Month: February 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Defendant Shot Victim in Mid-Morning Attack

            WASHINGTON – Stanley Brown, 30, of Washington, D.C, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for fatally shooting a man in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  Brown pleaded guilty on October 7, 2022, to voluntary manslaughter while armed. In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Milton C. Lee ordered five years of supervised release.

            Brown’s co-defendant, Emmanuel Taylor, 39, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 50 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Brown pleaded guilty on October 7, 2022, to unlawful possession of a firearm.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 23, 2020, at approximately 10:15 a.m., Brown approached the victim, Jimmy Beynum, on foot in the 1600 block of F Street NE. Brown shot Mr. Beynum multiple times and then fled the scene. Mr. Beynum, 37, died on Jan. 29, 2020, as a result of multiple gunshot wounds.

            The investigation determined that earlier that day, Emmanuel Taylor left his apartment in Southeast Washington with Brown and dropped him off in the area where the murder took place. When police searched the apartment six days later, Taylor attempted to jump out of the window and threw the murder weapon out of the window.

            In announcing the pleas, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of the officers, detectives and other personnel who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Sitara Witanachchi, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Puja Bhatia, and Victim/Witness Program Specialist Karina Hernandez. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Seidel and Brian Ganjei, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – On January 26, 2023, a 60-year-old Washington, D.C. man was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for sexually abusing his seven-year-old great niece, U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves announced.

            The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of second-degree child sexual abuse. On January 26, 2023, pursuant to the limitations contemplated in the negotiated plea agreement, the Honorable Robert Okun sentenced the defendant to prison, followed by supervised release. The defendant must also register as a sex offender for 10 years.

            According to the government’s evidence, in November 2018, the defendant was staying at the apartment of his niece who is the mother of the victim. One evening, while on the couch, the defendant pulled the victim onto the couch with him and covered her with a blanket. The defendant then proceeded to touch the victim’s genitalia with his hand. At the time of the offense the defendant was a convicted sex offender and was on supervised release in a previous child sexual abuse case. 

            In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the D.C. Children’s Advocacy Center. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Tracey Owusu and Maria Garcia, Paralegal Specialist Cynthia Muhammad, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marco Crocetti and Bonnie Thompson, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Patrick Parker Walsh, 42, Williston, Florida, was sentenced today, after previously pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in connection to COVID-19 pandemic relief. Walsh was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“The theft of any amount of taxpayer funds is inexcusable,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “However, the defendant’s deceptive acts of diverting millions of dollars in emergency financial assistance from small businesses during the pandemic is simply beyond the pale. Today’s sentence both punishes the defendant’s criminal conduct and should serve as a significant deterrent to others who would selfishly steal from their fellow citizens to unlawfully enrich themselves. With our law enforcement partners, we remain committed to investigating and prosecuting those who engage in acts of covid-related fraud.”

Court documents reflect that between April 7, 2020, and January 21, 2021, Walsh submitted a total of 16 fraudulent applications to multiple federally insured financial institutions and other qualified lenders for Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loans in the names of multiple businesses, including his blimp companies which were headquartered in Levy County.  Walsh’s false PPP loan applications included several discrepancies: no record of some employees that were listed in Walsh’s applications, that the number of employees listed in multiple applications was more than previously listed in employer tax records, and that some of the companies claimed in the applications were not even established businesses as of February 15, 2020 (the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic relief programs). Additional investigation revealed that Walsh had used several of the same employees on PPP loan applications for different companies. 

“Today, the defendant in this case was brought to justice for exploiting Federal relief programs and using the obtained funds for his personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Kyle A. Myles, of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG).  “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold those accountable who take advantage of such programs and undermine the integrity of our Nation’s banking system.”

Walsh’s fraudulent PPP loan applications sought a total of $11,950,439 in PPP loan funds, of which he received a total of $4,996,167. Further, between March 2020 and July 2020, Walsh submitted a total of 18 fraudulent applications to the SBA for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs), in his own name and in the name of his wife. Walsh’s false EIDL applications were approved and a total of $2,822,000 was disbursed to him.

“Taxpayers thinking about stealing from government relief programs should stop in their tracks and simply look at the consequences of taking the next step,” said Ronald A. Loecker IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge. “Today’s sentencing is the result of federal law enforcement banding together to enforce not only the nation’s tax laws, but especially cases where someone, for their own personal benefit, steals resources from the American people.”

“This sentence demonstrates that those that steal taxpayer dollars will be held accountable,” said SBA OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka Brathwaite-McCall. “I want to thank the U.S. Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.”

Additionally, Walsh engaged in multiple monetary transactions that involved at least $10,000 of fraudulently obtained PPP loan or EIDL proceeds that he obtained through his wire fraud scheme. Many of these transactions included payments for the purchase of real estate in Florida and Texas, oil leases, and to pay off his mortgage loans.

“Patrick Walsh abused a program that was designed to ease suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Sherri E. Onks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division.  “Instead of using millions of dollars in federal funds to help keep struggling businesses afloat and honest workers employed, he selfishly diverted it for his own personal gain.  The FBI will hold accountable anyone who takes advantage of those in need during a national emergency, and we remain committed to working with our partners to ensure fraudsters are brought.”

The PPP, administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”), was designed to provide low-interest, forgivable loans to applicants to help fund certain permissible expenses for qualifying businesses amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which included payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities.  The EIDL program, also administered by the SBA, was designed to provide low-interest loans to small businesses in regions affected by declared disasters. The CARES Act authorized the SBA to provide EIDLs, up to $2 million, to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Walsh’s imprisonment will be followed by three years of supervised release.  Additionally, Walsh was ordered to pay restitution to the SBA in the amount of $7,818,167, and the Court entered an order of forfeiture in the same amount.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), and the U.S. Small Business Administration-Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG).  Assistant United States Attorneys Justin M. Keen and David Byron prosecuted the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Justin M. Keen and David P. Byron prosecuted the case with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Kerwin, of the United States Attorney’s Financial Litigation Program.

This case was prosecuted as part the Department of Justice’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the CARES Act relief programs. The CARES Act is a federal law enacted in March 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the two programs that were developed through CARES Act is the PPP. It provides funding to businesses through PPP loans for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. PPP allows the interest and principal on loans to be forgiven if the business spends proceeds on certain expense items within a designated time and uses a certain percentage of the loan on payroll expenses. The Department of Justice remains vigilant in detecting, investigating, and prosecuting wrongdoing related to the crisis.

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, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Today, U.S. federal law enforcement transferred into U.S. custody four men detained in Haiti to face criminal charges in the Southern District of Florida related to their alleged involvement in the July 7, 2021, assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

A criminal complaint charges dual Haitian-American citizens James Solages, 37, Joseph Vincent, 57, and Colombian citizen German Alejandro Rivera Garcia, 44, with conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support and resources resulting in death, and conspiring to do so, knowing or intending that such support and resources would be used to prepare for or carry out the conspiracy to kill or kidnap.

A separate criminal complaint charges dual Haitian-American citizen Christian Sanon, 54, with conspiring to smuggle goods from the United States and cause export information not to be filed, as well as with smuggling goods from the United States and providing unlawful export information.

Solages, Vincent, Rivera and Sanon are scheduled to make their initial federal court appearances tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alicia Otazo-Reyes in Miami.    

Including these four defendants, seven individuals are now in U.S. custody, charged with U.S. crimes for their roles in the assassination plot. The other men charged are Mario Antonio Palacios Palacios, 43, Rodolphe Jaar, 49, and Joseph Joel John, 51, who were arrested last year.

As alleged in the complaints, Solages, Vincent, Rivera, Sanon and others participated in crimes that culminated in the assassination of the Haitian President.

It is alleged that in April 2021, Solages, Sanon and others met in South Florida to discuss regime change in Haiti and support for Sanon, an aspiring Haitian political candidate. After that meeting, a list of equipment and weapons needed for the regime change operation was shared with Solages, who then shared it with Sanon. According to the complaint, items on that list included rifles, machineguns, tear gas, grenades, ammunition, bulletproof vests, and other weapons and equipment.

In May 2021, Sanon contracted for equipment needed to support his “private military” forces in Haiti. His private forces included about 20 Colombian nationals with military training who were recruited to assist in the operation and provide security to Sanon. Rivera led the Colombian group, according to the allegations.

It is alleged that Sanon conspired with others to ship 20 ballistic vests for use by his private military forces from South Florida to Haiti on June 10, 2021. The vests were shipped without the required export license from the U.S. Department of Commerce and without the required export information filings.

In mid-June 2021, support for President Moïse’s replacement shifted to a former Haitian Supreme Court Judge. That Judge signed a document requesting assistance to further the arrest and imprisonment of President Moïse. In addition, a document purportedly signed by that Judge claimed to provide immunity in Haiti to those who participated in the operation.   

On June 19, 2021, Solages, Vincent, Rivera and others communicated about their plans to arrest President Moïse, detain him and take him away in an airplane to an unknown location. The plan did not go forward when the conspirators failed to obtain the plane and necessary weapons for the operation. 

On June 28, 2021, according to the charging documents, Solages traveled from Haiti to South Florida to share with others the documents purportedly signed by the Haitian Judge requesting assistance and immunity. Solages flew back to Haiti on July 1, 2021, to participate in the operation against the President.  

It is alleged that on July 6, 2021, Solages, Vincent, Rivera and others met at a house near President Moïse’s residence, where firearms and equipment were distributed and Solages announced that the mission was to kill President Moïse. On July 7, 2021, several individuals arrived outside President Moïse’s residence, some of whom were wearing ballistic vests. They entered the President’s home and killed him, according to the allegations.  

Haitian authorities arrested Solages, Vincent, Rivera and Sanon. They were detained in Haiti until today’s transfer to the United States.

Solages, Vincent and Rivera face up to life imprisonment if convicted. Sanon faces up to 20 years if convicted. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Maged Behnam of the FBI Miami Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement.

The FBI and HSI investigated these cases.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Goldbarg and Monica Castro for the Southern District of Florida, Trial Attorneys Frank Russo and Jessica Fender of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, and Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster is handling asset forfeiture. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance.

A criminal complaint 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

A former chief financial officer for a company with offices in Oklahoma pleaded guilty in federal court after failing to pay over to the IRS $3.6 million in income and FICA tax withholdings and for embezzling more than $130,000 from the company.

Paul B. Bowker, 60, a British national, fled the United States three years ago after being charged with the crimes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office eventually received a tip that led to Bowker’s arrest by local authorities in the United Kingdom. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with officials from the United Kingdom to ensure Bowker’s extradition to the United States for prosecution.

Today, Bowker pleaded guilty to one count of failure to account for and pay over withholding and FICA (Social Security) taxes and one count of bank fraud. A federal judge will sentence Bowker at a later date.

At the time of the crime, Bowker was the chief financial officer and vice president of finance at a company that maintained offices in the Northern District of Oklahoma. In his role at the company, Bowker was responsible for withholding income taxes and FICA taxes from employees’ paychecks and for paying the monies over to the IRS. According to court document, from April 2014 through January 2016, Bowker withheld the funds but willfully failed to file quarterly employment tax returns for the company and failed to pay over the majority of the employment taxes owed to the IRS, totaling nearly $3.6 million. During the investigation, agents discovered that the defendant had not embezzled the tax monies that he willfully neglected to pay, and the IRS was able to recover the funds.

Bowker also committed bank fraud as the company’s chief financial officer. In his position, Bowker was entrusted with a company’s Visa credit card and was responsible for paying the monthly credit card bill by authorizing the electronic transfer of funds from the company’s checking account at Mabrey Bank, in Bixby, to the company’s Visa account. From January 2014 through December 2015, Bowker fraudulently used the Visa credit card to make $130,000 worth of purchases for his own benefit. Bowker purchased items at drug stores, department stores, online retailers, furniture stores, gas stations, and liquor stores. He paid for the Visa charges with funds from the company’s checking account at Mabrey Bank.

Bowker did this by calling the credit card processor and authorizing a one-time electronic transfer from Mabrey Bank to pay the credit card bill.  By authorizing the payment via telephone, Bowker was able to avoid the company’s two-signature requirement on company checks.

IRS/Criminal Investigation and the FBI conducted the investigation. The Department of Justice Office of International Affairs coordinated the defendant’s extradition. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Cella and recently retired Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. McLoughlin prosecuted the case.