Month: April 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

A former mayor of Humacao, Puerto Rico, pleaded guilty today to engaging in a bribery scheme in which he received cash payments for awarding municipal contracts to two companies.

According to court documents, from January to July 2021, Reinaldo Vargas-Rodriguez, 49, was involved in a bribery conspiracy in which he accepted thousands of dollars in cash bribes from the owner of a construction company and the owner of a trash collection company. In exchange, Vargas-Rodriguez agreed to secure contracts for both companies.

Vargas-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to solicit and accept bribes. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph González of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI San Juan Field Office investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Nicholas Cannon of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Erbe for the District of Puerto Rico are prosecuting the case. Trial Attorney Ryan R. Crosswell of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott H. Anderson for the District of Puerto Rico assisted in the investigation.  

This case is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts to combat public corruption by municipal officials in Puerto Rico. In addition to the above matter, the Public Integrity Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico have recently obtained convictions against other former public officials and contractors in the district for soliciting and accepting bribes related to municipal contracts.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A doctor made his initial appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to face illegal distribution of opioids charges.

According to court documents, Dr. Ndubuisi Joseph Okafor, 63, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, allegedly distributed oxycodone to individuals outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose from his medical practice in Washington. Okafor allegedly performed only cursory evaluations of individuals, and further solicited and received cash inside the examination rooms of his clinic in exchange for opioid prescriptions.

Okafor is charged with 16 counts of illegal distribution of opioids. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office, and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

The FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating the case, with assistance from the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and DEA.

Principal Assistant Deputy Chief Kilby Macfadden of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Mayer-Dempsey for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the New England Prescription Opioid (NEPO) Strike Force. Since its inception in late 2018, the NEPO and the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Strike Force and has partnered with federal and state law enforcement agencies and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout New England and Appalachia to prosecute medical professionals and others involved in the illegal prescription and distribution of opioids. Over the past four years, NEPO and ARPO have charged over 115 defendants, collectively responsible for issuing prescriptions for over 115 million controlled substance dosage units. As a result, to date, more than 70 defendants have been convicted. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Information about available treatment programs is available as follows:

Maryland patients receiving care from this practice who wish to obtain information on how to find treatment for mental and substance use disorders, where to access naloxone and other harm reduction services, and information about crisis helplines can utilize these Maryland resources:

• Search for substance use treatment facilities through findtreatment.gov/.
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org, a Maryland suicide and behavioral health crisis hotline.
• Public Overdose Response Programs in Maryland supply naloxone and may be found using this list. You can also visit health.maryland.gov/pha/NALOXONE/Pages/Home.aspx to see a locator map. Naloxone may also be found in your local pharmacy and billed to insurance and Medicaid.

District of Columbia residents needing information about mental health or substance use disorder services can call the Department of Behavioral Health 24/7 Access Helpline 1-888-793-4357 or visit www.dbh.dc.gov.

In addition, those needing access to opioid treatment service can contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 24/7 National Helpline for referrals to treatment services at 1-800-662-4359. 

Medications obtained illicitly are very dangerous as they are often not what they appear, and frequently contain contaminants and extremely potent substances such as fentanyl that greatly increase the risk of overdose and death.

An indictment is merely an allegation. 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 District of Columbia man pleaded guilty today to coercing multiple children to engage in unlawful sexual activity, including through online sextortion.

According to court documents, Glenn Matthews, 33, used his Instagram account to communicate with multiple minors over several months in 2020. During that time, Matthews sent sexually explicit images and videos of himself to at least 10 different minors, who were between the ages of 9 and 16. He enticed at least one of the minors to create images of themselves engaged in sexual activity. Matthews also sought to meet up with the minors to engage in sexual activity. In some instances, Matthews took screenshots of his conversations with the minor victims and threatened to expose the minors to their friends if they did not comply with his demands. 

Matthews pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor and second‑degree child sexual abuse in violation of D.C. law. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 6 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation & Human Trafficking Task Force is investigating the case. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.

Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Mayer-Dempsey for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CONCORD – An executive pastor pleaded guilty in federal court to using Journey Baptist Church’s debit and credit cards without authorization, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

Gregory Neal of Rochester, age 45, pleaded guilty to a one-count information alleging wire fraud.  U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott scheduled sentencing for July 19, 2023. 

The defendant’s employment entailed overseeing the church’s daily operations, including control over its finances. From January 2017 to March 2020, the defendant made unauthorized withdrawals of the church’s funds to pay off his own gambling debts and made unauthorized purchases with the church’s credit cards for his own personal benefit. These unauthorized transactions amounted to roughly $130,000.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three 3 years of supervised release, a maximum fine that is the greater of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, and restitution. 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 U.S. Secret Service led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande is prosecuting the case.  

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