Month: May 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Baltimore, Maryland – Danisha Thomas, age 39, of Bladensburg, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to federal charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, related to a scheme to receive and sell cell phones that were fraudulently obtained using the identifying information of at least 24 victims.

The guilty plea was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland and Postal Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

According to her guilty plea and court documents, between July 2019 and March 2020, Thomas was part of a conspiracy to obtain new cell phones by opening new cell phone service accounts or upgrading existing accounts in the names of individual identity theft victims without the victims’ knowledge or permission, then selling the cell phones to others for a profit.

Specifically, co-defendants Chantelle Harris and Robert Patterson were employed by a third-party vendor contracted to handle wireless phone transactions, including sales and phone upgrades for Walmart.  Harris and Patterson, who worked inside Walmart stores, admitted that they abused their positions by conducting fraudulent transactions in furtherance of the scheme and for Thomas’ benefit.  With Thomas’ agreement, or upon her request, the co-defendants applied for new cell phone accounts and for upgraded cell phones on existing cell phone accounts in the names of identity theft victims without the victims’ knowledge or permission.  As detailed in her plea agreement, Thomas provided the victims’ personally identifiable information (“PII”), including date of birth and Social Security number, to Harris and Patterson for this purpose, aware that the victims were real persons who did not authorize these transactions.  With Thomas’ agreement or upon her request, the co-defendants used the victims’ PII to obtain credit approval and authorization for new accounts for cell phone service and/or to upgrade existing cell phone service accounts, then charged the purchase of new cell phones to the fraudulent service accounts opened in the victims’ names.  Harris communicated with the co-defendants by phone and text to coordinate the fraudulent purchase and exchange of the cell phones and was observed on video surveillance during and/or after each of the fraudulent transactions meeting with co-conspirators and/or receiving stolen cell phones directly from them. 

Thomas admits that the total value of the fraudulently obtained cell phones was approximately $537,000.

Thomas faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud and a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft.   U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for Thomas on September 28, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.

Chantelle Harris, age 34, and Robert Patterson, age 22, both of Hyattsville, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the fraud scheme.  Harris was sentenced to time served and Patterson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorney Colleen E. McGuinn, who is 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 and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – Mauricio Mazabel-Soto, 45, and Alfredo Molina-Cutiva, 53, both citizens of Colombia, were sentenced to 73 months and 70 months in prison, respectively, for conspiring to distribute large quantities of cocaine for importation into the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting Regional Director Omar Arellano.

            In 2018, DEA agents began investigating large-scale drug traffickers with ties to the terrorist group known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). During a long-term investigation, defendant Mazabel-Soto represented himself as someone authorized to enter into large cocaine production agreements on behalf of the FARC and portrayed co-defendant Molina-Cutiva as being responsible for FARC drug trafficking logistics in southwestern Colombia. Additionally, the defendants represented that defendant Molina-Cutiva was responsible for all FARC cocaine laboratories in Huila and Caqueta, Colombia as well as transferring cocaine across the border with Ecuador for exportation north by way of the Pacific Ocean.

            During a series of recorded meetings, defendants Mazabel-Soto and Molina-Cutiva offered to produce large quantities of cocaine for an individual they believed was representing a major Mexican drug cartel. In one particular meeting, the defendants proposed a business agreement wherein the Mexican cartel would invest $2 million (USD) in their business and the FARC would construct a cocaine laboratory for the cartel, where they would have exclusive rights to the production. The defendants stated that the first 1,000 kilograms produced would be free and the FARC would then produce an additional 1,000 kilograms of cocaine for the cartel every few weeks, at a cost of $1,600 (USD) per kilogram. The defendants agreed to place designer stamps on each kilogram of cocaine, including the logo for the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team.

            In April 2019, in Bogota, Colombia, defendant Mazabel-Soto provided another individual with a five-kilogram “sample” of cocaine to demonstrate the quality. Mazabel-Soto accepted $11,000 (USD) for this sample delivery. DEA lab results show that the cocaine was 96% pure.

            On June 25, 2019, defendant Mazabel-Soto was arrested in Colombia and, on April 16, 2021, was extradited to the United States; co-defendant Cutiva was arrested in Colombia on August 8, 2019 and, on January 25, 2021, was extradited to the United States. An additional co-defendant (Aldemar Soto-Charry) was arrested in Colombia on August 8, 2019, and is pending extradition.

            Molina-Cutiva pleaded guilty in November 2022; Mazabel-Soto pleaded guilty in December 2022. As part of their plea agreements, the defendants agreed that they were accountable for conspiring to distribute at least 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, which quantity represented the total amount involved in their relevant criminal conduct

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and DEA Acting Regional Director Arellano commended the work of those who investigated the case, including the DEA’s Bogota Country office, the FBI LEGAT Bogota, and the FBI Miami Field Office. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Rosenberg and Anthony Scarpelli, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Goddard, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section, who prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

OKLAHOMA CITY — Today, a federal judge sentenced NEMORY ZAHID RAMOS CASTRO, 22, of Oklahoma City, to serve a total of 30 months in federal prison for lying during firearms transactions, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.   

On July 5, 2022, a federal grand jury sitting in the Western District of Oklahoma returned a one-count Indictment against Ramos, charging him with making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.  On August 17, 2022, a five-count Superseding Indictment charged Ramos with conspiracy to make a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, three counts of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, and transferring a firearm to a person residing outside the State of Oklahoma.

On January 5, 2023, Ramos pleaded guilty to two counts of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.  The government agreed to dismiss the other charges against him pursuant to a plea agreement.

At a sentencing hearing yesterday, U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot sentenced Ramos to serve 30 months in federal prison.  In support of his sentence, Judge Friot cited, among other things, the serious nature of the offense and the dangerous nature of the specific firearms involved.  Judge Friot also ordered Ramos to serve three years of supervised release upon release from prison.

According to public record and evidence presented at sentencing, Ramos made false written statements in connection with the purchases of two assault-style firearms, one in Oklahoma City and one in Luther, Oklahoma.  In one instance, Ramos submitted an ATF Form 4473 stating he was not acquiring the assault-style firearm for another person, but a few hours after the transfer law enforcement found another individual in possession of it during a traffic stop.  The ATF requires prospective firearm buyers to complete Form 4473, which requires prospective buyers to answer several questions related to the transfer.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.  Prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chelsie A. Pratt and Jacquelyn Hutzell, the case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Department of Justice program to reduce violent crime.  In October 2017, the Department announced the reinvigoration of Project Safe Neighborhoods and directed U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop crime-reduction strategies that incorporate lessons federal law enforcement has learned since the program’s launch in 2001.

Reference is made to public record for further information.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Justice Department’s Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy and Office of Environmental Justice. To mark the anniversary, the Department has issued a fact sheet highlighting its progress in its work advancing environmental justice.

“In the year since I announced the creation of the Justice Department’s first Office of Environmental Justice, the Department has taken important actions across the country to advance environmental justice for all Americans – including working to improve access to safe drinking water in Jackson, Mississippi; curbing harmful pollution in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’; and securing convictions for mismanagement of industrial waste in West Virginia,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Although violations of our environmental laws can happen anywhere, communities of color, indigenous communities, and low-income communities often bear the brunt of the harm caused by environmental crime, pollution, and climate change. We will continue to seek justice for and protect communities that are disproportionately burdened by environmental harms.”

“Our accomplishments over the past year confirm that advancing environmental justice is core to the Justice Department’s mission,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “All Americans, no matter where they live or work, deserve the protection of federal laws protecting clean air, clean water, worker safety, and quality of life.”

“I am proud of the progress we have made this year,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “I look forward to deepening our partnership with EPA and other federal agencies as we strive to bring relief to overburdened communities, and to ensure that every American has clean water to drink and clean air to breathe.”

“Black communities and other communities of color are far too often disproportionately impacted by unsafe drinking water, illegal dumping, and other environmental hazards and injustices,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Department’s Civil Rights Division. “As our recent agreement in Lowndes County makes clear, we are committed to using our federal civil rights laws to address environmental injustices that have plagued our most vulnerable communities for generations.”

“As we take this opportunity to reflect on the Department’s ongoing efforts to advance environmental justice, we know there is more work to do,” said Director Cynthia Ferguson of the Justice Department’s Office of Environmental Justice. “It is a privilege and an honor to engage with communities across America as we work towards a healthier, safer world for all.”

The May 5, 2022 Department press release announcing the Office of Environmental Justice and the Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy may be found here. The Strategy may be found here.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Drug Enforcement Administration announced today the results of a year-long national operation, “Operation Last Mile,” targeting the trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine within the United States driven by the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels.

“The results of this operation – over 3,000 arrests and the seizure of almost 44 million fentanyl pills – demonstrate the Justice Department’s unrelenting commitment to working with our state and local partners to keep fentanyl out of our communities and save American lives,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.

“The Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels use multi-city distribution networks, violent local street gangs, and individual dealers across the United States to flood American communities with fentanyl and methamphetamine, drive addiction, fuel violence, and kill Americans,” said DEA Administrator Milgram. “What is also alarming — American social media platforms are the means by which they do so. The Cartels use social media and encrypted platforms to run their operations and reach out to victims, and when their product kills Americans, they simply move on to try to victimize the millions of other Americans who are social media users.”

Operation Last Mile comprised 1,436 investigations conducted from May 1, 2022, through May 1, 2023, in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement partners, and resulted in 3,337 arrests and the seizure of nearly 44 million fentanyl pills, more than 6,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, more than 91,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 8,497 firearms, and more than $100 million.  The fentanyl powder and pill seizures equate to nearly 193 million deadly doses of fentanyl removed from communities across the United States, which have prevented countless potential drug poisoning deaths. 

Among these investigations, more than 1,100 cases involved social media applications and encrypted communications platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Wire, and Wickr.