Month: April 2023

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Rusk County Man Sentenced to 18 Months for False Statements to Federal Agencies Regarding Non-Citizen Workers

Source: United States Department of Justice News

MADISON, WIS. – A Bruce, Wisconsin man was sentenced today for making false materials statements to the U.S. Department of Labor and to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concerning foreign workers.  The sentencing is announced by Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.

Alfredo Aguilar, 52, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to eighteen months in prison.  Aguilar was ordered to pay restitution to the non-citizen workers in the amount of $1,144,693.56 and a civil penalty in the amount of $210,696.39. Aguilar pleaded guilty to these charges on January 13, 2023 and has paid over the full fine and restitution for the immigrant workers.  

From 2015 until December 2018, Aguilar was a co-owner of Northwoods Forestry, Inc., a business based in Eleva, Wisconsin.  Aguilar recruited workers from Mexico and Central America, known as H-2B workers, to work in forestry by planting and caring for trees and clearing and developing woodland.  Through the H-2B program, employers are permitted to hire temporary workers from other countries to perform labor to address one-time, seasonal, intermittent, or peak needs.  Northwoods Forestry agents made statements and attestations under oath to the Department of Labor and USCIS regarding the type of work the workers would do and the wages they would receive. 

Aguilar admitted that he placed Northwoods Forestry H-2B workers with non-forestry employers, including in meat packing, construction, roofing, agriculture, painting, fur processing, and landscaping businesses, and that he assured those employers that the H-2B employees could legally work at their businesses when he knew that was not true.  Aguilar also admitted that Northwoods Forestry did not pay the workers the highest applicable wages, did not pay the workers overtime, deducted the cost of safety boots from the wages of employees sent to work in meat packing, and deducted expenses and subsistence for transportation to and from the United States from the H-2B employees’ pay, all contrary to their sworn statements to the Department of Labor.

“My office is committed to holding accountable those who exploit vulnerable workers,” said U.S. Attorney O’Shea.  “We will continue to work with the Department of Labor and our other law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute such offenses.”

“Alfredo Aguilar and co-conspirators made false statements to the U.S. Department of Labor in order to fraudulently obtain H-2B work visas. Aguilar and his co-conspirators failed to pay the required prevailing wages to the foreign workers he employed pursuant to that program.  Today’s sentencing is an affirmation of our efforts, along with those of our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, to pursue individuals who abuse the H-2B program for financial gain,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

“The Wage and Hour Division’s investigation that led to this result is a significant accomplishment on behalf of workers seeking to use the nonimmigrant visa programs. The resulting collaboration with our federal criminal law enforcement was nothing short of seamless and outstanding,” explained Wage and Hour Regional Administrator Michael Lazzeri in Chicago. “The widespread placement of workers in unapproved job classifications and falsification of payment records during the investigation by this employer demonstrated a reckless disregard for the respective visa program.  Today the victims have been made whole through restitution and this egregious employer has been debarred from participation in the H-2B Visa program for the next five years. Employers who seek to abuse these programs should take note of this result and reconsider.”

The investigation in this matter was conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General and Wage and Hour Division, with assistance from the U.S. Department of State and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation.  U.S. Attorney O’Shea and Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger handled the prosecution.

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Manchester Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking More Than 2 lbs. of Fentanyl in New Hampshire

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CONCORD – A Manchester man pleaded guilty in federal court to drug trafficking in New Hampshire, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

Zachary Janas, 40, pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl and unlawfully possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph LaPlante scheduled sentencing for July 27, 2023. Janas was charged on September 27, 2021.

On September 21, 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arranged to purchase approximately one-half kilogram of fentanyl from Janas at his Manchester residence. On September 24, 2021, federal law enforcement seized an additional one-half kilogram of fentanyl packaged for distribution, approximately $7,000 cash, several firearms, and ammunition.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Major Offender Task Force led the investigation Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer C. Davis is prosecuting the case.  

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GSA and DHS formalize partnership to promote sustainability

Source: United States General Services Administration

April 17, 2023

The General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security will work together to make government operations more sustainable and resilient

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at the St. Elizabeths West Campus in Washington aimed at promoting decarbonization, clean and resilient technology, and high performance sustainable buildings.

The MOU is the first between GSA and another federal agency that focuses on achieving net-zero operations in support of DHS’ missions and the federal government’s goals. It aflso formalizes the longstanding partnership between the two agencies as they work together to reduce the environmental impact of government operations while increasing resilience to significant climate-driven events.

This partnership enables the agencies to share technical expertise, tools, and training to increase DHS and GSA facility sustainability and resilience, and spur deployment of clean energy technologies and infrastructure at the DHS headquarters at St. Elizabeths, as well as throughout DHS’ footprint nationwide.

The signing of this MOU underscores GSA’s commitment to establish and implement cross-cutting solutions that mitigate climate risks. As part of its Sustainability Plan [PDF], GSA is focused on improving energy, water and waste efficiency, reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting the transition to carbon pollution-free electricity.

“GSA is excited to build on our close partnership with DHS as we both aim for net-zero emissions. This agreement is a roadmap for achieving sustainable and resilient buildings not only at St. Elizabeths campus, but also nationwide, so we can achieve a net-zero operational emission building portfolio by 2045,” said GSA’s Public Buildings Service Commissioner Nina Albert, who signed the MOU along with GSA’s Associate Administrator for Office of Government-wide Policy Krystal Brumfield and the Department of Homeland Security’s Chief Readiness Support Officer Tom Chaleki.

“There is great power in partnerships and leveraging resources for a focused goal,” said Chaleki. “Through this memorandum of understanding with GSA and DHS, we aim to strengthen our resilience, increase our sustainability, and reduce our energy consumption in our facilities owned and managed jointly by our Departments. These focused goals will employ strategies that support portfolio electrification and reductions in greenhouse gases.”

“We’re thrilled to be putting in place this MOU to build on our already strong collaboration,” added Brumfield. “Looking forward, GSA hopes to deepen relationships with other federal agencies across government as we all work to make the federal footprint more sustainable and resilient.”

President Biden has charged the U.S. federal government to lead by example by sustainably managing its footprint of over 300,000 buildings, over 600,000 vehicles, and $650 billion spent annually on goods and services. On Dec. 8, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14057 and issued his Federal Sustainability Plan, which directs the Federal government to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 by transitioning federal infrastructure to zero-emission vehicles and energy efficient buildings, powered by carbon pollution-free electricity.

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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology

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Cherry Hill Gang Member Sentenced to 21 Years in Federal Prison for a Racketeering Conspiracy, Including Murdering a Rival Gang Member

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III today sentenced Deaven Cherry, age 35, of Baltimore, Maryland to 21 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for a conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Interim Chief Dennis J. Delp of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, Cherry was an associate of a gang known as “Hillside” which operated in part of Cherry Hill in Baltimore, Maryland.  Members of Hillside distributed powder and crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone and marijuana, primarily in a local shopping center, in other locations throughout Cherry Hill, and in west and southwest Baltimore City.  The members of Hillside used the proceeds of their narcotics sales to purchase firearms, to enrich themselves, and to further the narcotics trafficking and other activities of the organization.  Hillside members also committed acts of violence, including robberies, non-fatal shootings and homicides.

As stated in his plea agreement, Hillside members and associates have been in a long-running dispute with rival gang members, including Up Da Hill (“UDH”), the Lakebrook Circle Boys, and others.  Members and associates of Hillside have routinely engaged in murder and other acts of violence directed at members of these rival gangs, or persons in the territories controlled by these rival gangs.  Cherry knew members of Hillside sold narcotics and committed violent acts against rival gangs or others who impeded on Hillside’s territory.  Further, Cherry admitted that he participated in Hillside’s racketeering enterprise, including the murder of a UDH member (Victim 1).  On May 22, 2010, Cherry shot and murdered Victim 1 in the 2900 block of Denham Circle.  Later that day, Cherry was in possession of a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine containing 21 rounds.  Ballistic evidence confirmed that Cherry’s firearm was used to murder Victim 1.  Cherry also admitted that it was reasonably foreseeable to him that Hillside was responsible for the distribution of between one and three kilograms of heroin, between five and 15 kilograms of cocaine, between 280 and 840 grams of crack cocaine, as well as marijuana and oxycodone.

Cherry and co-defendant Travis Alewine fled after their indictment and were fugitives until their arrests in 2020 and 2019, respectively.  Nineteen other Hillside co-defendants pleaded guilty and were sentenced to up to 23 years in federal prison.  Travis Alewine has also pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 20, 2023, at 9:30 a.m.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).  NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms.  NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles.  For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.

This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the ATF, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore City Police Department for their work in the investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Patricia C. McLane and Brandon K. Moore, who are prosecuting the case.

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

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Nine Additional States Join Justice Department’s Suit Against Google for Monopolizing Digital Advertising Technologies

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Attorneys General of Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Washington and West Virginia today joined a civil antitrust lawsuit filed by the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division along with the Attorneys General of California, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Virginia, against Google for monopolizing multiple digital advertising technology products in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. The Antitrust Division and the state Attorneys General filed an amended complaint in the Eastern District of Virginia.

“We look forward to litigating this important case alongside our state law enforcement partners to end Google’s long-running monopoly in digital advertising technology markets,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Today we welcome the States of Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia who join our existing coalition of eight co-plaintiff states, to deliver the benefits of competition to website publishers, digital advertisers, and the American public.”