Month: January 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – United States District Court Chief Judge Raúl Arias-Marxuach sentenced Aníbal Joel Burgos-Vargas to 21 years and 10 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for transporting a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. Burgos-Vargas was indicted on November 17, 2021 and plead guilty on October 17, 2022.

According to court documents, from October 2020 to October 2021, Aníbal Joel Burgos-Vargas, 27 years old, transported and sexually assaulted a male minor when between the ages of 9 and 10. The defendant used a cellular phone to record the minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

“The defendant engaged in devastating acts of sexual exploitation against a defenseless child and produced videos of his sexual abuse for his personal gratification. Child pornography and exploitation are intolerable crimes committed against children, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue our commitment to prosecute these criminals to the fullest extent of the law,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.

“This sentencing is a clear message to those individuals that are considering harming our children, HSI agents work long hours investigating these heinous crimes,” stated Rebecca C. González-Ramos, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations.  “It is our responsibility as a society to come together and protect our children.”

The Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenifer Hernández-Vega, Chief of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit, prosecuted the case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the conviction in Manhattan federal court of STEPHEN SIMMONS, a/k/a “S-Dot,” for possessing ammunition that he used to shoot a man in the leg on June 16, 2022.  The jury convicted SIMMONS following trial before U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni. 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Stephen Simmons possessed ammunition in furtherance of a violent shooting in the elevator of a residential apartment building.  Residents of the Bronx should rest easier tonight knowing that this dangerous recidivist is off the streets.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and the evidence presented during the trial:

On June 16, 2022, SIMMONS chased a man into the elevator of a large apartment building in the Bronx.  SIMMONS stood just feet away and fired his gun into the elevator while three individuals stood trapped inside.  SIMMONS’s shot hit the victim in the leg, and the victim was thereafter transported to the hospital for emergency medical attention.  SIMMONS fled the scene and was subsequently arrested on July 22, 2022.

At the time of the June 16, 2022, shooting, SIMMONS had been previously convicted of a felony.

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SIMMONS, 37, of the Bronx, New York, was convicted of one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. 

The statutory maximum penalty is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.  SIMMONS is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Caproni on May 9, 2023.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York City Police Department, and Task Force Officers assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office.

The case is being supervised by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamie Bagliebter, Courtney Heavey, and Lindsey Keenan, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Isabel Loftus, are in charge of the prosecution.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            CONCORD – Jennelle Brown, 38, of Rochester, pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, Brown and her co-defendant sold drugs multiple times from their hotel room in Portsmouth.  Law enforcement then searched their room and uncovered large quantities of money, drugs, and drug ledgers.  A search of two vehicles the defendants used in their drug operations uncovered more currency and drugs.  Officers also searched storage units and safety deposit boxes the defendants controlled and discovered additional money and drugs.  In total, law enforcement seized over $130,000, 1.3 kilograms of fentanyl, almost 650 grams of methamphetamine, and smaller amounts of cocaine.

            Brown is scheduled to be sentenced on April 27, 2023.

            Brown’s co-defendant has pleaded not guilty.  The charges in the indictment are only allegations.  The co-defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

            The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Strafford County Sheriff’s Office.  It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander S. Chen and Jarad Hodes.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

PITTSBURGH, PA – A former resident of Beckley, West Virginia, has been sentenced in federal court to four years’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release and ordered to pay approximately $2.9 million in restitution on his conviction for stealing specialized mining equipment, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence on David Stanley, 48, following his Nov. 15, 2019, guilty plea to conspiring to transport across state lines specialized mining equipment from the Commonwealths of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky to West Virginia and transporting this equipment from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to West Virginia.

According to information presented to the court, five break-ins and thefts occurred in and around February 2017 through May 2017, at mining sites located in the Indiana and Armstrong counties, in the Western District of Pennsylvania. Stanley admitted, in conjunction with his guilty plea, that he and other individuals, including his co-defendant Eudell Dickerson, stole high-value mining equipment, valued at approximately $2.9 million, from these sites and sold it to a company in the business of selling new and/or used mining equipment in Beckley, West Virginia. Special Agents, the court was informed, located some of the stolen equipment at the reseller’s facility and also identified trucks operated by Dickerson and Stanley as those involved in the thefts. Stanley also admitted that he, and other individuals, were involved in additional thefts at mining sites in Virginia and Kentucky.

The Court noted that the sentence in this case, four years, was sufficient but not greater than necessary to achieve the goals of sentencing. Judge Hornak emphasized the seriousness of Stanley’s conduct – that it was a considerable theft, executed with specificity for only the high-value mining equipment. The Court also recognized that the defendant, who has a substantial criminal history, including a felony federal conviction for witness tampering, which occurred after he pled guilty in this case, has “difficulty following rules” and the sentence also reflected the need to deter the defendant from committing crimes.

Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Chung commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Stanley.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

BENTON, Ill. – An Oblong man and a Robinson woman were sentenced to prison in a U.S. District Court this week after admitting to breaking into vehicles, stealing checks and IDs and committing identity theft in order to fraudulently obtain thousands of dollars from banks.

Zachary Patrick, 31, and Briana Blair, 31, each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit financial institution fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Patrick received a 60-month sentence with an additional five years of supervised release, and Blair received a 25-month sentence with an additional three years of supervised release.

“Committing identity theft threatens the financial security of victims,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “This couple disregarded the lives they were hurting, and I commend our law enforcement partners and investigators for bringing justice to the affected families.”

“FBI Springfield extends our appreciation to the Oblong Police Department and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office for their excellent work which laid the foundation for significant charges in this case,” said Springfield Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Shannon Fontenot. “These sentences provide some justice for victims whose lives were turned upside down by criminals who stole personal information and used it for their own gain with no regard for the consequences of their actions.”

According to court documents, the couple stole checks and personal identifying information from multiple victims often by breaking into vehicles. The pair then used the victims’ information to write and deposit fraudulent checks, forge signatures and withdraw thousands of dollars as they traveled around eastern Illinois and western Indiana. In addition, they opened a bank account using one victim’s stolen information.

The pair was apprehended in a hotel parking lot in Brazil, Indiana, while breaking into a vehicle. Initially, the pair identified themselves to law enforcement using two of the identities they had previously stolen, but eventually admitted to their true identities. Law enforcement officers recovered several stolen IDs, credit cards and documents with financial information from victims.

The sentencing judge noted the severity of committing identity theft and highlighted the devastating impact and ongoing consequences for victims.

The FBI-Springfield led the investigation with assistance from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Oblong Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Reed prosecuted the case.