Month: April 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

PROVIDENCE – An East Providence businesswoman who allegedly arranged for eight Columbian Vallenato musicians to obtain work visas to enter the United States, purportedly to work in the performing arts industry, has been charged in federal court with visa fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

It is alleged in documents filed with the court that Yaneth Yanitza Caicedo Grandos, operator of Tu Voz Es Musica (“TVEM”), a music talent school she operates out of her residence, created and provided false itinerary information on work visa applications submitted to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of each of the musicians. Included with each application were contracts on TVEM letterhead that described agreements TVEM had with venues in seven states, including Rhode Island, where the Vallenato musicians were scheduled to perform. 

According to information presented to the court, a review by Homeland Security Investigations of the contracts submitted with the visa applications to USCIS revealed discrepancies, including, for example, similar looking signatures on six contracts with five different venues. It is alleged that venue managers/owners whose names and signatures appear on the contracts did not authorize nor endorse the information; and that venue operators confirmed that the Vallenato musicians had not performed nor were scheduled to perform at their respective venues.

As further alleged in court documents, this matter came to the attention of federal authorities when an East Providence resident provided information that Caicedo Grandos restricted the movements of the Columbian musicians, forced them to sleep on the floor of an apartment from which they have since been evicted, attempted to confiscate their passports, and threatened them with immigration consequences.

 Yaneth Yanitza Caicedo Grandos, charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with visa fraud and aggravated identity theft, made an initial appearance before U.S. District Court Magistrate Lincoln D. Almond on Tuesday and was released on unsecured bond.

Work visas issued to eight Vallenato musicians have been revoked by the U.S. Department of State.

A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee H. Vilker.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Justice Department issued the following statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in recognition of the 28th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing, which took place on April 19, 1995, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma:

“Today, we mark 28 years since a domestic terrorist bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995.

“Today, we remember the 168 people, including 19 children, whose lives were taken and the hundreds who were injured. We send our deepest condolences to the families who are still mourning an unspeakable loss. We commemorate the extraordinary resilience and grace that the Oklahoma City community continues to demonstrate in the wake of that loss.

“And today, here at the Justice Department, we recommit ourselves to doing everything we can to prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again. We remain vigilant in the face of the threat posed by domestic terrorism. And we remain committed to pursuing accountability for those who perpetrate such attacks and to pursuing justice for the victims and survivors.

“We will never forget what happened in Oklahoma City on April 19. We will never stop telling and retelling the story of that day, and of how the Oklahoma City community responded to hatred and division with compassion and unity. And we will never stop working to honor the memories of those we lost.”

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Greenbelt, Maryland – Former high school and youth football coach, Moshe Michael Imel, age 53, of Owings, Maryland, pleaded guilty late yesterday in U.S. District Court to two counts of production of child pornography involving two minor victims.  As part of his plea agreement to the federal charges, Imel also agreed to plead guilty to charges related to the sexual abuse of minors in three cases in the Circuit Court for Calvert County, which is scheduled for May 2, 2023.  Imel remains detained.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Calvert County Sheriff Ricky Cox; and Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey.

According to his plea agreement, between July 2018 and November 2020, Imel was an assistant football coach at a Calvert County High School.  In March 2021, law enforcement interviewed two victims who reported that beginning when Imel coached the individuals in a youth football program and continuing through high school, Imel groomed and then sexually abused the victims.  Specifically, Imel admitted that he directed each victim to expose and touch himself in a sexual way and ultimately engaged in sexual contact with the victims on numerous occasions.  Imel also created sexually explicit videos of the victims documenting his abuse. 

A search warrant was executed at Imel’s home and confirmed that the basement—including the action figures lining the walls, the computer setup, the cameras, sex toys and other paraphernalia—was as the victims had described it to law enforcement.  A review of fourteen electronic devices seized at Imel’s residence revealed that they all contained child pornography or evidence of Imel’s sexual contact with minors.

Imel and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Imel will be sentenced to between 25 and 40 years in federal prison for production of child pornography.  As detailed in the plea agreement, Imel will be sentenced for the state case after his federal sentencing.  U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for August 8, 2023, at 9:30 a.m.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.       

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, and the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, who is prosecuting the federal case and recognized Rebecca N. Cordero, who is prosecuting Imel’s case in State court.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

The former executive vice president of PRAD Group Inc. pleaded guilty to paying bribes to two City of Atlanta officials in exchange for steering city business worth millions of dollars to his company, to paying bribes to a former DeKalb County, Georgia, official in an attempt to obtain county contracts, and to evading over $1.5 million in taxes. 

According to court documents, Lohrasb “Jeff” Jafari, 72, of Alpharetta, Georgia, oversaw PRAD Group’s finances. From 1984 to 2018, PRAD Group was an architectural, design, and construction management firm headquartered in Atlanta that performed services for the City of Atlanta and DeKalb County.

From January 2003 to February 2017, Adam Smith was the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) for the City of Atlanta and supervised the city’s purchasing activities and its expenditure of billions of dollars of public money. From April 2011 to May 2016, Jo Ann Macrina served as the City of Atlanta’s Commissioner of the Department of Watershed Management, a cabinet-level position from which she managed the city’s drinking water and wastewater systems and was responsible for an annual budget exceeding $500 million.

Jafari gave Smith and Macrina cash and other items of value to obtain business with the City of Atlanta. In exchange for those payments, Smith and Macrina conspired with Jafari to ensure that PRAD Group received city business worth millions of dollars, including by agreeing to replace two evaluators on the selection team for the city’s architectural and engineering contract and to re-score an evaluation so that Jafari’s company would be awarded a contract.

During Smith’s tenure as the CPO, the City of Atlanta awarded contracts worth millions of dollars to PRAD Group and joint venture projects of which PRAD Group was a partner. For years, Jafari met privately with Smith on multiple occasions, frequently at local restaurants. During these meetings, Jafari and Smith discussed City of Atlanta procurement projects, bids, and solicitations, often while Jafari was actively seeking additional work and/or assistance with ongoing city projects. After most of the meetings, Jafari paid Smith $1,000 in cash in the bathroom of the restaurant. In return for these bribe payments, Jafari expected Smith to use his position and power to assist Jafari with contracting and procurement with the City of Atlanta. From at least 2014 to January 2017, Jafari paid Smith more than $40,000 in cash with the intent to influence Smith in his role as the city’s CPO.

In February 2017, Jafari became aware of the federal investigation into his bribe payments to Smith. In response, Jafari confronted Smith at City Hall to convince Smith to lie to the FBI by instructing Smith to deny taking bribe money from him. 

From at least 2013 through May 2016, Macrina met with Jafari to discuss City of Atlanta procurement projects, bids, and solicitations, often while Jafari was actively seeking contracts, projects, and work with the City of Atlanta. To obtain city work, Jafari promised Macrina a lucrative job with PRAD Group and, directly or through a PRAD Group employee, gave Macrina $10,000 in cash, jewelry, a room at a luxury hotel and luxury shopping trip in Dubai, and landscaping work at her home. Shortly after the City of Atlanta fired her, Macrina began working for Jafari and PRAD Group. Between June and September 2016, Jafari and/or PRAD Group paid Macrina $30,000 in four separate payments.

On April 8 and Aug. 21, 2014, the FBI conducted two undercover operations using a confidential source (who at the time was a high-ranking DeKalb County official). During the surreptitiously recorded meetings, the confidential source met with Jafari at local restaurants, where Jafari sought assistance from the confidential source to obtain work in DeKalb County. After the meetings, Jafari directed the confidential source to the bathroom of the restaurants where Jafari paid the confidential source between $1,000 and $1,500 in cash.

From 2014 to 2016, Jafari neither filed personal tax returns, nor paid any income taxes to the IRS. During those years, Jafari withdrew large amounts of cash from corporate bank accounts and took money from the PRAD Group’s corporate accounts to pay for various personal expenses, including several luxury vehicles. Jafari evaded the payment of at least $1.5 million in taxes.

Jafari pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiratorial bribery, substantive bribery, and tax evasion. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 19 and faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit bribery, 10 years for substantive bribery, and five years for tax evasion. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

In January 2018, Smith was sentenced to two years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiratorial bribery. In February 2023, Macrina was sentenced to four years and six months in prison after being convicted at trial of conspiratorial and substantive bribery.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge James E. Dorsey of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Atlanta Field Office and IRS-CI are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Jolee Porter of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, Trial Attorney Todd Ellinwood of the Tax Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W. Davis and Nathan P. Kitchens for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Thank you, Seth, and thanks to Ben for opening this event with those insightful remarks and supporting the work of ENRD and our law enforcement partners. I also want to thank the staff at ENRD for pulling this event together and all of you for participating.

As Ben observed, timber trafficking is extremely profitable. And right now, there’s only a low risk of capture. And so, we’ve seen that timber trafficking increasingly involves organized criminal elements trafficking in other contraband, like narcotics, illegal arms, and wildlife parts. I am confident that the steps we are taking though the TIMBER Working Group and other lines of effort will help shake up this paradigm.

Illegal trade in timber plays a major role in driving deforestation and is therefore inextricably linked to climate change. Moreover, a key theme of this event is that timber trafficking is a complex problem that crosses international borders. A problem of that nature demands close cooperation between federal agencies, working together with their counterparts in other nations.

Support and assistance from private stakeholders like the NGOs here today is also critical. Your presence demonstrates that we can and will work together to address this very serious and important problem.

The Working Group will focus on ferreting out and prosecuting violators, enhancing capacity of counterpart governments, and removing obstacles to successful enforcement. These are emerging and challenging issues, and we expect to rely on assistance from across the federal government as we seek to trace and address illegal flows of timber worldwide.

Let me take a moment, though, to talk about the particular role of the Environment and Natural Resources Division. ENRD has prioritized investigating and prosecuting timber trafficking offenses. The Division’s Environmental Crimes Section has many experienced prosecutors, and it partners regularly with U.S. Attorneys’ offices to prosecute cross-boundary offenses, ranging from wildlife and timber trafficking to illegal ocean dumping and smuggling materials like pesticides. Our successful prosecutions to date have yielded the highest ever fine for timber trafficking, in a case against Lumber Liquidators; restitution to foreign countries like Peru for timber illegally sourced from their countries; and many lessons about how trafficking works, and how we can stop it.

But ENRD cannot tackle the problem of timber trafficking on its own. We rely on our partnerships with other federal agencies to bring these cases, and the TIMBER Working Group will play a key role in identifying trafficking offenses and in ensuring those responsible are brought to justice.

Because of the rules governing criminal prosecutions, I cannot discuss our ongoing matters. However, I can say that we continue to actively investigate and prosecute these cases. For example, this September we have a trial in Florida on a seven-count indictment for the alleged importation of wood products in violation of the Lacey Act, and other crimes. Other Lacey Act wood and wood-product investigations are ongoing.

ENRD has also focused on developing relationships with foreign governments and strengthening their ability to detect and prosecute these offenses. We have built many strong partnerships. Because these crimes cross boundaries, it is essential that U.S. and foreign enforcement personnel understand our mutual legal frameworks, how they complement each other, and how each country and its economy and natural resources affect the global supply chain.

Now that full international travel has resumed, we have resumed our direct work with foreign governments through in-country workshops and other mentoring. For example, in the next few months we will be working directly with officials in Guatemala and Honduras, two countries that have been seriously affected by deforestation and illegal trade, as well as Cameroon, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

We appreciate the assistance of the multiple federal agencies that partner with us to work with these foreign governments, especially the U.S. Department of State, which provides funding and support for this work. We also appreciate the U.S. Forest Service, Law Enforcement and Investigations, for the original concept that led to this Working Group, and for their new delegation of authority allowing special agents to join the existing work of the Departments of Homeland Security and Interior in these important investigations.

I also want to highlight a collaboration with the U.S. Council on Transnational Organized Crime Strategic Division, which President Biden established by executive order last year. ENRD has established a strong partnership with the Strategic Division, and we welcome their role in the TIMBER Working Group. You will hear more from them during this discussion.

I thank you again for attending and I am looking forward to our discussion today. I now turn it over to back to Seth.