Month: November 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – John E. Evans, 55, of Eastpoint, Florida, was sentenced on Monday to ten years in federal prison followed by ten years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“Those who repeatedly commit serious crimes are deserving of significant prison sentences,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “This career criminal has demonstrated his unwillingness to abide by the law, committing repeated drug crimes. Given the outstanding work of our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners, he will no longer be distributing drugs in our community.”

Court documents reflect that Evans conspired to distribute approximately ten pounds of methamphetamine along with other federal defendants. On September 28, 2021, and October 9, 2021, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office made controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Evans.

“We are thankful for the partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Smith. “This kind of sentence sends a clear message that the sale of meth in our community will not be tolerated.”

Evans qualified as a Career Offender and had an enhanced mandatory minimum sentence based on his prior criminal history. Evans had previously been to prison on multiple occasions, primarily for drug-trafficking offenses and had ten prior convictions involving the sale of a controlled substance.

“Methamphetamine is a highly addictive and destructive substance.  This sentence highlights our commitment to ensuring that those who bring this poison into our communities are brought to justice,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter. “The DEA Miami Field Division remains steadfast in our commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to protect the safety and health of our Florida communities.”

The case resulted from a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

A federal jury convicted a California man yesterday for his role in an approximately $723,000 health care fraud and prescription drug diversion scheme involving two Southern California pharmacies.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Shahriar “Michael” Kalantari, 55, of Beverly Hills, generated false prescriptions as part of a health care fraud and unlicensed wholesale distribution scheme occurring in 2016 and 2017. Kalantari’s co-conspirators obtained beneficiary information, which Kalantari then used to write or cause to be written false and fraudulent prescriptions for expensive prescription medication, including drugs used to treat HIV. Kalantari’s co-conspirator then submitted claims to Medicare and Medicaid of California through her two pharmacies for the drugs, which were never dispensed to the beneficiaries but, rather, provided to co-conspirators to sell on the black market.    

Kalantari was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, and conspiracy to engage in the unlicensed wholesale distribution of prescription drugs. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 24, 2023 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each of the health care fraud conspiracy and health care fraud counts, and a maximum penalty of five years for the unlicensed distribution counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California, Assistant Director in Charge Donald Alway of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Timothy B. DeFrancesca of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which was brought as part of the Los Angeles Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. The California Department of Justice provided valuable assistance.

Assistant Chief Alexis Gregorian and Trial Attorneys Justin Givens and Alex Michael of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, comprised of 15 strike forces operating in 24 federal districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for more than $19 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

MADISON, WIS. – A Cuban citizen living in Madison, Wisconsin is charged with 3 counts of violating the Migratory Bird Trafficking Act in an indictment returned on October 12, 2022, by a federal grand jury sitting in Madison.  The indictment is announced by Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.

Jorge Luis Iglesias, 60, made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Madison yesterday and was detained in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for tomorrow, November 17, at 9:00 a.m. 

The indictment charges Iglesias with 3 counts of selling migratory birds, specifically Yellow-faced Grassquits, in violation of federal law.  The indictment alleges that he sold the birds on April 21, May 5, and December 29, 2020. 

If convicted, Iglesias faces a maximum penalty of 2 years in federal prison on each count.  The charges against him are the result of an investigation by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Graber is handling the prosecution.  

You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Jordan Anderson, age 27, an inmate at the United States Penitentiary, Canaan, Pennsylvania, was indicted on November 15, 2022, by a federal grand jury for assaulting another inmate and possessing contraband in prison.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that on May 10, 2022, Anderson assaulted another inmate with a sharpened piece of metal commonly known as a “shank.” 

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Service.  Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law is 10 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 Criminal 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

The Justice Department announced today that it has opened an investigation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into whether the State of Missouri unnecessarily institutionalizes adults with serious mental illness in skilled nursing facilities. The department will investigate whether these individuals could be served in the community with services such as supported housing, assertive community treatment, crisis services and peer support services, and whether the State’s use of guardianship for people with serious mental illness contributes to unnecessary placements in nursing facilities. Guardianship is a process in which a court appoints someone to make certain decisions for a person, often including decisions about where to live.

Prior to the announcement, the department informed state officials of the investigation.

“People with disabilities have too often been unlawfully isolated in institutions and stripped of their autonomy,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division will continue to defend the rights of individuals with mental health disabilities to access the community-based services they need and to participate fully in community life.”

The Justice Department has not reached any conclusions regarding the subject matter under investigation. Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the department via email at Community.Missouri@usdoj.gov or through the Civil Rights Division’s Civil Rights Portal, available at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.

Additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s Olmstead enforcement is available on its website at https://www.ada.gov/olmstead/.