Month: February 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CONTACT:    Barbara Burns
PHONE:    (716) 843-5817
FAX #:    (716) 551-3051

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Jose Rodriguez-Quinones, 42, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl and being a felon in possession of a firearm, was sentenced to serve 151 months in prison by U.S. District David G. Larimer.    

Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas E. Gregory, who handled the case, stated that on March 10, 2022, members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force apprehended Rodriguez-Quinones on an outstanding arrest warrant for absconding from post-release supervision by the United States Probation Office. Rodriguez-Quinones was on post-release supervision after serving a 10-year prison sentence for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Rodriguez-Quinones was in a vehicle when he was discovered by task force members. During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement recovered 400 baggies of cocaine and 604 baggies of fentanyl, all packaged for street level distribution,  two loaded handguns and approximately $2,900 in cash. Rodriguez-Quinones was convicted of felony offenses in 2000 and 2006 in New York State Court and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.   

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina, the United States Probation Office, under the direction of Chief Probation Officer Timothy C. Englerth, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito.
 

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Tiffany Bowlin, 33, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of $20,833 in COVID-19 relief loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 27, 2021, Bowlin applied for a PPP loan for her purported sole proprietorship, a hair salon operating under the business name “Tiffany Bowlin.” Bowlin admitted that she falsely stated that “Tiffany Bowlin” was established in 2019, when it in fact was not a legitimate business and had not engaged in substantial business activities on or before February 15, 2020. Bowlin further admitted that she submitted a false IRS Form 1040, Schedule C, stating that “Tiffany Bowlin” received $106,600 in gross income in 2020.

The CARES Act, enacted in March 2020, offered emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This assistance included forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program. Businesses applying for PPP loans had to certify that the business was in operation on February 15, 2020, and were required to provide documentation showing their prior gross income from either 2019 or 2020.

Bowlin submitted the loan application electronically from West Virginia and it was uploaded to servers in Kansas for processing. Bowlin’s loan application was approved and she received $20,833 via an electronic transfer to her personal bank account on May 13, 2021. Bowlin admitted that she spent the fraudulently obtained money to benefit herself personally and not for authorized business expenses.

On March 2, 2022, Bowlin applied to have the PPP loan forgiven even though she had not spent the loan proceeds on permissible business expenses. The SBA forgave Bowlin’s PPP loan on or about March 9, 2022.

Bowlin pleaded guilty to wire fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 4, 2023. Bowlin faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Bowlin also owes $20,833 in restitution.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and the Litigation Financial Analyst with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Blackwell is prosecuting the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-205.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – An Illinois man was found guilty, at a stipulated trial in the District of Columbia, of a felony and a misdemeanor for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

            Thomas B. Adams, Jr., 41, of Springfield, Illinois, was found guilty on January 31, 2023, of the felony charge of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting entering and the misdemeanor of remaining in a restricted building or grounds. The trial was held before U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta, who scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 16, 2023.

            According to the stipulated facts, on Jan. 6, 2021, Adams passed through a security perimeter on the west side of the Capitol Building where he joined rioters. At approximately 2:48 pm, Adams was among the rioters who entered the Capitol Building through the Parliamentarian Door, which is a fire door. On February 4, 2021, Adams told the FBI that other people had breached the door with “window washing equipment.” He also stated that he walked into the Capitol building over broken glass, and that one of the doors through which he entered had a broken window. After entering, Adams ignored and walked past a line of U.S. Capitol Police just beyond the Parliamentarian Door who were attempting to stop the rioters. Once Adams made his way past the line of officers, he made his way to the Senate Chamber by walking by Vice President Pence’s ceremonial office. At approximately 3:04 p.m., Adams entered the Senate Chamber through a door on the second floor. Adams knew that he did not have authorization to enter the Senate Chamber. Adams walked into to the Senate well, where he and multiple other rioters walked among the Senators’ desks. While on the Senate floor, Adams took pictures with his cellphone. At approximately 3:11 pm, law enforcement escorted Adams out of the Capitol Building via the Senate Carriage Door. Adams described this to the FBI as being “forced out.”

            After being removed from the Capitol, Adams told a reporter that he had traveled from Springfield, Illinois, for the rally President Trump had held earlier in the day and that he had been spurred on by President Trump’s claim that he had been cheated out of victory.

            On February 4, 2021, Adams told the FBI that it was his intent to peacefully occupy the Capitol building. He stated, “since we were planning to occupy, we didn’t know if they were going to be out there for one day, five days, or a week.”

            Adams was arrested on April 13, 2021, in Springfield, Illinois. He faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison on the obstruction charge, as well as potential financial penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Springfield Field Office and Washington Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.

            In the 24 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 950 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 284 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. 

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Justice Department announced today that the village of Hinsdale, Illinois, has agreed to pay $800,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that the village violated the Fair Housing Act when it refused to allow the operation of a sober living home for persons in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction in a residential neighborhood.

The settlement, which still must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, resolves a lawsuit that the department filed in November 2020. This settlement also resolves a related suit brought by the sober living home’s owner and operator, Trinity Sober Living LLC. 

“Local governments do not have the right to use zoning laws and restrictions as a vehicle to discriminate against people with disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to vigorous enforcement of federal law to ensure that individuals in recovery have access to the housing and support they need to maintain their sobriety and lead productive lives.”

“Individuals with disabilities – including those recovering from drug and alcohol addiction – should not be excluded from living in residential neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr. for the Northern District of Illinois. “Such discrimination by local governments is forbidden under the Fair Housing Act.”

The department’s lawsuit alleged that the village of Hinsdale violated the Fair Housing Act after it denied a reasonable accommodation request by Trinity Sober Living LLC to operate a sober living home with ten residents and a house manager in a residential neighborhood. The complaint alleged that, one day after Trinity requested an accommodation, the village sued Trinity in state court for violations of the zoning code, including that the home was a “commercial use” and would have more than three unrelated adults.

Under the settlement, the village will amend its zoning ordinance to comply with federal anti-discrimination laws, including permitting homes for persons with disabilities in residential districts, with the same size limitations applied to families of similar size, and implementing a reasonable accommodation policy. The village will also pay $790,000 in monetary damages to Trinity as well as a civil penalty of $10,000 to the United States. The village also agreed to take a number of other actions to guard against housing discrimination, including training village officials and employees about their obligations under federal law, designating a fair housing compliance officer and reporting periodically to the Justice Department.

Trinity Sober Living LLC is represented by Kennedy Hunt P.C., a civil rights law firm in St. Louis, and Esposito and Staubus LLP, a law firm in Burr Ridge, Illinois.

The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on disability, race, color, religion, national origin, sex and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of housing discrimination can call the Justice Department at 1-833-591-0291 or submit a report online at civilrights.justice.gov. Individuals may also contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or through its website at https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp. Individuals may also report housing discrimination, and other forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities, to the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (312) 353-5300.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Defendant’s Gang Responsible for Multiple Shootings, Referred to East New York as “Gun Town”