Troy Springer, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington, D.C. Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari, Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Hannah M. Lauck.

Significant assistance was provided by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle, Virginia Employment Commission and the Virginia Department of Corrections. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kashan K. Pathan and Carla Jordan-Detamore prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-44.