Month: November 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

A federal grand jury in Chicago, Illinois, returned an indictment, which was unsealed yesterday, charging three Illinois men with operating an odometer and title fraud scheme that involved hundreds of used cars over the course of many years.

According to court documents, Laith Ghzo, 36, of Oak Lawn, Hussein Ghzo, 40, of Palos Heights, and Musab Sawai, 35, of Worth caused the mileage of hundreds of used vehicles to be rolled back and altered title documents to reflect the false, low mileage. Those used vehicles were then sold to unsuspecting wholesale buyers and ultimately consumers, who paid more for those vehicles than they would have paid if they had known the truth about the vehicles’ mileages.

Laith Ghzo and Hussein Ghzo are charged with conspiracy to make counterfeit securities and commit mail fraud, making counterfeit securities and mail fraud. Musab Sawai is charged with conspiracy to make counterfeit securities and mail fraud. The defendants made their initial court appearances yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. If convicted, Laith Ghzo and Hussein Ghzo face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each mail fraud count, and Musab Sawai faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr. for the Northern District of Illinois, Acting Inspector in Charge Kai Pickens of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Chicago Division and Acting Administrator Ann Carlson of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) made the announcement.

The NHTSA Office of Odometer Fraud Investigations and the Postal Inspection Service are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Joshua D. Rothman and Thomas Rosso of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kartik K. Raman for the Northern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case.

NHTSA estimates that odometer fraud in the United States results in consumer losses of more than $1 billion annually and has established a special hotline to handle odometer fraud complaints. Individuals with information relating to odometer tampering should call (800) 424-9393 or (202) 366-4761.

More information on odometer fraud is available on the NHTSA website https://one.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle-Safety/Odometer-Fraud and tips on detecting and avoiding odometer fraud are available at this page: www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nvs/pdf/811284.pdf.

For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.

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

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Jackson, Miss. –  A Jackson man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for assault on a federal law enforcement officer, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  

Demario Lamar Cotton, 40, was sentenced on November 2, 2022, in U.S. District Court in Jackson.

According to court documents, on or about June 26, 2021, Cotton was in a vehicle fleeing law enforcement when he stopped and fired a rifle multiple times at law enforcement vehicles, causing bodily injury to a federal law enforcement officer who was in the performance of his official duties.  Cotton was subsequently taken into custody and admitted to his illegal actions when he pled guilty on July 1, 2022.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Murray prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the resolution of two cases in the Lake Charles Division of the Western District of Louisiana. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. sentenced the following two defendants today:

Johnathan Wade Thierry, 49, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was sentenced to 46 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On April 20, 2021, law enforcement officers with the Combined Anti-Drug Task Force team in Lake Charles, Louisiana, were conducting home surveillance to execute active arrest warrants for Thierry.  Officers observed Thierry depart from his residence and they initiated a traffic stop, taking him into custody for the outstanding warrants. He consented to a search of his vehicle but would not give consent for them to search his residence. A search warrant was obtained for search of Thierry’s residence and upon execution, officers recovered a loaded Guardian .25 caliber pistol, as well as a box of .25 caliber ammunition.  Because he was a convicted felon, it was illegal for Thierry to have a firearm or ammunition in his possession.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Louisiana State Police, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog.

Robert Edward Wright, 68, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was sentenced to 24 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for being a convicted felon in possession of firearms. This charge stems from an incident that occurred on August 6, 2020 when deputies from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a domestic violence call. When deputies arrived on the scene, they learned that Wright had shoved a female and grabbed her by the throat with both hands. While at the residence, deputies found two loaded firearms in the residence, a Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun and a Remington 770 rifle. Wright’s girlfriend admitted to deputies that she had purchased the firearms at the direction of Wright because he knew as a convicted felon he could not purchase one or have any in his possession. Wright has prior felony convictions for aggravated burglary in Louisiana and DWI in Texas prohibiting him from possessing any firearms or ammunition.

The case was investigated by the ATF and Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney LaDonte A. Murphy.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

HOUSTON – The former administrative and community outreach coordinator for the Houston Health Department (HHD) has pleaded guilty to bribery, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery along with Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr. of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division.  

Barry Barnes, 62, accepted bribes from three businesses in exchange for influencing the selection of each to perform services for the HHD.   

“This office has an unyielding commitment to attack public corruption at any level. The people of the Southern District of Texas deserve an environment in which public officials are held to the highest standards,” said Lowery. “This prosecution should send a clear message that we will find and hold accountable any public official who abuses the public trust.”

From November 2019 until March 2021, Barnes engaged in a kickback scheme with a business owner and abused his position with the HHD to facilitate the selection of the business under the emergency purchase order process. Barnes subsequently submitted invoices to ensure this individual was paid for six lucrative marketing, advertising and media contracts, including three service contracts related to the COVID-19 global pandemic that federal COVID-19 relief funded. In exchange, Barnes received several cash payments from January 2020 to February 2021.

As part of his plea agreement, Barnes acknowledged that in December 2020, he selected another business owner to perform advertising services for the HHD. In return, Barnes received a portion of the funds. Barnes again engaged in the same scheme in January 2021 with yet another business. He received a kickback for assisting that business owner in obtaining a disbursement from the City of Houston for advertisement services performed for the HHD.

Barnes pleaded guilty to bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 maximum possible fine. U.S. District Judge Sim Lake will impose sentencing Jan. 26, 2023.  

He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

The FBI – Houston Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sebastian A. Edwards and Trial Attorney Demetrius Sumner of DOJ’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on October 27, 2022, Dr. Manuel Thomas (age: 49), a former pediatrician, had been sentenced by United States District Judge Lynn Adelman to 18 months in federal prison for conspiring to unlawfully distribute controlled substances and maintaining a premises for the purpose of unlawfully distributing controlled substances.  

According to court records, Thomas previously had pled guilty to both counts, acknowledging that he had distributed controlled substances, including powerful opiates, for years, in a manner outside of a professional medical practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.

At sentencing, the United States requested that the Court impose a term of imprisonment based on a variety of factors, including evidence that Dr. Thomas had provided opiates to patients he knew were already addicted to controlled substances, in exchange for cash and pills for his own personal use.  

“Medical professionals who prescribe controlled substances not for a medical purpose but instead to line their own pockets violate both their oaths to do no harm and also federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad.  “The United States Attorney’s Office remains committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to hold those doctors who are fueling the opioid crisis accountable for their actions.”

“The DEA will continue keeping Wisconsin families safe from the dangerous and illegal actions taken by medical practitioners who do not adhere to the Controlled Substances Act,” said John G. McGarry, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Wisconsin.

“The FBI takes medical misconduct very seriously,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael Hensle. “along with our partners, we will aggressively pursue offenders who take advantage of vulnerable patients for their own personal gain.”

After completing his term of imprisonment, Thomas also must spend three years on federal supervised release.

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Knight.

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For Additional Information Contact:

Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

414-297-1700

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