Month: April 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Anchorage – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment on April 21, 2023, charging a Homer man with unlawful transportation of four black bears and making false records in violation of the Lacey Act.

According to court documents, Travis Larson, 47, of Homer, and his company Alaska Premier Sportfishing, LLC, were named as defendants in the six-count indictment. The indictment alleges that in May 2018, Larson and Alaska Premier Sportfishing illegally transported four black bears they knew had been unlawfully harvested by four Norwegian hunters. The defendants used a 65-foot vessel, the Venturess, and a 16-foot motorboat to commit these offenses. The indictment further charges that Larson and Alaska Premier Sportfishing made and submitted false records, which stated the four bears had been transported from Nuka Island, when in truth they had been transported from Beauty Bay and Surprise Bay on the Kenai Peninsula.

Larson is charged with four counts of Unlawful Transportation of Wildlife, in violation of 16 U.S.C. § 3372(a)(2)(A); and two counts of Making False Record, in violation of 16 U.S.C. § 3372(d). If convicted, he faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $20,000 fine on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The defendants are scheduled for their initial court appearance May 11, 2023, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew M. Scoble of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.

U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska made the announcement.

The United States Fish Wildlife Service, National Park Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Alaska State Troopers are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Brickey is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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usao/ak/23-032

Source: United States Department of Justice News

SAN ANTONIO – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas joins the rest of the nation in commemorating National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) April 23-29.  NCVRW is an annual week of recognition to honor victims of crime and ensure their rights are upheld.

This year’s theme is “Survivor Voices: Elevate. Engage. Effect Change.”  It calls upon communities to amplify the voices of survivors and create environments where survivors have the confidence that they will be heard, believed, and supported.

“Survivors of crime often face physical, emotional and psychological trauma that can have long-lasting effects.  They deserve our support, our compassion and our protection,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas.  “As U.S. Attorney, I am committed to ensuring that criminals are held accountable for their actions, and that victims are treated with dignity and respect.  This week, we stand in solidarity with survivors and remain focused on working toward a society in which all victims are treated with dignity and respect so that they can heal and rebuild their lives.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas has a dedicated team of prosecutors and victim assistance professionals who work together to ensure victims of crime receive the services and support they need.

In 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas obtained a default judgement against Samantha Mueting and her company, iCORE Global.  Mueting led a real estate scam, perpetrating a series of frauds upon couple nearing retirement.  One of the victim couples lost approximately $600,000 to Mueting and iCORE Global when they sent wire transfers to Mueting’s bank accounts in San Antonio. Immediately after the wire transfers were deposited, Mueting made a large cash withdrawal. Suspecting fraud, bank officials closed the account and issued a check to Mueting who then deposited the funds into another bank account in San Antonio under the name of iCORE Global LLC and ICG Secure Deposit Funds LLC.  Working with the United States Secret Service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas filed a civil forfeiture case against the funds, which then totaled $482,194.05.  The funds were returned to the victims in or about Oct. 2022.

On Aug. 4, 2022, Jose Gomez III was sentenced in Midland to 25 years in prison on hate crime charges for attacking an Asian family he believed was Chinese and therefore responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.  Gomez further admitted that he had attempted to kill the family’s six-year-old child.  In addition to the prison sentence, Gomez was ordered to pay the victims $16,782.74 in restitution.

On Aug. 24, 2022, two men were sentenced in Waco for robbing five area merchants at gunpoint, causing severe harm to each of their victims through violent crime.  Roosevelt Jones IV is now serving a 20 year prison sentence, while co-defendant Christopher Teon Fults is serving 10 years.  Combined, Jones and Fults were ordered to pay more than $21,000 in restitution to the victims.

On Jan. 23, 2023, Jaycob Andrew Bustamante was sentenced to 204-months imprisonment, a 30 year term of supervised release, and $13,500 restitution, for cyberstalking, distribution of child sexual abuse material and extortion.  Between January 2021 and September 2021, he created multiple social media accounts posing as the victim, through which he posted the sexually explicit images and sent the child pornography to her friends and family. Over the course of Bustamante’s constant harassment, he repeatedly threatened and stalked the victim through social media, placing her and her family in fear of violence, while demanding more sexually explicit images.

On Feb. 8, 2023, Connor Flores Jimenez, of the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas Reservation near Eagle Pass, was sentenced in Del Rio to 20 years in prison after he severely injured his two-month-old baby and choked his wife unconscious.

On April 4, 2023, Alberto Jimenez Pastrana was sentenced in Pecos to 15 years in prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.  Pastrana had shot at a vehicle containing his children and their mother, then crashed into it with this own vehicle and drove away, fleeing numerous law enforcement vehicles from various agencies.  Pastrana was a convicted felon with four prior felony convictions and received the statutory maximum sentence.

Visit ovc.ojp.gov/ncvrw2023/overview for more information on National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

SAN ANTONIO – A retired Air Force brigadier general was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio today to 12 months and one day in prison with three years of supervised release for wire fraud and filing a false tax return.

According to court documents, Scott A. Bethel, 59, of Spring Branch began working as a government contractor and advisor to the Air Force upon his active duty retirement in 2012.  During that time, he launched his own business, working directly with government staffing contracts, which he tended to simultaneously with the work he conducted for his contract employer.  Bethel would seek hotel reimbursement from both his employer and the government.  Bethel also submitted false hotel invoices for instances when he stayed with personal acquaintances rather than at hotels.  In total, Bethel received approximately $15,140.50 from the Air Force to which he was not entitled.

An examination of Bethel’s work laptop revealed that he had also falsified charitable deductions and business expenses from 2015 to 2019, resulting in a government tax loss of approximately $139,687.00.

In addition to the prison sentence, Bethel was also ordered to pay $154,827.50 in restitution.

“Our commitment to upholding the rule of law and safeguarding the public trust remains unwavering,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas. “No one is above the law, and my office will relentlessly prosecute those who abuse their positions for personal gain and undermine the integrity of our financial systems, regardless of their status or background.”

“Today, the sentencing of retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Scott Allen Bethel serves as a reminder that those in positions of authority and trust are expected to uphold higher standards of integrity and accountability,” said Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Houston Field Office. “Bethel’s fraudulent actions, which included fabricating invoices, claiming false deductions, and attempting to enlist others in his criminal activities, not only tarnished his distinguished career but also undermine the very foundations of our tax and government systems. We are committed to enforcing the law and ensuring that individuals, regardless of their rank or status, are held accountable for their actions as we continue to work with our law enforcement partners to uphold the values of justice and fairness.”

IRS-CI, General Services Administration Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Harris and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Porier prosecuted the case.

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