Month: October 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

INDIANAPOLIS – Felix Becerra-Aguilera, 40, of Stockton, California, was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to court documents, on September 13, 2021, an Indiana State Police trooper was conducting a patrol on I-70 in Hancock County. The state trooper conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle being driven by Felix Becerra-Aguilera who was identified by his California driver’s license. Becerra-Aguilera gave the state trooper written consent to search his vehicle. 

During the search of the vehicle, officers found multiple wrapped packages containing Oxycodone Hydrochloride pills in the hollowed-out seat cushions. Officers also found fentanyl pills and two-kilogram bricks of fentanyl in the seatbacks of the front seats. Approximately eight and a half kilograms of fentanyl were seized from inside the vehicle during the traffic stop. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, as little as 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance, and past usage. One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people.  

Becerra-Aguilera admitted to the state troopers that he was being paid to drive the narcotics to Philadelphia. Officers found $2,000 in U.S. currency inside Becerra-Aguilera’s bag inside the vehicle.

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and R. Sean Fitzgerald, acting Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Office for Homeland Security Investigations, made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case in conjunction with the Indiana State Police. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt. As part of the sentence, Judge Pratt ordered that Beccera-Aguilera be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for two years following his release from federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela S. Domash who prosecuted this case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

ATLANTA – Kevin M. Gregory has pleaded guilty to conspiring with ex-wife and former Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency counselor Karen C. Lyke to forge educational records and to create fake students with non-existent disabilities and illnesses, as part of their sophisticated, multi-year scheme to steal more than $1.3 million.  

“Gregory and Lyke exploited a government program designed to empower some of the most vulnerable Americans to achieve their educational and vocational goals,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “Driven by greed, Gregory and Lyke forged medical, educational, and financial records to invent sham students with non-existent disabilities, resulting in an elaborate conspiracy that swindled taxpayers out of more than $1.3 million.” 

“Gregory and Lyke stole money targeted for some of society’s most vulnerable. Their greedy actions also impact every taxpayer,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI, alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to work tirelessly to hold accountable those who steal taxpayer funds.”

“Theft of government money a serious crime that deprives our most vulnerable citizens of vital assistance,” said State Inspector General Scott McAfee. “OIG will continue to uphold the integrity of state programs and ensure taxpayer dollars are used for their intended purpose.”

“The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency is committed to protecting the interests of Georgia’s taxpayers and our constituents. Therefore, we notified the Georgia Office of Inspector General as soon as we suspected fraud in this matter. We are also continuing to implement and refine protocols to prevent and catch such incidents of fraud even earlier to ensure both our clients and public funds are secure,” says GVRA Executive Director Chris Wells.

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program is a federally funded program administered by the U.S. Department of Education that offers grant money to assist states to provide services to individuals with disabilities. To be eligible for the program, individuals must have a physical or mental impairment that results in a substantial impediment to employment and require services to achieve employment and to maximize career goals. Across the country, state vocational rehabilitation agencies offer various services to individuals with disabilities, including tuition assistance for vocational training and college education.

The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (“GVRA”) operates Georgia’s vocational rehabilitation program. Between 2017 and 2020, the GVRA annually received at least $100,000,000 in federal funds. The GVRA’s Vocational Rehabilitation Program helped people with disabilities (known as “clients”) find and maintain employment, including by providing funding and tuition assistance for college education. 

During this time, the GVRA assigned counselors to assist its clients, including helping clients to obtain tuition assistance. To obtain tuition assistance, a client was required to provide the GVRA with documentation to support obtaining GVRA funds, including: (a) medical records demonstrating a disability related to employment, (b) a driver’s license, (c) proof of registration for classes, and (d) financial aid information. After receiving the information, the client’s GVRA counselor reviewed the documentation and, if the counselor approved the request for tuition assistance, mailed a check to the client for the requested educational expenses. From June 2015 to March 2019, Karen C. Lyke served as a GVRA counselor in its Norcross, Georgia office.  During the time of the conspiracy, Lyke and Gregory were married.

From approximately May 2016 to November 2020, Gregory and Lyke conspired to steal money from the GVRA by claiming educational expenses for approximately 13 fake students. Gregory and Lyke used the names of actual friends and relatives (including Gregory’s own name) as the names of the fake disabled students seeking tuition assistance from the GVRA.

Gregory and Lyke used the names of friends and relatives to fake medical records to create the appearance that the approximately 13 fake students qualified for tuition assistance from the GVRA. Gregory and Lyke claimed that these fake students suffered from disabilities or illnesses like AIDS, cancer, psychosocial impairments, or muscular dystrophy.

As proof of identification, Gregory and Lyke provided the GVRA with manufactured images of fake driver’s licenses that listed the names of their friends and relatives. In one instance, Gregory created a fake driver’s license in his cousin’s name by using a mug shot image of an unknown individual from the Internet as the driver’s license photograph.

Gregory and Lyke then used photo-editing software to alter authentic college transcripts, financial aid reports, and proofs of registration from actual GVRA clients to support claims that the fake students attended schools like the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, or the University of Georgia. Lyke then uploaded the sham driver’s licenses, transcripts, financial aid reports, and other documentation into the GVRA’s electronic database.

Based on false documentation, Gregory and Lyke caused more than 230 checks to be mailed to approximately 13 friends and relatives for claimed educational expenses. In fact, none of the 13 fake students attended any of the purported colleges or universities.

The GVRA mailed the checks to post office boxes that Gregory and Lyke opened in their own names. After receiving the GVRA checks, Gregory and Lyke either deposited the GVRA checks into their own bank accounts, or gave the GVRA checks to their friends and relatives to be deposited. The friends and relatives funneled most of the GVRA funds back to Gregory and Lyke after depositing the GVRA checks.

After Lyke left the GVRA in March 2019, Gregory and Lyke continued to submit forged paperwork to the GVRA for non-existent educational expenses. Based on the false submissions, the GVRA issued checks to the fake students for bogus educational expenses. Gregory and Lyke used the stolen GVRA funds to pay for various personal expenses, including cars, jewelry, high-end guitars, and the down payment on a new home. In total, based on the false documentation they created, the GVRA mailed more than 230 checks to Gregory and Lyke resulting in the theft of approximately $1.3 million.

From approximately August 2016 to February 2019, Gregory and Lyke also conspired to steal several high-value computers from the GVRA. Using her position as a GVRA counselor, Lyke and Gregory stole multiple computers by submitting phony paperwork to the GVRA claiming that:

• Three genuine GVRA clients needed computers to further their educational goals when, in fact, the GVRA clients did not know that Lyke had ordered the computers under their names and never received the computers;

• Three fake students (that Gregory and Lyke invented) needed the computers to further their educational goals; and

• Gregory was a GVRA client who needed a computer to further his educational goals.

Gregory and Lyke arranged for at least six computers to be shipped to Lyke’s attention at the GVRA office in Norcross. Upon delivery, Lyke stole the computers and computer accessories from the GVRA. Gregory and Lyke then sold at least five of the computers on eBay using Gregory’s account. Gregory and Lyke kept one computer for personal use. In total, Gregory and Lyke stole at least seven computers with various accessories worth approximately $32,000.

Based on this conduct, the U.S. Attorney charged Kevin M. Gregory, 40, of Toledo, Ohio, in a criminal information with one count of conspiracy to commit federal program theft. Gregory pleaded guilty to that charge before U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee.

On September 1, 2022, Karen C. Lyke, 37, of Toledo, Ohio, also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal program theft.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Georgia Office of Inspector General are investigating the case. The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency also provided valuable investigative assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W. Davis and Jesika W. French are prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Sam Wolo, 21, of Philadelphia, PA; Bruno Nyanue, 20, also of Philadelphia, PA; and Gransae Manue, 20, of Clifton Heights, PA; were arrested and charged by Indictment with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit mail theft, possession of stolen mail, and robbery of a postal carrier. The charges arise from the defendants’ alleged schemes to steal checks from the United States mail, and to then fraudulently alter and deposit the stolen checks.

The Indictment specifically alleges that, on December 22, 2021, Wolo, Nyanue, and Manue forcibly robbed a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier of his Arrow Key, a USPS key used by letter carriers to access USPS blue collection boxes along their routes. The Arrow Key stolen by Wolo, Nyanue, and Manue opened USPS collection boxes in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, which the defendants used repeatedly to steal mail from boxes in that area.

As alleged in the Indictment, between December 2021 and February 2022, the co-conspirators “washed” and altered checks they stole from the mail that belonged to victims who had mailed checks in Drexel Hill. The defendants altered the stolen checks to make them payable to third parties, often in amounts greater than the checks’ original value, without the victims’ knowledge or consent. As part of the scheme, the defendants deposited the fraudulently washed and altered checks into those third-party accounts, and in at least some instances, withdrew some of the fraudulently deposited funds. The Indictment further alleges that approximately 370 stolen checks and nine stolen money orders were recovered from defendant Wolo’s apartment. The Arrow Key stolen by the defendants from the USPS letter carrier in Drexel Hill, as well as two stolen checks and two money orders, were also recovered from defendant Wolo’s vehicle. Altogether, the value of stolen checks and money orders recovered from defendant Wolo’s apartment and car totaled more than $171,000.

“The United States Postal Service provides an essential service to nearly every American, often conveying income, bills and expenses which are the basis of many livelihoods,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “If you choose to tamper with or steal U.S. mail for any reason, you can be assured that the federal government will conduct an intensive investigation and aggressive prosecution, as we intend to in this case.”

“People continue to use and rely on the U.S. Mail to pay bills, conduct business, send letters and cards, and send and receive goods, among other things,” said Raimundo Marreo, Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “They should be able do these things without fear that their mail will be stolen. Investigating mail theft and violence against mail carriers are core missions of the Postal Inspection Service and we will work tirelessly, with our partners in local law enforcement and in state and federal prosecutors offices, to investigate and prosecute individuals who commit violence against Postal employees and who steal the mail. I want to thank the United States Attorney’s Office and investigators from the Upper Darby Police Department for their help in investigating and prosecuting this case against these three individuals.”

If convicted, defendant Wolo faces a maximum of 236 years in prison, defendant Nyanue faces a maximum of 64 years in prison, and defendant Manue faces a maximum of 172 years in prison. All three defendants could face fines of at least $3 million, with defendant Wolo facing a possible fine of up to $8.5 million.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Upper Darby Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eileen Castilla Geiger.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

BOSTON – A Texas man has been arrested and charged with allegedly staging a hoax explosion at Northeastern University in Boston in September 2022 and providing law enforcement with materially false and misleading information about the incident.

Jason Duhaime, 45, of San Antonio, was charged with one count of intentionally conveying false and misleading information related to an explosive device and one count of making materially false statements to a federal law enforcement agent. Duhaime was arrested this morning in the Western District of Texas and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging documents, Duhaime, who was at the time employed as the New Technology Manager and Director of the Immersive Media Lab (Lab) at Northeastern University, placed a 911 call at approximately 7 p.m. on Sept. 13, 2022, to report that he was injured by “sharp” objects expelled from a plastic case he opened inside the Lab that evening. Specifically, it is alleged that Duhaime told the 911 operator that he and a Northeastern student who was working in the Lab had collected several packages from a mail area earlier that evening and brought them into the Lab. Among the packages were two “Pelican” cases, which Duhaime brought into a storage closet inside the Lab. Duhaime allegedly told the 911 operator that when he opened one of the cases inside the closet, “very sharp” objects flew out of the case and under his shirt sleeves, causing injuries to his arms. It is further alleged that Duhaime also reported that the case contained an anonymous “violent note” directed at the Lab.

The reports and concern about the second unopened “Pelican” case triggered a significant law enforcement response that included, among other things, the assistance of two law enforcement bomb squads, the evacuation of a large portion of Northeastern’s Boston campus. Numerous campus-wide alerts were issued by the Northeastern University Police Department – one of which described an “explosion.”

According to court documents unsealed today, responding local and federal law enforcement observed that the case described by Duhaime to the 911 operator was empty and undamaged. Neither the case nor the letter that Duhaime said was inside the case showed any indication of having been exposed to a forceful or explosive discharge of any type or magnitude. Additionally, the storage closet appeared normal and bomb technicians did not observe any small objects or suspicious debris on the floor or elsewhere.

During subsequent interviews with law enforcement, Duhaime allegedly provided statements about the incident that were consistent with his report to the 911 operator. He expressly denied fabricating his story about the case, the letter and his injuries.

Forensic analysis of one of the computers seized during a Sept. 14, 2022 search of Duhaime’s office at Northeastern University allegedly revealed a word-for-word electronic copy of the letter stored in a backup folder. According to court documents, the metadata associated with this file reflected a “Created Date/Time” of Sept. 13, 2022, at 2:57 p.m. and a “Last Printed Date/Time” of Sept. 13, 2022, at 4:02 p.m.

The charges of intentionally conveying false and misleading information related to an explosive device and making materially false statements to a federal law enforcement agent each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; and Michael A. Davis, Vice President of Campus Security and Chief of Police at Northeastern University made the announcement today. This investigation was conducted by the Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in cooperation with the Northeastern University Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Field Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason A. Casey of Rollins’ National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

WAYCROSS, GA:  A Coffee County man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after his conviction on child pornography charges.

Ashley Marshall Carter, 43, of Douglas, Ga., was sentenced to 180 months in prison after a U.S. District Court jury found him guilty in June 2022 of one count of Distribution of Child Pornography, and one count of Possession of Child Pornography, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Carter to pay $11,000 in restitution, to register as a sex offender, and to serve 12 years of supervised release after completion of his prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Ashley Carter was found guilty by a jury of his peers, and is being held accountable for his crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “We commend our law enforcement partners for their outstanding work in identifying and removing these predators from our communities.”

As described in court, a task force officer working with Homeland Security Investigations identified electronic transfers of images of child exploitation originating from Carter’s Douglas address. During a subsequent search in February 2021, Carter was arrested after investigators removed multiple electronic devices from the home and identified more than 17,000 images of child pornography.

“This sentence should serve as a warning to those who are viewing, sharing or creating these disturbing images of children being abused,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI and its law enforcement partners are committed to catching and prosecuting those involved in the exploitation of children.” 

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Candler County Sheriff’s Office, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer J. Kirkland and Jeremiah L. Johnson.

This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood. Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.